Oh, Now Why the Concern?

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Jareth vs Sarah

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Her first thought upon waking on the couch consisted of sheer panic due to the blanket of silence and darkness she didn't expect. She only meant to nap for a few minutes! Why the sunset? Where was Toby? Sarah sat upright too fast, making her head spin.

"Toby?" Was she forever cursed to search for him? "Toby!" She called louder, standing. As her eyes adjusted to the gloom she noticed a sheet of paper lying on the coffee table with fancy, antique script. Reading as she picked it up, she noticed how thick and rich the paper felt, and grit her teeth at the missive's information.

"Jareth..." Though quiet her voice held layers of restrained violence; the note explaining Jareth's and Toby's whereabouts crumpled in her fist. Minutes later Sarah drove at a gravel-spraying speed from her driveway en route to the school.

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Once the shock of the confrontation with the banshee abated and Toby's tears dried, Jareth proceeded to walk them back to the main entrance of the school rather than teleport them home directly from there. Afterall, appearances must be maintained and he needed to be seen leaving with Toby to keep his mortal identity. Later, Jareth debated whether or not that decision proved to be the wisest course of action because who should storm through the halls in his direct path? He didn't need one ounce of his magic to see how Sarah's ire bled in high intensity waves as she stomped towards them.

"Sarah, my dear, how good of you to join us!" He said graciously, spreading his arms wide to welcome her.

"Don't, Jareth!" She snapped pointing a lethal looking finger as she approached them in the hall. "How dare you!"

"Sarah, it's okay, he saved me!" Toby said quickly jumping into the conversation both figuratively and literally as he positioned himself defensively in front of Jareth.

"Tobias, not now."

"Get out of the way, Toby!"

"No, I won't let you scare him off!"

"Tobias, really..."

"What? You don't think I can, G-Jareth?" Sarah nearly said his title but the growing crowd of spectators reminded her of their public setting, and she decided that discretion really was the better part of valor.

Chuckling softly, Jareth smirked, "I would love to see your attempt, my dear Sarah."

"Oh, you..."

"Is there a problem?" Another man's voice asked and both Sarah and Jareth turned to see Mr. Norton standing to one side with a look of concern and a mild stance of aggression. "Sarah? You do know this man, Mr. Noble?"

"Mr. Noble?" She said sarcastically with her arms crossed and her hip cocked, the leg thrust out.

Jareth exhibited his disarming grin to her and...Oh geez... batted his eyelashes. "Yes?"

"That's perfect...just wonderful..."

"I'm glad you think so," Jareth replied ignoring her derision.

"Sarah," Mr. Norton said interrupting their spat. "Is everything alright? Do I need to call the police?"

"Yes, Sarah," Jareth added, "Do inform the man if we require the constabulary."

"Jareth..." she said his name in a warning tone as if she might take him up on his dare, but in the end, after staring him down, she realized how ridiculous threatening the Goblin King with the mortal police would be. How ridiculous, potentially embarrassing and dangerous for the police, that is.

"Fine..." She faced Toby's teacher and smiled, "No, Mr. Norton...no police necessary. Sorry about the confusion. I had to work late and forgot I asked Mr. Noble to take Toby instead."

"I see..." Mr. Norton glanced between the tense Jareth and Sarah, "well, if you're sure."

"Absolutely," Sarah grabbed Jareth by the bicep and pulled him towards the front door while nodding to Toby to follow. "Thanks for your concern, but I've got it under control, right, Jareth?"

"Without doubt, Sarah."

"Good. Have a nice night, Mr. Norton. Say goodbye, Toby."

" 'Night, Mr. Norton," Toby said over his shoulder as he scrambled behind the Sarah-herded Goblin King.

"Goodnight, Toby," his teacher replied with a furrowed brow at the odd scene playing out before him. Something strange about the Mr. Noble...he didn't like the way he spoke to Sarah either...hmmm...

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Once in the privacy of the parking lot, Jareth wrenched his arm from her grip and stepped a few feet away with a scowl. Sarah came to a halt facing him with Toby standing to one side between them watching their exchange, his head swiveling back and forth.

"What the hell were you thinking?"

"Whatever do you mean, Precious?"

"Don't Precious me! You masqueraded as Toby's guardian, without my knowledge. God knows how many people saw you...do you know much trouble this could bring us? Hmm...do you?"

