Good Character

 

 

"Einstein!" Sarah called, giggling, small hands swinging out as she grasped the air in front of her and made a fist around the shrinking form that ran too far ahead to reach. The trees were thick, branches she didn't feel but distantly knew were slapping at her clothes and hair without catching. "Einstein, wait! Sit! Ein-STEIN!"



The dog never stopped running and running, and she chased and chased him through the woods tirelessly, until finally he wasn't that same flashing speck of white in the distance. The dark trees and bushes closed in on the bounding animal's form and he was gone, but Sarah was still running after him all the same and calling his name. Einstein wouldn't leave her- he was always there. Always! Since she was a baby, he was always--



Suddenly she knew, without any trace of doubt, that Einstein was back at home. This knowing brought a sharp chill, a fear she felt much more clearly than the scratches she was just now noticing on her bare arms and legs. No longer small, her favorite dress from first grade gone, she stood nude and shivering in the dark and slowly backed away from the narrow path in the trees she had been following. Whatever she had been chasing, she didn't want to find it now. Maybe if she backed away, made no noise, it would keep going the way it had and leave her alone.

 

Something landed behind her with a too-loud thump and crunch of leaves. Sarah turned slowly, wrapping her arms around her chest... but it was only a firey. Even so, goosebumps rose on her skin. The ominous threat of the trees only worsened as she heard the chatterings of more fireys overhead. This one's beak was too sharp, fur spiked like a wolf set to attack.



"H-Hoggle..." Sarah whispered. If she spoke too loud the others might hear and come down on her. She was too far away from the house for anyone to hear her anyway. "Hoggle, Daddy, help... Help, I need you..."

 

"And what." Soft gloved fingers curled over her shoulders, slow and languid as snakes."What do you expect Hogwash to do?"



The fieries were gone. The dark was gone too, but the trees and brush had only retreated to form a gentle circle of grass so the sun could fall through again. Sarah shivered with something more than the chill as she was tugged back against a firm, warm body behind her. "Jareth."



"Me." One of the gloves lifted from her shoulder, running a finger up her chin to hook a loose strand of hair and brush it back. The light caress of his finger over the shell of her ear was electrifying. The following touch of his breath was worse. "Oh Sarah... Were it still in my power, it would always be me."



"No."



"Yes."



Sarah swallowed, remembering her nudity as she squeezed her arms around herself once more. The nightmare had taken an uncomfortable turn, no matter how good it felt in one way or another. "... Give me the child."

 

"Must our game always come back to this? I'm growing weary of the role."



"No." Smiling as he released her, Sarah turned. "But this is my dream, Goblin King. You have no power over me."



"Ah. Getting clever now? You must be close to waking up." He was so beautiful. More so than she remembered him being, but this was both a dream and through a woman's eyes rather than a girl's. He tsked at her now, touching a curled finger under her chin. "Such a waste. I'll arrive earlier next time and see if you're more creative with your time then."



Sarah's eyes narrowed, jaw setting. "I doubt it."



"I don't. Your choice of attire this evening is... inspired."







"OOH-!" Sarah jerked upright in bed, arm extended, and heard a yelp as something fell off onto the floor. Familiar, accusing curses followed and she knew that 'something' was Hoggle long before he levered his small, awkward body back up again.



"What was that for!" He demanded, chest puffed with offense as he swiped down his shirt with work-grubby fingers. For all the good it did-- his clothes were all but one big wrinkle anyways. "See if I come again, gettin' beat on when YOU'RE the one who called me!"



"Shh, shhh, shhh..." Sarah pushed down her grin, opening her arms to him until he grudgingly scooched over to settle against her. She didn't bother noting that his cheek rested on her chest, figuring the lack of bulk there made it about as alright as doing the same to a guy's. Jogging be damned- she never should have let Karen choose their daily 'bonding experience'. "You'll wake up the whole house, shhhhh! I'm sorry."



"You were yellin' first." Hoggle grumbled, at a reasonable volume. "Right before ya popped me in the nose."



"I know, I'm sorry. It was an accident, Hoggy."



"HOGGLE!"



"SHH!" Sarah laughed, squeezing him until he relented back into disgruntled mumbles and a darkly embarrassed flush. Ignoring his discomfort, because really he needed to just get used to affection by now, she curled around his little body and snuggled into him like he was a big stuffed animal, setting her nose in his hair.



She loved his smell. He was dirty, in the way of smelling like he'd been rolling around in fresh turned soil and magic dust and grass... It was such a Labyrinth smell, she could almost believe she was there again if she closed her eyes. He'd probably been gardening all day, or night, or however it worked there since she'd never quite worked it out or really thought about it much. "Mmm."



