You know you want it

By

PaisleyRose

Inspired by

Mercuralis's

Newest portrait

Of our

King

(Disclaimer)

I don't own it, I get no pay,

I get head aches and heart aches

And

That's the way it goes.

--

Sarah Williams sat at the bar, thinking it was safer for her there than taking a table all by her self. She'd been to this club a few times, once with girl friends celebrating a birthday, and another time for an impromptu bridal shower for one of her coworkers. This was the first time she was coming here alone, and she was nervous. Sitting alone in a bar was not the way Sarah liked to spend her time. In fact she hated it, but she was stuck. She'd seen the signs and knew that Carol Johnson in marketing and Deena Edwards in accounting were planning on celebrating this milestone birthday, and were making elaborate plans. She'd told her co-workers she'd had a hot date lined up so they would not be tempted to toss her a birthday bash celebrating the bid Two Five. So instead of being home and enjoying the quiet of her apartment, she was stuck in a smoky bar called "There and back again".

Sarah knew she had to order a drink, but didn't want something that was going to knock her for a loop. She sat at the bar for a moment trying to think of what in the world to order when the bar tender sauntered over. "What'll it be lady?" He stared at Sarah with big eyes, in his hand was a bar towel that he used to repeatedly wipe the same spot.

"I don't know," Sarah said in exasperation. "I don't usually drink."

The barkeep leaned no the bar, looked at her with a little amusement and asked. "Whatcha come here for?"

"Long story," Sarah sighed. "Have any suggestions?"

"We've got a new mixed drink we're trying," he suggested with what seemed to the girl as very little interest. "It's called a glow worm…pretty popular with you ladies."

Sarah hesitated, and then with a huff, pulled off her jacket and dropped in on the chair beside her. "Oh hell, why not… ok give me a glow worm."

The barkeep, looking extraordinarily and uncommonly pleased with him-self tapped the bar and chuckled; "Coming right up."

Sarah felt a little over dressed, she'd come straight from the office and was still in her dressy suit. She looked in the long mirror that was along the wall behind the bar. There were bottles of every kind of liquor known to man stacked there in various states of fullness. The lighting was not exactly bad, but it was eerily dim in this smoky joint. She wondered again what had possessed her in driving here. She had not been impressed by this place, and now was sure she'd made a major mistake. She looked out of place, and felt perplexingly peculiar in this strange environment. She was sure of one thing; she was really going to have to wash her hair once she got home maybe even twice to get all the smoke out.

The bar was filling up, which made sense as it was a Friday night. The two waitresses, Agnes and KiKi, were busy taking orders. Sarah was trying hard not to stare at the characters that had come in. One guy was sitting in a corner and looked like he was all arms and legs folded up, and he didn't look like he even noticed. She was not sure what she remembered from the other times she was here. After all, she'd been invited to celebrate joyous events, and what did the location matter. She stared at her own reflection for a moment, before looking down in disappointment with herself.

Here she was, twenty five years old and what had she done? She'd not become the famous actress following in her mother's footsteps. She'd not gone into law, following in her father's equally large footprints. She'd graduated college not at the head of her class, and certainly not with a portfolio full of glowing reviews. She had found herself with a useless degree, a closet full of second hand costumes and props, and a set of parents with not a clue as what to do with her. After college she'd tried her hand making the rounds to agents and reps, but 

no one was interested. So at twenty three she moved back home to her father's house and went to work doing a job that she hated for a company she loathed. And she was turning twenty five.

"Your glow worm," the barkeep set the drink down before her.

Sarah looked at the highball glass with its glowing top layer of electric blue curacao liqueur. The hair on the back of her neck tingled, she wondered if she'd had it pinned too tightly. "That looks… lovely." She said raising the glass to her lips. "Here's looking at ya."

"Yeah," the barkeep said, watching her take her fist sip. "Well what do you think?"

Sarah closed her eyes as the curacao slid down her throat in a little fire dance. "Smooth," she said when she got her breath. She took a second sip this time getting a bit of the apple and orange juice mixture and a hint of something melon like and something else she could not put her finger on. She looked up in the mirror and groaned, coming through the door was Carol and Deena and both were wearing triumphant looks on their faces.

