Safe Haven

Sarah felt disoriented when she and Jareth reappeared at his castle. Gazing around at the environment she had little doubt in her mind that she was in Jareth's chambers. The room was large and decorated quite well. He had a large canopy bed with wine colored sheets and a soft looking blanket draped over them. There were bureaus made of dark cherry wood with gold metal trimming and carvings. There were tapestries, sculptures, and a few oil paintings. Some were of places she recognized within the Labyrinth, others were portraits of people she did not know. After glancing around the room she saw Jareth standing by the window.

He was no longer in his armor but a simple, open front black poet's shirt, tight black pants and his black boots. His blond hair drifted around him and in the pale light of the moon it looked white. His pale skin glittered in the light and the cuts that were on his face were gone. He looked solemn and as if he was mourning. She didn't understand. He had just received a victory and they were both safe and alive.

As she walked to him she realized that her outfit had changed as well. She was dressed in a long silk nightgown and a robe. She pulled the robe around her as she walked and took a place beside Jareth at the window. He didn't look at her for a long time. He gazed out at the Goblin City below them. Dogs barked, cats meowed from the streets. Candles and lanterns flickered in nearly every house.

"They fought honorable for their homes and for their King. I lost many of them. Farris' men slaughtered them like animals." His voice was soft, nearly a whisper.

Sarah was silent for a while. "You care about them don't you? The goblins."

He gave her a sad smile. "I suppose that I do. Who would have thought it? I despised these creatures for the longest time. It took me years and years to get the slightest and simplest task through to them. Yet on the battlefield they fought bravely and well. They joined in teams and for a short while they had the upper hand against Farris' men. I've sent word of the victory so that those who are well may rejoice. I'd like to honor those who died. I was thinking about a memorial."

She smiled at him. "I think that's a wonderful idea."

He smiled in return and pulled her to him, resting his chin on her head. They stood like this for a while before Sarah finally lifted her head to gaze up at him.

"Are you all right?"

He nodded slowly. "I'll be fine."

"That isn't what I asked."

"You can't expect everything to be fine and wonderful. There is still much at stake, despite Farris' death and there will still be grieving." He stroked her face and Sarah nearly jumped when she realized that he touched her with his bare hands. He wore no gloves. His touch was electric and it sent jolts of pleasure through her body. He continued to caress her face softly. "I...I lost Esperance." He said softly.

Sarah pulled back from his touch. His eyes were full of sorrow. "I don't understand."

'He died out on the battlefield. He fought until the end."

Sarah clutched Jareth to her and ran her hands through his silky wild hair as he buried his face into her neck. "I'm so sorry." Tears spilled from her eyes. Jareth never told her of his love for the horse, but it was obvious that he cared about the stallion, even more so then she cared about Velvet. There was no doubt a history between them. She continued to run her fingers through his hair and she placed a kiss in the silky strands. He lifted his head to look at her, there were tears in his eyes, but despite the tears he smiled.

He bent towards her taking her face into his hands. He claimed her lips in a kiss and she responded eagerly, wrapping her arms around his neck. It was an unspoken feeling between them that they needed some release for all the pain they had felt, shared or from their own pasts. They needed to feel some joy, some safe haven from the pain and suffering. That safe haven could only be found within each other's arms.

Jareth kissed her with an intensity he had not kissed her with before. He was hungry for her and she felt the same way about him. He teased her, kissing her roughly and then pulling away only for her to come at him with rough, teasing kisses of her own. His hands left her face. One buried itself in her hair. The other fell to her waist. She could feel the warmth of his hand through the flimsy silk of her nightgown and she wanted to feel more of him.

She reached eagerly for the buttons of his shirt and nearly ripped them from the fabric when she couldn't get them unbuttoned quickly enough. Jareth chuckled against her mouth at her frustration. Finally the buttons gave way and she let her hands roam over the soft pale flesh of his chest. She pulled her mouth away from his and began to tug the shirt up over his head. He lifted his arms and it was off. A crumpled pool of black silk; forgotten on the floor beside them. Her hands roamed over him freely now. His skin pale like fine porcelain, was soft and warm.

Jareth was carefully sliding the robe off of Sarah's shoulders and soon that too was a pool of silk on the floor. He let his hands roam over her bare arms and his mouth left hers to place hot open mouthed kisses on the flesh of her neck. Sarah threw her head back at the sensation and Jareth nipped her playfully with his sharp teeth. A warmth spread over her as he inched the straps of her nightgown down her shoulders and he guided her toward his bed.

