Spider and the Fly

Disclaimer: You know, I'm getting kinda bored with telling everyone I don't own the rights to the original story. I mean, there's only so many ways I can say I'm a poor little Goth girl with no money and no financial wealth and all that jazz. Anyway, I apologize if you were a bit put off by the sex scene in the last chapter. I tend to read way too much vampire erotica, and I do believe it shows through.



And I wanted to thank those who have been reviewing. I haven't been as dedicated in replying to the messages as I should have been, but I plan on fixing that once I get over this bloody cold. Imagine, a cold, in July! I just want it gone before the week's up. I would hate to be sick on my birthday, that would just not make my day less than lovely.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



He pushed through the foliage. Ahead of him, he could hear pounding drums and voices raised in song. Stringed instruments wove in and out of the words, accentuating them at just the right times. Through the leaves he could see a fire burning; it was a large bonfire in the center of a clearing.



Pushing through the undergrowth, Jareth came to stand at the edge of a clearing. Arranged in a circle around the crackling bonfire were at least thirty people, all dressed in brightly colored silks and shiny jewelry. The men seemed to be dressed in red or green shirts that opened to the waist, with black leather breeches and boots. Colored sashes that matched their shirts were tied around their hips. Each man seemed to have a knife dangling from his hip as well.



The women were all in flowing layered skirts of bright reds, oranges, yellows. Their shirts all bared shoulders and bellies, with black leather vests that accentuated their busts over the shirt. They all wore jewelry made of copper and gold coins that jingled and flashed in the firelight, complementing their tanned skin.



With a shock, Jareth looked down to see himself dressed in a similar fashion to the men. The only difference was that were the other men wore red or green, he wore a deep midnight blue shirt and sash. His only adornment was his silver pendent, and a silver-handled dagger on his hip.



He pushed his way through the couples sitting around, making his way to one of the many cushions near the fire. Just as he was about to sit, one of the men grabbed his arm and began cursing at him in a language unfamiliar to him. The other men began to form a ring around the two of them.



"Mikhail!" called a female voice.



Everyone in the circle stopped and looked up. The women, who had gathered on the other side of the bonfire, stepped aside as a woman made her way through.



Her green eyes flashed as she strode forward. Her skirt was made of gauzy flowing layers of midnight blue and purple, with a layer of black showing beneath them, all shot through with specks of silver. Her shirt was midnight blue, and her vest a jet black. She was pale, her skin white as marble and appeared just as smooth. Her dark hair cascaded down her back, held in place by a small circlet made of a purple leather strap with a small silver disk in the center. An amethyst was in the center of the disk. Her feet were bare and she wore silver bangles around her wrists instead of chain bracelets with coins. Her entire presence made it seem as if she had stepped from the night sky and smiled. However, she wasn't smiling now.



Scowling, she stalked over to where the men were gathered and grabbed Mikhail's arm. She began speaking in the same language that he was cursing at Jareth, but her tone was undeniably that of a mother scolding her errant child.



Mikhail dropped his hand off of Jareth's arm and off of his knife.



"Memniic, Sarah." He said, nodding and stepping aside.



The girl- no, woman, Jareth noticed- was staring at him with those flashing green eyes. Rings of gold surrounded her pupils, and the fire danced in the reflections.



"I am Sarah." She said needlessly. "These are my people. Why are you here?"



"I-" Jareth began, and then stopped, staring at her. "I'm here for you."



Throwing back her head, Sarah let loose a laugh that echoed to the night sky above. "Oh really?" Stepping close to him, she lightly touched his face with her fingertips, her other hand resting on his chest. "Then catch me!" she cried, pushing herself away from him and into a dance.



With wild cries and yells, the musicians burst into song, the others beginning to dance around the fire with her, their movements wild and jerky, but at the same time smooth and controlled. Grinning like a cat, Jareth followed her, spinning around the other couples, searching out the night-clad nymph. She would let him get teasingly close before dodging away from him.



Eventually, the other couples left the circle, but Jareth and Sarah circled the flames like planets around the sun. Sarah was laughing as she danced, wild and untamed as the wind. Jareth laughed with her, the chase lending humor to his lust.



