A/N: Again, I want to thank my Beta’s StormChild and DeandraJaven (and Angie, I tried to send it to you, but it said you’re email account was too full to accept any files). It is weird having to write about Christmas when that was two months ago. That said, here is another chapter.
Chapter 14: More than Friends
Irene nearly jumped out of her husbands’ embrace when Jareth muttered something before leaving the living room. She turned her head to watch him go when her eyes fell on what he had left on the table; Sarah’s book. Curiosity immediately struck her as she reached over for it, then placed it in front of her husbands nose.
“What is he still doing here? Why hasn’t he used it?”
Roy just shrugged, not offering the knowledge he held. “I don’t know what goes on in his head.”
“He went to the kitchen. Do you think we should, you know, watch what he does around Sarah?”
“I trust him.”
“When did that happen?” Irene huffed, “Weren’t you the one who wanted him to leave?”
“If you want me to go in there and watch him, just tell me.”
Irene looked in the direction of the kitchen, then shook her head, “No. Maybe they need to be alone together. Maybe if he’s alone with her, he might start remembering things.”
“I hope so.” Roy agreed, hoping that Jareth could remember anything useful to remove his magic from Sarah.
Twenty minutes later, Irene saw a movement out of the corner of her eye and turned on the couch to see her niece pause in the foyer, a blush on her face. Sarah slightly looked over and noticed her aunt was watching her and with a quirky smile, she rushed up stairs. Curiosity again attacked Irene’s mind, and she left her husband’s side on the couch, only to end up freezing in the foyer. She didn’t know who she wanted to interrogate more: Jareth for leaving the book which he so earnestly sought, or Sarah for blushing. Since she was more interested in what could have caused such a surprising reaction from Sarah, Irene headed up stairs.
Irene found Sarah in her room, straightening out the sheets on the bed. “Need any help?”
Sarah looked up, “No, I was just getting it ready for Mr. Johnson.”
“Oh?”
Sarah blushed, “I thought he could sleep in here. I’ll be fine on the couch.”
“I haven’t seen you turn that red before.” Irene teased.
Sarah was about to deny it, but she knew she couldn’t. Jareth Johnson had an invisible key that melted her defenses. She knew she shouldn’t let her guard down incase her eyes weren’t deceiving her that he was the Goblin King. If he was, he had become a damn good actor to be able to not show one moment of his true demeanor. A damn good actor; and she would be a fool to fall for it. Only thing was, she didn’t want to loose her chance with Jareth Johnson, the man who had offered her a chance at his heart. Sarah bowed her head and smiled, thinking on how kind he had been in asking her.
“If I didn’t know any better, I might think you were a teenager with a crush.” Irene smiled at her, “Anything happen to bring this about?”
“I…sort of told him I would consider…dating him.”
“You did?!” Irene gasped in shock.
Sarah frowned, “Is that a bad thing?”
“No! No. In fact, I think you should get to know him. He is a wonderful man.” Irene sat down on the bed and pulled Sarah to sit down with her, “So, what happened? Did he ask you?”
“No, not exactly. He said he wanted to be my friend but more, if I was willing.”
“And you said you were.”
“I’m starting to doubt I am. He’s…” Sarah closed her eyes, trying to push all thoughts of the Goblin King out of her head and just accept the man, “I’m not sure. And, I haven’t been on a date since…well, never.” She laughed to herself, “It feels weird. I don’t even know how to flirt.”
“You want to flirt with him?” Irene teased, “It’s a good thing he already likes you, or he wouldn’t have had a chance to get away.”
Sarah was embarrassed on this line of talk. She had never been comfortable about sharing her feelings, especially her love affairs. She rose and left the room, “I’m finished in here. I’m going to work on your room.”
Irene frowned as she watched Sarah leave. Sarah had such a hard time expressing her wants and desires, and even when she was expressing them, she denied herself. Irene knew Sarah pretended to be strong and could fall hard if she took things the wrong way.
