"Labyrinth" and everything from it belongs to Henson, though I wouldn't mind a lifetime lease on Jareth. Can't promise I'd pay much, but I would take very good care of him. *g* "The Last Worthless Evening" was written by Don Henley, John Cokey, and Stan Lynch. The story and all characters not from the movie belong to me. I am not making any money from this. I wrote it strictly for entertainment purposes.
Senior prom, the night every high school girl looked forward to. A night of beautiful gowns, handsome dates, and pretty music. At least, that's how it was for most high school girls.
Sarah Williams was not your typical high school girl. Actually, she wasn't your typical anything. While other girls obsessed over the cutest guys, whether on TV or in their algebra class, Sarah obsessed over acting, especially theatrical acting. More than anything, she wanted to be an actress, just like her famous mother.
Naturally, in her sophomore year, she joined the school's drama club. There, she met Daniel Webb. After a year of being friends, they started dating in their junior year. Daniel wasn't much for romance, but he always told Sarah he loved her.
Sarah adored Daniel, but, she couldn't help but feel that there was something missing in their relationship. She figured it was because she never received the little presents that her friends got from their boyfriends. No flowers, no love letters, not even candy.
"I know you broke up with him
And your heart's still on a shelf."
At the beginning of their senior year, one of the new students was Linda Worden, who could have passed for Julia Roberts' younger sister. She was interested in acting as well, and by Christmas vacation, she had nearly every boy in the drama club wrapped around her finger.
A week before the prom, Sarah got home from school Monday and went straight to the answering machine. Daniel hadn't been at school all day, and she thought he might have left a message for her.
"Sarah, it's Dan. I really, really hate to do this, but I think we should break up. I met someone else and, well, goodbye, Sarah."
The next day, Daniel came to school with Linda on his arm. Their public displays of affection told the whole world that they were a couple. Sarah couldn't believe it. She couldn't face Daniel, so when she asked one of his friends, he said that Daniel simply didn't love her anymore.
So here it was, Prom Night, and Sarah was miserably alone. She didn't go with someone else and she hated the thought of going with a group of friends, so she went by herself. Sarah sat by herself at a table near the back of the rented ballroom, watching the couples dance and feeling her heart break a little bit at a time.
"It's been over two years for me
And I'm still not quite myself."
Jareth stared at the image of Sarah in the crystal. He couldn't believe that she had simply let Daniel kick her to the curb.
"Over two years ago, Sarah, you stood up to me, the Goblin King, yet you could not stand up to a mere teenage boy? What has happened to turn you into this? Where is that spark, that fire, that life shining in your eyes when you faced me?"
Jareth sighed and turned his gaze to his subjects. Over two years ago, he would have taken his frustration out on them, drop-kicking and tossing them out of the way. Now, he simply ignored him. Jareth couldn't count the number of people who had wished children away since Sarah defeated him. He simply didn't care anymore. Thirteen hours would come and go, and the wishers won or lost without him, the magic of the Labyrinth itself making it possible.
The Goblin King was obsessed with an eighteen-year-old girl, and could find no way to stop thinking about the young woman who haunted him day and night. He decided to stop fighting it. Jareth wanted her, and he was going to have her.
"You can't be with someone new
And you can't go back to him.
You're beginning to realize
That it's sink or swim."
After word had spread that Sarah and Daniel were no longer a couple, other senior boys started asking Sarah to the prom. She had turned all of them down. Now, Sarah saw Daniel and Linda slow-dancing together, and it finally hit her that she and Daniel would never be together again.
There's nothing you can do about Dan, Sarah, she told herself, so what are you going to do? Are you going to just sit there and let the prom, let tonight, let life pass you by, or are you going to get up and do something? Start dancing. Talk to your friends. Do something.
"I see you around sometimes
And my heart just melts.
You're looking like if you had your wish,
You'd be somewhere else."
Every time Jareth watched Sarah, his once-icy heart melted a little bit more. He was completely in love with her, and he hoped that she would one day feel the same.
For someone who is supposed to be enjoying her senior prom, Sarah looks as if she is attending a funeral. If I ever get my hands on that boy, he will be spending the rest of his days in the Bog Of Eternal Stench.
"And it just breaks my heart
To see you here this way.
Someday, I'll get the nerve
To walk up to you."
The loneliness in Sarah's eyes went straight to Jareth's heart, and he ached with her. He wanted so much to be there for her, to make the night as magical as it should have been. A smile came to his lips as he realized exactly what he could do for her. With a wave of his hand, Jareth vanished.
He reappeared inside the ballroom, dressed in the clothes he wore to his and Sarah's private ball, and made his way towards Sarah's table.
Just as Don Henley's "The Last Worthless Evening" started playing, something inside Sarah told her to look up. She did, and saw Jareth standing before her.
"Ja... Jareth... What are you doing here?" Sarah whispered, shock written all over her face.
Jareth smiled at her warmly. "Hello, Sarah. I heard your prom was this evening, and that you did not have a date. Will you accept me as a substitute?"
Sarah's head swam with a million questions, but she managed to clear it long enough to nod slowly.
"Excellent," Jareth said, smiling wider. He held out one gloved hand. "May I have this dance?"
She accepted, placing her hand in his. Jareth helped her to her feet then led her to the dance floor. He took her into his arms and they started dancing slowly. Jareth wanted to pull her closer, but he knew that he had to take things slowly.
When the song came to the chorus, Jareth sang along softly, so that only Sarah could hear.
"This is the last worthless evening
That you'll have to spend.
Just give me a chance
To show you how to love again.
This is the last worthless evening
That you'll have to spend
'Cause I'll be there when
Your broken heart is on the mend."
Sarah stared at him saucer-eyed. "Do you really mean that, Jareth?" she asked softly. "The last time we met, you did everything you could to stop me, even going as far as trying to seduce me."
"I've been around this block a time or two.
I made some big mistakes."
Jareth sighed quietly. "I was attracted to you then, but I was so caught up in winning that it was all I cared about. I should never have taken Toby, no matter if you wished him away or not. I needed a diversion, Sarah, from the endless boredom, and I am afraid I went overboard."
"I'll say," Sarah agreed. "You didn't have to do any of that." She looked at him critically. "How do I know you won't try to control me again?"
"But, girl, I promise you,
I promise you."
"You have my word, Sarah," Jareth said solemnly. This time, he let the recording sing the chorus alone while he simply held Sarah and danced to the music.
"This is the last worthless evening
That you'll have to spend.
Just give me a chance
To show you how to love again.
This is the last worthless evening
That you'll have to spend,
'Cause it won't be long
Till your little heart is on the mend."
By the end of the song, Sarah knew that this was indeed her last worthless evening.