Finally, Sarah stopped long enough for him to catch her. Pulling him to her, he held her slight frame against his. She was laughing with the thrill of the chase, her eyes sparkling. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she tilted her head and whispered into his ear.



"I know what you seek, Goblin King. Do not be afraid- and take it!"



Grabbing Sarah's hair, he pulled her head back and kissed her, relishing the feeling of her nails puncturing his skin beneath his shirt.



The bawdy cheers of the others broke through the daze that had overcome the two, and Sarah ducked away, lost within the dance again. This time, Jareth danced with her, the music and their bodies creating a magic spell as powerful as the fire they danced around. When Jareth caught her again, this time she wrapped her legs around his waist and he pulled her close. Their hands and kisses ran wild with lust, and the cheers grew louder.



"The moon!" one of the women cried. Laughs and cheers grew louder as the rest began to dance frenziedly around them, wilder and more careless than before.



Suddenly, they stopped.



Jareth looked up into her eyes. It was still Sarah, but she was different. Instead of green and gold, violet and silver stared back at him.



"Night child to balance the heat of the day." Jareth tried to drop her, but she held on tightly. "Passion will be your undoing." She whispered before disappearing from his arms.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jareth shot up in bed. "What in hell?!" He stared at the girl- no, woman, lying in his bed, snuggling to the warmth his body gave off.



"Sarah... what have you... no... its impossible." he whispered to himself, snapping his fingers.



Her once brown hair was longer, and now a deep violet blue, the color of the night sky. Her lips were faintly stained, appearing to be a berry red, and her skin had a slight silvery violet tinge.



"Sarah!" he shook her awake.



Violet eyes with silver rings around the pupils stared sleepily up at him. "Hmm?"



"Wake up, child!" he pulled her out of the bed, both still naked, and dragged her over to the mirror. "Tell me, Sarah, what is the meaning of this?!" he snapped.



Once again, Sarah was struck speechless. "I... I..." She turned to face him, furious. "What have you done to me?!"



Jareth threw back his head and laughed at her. "What have I, what have I done?" he growled, gripping her wrist. "You tell me, Moon Child!"





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Moon Child?" Sarah bit her lip and turned to face her reflection again. She studied herself carefully, her hands touching her body in disbelief. Gently, she felt her lips, her face, her arms, her stomach. She gasped when she saw her eyes. No longer the green and gold she was so used to, but violet and silver. She turned to Jareth again, tears rimming her eyes. "What happened to me?!"



"You're a Moon Child." he hissed at her, stepping back. He snapped his fingers and they were both fully clothed. He was in the red shirt, black vest, and black breeches he wore when they battled in the Escher room, and she was... covered in white. A floor length dress covered her body completely, and she had knee boots and elbow length gloves. Even if she moved, her skin was covered. A high collar covered her chest and neck, and she had a veil over her face.



"Jareth-"



"No, Sarah." He snapped at her. "Don't even try to call me that."



"I-I don't understand."



"It doesn't matter." Jareth turned from her and snapped his fingers again.



Sarah found herself in a room made of white. The bed, the walls, the rugs on the floor, the furniture, the drapes. Everything in the room was white – and there were no windows. Sarah felt tightness in her chest. "NO!" she whispered. Gasping for breath, she clutched at her chest and sank to the floor.



"You will stay in this room until I deal with you." Jareth's disembodied voice echoed around the room.



Sarah couldn't pay attention; she felt her throat closing from panic. White clothing, a white room. "No!" she whispered, clutching at her head. "Think, Williams, think! What did they tell you if you didn't have your meds?!"





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



"If you have an attack, Miss Williams, and you don't have your meds with you, you need to focus on calming your breathing. You suffer from severe panic attacks. The first one you had during your admittance nearly closed your throat. You have to focus on breathing. After that, try to calm your mind down. Panic is only your enemy."



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Sarah tried to focus and take deep breaths. It hurt, badly, and each breath felt like broken glass shredding her lungs, but eventually she felt her throat open a bit, and she began to calm down. She realized how hot it was in the room, and removed her cloak and gloves. Folding them in a neat pile, Sarah put them on a chair that was nearby before beginning to unlace her boots.



"Regulation room, regulation furniture, regulation clothing." She mimicked under her breath. Getting the boots undone, she kicked them off and sighed. Standing up, she began undoing the buttons on the back of her dress. Finally, she stood in only white undergarments, free of the constricting heat that Jareth had dressed her in.



