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Rescue in Three Perspectives
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(Sarah's POV)
"Jareth?" Sarah shook him gently, no response.
"He's not dead, is he?" Toby whispered, his face illuminated by the glow of the crystal as he peered at his sister from Jareth's opposite side.
"No, of course not, he's still breathing." Wasn't he? Sarah leaned closer to his face to listen. Yes, just very shallow, still securely with the living or at least with the not dying.
"Jareth?" She said a bit louder, adding more force to her initial less than vigorous shaking of his shoulders, producing a painful groan and an oddly adorable snort.
'
Since when are snorts adorable?' she scolded herself.
The silence of the forest settled for quite awhile now that the Banshees apparently abandoned their stalking, or maybe they hid waiting for one of them to prairie dog a head out before they snapped it off like so much firewood. Unable to decide which possibility weighed heavier, Sarah finally got tired of running mental circles and chose to get them into the house. Except she couldn't wake up Jareth.
"
Jareth!" She hissed directly into his ear, careful to keep her lips from the exquisitely sensitive tip, and shoved him...hard. A grunt and a snort followed by a fluttering of his amazingly long eyelashes. How had she never noticed those before? She started to roll him onto his back then remembered his other problem of extreme nudity. Er...maybe another plan...
"Toby, help me drag him."
"Drag him?" Toby's brows shot up, "Seriously? To the house?" He did a double-take between the very, not moving Jareth and the distance to their house. "Up the porch steps?"
Leaning down and facing his head, she grabbed under Jareth's shoulders then motioned towards his other end. "We can do it. Pick up his feet."
"What about the crystal?" He held it up.
"Oh, well...put it down for now. We've got to get him inside."
"Oo-kay..." He reluctantly agreed, and set it in the grass then lifted both Jareth's lower legs. "Geez, he's heavier than he looks!"
"Yeah..." Sarah gasped, pulling full out. Their combined efforts shifted the unconscious fae approximately two feet, his dead weight collecting loose leaves and twigs effectively as a shovel used as a rake.
"Crap...again, Toby." Another strong tug by Sarah, while Toby helped lighten her burden, gathered a larger pile of debris at Jareth's head and shoulders and increased the distance not gained.
"Sarah, this isn't working." He dropped Jareth's lower legs with a thump.
"Careful!"
"
Sorry, I wasn't thinking!"
"And be quiet." She stood upright with both hands on her hips. "You're right; we're not getting him in the house like this."
"So what we do? We can't leave him here." She looked down at her brother's widen eyes reflected in the orb's glow. He counted on her to solve this problem. She heard the worry in his voice, and watched his lower lip start to quiver. Any second Toby waterworks would start up...Awesome. What to do...what to do...being the responsible adult really sucked most of the time.
"Sarah?"
Laying one hand on his head she told him, "Stay here, Toby."
"
Alone?"
She knelt to his eye level and gripped his upper arms. "You're not alone. Just snuggle up to Jareth again, and hide the crystal until I get back."
He sniffed. "You won't be long?" He asked all high-pitched and a little whiny.
"Quick, quick like a bunny, squirt," she said then pecked his forehead.
"Okay, Sarah."
"Good," she stood and watched until her brother tucked himself back in a cozy spot next to Jareth. "I'll be right back," she whispered after he covered the crystal with his body. She hated leaving them both alone and defenseless, not that she (labyrinth champion extraordinaire, yada, yada) provided much or any protection really...still...
Sarah ran to the edge of the forest pausing at the tall grass to listen and observe. A chorus of crickets and lightening bugs carpeted the dark meadow separating her path to the house. She crept a few feet from the cover of the trees, crouching as she went and nothing lunged or shrieked at her. Well, that was good...right? Now or never, Sarah made a mad dash for the back door, her breaths coming in ragged pants as more than running jacked up her heart rate. She ran up the porch steps and stopped at the back door's threshold before stealthily peeking around the door jamb.
'
Oh, yeah, Sar. You're a real 007...nothing heard your insane run across the yard...' Big, shadowy emptiness in her kitchen, nothing non-culinary or normal house related stuff. A deep, bracing breath later and she slipped inside, tip-toeing further into the darkened house. She had a plan, shaky at best and based solely on whether or not the creatures actually left. It should work as long as she moved fast. As she told her brother...quick, quick.
First thing: She dug the first aid kit out from underneath the downstairs powder room. Karen always kept a well stocked medical box, something Sarah found new gratitude for tonight. Second: She slinked over to the entryway closet, holding her breath and praying the door didn't creak as he opened it slowly.
After her parents' tragedy, Sarah experienced a deep bout of paranoia (a little healthy paranoia is a good thing) and stashed go-bag for her and Toby. The over-sized gym bag contained lots of basic necessities, emergency cash and her last remaining credit that she didn't cut up when the medical bills started rolling in. You never knew when life might bite you in the behind, and you'd need to leave home in a hurry.
A whistling sounded upstairs and she jumped, nearly fainting from the shock. Just the wind in the chimney; the damper must be open.
