At the edge of time and space

Sarah’s eyes widened and she struggled to get away.

“Yes, Sarah, you will be my mistress,” he purred in her ear. His breath on her neck made her shudder.
“You will be there constantly, laying in my bed, awaiting me and anticipating our heated moments. You
would enjoy that, wouldn’t you?”

She whimpered as she heard his chilling arrogant laugh in her ear.

“Oh Sarah,” he chuckled, still holding her, playing with her hair, “Did you really think I was serious?”
He suddenly pushed her off of him, making her stumble forward. She glared coldly at him.

“Why in the world would I ever take the likes of YOU into my bed?” he smiled. “Do you really think
yourself worthy of such things?”

“Actually,” Sarah said angrily, “I was hoping the exact opposite. What makes you think I want to sleep
with you? What makes you think I want to lose.....” She stopped there and swallowed and then
continued. “lose such respect for myself by mating with the ‘likes of YOU.”

Yet to her distaste, the Goblin King laughed again.

“Why do you take me for such a fool?” he smiled. “What have I ever done to warrant myself stupid to
you?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Sarah asked boldly, now within a good long distance from him.

“Your virginity is no surprise to me,” Jareth said, “You walk and talk like a virgin, darling. You fool no
one.”

“That-That’s none of your business,” Sarah blushed slightly.

“I own you, slave,” he said in a firm tone. “Of course, it’s my business.” She felt like a chastised child
under his glare and was surprised and ashamed to find herself hanging her head. She rose her chin up
defiantly.

Yet in spite of her strong attitude, she was holding the tears back with all her might. She was a young
girl after all and being pulled from her comfortable middle-class suburban life back into the
Underground was very hard on her. She missed her parents and her brother and her friends. She would
have traded anything in the world to go home to that life. She only realized now how she took it all for
granted. Her thoughts tormented her.

“Jareth,” she said softly, yet her voice wavered with controlled tears, “Please send me home.”

“No,” he said flatly.

“I-I really want to go home,” she said louder, tears threatening dangerously to give way.

“I’m sure you do,” the Goblin King replied.

“Please send me home,” she said softer, tears spilling freely down her face.

“Sarah, you would not want to go home anyways,” Jareth said gently.

“Please send me home,” she repeated, sitting on the hospital bed with her face in her hands. Her body
shaking with every sob.

“Sarah,” she felt his arms envelope her, “you are immortal now. You cannot go back.”

“W-why not?” she asked, sniffing. Her caressed her cheek, gently brushing away the tears.

“Imagine you coming home and the first few years would be normal,” Jareth whispered. “But after a
while people will start to notice that even when you are not as young as you used to be, you have
stayed the same. You will always be in this form Sarah. You are forever eighteen.”

Her eyes stared back at him in horror. “What?”

“You are at the peak of your life, “ he said. “The peak of your beauty, your intelligence, and yet you still
have so much to learn. Your mind will grow old and wise, but not your body. You will always be like
this.”

“What have you done to me?” she whimpered, trying to get away.

“You will live forever,” his mismatched eyes bore into her. “Is that not what humans strive for?
Immortality? No disease can touch you. You are invincible, Sarah.”

“And as everyone else withers and dies,” Sarah whispered.

“You will live and be forever in this state,” Jareth said.

“How could you?!” she screamed. “How could you?” Despite her struggling, he held her against him
tightly, and then loosened his grip as she gave up and cried into him.

Yet suddenly as if he had suddenly regained sense, he grabbed her tightly by the shoulders and shook
her, “You chose your own path. You chose to defy me and you ignored any chance of a dream life with
me and now you suffer the consequences!”

“You stole my brother!” cried Sarah, tears rolling down her cheeks. “I was only 15 and what you
offered me was beyond a 15 year old girl’s capacity to understand!”

“You wished away your brother to me!” he growled, his fingers digging into her shoulders, “I offered
you your dreams Sarah. How much more specific did you want me to get?”

“They were the dreams of a 15 year old girl,” she said, trying to wriggle out of his painful grip. “My
dreams then are nothing like they are now.”

“And what are your dreams now, Sarah?” he glared, ignoring her pained whimpers. “Are they of sex?
Riches? Drugs? Have you progressed from the childish fantasy of love?”

“Jareth, please,” she finally gasped. His fingers had started to draw blood. He pulled her closer
suddenly and whispered, “I could kill you and no one would ever find your body. No one would ever
care or know. That is how worthless you are.”

And then she fell back on the bed. He was no where in sight. Brushing away her tears, she moved her
shirt aside to look at the effects of his harsh grip on her. The marks had started to fade and then
disappeared as if he had never touched her.

His words brought fresh tears to her eyes.

“If I’m so worthless, then why don’t you let me go home!?” she screamed. “Just let me go home.”
Huddling in a fetal position, Sarah cried into the red pillow.

