Sweet Possibilities Ch 4

Chapter 4: Them Apples

A/N: I feel obliged to give this warning to anyone who reads.  This one-shot may cause slight brain scarring, and it may not.  I'll let you decide.  

It felt like any other day as the Goblin Queen for Sarah.  She had worked hard to rule and take care of her goblins, alongside her husband, Jareth.  Now, it was night, and it was time for bed.

Sarah was already dressed for bed, and she was just waiting for Jareth to come out of the bathroom before they fell asleep together in one another’s arms.  Some nights they did not go to bed right away, and it just depended on their mood.

Upon seeing Jareth come into the bedroom, it seemed that they were not going to sleep any time soon.  Jareth was already shirtless, and the sly grin on his face told her all she needed to know.

“Sarah love, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you,” said Jareth as he sauntered toward the bed.

“And what’s that, Jareth? That you’ve given up wearing shirts to bed?”

Jareth grinned something wicked before leaning over the bed posts toward Sarah.  She leaned toward him just a little more.

“Besides that.  I know how much you prefer me without them,” he said, waggling his eyebrows.

“It’s not me I’m worried about.  It’s the goblins.  They’re liable to start writing songs about the gloriousness of your abs or the smoothness of your chest if they get exposed to it again.”

Sarah attempted not to laugh as she inched toward the front of the bed, while Jareth’s grin lowered slightly before becoming more sinister.

“Let’s just keep this little secret in here then, shall we?”

“I suppose.  But it’s going to cost you, Jareth.”

“I believe I can pay.  Allow me to show you.”

Jareth meandered over to the side of the bed, where Sarah sat and began to swing her legs.  The swinging stopped as soon as Jareth started dancing for her.  The way he moved his arms, she thought that he was going to do a strip tease for her.  When he started singing softly, she realized he was.

It was when Jareth’s hands got to the top of his pants that he stopped singing.

“Do you like what you see so far, Precious?”

“Oh, very much so.  But I can’t be sure that I’ll be satisfied unless you continue,” she said with a wink.

“As my wife commands.”

With the pants gone, Jareth’s movements became less fluid, and more….mechanical.  His arms slid down at weird angles, while his legs went ramrod straight.

“Sarah, I’ve got a secret I want to tell you.”

“What’s that, Jareth?”

“Watch, and you’ll see.”

Sarah looked at all of Jareth, and then she saw it.  The Bulge.  On nights like this, she looked forward to the inspiration for many songs that the goblins sang when drunk.  But something was different.  She couldn’t place it until it began to grow….wider than usual.  When The Bulge reached The Odyssey epic poem size, she began to wonder what was happening.  And then the voice came.

“Sarah.  Do you still like what you see?”

The trouble with this scene was that Jareth’s lips were not moving.  The voice was still coming from Jareth, and yet not from him, almost disembodied.  What was going on?

“What did you say, Jareth?”

“Do I have to repeat myself?”

This time, Sarah was able to pinpoint the origin of the voice.  It seemed to be coming from The Bulge.  But that was impossible.  How could it be? And how was it that the entire lower abdomen area seemed to be expanding? Sarah’s inner voice began to scream.  The Bulge is alive!

“I, I, I think not.”

Sarah’s inner mind theater was now plastering red lips and other humanoid characteristics onto the void, and it took all of her willpower to not burst out laughing.  It was far better than the fear she was experiencing as she tried to understand what was unfolding.

“Come, come, Sarah.  Stuttering, from you? I can’t remember the last time you did that.  Is something wrong?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“That’s what you think now,” Jareth’s voice said, as the rest of the body straightened up to attention.

It was then that Jareth’s underwear were dropped.  Sarah did not know what to expect, but whatever it was, it was not this.  Instead of seeing what she was used to, she saw extra shiny skin, almost as though Jareth was a doll.  And then, The Bulge moved. 

Somehow, the skin seemed to swing out toward her.  Then she heard the voice, much clearer now.

“Are you ready to learn my little secret, Sarah?”

Sarah was torn between morbid curiosity and fear about what was happening to Jareth.  Curiosity won.

“Yes, I think so.”

“Good.  I’ve been waiting a long time for this moment, when I could take you fully into my confidence.  Now you shall finally know who it is that you truly love.”

Sarah’s wide eyes only got bigger, and likewise, her mouth gaped open as she watched the scene unfold in front of her.  Jareth was no longer Jareth.  Jareth was…. a doll, or robot, or something of that sort.  He had to be, as someone was crawling out from Jareth’s lower regions, and while her mind saw the small foot and immediately named him “Mini-Jareth”, she realized with horror who it was she was standing in front of. 

