Easy Come, Hard to Go

AN- Alright… now that things have settled down a little, I think I might be able to bust off a couple chapters. Lucky, lucky you! I appreciate all of you sticking with me and as always, Jareth is not owned by me, he is just my ragged plaything.

And just so that we are all on the same page... While I LOVE rough, hard, harsh love, I DO NOT encourage to people to like the shit that Micheal is doing. I dont like it that rough...And I honestly dont know how the people who do like can handle it. I just wanted to be sure none of you thought I was like that...*smiles* Like I said, rough, hard, and little slap here and there all in fun is ok... I am just very gifted in writing this dark. No expirence necessary. *grins*

Chapter 23

As Sarah walked up the steps to the Goblin City castle, she heard a strange noise. Off in the distance it sounded oddly familiar and she couldn’t quite tell what it was. It echoed kinda like… was that screaming? Sarah raced up the steps, Jareth pulling up beside her.

“Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Jareth asked.

Again the shrill screams reverberated off the walls.

“Toby!” Sarah yelled and took off towards the room where her brother was supposed to be sleeping. Jareth shook his head and smiled slightly. *She never remembers her magic.* He shook his head and slowly disappeared only to reappear in front of Sarah as she reached the now bolted locked doors. She reared back, ready to pound the door to death, when Jareth grabbed her wrist. Sarah looked at him like he was mad and then understood. He smiled faintly and held her close. Together they disappeared into the room.

Sarah opened her eyes and she almost fainted. Crystal had Toby by his throat, hanging him high above the ground against the wall. Toby face was pale blue, and Sarah knew if she didn’t do something quick, there would be no Toby left. She pried at Jareth’s hands but he would not let go. He looked at her with remorse and shook his head.

“Jareth!” Sarah whispered, “Look at what she’s doing!! She's going to kill him!”

“Watch Sarah, watch!” Jareth grabbed Sarah’s face and turned it towards the fighting duo. Sarah watched as Toby’s face went purple and his little body went limp.

“You bitch!” Sarah yelled pulling herself from Jareth’s iron grasp. “What the fuck were you thinking?” Sarah pulled her balled up fist back and landed a stiff left hook on Crystal’s cheek.

“Jareth,” Crystal said looking stunned, “You’re not supposed to be back yet!”

Jareth walked to his sister and helped her up off the floor. He looked her cheek and smiled a little. “She hits hard I see.”

“This is no time for joking Jareth!” Sarah looked livid. She paced back and forth, tears wondering down her face. She bit back a sob and turned on to duo. “How dare you even put your hands on my brother! What the hell is going on? I thought you were on our side?? Then you go and kill my brother??” Sarah lurched forward and pinned the perplexed fae to the floor. She reared back and just before her right fist made a matching imprint on the other cheek, Jareth pulled her off of Crystal.

“Watch my love.” Jareth whispered in her ear. Sarah fought, but only for a miniscule second. A soft light erupted from her brother and she was captured by it.

Like a moth drawn so stupidly to the light, Sarah floated towards the light emitting from her dead brother. She stared in fascination as the light grew brighter and Toby appeared to grow with it. Her mouth hung open as she stared at the boy turn into a man and when the light faded, his bright blue eyes opened and a smile crept across his face.

“Did it work?” A deep voice came from the new body.

“T-toby?” Sarah reached out and clung to her not so dead anymore brother.

“Sarah,” he hugged her back, his chin resting on the top of her head. He smiled and looked at Crystal. “It did work, didn’t it?”

Sarah let go of the man standing I front of her and turned to the two standing in the wings behind them.

“Someone care to tell me just what the fuck is going on?”
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“I just freaked a little bit sis, that’s all. I knew she wasn’t going to hurt me. But it did seem like she was trying.” Toby smiled a little at Crystal and she blushed. They told Sarah how Toby wanted to be older. He was tired of being small and even though he only eleven, he said he was ready to be a man.

“So, Crystal killed you and then her magic brought you back to life, only older and,”

“And much more handsome.” Jareth cut Sarah off and smiled at the new man.

