There Is Always A Reason To Stay Up All Night
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Sarah had a bad habit.
As she stood there staring at the microwave where her milk was warming up she counted the hours until she had to show up for work.
'Five and a half' she thought to herself and sighed. Why was she always staying up way later than she meant to.
It didn't matter how often she'd tried to change her ways, something always got in the way of sleeping… and lately she'd been trying to figure out why she had the nagging feeling that something was missing from her life.
She was fairly happy in her social life and it wasn't her job… she loved it. She had a good job directing a small theatre in the town centre, popular with critics and theatre goers alike for its policy of helping young and aspiring actors find their footing within the acting world. It was a calling she had answered readily after her dreams of acting evolved into a wish to help others fulfil their dreams... and right now was their busiest time of the year and her sleepless nights were really starting to take their toll.
She just didn't understand this feeling of emptiness she felt when the day had come to an end and she was alone in her apartment. Often she caught herself doing nothing but staring out into the night.
Tonight though, she had every intention of making things right.
She had just put on her comfiest pyjamas, turned off the TV, put anything else distracting far out of sight and now stood in the kitchen, making herself a cup off warm milk.
She'd never tried warm milk for sleeplessness before but it was something that she'd heard countless time before so she figured it was worth the shot.
Momentarily hypnotized by the mug going around in a slow circle, her mind wandered to her stepmother and how she would no doubt tell her off for using the microwave to heat up milk, supposedly risking it spilling all over the place… she sighed again. She really should give her family a call. The microwave beeped to announce that the contents were ready and she opened it carefully and picked up the mug. The milk was steaming hot and she blew on the surface to cool it down slightly, 'See, this works just…'
"Sarah… Why are you awake at this hour?"
She froze, dropping the mug to the floor where it shattered into a million pieces at her feet.
How could it be, she hadn't seen or heard from him in years… she hadn't even thought of him in years… not since she saw that owl outside her bedroom window when she was 16.
"What are you doing here" she asked keeping her voice as calm as she could, still looking down at the mess on her floor. When he didn't answer she turned around slowly.
Facing her was who she couldn't deny was the owner of a voice so powerful it still sent chills down her spine, her old adversary, The Goblin King.
Standing there as regal and handsome as ever, the air around him almost sparking with the charge his presence created, he folded his arms and addressed her in a tone so serious it was if the matter he was inquiring about was one of great importance.
"I'm here to get an answer to that very question Sarah. Why are you still awake at this hour?"
"I… I… I'm not sure." She wasn't sure what she should say, she'd just been wondering the same thing. But as she spoke she noticed how disgustingly vulnerable she sounded and felt an emotion she couldn't control fuel her speech and her tone becoming increasingly angered. Who the hell did he think he was barging in on her like that?
"But why do you care? Honestly Jareth what the hell are you doing here? I wouldn't think this would be a matter for a self-righteous King to worry his feathered head over? " Finally turning away from him again she tried to calm her nerves and reached for a dish towel, commencing picking up the broken pieces of mug off of the floor. "… And you scared me half to death!"
He didn't say a word but she could feel him watching her as she knelt there picking up the broken pieces. She noticed her cheeks stating to burn hot and her stomach flipped as the realization sunk in… he'd come all this way… just to see her. Mentally scolding herself she realized she wasn't even capable of being properly mad at him as she knew she should. Standing up she dumped the broken pieces and the dishtowel in the sink with exaggerated pantomime then placed both hands on the counter and let out a deep sigh. At least now she had someone she could talk to.
"I honestly don't know why I'm still awake at this hour Jareth."
Finally he stirred again and moved towards her, the look on his face slightly less serious than before now that she'd calmed down.
"You're waiting for something, aren't you?"
"What?" She look up at him suddenly, making eye contact with him for a brief moment before turning away from him again.
"Sarah… tell me what you're waiting for."
"I'm not waiting for anything Jareth… I don't know what you're talking about?" But she was trying her best to hide the fact her heart had leapt as he'd said it and it had taken her completely by surprise… she was waiting for something… but what?
He dramatically threw up one arm and sighed in annoyance.
"Do I always have to spell everything out for you in glitter? I'm talking about what you feel is missing from your life."
Her head shot up and she was unable to hide her surprise any longer.
"How did you…"
"See, you know exactly what I'm talking about." His tone was now mockingly triumphant.