Standing in front of her was none other than Hoggle!

Now granted, Hoggle had suddenly become a couple feet taller and still had Jareth’s voice, but in all other looks, he was still Hoggle.

“Surprised, Sarah?”

Sarah was speechless for a few moments as her brain tried to comprehend what she had just seen.  It could not be!

“Hoggle?”

“In the flesh.  Who else did you expect?” he said, laughter in his voice.

“Not you.”

Shock did not begin to cover what Sarah was experiencing.  Hoggle could not be Jareth, or act like him, or speak like him. 

“Then I have played my part well.  It’s alright, Sarah.  I’m here for you.”

He walked toward Sarah, but she backed away from him quickly.

“But-“

“But what? I’m still very much the same man you married all those years ago.  I’ve been there for you every step of the way.  I love you, Sarah, and always have.”

“But what about my run? What about the times when you are both in the same room together? How did that happen?”

Sarah’s brain refused to accept the fact that Hoggle was Jareth.  There had to be a logical explanation.

“Very well.  I might as well explain now and just get this out of the way.  You’ll have to pretend like you never saw this tomorrow, anyway.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Sarah, Jareth never existed.  I was a dwarf, brought up among the royalty, but I could not be king.  So, I decided to create my own kingdom.  I found the goblins, and with the help of a sorcerer, created a being that the goblins would respect, Jareth.  I modeled him after all the fae I’d met in the past, and I made him fearsome.  And the goblins, gullible things, fell for it.”

“But how did you and I-“

“A little before you and I met, I was lonely.  I wanted a wife, but I couldn’t have a dwarf, which would give away my secret.  The aforementioned sorcerer was instrumental in showing me who would be a proper wife for me, you.  So, I sent you the red book and waited.  I created a robot version of myself in the meantime, someone who spoke in the common dwarf tongue, in the hopes that you would fall in love with me in the process of our adventure together.  When that didn’t work, I was satisfied that you liked Jareth, so I waited until you were old enough to officially court.”

“I don’t believe you.  This can’t be happening.”

Sarah stood in the center of the bedroom, disbelief all over her face.  It simply could not be! She was missing something; she had to be!

“Sarah, this is happening.  Jareth was only one version of the real me, the one who has loved you ever since laying eyes on you when you were fifteen.”

“That’s just a little creepy, you know?”

“You didn’t think so when we started dating, and I said as much.”

Sarah looked ready to argue, but Hoggle would have none of it.

“Enough of this.  We’re married now, and none of it matters.  You can’t escape me, Sarah.  You’re mine now.”

“No!”

Sarah made for the door, but Hoggle was there.  She tried to disappear from the room with her magic, but she could not.  She was trapped.

“Sarah, don’t make me into the villain again.  I’m still your husband.”

“No, you’re not! I want my Jareth back!”

“I am Jareth! And there’s nothing you can do to change it.”

“There’s always a way.  There has to be.”

“Turn back, Sarah.  Turn back before it’s too late.”

Sarah shivered at the familiar words.  What was wrong? What was she forgetting? She tried yet again to open the door, but Hoggle was there.

“Sarah, don’t defy me!”

Hoggle reached for her hand, and Sarah ran backwards to escape.  The problem was that she ended up against the bed.  Hoggle was stalking toward her now.

Sarah had to think fast.  What else could she do to distract him and then escape? This was not the nice Hoggle she knew at all!

Hoggle stood in front of Sarah now, legs spread apart and arms crossed triumphantly.  He smiled.  He might have won Sarah over, were it not for what he next said.

“It’s only forever, not long at all.”

At such sacred words being uttered by Hoggle, Sarah screamed, grabbing the nearest thing to her, the glittery bed sheets.  He had to stop talking now! Sarah threw the blankets on top of Hoggle, pushing down on him to give her more time to escape.

It was as Sarah was opening the door that she heard a strangled cry.

“Sarah, please! Wait.  Don’t let me die alone.”

Confused, Sarah turned to see Hoggle standing on top of the covers, the glitter from them covering him everywhere.  He frowned as his hand reached out to her.

“Oh, Sarah, my clever girl.  How could you know my one weakness is glitter?”

“Really, glitter? Of all things?”

Sarah was beginning to wonder if she had hit her head on something.

“Yes. That’s why it was essential for me to build Jareth, to protect myself from all the horrible glitter.  Hate the stuff.  And now, I melt away.  Good-bye, Sarah!” he wailed.