*******************************************************************

Jareth gazed out the window at his kingdom. It was indeed beautiful, especially when it was quiet like it
was today.

A soft cough interrupted his wandering thoughts and he turned to look upon the beauty in his bed. She
delicately bit down on a chocolate covered strawberry and ate in an almost sensual way, making sure
to run her tongue across her lips as if to swipe at an imaginary bit of chocolate. Her pretty face frowned
as he turned around again to look out the window.

Ever since that girl had come back, Jareth had been unresponsive to her carnal requests nor had he
cared to tell her his. Their regular intimate interactions had ceased and she was frankly quite put out by
that.

“Jareth,” the blonde said softly, rising to walk over to him, “Won’t you come to bed? We haven’t
fulfilled each other for such a long time.” She traced elegant, slender fingers down his front, but he
merely brushed them away.

“Well,” she said, smoothing out her skirts and then finally exploded, “Jareth what the hell is wrong with
you?!” Mismatched eyes continued to stare ahead.

“Ever since that girl came around, you act as if you’re married to her!” her blue eyes held fury. “Have
you completely forgotten that I exist?”

“Have you completely forgotten your place?” he countered yet did not look at her.

“Your highness,” she sighed. “Fuck me!”

“Not right now,” he said and walked away from the window and out the door. The pretty blonde
screamed in frustration and slammed her fist into one of his pillows.

****************************************************************************

Something hard hit Sarah and she woke up, groaning softly.

Opening her eyes, she saw Mr. Balls grinning down at her with a bucket of plastic balls in one arm.

“Wake up girl,” he said happily,” Youze gonna learn to juggle today!”

Sarah groaned louder and sat up, rubbing her eye and yawning. Yet as she realized what she was
wearing, she screamed and covered herself. It looked like something that a go-go dancer would wear.
She was wearing what seemed like a black strapless bra and black booty shorts.

“Oh my freakin Lord!” she cried. “I look like I’m supposed to be in some rap video! Ugh!” Sarah
looked down at herself in disgust. Although she was slim, she did not have a six pack and her

“thighs are soooo gross!”

Frowning at herself, she stood up and watched in disgust as Mr.Ball’s eyes roamed her body.

“Mm mm mm,” he said. “Girl I could eat you with a knife and fork.”

“Please don’t,” she frowned. “Let’s just get started.”

“Aight, aight,” he said, still not looking away, “Now we are gonna start your juggling lesson. Watch
me.”

He then proceeded to juggle a few balls at a time and then more and then more until it looked like he
was moving a hoola hoop. He stopped and all the balls went into the basket.

“They don’t call me Mr. Balls for nothin,” he grinned at Sarah.

“Indeed,” she said and looked away.

“Now you try it,” and so Sarah, after many attempts managed to juggle three balls at one time. Despite
the look of disappointment of her teacher’s face, she was ecstatic. She learned how to juggle!

“I dunno how youze gonna do this next performance,” he sighed. The smile slowly eroded from Sarah’s
face.

“Next performance?” Sarah uttered.

“Yes Sarah, next performance,” Jareth suddenly appeared next to her. She moved away from him
swiftly. For some reason after their previous encounter, she was hurt by his presence and by the sight of
him. She couldn’t put her finger on it. She was glad that she didn’t have to be his mistress and that she
wouldn’t have to lose her virginity to him, yet at the same time she felt something else. Something that
jabbed at her heart and made her upset every time she thought of him. She quickly blocked it out of her
mind and crossed her arms over her chest.

“But....after what happened last time?” she whined. “Come on...”

“Are you in pain right now?” Jareth asked.

“Well no, but....,” Sarah pouted.

“Well then there you go,” he smirked, taking a moment to study her small form. “You really do have
some fans now Sarah. Those who attended loved the performance.”

“Yea, I’m sure you liked the parts where I was about to get killed,” Sarah gritted her teeth, “I’m sure
you laughed when I got hurt.”

“Girl, EVERYONE laughed when you got hurt,” Mr. Balls chuckled.

“I did not laugh,” Jareth said. Balls and Sarah looked at him. Both were speechless.

“I do not like it when my property gets damaged,” and both relaxed and Sarah glared.

“I am not your property,” she growled.

“But you are,” his voice was smooth. “Leave us, Balls.” Balls looked from Sarah and Jareth and dashed
out of the room. Sarah was now alone with the Goblin King and her heart beat faster in her chest as he
approached her.

“Don’t you see Sarah?” he said. “I have you and you can never get away. You are mine. No matter
where you are, I will find you. You are bound to me by that wish. You must realize, it can never be
undone. You will live forever with me.”

“I would have rather died than live like this,” she said, her voice in a hushed whispered..

