The Enticement

Disclaimer: The characters and settings depicted on this story are the legal property of The Jim Henson Company. They have been used without permission and no copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made off this story, and it was created for fan appreciation and entertainment purposes only.


~*~*~*~*~

During dinner, Sarah merely picked at her food and was unusually quiet. When she still said little while washing the dishes, Jareth finally inquired if she felt well.

"I'm fine," she replied, tossing the dishtowel onto the counter. She walked over and sat on the sofa next to him. "I just have some things I'd like to ask you," she said softly.

"All right." Jareth looked at her expectantly.

"If I went back to the Underground... If we got married... I don't know anything about being a queen. What exactly would I have to do?"

Jareth briefly looked surprised at her question. "When we go back, I will instruct you in your duties. Your primary responsibility would be running the household, dealing with the staff and giving them their commands. After you are more comfortable in that role, I will teach you the political aspects of being queen." His tone became reassuring. "You are an intelligent woman, you will be able to learn these things easily."

A ghost of a smile appeared on her lips. "Does that mean that I can have the castle cleaned?"

"Of course. If you can persuade the goblins to clean to your satisfaction." Jareth smiled. "And should you can manage to keep the livestock out of the castle, I will be delighted."

"Oh, that's a given, the livestock have got to go." Her smile widened and then suddenly faded.

"Would I ever be able to come back and visit Gary? I don't like the thought of never seeing him again. He's been such a good friend to me. My only friend, really."

"You may visit this world for short periods of time," Jareth nodded. "I would accompany you until you became comfortable moving between the worlds, but you should be able to visit on your own eventually."

Relief swept through her and tears prickled her eyelids. She hesitated and then took a deep breath.

"What about your "acquaintances?" Would you, um, try to be discreet? Because I'd rather that everybody wasn't laughing at me behind my back." Sarah kept her eyes firmly fixed on her lap.

"You presume that I would be unfaithful to you?" Jareth's tone was suddenly sharp.

Confused, Sarah's eyes shot up to meet his. "Well, wouldn't you?"

"Would you take the marriage vows so lightly?" Jareth's expression had grown cold.

"No, I wouldn't," she met his sharp tone with her own. "I wouldn't take them lightly at all, and if I promise to be faithful then I will. But you - you'd have to give up all those other women." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "You don't even like me. Why would I expect you to agree to that?"

"I do like you, Sarah," Jareth said firmly. Surprise swept over him as he uttered the words, but he had to acknowledge that they were true. He had grown to like her. The girl who had whined about everything being unfair during her initial trip through the Labyrinth had matured into an intelligent and capable woman.

At his words, Sarah looked as surprised as he felt and then a faint blush crept over her cheeks, and she smiled uncertainly at him.

"I like you, too," she said softly. "I didn't expect to, but I do."

Jareth smiled and then his expression turned serious.

"In the Underground, when a king marries, it is important that the parentage of the children of that union be assured. Therefore, during the marriage ceremony, a vow of fidelity is made. The fae are bound by their word. I will be bound by my word." He held her gaze with his own. "Humans are not bound by their promises."

"I am," Sarah said quietly. "If I ever make that kind of promise, I won't go back on my word."

Jareth regarded her solemnly and then nodded slowly.

"That brings up another subject," Sarah continued, looking down again. "You said that the Labyrinth chose me because you didn't have a wife or an heir. I assume that means that you want to have children."

Amused, he saw that she was blushing again.

"Of course," he replied. "Do you dislike children?"

"No, I like them," she said, her cheeks crimson. "How many children were you thinking of?" She stole a glance up at him.

"Thirty-six," he answered promptly.

"What?" Shock was apparent on her face and her eyes grew huge.

He began laughing. "Sarah, I hope to have several children, but I had not selected a particular number."

"It just seems so weird to even be talking about this," Sarah said. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back wearily against the back of the sofa. "Other than that dance, there certainly wasn't anything that would have made me think that you and I would ever be talking about marriage."

"Dance?" Jareth asked.

Sarah's eyes flew open.

"What dance?"

"Oh, shit," she murmured.

Jareth gave her a confused look and Sarah sighed. "I'd forgotten that you probably didn't know about that. After I took a bite of the peach that Hoggle gave me, I had a dream," she explained.

