I do not own nor profit from Labyrinth or it's characters...are they for sale? I want to buy Jareth, I have a spare room! :)

Summer Storms and Imaginary Kings

It was raining, Sarah was watching out her window, as she always did on these nights. Storms made her think of him. There was a little bluebird on the sill outside, thankfully under a small awning, sitting upon the eggs in it's nest. She watched as she thought of her imaginary king.

"He wasn't even real, Sarah, get a hold of yourself." She scolded herself. She knew it was just a dream, fueled by anger, and jealousy, and a teenaged girl's over dramatic hormone addled mind..but still. Something deep within her, kept that little bit of "what if" alive.

That little something was called hope. Hope that she wasn't crazy, at first, then hope that he was real..that they all were. Mostly, though, just him now. Above everything else, she desperately wanted him to be real, because the longing she felt was so real. What no one knew...but she did know, at the end, she had no choice.

Eventually, most of that hope faded, when in the light of day her friends did not come no matter how much she called them. When no owls mysteriously followed her, when no flash of glitter or glimpse of feathered blond hair or wispy capes ever appeared even in her peripheral vision. In the night, though, deep in her mind and in her dreams, he lived, and they danced, and kissed, and touched, and made love, and laughed. When her heart was broken, she turned to her dreams, for solace.

That hope, the length and breadth of a spider's web, buried deeply under the years. The failed relationships, stalled acting career, the friends who drifted away, the grief of the loss of both her parents...the absence of her stepmother and beloved brother, now almost a teenager, who she gave everything up for, across the country with Karen's family.

This is the life she wanted? This is what she refused her dreams for? No, no it wasn't...but that little piece of hope still lingered, like a ghost of a dream long dead.

Sarah sighed, shaking her head at her own foolishness. She turned away from the window of her 2nd floor walk up apartment, and went to shower and change for bed. She had to work 4 hours of overtime at the little cafe she was a waitress at, one of her coworkers called in sick at the last minute, so she was very tired from being on her feet all day.

It was nearly midnight now.

Freshly showered, and slipping into her nightshirt, she looked up at the mirror, her beloved vanity, that she once thought was a window to another world. Suddenly she saw a flash of..something behind her in the window, gasping aloud and turning quickly, nothing was there.

"Was that a face?" Sarah said out loud, to no one. That was weird, she thought. "Must have been my imagination, too much thinking about the past...or maybe it was that bird."

Or maybe, Sarah thought, you are just hallucinating, or was it a premonition? She had those sometimes, but she never told anyone.

Determined to get some rest, she slipped into bed, eyeing her window warily. "Well, if someone is out there, it must be a ghost or they must be able to hover...how silly can I get? Probably some silly thing like an owl or a...wait, owl? Even if it was an owl...Get a hold of yourself Sarah!"

She found a comfortable position and slipped into sleep, shoving her silly thoughts to the back of her mind and letting herself relax. She slipped into her beloved dreams of her imaginary king. They were dancing again, and he kissed her, making her ache.

A few hours later, Sarah awoke in silence. Literally, no sound. It was like the whole world paused, stopped completely, like it was holding it's breath.

"What on earth?" She reached down and on the blanket...a white feather. "Where did this come from? Did my pillow spring a leak? But this isn't a goose feather it's an..it's an..oh my God..it's an owl feather." She reached over to flip on the bedside light, but nothing happened. "Oh crap the power must have gone out." She threw back the covers, stood up, went to take a step and tripped...turning to see what she had tripped over, her eyes widened at the sight of a familiar red book, which had been tucked away in her closet, barely visible in the dark.

"Oh Lord, oh God...breathe Sarah, just breathe.." she told herself. The room was so dark. The ominous clouds still blocked the moonlight. She didn't know who or what, but something was there. She felt it. So she took a deep breath, and called out into the darkness.

"Who is there?"

A second ticked by, then two, the clock was so loud all of the sudden...

