49I woke up in the morning, feeling completely refreshed. I blinked, wiped my eyes once and fished a cigarette out of my pack. Dawn had fought it's way through the night, and was trying to get at me already. I smiled, the windows wouldn't shine light onto the couch until the mid-afternoon, it'd never catch me. I rolled off the couch and walked over to the stereo, turning it on and thumbing through the cd selection. I finally decided on a Cure disc, and popped it in. While Robert Smith serenaded me from the living room, I moved into the kitchen to make coffee. Semi-consciously, I bobbed my head to the music while I did my best to prepare coffee with just one arm.
After ending my battle with the coffee maker, I went back to the couch and sat down. Sipping from my cup, I noticed a piece of folded paper. It was near-perfectly folded in three parts. I knew it had to be from Sen, only-
I suddenly recalled a dream I had sometime during the night. Sen had come to me, quietly as she could, and stood over me, watching me sleep. She ran a hand through my hair, kissed me on the lips, and before she went away, she whispered that she loved me. After that, she left, and my dream resumed it's usual fair of bikini clad spooky girls and gigantic battling robots.
...Better still, Gigantic bikini clad spooky girls battling robots!...
There was such a thing, as overkill, even I was aware of that. But for some reason, this folded piece of paper struck my brain as a relevant reminder of the dream. I shrugged. It was probably a shopping list, or some note that said she needed me to do something.
I snatched it up and unfolded it, wondering what fiendish plan she'd concocted for me.
I rubbed my eyes and re-read the letter, just to make sure I had seen it right. I took in every word, every loop of each letter. I'd read it right, she was gone.
I didn't even give myself a moment for it to sink in past that, I went up the stairs to Leah's apartment. She deserved to be the first one I told that Sen had taken off in the night. I folded my fingers to knock on the door, and where they would have struck was another folded piece of paper with my name on it. I pulled it off the door and opened it.
"Jareth, My brother…
You, above all people, know within your soul why it is sometimes the fate of the world for someone you love to run away.
My sister, our Seren, through all of her love for you, has been planning this for as long as her mind would let me tap into it. This has to be one of the hardest decisions she has made, and you need to know that she IS NOT, and never WILL be, a hypocrite for leaving. We all know how tattered she is internally right now. And, it is my duty to join her. For, whatever this life has in store for us separately, could never compare to what my heart knows we need to accomplish together.
We will never really be that far away. Kiss everyone for me.
Love you,
Leah"
Did she decide to take everyone but me? I turned around, heading to the opposite side of the hallway, knocking on Delaney's door. I waited a moment and knocked again. Nothing. But there was no note on this door. Did that mean that Delaney just wasn't answering, or she didn't bother to leave a note when she left?
I followed the stairs upward to Reece's apartment, and tried there. I knocked twice, and waited some more. I was starting to feel like Vincent Price in The Last Man on Earth. In a house filled with friends, I was the odd man out. I turned to the stairs, and stepped downward onto the first step when Reece's door opened.
She peered out. Her hair was dishevelled, I had woken her. She took one look at me and woke up instantly.
"Jareth, what's wrong?"
I stepped back up to the landing, holding up both letters and looking at them, disbelief still ringing in my voice.
"Sen and Leah, they're gone."
"What?" She stepped out onto the landing, and I handed her the letters. When she finished reading, she looked to me, then back to the letters. "She never said anything about it."
"I know. She knew we'd try to stop her. Like I knew you would all try to stop me, if I'd come home the night I left."
Reece wrapped her arms around me, sniffling. She spoke from the hollow in my chest where she tried to hide from her emotions. "Did you tell Connor and Delaney?"
"I couldn't find them, I thought maybe they'd-"
Connor came down the stairs, Delaney directly behind him. Apparently, they'd stayed the night in his apartment for a change. "What's going on?"
I looked up at him. "Dammit, you're still here?"
*****
We stood in the stairwell, all of us, as Delaney and Connor read the letters. They both seemed as shocked as Reece and I. No one seemed to anticipate Sen's actions, except Leah. And Leah decided not to warn anyone, probably for the better. It would have been an ugly scene trying to keep Sen with us if she had decided she needed to go.
Connor rocked back on his feet, trying, like the rest of us, to keep it all inside. "So, what do we do now?"
"What did you guys do when I left?"
Reece smiled softly. "Boxed up all of your stuff and did a room move."
I smiled back to her. "Then I'm taking my damn apartment back. But later." I looked to Connor and Delaney. "You guys head back up stairs and, I guess, do whatever it is you do in the morning."
Delaney forced a grin back down while Connor blushed. I forced purged any thoughts that were entering my mind at that moment, quickly turning to Reece. "Same goes for you. I just thought you all should know."
As I turned to go back down the stairs, Reece put her hand on my shoulder. "Are you going to be alright?"
I smiled, and lied through my teeth. "I'm alright now."