She turned her back towards the counter as he moved towards her with fluid grace, stopping only when he was standing right in front of her. Her nerves were shaking again and she had to distract herself from thinking too much about the proximity of his body, a familiar feeling of nervous excitement was firmly taking a hold of her own and she felt herself reaching for a talent she had long ago buried under civil politeness, one which seemed to come to her almost too naturally while in his presence, defiance.
She inhaled deeply and felt a surge of feistiness as she put on her best bold face.
"And are you trying to tell me that you know what it is?"
"Sarah, I want you to tell me what it is you want, I want to help you get it."
"Help me…" she tilted her head to the side quizzically "… because you're always so helpful?"
"Are you forgetting everything I've already done for you?" He said, a mocking smile on his lips.
"Right…" She sighed as she dropped her head slightly, not having missed the emphasis of the word everything. But raising her head again she locked stern eyes on his,"… but what are you getting out of it this time. Somehow I doubt this is a completely selfless favour to me."
"You asked me why I'm here tonight and the truth is I do want something… I want you…" He moved in closer to her, pinning her against the counter. "… and I want to give you what you want… a new adventure." His grin was now wide and venomous.
She gasped as she felt his body against hers and closed her eyes to gather herself.
"Do you find me attractive Sarah?" his voice now a whisper against her ear.
"What?" Her heart skipped a beat, panic now slowly replacing defiance. The thought that maybe she wasn't so good at this kind of thing anymore crossed her mind. He however was definitely as good as ever and now started ministering very distracting attentions to her neck.
"Answer the question…"
She pondered her words carefully under the heavy distraction, she could lie, but he'd doubtlessly know…
"Yes…" and as she let go of the words she felt her anger flare again "… and you know very well that you've used that against me before!"
"You're right, I have… but what good are fantasies if you're not on some level hoping to turn them into reality... and I can only assume that after all this time you must be feeling a terrible amount of pent up sexual frustration."
He smiled wide and then placed soft kisses on her neck… she could barely think, she was supposed to be mad right now she was sure off it.
"How do I know this isn't just a trick? I know you Jareth, I'm on to your mind games." Mindlessly she'd brought a hand up to grab a hold of his jacket.
"You don't know… but you see, right now you've just started a mind game of your own. Knowing you can't fully trust me makes you all the more excited. You can't deny you're curious about sleeping with me… and in the end you realize it's a risk you have to take…"
He bit her neck softly and let his hands roam up her back.
" … but you want me to convince you, to take the responsibility away from you, to make the adventure happen for you… but that would be way too easy. You have to give me the power. I want you to shamelessly admit that you want me to give you what you want… and agree that you will do exactly as I say."
His last few words were eerily dragged out and she realized she had no idea what she was getting herself into. But his mouth was now on hers in a deep kiss and she couldn't help blushing at his eagerness, it was clear he wanted her, and it flattered her. But she couldn't help questioning herself. What if she wasn't 'that girl' anymore, the girl who was more than ready to accept his challenge to save her brother. She wasn't sure if she had the guts to take his ferocity full on, he was so intense it scared her.
She broke the kiss pushing him away slightly to catch her breath.
"But… what if I'm not brave enough? Jareth, I'm different now."
"No you're not. No matter how far you think you've come, in order to truly change you would have to change your very nature and with that you'd be risking losing your deepest, darkest fantasies… and I know you would never let that happen."
He kissed her again, fiercely and she felt herself giving into his dominance, the effects were weighing in on her heavily. She barely noticed as he walked her backwards towards the bedroom, never breaking his ferocious kiss. Without time to react or even come up with a protest she'd landed on her back on top of her large bed.
She watched him as he removed his coat and armour before getting to work on some of his other clothing. When he was standing before her in nothing more than his shirt, trousers and boots he turned his attention to her and reached a hand out to her.
She grabbed it hesitantly and he pulled her up into a sitting position. She was wearing her most comfortable flannel pyjamas, not the sexiest for situations such as these she noted to herself, but unbothered he slowly unbuttoned each of the buttons on the top and as he finished, locked his eyes on hers… and waited.
After a moment of confusion she realized why he'd stopped. This was the moment, the moment when she had to make the decision to go through with it… He wasn't going to give her the chance to ever convince herself she'd just been seduced out of her mind, she had to have an equal blame in this little fantasy, same as him.