"Sarah," he said lowering his voice as he stepped closer once again. "Do not concern yourself. No one has seen me other than the very mortal Mr. Noble."

"But..." she stammered looking him up and down, "your clothes, your hair..."

"You and Tobias may see through my glamour if you so wish it, but no one else."

"But why would you do this?"

"You needed to rest, Sarah. I thought to assist you."

"Oh...but...you've got to stop doing this to me!"

"What?"

"Taking Toby without my permission, or making me think that you are. You're going to give me a heart attack!"

"Then...are you saying I may remain to offer my assistance if I ask for permission?" He asked sweetly then grinned and tilted his head ever so enticingly.

"What?" She stared at his entrancing beauty and wiles. "Oh...fine, whatever," she said then stomped off to her car. "But there's going to be some rules around here." She called back.

"Of course, my dear!"

"So you can stay?" Toby asked.

"It would seem so, my boy."

"Alright!" Toby jumped in the air, fist pumping. "I knew she'd give in eventually."

"Oh, did you now?"

"Of course, Sarah's really a softie underneath it all."

"Are you guys coming or not?" Sarah yelled at them from her idling car. "I haven't got all night, you know!"

"Indeed?" Jareth's one brow arched drolly.

"Well, sometimes..." Toby said shrugging. Jareth smiled as he leisurely strolled to the impatiently waiting Sarah. He could easily have teleported them all, including her car, back to the residence, but Jareth delighted in taking up the opportunity to ride with Sarah in her personal transportation. Who knew what mischief he could engender on the way.

"Everyone buckle up," she ordered then met with a blank stare from Jareth. "You have ridden in a car before haven't you?"

"I can't say I've had the pleasure."

Rolling her eyes, Sarah pointed to the fabric belt hanging to his right side in the front passenger's seat, "Grab that belt and pull it over your body to this and clip it inside." Sarah waited and watched as Jareth fought and struggled with the seat belt several times without success. Each time it snapped back into place either tangling his arm or slapping his face or both. After the third or fourth growl and curse from the Goblin King and Toby's plaintive wail from the back seat to help him, Sarah finally gave in.

"Oh for Pete's sake! It's not that difficult." She leaned across his body to grasp the belt, momentarily placing their torsos partially front to front, and looked up. Her face was positioned a few inches from Jareth's; she could feel his heart beating as furiously as hers.

"No, not difficult at all," he said in a husky voice. She stared up into his currently matching dilated eyes for a few seconds, felt an a magnetic-like pull then chickened out, grabbed the seat belt and jumped back to her side with it in tow. Snapping it in place, she said, her own voice a tad shaky:

"There, all set." She heard Toby sniggering in the backseat, but ignored him in order to save face and turning her head to the far too self-assured Jareth she suddenly realized he deliberately faked her out.

Indignant, she gasped as he smirked, "You, you...ugh...Goblin Kings!" Toby's sniggering turned into full laughter and Sarah felt her skin warm up as she blushed. Even Jareth started chuckling at her discomposure. "Oh...shut up...both of you..." she said feebly causing her brother to laugh harder and bounce in his seat, and his breathing to become ragged panting and snorting for the next couple of minutes.

'Well, at least he's laughing again,' she consoled herself, 'even if it's at my expense.'

White knuckling her steering wheel, Sarah kept her face forward as she pulled out of the parking lot. Highly conscious of Jareth, she did her best to disregard her body's response to his proximity...Darn frustrating, sexy Goblin Kings barging into her life willy-nilly...

"Sarah, please concentrate whilst accelerating this contraption!"

"Wha—oh!" She swerved narrowly avoiding striking the street curb. "Sorry," she said sheepishly and glanced over to see Jareth's gloved hands fisted around the hand rests and muscles in his jaw jumping.

"Geez, you awake up there, sis?

"Yes...yes, sorry..." she mumbled again and slowed down. The remaining drive home Sarah focused her entire brain on driving and not thinking about the bizarre fact that Jareth rode shotgun in her car.

'He'll probably leave glitter all over the upholstery.' Then the next thought that drifted into her mind as she pulled to a stop in her driveway was: 'Oh crap, he's not planning on sleeping over is he? Turning to look at him he apparently caught her distressed expression.

"Sarah, whatever is the matter?"

"Ummm...