Comprehension flared in Jareth's eyes. "And you dreamt that you danced with me?" he asked curiously.

Sarah nodded, embarrassed. "You really didn't know anything about it?"

"No." Jareth shook his head. "I sent you a dream, but not a specific one. I wasn't aware of what you were dreaming. You selected the content." He tilted his head. "Tell me of this dream."

"I, um, it was just a dance," she stammered.

"Where did it take place?" Jareth coaxed.

"It was a party. Kind of. Maybe a masquerade ball, actually." Sarah had dropped her eyes and blushed again.

"And we simply danced?" Jareth was careful to keep his smile hidden.

"Well, there might have been some, uh, singing." Sarah twisted her fingers together.

"Singing?" Jareth asked, surprised. "Who was singing?"

Sarah jumped up from the sofa. "You know, I didn't get much sleep last night and I'm really very tired, so I'm going to take my shower and go to bed. I'll need to get up early in the morning to start cooking Christmas dinner."

Before Jareth could reply, she rushed into her bedroom. In a moment, she reappeared with her robe and the shirt she used as a nightgown and in the next instant, she went into the bathroom and firmly shut the door.

Sarah stared at herself in the bathroom mirror and grimaced. She was more tired than she had realized. She could not believe that she'd slipped and told Jareth about that dance. At least she now knew that it had all been in her imagination. While she'd always suspected as much, the disappointment she felt was bitterly sharp. Everything in that dream had been nothing more than a silly young girl's romantic fantasy.

Forcing those thoughts away, Sarah stepped into the shower to quickly bathe and wash her hair. Finished showering, she wrapped a towel around her body. As she flipped on the blow dryer, she decided that she would say a quick goodnight and then, when she was safely in her room, she would finish the sketch she intended to give Jareth as a Christmas present.

~*~*~*~*~

Intrigued by Sarah's rapid departure, Jareth looked at the bathroom door and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. So she had dreamt of him even then. He smiled to himself. Although he knew that fulfilling this dream was far too simple to be the task that the Labyrinth had set before him, it would take little effort and it would please Sarah. Perhaps it would help to brighten her mood for the upcoming holiday.

Rising, Jareth began to look through her compact disks.

~*~*~*~*~

Sarah slipped on her nightshirt, robe and slippers and opened the bathroom door. As she stepped into the living room, she saw Jareth standing at the shelves, facing her.

"You have me at a disadvantage," he said.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

Jareth pressed a button on the stereo and music began to play softly.

"You have danced with me, but I have not danced with you." Jareth smiled and walked toward her.

Convinced that he was mocking her, Sarah looked sharply into his eyes but saw no derision.

"You want to dance with me?" she asked, confused. "But why?"

"Why not?" He stopped in front of her, still smiling. When she didn't immediately respond, his smile faded and he shook his head slightly. "I thought you might enjoy it. Perhaps I was wrong."

She looked at him closely. Stunned, she realized that Jareth was trying to make her feel better.

"I would like that," Sarah said quietly, "but I'm not exactly dressed for dancing." She gestured toward her robe.

"I promise not to tell," he said solemnly. He placed one hand at her waist and held out his other hand, waiting.

Her heart suddenly pounding, Sarah placed her hand in his.

Jareth paused for a moment, finding the rhythm of the music, and then moved them into the dance. Their 'dance floor' was much too small to allow for anything more than a tight circuit of the room, but Jareth danced as smoothly as if they were in a large ballroom.

"Are you going to tell me about the singing?" he inquired curiously.

She winced slightly and shook her head firmly. "Definitely not."

He laughed and changed the subject. "Is this anything like the dance in your dream?"

"No," she said, suddenly feeling absurdly shy, "but this is better."

He raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"It's real," she said simply.

Jareth smiled and, as the music drew to a close, he guided Sarah back across the living room, neatly finishing the dance at her bedroom door.

"Well, I guess I should say goodnight," Sarah said softly.

Jareth still held her in his arms and as she spoke, an unfamiliar emotion flickered through her eyes. He found himself puzzling over it. It wasn't desire, although, stubborn girl, he could still see that clearly enough. No, he thought, this was some softer emotion.

On impulse, before he even thought it through, he leaned forward and lightly pressed his lips to hers.

