A Necessary Deception

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 the wedding feast, Sarah had been surprised to see Twylla appear at Jareth's side. He had whispered to the goblin maid for a moment and then sent Twylla on her way.

Sarah gave Jareth a puzzled look, but he merely smiled and took a sip of wine.

The meal dragged on until Sarah thought she would begin shrieking at them to just go home. How much could these people eat? Finally - finally - the last of the dessert was served and eaten. The guests began taking their leave.

Jareth and Sarah stood just inside the main castle doors and thanked each guest as they left, once again receiving good wishes and congratulations on their marriage. Sarah smiled until she thought her face would shatter.

She stood absolutely still until the great doors closed behind the final guest and then turned to her husband.

"I thought those people would never leave," she sighed.

Jareth swept her into his arms and pressed a gentle kiss on her lips. "It has been a very long day. Are you tired?"

Sarah grinned and shook her head. "Oh, no, you don't."

"Oh, no, I don't what?" Jareth asked.

"Don't think you're getting out of performing your marital duties on your wedding night." Sarah smirked.

Jareth threw back his head and laughed. "Marital duties, hmm?" He lowered his head and whispered into her ear, "I think I can be counted upon to rise to the occasion. Now, my curiosity has been plaguing me. Tell me of your erotic dream. The one you had all those years ago."

Sarah glanced around the great hall uneasily. "Here? I thought we'd go back to our room before..."

"Tell me," he urged.

Sarah bit her lip nervously until Jareth arched an eyebrow expectantly. Finally, she said slowly, "Well, we were in the room with all the stairs and I was trying to find someone."

When she hesitated again, he prompted, "Someone?"

"Yeah, someone, but I didn't know who it was. And then I saw you and I knew that you were who I wanted to find."

Blushing slightly, Sarah's voice lowered to a whisper as she recounted the rest of her dream to him. Jareth would murmur encouragement when embarrassment threatened to overwhelm her and she continued until she had told him everything.

"There are some fairly interesting implications in your dream," Jareth said, a wicked smile playing on his lips. "This is a part of your nature that we haven't explored."

Sarah's cheeks burned and she dropped her eyes. "I was 15," she said defensively.

Suddenly serious, he tilted her chin up until she met his eyes. "Yet the thought of that dream still excites you. Never be embarrassed to tell me what you want, Sarah. Playing this sort of game is a natural part of a relationship," he said softly and then he grinned. "And you of all people should know how much I enjoy playing games."

She smiled, still a bit embarrassed, and nodded.

"However, you seem to have left out a few important details," Jareth pointed out.

"I hadn't even been kissed, much less anything else," Sarah protested. "I knew what was supposed to be happening, but I didn't have the proper references to fill in the blanks."

He nodded thoughtfully. "You wouldn't mind if I added something?"

"Like what?" she asked curiously.

He shook his head. "You are not the only one with fantasies. And I want you to be surprised."

Her eyebrows shot up but she agreed.

"Go back to our bedchamber," Jareth told her. "I won't transport you, I need a bit of time to prepare. Change into the clothes that are laid out for you. When you leave the room, you'll know what to do."

She opened her mouth to ask a question but he shook his head, turned her around and gave her a gentle push.

When Sarah arrived in their bedchamber, she found that a pair of plain white cotton panties, a plain white bra, a pair of blue jeans and a t-shirt lay on the bed. On impulse, she washed her face clean of makeup and then changed clothes quickly.

She stepped into the hallway and felt a slight tingle sweep over her skin. When she looked down, she was wearing the same clothing that she had worn when she'd first come to the Underground. Jareth had placed a glamour on her clothing. She touched her hair and grinned as she felt the hair clip she'd worn all those years ago.

Sarah made her way through the castle to the throne room and looked at the stairway that wasn't there earlier in the day. As she approached the steps, she stopped suddenly and turned to glance behind her.

There was a brief shimmer in the air and she could almost see her friends standing there.

"Well, if that's the way it is done, then that's the way you must do it. But should you need us..." Sir Didymus said plaintively.

Ludo hummed encouragement as Hoggle spoke. "Yes, should you need us..."

Tears filled Sarah's eyes for a moment and she smiled as she remembered the words she'd spoken so long ago.

"I'll call," she whispered. "Thank you. All of you."

Sarah brushed at her eyes, straightened her shoulders and began climbing the stairs. She came out abruptly onto a plateau, the disorienting array of stairs stretching out in all directions. She felt a sudden surge of dizziness as she tried to get her bearings in a place where gravity had no meaning.

She quickly looked around for Jareth, but didn't see him. As she turned to go down the stairs to her right, she caught a glimpse of him on a ledge across the room from her. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw that he was dressed exactly as he had been the first time she'd seen him in this room. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, watching her impassively.

Sarah smiled, but her smile faltered as she looked into his eyes and realized that she wasn't quite dealing with Jareth any longer. He had agreed to give her this dream and he was being true to his word. The man standing on the ledge was the Goblin King.

She felt her breath quicken and desire clutched at her so intensely that it was painful. Sarah looked around for a way to reach him and quickly mapped out a route she thought would take her to his side. Rushing up and down the various stairways, she finally reached the ledge she thought that he had been standing on, only to find him gone.

"Dammit," she breathed. She turned to go back down the way she'd came when suddenly Jareth was in front of her, climbing the staircase with measured steps.

"Leaving so soon?" he smirked and advanced on her, his eyes taking on a predatory glint.

Involuntarily, Sarah's mouth went dry and she slowly retreated across the ledge. As she maneuvered back, she stepped suddenly into open air and began losing her balance. Jareth's hands shot out and grasped her by the upper arms. He swung her around so that her back was against the wall.

