I need You, Scarlet

"What are you doing out here?" Edward asked, worry etched across his face as he gazed at her frail frame.

"I asked you a question," he repeated, frustration creeping into his voice as Scarlet remained silent, her gaze fixed on the ground.

"Just leave," Scarlet muttered, her voice barely audible.

Edward let out a pained chuckle, his voice rising in anguish, "Why does it always have to be Jareth? Why him, every time?"

His words only made Scarlet cry harder. She finally let out the tears she had been holding back, sobbing uncontrollably. Edward, standing nearby, looked at her, dumbfounded. His hair and clothes were soaked as he held the umbrella over her head. Overcome with guilt, he bent down and gently stroked her back.

Scarlet eventually calmed down, her eyes swollen and red. The rain had ceased by the time her tears subsided. She looked up at Edward, who was drenched from the downpour.

"The rain has stopped," she murmured, removing the umbrella from above her head. Edward, realizing it too late, lowered the umbrella and asked, "Are you going to stay here?"

"I won't go back with you," she replied, a sneeze forming and then bursting forth.

"Why? Because of Jareth?" Edward's question made Scarlet lift her head, suspicion flickering in her eyes.

"How do you know that?" she asked, meeting Edward's gaze directly.

"Is that important?" he said, pausing briefly before continuing, "I have a place where even if he searches for you, he can't find you."

Scarlet felt a flicker of temptation; it was the perfect escape from Athena too. But then she remembered that Edward was part of the reason she had avoided Jareth for days. She furrowed her brow and asked, "Why should I trust you?"

"Because I keep my promises," he replied smoothly. "If it's because of what happened between me and Jareth, I will resolve it." He hesitated, then added, "And it wasn't really his fault. He was only trying to protect you because I was the one who made the proposal," he said, biting his lip.

Furiously, Scarlet hit him. Seeing that Edward didn't react to the pain, she bit him hard, letting out a heavy breath. Edward laughed, finding her adorable in that moment. He stretched out his hand to pat her head but stopped midway, awkwardly lowering his hand when Scarlet turned to face him.

"Don't I have nice biceps?" he asked, flexing his arms.

Scarlet looked at him, scrunching up her face and shaking her head before getting up. She brushed the dirt off her clothes, and Edward stood alongside her.

"Deal," he said, raising an eyebrow and looking at her with bright, expectant eyes.

"Deal, but you better settle things with him," she warned, pointing a finger at him. Edward nodded in response as he led the way for Scarlet.

******

Jareth paced inside his study room, his anxiety growing with each passing second. He was waiting for Raynell to return with news about Scarlet.

Raynell knocked on the door and entered immediately without waiting for a response.

"Where is she?" Jareth demanded the moment Raynell stepped inside.

"We haven't found her yet. The guards said they didn't see her leave," Raynell replied.

Jareth rubbed his temples in thought. Where could she be? Desperately, he silently hoped nothing bad had happened to her.

"I think we should wait a little bit to see if she returns. She probably just went somewhere," Raynell suggested, interrupting Jareth's thoughts.

"It seems strange, though. She isn't the type to leave her chambers alone without her maidservant," Jareth said, voicing his concern.

"I believe she will come back. She can't be blaming herself for what happened to Riley," Raynell said, his words sending a chill down Jareth's spine.

She wouldn't blame herself, right? He tried to convince himself she had no reason to feel guilty, but the thought gnawed at him.

"Send the guards out to look for her," he ordered. Raynell nodded and left the room.

"Scarlet, where are you?" Jareth asked the empty room.

He couldn't smell her scent at all, indicating she had gone far enough to evade him. How was he going to find her? Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he smirked.

*****

Scarlet heaved a sigh of relief as they finally reached their destination. The gate creaked open, revealing a creepy, silent place.

"You expect me to stay here?" Scarlet scoffed, turning to Edward.

"Do you want him to find you?" Edward asked, raising an eyebrow.

Scarlet sighed, resigning herself to the situation, and followed Edward inside. She brushed cobwebs off her body as they walked through the neglected hallway.

"You can take your bath through that door," Edward said, pointing to one clean door amidst the rotten, dusty ones. He then went upstairs and returned a few minutes later with a towel.

"Here," he said, handing her the towel. She muttered a "thank you" before entering the bathroom.

Locking the door behind her, she began to undress. Suddenly, she remembered Ilvia and felt a pang of sadness. She would miss her deeply and hoped Ilvia found happiness.

Scarlet slid into the bathtub, her eyes half-closed as she savored the moment of peace.

"Hey, mate," a voice rang out, jolting Scarlet. She opened her eyes and looked around in surprise.

It was Darcie. She remained silent, determined not to let him know she could hear him.

"I know you can hear me, Scarlet," he said, his voice dropping to a sad tone. She kept her eyes tightly shut, refusing to respond.

"Where are you, Scarlet?" he pleaded, frustration creeping into his voice as her silence persisted.

"I need you, Scarlet," he sighed, his frustration evident.

Scarlet slowly opened her eyes, her head resting on the edge of the bathtub. Her heart squeezed at his words. She realized that if she didn't tell him to leave, he would never stop searching.

"Did you hear me?" he asked again, his voice tinged with desperation.

"Don't look for me," she finally managed to say, her voice shaky. "Please, I don't want you to look for me. You're safe that way."

The sound of glass shattering echoed, and Scarlet quickly got out of the bathtub, dressing hurriedly. She stepped out and froze in shock. Edward was standing next to someone she knew all too well.

"Scarlet," Jareth called out, his voice a mixture of sadness and anger.