For Keeps

Sarah's been out of the Labyrinth for 6 months, and her seemingly instant maturity hasn't gone unnoticed. When Jareth shows up, seeking to understand how she beat him, things progress down a path neither could have anticipated. JS

Disclaimer- All standard disclaimers apply

Chapter Nineteen

"Jareth, I-"

"Shh," Jareth swept over to her, arms moving around her half naked body and pulling her close. "I'm here now, and I'm not losing you again. Sarah, whatever it takes, I will do it. You must see." The Goblin King stroked her long, warm hair and held her even tighter. Sarah took a moment to hold him, too, and take in the smell of him, the feeling of his strong chest beneath his clothes.

"Sarah?"

Jareth spun around, moving Sarah behind him protectively as he did so, to see a half naked male human in front of him. The human was walking backwards, hands up in front of his chest and shaking his head.

"It's okay, Harrison. This is who I wanted to talk to you about," Sarah said, trying to sound reassuring as she moved to Jareth's side. She knew he would be a little freaked out, but that's why she waited until he was on rum and coke number three.

"His names is Jareth, and he's not human."

"This can't be happening."

"He's a Fae, like the Gaelic? They're real, you know. So are goblins and all sorts of things. I just wanted you to understand," Sarah said, biting her lip to keep from rambling. She didn't want to overwhelm him.

Jareth turned around, ignoring the man for now. He was not important. "Sarah, what are you doing? Why did you call me?"

Sarah closed her eyes a moment, breathing in deeply to look at him with a serene, tanned face. She was radiant and beautiful, and how he missed her. He resisted the urge to kiss her with that face turned up at him. Sarah put a hand to his cheek, "We're going to bring the Fae into the world. We've been playing this game for months now, Jareth. I wanted things to be right; I wanted to be in a position where I wasn't the girl whom you saved from a dull, lonely life. I realized something. I am strong, stronger than I thought. I am smart, more clever than I thought. And I love you, more than I thought. This game we've been playing; well, neither of us has to lose. We've been playing for keeps, Jareth, but for what? What are we keeping? Each other? Or the worlds we live in? Well, neither of us has to lose. We can unveil the Fae, together."

Jareth watched her carefully as she spoke, and he knew the truth of her words. He stared at her even after she stopped speaking, running through the ramifications, the things that would need to be done. It was well that he had kept Oberon alive. This would complete his plans. This was bigger than he thought. Sarah, his marvelous, clever Sarah, had come up with a solution to a problem he didn't even know he had.

Sarah felt as if she had been waiting for him to respond forever. She did not want to show her impatience, but really, Harrison might be feeling awkward at this moment. She arched a single eyebrow at Jareth, and then he kissed her.

They both melted into each other's lips, intoxicated by the scent and taste of each other. Oh, she had wanted this for so long. She had missed him more than she had missed her mother when her parents divorced. She had craved the feeling of those silky lips on hers more than she had craved any chocolate or comfort food. This was life and heaven, and she could feel his heart beating in time with hers.

After what felt like eternity and milliseconds simultaneously, he released her, holding her to him again. He whispered down through her hair, "Yes."

Both of them were smiling the smile of lovers reunited. Even Harrison, in shock with the events that just took place before him, could not help and stare for a moment before righting himself. "Well, you're going to need all the help you can get to make sure this turns out okay. If you want my publicist's help you can have him."

Sarah looked at him. "Oh, thank you. I appreciate that."

"No, it's okay. You really clearly are in love, and it's... it's fine. Don't worry about it. I just, I think I'm still in shock, so I'm going to lay down while I process this some more." And with that he just walked past them into the house, in a somewhat zombie-like trance.

Sarah breathed a sigh, and Jareth sat down next to her, removing his cloak as the heat returned to the backyard. "Did he treat you well?" Jareth whispered. He wasn't jealous. Sarah was his; he could feel it in every bone in his body. The sun couldn't warm him anymore than that knowledge did. But he wanted to make sure she had been cared for in his absence.

"Yes, he was a gentleman," Sarah replied, sitting down next to him, her fingers moving up his chest and finding the buttons of his shirt. "But I'm through with that now."

"Oh, are you, Sarah?" he smirked, looking down at her fingers on his chest. His gaze moved down her arms to take in the sight of her fully. She looked incredible. A black bathing suit of some kind was in two pieces wrapped around her body. One with triangles on strings positioned just so over her breasts, and the bottoms... He closed his eyes and suppressed a shudder. Very little was left to the imagination.

"With gentleman, I mean. I prefer Kings these days. Preferably of goblins; I do have a soft spot for goblins," Sarah said, her fingers working on freeing those buttons from their prisons. After two buttons, Jareth raised his hands to cover Sarah's.

"Your friends are...restored, Sarah. I needed you to know that I made it right with them," he said, gazing down at the beautiful woman before him. "And that... I am not the Goblin King anymore, not just the Goblin King."

Sarah felt her mind racing over the possibilities. Her friends restored, threats to her gone, and her life in order. It seems they both had been very busy these past few months it would seem.

"Tell me everything," she replied as she sat back down on the cushy poolside lounge chair again.

Jareth sat on the one Harrison had been using and regarded her for a moment. "I knew it would be you," he murmured to himself. She had always been the one to whom his soul belonged to. They'd been playing this game for far too long. The time for games was over. "I isolated the Fae who was going to send a very dark, very evil after you: Rawhide and Bloody Bones. And revealed the Seelie King for what he was: a coward. The very existence of the evil and Oberon's betraying of his vows as Seelie King lost the Seelie Court a great deal of power. Artifacts of power had gone missing while the Unseelie kept all of their treasures. Some lost long ago have even been returning to Unseelie while the Glittering Throng had lost nearly all of its. Nothing has returned yet, but nothing has gone missing."

"Jareth, that doesn't explain 'not just the Goblin King.' What happened?" Sarah pressed. She had know about Bloody Bones, but she never dreamed that powerful beings among the Fae would have cared so much to want a mere mortal like her dead. Jareth looked at her, wondering why this was so important but replied. He wanted no more games. He wanted to win. He want both of them to win.

"Once he was deseated, I was raised King of the Seelie Court."

Sarah's eyes widened as she gazed at the Goblin King, King of the Glittering Throng. This meant everything could work better than expected. This meant her plan could work. They could be together, and- "We're going to go public. You and me. We're going to unveil the Fae to the world."

"Sarah, that is a very-"

"I know! It goes against tradition, Jareth. But we can be together for real. We can show the world the beauty of the Fae. We can make it so your people don't have to be Underground unnecessarily if they don't want to. I know the iron of this Aboveground world can burn, but there are places where there is not so much iron. You can lead your people into a new age, and I-" Sarah stopped for a moment. Jareth looked at her with a touch of irritation.

"I realized all that, Sarah. I was going to say it was a very good idea," he replied in his clipped accent, a hint of indignation at the interruption just barely evident in his tone. "You will be a great Queen, Sarah, of that I have no doubt. I must do something first, though. As King of the Seelie, I am being pressed to choose a queen, a Fae Queen, Sarah. But there is more to you than meets the eye. To bring the Seelie into this land, into a new age, you must be accepted as their Queen. And for that I must ask you to do something for me."

"Anything. I want this. I want you. I've wanted you for so long. And we've come so far- just ask," Sarah stuttered out, astounded and shocked that this was happening. It was finally happening. They were finally going to be together.

"Come with me to the Seelie Court, and," Jareth paused for just a second, "You must win over the Fae."