Sanctuary

Sarah returned a short while later dressed in a blue sweater and blue jeans. It was well into March now and Spring was already in the air so she didn't need a jacket. She found Jareth in the kitchen. He had already made her a cup of coffee as well as a blueberry bagel covered with cream cheese. She smiled when she saw him and noticed that he didn't seem as dressed up as he was before. He wore a navy blue shirt that had a slightly higher neckline then his usual shirts, no vest no cape, just his infamous black tights and knee high boots. She ate quickly, hardly able to contain the excitement that now coursed her veins. Where would he take her?

"Are you ready to start our day?" he asked watching her drain the last of her coffee. She nodded and the excited expression reminded him of how Ary often responded to things. He felt the same childlike giddiness racing through him. "All right." He pulled her to her feet and held her in front of him. "Now I want you to close your eyes. And you can not open them until I tell you otherwise." She nodded and closed her eyes, feeling him move closer to her. She felt a warm odd sensation sweep through her. It was several moments later that she felt Jareth step away.

"What do you sense?" He asked her.

She took a deep breath. "It feels slightly cooler here...and the air...it's salty." A moment later a bird call she recognized nearly made her jump out of her skin.

He chuckled at her reaction. "Oh all right. Open your eyes."

She did so and grinned from ear to ear the moment they opened. "You brought me to the ocean!" she cried out. Jareth merely stood with his hands clasped behind him grinning. She rushed at him nearly toppling him over. "Have you any idea how much I love the ocean!?"

He gave her a sly smile. "I had some idea. Especially with all the paintings and pictures of seascapes around your house and all the pictures of you and you brother at the beach."

"I haven't been to the ocean in years. Not since...Ary was born."

"And why not when you live only a few hours from the coast?"

"I haven't had the time. I've been raising Ary and it's not like I have any friends to drive with to the ocean. Oh god, it's so beautiful here. Just like I remember it." She hugged Jareth tightly. "Thank you so much!"

He placed a quick kiss on her lips. "My pleasure."

She grabbed a hold of his hand. "C'mon, let's go look for sea shells by the water!" He laughed and let her pull him down the small hill they had appeared on.

Sarah instantly began to bend over, searching through what the tide had brought in, looking for buried treasure. Jareth watched her and trailed behind her as she excitedly discovered things along the way. He was relieved to know that his first choice for the day had been something worth while for her. The beach was nearly deserted except for one couple with children who were flying kites and walking their dog.

"Have you ever done this before Jareth? Just walk along the beach seeing what the tide has brought in."

"Many times."

She turned to face him, standing up and stopping her exploration in the sand. "Really?"

He nodded and flashed her a devious smile. "Really Sarah. Hard for you to believe that the Goblin King used to enjoy strolls along the beach?"

"I just...you...You don't seem the type."

"I haven't done it in a very long time." He told her as he kicked a quahog shell over with the toe of his boot.

"Why not?"

"Perhaps for the same reasons that you no longer come here. I became busy. I have a kingdom to run after all and I can't just go off to play around at the ocean whenever I see fit."

The sentence made Sarah tense and he noticed it right away. "Did I say something wrong?"

She shook her head and quickly went back to exploring.

"I clearly said something that has bothered or offended you. I beg you to tell me what it is."

"It's nothing Jareth."

He touched her arm and then grabbed a hold of it, pulling her to face him. "Oh and I must be honest with you even when you won't be honest with me? Some how that doesn't seem quite right."

She sighed. "Jareth I really don't want to ruin this wonderful day that you have planned with some of my thoughts on things. As you once told me, let's enjoy the moment and talk about the other stuff later."

He nodded but Sarah knew he was not happy with being left in the dark. They walked along the beach for a few more hours before Jareth announced that he had another surprise for her. He made her close her eyes and they walked up a steep hill. When Sarah opened her eyes she found that he had laid out a picnic lunch for them on the top of a hill that overlooked the ocean. She was sure that his magic was involved somehow but she didn't mention that to him. Besides that the roast beef sandwiches that he had made were delicious.

Sarah laid back on the blanket that was spread out on the grass and gazed up at the sky. She stretched her arms above her head and closed her eyes. She wished she could stay forever on this hill. Far away from the rumors, work, her neighbors. Away from reality. She heard Jareth lay beside her and she felt his hand toying with her hair. He seemed to have an obsession with it because he was always playing with it. She heard him sigh deeply.

"And what is Sarah thinking about..?" She smiled, her eyes still closed and then she opened them gazing at him. He was lying on his side, resting on one elbow. The other arm was draped over her, his hand buried in the thick dark locks of her hair. His hair was golden in the light of the sun.

"Guess." She told him with a sweet smile.

"Hmmm. You're thinking about a dashing Goblin King aren't you?" He grinned devilishly. "I know you are..fess up."

She laughed. "Well that might be a small part of what I'm thinking about."

He raised a brow. "Only a small part?" He pretended to be offended.

"Ok, a little more then that. I was just thinking about how wonderful this is, lying here. Forgetting about reality for a little while, lying here with you beside me. This is a nice change. Thank you for bringing me here. I could not have planned a better day if I tried myself."