Irene went back downstairs to find Jareth, wanting to know exactly how he planned to ease Sarah into the knowledge of his full identity. He was back in the living room, in the armchair watching the last scene of “A Christmas Story.” So she could talk to the king without any distractions her husband’s flaring temper could generate, she nudged Roy to go help Sarah fix the guest room for them and to find her a pair of Sarah’s pajama’s to wear. Even with Roy gone, Irene couldn’t find the right words to ask what she wanted, so she decided to wait until everyone was off to bed before confronting Jareth.
The movie finally over, Irene led the older two boys up to the room Toby and Brendon shared, shushing them to be quiet since Breni was asleep. Toby turned on his nightlight, giving the room just enough light for Irene to see where Sarah had put the sleeping bag for Joey. Irene was glad the boys were mostly quiet and didn’t wake Breni, but the storm outside was causing a branch to bang against the house, right outside the window above Toby’s bed. Breni stirred, but didn’t wake up.
Once Joey was settled in his sleeping bag, Irene whispered goodnight, but as soon as she turned her back to leave, Joey whispered up to Toby, “Want to…”
“No playing, got it.” Irene whispered harshly, “I don’t want you waking Brendon. He’s played a lot today, and his little body isn’t used to it.”
Both boys reluctantly moaned their agreement to behave.
Jareth was leaning against the wall just outside the room, waiting to be told where he would be sleeping for the night. Irene nodded for him to follow her, and they entered what must have been Sarah’s room. The walls were covered in a print of orange and yellow flowers surrounded by long green leaves, and everything from the furniture to the lamps was white yet the rusty drapes and tan trimming gave the room a homey feel. There weren’t many decorations to the room save for the books that lined the shelves along with the occasional stuffed bear and a picture of Brendon and Toby together on a corner of the vanity mirror. Irene went to the bed and turned down the covers for him, then flipped on the lamp on the nightstand.
Jareth could tell the bed would be too short for his long legs. “Irene, I would do just as well on the couch downstairs. Let Sarah keep her room.”
Irene let the hour of the evening show through a yawn she couldn’t prevent, “She said she wanted you to sleep in here, talk to her about it.” Roy called out her name, and she rolled her eyes in annoyance, “I’ll be back in a while.” She turned out the bedroom light and shut the door behind her, leaving him standing there in the middle of Sarah’s room.
Jareth went to the bed and sat, crossing his arms over his chest as he let his mind wander. He was exhausted, not so much in body as in mind. He had discovered so much in the last few hours; more than he knew what to do with. Hopefully, with a night’s rest and dreamless sleep, things might seem clearer in the morning. After he removed the loafers from his feet, Jareth adjusted himself under the sheets and allowed his head to fall to the pillow and curled his knees a bit to fit completely on the bed. Finally at a rested state, the muscles in his back protested against the soft mattress and hurt worse than they had in days. He welcomed the pain; it would be a distraction from his thoughts of Sarah and Brendon.
Just as he was reaching up to turn off the lamp, there was a soft tapping at the door. He bid them enter and smiled softly when Sarah opened the door.
She blushed and lowered her eyes shyly when she caught his eyes, “I need to grab some clothes for tomorrow. I thought I’d get them now so to not wake you in the morning.”
Jareth sat up fully and swung his legs over the side of the bed, “You may have your room. As I said, the couch…”
“The couch is no place for a guest.” She stated, opening her closet. “Besides, it’s just for one night, then you have to go back to Roy’s couch. Sleep in a bed while you can.”
Sarah didn’t like how self-conscious she felt with her back turned to Mr. Johnson. Knowing that he was watching her, that he was attracted to her made her feel both beautiful and like she wanted to disappear. After pulling what she needed from her closet, she turned to grab her underwear from her bureau drawer and as she did so, she caught his eyes once more. She couldn’t stop herself from blushing as though she were a love struck schoolgirl, and if she could have, she would have rolled her eyes at herself for acting so juvenile.
But she wasn’t shy enough to let these feelings be unwarranted and be led on falsely, so with underwear in hand, she turned to Mr. Johnson, “Were you serious when you said you wanted to be more than friends?”