"I told you she was making it up," crowed Carol. "There's no hot date!"

"There could have been," defended Deena.

Carol, a few years older and newly divorced, had her doubts about that. "So Sarah, where's the hot date?" she seemed more angry than she had a right to be.

"He's coming," Sarah said hoping it would be enough for the pair and they would leave her alone. She drank down more of the glow worm and signaled the bartender for a second. "I'm early."

Carol, with the sourest expression on her dour face that Sarah had ever seen, grabbed Sarah's shoulder roughly. "Tell the truth, Sarah, you don't have a date, do you?"

Deena gasped seeing the usually constrained Carol behaving in a manner that was so out of character.

"Why would I lie?" Sarah asked trying to sound good natured, when what she wanted to do was haul off and belt the older girl right in the kisser.

The barkeep delivered the second drink, smiling and asked the others. "What'll it be?"

"I'll have what the birthday girl is having," Carol sneered.

Deena was pulling on Carol's arm, "Carol, we should go… if Sarah doesn't want a party it's okay…" The crowd in this strange pub was making her nervous. "I want to go," she whispered urgently.

"So what's that you're drinking anyway?" Carol asked sitting on the high backed stool that was beside the one Sarah had her purse and jacket on.

Sarah held the drink in a very casual manner, as if this was her usual beverage after a long week at work. "Oh it's a glow worm, very popular. I just love them." She sipped the curacao lightly.

"Cancel that order," Carol told the bartender who was watching the trio carefully. "I'll have white wine, and one for her." She pointed to Deena rudely. She looked at Sarah, "Move your things and Deena and I will sit with you until you're done. Then we'll take you to dinner."

Sarah made no move to take her jacket from the chair. "Carol, I told you, I have a date. I'm saving this seat for my date," to emphases she looked at her watch. "He'll be here any moment now."

Unimpressed and unmoving, Carol yawned. "Tired Sarah, very tired." Her voice was as rude as her manners. "Get off it, there is no date."

"Why would I lie?" she asked becoming defiant.

"Look Sarah, it's no big deal that you don't date…" Carol was now sounding condescending.

Sarah turned back to the bar, closed her eyes and wished. Perhaps it was the liquor in the drink, or the desperations of her birthday. Or even the fact that Carol was being a royal pain in the ass. Or maybe a combination of all, but Sarah didn't think about what she was doing, she just blurted out the first thing that came to her head. "I wish my date would arrive, and show you that he's real." Under her breath as she sipped deeper into the glow worm she muttered. "Right now I'd even welcome the Goblin King." The lights over the bar flickered, and Sarah looked up, realizing something was wrong. No, not wrong, but different. The lights flicked again and Sarah sat up, "Oh God," she moaned. "What did I just say?" Her hands gripped the edge of the bar, she was no longer listening to Carol's drone, she was listening to the pounding of her heart.

The door of the bar opened, thudding loudly as it hit the wall behind it. In the doorway stood a shadowy figure, only his outline was clear in the smoke. He walked in, taking full command of the room. All eyes went to were he strode. Even the emerald green eyes of the girl looking with panic into the bar mirror as he moved powerfully toward her. His face had not changed, not in the years the ten years since she'd last seen him. If anything he looked even better. He was as lean and as fit as he'd been that night long ago. His wild blond hair was still cut in that untamed undisciplined riotous style that was his and his alone. He moved with the same grace she'd admired that night in her brother's nursery. He was dressed different, just as commandingly. His doubled collared leather thigh length jacket was a rich reddish brown, and moved like it was in full accordance with its owner. His skin tight pants were a deeper brown 

but also made it seemed of leather, soft Kidd or doe skin, leaving little to the imagination. His hands were covered by matching gloves, and his thumbs were hooked into the wide leather belt that had a crystal veneer over the buckle. If it had not been for the amulet Sarah's eyes would not had been drawn to his chest.

Carol turned to look at him, about to bark that he should get lost when he placed one gloved hand into Sarah's hair and pulled the one large hair stick that held it tightly wrapped in the knot she wore for work. He tossed the decorative stick aside turned her chair quickly and grabbed her face. "Hello, babe," he greeted her with a throaty growl before lowering his lips to hers hungrily. "Happy birthday." He said as he ended the greeting kiss.