Holy Crap! She leaned on the wall for a few seconds as she consciously slowed her breathing, her pulse pounding so hard it gave her a sharp pain in her temples. She really hadn't needed that.
Bag in one hand, first aid kit in the other, Sarah pushed off from the wall heading to the back door. On the way out she snagged a throw blanket from the couch and her purse from the kitchen table. A last sneaky look out the back door over the meadow encompassing all directions, and she sprung back towards the trees, taking all four porch steps in one leap and landing at a full run.
Her adrenaline coursed so hard through her veins she hardly felt the weight of her supplies as they flopped back and forth in her arms and flung over her back. If only it worked and Toby and Jareth were safe where she left them. Crossing into the forest, her eyes adjusting to the blackness, she called out softly for her brother.
"Toby? Toby!"
"Here, sis!" His loud whisper rippled through the night air to her after the flash of light from the crystal. She could tell neither he nor Jareth moved an inch since she left. Maybe the Banshees really had given up. She reminded herself to ask Jareth about Banshee motives as soon as possible, but first she needed to get him to safety.
"Thank God...I've got our go-bag and some things for Jareth." She dropped everything nearby and flung the blanket over Jareth. He must be freezing by now. Toby sat up, and using the light to rummage through the large gym bag, withdrew his spare sneakers.
"How we gonna move him?"
"Well," Sarah unlatched the box with the medical supplies, "I'm hoping Karen's ultra-prepared little kit will have what I think it has." She dug around for a minute while Toby observed and provided the light. "Aha! Found it!"
Toby looked at the slim green box in his sister's hand as she triumphantly slipped a small, white capsule from inside of it. "What is that?" He poked his face closer.
"An ammonia capsule," she said as she crushed the white pill between her fingers with a small pop.
"
Eww, it stinks! And it makes my nose burn." Toby pulled back, his nose crinkling.
"That's the idea. I just hope it works." Sarah waved the activated capsule at Jareth's nose, keeping it near his nostrils for several of his breaths until he suddenly coughed and jerked his head back, wide awake.
"Bloody hell!" Jareth rolled to his side bringing his arms up to defend himself. The blanket twisted around his lower torso, virtually falling off before Sarah snatched it back upwards. His lean, pale chest shone in the soft light, and Sarah audibly gulped at his inadvertent flashing.
"Jareth!" She said, scandalized, shocked, dismayed, and extremely (but not all together unpleasantly) flustered.
"
Good gods, woman, are you trying to finish me off?" he shouted. He wiped at his teary eyes and runny nose, oblivious to their greater circumstances.
"Shh!" She slapped her hands over his mouth. "Not so loud!" she whispered harshly at him as she angled her face closer to his. His eyes grew huge once the reality of her proximity hit him then wider still as they both comprehended his au natural condition covered only by a thin, and not at all overly large, blanket.
"Oh...oh my," Sarah stammered yanking her hands to her chest. "S-sorry...I'm so...I mean...ugh..." Jareth watched as Sarah flushed and stuttered for a rational response. Then he smirked and angled his arm to support his flirtatiously tilted head as he allowed the blanket to slip back to his waist.
"Why, Sarah," he drawled, "have you come to rescue me?"
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(Toby's POV)
Toby observed his sister waving the stinking white thing under Jareth's nose, and figured if anything might wake him up than the ammo-whatsits in the little cap-whatever burning his eyes and nose would definitely do the trick. He even scooted back a few feet because of the cloud of ickiness the thingy generated. It didn't take many passes before Jareth sprang awake and started hollering bloody murder at his sister. He really couldn't blame Jareth. Taking one willing whiff of that made him want to seriously yak his dinner. But...hey...awake Goblin King...good!
Then they started acting all weird again with the head tilts and the blushing and funny tones of voice. He ping-ponged between watching his stammering, twitchy sister then looking at Jareth while he spoke in that slow, deep voice he used around her when he forgot Toby was listening. Why did the main two adults in his life have to be
soo weird? He slipped his sneakers on and immediately felt a bit better. He figured out awhile back that THINGS always improved when your feet were protected. Then he realized than neither adult realized he sat nearby as they chatted.
'
Huh...they've just...forgotten me? Out here?' He glanced around. '
In the creepy forest? At night? That's soo not fair!' He watched as Jareth attempted to sit up, but his eyes closed and his body shook until Sarah mumbled something rather insulting about stubborn Goblin Kings and slipped his arm over her shoulders.
"Toby," she said. Guess she hadn't completely forgotten he existed. "Help me carry the bags while I help Jareth walk. We're going to the car."
"The car? Not the house?" She nodded to him in the lowlight of the sphere. "Why?" Even he cringed at the whine in his voice.
"It isn't safe. They might come back or might not really be gone."
"Oh..." Right, he hadn't considered that. Guess that's why Sarah was the grown-up and he was the little kid.
"Your sister is correct, Tobias." Jareth looked down at him from his awkward, partial leaning position on Sarah's shoulders; one hand casually clutching the blanket around his slim hips. Toby saw all the injuries to Jareth's chest and lower legs and stepped closer for a better look.
"What happened to you?"