Walking to the wardrobe, Sarah opened it up to find – nothing. Sighing, she picked up her discarded clothing and placed it on the floor of the wardrobe. "I wish there were nightclothes or something I could wear instead of this." She muttered.



Sarah yelped and jumped back as a lace-trimmed silk nightgown appeared in front of her. She lightly touched it, thinking it would bite, but instead her fingers touched white silk.



"Why is everything in here white?" she groaned, exasperated. "I wish there was some color! Red, green, blue, purple, it doesn't matter! Something besides white!"



Sarah screamed as everything became a whirl of color. The dress in front of her was like a kaleidoscope, changing colors at breakneck speed, the furniture and room going just as fast.



"STOP!" she screamed. "I wish that everything was done in shades of green!"



The room stopped spinning and everything was green. Not just one shade, but every type of green, from almost white mint green to almost black forest green.



"Okay... I wish the bed was done in shades of blue, and I wish the furniture was in shades of purple. I wish my clothes would match my new appearance. And I wish there to be NO white." Sarah announced to the still room.



Within seconds, it was as she wished. "Oh, this is perfect!" Sarah laughed, sitting at the vanity. Picking up a hairbrush, she began to brush out her new hair.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Jareth paced back and forth in his study, furious. "A Moon Child! HERE! How could I not have known? How could I not have felt it?!" he cursed, summoning a crystal and staring into it. Cursing even harder at the image that appeared, he flung it into the wall and watched as it shattered into a million pieces.



Jareth glared out of the window at the full moon hanging in the sky. With a snarl, a white barn owl launched itself out of the window.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



As the owl flew over the Labyrinth and the surrounding lands, Sarah was locked in her room, idling humming to herself to get rid of the boredom. Sighing, she looked in the mirror at her changed reflection. "I wish I understood what he meant." Sarah said to her reflection. "Oh well. I guess I'll never know, he seemed pretty mad when he saw me. I guess a Moon Child is a bad thing?"



Sighing again, she got up and stretched. "I haven't had an attack in months. I guess all the white brought back too many memories of the asylum." She bit out the last word. "Always calling it a 'hospital'. Feh. The doctors got so mad when I called it what it really was."



Walking over to her bed, Sarah crawled in and covered herself. "Too much has happened in so little time. I just need to sleep."



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Jareth landed in the courtyard of a ruined castle. A battle had raged over this land, many years ago. It used to be the home of Seers of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Mistrust and hatred of their powers, and greed over the magic of the land their castle was built on, caused a war. The Goblin Kingdom fought along side the Elves to protect the Seers, but they lost the battle. The castle was destroyed, but the attackers were kept away with powerful magic. The land had been gifted freely, a place of peace and truth. Only those who sought peace and truth could enter. Those who tried to claim the land for themselves met with the guardians, haunted armor and weapons that slew whoever fought them.



Jareth turned back into his human form. "Elithyl!" he bellowed. "Elithyl, where are you?!"



"Here, old friend. Peace." A shadowy voice came from the ruined, moss-covered staircase. A tall, thin man with dark hair and a pointed face stood at the top of the stairs, watching Jareth. "What troubles you so that you call upon me?"



"I am in need of your counsel, old friend." Jareth stated, glaring at him.



"Peace, old friend. Come, I will have Morrithyl prepare you a room and-"



"No, I cannot stay." Jareth interrupted. "There is a pressing matter and I must have counsel!"



"Then come." Elithyl turned and vanished into a broken archway. Jareth followed quickly. Elithyl was silent as a shadow, slipping from broken doorways and cracked floors with ease. Jareth followed him, but not without stumbling on the destruction.



Finally, Elithyl led him to a cathedral-like room that was not damaged. Several beds and tables were arranged around. Sitting at the dais, Elithyl stared at Jareth.



"So, old friend, what is it that frightens you so?"



"I am not frightened." Jareth said curtly.



"Peace, Jareth, you were always so convinced you were invincible."



"Morrithyl, now is not the time to test my patience." He growled at a woman now making her way to sit next to Elithyl.