“Very. But I meant it when I said I would abide by your wishes. ” Jareth cleared his throat to appear as though his next question hadn’t been planned, “Did you mean it when you said you’d be open to a friendlier relationship?”
“Did I mean it?” Sarah whispered the words to herself. ‘I didn’t mean it.’ She had said many things in her life she didn’t mean, but this she did. She shook inside when she thought of her answer; she didn’t want to be alone anymore. She’d take the chance to be a fool.
She nodded to him, forcing her eyes to meet his with some courage. “I don’t know why you’d want to even bother with me, though.”
Jareth watched in curiosity as she stood timidly before him. This was the same woman who earlier that day had showed such fire and haughtiness towards him, and now she trembled like a flower. “Why do you say that?”
Sarah looked away and fidgeted with the clothes in her hands, embarrassed by what she was going to confess, “I’m not very experienced in this, dating and all. I wouldn’t want you to waste your time.”
He was amazed to find she had no confidence in herself as a lover, but he saw it as a window of opportunity. Through her timidness, he could wean her into a relationship, bring her to fall in love with him again, or for the first time since he had no idea how their relationship had been when Brendon was conceived. Seeing that actions spoke louder than words with her, he rose off the bed and moved to her, taking her free hand in his own. “You underestimate yourself. You are quite desirable.”
Sarah wanted to cry, and a tear did escape her eye as she kept her eyes focused on their joined hands, “You are kind to think so, but I…”
Her tears struck Jareth’s heart and he brushed his thumbs against the smooth skin of her hands. At least she didn’t withdraw her hand from him, proving her willingness to at least try to tolerate him. Since she avoided looking at him, he gazed at what he could of her, and his eyes for a second time that evening found her ring. He couldn’t see it downstairs in the brighter lights of the kitchen, but here, in the dimness of Sarah’s room, the stone glowed with it’s own light clearly. It meant only one important thing; Sarah had never been unfaithful in her heart to the man who gave her that ring. And only that man would be able to see it’s pure light. Something swelled in Jareth’s heart at learning she had kept herself from infidelity. Perhaps it meant she didn’t hate the Goblin King as much as everyone thought if she hadn’t turned to another man for companionship. Her tears, however, showed that being alone had impaired her from knowing anything of accepting or giving romantic love. And it was his absence that had produced such a lack.
Her hair had fallen forward with her head bowed, and he lifted her chin, brushing her tears away with his thumb, “Sarah, I know you have been greatly hurt, but accept my words. You truly are the most alluring woman I have met.” He lowered his head closer to hers, wanting to feel her lips against his, show her how she affected him, but he would let it be her choice, “Let me prove it to you.”
Sarah looked into his calm mismatched eyes as he patiently waited for her to move. There was a lump in her throat now, her lips were suddenly dry, and her mind couldn’t decide what to do. The part of her that believed he was the Goblin King wanted to run while she still had the chance, and the other half of her that trusted he was a simple man wanted to laugh at him for being so foolish as to waste his time with such an unstable person. But she was thirsty to the soul to be loved like she had never been before by a caring person. She was just too afraid to move, so she whispered, “Okay.”
Jareth grinned gently as he moved his hand to the back of her head as he took her lips. He felt it best to not kiss her as deeply as was instinctive with how hesitant she was, so he merely pressed his mouth against hers. After a moment, she took a breath and took her mouth off his, but as she returned her lips to his, she brought her hands up the front of his shirt, dropping the clothes she held to the floor and gently caressing the fabric over his chest. Jareth would have loved to have thought it a sign that he could make the kiss deeper, but he felt it more of an involuntary act than anything; until he felt her lips part slightly and her tongue brush against him. He opened to her and she latched onto his mouth, kissing him more passionately than he thought she was willing to give. She had crossed the line from a simple friendly kiss, and he took it as an invitation to show her exactly what he felt.
