Jareth caught Sarah as her stamina finally ran out.
"Poor child", he murmured as he hefted her into his arms and carried her back to the bed. Glancing at the day bed confirmed that Toby still sat where he had been left , staring vacantly into space as if he was listening on a higher frequency that was out of your range.
"Stupid mortal probably put some vile toxin into his system to put him in this stupor." Looking down he gave his Sarah a loving caress down her check, something he would never dare let her see at this stage of the game, "Don't worry my Sarah, I'll put your brother right as soon as we return to the Labyrinth." Signing, he brushed aside a stray lock of raven hair from Sarah's brow. Straightening to his full height he turned with sharp precision, as any king showed when sentencing a prisoner, to his stirring captive, his anger at the self-righteous pig rising to the fore, replacing his tender feelings with righteous indignation, hi. His lips curled in disgust at the pathetic being before him who thought he was worthy of HIS Sarah.
Groaning, Phillip gingerly began to sit up, wincing as the blood pounded through his temples. Opening his swollen eyes slowly he caught sight of the would-be intruder/ fake hero, laying his wife on HIS bed. Anger sizzled in his gut as he saw the strangely dressed man tenderly brushing hair from her forehead. 'Bitch, how dare she disobey him and have the nerve to invite a stranger to participate in their private affairs! She needs to be taught a lesson, and will be, just as soon as I'm finished with this Waco…' Phillip thought, allowing himself to relish the lesson to come for a few moments before the situation caught up with him and he started to laugh.
"You can't protect her forever, you know. One day, when you feel safe, when you let your guard down, thinking that everything is secure, I will have her, oh yess… I will have her." Chuckling insanely Phillip rose clumsily to his feet, "and then, then she'll learn, Yes… she'll learn what happens when wives are disobedient to their husbands…and then…" Grinning unseeingly, Phillip envisioned his lovely Sarah chained naked to his bed, begging him for release from her physical and emotional prison, sobbing that she will do better. He never heard Jareth's growl, nor saw him stride towards him, pick his weakened form up and raise several inches off the floor.
Tutting, Jareth said amicably with steel in his eyes and a cruel smile on his lips, " Phillip, Phillip, Phillip… did you truly believe that I'd ever have let you walk away from this, much less give you the chance to follow through with that pathetic excuse of a threat?"
"You can't do anything to me," Jeered Phillip, " I could pick up that phone right now and tell them that you broke into my home, assaulted my wife and myself and in self-defense I broke your neck." Shrugging he grinned manically " Who do you think they'll believe" I could kill that whore of a wife right alongside you and the police would let…" his throat constricting cut off the rest of his monologue.
"Phillip, what did I tell you about your manners? " Arching a well-manicured eyebrow he continued, "You will learn to show the proper respect due a Queen, especially My Queen."
"She'll die you know… in the end. I won't tolerate infidelity in a spouse."
Dragging him ever closer to the opposite wall, Jareth gestured at it and a door appeared at his summons. Ignoring Phillips crazed ramblings; he dragged him to the door, which swung open to reveal the Helping Hands.
"Your Majesty!"
My Liège!"
"Your orders my Lord?"
Placing Phillip on his unsteady feet he held him still with a steadying hand.
"I tire of your mindless threats on Sarah's' life. As King, I hereby banish you to roam the desert outside my Kingdom, never be allowed entry within its gates, nor to be seen by none save me. You will walk alone, Phillip, never to feel the warmth of a companions smile. This is your punishment for the rest of your days and nights however long, or short they are." Grinning maliciously as fear and a sense of self-preservation set in, Jareth sent him careening backwards through the door and into the eagerly waiting Helping Hands.
"Which way do you want to go?"
"yes which way?" They asked with childish anticipation.
" He wants to go down, all the way down." Jareth replied for the panicking Phillip, who was crying out for help.
"He said Down?" a whinny voice asked in shocked glee.
"He said down? Awwhhhahaha!" Gaffed an older set of hands.
"Wait, wait!Please!" Phillip cried, realizing the gravity of his situation now that he came out of his fantasy.
"Too late now… Hehehe.." as they started to shuffle him from hand to hand downward.
Jareth snapped his fingers in an afterthought.
"Wait, I have a better idea…" He conjured a crystal bubble and sent it to Phillips belt where it popped and was replaced with a dull knife.
"A going away present." He waved his hand for continuance of Phillips decent.
Phillips terror filled eyes were the last thing Jareth saw before he slammed the door on him with a smug, self-satisfied smile.
Deep inside of Sarah a struggle for the right to survive had begun. Battered and bruised the tiny life would have to prove his mettle, his determination to live, long before he ever saw the light of day, or heard the encouraging sound of his mother's voice.
Sarah awoke to pain ripping through her abdomen. Crying out, she clutched at her stomach, curling into herself to try and stop the pain. Jareth was instantly by her side, gripping her hand to lend support and caressing her brow to try and sooth her with worry in his eyes and near panic in his voice.
"Sarah, what's wrong?... Sarah I can't ease the pain if you don't let me." He insisted as the spasms ebbed and flowed, increasing in intensity her face contorting with pain.
"H-Hospital… Jareth I have to get…*gasps* ahhah... to the, to the hospital." The past part was drawn out on a moan of pain.