He smiled and stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers. "I'm thrilled that you are enjoying yourself, but the day is not over yet. And night has not even fallen."

She rolled over onto her side to face him, with a brillant smile gracing her face. "I can't wait to see what tonight will be like."

He leaned over placing a gentle but passionate kiss on her lips. "Neither can I." She slid over to him, burying her face into his neck and chest. His golden hair cascading down upon her. They laid like that for a long time. The warmth of the sun felt good. It was quiet except for the crashing of the waves rolling onto the shore. Jareth would occasionally comb his fingers through her hair, or run his hands over her arm. Finally he laid his head down on the blanket and he dozed off to sleep. Sarah slept as well, curled against his chest.

They both awakened about an hour before sunset. Jareth used his magic to make the picnic setting disappear and they both walked down the hill toward the water again. They walked side by side in the orange glow of the sun that sank lower and lower in the sky.

"Jareth, have you ever wished for anything? Like what you want the future to be like."

Jareth gazed at her, a smile tugging on his lips. "I wished that I could be with you and that has come true."

She blushed but recovered quickly. "No I mean when you were younger or even now did you have hopes of what the future would be like."

'My hopes for the future remain the same as they were when I was a child."

"What are they?"

He stopped walking and took her hand into his. The sun was beginning to set behind him and the sky was a palette of blue, green, yellow, orange and pink. "I still wish to marry the woman of my dreams. To have children. To live happily ever after." He smiled innocently.

She smiled in return. "Happily ever after eh?"

He nodded. "And what about you Sarah? What do you wish for the future?"

"I want to marry someone who understands me and loves me, maybe have another child. As much as I want the happily ever after, I know I can't possibly have that. Life doesn't allow it. You can't have ups with out downs. Can't have joy with out grief, can't feel pleasure without pain."

Jareth moved in closer toward her, his face hovering inches from her own. "My sweet Sarah...so very wise." He closed the gap between them and pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. She responded immediately, wrapping her arms around his neck. His hands were in her hair and then on her waist, pulling her to him. Their innocent kisses became much more in a matter of moments. The two lovers were a silhouette of one on the beach as the sun set behind them.

After a short while Jareth broke the kiss and leaned against her. They held each other in the gathering darkness.

"We should return home. We both need to shower before we go out tonight. We smell like the beach. Especially you my dear, who was playing in the sand. Good thing you stopped when you did otherwise you might have started smelling like the Bog of Eternal Stench."

Sarah laughed against him. She felt a warm sensation sweep over here and when Jareth stepped away from her, they were standing in the upstairs hallway of her house.

Jareth placed a kiss on her lips. "Why don't you shower first?"

"All right. What should I wear tonight?"

Jareth smiled. "It's already laid out on your bed. Let me know when you're done and I'll shower and change and then we'll go." She nodded and he stepped away from her. She watched him head down stairs and heard the tv go on a few seconds later. He was turning into a typical man, going to watch tv while the lady showered first. She decided that she would shower quickly and dress and put her make up on in her own room so that he could use the shower right away.

Shr rushed to her room and gasped when she saw what was lying there on the quilt. Spread out across the bed was the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. It was pale blue and covered with tiny sequins at the top. The top was fitted and the bottom of the dress flared out from the waist. She stood just gaping at it with her mouth open, jaw dropped. Finally she went in search of some underwear and a bra that would be able to work with a dress that was so revealing. She had not even tried it on and she knew it was going to reveal some skin.

She showered quickly. She shouted down to Jareth that she was done with the shower and she rushed to her room clad in a towel. She didn't put the dress on right away but instead slipped on an oversized T-shirt. She set to the task of blow drying her hair and put on her make-up. Then she stepped into the dress. She couldn't believe how gorgeous it was. She twirled around in front of her full length mirror in it, feeling like a princess or a queen. She did her hair and put on some pearl earrings she had. She wore ivory gloves that almost reached her elbows. She could hardly wait to see Jareth and she could hardly wait to see where he was taking her.

She heard a tap on her door a short while later.

"Are you done Sarah? We need to hurry or we'll miss it."

"Miss what?"

"I'd rather show you then tell you."

Sarah swung the door open quickly and there he stood. Dressed in a long midnight blue frock coat that she had dreamt about almost every night when she was 17 years old. She had written about that coat and the outfit he wore many times in her diary. She knew the outfit by heart. The sequined blue frock coat. Beneath it a silver silk shirt with a ruffle collar that hung half way down the front of his chest. A silver belt across his midsection, tight black pants and those shiny black knee high boots. He wore the ivory gloves on his hands and his blond hair was highlighted with blue. The dark triangles at the edge of his eyes were darker, more defined and the light pink makeup that between his brows and the triangle at the corner of his eyes were brighter. The site of him took her breath away as he stood there in her hallway, looking so incredibly out of place in her modern house.

He was smiling sweetly and genuinely at her. He reached for her hand, placing a kiss on the ivory material. "You look beautiful."

She blushed violently, her cheeks reddening instantly after his comment and the intense stare he gave her. She wanted to blurt out that he was gorgeous. The most gorgeous man she had ever seen. But she held back, instead leaning over and placing a kiss upon his cheek. "And you look so incredibly handsome."

