Storm Night with a Goblin King

He couldn't take his eyes off her. She had grown so much over the 5 years since he had last seen her this close. Sure he looked in on her now and again when he was bored in his Kingdom, he let her live her life without distractions just like it should be. But this time there was only a small obstacle that stood in his way. The French balcony doors.


He would never have risked being this close before, but this time he couldn't stay away.


He was sitting on the rail of the balcony just outside her window, she only had thin curtains but in her exhaustion she had forgotten to pull them closed so they hung loosely at the sides. He gazed up at the moon as his mind went back to earlier that day.

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Jareth was sat idly on his throne, swinging his leg back and forth in sheer boredom. His last wish away was only yesterday and yet here he was bored out of his mind. Kicking the goblins wasn't entertaining today, even chucking them out of the high windows as the screeched in delight had lost its spark. With no spark he didn't even feel like singing. He transported himself back to his chambers where he sat on one of the many window seats looking out across his vast Labyrinth and his Goblin City below. The setting sun was a glittering gold casting warm shadows across the houses in the city. The sight was truly magnificent.


Something was nagging at his subconscious but it wasn't detailed enough for him to decipher a meaning. He gazed out across his lands that stretched as far as the eye could see. The sun was beginning to lower as the afternoon drew out bringing a chill to the night. The large grandfather clock at the other end of his chamber began to chime, he sighed 7 o'clock, the summer nights were light but they were cold. The nagging had subsided for the moment. He shivered against the chill, the evening air closing in around the sun.


A flicker suddenly crossed through his mind... Her face.


It looked sad and pained, before he could focus on her anymore, the image was gone. He now began to think of her, like he did from time to time. She had broken his heart and crushed it into the ground. Her eyes of emerald green had been so cruel to him, her long mahogany locks made his heart yearn, and her smile of happiness broke his heart time and time again. It had taken him a year of deep, dark depression to realise that she probably didn't understand what he had offered her those many years ago. So he hadn't held a grudge for revenge, he still felt the dull pain in his heart but he had learnt to live with it. He longed to see her; he began to occasionally looked through his crystal at her busy life. The problem with having a broken heart is that you still love the one that broke it. He still loved her and would do for the rest of his existence. He didn't know how long that would be but he knew it was close to forever.


He sighed again producing a crystal from thin air, he lowered his gaze to the crystal saying to himself 'Just one more look, the I'll leave her be'.'


What he saw made him drop the crystal, shattering it into a glittery dust. He took a deep breath produced another and watched the scenes unfold.


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She was crying. The rain was pouring down her tear stained cheeks yet they could not hide her tears from him. She was walking through the park, where he had first seen her rehearsing her favourite plays, she walked slowly along the cobbled bridge, her arms clutched to her body to try and block the chill that had come over the pleasant afternoon. She leant over to gaze down at the rippling water, her tears dropping down causing more ripples into the river. She gave a heart-wrenching sob that unexpectedly pulled at Jareth's heart. She sounded broken.


He had never seen her upset in all the times he had looked in on her, but what angered him most was that he didn't know why she was crying. He wanted to hurt whoever had caused her so much pain; he continued to watch hoping all would be revealed.


She continued to gaze down at the water, and then she turned to look over her shoulder at the mention of her name.


"Sarah! What are you doing, come back to mine please, it's pouring down." A growl escaped Jareth's lips as his hand began to crush against the crystal he was holding. The guy talking to Sarah was of medium build; he had short-cropped blonde hair and bright blue eyes. 'Sarah Please!"


"No Taylor, I can't even look at you," She turned her gaze back down to the water as more tears fell, "I thought you loved me." She began to scrub at her already red cheek.


"Baby, I do love you." He approached her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.


At his touch she flew round to face him, the tears of sadness now reflected her anger. "Baby?! Don't you baby me. If you so much as felt an ounce of love for me you wouldn't have been with HER! She was my best friend Taylor, my best friend, how could you?!" She began to wander off of the bridge going in no particular direction.


It took every ounce of strength for Jareth to not drop the crystal there and then and appear in front of this 'Taylor' and give him the full brunt of hatred and anger he deserved for hurting Sarah. But he remained as calm as he could and continued to watch as he needed to know what had exactly happened.


Taylor made a grab for her wrist, he spun her around so he was very close to her face. "Sarah you have to forgive me, it was a mistake." His hands moved to her face, cupping her, rubbing his fingers along her jaw. "I was lonely your head was somewhere else, all the time with your damned book! Daphne was there for me. It didn't mean anything Sarah I promise." His hands began to roam over her face, through her hair as he spoke these words to her, he leaned in to kiss her. She placed her hands slowly on his chest letting his wet shirt flow through her fingers before she pushed him away.


"A mistake?! A mistake Taylor is one time. You fucked her 6 times...that I know of! Do you understand? That is not a mistake that is classed as cheating! We are over Taylor I can't even bare to look at you let alone kiss you." She did the only thing she could think of, she ran, just like she used to, she ran back to the only place she could bare to be right now and that was her room. She heard distant cries form Taylor begging her to come back but she kept running and she didn't stop till she threw open her front door, ran past a flabbergasted Karen, raced up the stairs opening her bedroom door. She crawled on to her bed hugging a stuffed animal and cried.