She knew very well that he was powerful enough to have had his way with her as he pleased and left her a shivering wreck, but that wasn't what he wanted. Giving her the advantage of saying no or claiming the choice as her own would make her all the more empowered in her sexuality and make her the perfectly receptive sexual partner he needed to fulfil his own fantasies. And that was his fantasy… her fulfilling her fantasies about him… that was exactly what he wanted to get out of this.
Realizing he actually knew her better than she knew herself she slowly let a subtle but mischievous smile spread across her face. In response she was met with his triumphant one, a victorious glint in his eyes and she knew he was internally gloating that his plan had worked perfectly… she was his.
Slowly he moved his hands to the inside of her top and gently touched her chest above her breasts, sliding them up to her shoulders, removing the top in the meantime. It slid down her arms and rested around her body at the elbows. He broke their eye contact and gazed down at her revealed chest and smiled. His hands now with a bit more pressure stroked her shoulders and slid down her chest and over her breasts, gently cupping them with both hands, connecting their eyes again in a meaningful gaze.
She felt a new sense of empowerment. Like something was stirring within her that had lay asleep for a long time. He was touching her and she was half naked in front of him, the knowledge of his desires for her felt euphoric, even though she'd just given him power over her she realized she had gained just as much power over him by making the decision hers.
She freed her arms from the pyjama top and without breaking their eye contact ran her hands up his thighs, stopping at his waist. With one cocked eyebrow he looked down at her hands as they pulled out his shirt and unbuttoned it completely before she went to work undoing the front of his trousers. He stopped her as she was about to put her hands on the inside to push them down, grabbing her hands with a meaningful look his eyes, almost as if to tell her she just wasn't quite ready for that yet. She drew in a shaky breath and he placed both of her hands on the bed on either side of her. Then he grabbed her hips and pushed her up and to the centre of the bed having her rest her head on the pillows. He then removed his shirt and joined her.
He lay on his side next to her, propped up on one elbow. With the other hand he explored her body, caressing her breasts gently and tracing soft lines on her stomach with feather light touches. Then his hand started to dip lower and lower until it made contact with the waistband of her pyjama bottom. He slowly let his fingers slide beneath it half way to his knuckles and then turned is eyes on hers again. The look in his eyes not a request for permission but mischievous challenge... and after a short hesitation she nodded her acceptance. With his eyes still on hers he let his hand disappear beneath the waistband and stop over her most sensitive place, he let one finger part her folds and she inhaled sharply at the contact, realizing how wet she was. He left his hand in place and leaned in and kissed her deeply. She felt her head spin as she realized she'd let her defences down and let him touch her in the most intimate way possible, it felt exhilarating.
She moved one hand to entwine in his hair, it was almost electrifying to the touch, soft and smooth. But as she was sinking deeper into the rapture of the kiss he pulled back his hand and broke the kiss, moving down towards the centre of the bed.
"Turn over Sarah."
His voice was commanding and serious and she felt the tightness return to her stomach as she manoeuvred herself to his request. Now positioned on her hands and knees she was nervously looking at him over her shoulder. The sharp smile on his face made her shiver.
Touching her had only been the start, things were just about to get a whole lot more serious.
He positioned himself between her legs and slid his hands softly up her sides and back down again grabbing her hips firmly. Placing a soft kiss on her lower back he then let his tongue trace up her back following her spine. With his hands then moving back he pulled her pyjama bottoms over the curve of her bottom and down her legs, pulling them from under her knees until she was completely naked in front of him.
She noted the faint sounds of fabric rustling behind her and realized he was removing himself from the rest of his clothing.
As he placed his hands back on her hips her skin prickled at the intensity of his firm grip.
Moving her head as subtly as she possibly could she tried to catch a glimpse of him to prepare herself for his size. But he was positioned too close to her, all she could see were his knees on the mattress. In a sudden rush of nervousness she instinctively pulled forwards against his hold on her hips but he held her firmly and drew her slowly back into place.
"Sarah, trust me."
She noted the hint of mischief in his voice. Inhaling deeply she nodded, a bit more frantically than she meant to.
She felt the mattress give as he drew in closer to her. He was now close enough for his cock to rub against her wetness. It felt exquisite. She sighed and relaxed her tense muscles, she then felt him position himself at her entrance and after a short pause push into her deliberately slow.
