Within Dreams - Ch 5 - Labyrinth Fan Fiction

TO BE FOUND

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Until Sarah eased up during dinner, Gerard feared the evening a complete bust. He caught her eyeing him over their sashimi, but her gaze held an equal measure of desire and revulsion putting him off. The effect unsettled him as he usually charmed most people, especially women, but Sarah Williams resisted his best efforts with a natural immunity, quite unsettling, indeed. After several unsuccessful attempts to start a conversation, Gerard began to sense failure as one spotted a ten car pileup occurring ahead on a motorway. Perhaps his instincts regarding Ms. Williams were skewed and he deluded himself. While she seemingly accepted his dinner invitation she obviously did not enjoy herself, and while he read a certain amount of attraction on her part she withheld from his attentions, most disconcerting to his male pride.

As a desperate measure, Gerard finally tried complete honesty—really what else did he have left?  And pointed out her lack of communication while accepting the blame. Ironically, it worked—who knew such a rare gem would respond to frankness rather than flirtation? This extraordinary lady was so contrary to the majority of women. But when she spoke of that man, Jareth, again he felt a flash of jealousy which only heightened when she compared them. Who was this mystery man to inspire such intense feelings in Ms. Williams? Why did this man resemble him so closely? Gerard suddenly wished to hunt and destroy him for preemptively ruining his chances with Ms. Williams. He feared she would ever compare Jareth to Gerard and whatever this Jareth had subjected her to would forever taint Gerard regardless of his innocence.

In a split second, he decided he would erase Jareth from her existence. He knew she felt some powerful physical response to him, Gerard; a brush to skin easily betrayed her reaction. Using this knowledge, Gerard concentrated on the stunning, complex woman before him, making her flustered, and felt his heart skip once as he chatted with her. Good Lord, she was breathtaking! It took his full strength to resist her allure and not drag her from the restaurant back to somewhere, anywhere private. And finally, she softened towards him and he was lost to her, body and soul.

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Dinner ended far pleasanter than it began. Even Sarah conceded that her determined disapproval of Gerard stemmed from an irrational well of emotion and once side-stepped she found his company pleasing, agreeable, and dare she consider it...delightful. His lithe fingers delicately rubbed hers as they met in the center of the small table, each motion sending small shocks racing up her arm to merge in the vicinity of her lower body region.

"The chopsticks seemed to have given you some difficulty, luv," he said, frankly.

Sarah shrugged, "I've never been very good with them." Gerard smiled and ducked his head a bit closer to the table, his eyes hooded.

"Perhaps, if I may be so bold, you will allow me to teach you their proper use?" he asked, stating it as a request as he sensed her refusal otherwise. Initially, Sarah wanted to decline his offer, however well spoken, but the earnestness of his distinctive eyes coupled with the shadowy candlelight on the planes of his handsome face forced her tongue to rephrase her answer.

"That would be very...kind of you." An ecstatic grin beamed across his face, and he immediately shifted his chair around the table to Sarah's side until they sat cozy together. She suspected he took advantage of the close quarters, but she didn't mind, not really, not anymore. He seemed eager as a young boy as he began his lesson.

"First,you hold both in your dominate hand." He started by showing her with his chopsticks which she attempted to mimic.

"No, not so far to the center, more to the wide ends..." he said, dropping his own sticks and grasping her hands in his own, very warm, surprisingly soft ones. "Now hold the bottom stick steady in the crease of your thumb and against the opposing fingers..." his silken voice combined with his hands efficiently positioning hers lulled her into a Zen state. Watching him physically instruct her was unexpectedly relaxing. The static zaps from their connected hands dulled slightly with continuous contact, but remained otherwise undiminished. Usually her mind fought for peace and serenity, rarely finding it, but within minutes Gerard's touch and lilting voice calmed her frantic brain like an hour's worth of focused meditation. She resisted the urge to wipe non-existent drool from the corner of her mouth.