"Ah," he looked down where Tobias studied his torso, "I'll give you a full account later. Just know that Banshees, while incredibly lack brained, nonetheless are quite vicious and powerful and are able to track grief and sadness as a hound tracks blood. And they're notoriously intractable once they've fixated upon something."
"Huh?"
"Gee, sounds like someone else I know." Sarah quipped looking smug while Jareth glared.
"Cruel, my dear, insulting a wounded man."
"You'll live. He means they'll be back, Toby. We've got to go, you guys." Sarah sounded urgent. Her 'I'm not kidding' voice snuck out. You did not want to mess with her when that cranked to full volume. Toby learned that the hard way years ago and it worsened after their parents' accident. With the stresses and all, he guessed.
Jareth's mouth snapped shut, but Toby could tell it was temporary at best by the sly twinkle in his eyes. He always got it whenever he obeyed her. Just so weird, at least they weren't boring. Somehow able to push Jareth around a little, even his sister couldn't keep the Goblin King managed for long.
Shaking his head, Toby scooped up the all three bags, the largest nearly swamping him and bringing him to his butt. He grumbled about weird older sisters and weirder Goblin Kings as he stomped out of the forest with the crystal lighting his way. He decided that the word weird was the perfect word to describe both of them and their behavior...weird, super weird, mega weird.
"Don't get too far ahead, squirt."
"Yeah, yeah..." He verbal tossed back over his shoulder.
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(Jareth's POV)
"Off to greener pastures then, my dear Sarah?" He asked making certain to keep his tone light-hearted with just a dash of snark to keep her from hearing how his voice shook with genuine weakness. No young mortal, not even THE Sarah Williams, dare unweave his years of Court acquired emotional control. Unfortunately, voice control did squat for his quivering knees and he involuntarily leaned more weight on her as he stumbled.
"My apologies..." he mumbled, his eyes flicking to hers. They stared at one another for a few seconds. The grayish light unable to hide the odd mix of emotions both felt but neither wished to admit to at that particular moment of extreme vulnerability. Quickly, they broke the gaze and concentrated on staring straight ahead.
"It's okay, Jareth, you're beat to a pulp." She tightened her grip around his waist then adjusted his arm on her shoulders to take more of his weight while they haphazardly dealt with following Toby. Their feet seemingly tangling of their own accord in the edges of the crystal's light.
"Yes, thank you soo much for noticing." He snapped, his nerves frazzled beyond belief with pain, exhaustion, and other unmentionables.
"Well it's not like your injuries are hard to miss."
"So...you noticed my...
injuries?"
"What?" She pulled her head back as she looked directly at him, their faces practically nose to nose. "No! I didn't...
look."
"Liar." Oh, now this made him feel immensely better!
"I mean...you know...I saw all the bruises and marks on your back and...stuff, but it's not like I did a full examination. I'm no doctor."
Jareth angled his head inwards, his lips brushing her ear as they hobbled along, "But you wanted to, didn't you?" He swore he felt her shiver.
Snorting, "Please...like you're all that and a bag of chips. Arrogant much, Goblin King?" But she never pulled her ear from his lips still lightly caressing the edge of her skin. He faced front with a confident smile and shrugged with his head.
"Humility is rarely useful to a man in my position, and often deadly."
"Your position?" She asked and Jareth thought he heard real curiosity in her voice rather than ridicule. Dare he hope?
"As a king, Sarah."
"Oh...I guess that makes sense." For a moment, she quietly studied the long grass they waded through, it edges scratching roughly on her denim. Then she looked at his legs and winced.
"I'm sorry, I didn't think to grab you any clothes, although my dad's would probably be too big for you."
"It's quite alright, my dear," he said softly. "Once my strength returns, I'll conjure something to wear." Sarah nodded and fell silent. He watched her. She appeared contemplative as she continued to guide him around the house behind Toby until her econ-o-box came into view; its dull colors sketchy in the pool of the streetlight.
"How long will it take for your strength to return?"
"Normally a few days, but Above, surrounded by man's iron...I fear longer."
"Oh..."
"Speaking of," Jareth added, "where exactly do you intend to transport us?" Sarah carefully released Jareth to support himself against the passenger side of her car then accepted her purse from Toby. She dug inside for her keys while her brother held the light for her. Dangling them victoriously in Jareth's face, light reflecting of the multifaceted metal; she grinned and finally answered him, his face a forced mask of patience over his pain.
"For now...I'm thinking the Motel 6." He heard Toby give a small 'woo-hoo' and mention that he always wanted to try out the water-slide at that motel.
"Sarah," Jareth asked as she assisted him into the passenger side of the car and buckled his belt, "What is a Motel 6 and what is a water-slide?"
"Oh boy," she said shutting the door. Through the car, he heard her muttering as she hurried around the front to the driver's side. She said something about a barrel of monkeys, but for all the pixies in the Underground he understood nothing regarding why monkeys and barrels had anything to do with their plight. Meanwhile, Toby laughed in the backseat while he secured his own belt and kept repeating the word 'weird'.
"Mortals," Jareth said scowling and pinching his nose. "Sometimes I really don't understand the Above."
