Exchange Fic #3: Within You
Mod note: themsmine's Mystery Author has written more than one fic for her, so there'll be at least one more!
The actual identity of the writer will remain secret until all the submissions are in and posted.
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Title: Within You
Author: lady_kurina
Recipient: themsmine
Prompt: Sarah has joined up with an amateur ghost hunting group and is on her first overnight ghost hunt. She discovers that ghosts are the least of their worries.
Rating: T (?)
Plot Summary/Author's Notes: Sarah joined a group on amateur ghost hunters as she had almost always been able to see things that 'weren't there'. She hopes perhaps this will help her get over things. During the first sleep over she hears things and becomes concerned. She meets a man she has never before seen in her life, but he reeks of danger. Apparently due to a backfired spell (he claims) he was stuck in an incorporeal form…But what does he want from Sarah?
Warnings: OC’s! Sorry, couldn’t be helped! Aaaand…Sarah and Jareth have never met in this story. Totally AU.
Some days she wondered why she even got out of bed. Other times she wondered about how wise her decisions were. This was one of those times. Sarah Williams had joined a group of ghost hunters. Why? Because ever since she tried, and failed, to wish her baby brother away she had been able to see things. Odd things. Sometimes ghosts, sometimes other things. She was, however, glad it hadn’t actually work.
“So, Sarah, since when have you been able to see ghosts?” Jack was busy rolling out his sleeping bag. They, the entire group, were going to have a sleepover in a supposedly “haunted” house. Jack was the leader of the group. They didn’t even have a name for themselves.
“Since I was fifteen. You?” She was laying on her sleeping bag, staring t the ceiling. It was white. The whole room was white. This house was an old Victorian, it was mostly modern though it still needed some renovation and they were all going to sleep upstairs in the master bedroom. It was big enough, after all. Empty too, like the rest of the house.
Jack had a thoughtful look in his blue eyes. “Since I was…nine, I think.” He shook his head, his long dark brown hair moving with the motion. “Those years are a little blurry.” He grinned. Jack was always smiling, always grinning. It was part of his charm, not that Sarah fell for it. Now Miranda on the other hand…
“My, my, aren’t you too looking cozy.” A female voice tease.
Sarah groaned. Miranda was always teasing her about loving Jack when it was actually the other way around. That was probably why. Since Miranda knew Sarah didn’t have any designs on “her man”, not that Jack knew it just yet. Miranda was an odd one. She could only hear ghosts. Sarah looked at Miranda, her moss green eyes narrowed.
“Then why are you intruding, wench?” Daniel’s voice asked before she could say a word. Ah. Saved. Daniel and Miranda were a very explosive pair. It made life interesting. It probably didn’t help that they were twins.
They look so similar, and yet act so differently. It is amazing. Both have dark brown eyes and long hair, both have blond hair, both cut short. Yet at the same time they’re always fighting despite Daniel’s being so quiet and Miranda being so excitable.
That was the funniest part. Daniel spoke maybe…five words in passing to her a day, yet she heard a whole slew of words she didn’t even know when he was fighting with Miranda. One would think they were the worst sort of enemies, but they weren’t. They loved each other very much. Daniel could only see ghosts, but not hear them. It made the two excellent partners.
“Well, I figured I should break them up before you go here. It’s not like we had an orgy planned.” Miranda’s eyes narrowed at her twin.
Daniel snorted. “Were jealous, ya mean, that Sarah might be getting laid when you aren’t.”
Sarah blushed. “Aren’t we going to go to sleep soon? It’s getting pretty…pretty late.” She plays with a strand of her brown hair. Why, why, did it always come down to sexual innuendos with them? That she had admitted that she was a virgin when she was drunk, also on her “not smart list”, was one thing, but did they have to keep teasing her about it?
“Aww, look, she’s blushing!” Miranda cooed softly. She and Daniel finally entered the room and rolled their sleeping bags out. “Isn’t she adorable?”
“Oh yes, very.” Daniel apparently agreed with his twin for once.
“Would you two stop it! I’ve getting sick and tired of you teasing me!” Sarah growled. “It’s getting late. Let’s go to bed. We have all of tomorrow to explore this place.” She curled up in her sleeping bag. She was asleep instantly.
Sometime during the night she was awoke by a sound. Sarah, as luck would have it, was an incredibly light sleeper. Listening closer she realized what she heard was…singing? Yes, someone was singing. She climbed out of her sleeping bag and moved closer, almost in a trance, her bare feet making little noise on the wood. Had she been paying attention she would be surprised to note that Miranda, who was just as light as sleeper as she was, remained firmly asleep.