Sarah’s gasp was muffled as she felt his tongue enter her mouth and his hands wove through her hair, bringing her closer to him. She had never been kissed with such intensity without it being a demanding kiss. It was strong, from the heart, and quite foreign to her. This was not a sexual kiss that could lead to something more physical, so she wasn’t sure how to take it. She just closed her eyes and let it happen.
Satisfied that she hadn’t pulled away when showing all he felt, Jareth slowed the kiss until he finally pulled back from Sarah, fully gazing into her eyes. He couldn’t help the teasing grin that crept upon his face as he purred, “I believe you have just proven how beautiful you are.”
Thankfully Roy knocked on the door at that moment or Sarah might not have been able to stop herself from breaking down then and there. She quickly left Jareth’s arms and bent down for the clothes, which she had dropped.
“J?” Roy entered, not realizing Sarah was there. He raised his eyebrows in surprise at finding his niece alone with the Goblin King, and she was as red as a cherry from blushing. Despite the unexpected finding, Roy managed to nonchalantly hide the item he was holding behind his back, out of his niece’s sight, “Oh, hey Sarah. What are you doin’ still up?”
Sarah took a relaxing breath before indicating the items in her arms, “Just picking up clothes for tomorrow. You?”
“I’m wantin’ to talk to Jareth before it gets too late. Haven’t had the chance all night with the storm and everything.”
“Then, I’ll let you two talk. I’ll be down on the couch if you need anything.” Sarah nodded to both men before leaving.
Roy turned to Jareth, a stark frown on his face, “Iri told me you started sweet talkin’ Sarah.”
“Yes, if you must know. She has at least accepted the prospect of a courting relationship.”
“What are you doin’ it for?” Roy said, tossing the object from his hands, Sarah’s book, onto the bed beside Jareth, “Didn’t you want to leave?”
Jareth looked at the book but didn’t move, “Things have changed.”
“In an hour you suddenly changed your mind? I don’t know what you are trying to pull, but you can’t keep toying with…”
Jareth firmly interjected, “I have decided to remain here.”
“You have, have you? You sure you won’t change your mind in another hour?”
“Quite.”
“Good.” Roy said, walking to the bed and snatching back the book, “Then you won’t care if I keep a hold of this, since you stupidly left it downstairs.”
Jareth quickly reached out his hand for the book, “Wait. I want to read it, to see if it holds any answers to what happened between Sarah and I.” Roy didn’t look convinced, so Jareth added, “I give my word, I will not use it.”
Roy didn’t fight him, looking too exhausted to care, “Suit yourself.”
Jareth was relieved Roy took his leave at that moment. He looked at the small book in his hands, knowing that even if he held no magic to unlock the door to his world, the book was still of magic, nonetheless. The tale within its pages would be his tale, if he could interpret it correctly. It would be just a matter of staying awake long enough to read it coherently.
***
It was nearly midnight before Irene was able to be alone with Jareth. Sarah had settled in comfortably on the couch, and Roy said he was too tired to bother with anything more, so Irene had Jareth all to herself. She found him reading Sarah’s book, too involved in its pages to even look up at her after she entered the room. She let him think she was merely gathering some of Sarah’s things for herself, going to the bureau, then to the closet, then straightening things on Sarah’s vanity…
“You’re stalling.” Jareth sat on the edge of the bed with his arms crossed, the book now on the nightstand, and his legs extended straight to the floor as he looked at Irene.
His voice startled her, and she turned to him with a sheepish smile, “I, ah, wondered if we could talk.”
Jareth nearly rolled his eyes, “What more must we discuss tonight that cannot wait until morning?”
Irene walked slowly over to the bed, then sat, “I spoke with Sarah and she said something that concerns me.” He gave her an impatient look to continue, “She likes you, but that’s not what bothers me. It’s the fact that once she realizes who you are, I don’t know how stable she is going to be.”
“Yes, we’ve discussed this before.”
“Not how I mean now. Before, I was worried that she might attack you, but now that she shows she reciprocates your attraction to her…if what she remembers of you leads her to have any feelings of guilt or self loathing, I think she might hurt herself.”