"Goodnight," he said, stepping back.

Sarah looked dazed and then she smiled. She opened the bedroom door and, still smiling, went inside and closed the door.

~*~*~*~*~

Sarah leaned against the door with a soft sigh, thinking of how wonderful it had been to dance with him. Even though there had been no sparkling ballroom, no masked guests or frilly dress, this dance had been far better than her dream could have ever hoped to be. Jareth had kissed her exactly the way she'd thought he was going to kiss her in that dream.

A worried frown suddenly creased her brow. She knew that she had to tell him the truth. He had to go home. But not tomorrow, she thought resolutely. Tomorrow was Christmas and she wanted to give Jareth his present and have Christmas dinner. She wanted one last chance at pretending to have a normal holiday before having to return to the Underground.

The day after Christmas, she decided. She would tell Jareth everything then.

She just hoped he could forgive her.

~*~*~*~*~

As soon as Sarah finished her morning routine in the bathroom, she slipped past the still sleeping Jareth and went into the storage room to find the cartons that held the remaining Christmas decorations. Rummaging through them, Sarah found a flat box large enough to hold the sketch. A little more digging produced a half-used roll of wrapping paper and a large red bow that was only slightly squished. She smiled at the childish Santa Claus figures that covered the bright green paper.

A quick trip to the kitchen 'junk' drawer for a roll of tape and a pair of scissors and a few minutes later, Jareth's present was wrapped.

When Sarah came out of the storage room, she heard the shower running. Quickly, she placed his present under the Christmas tree. Returning to the kitchen, she put the kettle on the stove for tea and began preparing breakfast.

~*~*~*~*~

Jareth finished dressing and, when he opened the bathroom door, he could smell the aroma of breakfast. He recognized bacon and eggs, but there was something else, something familiar. He went into the kitchen and his eyes widened as he recognized the small golden-brown cakes that Sarah was piling onto a serving plate.

"Merry Christmas," she said with a smile.

"You have made honey cakes," he said, both amazement and pleasure obvious in his expression.

"I made a version of them, anyway," she replied. "I obviously don't have your cook's recipe. I hope you like them."

"Why did you do this?" he asked, suddenly puzzled.

Her smile widened to a grin. "Because it's Christmas and because I thought you'd like them." She gestured toward the dining table. "Well, sit down. You can tell me how close I came to getting them right."

~*~*~*~*~

Jareth took a bite of a honey cake as Sarah looked on anxiously.

After a moment, he smiled and nodded. "It is delicious," he said and watched as she relaxed. "They are very similar to ones that I had as a child."

Sarah frowned. "How are they wrong?" she asked. "Too much cinnamon? Too little? Are they too sweet? I can make more."

Jareth laughed softly and shook his head. He gestured toward the platter. "There is already more here than we can eat."

She gave a chagrined smile and shrugged slightly. "I just wanted them to be the way that you remember."

"Then should you make them again, add a bit more of the spice," he said as he selected a second honey cake. "But these are very close to the ones I had as a child." He hesitated briefly before continuing. "It was very kind of you to do this for me."

"You're welcome. But that's not your only surprise this morning," Sarah said mysteriously.

"Another surprise? What is it?"

"You'll see," she answered smugly.

"You will tell me now," Jareth demanded. His tone was imperious, but the hint of a smile tugged at his mouth.

"Oh, no, I won't," Sarah said promptly. "I'll tell you after breakfast." She lifted a forkful of honey cake to her mouth.

"Immediately after breakfast," he specified.

Sarah smirked.

~*~*~*~*~

Jareth helped Sarah stack the dishes in the sink, but before she could begin to rinse them off, he touched her arm.

"Now, what is this other surprise?" Jareth asked. Impatience flooded his voice and Sarah laughed. She'd known that his fae nature would be tantalized by the prospect of a surprise and she couldn't resist drawing things out as long as possible.

"Are you sure you don't want to wait?" she asked.

"Sarah," Jareth said, warning clear in his voice. "What is the other surprise?"

"The tree looks very nice, don't you think?" she asked with exaggerated innocence.

Jareth's eyes narrowed. "This is not amusing, Sarah. You are deliberately avoiding the subject in an effort to tease."

Sarah laughed. "It may not be amusing for you, but I'm certainly enjoying it." Her eyes gleamed. "And I gave you a hint."