"Jareth," Sarah said in a gulp of air.

"Is this your date?" Deena squealed in delight. "I told you she had a date!" she crowed back at the sourpuss Carol. "Way to go Sarah!"

Jareth wore a smirk, not the haughty ones of old, but a new smirk that conveyed his sense of some kind of victory. "Did I keep you waiting?"

Sarah felt the room spinning about her. "Jareth," she whispered again. Now both Carol and Deena seemed like a blur. There was nothing and no one else save for Jareth in the room and he was pulling her to her feet. He led her to the dance floor and taking her into his arms began to dance with her in a slow rocking motion to the sounds of the juke box. The song 'A girl like you' was playing and the sound seemed to fill the smoky room, reverberating through the floor and the walls. Sarah, dazed and dizzy and feeling no pain, followed his movements and was grateful for the arms that seemed to keep her from melting away on the floor.

Carol watched in disbelieve, she'd never seen Sarah behaving like this. Her eyes narrowed and she looked angry. Deena knew there was going to be hell to pay. Carol didn't like being proven wrong. Deena tugged at her sleeve and said perhaps they should go. Carol looked around, and nodded. "This place is a dive," she muttered coldly. "If Sarah wants to be here with these low lifes let her." She looked at the bartender and paid for the white wines that had not been touched.

When the two women left the pub, the barkeeper nodded to the man standing at the door. He turned the sign that said open to closed, and turned the lock on the door before nodding back at the man in the white apron. The patrons in their seats moved closer as if to ring the tables about the dance floor, giving little chance for escape.

Sarah looked at the man whose body was so close to hers. "What are you doing here?" she asked breathlessly.

"You called for me," He answered mischievously before adding. "I knew you would… it was only a matter of time."

"I'm serious," she was trying to think her way out of the fog that was enveloping her. Was it getting smokier in here? Why was her head spinning so, she knew she'd only had the one drink, and barely a sip of the second. And why was it that everything in the room seemed to be dancing?

"So am I, Sarah, so am I," pulled her closer. "I've brought you …a gift."

What sober portion of her mind that was still intact now sent off alarms and sirens in warning. Sarah looked up at him, dazed, dizzy and allured. "What is it?" 'déjà vu,' she told herself as she continued to dance in the arms of the Goblin King.

Smirking he leaned to her ear and whispered. "It's a crystal, nothing more." He moved back and goaded with that 'I know you better than you think,' look on his face.

Sarah looked at him, they were alone on the dance floor, and everyone else seemed to be watching them. "I don't see any crystal…" she looked at his hands, they were empty. She staggered a little bit. Tried to focus, was that a crystal in his belt buckle? Was he joking? She looked at his chest, and at the words written plainly on his dark tee shirt. 'You Know You Want It.' She mouthed the words, blinked and shook her head. Repeating the words quietly to her self she looked up into his eyes once more. Now everything was getting blurry, and it felt as if the floor was buckling under her. She staggered back but his hand reached out to capture her wrist. "Everythings…. Dancing." She muttered dully before collapsing into the waiting arms of her partner.

Jareth scooped her up, "Yes, I know."

"That drink," she gulped and moaned softly. "What was in that drink?"

"Oh some orange juice, some apple juice, a bit of melon liquor, a little blue curacao on top and in the very heart of it a lovely bit of peach liquor. Very special peach liquor, Sarah, made from the very tree that the peach you ate came from."

"You bastard," she whispered as he carried her off the dance floor and move to what looked like an arch that she'd not noticed before. "Where are you taking me?"

"Home," he said without looking at her; "Of course."

Sarah rested her head back on his shoulder, contemplating what to do. There was no baby to rescue, no thirteen hours to worry about, no misdirected wish gone wrong. There was only him, and his shirt said it all…. 'You Know You Want It.' She knew before they reached the stairs that the inhabitants were changing to their true forms, goblins. She knew before they reached the stairs that they were somehow no longer in the mundane plane. She knew that with every step they were getting closer to being back in the castle. Her right arm was resting over his shoulder and she leaned closer to his ear. "I want it," she whispered huskily.

Jareth smiled, before carrying her up the steps. "And you shall have it."