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Jareth still couldn't believe what he had seen earlier, his anger was still bubbling, he wanted Taylor's head on a platter for the pain he had put her through. He was still sat on the balcony outside her window. He had a plain view of her in bed, her face did not look peaceful, and her brow creased, her breathing he could see was unsteady, she was having a restless sleep...if she was even asleep at all. He quietly pushed open the French doors to her room and carefully stepped inside. He gazed around her room, it wasn't like the last time he saw it. Even in the dark he could see it had changed. The room had a more grown up feel to it and yet it still held small elements of childhood trinkety things that Sarah still loved. He walked over to the large vanity mirror, he grazed his fingers along the top of the oak frame, she used to call her friends through this mirror, but along time ago that was.  


"Jareth?" her voice was just a whisper, he turned his head to look at her. She was slightly sitting up in bed, rubbing her eyes "What are you doing here?"


Oh how to answer that, he couldn't say that he had watched her all day and saw what happened. But he could tell a small lie so not to upset her further. He moved over to the bed and sat on the edge. He noticed her flinch slightly inward, trying to protect herself, from what he did not know. Was she still scared of him? No matter, whether she would admit it or not she needed someone and he just happened to be that someone. He took a calming breath before he spoke.


"You needed me." He had expected her to deny it all and kick him back through the French doors, he was not however expecting her to break into sobbing.


Her hands were covering her face and he heard her mumble something incoherent. The sobbing increased and she was now crying her heart out. His heart broke all over again. He moved further onto the bed pulling her on to his lap, her head buried into the crook of his neck. He felt her tears fall on to the side of his neck, she latched onto the lapels of his jacket, not wanting to let go. He moved one hand on to her back moving in a soothing circular motion, the other stroking through her hair, he would not let go.


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The pain was hitting her in waves, she knew she was crying too much and especially on a man she thought she would never see again let alone be holding her while she cried out her pain over another man. But with all her might she couldn't stop the tears from falling. She could feel his hands on her back and stroking through her hair, she cried harder, he shouldn't be holding her, and in all fairness he should hate her. She tried to calm down enough to lift her head up to meet his gaze. He looked down at her and gave her a small smile. She returned a weak smile before she spoke.


"You shouldn't be here...you hate me." She turned her head away so not to see his response. She heard a soft chuckle leave his throat. She looked back at him quizzically.


"Sarah, I could never hate you, I never have and never will. As I said; you were in need of someone to be here with you so I came. You don't really think I could leave you like this." He smiled at her again before he bought his hand up to brush away the of tears from her cheek. He felt her lean into his hand, he sighed in content, she was accepting him, but he had to know...


"Sarah?"


"Hmmm?"


"Do you want me to go?" He felt her hands tighten on his jacket. He looked down at her again to find she had snuggled back into the side of his neck, he could feel her warm breath tickle his throat and her arm draped casually over his stomach.


"No please don't go. I don't want to be alone." She snuggled in closer to him, he felt so warm, and she felt safe in his arms.


He tightened his arms a little more around her fragile frame.


"Okay, I'll stay a little while." He felt he had to add the last part to set some boundaries, if he had his way he would take her home now. But he knew she was still vulnerable.


"Won't your wife wonder where you are though?" He felt her body tense slightly in his embrace.


He chuckled again before kissing the top of her head. "I don't have a companion Sarah," He lowered his lips to the top of her head again, he lingered a few moments longer than before. Her hair filled his senses and her body relaxed back against his.


Silence filled the room, it wasn't an awkward silence just a content moment. Jareth had taken up to running his hand through her hair, letting the dark locks run over his fingers the moon giving her hair a shimmer. He leant his head back against the headboard closing his eyes loosing himself in the moment.


"I'm.....sorry."


Jareth opened his eyes.


"For what Sarah?"


He looked down to see tears rolling off her cheeks, he pulled her back so she was more facing him. With one hand holding the small of her back, the other took her chin. He brushed his thumb along her cheek, she closed her eyes to his touch. "For not accepting your offer last time, if..." He brought her lips to meet his. The kiss wasn't demanding, it was soft and gentle but Jareth poured his heart out to her in that kiss. How much he cared for her, how much he would always care for and how much he loved her. He began to pull away so not to take advantage of her. He felt her arms snake round his neck pulling him closer, she pressed her lips firmly against him shifting her body slightly. At this small movement Jareth let a small moan escape as he pulled her closer to him never wanting to break apart. He decided to push his luck ever so slightly, he flicked his tongue out and ran it along her bottom lip, she parted her lips and gasped into his mouth as their tongues connected. She tangled her fingers in his messy blonde hair. His hand was still holding her face as the kiss continued but he moved his hand down very slowly tracing the lines and curves of her body before rapping both arms around her waist and pulling her further to him.


It felt like they had been like this forever, if someone was to walk into Sarah's room now they would see her now straddling Jareth the Goblin King. Jareth moved his lips from her mouth, Sarah gave a slight whimpered protest followed by another gasp of surprise as she felt his lips touch her neck. Her skin felt soft under his lips as he gentle nibbled on the side of her neck his arms tightening their bodies together. Sarah shifted her body closer still causing Jareth to growl ever so slightly into her neck. She soon became very aware of a certain body part. With every graze of his teeth on her skin he replaced it with a kiss. He eventually bought his lips up to her ear before whispering.


"Sarah, that offer still stands..." She had gone still in his arms, he pulled back, he couldn't determine the look on her face. He tried to right the situation. "I know this may not be the best time what with everything but Sarah I have always loved you, always will and nothing..mmmmph."


At that instant Sarah captured his lips silencing him from an explanation she didn't need. The kiss was short and sweet, she pulled back smiling and interlocking her hands with his.


"You were saying?" She giggled