Gathering her close, he lifted her in his arms and headed towards the boy.
"My personal physicians will attend to you both, Sarah…"
"NO!" Swatting his chest with her fists that were meant to hurt him, she struggled feebly against him, until the pain made her cling to him, "No. I'm not…I'm not I'm not going back, Jareth. Please,… Please just get us to the hospital, Jareth….please." She begged the last a little more than a whisper as she stepped once again into unconsciousness.
Sighing, Jareth kissed her temple. "How could I not do as you ask, Sarah? I could hold nothing from you; especially when you beg so prettily." He said on a chuckle.
Turning towards the boy who, still having a vacant expression, had tears running down his pale face, Jareth motioned for him to rise and, like a puppet responds to a puppeteer; Toby followed Jareth's directions obediently falling in beside him.
Catching hold of his hand, Jareth did Sarah's bidding, and magiked them into an empty ambulance, surprising the driver and EMT. Taking advantage of their stunned silence, Jareth modified their memory slightly to make them think that they had picked Sarah up.
"John, why have we stopped? Contact the hospital and let them know we are coming in with a twenty-two year old white female, unconscious. Pulse 110, BP 130/100. Companion claims patient was complaining of extreme lower abdominal pain and heavily bruised, it looks like she was beaten pretty badly. I'm starting an IV. ETA 5 minutes."
As the female EMT bustled around the cramped ambulance, she glanced at Toby and Jareth.
"What happened?"
"I dropped by to pay a visit, found Sarah tied to her bed, Toby tied to a daybed in the same room and her husband nowhere to be found. Thank God I got there when I did..." tight lipped the lady EMT turned back to the driver.
"John, alert the hospital of the boys presence, he should get checked out as well…" She stated grimly, spouting of vials on Toby as she set up the equipment to start an IV on him as well. As she neared him with the needle however he became so what aware. Screaming and bucking, away from her, Toby receded to the farthest corner, terror in his face, his hacking body jerking.
Speaking softly, the woman reached for him again.
"Easy son…I'm not here to hurt you. I want to help, like I'm helping your sister…" Reaching for him she lightly grabbed his wrist causing him to flinch visibly and quake with barely suppressed terror but nothing more.
"There's a good lad… Now I'm not going to hurt you, I'm just going to start an IV so that I can give you some fluids to help you get better, ok? I'm a nurse, I'm not here to hurt you.."
Fluttering, shifty eyes darted from her friendly face to Jareth's and back again.
"Sarah! He's hurting Sarah!" he moaned, reaching out to his sister before he swooned from having his system shocked back to reality so violently.
Shaking her head with disgust mixed with anger, she caught the boy and gently laid him on a bench, starting the IV.
"If I ever see the S.O.B. who could do this to a child and his WIFE!..."
Staring gageingly at her, Jareth stated tersely, with grim satisfaction, "I'm sure he is going to get his just deserts where ever he is heading." And left her to think what she will on that sentence.
Grunting and muttering about backwoods punishment, she went to Sarah and froze for a second before barking orders again, seeing her belly ropple under the effect of the contraction.
" She's going into shock and miscarrying! We need an OBGYN to meet us in the E.R!"
A baby…? Sarah is carrying a sentient life…
Invoking Other Sight Jareth gazed upon Sarah and Saw the battle raging inside her. 'A mere nudge in either way…' Contemplating, Jareth shook his head. 'No, not without consulting her first' He thought as they arrived at the hospital. Turning he wrist he slowed time minutely while exerting a little bit of power into Sarah to wake her. , gasping for air and looking slightly wild eyed for a moment.
"Sarah, Love, I need you to focus and answer me truthfully and quickly for there isn't much time. You carry his child within you and you are losing it. My question to you is: do you want me to let this happen and let your baby die, or do you want me to save the child? It is within my power to help either way. You need to choose, and quickly".
"What? I'm pregnant! But… How do you know… but…" Gasping for breath with a mixture of panic and pain, she put a shaking hand over her eyes as tears streamed down her face, a grimace of pain accompanied with a moan of pain as her stomach rippled with contractions, her body to stressed and broken from abuse to continue to support the child and her nose is tickled with a twinge of metallic copper smell, smelling blood, her blood.
But, oh a baby… HER baby! She could come to see that bastard as a sperm donor, in time, in time… It's not the child's fault it's father is an abusive self-serving bastard… if only I had taken Jareth's offer, then this would have been his baby…
With tears streaming down her face for what could have been and what was done she laid her head back on the gurney.
"Save him, save my baby Jareth. Do this for me. I can't blame and punish an innocent baby for the sins of his father." She would have said more if the darkness hadn't decided to claim her again. Her last thought was that if she couldn't handle having HIS child then she could put it up for adoption.
Struggling against a womb that doesn't want him, the fetus struggles to keep his heart beating, barely 70 days old and already battling for the right to live.
ok i know i said i'd have it out last friday but things got side tracked... i can't even offer the bird because well... when i went on sabbatical i kinda forgot to tell him that.... so i will go look for him and try to cajole him back to my side and i'll give a better update in the near future.. i promise i haven't forgotten the story! i should be able to wrap it up in the next few updates... we'll see what i can do depends on how much u guys want an update as to how long it takes this time to (no pun intended) push this one out...