Title: The shiny yellow plastic rendition of a baby water fowl Author: Aisuru Email: aisuru_chan@yahoo.com Rating: PG Summary: Wasn't Jareth supposed to show up outside Sarah's window? What is he doing in her closet! (A one hour challenge fic; written in one hour. Had to have a closet, a bottle of something, a rubber ducky, and a kiss!)

Life was good. Sarah had beaten the Labyrinth and defeated Jareth at his own game just as the 13th hour was reached. Now her half-brother Toby was safely sleeping in his crib and she was enjoying an impromptu party with all of the friends she had made during her adventure. Hoggle was sifting though her jewelry box, his face showing his delight at the collection of plastic costume jewelry. Ludo was sitting on her bed - she could hear the springs creaking in protest under the cuddly monster's weight - happily nuzzling one of her stuffed toys. Sir Didymus was politely introducing his noble steed, Ambrosia, to her own dog. The wise man was dancing as his bird-hat complained. Even the junk lady was there, mumbling that there was nothing to be found in Sarah's above-ground room that couldn't be found in her junk yard's rendition of the place. Dozens of anonymous goblins leapt about making evil, joyous noises. Everyone was there!

Except him.

Sarah was really trying not to think about him. She didn't want to think about the frightening intensity of his mis-matched eyes, his lack of respect for personal space, the fit of his form-fitting pants. 'Stop that!' she chided herself, trying to shake away the remembrance of feelings that had been sparked under the influence of forbidden fruit, namely the peach he had made Hoggle give her. 'He stole Toby!' she thought, trying to convince herself of her dislike for him.

*You asked him to take Toby,* a little voice in her head argued.

'He was manipulative, frightening, and I hate him!' she continued, ignoring the little voice.

The voice was persistent. *He was mysterious, seductive, and you are intrigued by him!*

'No!' she insisted. 'Now stop thinking about him. He has no power over me!'

"Really? Are you so sure?" a voice murmured smoothly in her ear.

Sarah swung around at the sound of his voice, but he was nowhere to be seen. She felt little prickles of sweat form on her forehead and arms, and the fine hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Suddenly her jeans and blouse, the ones she had worn during the Labyrinth adventure and was still wearing, felt dirty and unbearable against her skin. 'He isn't here, he has no power over me,' she thought to herself, casting a last suspicious glance around her before she slipped into the walk-in closet, closing the door behind her. She would enjoy a leisurely bubble bath later, but for now she just had to get out of these itchy clothes!

The sounds of the party muted behind her as she sifted through the rack of clothes. 'A dress would be nice,' she thought, 'Something romantic and medieval looking. These friends will appreciate it more that my classmates do.' She selected a high-waisted forest green dress made of a silky but affordable synthetic, and had slipped her shirt off when she felt that she was being watched. Suspecting one of the goblins was looking under the door, she swung around, the dress held in front of her, preparing to poke the little beast in the eye with her foot. She was stunned to see none other than him. Jareth. She dropped the dress.

His eyes swept over her figure in cotton bra and blue jeans in a very deliberate fashion. His eyes showed appreciation and something much darker, almost predatory, when they raised to her face. "Please don't stop on my account," he said with a smirk. "A pretty little thing like you shouldn't be wearing britches. Let's see you without them."

As his eyes swept over her body again, Sarah remembered the dress that had fallen to her feet. She grabbed for it, missing the glint in Jareth's eyes as she bent forward, and slipped it over her head. Feeling less vulnerable - so long as she avoided making eye contact with him - she glared in his general direction. "I won! You shouldn't be here!" she said as if she could really convince him.

"In your closet, you mean?" he asked, trying to make his eyes look innocent.

"Yes!" she agreed.

"So its okay if I'm in your bedroom, just as long as I'm not in your closet?" he asked, his eyes glinting again.

"No! Of course not! How could you even think that."

"Everyone else is in your bedroom. Right now, as a matter of fact. Should I send them all back?"

"What? No. What are you doing?"

He had stepped towards her during their verbal sparring, his grace that of a large cat, and now, almost toe-to-toe with her, he was unbuttoning his shirt, showing even more chest than usual.