Morrithyl, an Elvish woman matching Elithyl's coloring, threw back her head and gave a silvery laugh that made the hairs on the back of Jareth's next stand on end. "Oh? We have felt the tremors in the mirrors, and our crystals reveal nothing."



Jareth hissed angrily at her. "Morrithyl..."



"Silence." Elithyl said quietly, but firmly. Rising to his feet, he let out a bellow in his Elvish tongue. Silently, as if they had no body, five more Seers appeared, all dressed in grey. Seating themselves at the table, Jareth realized that he had the entire Seer council before him. "Jareth, King of the Goblins, son of the King L'manithyl and the Queen Talathia, do you seek the counsel of the Seers?"



"Yes." Jareth spoke clearly, his eyes hard at the mention of his parents.



"Speak your concerns." Elithyl seated himself and gazed at Jareth evenly.



Taking a deep breath, he spoke.



When he was done, Morrithyl stood and stared at Jareth. "King Jareth de Aisling, for over a year we have felt a great trouble approaching. We can no longer read the stars, for something clouds them. Our crystals shatter, and our mirrors tremble and break. Our Centaurian allies tell us that there is great danger in the heavens, and now you tell us that a Moon Child walks the Underground."



"Yes." Jareth stared at the Elvish woman, anger etched into his face.



"Sire." A young girl stood. She looked no more than to be eleven by Elvish standards, yet she sat at the Seers Council. "This girl who defeated your Labyrinth is a Moon Child."



"Aye, she is." He snapped. "I believe you just repeated what I have told you."



"Jareth." Elithyl warned. "Continue, Lamath."



"You are a Sun Child. Your enemy is now even more your opposite. Yet the moon and sun have always found great balance between each other." The girl spoke calmly, as if she had a deep secret. "The sun gives strength to his people, warmth and light and protection from the creatures that hunt at night. He gives fire and he gives nourishment. The moon gives her people rest at night, and watches over them as they slumber, shining over them with a mother's love. She is the source of magic, of life, for the Sun cannot rest without the Moon, and the Moon cannot shine without the Sun."



"What are you suggesting, child?" Jareth snapped.



"Jareth." Elithyl snapped. "You will treat my council with respect, especially when it is you who has requested an audience."



"The Sun and the Moon have a relationship that is not easily understood." The child walked down and stood in front of Jareth. Holding out her hands, she held a small chalice in her grasp. "Look, Sire, at the coming days." She commanded.



Jareth peered into the chalice's waters and stared.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



The sun blocked out by the moon.

Darkness on the horizon.

Wild magic ravaging the Labyrinth, and miles of dead bodies.

Sarah's eyes, wide and staring, as she lay on the floor with a bloody stain on her dress.

His own dead body, lying not too far away.

A explosion of fire and magic.

Utter darkness.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



"What does it mean?" he whispered hoarsely.



The child smiled before drinking the contents of the cup. Elithyl's cry for his daughter went unnoticed as her eyes went completely grey.



"Balance the words and balance the lies,

for the truth is always hidden within the eyes.

Spin a web of truth and of trust,

Spin it well or turn to dust.

Balance is the key to a perfect world

Straighten the paths that have been twisted and curled.

Beware not the heart, but the mind,

And pay heed to the ties that bind.

Glamour fails but truth succeeds

Rise above the fall and live to bleed.

A time of trial is near and you must fight,

Or else the sun is extinguished, eternal night."



"What in hell does that mean?" Jareth demanded.



"It means that you must train her, King of the Goblins." Elithyl stood tall as two of the Seers helped Lamath back to the dais. All seven of the Tuatha Dé Danann Seers stood behind the dais. "The eclipse comes in three weeks. You must prepare her."



"Or what?"



"Or we all become like this Castle. Destroyed."



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Jareth stormed into Sarah's room without knocking, growling to himself. Suddenly, he stopped when he realized the colors.



"Wake up!" he shouted, flicking his wrist and sending the covers flying off the bed.



"HEY!" Sarah screeched, sitting up. Her hair was mussed from sleeping, and her eyes flashed. They had darkened to the colors of a deep bruise and tarnished metal when she realized he had ripped her room apart.



Jareth stalked over to her and gripped her wrist, pulling her out of bed. "Get up. We don't have much time."