"Hello Sarah." A soft, accented voice called out to her from across the room, in the blackest corner, beyond her sight.

"Who the hell...Goblin King?!"

A single candle came to life, illuminating his face..that face that had haunted her...it's otherworldly beauty, those odd, hypnotizing eyes...holding her gaze for the first time in 12 years.

"Have you missed me dear girl? I know you have, for every time you think of me, I feel it." The Goblin King asked, his little smirk appearing.

He stood from where he had been sitting in her desk chair, observing her as she slept. Sitting the candle down upon the desk, he walked towards her.

"I..I..how did you come here now..why? I did not wish for you, I have never said your name!" Sarah replied, shaking a little.

Jareth's smiled widened, one eyebrow raised. "Oh you haven't? Well, I must beg to differ, for I am here at your wish..as always but a servant to do your bidding, it seems."

Sarah was speechless. She knew she did not wish for him, even though she may having been thinking of him as she feel asleep... "Oh, oh no..in my sleep, did..did I..?"

"May I ask, Sarah..were you dreaming of me..again?" Jareth asked slyly, knowing what the answer was, he heard his name fall from her lips, and in the next breath, was in her bedroom.

Sarah thought "Maybe, sometimes, okay, yes, now and then I have had dreams of you, but you have never came before!"

"Oh I have came many many times in your dreams my precious girl." Jareth said, the double entendre hard to miss.

"You know what I meant Goblin King! And how do you know..." Sarah snapped back, blushing red.

Jareth took a step forward and leaned in."I know when you dream of me, as well, and can see them, and if I you are dreaming of me, I always wish to see them. They are very..stimulating...I must commend you on you rich imagination. Tell me Sarah, did you master these...activities in these years we have been apart? You must be very popular."

Anger rushed through Sarah's body. "How dare you Jareth! While I am no virgin, I'm not a slut!"

Taking a step closer Jareth smoothly replied "Peace precious. I was merely curious. For while I could sense your thoughts and dreams when they directly concerned me, I could not come here and look in on you, as your words so effectively took away my ability to do that. Remember..no power? Besides, virginity is overrated, I prefer a bit of seasoning."

He was only a couple of steps away from Sarah now, and she could smell him...magic, rain, earth, moonlight...something sweet..vanilla? Oh God, she thought to herself, feeling her heat rise just from his proximity. No one ever made her feel like he did, even at 15.

She looked up into his eyes.."I didn't think you were even real, Jareth. I thought, well mostly, you were just a dream, a fantasy...something my mind came up with to deal with everything going on at the time."

Jareth could smell her too, her pheromones, her..arousal..his nostrils flared, his body hardening. Responding to the one woman in this world, or any world, who inflamed his passion so hotly.

Ignoring it, for the moment, he turned away. He crossed his hands behind his back, and looked towards the window. "Yes, but some part of you knew did it not, deep within your soul, so far down you barely realized it was there. Except in your dreams."

Turning slowly he continued. "Even as your conscious mind told you I was just a bit of fluff conjured up out of emotion, down hidden in your subconscious, you knew I would come eventually, and that you would call for me."

"I don't understand Jareth...why?" Sarah asked back, honestly curious, no longer mad, or even fearful. She left behind her fears a long time ago. Somehow she knew he would never hurt her...and she truly wanted to know why now, she would call to him, and he would answer.

He chose to ask a question, instead. "So, Sarah, how is your love life? Any handsome callers courting you...any lovers swept you off your feet by now? Dating? Betrothed? I see no evidence you are married."

"There is no one Goblin King, and my experiences have made me realize there probably never will be." Sarah answered, sounding a little sad even to herself.

"Such a pity, precious. One so lovely as you, left alone at night, unsatisfied. Surely you must turn heads." Jareth remarked, strolling around the room, running his gloved hands over her knickknacks.

Sarah's eyes narrowed, watching him slink around the candlelit room like a cat. Lithe, lanky, but exuding power... those legs.. that ass, that..oh my...how could one..man..or whatever he is, be so stunningly gorgeous? What is up with those pants? Pants that tight should be against the law in any world.