“Thanks Jareth.”

A tense silence fell between them and Sarah felt it growing.

“Something tells me there is some other reason this was happening. Anyone care to share?”

Both Crystal’s eyes and Toby’s eyes fell to the floor, avoiding the prying eyes of the all knowing Sarah.

“Oh my god,” Sarah blushed a little and looked directly at Crystal, “surely you are kidding.”

“Sis, I can explain.”

Jareth smiled a little as the wheels in Sarah’s head turned.

“Oh no,” Sarah shook her head, “She is WAY too old for you! I don’t care how old she made you look!”

“But sis,”

“NO WAY! Not in any of the seven levels of hell!”

“Now Sarah,” Jareth reached for her hand.

“Not you too, Jareth!”

“Jareth is the one who said it would work out great!”

Sarah stared at Jareth in disbelief. Her mouth hung open and she couldn’t seem to find the words to express herself.

“Sarah, I love your brother very much.” Crystal said moving closer to Toby.

“And I love Crystal.”

And with that, Toby’s lips locked on Crystal’s and they kissed a little too deep for Sarah’s comfort.

“Oh my dear lord!” Blush spread across her face as they continued. She turned to Jareth who was staring at her in a seductive way.

“And you think this is ok? What if we ever get married? They will be brother and sister!”

As the two broke their kiss, Crystal remarked, “Many fae marry their relatives, keep it in the family you know.”

Sarah laughed a little and felt Jareth’s arms enclose around her waist. *I guess it’s not that bad of an option. She is a good person I guess, and her and Toby really do get along good.*

“Alright, I guess it is ok. But so help me god, if anything happens, I swear I will,”

But she never got to finish as a pair of velvety lips closed over her own set. She kissed him back deeply and felt the world melt away. She closed her eyes and breathed in the sent of his being. And without even knowing it, took them to a place a little more comfortable and private.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Micheal hung from the ceiling, the steel hooks imbedded in his back, and the long chains acting as his cushion. His eyes were closed, though he was not sleeping. He was deep in thought. Almost in a trance. He swung, ever so slightly, as he subconsciously shifted his weight, the hooks pulling his skin a little farther from the bone it was supposed to be taught with. His eyes flickered inside his head, fast as ever. His arms, crossed over his chest like a vampire, twitched a little in response to the aggravation that set into his body.

The dark room was stone cold and empty, save the fallen angel that hung from the heavens it fell from. It had many things on the wall, many instruments of pain for some, and pleasure for others. The bed that lay in the middle, below the hanging figure, was still stained with the blood of the virgin that had been spilled in previous nights. The buckets of salt water lay bloody and baron in the dark shadows of the chamber. Noiseless and motionless was the room. It welcomed no one at any time accept its master, whom of which was currently floating in ecstasy.

Up the long stairwell that led to the dull and hopeless room, around the many twists and turns that it held, was a kitchen. In the kitchen the broken down wife of the fallen angel lay huddled against the cabinets. Tears stained her face and sobs racked her little body. The food that was cooking began to burn and she pulled her ragged body from the floor to make sure it wasn’t burnt too badly. She stirred the contents in the large pot as she stared into nothingness. She winced back into reality as she heard the door in the basement door creak open and slam back shut. She counted silently the steps in her head as the stairwell creaked at the weight being forced onto it. And when the last step had been conquered she breathed in one last jagged breath before taking her life into her own hands.

Without even flinching, she grabbed the pot with both of her hands and lurched the pot at the figure standing behind her. She thought it through many times, thought about assaulting her husband, once the very love of her life, and escaping from his shadow world of nothing but fear and dread. As the boiling hot water hit Micheal in the face, it drenched his whole body, paralyzing him for the few precious moments she needed. His body hit the floor and as it did she spat on his crumpled figure.

“I hate you. I hope you die, just as slowly as you deserve.”

Out the door she ran, pulling off her clothes in the process. All the smells from that house and all the things he gave her, she wanted off her. She ripped the necklace off her neck and with a sob, she cut her ring finger pulling the ring off of it. She ran as fast as she could and as hard as she could manage. She heard his roar and knew she was almost out of time. She pulled off her ankle the knife she wrapped there for this occasion and cut her left arm down the forearm. Inside was a crystal.