He smiled sweetly and gently pulled her to him. "Close your eyes."

"Oh not this again." She groaned.

"Close them." He ordered. She did as he asked and again she felt the sensation of warmth spread through her. The humming of electric equipment faded and instead the sound of crickets filled her ears. "Open your eyes Sarah."

She did so, and gasped. They were in a garden of some sort. The moon had yet to rise but the garden was filled with light. Thousands and thousands of fireflies shared their light with the dark night. It appeared that the stars had come down from the heavens to shine on earth. Sarah couldn't move, couldn't breath. She could not believe the beauty spread around her. There was a white gazebo in the center of the garden and she could see candles flickering within even from the distance she stood from it. Lanterns were lit within the garden, giving off their soft golden glow. The garden was filled with lattice paneled white fences and flowers that were colors she didn't even know existed.

She finally let out a deep breath and turned to Jareth. He gazed down at her with such complete love and joy in his eyes it made her eyes tear up. "Jareth...I...my god, it's beautiful." He smiled.

"I'm glad that you approve."

"I certainly do approve! I can't believe this place. Where is this? I've never seen anything like it."

"And you never will. It's my sanctuary."

"So we're in the underground then?"

He shook his head. "No. This place is between my world and your own. Come, let me show it to you." He offered his arm which she linked hers with immediately. He began to show her the wonders of this place. Telling her about many of the different kinds of flowers. As he led her toward the gazebo she turned to him.

"Jareth, why did I have to hurry? What were we going to miss?"

He smiled. "The fire flies." He glanced up at the sky and she noticed suddenly that they were all gone.

"Where did they go?" She asked glancing around.

"Back to their homes in the trees and plants. Tonight was the last night of their mating. It's the only time you will find so many in one place at the same time."

She felt her cheeks warm even at the mention of the word mating. Jareth looked so positively gorgeous that she wanted to...she shook the wicked thoughts from her mind. Now was not the time.

"Dine with me?"

"Of course." He led her up the 3 steps to the gazebo and pulled out a seat for her. The seat was white and wicker as was the table. Two white taper candles burned in front of each of the place settings. There was fine china on the table. It was incredible. Dinner turned out to be steak with potatoes, and other vegetables as well as bread. It was delicious and better then anything Sarah had ever tasted.

She suddenly chuckled softly which caused Jareth to stare at her curiously. "And just what is so amusing?"

"I was just thinking about the Trash Queen. Jareth that was so incredibly funny. I was seriously about ready to start rolling on the floor with laughter when I saw you put that butter container on her head. She looked so ridicules!"

Jareth laughed softly. "I must say that it was amusing to toy with her."

Her laughter faded and she smiled sweetly at him. "Thank you for standing up for me."

Jareth reached for her hand and squeezed it. "You're welcome." They sat in silence for a while. Sarah leaned back into her seat and glanced at her environment while Jareth cleared the table full of dishes with a simple wave of his hand.

"Jareth...I…I don't know what to say, other then that this has been the most incredible day of my life."

He grinned. "Then say nothing. Just dance with me. I hope that you are not too full to dance."

She shook her head. The idea of being in his arms once again overwhelmed her. He stood and pulled out her chair for her and led her out of the gazebo and out onto a section of the garden that had large pale gray tiles. He bowed before her.

"May I have this dance?" Sarah nodded, biting her lip in anticipation. He gently took one hand into his own and the other fell at her waist. Her hand fell onto his shoulder and soon they were both moving slowly. He began to sing. She had forgotten that he could sing and so beautifully. He sang a haunting melody that she remembered from when she was a child.

There's such a sad love Deep in your eyes A kind of pale jewel, open and close With in your eyes... I'll place the sky with in your eyes.

Sarah leaned her head against his shoulder as he continued to the sing the haunting melody she remembered from so long ago.

As he sang the last verse of the song he leaned closer to her. She looked up at him, seeing the intense love shining back at her. He bent his face down toward her, his lips looming closer and closer. There was no reason to run this time, no reason to shatter the illusion and be the heroine and save her brother. She closed her eyes and his lips touched hers softly, yet firmly. His hand cupped her cheek in its palm. The hand on her waist moved gently over the silky fabric of her dress. Sarah let her arms encircle his neck and she pulled him closer to her. One hand moved down the front of his jacket. Down the sequined shoulder towards the ruffles on his shirt. She slipped her hand inside his jacket, running her palm over the smooth silk of his shirt. She could feel the warmth of his chest beneath the fabric.

He continued to kiss her. He had dreamt of this moment for so many years. Had yearned so badly to finish what was started in the crystal ballroom years ago.

His lips left her mouth and trailed kisses down the length of her neck. Her head rolled back with a groan which made him kiss her even more. He trailed kisses along her collarbone and lower letting his lips touch the skin that was along the low neckline of her dress.

"Jareth..." Her voice was throaty and she was trembling.

"Shall I stop?" He asked pulling his lips from her skin.

"No! I want...."

"What Sarah? What do you want?" She didn't notice the serious look in his eyes.

She picked her head up gazing at him with the fires of passion burning in her eyes. 'I want....you."