"What am I doing?" he repeated in a seductive voice.

Sarah could only nod as his beautiful shoulders were exposed and the shirt sleeves slid to his forearms.

"I just figured that since I saw you without your shirt on, you should see me without my shirt. I'm a very fair man, you see, Sarah."

She sucked in a breath as he rolled her name off his tongue. He made it sound so.

Then his shirt was on the floor, and so was Sarah's jaw.

Jareth smirked as she struggled to tear her eyes off his lean, muscular physique. She tried to look down, but he was wearing those really, really tight pants - very bad idea. Up was good - but his eyes were up. He reached out a hand to play with a chocolate-colored lock of hair, and she decided to just close her eyes. She tried not to lean into his touch, she really did, but.

"Sarah?" He spoke her name like it was cream in his mouth.

"Hmm?" she answered, still not prepared to open her eyes.

"I want you to taste something, Sarah."

At these words her eyes flew open. Was he going to kiss her? No, he was holding an elegant crystal goblet filled with a soft pink nectar. Sarah scowled, a little in disappointment and a little in distrust. "What the hell is that?" she questioned.

The King ignored her lack of sophistication. "Nectar from the underground," he answered. "It is very precious to us."

'There is no way I trust him enough to drink something he offers me!' she thought. 'It is probably poisoned.'

*But you trusted him enough that you wanted to kiss him,* the voice tempted.

Common sense won out, at least for the moment. "Oh, but if it is so precious, I couldn't take it from you," she said a little too sweetly.

"Don't worry, sweet Sarah," he said. "I brought a whole bottle."

He was too close, his eyes too beautiful, his bare chest, too. and he had said her name again. She couldn't think. Her eyes locked with his. He raised the glass to her mouth, and she parted her lips. He poured some of the nectar into her mouth, and she swallowed. Never had Sarah known a more seductive moment in all of her fifteen years - until she registered the taste. "Peach juice!" she accused.

Jareth smiled down at her, a smile of triumph and. desire? Sarah could feel her head going fuzzier from the nectar, so she reached out desperately for something - anything-to distract him from what was no doubt a shady purpose. She reached for the shelves that ran along the top of her closet. Her fingers brushed something smooth, and she closed her hand around it, thrusting the object between them. It squeaked.

"What is this?" Jareth asked in surprise as he looked at the shiny yellow plastic rendition of a baby water fowl that was being pressed against his chest.

"It's." Sarah looked down at her hand. "It's my favorite rubber ducky. From when I was a kid. I, uh, I want you to have it. Um, no hard feelings about the whole Labyrinth thing and all, okay?"

He took the offered toy from her hand and looked at it curiously. He gave it a little squeeze and smiled, amused, when it squeaked again. "What is it used for?" he asked her.

"Oh, its a bath toy," she answered.

"I understand, Sarah," he replied, his eyes full of a dark promise that made her blush, again. "I'll be sure to think of you whenever I bathe." He was teasing her, and she knew it, and she tried to find her feet interesting, but his, um, pants were in her line of vision. Instead she studied the ceiling.

His face filled her vision as he leaned over her. "I shall have to give you something to remember me by," he murmurred before capturing her lips. The kiss started gentle, teasing, but when she didn't push him away and in fact began to melt under him ministrations, he let his hands drop to her hips, feeling the denim she still wore under the dress, and parted her lips. The kiss became a heated mingling of lips and tongue and breath, Jareth expressing to Sarah in that kiss all the feelings he had hidden from her with cold glares, sarcastic comments, and smirks while in the Labyrinth. When he finally pulled away, Sarah couldn't tell if the enchanted peach nectar or the talent of his mouth upon her own had had the greater contribution to her state of mind.

She worked hard to focus, wetting her lips with her tongue and closing her eyes for long moments before she could speak. "You have no power over me," she said, her voice breathy and thick with a longing she didn't quite understand.

"We shall see, Sarah," he replied, pressing a final soft kiss upon her lips before disappearing in a shower of glitter.