Throwing his hands up in frustration, Jareth turned to look at the tree. His head tilted as he noticed the green and red package under it.

"What is this?" he asked, walking to the tree.

"It's your Christmas present." Sarah followed him with a grin.

"My present?" Jareth shook his head slightly. "I do not understand."

"It's Christmas Day. On Christmas Day, you get presents. Well, you get one present, anyway," Sarah explained.

"But I have nothing to give you in return." He glanced at her, confused.

"That doesn't matter." Sarah smiled. "That's not the point of Christmas. Come on, don't you want to open it?"

She bent down and picked up the gift. Rising, she held it out to Jareth and waved it temptingly from side to side.

"You know you want it," she teased.

Jareth arched an eyebrow and smiled slowly. Sarah was not the only one who could tease. He deliberately allowed his gaze to drift over her from head to toe. "Yes," he drawled. "I believe that I do."

Sarah's mouth dropped open slightly and her cheeks reddened.

"Here," she said hastily and thrust the package into his hands.

It was so easy to make her blush, Jareth thought with a self-satisfied smile, and Sarah deserved it for tormenting him regarding the surprise. Turning his attention to the package, he began to carefully remove the wrapping paper.

"You're supposed to just tear the paper off," she said impatiently, her hands beginning to flutter over the package he held.

He arched an eyebrow. "Would you care to open it?"

Sarah didn't look the least bit chastened. "No." She pouted slightly. "It's your present. You should do it the way that you want."

He looked at her closely. She was acting almost as if she were an excited child. Her eyes were bright and she was even bouncing slightly on her feet.

"You are truly enjoying this," he said, surprised.

"Well, yeah," she exclaimed. "It's the best part of Christmas."

"Giving gifts? Not receiving them?"

"That's fun, too, but this is better." She shook her head slightly and pointed at the gift. "Are you going to open it?"

He gave a bemused nod and then suddenly smirked at Sarah as he once again began to delicately remove the paper from the box.

"Oh, for pity's sake, you opened the gloves faster than this." Her tone was exasperated and the bouncing motion she was making had become more pronounced. Jareth laughed softly and abruptly ripped the rest of the paper from the package.

He opened the box to find a framed picture. As he lifted it from the box, he saw that it was a sketch.

He'd had formal portraits painted, of course. A near life-size portrait hung in the great hall of his castle that depicted him standing before his throne. There were others, done by various artists, displayed in different locations within the castle. But none of them compared to this small drawing.

The detail was astonishing. Sarah had captured him in the process of reading, relaxed upon the cabin's sofa. He held a book in one hand, and his head rested on the other. He wore a faint smile as if amused by what he was reading.

Jareth's mouth quirked when he saw that Sarah had taken a small artistic liberty. Rather than the dog-eared copy of "The Hobbit" that he had actually been reading, the book in the drawing was entitled "The Labyrinth."

What truly surprised Jareth was the sense of ease that Sarah had captured in the sketch. In each official portrait, there was a tension and an arrogant determination in his bearing that was completely absent here.

Jareth noted with a small shock that he appeared to be almost...content.

"Do you like it?" Sarah asked hopefully. "I mean, obviously I couldn't buy you a real present, but I framed it so that it would seem more like one."

"This is a real present," Jareth said quietly. "When did you create this?"

"Last night," she said. "You like it, then?"

"Very much," Jareth said. "Thank you. It is exquisite."

Sarah smiled widely. "You're welcome."

Jareth looked down at the sketch in his hands and then at the woman standing before him. "If you worked on this last night, you must have slept very little. You should rest a bit." He reached out and Sarah's eyes widened but she didn't flinch as he brushed a gloved finger gently over a shadow under her eyes. "You are tired."

"If I take a nap, then dinner will be late."

"Then it will be late." Jareth shrugged.

Sarah suddenly tilted her head suspiciously. "This from a man who doesn't like to wait for anything? Are you trying to get rid of me?"

He smiled. "I am merely attempting to insure that you are not so exhausted that you inadvertently poison my meal."

She hesitated. "A little more sleep would be wonderful. But just an hour. If I sleep past that, you'll wake me up, right?"

"I will wake you." Jareth nodded.

