A Study in Glitter Chapter II

Chapter II: The Flatmate

The Almighty Disclaimer
Oh Moffat and Gatiss,
Henson and Doyle,
Pika-la Cynique the generous,
To you belongs all the characters
And none so for me!

A/N: This story was inspired by "The Thin White Sleuth..." by Pika-la-Cynique(pika-la-cynique.deviantart.com…) of Girls Next Door fame.





The former Goblin King truly wondered how in the world his laptop could catch on fire, despite the fact that he had not even turned it on yet. Jareth had just bought it two days before. He knew that the Fae had problems with technology, but this felt like the technology gods had a personal vendetta against him.

Fortunately, M... Margret? Mary? Mary Margret? Martha? M... Molly! was more than willing to help him in his technological issues. She also made a decent cup of tea.

"Honestly, what do you do to these poor things?" Molly asked, poking the computer with a pencil.

"I exist and they do not wish to exist with me," Jareth mumbled.

"Stamford is looking for you," Molly said.

"Really? He generally is not in need of my expertise and I spoke with him just this morning," Jareth said. He flipped through the file Molly gave him. "Definitely not a Fae weapon. It would have bruised far more easily."

"Does that answer who did it?" Molly asked.

"Not at all," Jareth said.

"Well, I hope you find out. Have a nice day," Molly said.

"Thanks for the corpse," Jareth said.

Jareth felt like he was hit with a wall a moment later. He knew that magic. He had not felt that magic in thirteen years. But there was no mistaking it. It was her. It was his Sarah.

Well, not his Sarah. She had made that very clear at their last meeting. Painfully clear.

Jareth decided to play it "cool". Yes, that was the word the mortals used. Cool. Yes, he would play it cool.

He could hear Sarah speaking with Stamford.

Dr. Stamford said, "I think they might let you work here, actually. I'll see into it."

"Thanks Dr. Stamford. I don't want to put you out. You have already done so much for me," Sarah said. (She sounds just as lovely as ever, though definitely more grown up.) Jareth could have sworn he felt the Labyrinth's magic, but it was a passing feeling.

"You're not putting me out, girl. You are the only person that my girls will behave for besides my wife and me," Dr. Stamford said. (Those brats? Sarah has to have gained some magic that is beyond me.)

"I'm just a new toy to play with. This library is a maze," Sarah said.

Oh, she would say something like that.

"More like a labyrinth," Jareth said.

He immediately regretted this. Jareth felt the pain that was coursing through Sarah. The fear he caused her made the pain worse. She associated the pain with him. Does Sarah realize that she is projecting her feelings? I need to get her mind off the pain.

"I need something stronger than this," Jareth said, "Sarah dear, you would not happen to have some Goblin ale with you, would you?"

Suddenly, the fire in Sarah ignited. "You have no power over me!"

Jareth grinned. There was his Sarah. Not his Sarah. Just Sarah. Just Sarah.

"That has not changed since you spoke those words," Jareth said.

Jareth turned around and wanted to smile triumphantly, but his face fell when he saw the state Sarah was in. She was leaning on an aluminum cane heavily. There were almost healed cuts on her face that had obviously been gashes a few weeks earlier. She looked tired. Above all, she was trying desperately to hide this. The only reason he did not gather in her arms was that Sarah had that defiant glare that had a tendency to cause kingdoms to crumble.

"What the bloody hell happened to you?" Jareth asked.

"You should know!" Sarah shouted, "You're goblins did this to me, Goblin King!"

Jareth growled and stalked up to Sarah. "How dare you use that title? Do you want to rub the loss of my kingdom in my face for some sin I did not commit?"

"What the hell are you talking about Jareth?" Sarah growled just as fiercely, "You are the one and only Goblin King. I think my friends would have told me that you were out and about snatching babies without the aid of the Labyrinth."

"I don't just go 'out and about snatching babies'," Jareth said, "Spoiled little girls wish them away and I merely show them their dreams, even if they do spit on it."

Sarah hobbled backwards and leaned her weight against a shelf. She raised her cane. "Take one step towards me and I will whack you over the head Goblin King!"

Jareth grabbed his riding crop/scepter. There is the fight in her. "Sarah, I do have several centuries on you. I really doubt you would win in a fair fight."

"Well, someone taught me that life isn't fair," Sarah said as she attempted to hit Jareth in a rather sensitive area.

"Stop it! Both of you," Dr. Stamford said sternly, "You two are acting as if you are children."

"Did he put you up to this?" Sarah asked, swinging her cane towards Stamford.

"I didn't know you knew each other," Dr. Stamford said, "And certainly not that you had wished away your brother."

"Then why am I here?" Sarah asked.

"Jareth said that he needed a flatmate and you need a flat," Dr. Stamford said, "That's all. There is no ill will intended."

"You need a flat?" Jareth asked. He quickly kidnapped and stuffed all carnal thoughts and threw them into an oubliette. There would be time for that later. He needed to know what was wrong with Sarah and why she needed a flat in London when her family was in the United States.

"That is none of your business," Sarah said.

Is that a little, hope? Pull yourself together. Don't count your goblins until the Runner has lost.

Jareth certainly could not let such an opportunity pass. "It is if you are considering sharing a flat with me," Jareth said, "We need to know what annoying habits the other has. I play music late at night and become contemplative for days on end. You turn my subjects against me and knock down cities. Little things like that."

"I am not sharing a flat with you," Sarah said.

"You said you would share a flat with a goblin, why not with a former Goblin King?" Dr. Stamford said with a shrug.

"You don't know our history," Sarah said.

"I don't need to," Dr. Stamford said, "It's this or leaving London and I know you won't leave London."

"In a bit of a pinch, Sarah?" asked Jareth, smiling wickedly.

"Nothing as bad as say, the Cleaners. I want to know how in the world you got here and why I don't know about it," Sarah said.

"And I would like to know how you were not informed of this and why you think the goblins injured you," Jareth said.

Jareth could taste Sarah's curiosity. She was no longer afraid of him. Her pain had subsided. This pleased him immensely. Sarah was still Sarah after all these years.

At that moment, Jareth realized a detail he had missed on the case he was working on. With a grin, he went over to the desk he was using and began to gather his things.

"What in the world are you doing?" Sarah asked.

"I have business to attend to; a murder to solve," Jareth said, "The riding crop could only have been grabbed by someone who was in the stables between 11:03 and 11:13. It was a crime of passion. That leaves only one suspect."

"You can't just leave like this," Sarah said.

"Of course I can," Jareth said, "Tomorrow, 4 o'clock, 221B Baker Street. You can decide if you're going to take the flat."

"I am not sharing a flat with you!" Sarah said.

"I have no power over you Sarah," Jareth said, "I cannot force you to go, but you obviously want to stay in London and I am your best shot. Besides, you probably would rather stay with the devil you know..."

Jareth shrugged on his suit jacket and then his coat. When he pulled on his scarf, he sensed that Sarah was not displeased with his appearance. Maybe I should have been more subtle with my wardrobe last time. "Call upon your friends and see if they will answer you. Have a good day Sarah. Good afternoon Dr. Stamford."

The Fae resisted skipping out of the library. He had seen Sarah, solved a murder, and was going to see her again the next day.

His Sarah was going to visit 221B Baker Street.

Oh, bloody hell. Mrs. Hudson is going to go into convulsions if I forget to mention guests are coming over again.