As he entered her body unseen she felt every sensation intensified. He was big. Bigger than she'd ever experienced before. As he slid inside her all the way to the hilt she sighed and savoured the feeling. Then he started pulling back gently and the sensation had her arching her back and squeezing her eyes shut, moaning softly. He pulled out of her all the way to the tip before entering her again, a bit faster this time and began a slow rhythm of thrusting. Sarah felt her body tingle, every nerve was alive with pleasure. He pulled her hips back to meet his thrusts and she started to circle her hips slowly making a hitched sound in his breath betray his need for her. His pace picked up and she felt herself lost in the sensation, the feeling driving her delirious with new desire.
She let out a loud moan as one of his hands pulled her hair softly to draw her up from the mattress to rest her against his chest as he sat back on his haunches. The hand in her hair coaxed her head to the side to meet her lips with his. Bringing one hand upwards she knotted it in his hair by the base of his neck and he bit her lower lip in response. He let his hands roam her body as his thrusts into her continued in a steady rhythm, stroking up her thighs, caressing her breasts and then wrapping one arm around her tightly as the other moved downwards towards her centre. The feeling of his hands touching her was electrifying, making her moan deeply into his kiss. With his sheer size and the combination of the sensation now thundering through her body she knew it wouldn't be long until she reached her peak. And with her hips being guided by his body it didn't take more than a gentle touch from his hand for her to tip into the most extreme orgasm of her life.
Breaking their kiss and supporting her weight against his chest she let the euphoric wave travel through her body and sighed contently as he wrapped his arms tightly around her, supporting her completely. As her orgasm started ebbing away she turned her head to face him and they both smiled at each other and let out a short laugh. She rested her head in the nook of his neck for a moment and felt content, she'd never been so at peace with herself as she was right then, and he'd brought it out in her, the bravery to take the risk.
Jareth placed a soft kiss on her temple and grabbed her hips pushing her back up to support herself on her hands and knees. Gripping her hips tightly again he resumed his thrusting with a renewed vigour. The aftershocks of her orgasm were still drifting through her body and the new sensations made her head spin. Lowering herself down to her forearms she opened herself completely up to him to thrust deeper and she heard him grunt savagely as he neared his climax. As a rush of lust nearly tipped her over the edge again she gyrated her hips against his and felt him stiffen and reach his peak with a loud roar. She felt his cock twitch inside her as he spilled his seed deep within her. He then rested his weight on her hips for a moment as he steadied his breathing. Pulling out of her in one swift movement he moved to lie down by her side.
As he lay on his back he pulled her down towards him so she was resting half on top of him, her hands folded underneath her on his chest. Looking at each other for a moment she bravely moved forwards and placed a kiss on his lips which he met readily. As they broke the kiss they smiled at each other again and he lifted one arm up to rest behind his head as he wrapped the other around her body. He then exhaled slowly and contently, closing his eyes.
Sarah rested her chin on the back of her hands and cocked her head to the side, admiring the peaceful look on his face before rearranging herself to lie comfortably with her head on his chest. Through lidded eyes she noticed through the window that dawn was breaking.
She woke up some time later to the sounds of Jareth putting his clothes on. He was moving carefully, obviously trying not to wake her.
She raised herself up and rested on one elbow.
"So I take it you got what you came for." she said now with her own mocking smile.
"Yes…" he said with his back to her before turning around and smiling at her deviously. "… and if I'm not mistaken so did you."
She smiled a beaming smile at him. Never did she think fantasies could be so much fun to play with.
Suddenly she inhaled sharply and spun her head towards the clock on her nightstand.
07:30… she still had time.
As she turned around again Jareth was nowhere to be seen.
She let out an exasperated sigh and let herself slump down on the bed, grinning to herself. How very like him to disappear like that.
After a while she finally willed herself to take a shower and get ready for her day… another one filled with yawns and red eyes.
… as she returned home that night a red rose and an owls feather on the bed of disarrayed sheets greeted her and she smiled to herself.
There was always a reason to stay up all night.
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A/N: I do this all the time, stay up too late and regret it in the morning… I wouldn't mind Jareth showing up with some "excitement and adventure" in an attempt to cure it, that would truly be worth staying up for… and I believe Sarah's life will improve infinitely after this night! :)