"What are you getting at, Goblin King?" She asked.

"I'm simply surmising why, a beautiful woman such as yourself would live this solitary existence, and spend most nights dreaming of one she believes is probably imaginary."

Turning once again, he walked up to Sarah, stopping right in front of her. Softer he said "Because really Sarah, you should be loved, and cherished, and wanted, by someone who truly appreciates your mind, your heart, and your soul. By a man strong enough to take you on. By your equal."

Sarah's breath caught..he was so close, she could reach out and touch him. Funny she didn't really remember touching him, except in the ballroom, in a dream. "Who would that be, Jareth?" Her voice barely above a whisper, "You?"

He looked down into her eyes, she was so close, he could just reach down and cup her face and...but he could not, until she said the words. "Sarah, I cannot answer that. Only you can say those words, my dear. There are rules, where I come from."

Sarah was confused. Rules? What rules? " Jareth, why...why me?"

He gave her such a look of complete desire, her knees weakened a little."Because Sarah, because of what no one knew." He said. He knew she would know then, what to say, what to do, or hoped she would. He did not want to lose her, to a brief human life, this mundane existence.

Sarah's eyes widened even more...gazing into those mysterious eyes, she knew what no one knew, but she didn't know what to say.

Trembling, she said "You..you..mean what, what it said, what I said, what you said, it's true? I don't know what to say Jareth, I really don't know!"

Jareth sighed, stepping back. "Sarah, you must search your heart, because I cannot do anything. Not until you say the words. You know words have power, and once they are said to each other, we cannot take them back.

"This is it, tonight, the last time you will ever see me, or I will ever see you, unless you say the words. Rules, Sarah. They are what they are, these damnable, unbreakable rules." He took two more steps back into darkness. "Maybe I was wrong." He said sadly. "Maybe you don't feel as deeply for me, what I thought you felt...maybe I should just leave you be."

Knowing this would push her to act, one way or another, he had to do it. He was not lying, he is granted this one time to plea for her hand, as she had conquered him. Her breathing out his name in her sleep gave him this chance. The chance he had waited for for a long time.

"Don't leave Jareth!" Sarah cried suddenly. Instinctively, whatever happened, she did not want him to be gone from her forever. She reached out, grabbing his cape pulling him close, his face within an inch of hers. "Don't leave Jareth..please..I need you, I've always needed you."

He stopped himself from pulling her lips to his, barely. "I know." He said simply, "I need you too."

"For what?"Sarah asked, surprised. She didn't think he needed anyone.

"To simply breathe, to live." He said back, his blue eyes searching her green ones.

"Jareth...I...I think..no I know..damn Sarah just say it...I love you, I always have. I tried to find someone, but they were never you." She paused, searching for the words. "I mean I really did try, you know? They just never made me feel anything but longing for you. Those brief hours made me feel things, I have never found anywhere since, and it was all you. I know now everything you did, was for me.

I always did know, once Toby was home and safe, and in the light of day, I knew all those things you said were true. Your face in those last minutes has always haunted me. Even as I have shoved it all back and tried to convince myself it was dream. Nothing I've ever done, no one I've even known gave me what I had in those too short hours, what you gave me. You made me strong."

Jareth's eye were alight, glowing with emotion and unshed tears as he listen to her confession, hearing the sadness she resigned herself to all these years, and her quiet resolve.

If only she has simply said his name much sooner, he could have kept her from it. Then again, these were experiences that made her who she was this very moment, that brought her to call for him. It might have been what had to happen, for her to see what she wanted, what she needed, was him.

Jareth reached out, and touched her face, for the first time, with his own hand, his glove disappeared."Oh, my Sarah, I do so love you too."

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Inspired by Louisa Gallie's beautiful fan piece, "Sarah and Jareth" on DeviantArt. Which is also the cover art.