"There you are then, luv," he said, partially releasing her hands and looked up to meet her enraptured stare. Her calm, soft emerald eyes took him by surprise. This was new and unanticipated, but definitely not unwelcome.

"Sarah," he whispered, and before his brain analyzed and talked him out of the sophomoric urge, he quickly moved forward to capture her lips with his, their fingers intertwining on the tabletop. As kisses go, it was his most chaste first kiss since university, but the shared electricity seared his lips and raced to his chest. He tilted his head and pressed firmer, his heart throbbing painfully when she countered with equal passion.

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When their eyes met, frozen in seconds, and she heard her name fall from Gerard's lips a moment before he moved forward as a flash and kissed her; Sarah understood her vain adolescent search had finally found some resolution. The first touch of his lips sent proverbial shock waves throughout her body and she couldn't help returning his ardor. She felt Gerard's fingers tighten around hers and heard him moan. His free hand gripped her shoulder pulling her closer, and she followed his lead, unresisting. She needed to breathe but hated to stop. She wanted to kiss this man forever.

"Wait," she gasped, backing away.

"What? What's wrong?" he asked, nose to nose, breathing heavily. How could he feel so intensely for this woman he hardly knew?

"Nothing," she answered, her breathing as heavy, "we're just..." She discreetly glanced around the restaurant then back to Gerard, various patrons noticing their interlude. Right, of course! Her touch drove out any rational thought, and Gerard belated realized he would've blissfully snogged Sarah with no care for the public setting. He forced himself to push away.

"Right then, still hungry?" he asked, hoping beyond hope her appetite fled along with his.

"Not really."

"Me either, shall we..." He nodded towards the exit.

"Definitely," Sarah gave him a genuine smile and blush, and Gerard breath caught as he signaled for the waiter to bring their check. All signs pointed to: time to quit the premises for a significantly more private location and everyone moved ten seconds slower around them until they escaped the restaurant to walk freely to Sarah's apartment.

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Whatever possessed her to trust Gerard enough to invite him back to her home on a first date, she preferred to ignore for the present. He explained his current circumstances of residing with his sister, thereby dictating a distinct lack of privacy within his power to offer without additional time and effort, so it naturally fell to Sarah to suggest her home. She just knew she wanted him, alone, now, and damn the consequences. They were free adults, they answered to no one, whatever happened, happened.

Certain delicate portions of her anatomy tingled with anticipation when she allowed her thoughts to wander too far ahead. Not that she usually—meaning never— brought men she barely knew back to her apartment, but Gerard was...different. This was different. She had yet to understand why, but for the first time in her life she didn't care about controlling the outcome. She wasn't afraid, she just wanted to find out want happened next. And that thought, that feeling was...freeing.

They held hands as they briskly walked the four blocks to her home, neither tempted to separate, both exchanging random shy glances and quirks of their mouths. Too perfectly right to be wrong, too strangely coincidental to be ignored, they didn't question the mutual, compelling attraction.

Sarah unlocked the outside door of her building, escorted him down the main hall to her door, and tried not to fumble her door keys while he waited patiently behind her.

"Would you like me to...?"

"No, I've got it," she said, smiling nervously over her shoulder and internally sighed when the lock finally gave. Gerard restrained his body's wish to fidget while he waited for Sarah to unlock her front door. Every molecule of his being demanded he spin her about and ravish her in the hallway.

'Patience, she's trusting you, don't cock it up,' he told himself, returning her tense smile over her shoulder. The door swung open and she walked in first, turned and welcomed him into her home. Gerard stepped cautiously through the dimly lit threshold not wishing to appear too eager and heard Sarah shut the door behind him. He spun around to see her leaning her back against the door, her body wary but with eager eyes. Dare he?

"So," Sarah tilted her head to one side and licked her upper lip; Gerard repressed a groan. He could tell she breathed rapidly as he by the way her breasts strained at her silk shirt. He suddenly noticed her bra must be unpadded because even in the dim lighting he could see her peaked nipples. Oh, yes, he dared!