"Careful, precious," he leaned down and purred into her ear, "this can be a dangerous place for a little girl."

Sarah's eyes slid closed at the intimate sound of Jareth's voice in her ear and he laughed softly. She shuddered as she realized that she was already slick with desire.

Leaving the pretense behind for a moment, he whispered, "You were so young, far too young for me to even consider doing any of this when you were here before. But no longer." He placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.

Back in his role, he placed both hands on the wall beside her head, framing her body and effectively trapping her.

"And where were you going?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

Sarah was already breathing heavily in anticipation and he grinned briefly as he took in her reaction to him.

"I was... I was looking for someone," she stammered.

"Who, Sarah? Who were you looking for?" he asked intently as he leaned closer.

"I can't quite remember," she said, reciting the lines from her dream. She looked into his mismatched eyes. "I think I was looking for you."

"And now you've found me," he said, brushing his lips lightly against hers. "Did you want something of me?"

"I want..." Sarah's senses were reeling with the combination of dizzying room and the warmth of Jareth's body.

"Yes?" he murmured and leaned closer.

Caught up in her own role, Sarah lifted her head slightly and almost shyly pressed her mouth against his.

He pulled back and regarded her seriously. "Are you certain that is what you want?" he asked, his voice cool.

Her breathing erratic, Sarah nodded.

She had an instant to register his triumphant smile before black-gloved hands tangled in her hair and his mouth came down hard on hers in a fierce kiss. He tipped her head back and she parted her lips. His tongue slid into her mouth and she whimpered low in her throat, her hands coming up to rest at his waist. He broke the kiss and looked at her curiously.

"Was that what you wanted?" he asked, lifting one eyebrow. "Or perhaps," one hand slipped between her legs, cupping her through her clothing, "you wanted something more?" His fingers pressed upward and she groaned at the pleasurable friction, wriggling against his hand.

"Ah," he tilted his head and regarded her. "Something more, then." His other hand moved to her breast, fingers lingering on the hard nipple clearly outlined even through her shirt and bra.

She drew in a sharp breath and slid her hands down and around from his waist, brushing against the erection straining the front of his pants. His eyes went dark and it was his time to groan softly.

In an instant, Jareth had gripped her bottom with both hands and pulled her tightly against him. His warm breath caressed her ear as he spoke, "Be very sure, Sarah. You may have what you want, but there are consequences for everything." He thrust his hips lightly against her and she moaned at the contact.

"Please," she gasped out.

In a swift motion, he pushed her vest off her shoulders and to the ground. Jareth didn't waste time unbuttoning her blouse; he simply yanked it up and over her head to be discarded along with the vest. He unfastened the clasp of her bra and it joined her other clothing on the floor.

Sarah cried out when his mouth closed over her breast, sucking hard and then scraping along the sensitive tip with his teeth. He cupped her other breast with his hand, thumb circling the nipple and she realized that his gloves were gone.

Jareth dropped his hands and quickly unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, pushing them down over her hips, dragging her panties along with them. As the last of Sarah's clothing dropped to the ground, he licked a path up her neck to her mouth, then kissed her again deeply.

By this time, Sarah was panting into his mouth and making soft, frustrated whimpers. Jareth grinned and simply caused his own clothing to vanish. Pulling her to him, his erection pressing into her stomach, his hands moved down the backs of her thighs and he lifted her up, parting her legs and stepping between them. He pushed her back firmly against the wall and slowly moved his hips forward until he was barely pressing into her wet heat.

Almost sobbing with need, Sarah struggled to push herself onto him, but he held her firmly in place.

"Look, Sarah," Jareth commanded.

She dragged her eyes up and looked at him, puzzled, and then her eyes widened at the sight of the clock suspended in midair behind him. It was fast approaching the thirteenth hour. Before she could tell him that this had nothing to do with her dream, she remembered his earlier words.

You are not the only one with fantasies.

And Sarah understood that they were no longer living out her dream. They were acting out Jareth's fantasy.

She looked quickly back at him and he said, "You have to choose. There is still time, but you have to choose now."

She never hesitated. "I choose you," she whispered and pushed hard against his restraining hands. Jareth closed his eyes briefly and gave a satisfied smile. Then he opened his eyes and drove himself fully inside her. Sarah threw back her head and moaned loudly in pleasure. Jareth set a fast pace, thrusting hard and deep, and Sarah cried out breathlessly.

As the clock began to strike, Jareth lifted her higher, changing the angle of penetration and each movement of his hips ratcheted her pleasure up until Sarah suddenly stiffened in his arms and screamed.

He felt her contracting around him and as the last echo of the thirteenth chime reverberated around them, Jareth gave himself over to orgasm and poured himself into her.

Still joined with her and breathing harshly, he carefully cradled Sarah in his arms and said softly, "You're mine forever now."

Sarah lifted her head from his shoulder and kissed him gently.

"Yes," she agreed. "I'm yours forever."

~*~*~*~*~

The End

~*~*~*~*~

Author's Note: A very special thank you goes to my beta, Cormak, for all her patience, suggestions and hard work. And thank you to The Hooded Crow and Lady Jamie for their encouragement, suggestions and support.

The biggest thank you, however, must go to the readers who have given me feedback on this story. Your encouragement and support have been deeply appreciated. For those of you who have expressed an interest, yes, I do plan a sequel to this story.

The idea for A Necessary Deception took shape while reading an analysis of Labyrinth that discussed the idea of Jareth being Sarah's creation and that everything had happened only in her imagination. The analysis continued by exploring the idea that Sarah had, in fact, been in complete control of Jareth all along.

I began to wonder what would happen if you turned that idea on its head. If everything that had happened had been real, but that Jareth had been controlling Sarah. From that idle speculation, A Necessary Deception was born.