Such a concept was foreign to Jareth. One took revenge on others, never on themselves. “What can be done to prevent such a happening?”
“Don’t push yourself on her, at all. She’s already made a huge step in even accepting your offer to be ‘more than friends.’ She’s worried she won’t know how to act around you…romantically.”
Jareth grinned at hearing this, remembering how Sarah had already kissed him, “That should be the least of her worries. I cannot promise I will go at her pace; I will try to do what comes naturally. But I will not lose her.”
“Didn’t you want to leave a few hours ago?” Irene teased.
“That was before I knew…” He didn’t know how to confess what he had remained neutral on so strongly, but he felt that Irene would accept it with more grace than Roy. “Sarah is my wife.”
Irene was speechless. That Jareth was Brendon’s father was a sure thing, but that Sarah and Jareth had a binding relationship; it was more than Irene expected. “How? Why?”
“I still cannot answer that, Irene.” Jareth pushed himself off the bed, pacing the small area beside it. “I am a king, and she a mortal, and if it weren’t for that damn prophecy, I wouldn’t even consider it was possible.” He stilled and looked at her, “All I know is that she wears my ring on the finger designated amongst the Fae to signify everlasting marriage.”
“Your ring? The only ring she has, she’s worn since she was a child. Her mother gave it to her.”
“Linda.” Yes, now that Irene mentioned it, he could remember telling Linda of the prophecy, and how he wanted Sarah to have a normal life for as long as she could before returning to him, “I gave Linda the ring, to give to Sarah when she was old enough to understand why she would be given to me.”
“And you’re just remembering it now?” Irene asked in disbelief.
Jareth nodded, though frustrated that he could only remember things slowly, as he was told what he should remember. “How old was Sarah when she first wore it?”
Irene shrugged, “She had to be younger than ten.”
“She couldn’t have possible been ready to accept it at that age,” He growled, “even by Fae standards she’d have been too young.”
“You had Linda give it to her. That’s the problem right there,” Irene folded her arms.
Jareth breathed out, sitting back on the bed. “It is not the timing of the giving that disturbs me.”
“There’s more?”
He nodded slowly, “Merely giving Sarah the ring could not bind her to me. There is a spell cast on all rings of Coniurimus when forged that can only be completed in the marriage bed. Once that takes place, the ring wearer is bound to the ring until either they die or are given freedom. Only the giver can see the magical nature of the ring in pure light shining in darkness….”
“And you saw it.” Irene stated.
“Bright as the crystal moon. Sarah’s fidelity to me is pure.”
“Oh.” Irene said, “But, then…that means Brendon…”
“Is my son,” Jareth couldn’t raise his eyes to meet hers, “She was too young to have been with another before he was borne. And the ring proves she has loved no one else, so I cannot deny him.”
Irene rested her hand to his arm, “It really must be overwhelming to find this out in one day, but just know that you can talk to Roy and me about it all you need to. We’re not going to talk to Sarah about any of it unless she comes to us.”
Jareth nodded, “I appreciate that. Irene, do you know what went wrong? Is there any way to find out?”
“Believe me, I would know already if there was. All we can do now is ask her.”
Jareth shook his head, “I fear doing so will only push her away. At present, she only suspects. She wants to see me as Jareth Johnson. I believe allowing this illusion to last as long as possible will allow more truth to reveal itself, and for Sarah to see who I really am and not the monster she remembers.”
“An illusion over an illusion.” Irene laughed softly, “None of us know who you really are, least of all yourself.”
“I know who I was before Sarah. Now I’m utterly lost. But I want to find myself again, right the wrongs. I only need to find where to begin.”
“I’ll be right back.” Irene rushed downstairs to find something she felt compelled to show him. She arrived back minutes later and sat beside him on the bed. In his lap, she placed a photo album.
“Why don’t you start from the beginning, at least where we know it. This is Brendon’s baby book. It shows things from his birth until he was three.”
