Chapter Seventeen

"Mmmm." She blinked her eyes a couple of times. The light from the setting 
sun poured in the room from the window on the opposite wall. She got up, 
still half asleep, and closed the curtain with more force than necessary, 
mumbling curses under her breath. Jareth sat, still propped against the 
head board, regarding her with a humored smile.

"And I was having such a nice dream too." She continued to mutter, scowling 
at him in annoyance.

"I know."

"What?" She was still groggy and didn't think she'd heard him right.

"It was a nice dream. Though I'm interested in what you intended to do with 
that whipped cream..."

"How the hell do you know about that?" She yelled, clearly surprised.

"I had it to." He smiled smugly.

"That- the-what-" She sputtered.  "The thing you wouldn't tell me at diner. 
You *knew* the link transmitted dreams too, didn't you?"

"I suspected it."

"You smug bastard!" She smashed him in the face with a pillow, which 
promptly exploded all over the bed in a cloud of white feathers. She  fell 
onto the bed in hopeless giggles. There were feathers caught in his hair. 
Before she knew it he had pinned her to the bed with a hand on each of her 
shoulders. He smiled down at her.

"You know I shall have to retaliate now."

"Oh, really?" 

"Yes." His grin got wider. 

"Don't you want to know what I was going to use that whipped cream for 
first?" She teased.

"Do tell." she motioned for him to lean down so she could whisper into his 
ear. "Really?" He cocked an eyebrow.

She nodded.

"That gives me an idea...."


The goblins in charge of guarding the door panicked at the shrikes that 
echoed from the room.  They calmed down, however, and eventually slunk 
away guiltily when the sounds changed to those of a different sort all 
together.

----

She stood by the window, silver moonlight making her a sweet silhouette. 
He smiled. He was sitting in the bed, sheets at his waist, torso naked and 
white in the pale light that spilled in and puddled on the floor of the 
room. His golden hair sparkled slightly."Come back."

"I'm just looking at it all. It's so beautiful. It must be nice to live in 
a place like this." 

He had gotten up, sheet wrapped around his waist, and come to stand beside 
her. "You could live here too, you know."

"Jareth, are you asking me what I think you are?" He shrugged. She laughed. 
She didn't mean to, but she laughed. "I'm sorry. What ever happened to 
dating? You know, trying this thing out to make sure it's not just some 
strange tropical fever. Or plain old lust?" But even as she said it, she 
knew it wasn't true. He looked hurt momentarily.

"You want to go home."

"Yeah. Just for a little while. I have to think things out. But I *do* 
love you and God forbid anything ever changes that. I know my family must 
be worried about me. I've been here for a little over a month. How much 
time has passed there?"

"Almost half a year."

"It'd be almost Christmas then. I have to go to them, Jareth. They must be 
terribly worried..."

"I could make them forget." It was almost a whisper.

"No. Even if they didn't know-didn't remember me, I'd still remember them. 
I don't think I could bear that." She fell quite, looking at the Labyrinth 
glowing like platinum in the light of the low moon. He took her in his arms,
and she leaned her head against his chest.

"I understand." He said finally. "It was....selfish of me to think I could 
keep you here. Your not some bird to be kept in a cage. I think you'd lose 
your spirit, and with it your allure if I did that. Go to them."

She pulled away, but kept ahold of his hands. "You make it sound as if I'm 
going away forever. I'll come back, I promise. And I can always visit."

"You can." He nodded.

"And you can always come to New York." She smiled.

"You are about the *only* thing that could ever make me go there." He 
laughed. He pulled her back in close, kissing her forehead. "But you won't 
go tonight."

"No....not tonight."

End Chapter Seventeen.