"Before what?!" she snapped back, wrenching her wrist away from him.



"Before you cause the end of the world." He snarled.



"Oh, great, now I'm going to cause the Apocalypse. Lovely!" Sarah shouted at him, throwing her arms up in the air. "Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you!"



"You know as well as I do, Moon Child." he sneered.



"Stop calling me that!" she screamed at him. "I don't even know what a Moon Child is!"



"You simpleton! A Moon Child is exactly that! A child blessed by the Moon Goddess!" he yelled at her.



"Fuck you!" Sarah screamed, balling her fists. "I didn't ask to become whatever the fuck I am! I just wanted to get away from the life I had Above!"



"Oh yes, Sarah, that pathetic life." Jareth stalked forward and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Your pathetic little life where nothing went right. Where everything hurt poor little Sarah so much that she had to end her life. The fact of the matter, Sarah, is that if you were that desperate to make it all go away, you would have cut deeper and not wasted my time!" He yelled, shaking her before throwing her onto the ground.



Sarah got to her feet slowly. "So I'm just a fucking waste of time, hmm? Last night meant nothing to you? It was all just pure and plain lust?" she said bitterly.



"Exactly." Jareth snapped, and then instantly realized what he had said.



Sarah's face went cold, and her eyes turned completely silver. "So. That's why you brought me back. No one else could stand the Goblin King's mind games long enough for him to fuck. So he grabbed a desperate little mortal to be his fuck toy."



Jareth took a step back when the air started snapping and crackling with power- Sarah's power. She was so enraged she didn't even realize it was running up her arms and whipping her hair around.



"Fuck this. If all I am is a good time, then it's time you found yourself a new one."



Sarah vanished in the blink of an eye.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



She landed at the beginning of the Labyrinth, on the hill where Jareth first issued his challenge six years ago. Glaring at the castle at the center of the Labyrinth, Sarah turned and began to walk away – when the pain hit.



She fell to her knees and screamed as extreme pain shot through her. It felt like liquid steel was coursing through her veins, and like her skin was being punctured by thousands of little needles. She couldn't breathe, it felt like something was being forced down her throat. Bright white spots appeared before her eyes and took over her vision. Before she passed out, she let out one more anguished scream that echoed through the Labyrinth.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Jareth was still in Sarah's bedroom when he felt the release of magic. The entire land shook as he raced out the door to the nearest window. A blinding release of magic was coming from the hill where he first brought Sarah six years ago. Jareth looked away from the light as the world exploded. The castle shook as the magic released shockwaves across the land, fighting his magic and the magic of the Labyrinth. Jareth was knocked to the floor as a particularly nasty shudder cracked the floor and wall next to him, causing the ceiling to sag. Staggering to his feet, he watched in horror as Sarah's screamed reverberated into the hall where he stood and the light disappeared.



He launched himself to hill in owl form, the tingles of her magic still too strong for him to transport there. Landing on the hill, he stared in wonder around him.



Under the light of the full moon, grass and wildflowers covered the barren earth. The twisted and stunted trees bore new leaves, and even the vines on the Labyrinth were alive again. He turned and looked at the ground where he was standing.



A circle of burnt earth was the only sign Sarah had been there. And even now, that was disappearing beneath the grass



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sarah... Sarah... wake up, my child.



"Fuck off, Jareth." Sarah muttered, rolling over.



Sarah... a persistent hand began shaking her.



"I said fuck o-" Sarah rolled over and froze. "You're... you're not Jareth."



The woman laughed. She was made of pure silver. Her hair, her eyes, her lips and nails. Even her and eyelashes skin seemed to be covered in silvery dust. Her clothing was pure white, and she was barefoot.



No child, I am not Jareth. Her voice sounded like a whisper, but her mouth did not move. I am much, much more than that.



"What are you?" Sarah whispered, staring at her.



I am your mother, child. The woman knelt next to her and took Sarah's hands. Come with me, there is much for you to learn and not much time for you to learn it.



"Where are we going?"



To the sky.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



A/N: Oh dear, I must really learn how to channel my anger differently than through poor Sarah and Jareth. I've put up all the story I have now, so it might be awhile before I update again. I apologize for the delay, lovelies, but I want it to be perfect for you. Or as close as I can get it.