Red as a beet, Hoggle squirmed and pushed in token resistance until she made it clear she would only hug him tighter every time. He finally slumped, nose squished into her sternum where cleavage ought to be, and just tried not to breathe or let his heart beat so quickly that she'd notice. "You- you're too old for this."



"Mmmhm." She murmurred, eyes already drooping again as she smiled. "You're not the boss of me."



"No." He said, sniffing in half-serious disdain. "I'm Boss of the Bog, thanks to you."



Her laugh turned into a long yawn. "You're my charming prince, so shhhh. Let me sleep, Jerk."



"You don't need me for that." He told her, voice lowered more still, but she didn't answer this time and he went breathlessly still as her breathing slowed. Careful not to disturb her he leant his head back so he could look up at her slack face.



She was beautiful. More so than he could recall her being. Years passed between her calls from his side of the mirror, but only five had gone by from hers since they met. Every night she called, and every night was just as nerve wracking as the first as he forgot her face and found himself drawn back to it again anew. She didn't know how different the flow of time was, and he didn't tell her- just thanked all that was that goblins lived such a very long long time.



Slowly, hesitating when she sighed against his hair, he slid his arm beneath hers to lay a hand on her waist. His thickly callused thumb rasped against the tiny sliver of skin between the matching moon and stars tank top and shorts she'd worn to bed. He set his cheek back down against her chest and breathed deep.

 

She smelled beautiful too. Exotic, with her pretty shampoos and soaps and perfume- things goblins didn't have and probably wouldn't bother using if they did. Standing near her was enough, but laying here was overwhelming. She wasn't the pretty young girl who'd softened his heart with her determination and stubborn offer of friendship so long ago. These days she was a funny, loving, matured young woman who didn't quite grasp that he wasn't just her little dwarf friend.

 

He was a man, and completely smitten by her.

 

 

 

Hoggle was gone come morning, just as he always was, and Sarah spared a huff at the small dusty dent in her sheets he'd left. Rubbing her sleep rimmed eyes and avoiding looking at the old photo of Einstein on her dresser, she found her bleary way out of bed and down the hallway to the bathroom she shared with Toby, locking the door so she could shower without him wandering in to pee without knocking. He was six now, he could hold it a little.



She wrinkled her nose as she tossed her pajamas on the floor, unwilling to note that her shorts were particularly fragrant and crunty this morning after another a full night of Jareth invading her dreams. It was an uncomfortable dillema she hated to think too hard on; that she was either a pervert herself, dreaming over and over again about a decidedly unkind man she'd met once- or Jareth was a persistant creep who couldn't keep his thoughts to himself when she was trying to sleep. Either way, she just hoped her dreams didn't come across to poor Hoggle while he was sharing the bed with her.



He would be so embarrassed.



Red at the idea that she might have moaned or moved in some inappropriate way in front of her friend, Sarah winced away those thoughts and ducked her head under the shower spray, scrubbing shampoo from her hair with furious fingertips. All that aside, at least the nightmares ended before they really started these days.



"Sarah! I hope you're up- I'm putting on my shoes!"

 

The ones that came at night, at least. Sarah made an effort to smooth her forehead of the crease Karen's voice put there. Five years had formed a truce between them, and they were both stubbornly fighting to keep the peace, but Karen's idea of building comradary involved spending all too much time together while Sarah's... didn't. Especially considering the tredmill kick Karen had been on for the past two years.



Still. Knowing Karen would be waiting with tapping toe, Sarah hurried through the rest of her shower and dashed back to her room in a towel to get dressed. The woman was trying, she couldn't fault that. "Coming!"



"I'm halfway out the door, Sarah!" Sarah could hear the clean squeak of brand new sneakers on the polished wood downstairs.



"I'm coming!" Unlike her stepmother, who wore different workout outfits every day, Sarah had the same ratty old t-shirt, shorts, and sneakers set aside to pull on each morning so she wouldn't have to get up early with decisions to make. The point of wearing the good stuff just to get it all sweaty and stinky was lost on Sarah- she could just toss this junk in with Toby's underwear when they got back. "Hold on..."



She was shrugging into her windbreaker when Karen made good on her warnings. Hearing the front door open and close, Sarah stomped her heels into her sneakers, snagged a hair tie from the bunch around her doorknob, and took the stairs four at a time. "I said I'M COMING! Damnit."

 

 

 

 

Author's Note: I haven't written in a while, so excuse any mistakes here. If anyone knows a really good beta out there, I'd appreciate the info.   :)   I know it's a little out of the norm, but Hoggle is actually the eventual love interest in this story. I love Jareth just like anyone else, but he has plenty of fics out there and I dig the unusual. If that aint your cup of tea, I understand, and I'll bet you can find something awesome to read elsewhere. This is just MY spin on things and I'm not sure how it'll play out yet.