There’s such a sad love deep in your eyes…
Walking slowly she tried to figure out where the noise was coming from. She started going downstairs, but it wasn’t from there. She walked over to the nursery were the attic door was and, sure enough, when she opened the door she could hear it louder.
A kind of pale jewel open and close…
She slowly walked up the narrow stairs. The light, she had checked earlier, didn’t work and it was fairly dark now. She didn’t want to trip and fall down those stairs. That would hurt. She’d probably break her neck doing so. Not her idea of fun. She hadn’t actually come up here earlier, merely checked the lights at the bottom of the stairs.
As the pain sweeps through, makes no sense for you…
She was in the witch’s hat. Sitting on the window seat was a man. Instinctively she knew he was the one she’d heard. He was dressed odd, in really tight leather pants and a poet’s shirt. He had blond hair that went to his shoulders in a style she was fairly certain had gone out of style quite some time ago. She couldn’t see his face, he wasn’t looking at her, merely staring out the window. Suddenly he turned to face her, she must have made a sound or something.
He looked at her, no that wasn’t quite right, he stared, undressing her with his eyes, a sensual smile on his lips. His eyes were mis-matched, blue and brown. Pretty. And was he wearing…makeup? Probably not. He was see through too, which she felt was not “normal” her him but…what did she know? He scared her. She sensed he was not a man to be trifled with, assuming he was a man at all, something she wouldn’t bet on. She took a step back.
He looked startled, before looking her straight in the eyes. “You can…see me?”
She nodded hesitantly, fairly certain she was going to regret it.
His grin was slightly on the feral side. “And what is your name, mortal?”
Mortal? Oh no, she just knew she was going to regret this. “Sarah Williams. And you are?” But she’d be damned if she let him know how she felt more then she alright had.
He bowed. “I am Jareth, King of the Goblins.” He looks up at her. “A pleasure to meet you, my dear.”
“You’re a goblin?”
Jareth threw back his head and laughed. “No. Goblin’s are too stupid to rule each other. They would probably make a chicken there ruler or a rock perhaps. No, no,” he smiled at her. “I’m not sure what I am, but a goblin I am not.”
“Out of curiosity…what are you doing here?”
He smirked. “Curiosity can get you in trouble, my dear.” He stalked closer to her.
As if she didn’t know that. “Perhaps, but something tells me you aren’t supposed to be see-though. Whatever you are, one thing you’re not, I think, is a ghost.”
“Maybe. I don’t know.” Jareth replied. “I accidently spliced myself, and I haven’t been able to fix it. It’s quite vexing, really.” He had thought he’d had the spell right, but had suffered for his mistake. How long had he been like this? He’d lost track after his third decade. And in all that time nobody had been able to see him.
Nobody but Miss. Sarah William. She was beautiful. Her moss green eyes betrayed a nervousness that bordered on fear and yet she refused to cower. She had a right to fear him. He may be stuck like this, but he could still use magic. And if she only knew what he wanted to do to her…well, it was a good thing she wasn’t telepathic as well as spiritual.
“Spliced?” She continued to look at him, curiosity warring with the fear.
He motioned for her to sit down next to him, thankful when she complied. “I accidentally separated my spirit and my body.” He shrugged.
“Do you know how to revert it?”
He glared slightly. “Of course I do. The problem is, is that you are the only one who’s been able to see me. I’m incorporeal but I do have one advantage over your average spirit.” He grabbed her wrist. She looked at his hand shocked. That should be…impossible! “I can touch people.” He pulled her closer to him. She tried to get him to release her, more warning bells going off in her head. “But I can only touch those who can see me.” He caressed face with his free hand.
“L-let me go!”
He smirked sensually. “Are you so sure you want me to?”
“Yes-no…I don’t know, just let go!” Sarah was confused. What did he want from her?
“You won’t help me, Sarah?”
“I..I…”
“I just need a kiss, from someone who is whole. It will give me the energy needed to return to my body.”
A…kiss. Well. That wasn’t…too bad, right? And a spirit/thingy/whatever he was not haunting a house was better then having him haunt it…right?
He must have seen the decision in her eyes because he held her chin delicately and leaned forward kissing her passionately before he suddenly vanished.
She headed back to where she should be sleeping in a daze. He was gone. Just like that. After melting her body he goes poof. She shakes her head and falls into a light, restless sleep.
In the morning, she and the others explore the house, finding nothing. That wasn’t a surprise considering she had made Jareth vanish. He didn’t seem to be the type to allow others “in his domain”.
When she went home she closed the door behind her, exhausted. Was she happy Jareth was gone? Was she only a means to an end? Was he even still “alive”? She looked up and almost screamed.
Jareth was standing there smirking at her. He hadn’t been there a second ago. He stalked toward her.