Jareth opened the cover. Each picture had some form of caption that explained the situation and the date the picture was taken. The first page contained six photographs, mostly of Sarah in different stages of her pregnancy; so much he had missed, so much he should have been a part of. The first picture actually looked as though it belonged in Toby’s album for it showed Sarah helping her toddler brother unwrap a gift, the house decorated with Christmas decorations, as it was now. The next picture was of a very miserable Sarah, quite pregnant and rather unhappy someone had the camera in her face. The next few pictures Jareth didn’t quite understand, but he knew the tiny pink body in each of them was his new borne son.
“Irene, why is Brendon in this contraption?”
She leaned over to see what he was looking at, “It’s an incubator. Brendon was borne too early and wasn’t fully developed. Even now he still struggles, but he gets stronger all the time.”
“Was there,” Jareth swallowed, “a reason there were complications to Sarah’s pregnancy?”
“Early on Sarah had anemia, but she got stronger. Fact is, it could have been anything, her age, her stress level, the price of tea in China. Who knows.” Irene shrugged, “The important thing is that he’s here now, he survived.”
Jareth nodded absently at the photos, “Yes.”
“Anyway, you look through that, catch up on things.” Irene said, getting up off the bed, “I’m exhausted. See you in the morning.”
Jareth flipped through the entire album, occasionally focusing on certain pictures, then going back over them all numerous times. The photo’s that caught his attention the most were of Brendon’s first day home from the hospital at 4 months old, Brendon’s first steps at 2 years old, and Sarah’s graduation, which held the last images in the album with her stepmother. Jareth caught himself dosing off, though, so he placed the album on top of the book on the nightstand, turned off the light, and drifted off to sleep.
*
Jareth was awoken by a noise from outside the window and found the storm had returned, but just as he was about to roll onto his stomach and drift back to sleep, he noticed there was a weight pressed against him, preventing him from turning. His tired mind took a moment to realize that hands clutched his arms and another body was wrapped tightly under the sheets. He reached over and flipped on the lamp to find Brendon under the covers with him, sound asleep. Jareth wondered why he was there, but the continuing noise of the storm outside gave him the answer; the child had gotten scared and retreated to his mother’s room seeking comfort.
The boy’s cheek was tight against Jareth’s chest, the _expression on his face one of unease, even in sleep. Jareth gently worked the child’s hands off and removed himself from the bed, moving Brendon so that his head rested on the pillow. Breni didn’t wake, but he whimpered from the movement as the sheets were tucked around him. Jareth sat on the bed, watching his son as he slept. Breni was still tense, his brows furrowed as though he was having a bad dream.
Touching his hand to Brendon’s forehead, Jareth attempted to sooth away the nightmare with his magic. He laughed at himself for even trying; how could he have been so foolishly forgetful that he had no magic in this place. He doubted the child would even appreciate his effort, having no faith in magic. Jareth couldn’t fathom such non-belief, but he contemplated Roy’s assumption that Brendon did not have any reason to believe. Brushing the boy’s hair off his forehead, Jareth looked on his child with gentler eyes, wondering what hardships had led to such doubt.
“Mom?” Brendon’s eyes fluttered open and looked sleepily at Jareth.
Jareth stiffened a bit, not having expected him to wake, “She isn’t here.”
Brendon turned his head slightly to see where he was, as though he didn’t know how he came to be in his mother’s room, “Where is she?”
“She let me have her room and is downstairs, I believe. Would you like me to get her?” At the child’s sleepy nod, Jareth rose from the bed and turned off the light.
*
Sarah had not had the easiest time falling to sleep. It wasn’t that the couch wasn’t comfortable; it was fine. It were the drafty windows that the couch was in front of that was the problem. Not only was there a chill seeping in through them, but they also rattled with every gust of wind from the blizzard outside. She tried to focus on Merlin’s panting as he lay on the floor, or the cracking of the firewood in the chimney, but it didn’t help. The last time she glanced at the clock was around 2 am, and she still didn’t feel like she had fallen asleep. But her eyes were closed when she felt herself being gently shaken awake and heard someone whispering her name. She groaned but forced herself to sit up and see what was needed of her. In the darkness of the room, all that she could see with the light in the foyer was the person’s outline as they kneeled beside the couch, and only one adult in the house had blonde hair.