Sarah shivered as the nightgown fell to the floor and the cool night air swept over her bare skin. Jareth stopped kissing her and gazed at her. His eyes were hungry, full of desire. She stood almost completely naked before him, except for her underwear. His hands reached for her, landing on her shoulders, pushing her back gently onto the bed as his lips claimed hers once again.

She would have expected that when she fell back onto the sheets and Jareth knelt over her that she would have been nervous as she had felt a few other times, with other men in her life. But she didn't feel that. Jareth propped himself on his elbows over her and continued to kiss her and it felt like such a natural thing. And because it felt that way she knew this was right. Being here with him was so totally right.

His lips left hers once more and he trailed kisses slowly down her neck inching closer and closer to her chest. One of his hands slid up her side and settled on one breast. She gasped as his thumb moved over the sensitive skin and then moaned when his mouth replaced his hand. He moved to the other breast, giving it the same slow and tedious attention. The warmth she felt before was spreading through her fast. She felt like she was on fire.

Her hands roamed over his back, his chest and inched toward the waistband of his pants. He pulled his mouth from her breast and kicked his boots off. They went crashing to the floor at the end of the bed but neither of them heard the sound; they were too involved in each other. She teased him, sliding her finger along the inside of the waist of his pants. He trembled anticipating her touch and she smiled to herself. Finally feeling as if she had teased him enough she slowly slid the pants down his slender hips. He kicked them off as well and knelt over her. The powerful Goblin King was naked and completely vulnerable before her.

She had imagined that he was well endowed, judging from the way his pants fit him and she wasn't disappointed. She reached for him and he threw his head back with a groan when her fingers touched his flesh; gently stroking the length of him. The contact didn't last long. He pulled away from her and eagerly reached for her underwear. He slid them down her long legs and disposed of them quickly. He leaned over her again and reached for her mouth. She pulled him down against her and they both gasped at the feeling of their flesh coming into contact with each other.

"Please..." the first word spoken between them. A feminine whisper, a plea.

Jareth kissed her lips then a placed a light kiss on her forehead. He shifted slightly and gazed down at her. Her eyes were filled with love. The kind of love that was real, sincere. Love that many wished for and only a handful actually received and experienced. That same love was mirrored in his own eyes as he gazed down at her.

He entered her slowly and a feeling that rivaled electricity shot through them both. The feeling gave way slightly and he moved within her. Thrusting, but gently. She matched his movements and the fire that burned within her spread as far as it could. He moved against her harder and she matched the movements perfectly. The world around her vanished and became one thing, Jareth. She became aware of only him. The warmth of his flesh, the taste of his lips and mouth, his soft hair tickling her face, his hands as they roamed over her in every direction and the feel of him moving within her. Waves washed over her and she cried out his name in release. Moments later he threw his head back and cried out her name as he reached his own release. She pulled him down to her and they trembled within each other's arms.

After a short while he rolled off of her and pulled her on top of him. He reached up brushing back the dark hair that hung in her face.

"Does it... always feel... like that?" She asked between breaths. She'd been with others before and never had she felt such intensity, such exquisite pleasure.

He reached up cupping her face in his palm. "No...I've never felt that way before. This was... the first time." He told her honestly. It was the truth. She wasn't the first or only one he'd made love to, but he had never experienced the emotions and feelings he had with her. "I love you." He whispered softly.

She smiled. "I know." She leaned forward kissing him. "I love you too." He smiled deviously. And rolled onto his side. She rolled with him and they lay on their sides, facing each other.

He played with her hair, curling the silky strands on his fingers. "I was wrong you know." He said softly.

She gazed over at him. He looked so handsome with his blond hair framing his pale, sculptured face. "Wrong about what?" she reached over tracing his cheekbone and allowing her fingers to trace his jaw line.

"The debt. You never truly owed me anything. It's I who am in debt to you. For helping me out of a time of darkness, for bringing me hope. For allowing me to love again. For loving me despite everything..."

She smiled. She had forgotten about the debt. "Then I guess we're even."

He nodded. "Yes." He pulled her to him, resting his head above hers on the pillows. "And now that I have you, I promise I will never let any harm come to you."

She nuzzled closer to him, burying her face into his neck and his soft hair. "I know; because you always keep your word." He smiled and pulled a sheet over them.

The warm rays of a new day's sun peered over the horizon., but neither of them noticed. Content with the feeling of being safe within each others arms, they drifted off to sleep.