“That could be arranged,” he said, “But I would not want to kill off the number one star of the show.
Imagine what a spoiler that would be.”

He stood so close to her now that she could feel his breath on her forehead. Slowly, but surely her face
turned towards his and her emerald green eyes locked onto his mismatched ones. The touch of his
fingers on her bare skin felt electric. His breath played on her lips and she closed her eyes as she felt his
lips brush against hers gently. She opened her eyes to find herself in an empty room. Looking in the
mirror, she fanned her flushed face with her hand.

**********************************************************************

Walking out into the center of the stadium, Sarah spotted Jareth and as soon as they made eye contact,
he gingerly licked his lips and a predatory smile played on his face. Looking away, she wondered what
he was up to and why he had kissed her......and why she had liked it so much. The kiss replayed over
and over in her mind and she started to think about what would have happened if things went further,
but that was quickly forgotten as the music started.

She was falling again, falling and falling and suddenly, she landed on a soft pillow. An enormous soft
pillow in the middle of a prison cell. Looking around, it was very hard to see because of the lack of
light. Suddenly, the place was lit up in candles and there was a ball lying on the floor. She picked it up
almost instinctively and threw it in the air and caught it. The ball suddenly became two balls and she
cried out and dropped them. With every bounce, each one ball became two balls and the room was
beginning to get full of them.

She ran for the door and to her surprise....it opened easily. On the other side of the wall was a large
sword. She took it off the wall and swung it around. It was light and seemed pretty sharp. She froze as
something clanged against her sword. It was another sword. The sword was being held by a hand and
the hand belonged to a lithe and muscular arm and the arm belonged to.....Jareth?!

“Oh thank goodness,” she sighed in relief. “So it’s over.”

“Far from it,” he smiled at her and his sword clanged against hers once again. “You don’t know how to
fence or sword-fight, do you?” Sarah shook her head. “Pity.”

“Wait, I’m fighting you!?” Sarah cried, moving back. She was suddenly seized by terror and ran to the
other side of the room.

“Sarah, you know you’re not getting out of here until one of us wins,” he called up to her. She had
climbed up onto a high cot and sat there waiving her sword at him.

“How do I win?” asked Sarah.

“You must defeat me,” he answered. “By running me through with that sword of yours.”

“I have to kill you!?” she shrieked.

“You can’t kill me, darling,” he laughed, “Even if you wanted to. It will hurt indeed, but it won’t be fatal.
These knives are magic. They feel like the real thing, but they are not. So, either one of us will not get
killed, just be in a lot of pain.”

“But....But.....I was supposed to do something with juggling!” she cried, panic in her voice.

“And you did,” Jareth said. “And you failed miserably so here is your next challenge.” Sarah gritted her
teeth and a new spark of energy ignited in her.

“I do not want to get run through with a sword!” she exclaimed and jumped off the cot.

“That’s the spirit,” he muttered. He then took off his shirt to reveal a well-toned lean body. Tossing
it carelessly aside, he turned to face Sarah. Sarah could not help but stare.

“Shall we get started?” He interrupted her gaze and she blushed.

“See something you like?” he smiled as he approached her.

“Not a single thing,” she said and swung her sword towards him. He dodged easily and then countered
an almost deadly hit towards her. She managed to block it off and then ran to the other side of the
room.

Jareth sighed. “Sarah, how long are you going to keep doing this?”

“For as long as I can,” she called to him and ran to another high cot. Jumping on it, she turned to look
for Jareth but did not see him.

“Hello,” his breath was hot against her ear. She screamed and fell backwards, knocking the wind out of
her as she landed on her back. Groaning, she looked up to see him start to walk over to her.
Scrambling up with her sword she turned and faced him.

His luscious mouth smiled at her seductively and his sword glinted in the dancing light of the candles.
His sword clinked against hers again and again as she finally got the hang of blocking his attempts. She
had been blocking his sword for a long time when she did not notice his hand as it grabbed her wrist
and twisted it so that the sword fell out of it and onto the floor.

Sarah gasped and continued to eye the long knife, backing up into the wall, breathing hard. She closed
her eyes and awaited the horrifying pain, her stomach muscles clenched in preparation. Yet there was
utter silence and when she opened her eyes, she saw Jareth looking her at her in a strange way. His
knife pressed against her cheek and a thin line of blood appeared on the flawless skin. Whimpering
softly, her eyes pleaded with his for mercy. She watched as he pressed the tip against her stomach. Her
whimpers had turned into hushed frantic sobs. She closed her eyes and suddenly felt his lips on hers just
as the metal slid into her. The pain was so intense she couldn’t even scream. And then the world went
black.

A/N: What did you like? What did you not like? Is Jareth being too nice? Well, actually I like him
mean. I hate it when he’s nice. It doesn’t suit him.