“Mr. Johns…?” Her eyes went wide with confusion, “Jareth, what is it?”
He rose from his kneeling position and stood before her, offering his hand to help her rise, “There is a slight problem in your bedroom.”
A million worries jumped to Sarah’s thoughts as to what could have possibly made him come down in the middle of the night to get her, but she followed him. All the way going upstairs she dreaded that she might find her mirror glowing again, but she gave a relieving sigh at seeing the only abstract change in her room was the tiny form asleep in her bed.
Jareth whispered, very near her ear, “I don’t think he knew you were on the couch. I thought he might be afraid if he awoke beside a virtual stranger.”
“I’m sorry he woke you.” Sarah said, moving to the bed, reaching to pull back the covers and move Breni to his own bed.
But Jareth placed a hand on her shoulder, “No, you stay here with him. I’ll go to the couch.”
“It’s okay,” Sarah said, reaching for her son again, but this time Jareth took her wrist with one hand and gently pulled her back by her waist with his other.
“Sarah, I’m fine going down stairs.”
“No, really…”
“Sarah.” He raised his brow as if his word could not be challenged.
Her breath caught in her throat, as this was the first time he’d ever been demanding. She gazed at him, thinking, ‘You are in there, somewhere, aren’t you?’ She moved her arm from his hold but didn’t move from his hand still at her side, “There aren’t many blankets, and it’s chilly…”
“I’ll manage,” Jareth said, placing calming hands on her shoulders.
“Thank you.” Sarah finally breathed. “He gets scared in storms.”
“It’s not a problem. I wouldn’t have bothered you had he known me better, but I don’t believe knowing me a day is properly enough.”
Sarah smiled softly at how kind this man was. He pushed her softly to sit on the bed, and she did so without resistance. Whoever this man was, his eyes mesmerized her, made her want him to stay so she could know him fully. He looked at her with the same wonder as he raised his hand to cup her cheek. She closed her eyes against the warmth and was about to allow herself to lean into his touch, but he moved away.
“Good night, Sarah.”
He left the room almost before she could answer back, “Good night…Jareth.”
*
Coffee? Sarah slowly opened her eyes as she smelled the air again. Sure enough, the air had the robust aroma of her favorite blend. She sat up, curious as to who could be making coffee since she didn’t think her father even knew how to turn on the coffee machine she bought three years ago. There were giggles outside her door and Toby and Joey could be heard rushing downstairs. Sarah wondered why they were up so early; but it wasn’t early. Her alarm clock said it was 11:12am. She almost let herself panic that she was late for something but flopped back down onto her pillow, thankful that it was Saturday and she didn’t have anything pressing to do accept get Brendon and Toby over to the Christmas Pageant practice at 4:30 that afternoon.
Brendon groaned when she turned onto her side to look at him, “Wake up sleepy head.”
He was awake but didn’t open his eyes and instead turned over onto his stomach. Sarah reached out her hands and started tickling his ribs, which got him squirming and giggling. Soon enough he had removed himself from the bed to get away from her.
She got out of bed too and held her hand out to him, “Let’s go see what everyone’s doing.”
It was amazing that Joey had the attention span to sit down long enough to watch Saturday morning cartoons with her brother. She could count the number of times on her hand that he had been away from a video game in the past year. Breni went over to sit next to Toby in front of the fireplace and watch TV. Roy sat on the couch reading the classifieds section of the morning paper, and she squinted her eyes to see if it was today’s paper or not since she didn’t think with the weather anything could be delivered; it was yesterday’s paper. She was curious as to where Jareth was since he no longer occupied the couch, but once she heard pans clattering in the kitchen, she figured he might be in there with her aunt.