"So," he echoed, stalking slowly closer, giving her every opportunity to stop him, move away, voice her refusal. Sarah did none of these things, instead she leaned her head back and upwards as he drew closer, her lips slightly parted. Placing his right hand flat to the door behind her, Gerard leaned into her personal space until only inches separated their faces.

"Tell me, Sarah, how are you enjoying your evening?" he drawled, hovering slowly down to her lips. He watched Sarah blink rapidly, looking stunned, but before he could ask about her, a sharp pain radiated through his skull and his vision blurred and doubled. The wood door beneath his hand changed to a rougher, uneven texture, and a musty scent assault his nostrils. Two Sarah's floated before him, the same but different. One appeared concerned while the other determined. The concerned Sarah reached out to touch his face.

"Gerard, Gerard, what's wrong?" she asked from very far away.

"Sarah?" he said, his voice shaky and uncertain. That's when he noticed he no longer stood and Sarah cradled his head in her lap as he lie in her entryway. "What happened?"

"I don't know; you just froze, staring at me, then collapsed," she said, sounding greatly upset. "I've been trying to wake you for several minutes. Should I call somebody or an ambulance?" she asked, her voice pitch rising through her answer.

"No, I'm quite alright." He shook his head, feigning wellness. Pain still wracked his brain but he loathed to tell her. At least his vision cleared and only one Sarah looked back at him.

'What the soddin' hell happened?' he thought as he enjoyed the comfort of Sarah's embrace, staring at her darkened ceiling. After a few minutes he turned in her lap, and caught her attention with a wry smile. "Well, that puts a bit of a gloom on the evening, doesn't it?" he said.

Sarah laughed. She tried to stop herself, but his dry delivery grabbed her unawares and she actually snorted delicately—she hated when those snuck out, usually when she was most relaxed or off guard.

"Monty Python fan?" She eventually managed.

"Of course," Gerard replied, sitting up slowly. "I'm British, it's a genetic predisposition. Parliament mandated screening this year for the dominant gene to avoid recessive throw backs."

How he kept a perfectly straight expression in the face of her glare, she never comprehended, but she broke before Gerard and the giggles took over. She continued laughing as she helped him stand and balance. Mission accomplished, Gerard mentally congratulated himself for distracting Sarah enough to lighten the mood. Unsure of the occurrence this evening, he still preferred not to discuss it or be transported to the hospital, disgusting places really. Disease ridden...the likelihood of being infected with some dread illness increased dramatically while hanging about at a hospital due to nosocomial infections. He shuddered to think of the current manifestations of antibiotic-resistant strains of previously commonly killed bacteria...no thank you.

"I should probably go," he said, leaving the decision to Sarah. The last thing he wanted was to leave her residence.

"Are you crazy?" Sarah asked. "I'm not letting you walk around New York, at night, by yourself after you just fainted. I should walk you home."

"I think not! I'm not allowing you to walk home by yourself!" Gerard's crossed his arms and thinned his lips, brooking no argument on this. "What kind of man would allow his...his date to take such a risk?"

"Fine," Sarah said with a huff.

"Good."

"Well, I guess the only other solution is that you stay here tonight." She blushed as his brows both arched. "I mean...y-you should probably have someone watching over you in case you have another episode anyway."

He smirked.

"Purely precautionary," she added, mildly defensive. He noticed one of her feet started tapping.

"Without a doubt." He deadpanned, and moved a bit closer to the acutely flustered Sarah.

"Since you're being so stubborn about seeking medical help..." she said, her voice losing its punch as Gerard sauntered to her. "...And all."

"Indeed," he replied his tone low and sultry as he slid one hand to cup her face and brought their bodies flush against each other with his other to the small of her back. "I'm sure you'll provide all the care I'll ever need, Sarah."

"Oh, well...I..." was all she stammered before Gerard kissed her fully, passionately, and with deliberate intention.