“Now then, I do believe we have some unfinished business, Sarah mine.” He purred.
The actual identity of the writer will remain secret until all the submissions are in and posted.
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Title: Within You
Author: lady_kurina
Recipient: themsmine
Prompt: Sarah has joined up with an amateur ghost hunting group and is on her first overnight ghost hunt. She discovers that ghosts are the least of their worries.
Rating: T (?)
Plot Summary/Author's Notes: Sarah joined a group on amateur ghost hunters as she had almost always been able to see things that 'weren't there'. She hopes perhaps this will help her get over things. During the first sleep over she hears things and becomes concerned. She meets a man she has never before seen in her life, but he reeks of danger. Apparently due to a backfired spell (he claims) he was stuck in an incorporeal form…But what does he want from Sarah?
Warnings: OC’s! Sorry, couldn’t be helped! Aaaand…Sarah and Jareth have never met in this story. Totally AU.
Some days she wondered why she even got out of bed. Other times she wondered about how wise her decisions were. This was one of those times. Sarah Williams had joined a group of ghost hunters. Why? Because ever since she tried, and failed, to wish her baby brother away she had been able to see things. Odd things. Sometimes ghosts, sometimes other things. She was, however, glad it hadn’t actually work.
“So, Sarah, since when have you been able to see ghosts?” Jack was busy rolling out his sleeping bag. They, the entire group, were going to have a sleepover in a supposedly “haunted” house. Jack was the leader of the group. They didn’t even have a name for themselves.
“Since I was fifteen. You?” She was laying on her sleeping bag, staring t the ceiling. It was white. The whole room was white. This house was an old Victorian, it was mostly modern though it still needed some renovation and they were all going to sleep upstairs in the master bedroom. It was big enough, after all. Empty too, like the rest of the house.
Jack had a thoughtful look in his blue eyes. “Since I was…nine, I think.” He shook his head, his long dark brown hair moving with the motion. “Those years are a little blurry.” He grinned. Jack was always smiling, always grinning. It was part of his charm, not that Sarah fell for it. Now Miranda on the other hand…
“My, my, aren’t you too looking cozy.” A female voice tease.
Sarah groaned. Miranda was always teasing her about loving Jack when it was actually the other way around. That was probably why. Since Miranda knew Sarah didn’t have any designs on “her man”, not that Jack knew it just yet. Miranda was an odd one. She could only hear ghosts. Sarah looked at Miranda, her moss green eyes narrowed.
“Then why are you intruding, wench?” Daniel’s voice asked before she could say a word. Ah. Saved. Daniel and Miranda were a very explosive pair. It made life interesting. It probably didn’t help that they were twins.
They look so similar, and yet act so differently. It is amazing. Both have dark brown eyes and long hair, both have blond hair, both cut short. Yet at the same time they’re always fighting despite Daniel’s being so quiet and Miranda being so excitable.
That was the funniest part. Daniel spoke maybe…five words in passing to her a day, yet she heard a whole slew of words she didn’t even know when he was fighting with Miranda. One would think they were the worst sort of enemies, but they weren’t. They loved each other very much. Daniel could only see ghosts, but not hear them. It made the two excellent partners.
“Well, I figured I should break them up before you go here. It’s not like we had an orgy planned.” Miranda’s eyes narrowed at her twin.
Daniel snorted. “Were jealous, ya mean, that Sarah might be getting laid when you aren’t.”
Sarah blushed. “Aren’t we going to go to sleep soon? It’s getting pretty…pretty late.” She plays with a strand of her brown hair. Why, why, did it always come down to sexual innuendos with them? That she had admitted that she was a virgin when she was drunk, also on her “not smart list”, was one thing, but did they have to keep teasing her about it?
“Aww, look, she’s blushing!” Miranda cooed softly. She and Daniel finally entered the room and rolled their sleeping bags out. “Isn’t she adorable?”
“Oh yes, very.” Daniel apparently agreed with his twin for once.
“Would you two stop it! I’ve getting sick and tired of you teasing me!” Sarah growled. “It’s getting late. Let’s go to bed. We have all of tomorrow to explore this place.” She curled up in her sleeping bag. She was asleep instantly.
Sometime during the night she was awoke by a sound. Sarah, as luck would have it, was an incredibly light sleeper. Listening closer she realized what she heard was…singing? Yes, someone was singing. She climbed out of her sleeping bag and moved closer, almost in a trance, her bare feet making little noise on the wood. Had she been paying attention she would be surprised to note that Miranda, who was just as light as sleeper as she was, remained firmly asleep.
There’s such a sad love deep in your eyes…
Walking slowly she tried to figure out where the noise was coming from. She started going downstairs, but it wasn’t from there. She walked over to the nursery were the attic door was and, sure enough, when she opened the door she could hear it louder.