Sarah watched as Hoggle melted away into a puddle, just like the Wicked Witch of the West.  He screamed as he disappeared, until there was no more.  Sarah stood in wonder as she tried to understand what she had just witnessed until suddenly, the floor and walls started spinning.  For a moment, Sarah was reminded of the first time that Jareth brought Sarah Underground for a date.

And then, Sarah was in bed.  The haze in her eyes lifted, and she recognized what she felt like, as though she were just waking up from that peach-induced dream of her run all those years ago.  Wait a second.  That meant that it was all a dream! Which also meant….

“Jareth! You’re still you!”

Jareth stirred at the sudden scream of joy with which Sarah said his name.  He opened his eyes, confused by her last words.  He was even more surprised when she pulled back the covers and his pants to look at him. 

“Yep, that’s the mini-Jareth I know and love.”

“Mini-Jareth? When did I get one of those?”

Jareth was trying to understand what his wife was saying.  Whatever dream she just had, he really wanted to know the details.

“Sarah, care to explain all this?”

After Sarah told him her dream, Jareth sat and puzzled in bed.  He found the retelling hilarious and a little disturbing, but he could not understand why she would dream of that, of all things. 

“Sarah, what did you do earlier today?”

“I spent the day with Toby, as you know.”

“Yes, but what did you do with him?”

Jareth had a good idea of what had happened, and a look at his vanity proved him right.  Now to explain it to Sarah.

“Toby and I watched two movies today.  We saw the Wizard of Oz in preparation for his school’s musical, and then Scooby-Doo.”

Sarah had a light bulb moment as she considered the end of her dream with regard to the Wizard of Oz.  When she considered Scooby-Doo, she began to laugh.

“Sarah, I’m familiar with the Wizard of Oz, but not Scooby-Doo.  What’s that?”

“It’s about a group of teenagers who go around solving mysteries with a talking dog named Scooby-Doo.  Scooby also has a nephew, Scrappy-Doo, who used to solve mysteries but was forced to leave.  He talked as well.  You find out at the end of the movie that the villain was none other than Scrappy, who ended up living in and creating a robot who looked like a guy the teenagers knew.  It’s a cheesy movie, but both Toby and I love it.”

Jareth laughed at how the pieces were coming together.

“Sarah, it seems the mystery has been solved as to why you dreamed about such things.”

“Yes, but it doesn’t explain why I felt as though I was inside another one of your peach-induced dreams.  I thought that couldn’t affect me anymore since I’m full fae now.”

Sarah scrunched her mouth together, trying to look annoyed at the thought of being affected by enchanted fruit again.

“Oh, Sarah, I know why.  Tell me, what did you do before you went to bed when you came back here?”

“I read some stuff, and I ate an apple off of your vanity over there.  I was going to tell you I did so in the morning, I promise!”

Sarah looked sincere with her palms up in front of her, and Jareth calmed her down with a smile as he held her hands.

“I believe you, Sarah.  But, I’m afraid that that dream was the apple’s doing.”

“How? Are apples exempt from the rules?”

Jareth laughed at Sarah’s baffled expression.

“No, they’re not exempt because I bewitched them myself.  I made them especially for immortals.  Sadly, they were not intended for you.”

Sarah wrinkled her face.  “Then who were they for?”

“I intended to give them to Puck when he next visits with news from the other courts.  I owe him after last time’s prank.”

“But there’s more than one apple there.”

“So? All the more reason for him to give it to other poor saps he meets while spreading the news, hopefully to some I don’t like.  How does that phrase go? Misery loves company?”

A smile appeared and grew on Sarah’s face.  “Now I understand.”

“I’m glad, Sarah.  Now, are you ready to go back to sleep?”

“I’m not sure.  I’m pretty awake after all that.  I also don’t know how I’m going to face Hoggle in the morning.”

“Hogwash will survive,” he said, waving his hand to prevent Sarah’s correction to Hoggle’s real name.  “Now, come here and snuggle with me.  I’ll keep all those pesky nightmares away.”

“Thanks, Jareth.”

“Anytime, love.  Just be glad that you’re full fae now.”

“I am.  I’d hate to see what watermelons give me, now that I know what apples do.”

“There’s a reason apples seem to be chosen for the bringer of ill news in fairy tales.  They just inspire those kinds of horrible nightmares.  I’ll tell you about the rest in the morning.  Good night,” he said, kissing Sarah on the forehead.

“Thank you, Jareth.  Good night.”

And so the couple slept.  No more apples were eaten for a while, but the two did experiment with other fruits as Sarah learned of the joys of other fresh fruit.