Sure enough, Jareth was at the stove stirring scrambled eggs while Irene was flipping pancakes. Sarah smiled at seeing how focused Jareth was at not letting the eggs burn.
“Need any help in here? You could have gotten me up you know.”
“Well, I opened your door and saw Breni, and you were up late last night.” Irene winked at her, nodding her head towards Jareth.
Sarah’s face flushed thinking how she had let him kiss her, and embarrassed that he had told about it.
“How’s Brendon?” Irene asked.
“What?” Sarah snapped out of her thoughts.
“J told me Breni got into bed with him, thinking you were there. Did he sleep alright?”
“Oh.” So Jareth hadn’t told anyone of the kiss, “Yeah, I could hardly get him up this morning.”
Sarah went to the coffee maker and poured some, inhaling the soothing scent. It was only missing one thing; cinnamon, which was kept in the cabinet above the stove. She tried to stay indifferent with having to be near Jareth again and have him move for her; it was such a blah, every day action, but her heart pounded the closer she got to him. He was scraping the eggs into a bowl, not even noticing her approach until she cleared her throat.
“Um, I need to get something in the cabinet. Could you…” She shyly started.
Jareth looked to Sarah, who again was avoiding his eyes, but he moved for her, “Certainly.”
He watched her as she opened the cabinet and reached to the very top shelf, standing on her tippy toes to do so. Arms raised, the sweatshirt she was wearing rose, revealing the smooth skin of her trim stomach, and the strong curves of her legs and hips strained against the sweat pants wore. Her hair was very loose and messy since she hadn’t done anything to tidy herself after waking, but to him, it only added to her natural beauty.
Sarah tried to ignore the way she felt when she could feel him looking at her. It was just so foreign and hard to believe he found her attractive, but she had to accept that maybe he did, for when she glanced at him, his eyes were plastered on her, although it wasn’t her eyes he was gazing at.
The phone rang, and Sarah, not being in a position to grab it, nodded to her aunt to take the call. Apparently it wasn’t for her since Irene kept talking to the person on the other end. Sarah tried to listen to the discussion, to figure out who was calling her house but speaking to her aunt, as she rummaged different spices around to find what she was looking for. All she caught of the conversation was a time frame: 15 minutes.
Sarah cleared her throat again as she pulled the container of cinnamon down and sprinkled some into her coffee as she looked toward her aunt, “Has Dad gotten up yet?”
Irene flipped another pancake, her face showing she didn’t feel like answering, though she offered, “He was up before the rest of us.”
“Oh? I haven’t seen him. Was he feeling better?”
Her aunt shrugged, “He felt fine enough to scrape the driveway clean.” Then she added, “Jareth helped.”
Sarah couldn’t help but smile apologetically to him, “I’m sorry he had you do that. Did you get enough sleep?”
“It was nothing. I do not require that much rest.”
“So where is Dad now?” Sarah asked, curious as to why her aunt wouldn’t just tell her.
“He said he should be back soon.”
Sarah raised her brow. “He went somewhere? In that snow? What was he thinking?” It wasn’t like her dad to leave without saying something to her personally, but maybe he felt he didn’t have to with so many people in the house to be there with the boys and her.
“Jareth, I’m done with the pancakes. Sarah, do you want to tell the boys it should be ready in a few minutes?”
She gave Jareth a curious glance, wondering if he knew why Irene was acting so strange, but she nodded to her aunt. Something was up, and Sarah didn’t like not knowing what. Still, she went to the living room and came back with everyone in tow. Bowls and plates of hot food were already placed on the table, and Irene and Jareth were finishing setting plates and utensils down in the dining room. That is when Sarah noticed there were nine places being set.
“Who is joining us for breakfast?” Sarah asked flatly, deducting a guest was the reason her aunt had been so illusive.
Just then, Merlin started barking in the living room and Sarah moved to open the front door and see who had arrived. But before she had even taken two steps towards the door, it abruptly opened with a person carrying quite a few bags of luggage. Sarah could barely suppress the surprise from her voice as she spoke just one word.
“Mom.”