As I reentered the basement, I walked numbly to the couch and sat down. Staring at Sen's letter. I couldn't believe I let everyone read it, but it's not like there was anything they didn't know about already, now they knew the rest.
The Cure was still playing, drifting to me through murky ears as I unfolded the letter once more. The tracks on the disc turned, and I heard the song clearer, and it seemed to fit the situation all too well. I held the letter up, reading it once more as the music circled my head.
"Jareth,
What can I say that hasn't been unsaid so much it's painful to even think it anymore? (how's that for an Aquarian thought, you damned Aries?)
Before you get all huffy, I'm going to apologize. Seeing as how you will read this after my 'great escape' – I understand now why you left. And I don't blame you. For any of what happened then."
-No I won't do it again, I don't want to pretend.
If it can't be like before I've got it let end.
I don't want what I was, I had a change of head.
But maybe someday.
Yeah, maybe someday-
"The jury's still out on what's happened since you got back.
That's a joke, dumbass."
-I've got to let it go and leave it gone.
Just walk away, stop it going on.
Get too scared to jump if I wait too long.
But maybe someday-
" . . . but there's too much hurt for me in that house right now. What happened to Bran is my fault. I can't stay because I'll somehow turn the blame around on you. I can't go through that anymore. I can't hate you. And ye gods it'd be so much easier if I could."
-I'll see you smile as you call my name
Start to feel, and it feels the same
And I know that maybe someday's come
Maybe someday's come...again.-
"I can't imagine being away from everyone for very long. Take care of them for me. Try and talk Leah into forgiving me before I come back. Though I'm sure it'll still take a great deal of groveling, I don't know if I will be able to handle a silent treatment from her.
This is me, saying nothing important in avoidance of truths that need to be told.
So what's new huh?"
-No I won't do it some more, doesn't make any sense.
If it can't be like it was, I've got to let it rest.
I don't want what I did, I had a change of tense.
But maybe someday-
"No matter what's happened, it's all happened for a reason – we'll make it past this and on to the next of life's little trials. What's it that Reece is always saying? 'We wouldn't be given the task if we couldn't handle it.' Well what if my guides greatly overestimate me, huh? Maybe I should stop showing so much promise."
-I'll see you smile as you call my name.
Start to feel, and it feels the same.
And I know that maybe someday's come.
Maybe someday's come-
"Delaney told me once that half-breeds get some nifty powers after a little while of getting used to the changes. Maybe I'll do some vision questing in the desert and see if I can't develop telekinesis or something. Keep my apartment the way it is or I'll-
-If I could do it again, maybe just once more.
Think I could make it work like I did before-
"Doing it again, aren't I?
Damnit."
-If I could try it out, if I could just be sure-
"I'm going to miss you. You taught me passion. And real love. And exactly how painful that is. So . . . thanks? I think?"
-That maybe someday is the last time-
"I'll love you till I kill you Jareth."
-Yeah maybe someday is the end-
"Grudgingly yours, (till I kill you.)
Sen"
-Or maybe someday is when it all stops-
I folded the letter back up, holding it against my chest with my bound arm, while I covered my face with the other. For the first time since this whole thing started, I had a moment alone. I had a moment's peace. And I couldn't think of a damn thing to do with it except to fight back another surge of tears, adding them to the supply I'd dammed up inside.
I tried to think to the future, tried to think of how long she'd be gone, what kind of person I'd be when she got back. I tried to think about who we'd find to fill the empty apartment, if anyone. I felt the warm tears run down my cheeks as I blinked, trying to find something amusing in all of this, something positive. Nothing was coming. I couldn't find anything to lift my spirits. I was looking for an omen. Some kind of sign, something that was going to tell me everything really would work out for the best. Without even really thinking about it, I looked to the stereo. My ears tuned in to the last line of the song, and I smiled softly.
-Or maybe someday always comes again.
**Authors Notes** I can't tell you how depressed I am that this story is over with. It's been amazing writing right along side Raven, words can't even express. Well, I suppose they can, because you've seen the result of what we write like when alone, and what we write like when we work together.
Raven, there's so much I want to say, but I can't think of any words other than "Thank you so much. I love you."
I can honestly say, without doubt, there will be another Jareth/Seren story that Raven and I will do together. But for now, you'll all have to make due with our separate works. Raven's already given me a preview of her fifth story in the Seren chronicles, and it's going to be good, I can tell you that already.
Also, Kallah's still adding to her prequel story about the group, and Raven's eluded to she and Kallah working on a second prequel very soon.
As for me, I've got another Jareth story in the pre-stages. And I've got another story, something to depart from the Jareth stories for awhile.
But first, I'm going to take a little time off. I need a little personal time before I get started on the next one.
You'll be seeing something new soon enough from me. In the meantime, Kallah and Raven will be in charge of keeping you occupied.