A kind of pale jewel open and close…
She slowly walked up the narrow stairs. The light, she had checked earlier, didn’t work and it was fairly dark now. She didn’t want to trip and fall down those stairs. That would hurt. She’d probably break her neck doing so. Not her idea of fun. She hadn’t actually come up here earlier, merely checked the lights at the bottom of the stairs.
As the pain sweeps through, makes no sense for you…
She was in the witch’s hat. Sitting on the window seat was a man. Instinctively she knew he was the one she’d heard. He was dressed odd, in really tight leather pants and a poet’s shirt. He had blond hair that went to his shoulders in a style she was fairly certain had gone out of style quite some time ago. She couldn’t see his face, he wasn’t looking at her, merely staring out the window. Suddenly he turned to face her, she must have made a sound or something.
He looked at her, no that wasn’t quite right, he stared, undressing her with his eyes, a sensual smile on his lips. His eyes were mis-matched, blue and brown. Pretty. And was he wearing…makeup? Probably not. He was see through too, which she felt was not “normal” her him but…what did she know? He scared her. She sensed he was not a man to be trifled with, assuming he was a man at all, something she wouldn’t bet on. She took a step back.
He looked startled, before looking her straight in the eyes. “You can…see me?”
She nodded hesitantly, fairly certain she was going to regret it.
His grin was slightly on the feral side. “And what is your name, mortal?”
Mortal? Oh no, she just knew she was going to regret this. “Sarah Williams. And you are?” But she’d be damned if she let him know how she felt more then she alright had.
He bowed. “I am Jareth, King of the Goblins.” He looks up at her. “A pleasure to meet you, my dear.”
“You’re a goblin?”
Jareth threw back his head and laughed. “No. Goblin’s are too stupid to rule each other. They would probably make a chicken there ruler or a rock perhaps. No, no,” he smiled at her. “I’m not sure what I am, but a goblin I am not.”
“Out of curiosity…what are you doing here?”
He smirked. “Curiosity can get you in trouble, my dear.” He stalked closer to her.
As if she didn’t know that. “Perhaps, but something tells me you aren’t supposed to be see-though. Whatever you are, one thing you’re not, I think, is a ghost.”
“Maybe. I don’t know.” Jareth replied. “I accidently spliced myself, and I haven’t been able to fix it. It’s quite vexing, really.” He had thought he’d had the spell right, but had suffered for his mistake. How long had he been like this? He’d lost track after his third decade. And in all that time nobody had been able to see him.
Nobody but Miss. Sarah William. She was beautiful. Her moss green eyes betrayed a nervousness that bordered on fear and yet she refused to cower. She had a right to fear him. He may be stuck like this, but he could still use magic. And if she only knew what he wanted to do to her…well, it was a good thing she wasn’t telepathic as well as spiritual.
“Spliced?” She continued to look at him, curiosity warring with the fear.
He motioned for her to sit down next to him, thankful when she complied. “I accidentally separated my spirit and my body.” He shrugged.
“Do you know how to revert it?”
He glared slightly. “Of course I do. The problem is, is that you are the only one who’s been able to see me. I’m incorporeal but I do have one advantage over your average spirit.” He grabbed her wrist. She looked at his hand shocked. That should be…impossible! “I can touch people.” He pulled her closer to him. She tried to get him to release her, more warning bells going off in her head. “But I can only touch those who can see me.” He caressed face with his free hand.
“L-let me go!”
He smirked sensually. “Are you so sure you want me to?”
“Yes-no…I don’t know, just let go!” Sarah was confused. What did he want from her?
“You won’t help me, Sarah?”
“I..I…”
“I just need a kiss, from someone who is whole. It will give me the energy needed to return to my body.”
A…kiss. Well. That wasn’t…too bad, right? And a spirit/thingy/whatever he was not haunting a house was better then having him haunt it…right?
He must have seen the decision in her eyes because he held her chin delicately and leaned forward kissing her passionately before he suddenly vanished.
She headed back to where she should be sleeping in a daze. He was gone. Just like that. After melting her body he goes poof. She shakes her head and falls into a light, restless sleep.
In the morning, she and the others explore the house, finding nothing. That wasn’t a surprise considering she had made Jareth vanish. He didn’t seem to be the type to allow others “in his domain”.
When she went home she closed the door behind her, exhausted. Was she happy Jareth was gone? Was she only a means to an end? Was he even still “alive”? She looked up and almost screamed.
Jareth was standing there smirking at her. He hadn’t been there a second ago. He stalked toward her.
“Now then, I do believe we have some unfinished business, Sarah mine.” He purred.