She wrenched the crystal out and as the huge dragon let put a warning to the others of his kind she felt the tears sliding down her face stop. She took a deep breath and just as the first dragon spotted her she whispered, “Jareth,” and threw the crystal on the ground.

The dragon landed and let out a howl, allowing the leader to know where she was. As he landed, she changed and bowed her noble head.

“She disappeared, m’lord.”

“How?”

The lady shook her head and pointed to the glitter that glistened in the setting sun. It reeked of blood, glitter and tears. Micheal smiled a little and shook his head.

“You think he will save you, Findore?”

Micheal turned and headed for his castle.

“M’lord?”

“I will handle this little… situation. Tell the others do not worry. I have it under control.”
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“Jareth,” Sarah giggled a little as Jareth moved them to the bed, “What do you think your doing?”

Jareth picked his head up and looked into Sarah’s eyes. He gave a cocky smile and bent his head back down to continue sucking on her neckline. He pushed her closer to the bed, making her moan as he lowered his sucking to the top of her breast. He pushed her down upon the bed and stood back away from her.

She looked absolutely exhausted, but the lust in her eyes was enough to make her beautiful still. She smiled coyly as Jareth moved closer to her. Then he did something completely different and unexpected.

He slowly got down on one knee. He took Sarah’s left hand in his and smiled warmly into her face. He took a deep breath and let it go softly. He cleared his throat and Sarah’s mind went into overdrive.

*Oh my god… is he going to… no it can’t be. Oh geeze, what if it is? I’m not even dressed right for this. My hairs not done, I don’t have any makeup on. Should I say yes? Wait, what am I talking about? Of course I’ll say yes! Oh my god, here he goes…*

“Sarah, I have been wanting to ask you this for a long time.” Jareth’s hand shook slightly as though he was nervous, but his voice never wavered. “Will you,” he paused and Sarah about died, “will you do me the honor of going to the fae ball with me?”

Sarah let out the breath she had been holding and almost laughed. She smiled and shook her head yes. “Of course I will, why would I want you to take anyone else?”

Jareth picked Sarah up and laughed as he twirled her around in arms. He kissed her softly and began to let his tongue graze her lips. She opened them willingly and let him kiss her deep and hard. She began to kiss him back when a knock came at the door. Sarah whined at the intrusion and Jareth merely ignored it. He kissed her deeper still and carried her to the bed. Again the knock came from the chamber doors.

“What is it?” Jareth roared.

The doors opened and there in the door way stood a very naked, very broken down body.

“Oh my god,” Sarah gasped as the bloody figure walked into the room, staggering like they were drunk, “who is it?”

The figure walked to Jareth and wrapped its arms around his neck. And it seemed with its last conscious breath it plead, “Jareth, please.” It then collapsed in Jareth’s arms, the force of the being plainly given up on the battle to stay awake.

“Jareth, who?”

“It’s Findore.”

“Who?” Sarah asked getting up and walking to the two.

“Findore, my brother’s wife.”

“What happened to her?” Sarah pulled away a chunk of bloody hair from her closed eyes and gasped a little. “She looks like she’s been put through hell. She beaten and bruised, and her arm is cut.” Sarah pulled her arm up and showed it to Jareth.

“That is her fault.”

“What how?”

“There will be time for that later, right now, I need to be alone with her.”

Sarah frowned a little and opened her mouth to object.

“I said I need to be alone with her!” Jareth yelled at her from over his shoulder. He carried her, holding her like she would break, into the bathroom. Sarah’s jealousy raged inside her.

“Fine. Whatever.” She turned and stormed from the King’s chambers leaving him to his brothers broken wife.
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Alrighty I hope you liked it. More to come and don’t
worry, jealousy won’t get the best of our heroin, unless
I feel angry tomorrow… *grins* Again I love you all and until
next time, so long and may good fortune find all of you easily!!