~*~*~*~*~

Sarah did need the rest, but Jareth also wanted an opportunity to think of something to give her in return. If he had access to his magic, he could conjure virtually anything she might want but he had nothing here that would serve as a suitable gift. Therefore, by necessity, it must be something intangible.

After thinking it over carefully, he made his decision. A small voice in his mind instinctively protested even considering such a gift, but the initial antipathy he had to the idea made it all the more appropriate.

There was only one question that Sarah had asked that he had flatly refused to answer. He intensely disliked discussing that particular topic; he found the entire subject abhorrent. But Sarah was curious and so he would satisfy her curiosity.

She had gone to a great deal of trouble in order to prepare a present for him. It was only fitting that he match her offering with one of his own.

Nodding to himself slightly, he picked up his book. Bilbo was just now creeping into Smaug's lair and Jareth was curious to learn how the little hobbit would survive his encounter with the dragon.

~*~*~*~*~

Sarah stretched out on the bed and plumped the pillow under her head. She looked over at her grandmother's photograph, now propped up against the dresser mirror.

"Thanks for letting me use your picture frame, Grandma," she said softly. "I knew you wouldn't mind."

Sarah smiled to herself. Jareth had seemed to like the sketch. It was fun surprising him, she decided sleepily. She'd have to try to surprise him more often.

Then Sarah was drifting into sleep and in the next few minutes, she began to dream.

She was sitting on the sofa in the cabin. The Christmas tree that she and Jareth had decorated was across the room, but this tree had a great mound of presents under it.

"I don't think Toby can stand waiting any longer," her father chuckled, walking in from the kitchen. "We'd better go ahead and open the presents."

Toby followed him, laughing and clapping his hands in excitement. He dropped down to sit cross-legged on the floor as close to the presents as possible.

Sarah looked around the cabin. Her father and Toby were there in front of the Christmas tree and her stepmother was sitting in the chair beside the sofa smiling at both of them fondly.

Sarah's father bent down and began moving presents aside, selecting specific gifts. After he had located one present for each of them, he began to pass them out.

"Okay, kid, this one is for you," he said as he handed a brightly wrapped package to Toby.

Sarah chuckled as her brother let out an excited squeal and began to rip the paper from his present.

"Jareth," her father said, holding out a familiar green and red package. "I believe this is yours."

Surprised, Sarah turned her head and saw that Jareth was sitting by her side. She hadn't noticed him there before.

Jareth smiled and inclined his head as he took the package from her father, but instead of opening it, he simply held the present in his hands and looked at Sarah.

"Sarah," her father admonished, placing his hands on his hips, "aren't you going to help Jareth open his gift?"

She nodded. "Oh, yeah. Sure, Dad."

As Jareth held the present, Sarah tore off the wrapping paper and removed the lid from the box. Inside was her childhood music box, the tiny princess already dancing and twirling to the melody that was beginning to play. Jareth lifted the music box and held it up.

"Such a pity," he murmured.

"What?" Sarah asked, looking at the music box. Was it broken?

"She is alone," Jareth said sadly. He raised an eyebrow and brushed his hand over the music box. Suddenly, a blond king in a glittering blue coat accompanied the princess.

Sarah frowned.

"No," she said slowly. "That's not right. That's not right at all."

Jareth tilted his head and regarded her solemnly. With another brush of his fingers, the princess vanished, replaced by a woman wearing a pale pink bathrobe, and the king was suddenly a man in a dark Armani suit.

Jareth held the music box out toward her.

"Do you want it, Sarah?" he asked.

"Sarah?"

For a disorienting second, Jareth's voice seemed to be coming from all around her.

"Sarah? Are you awake?"

Sarah's eyes flew open and she saw Jareth standing in the doorway to her bedroom.

She blinked and then rubbed her eyes. She pushed herself up to a sitting position and nodded to Jareth.

"Yes, I'm awake. I'll be out in a minute," she said.

He nodded back and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Sarah sat on the edge of the bed and tried to shake off the dream. It had been perfectly understandable, she decided. Christmas and presents and dancing had all blended together in her subconscious to produce a pretty little dream.

It had been nice, she thought wistfully, seeing her family like that. But she didn't want to think about the dream too closely. There were things there. Things she wasn't certain she wanted to know.