The Visitations

Jareth begins visiting Sarah on a daily basis nearly 6 years after the labyrinth took place.

Disclaimer: Sarah and Jareth don't belong to me. Everyone else does.

Gentle rhythmic breathing of a young woman and the soft sound of whooshing air coming from the fan filled the room as Sarah Williams slept peacefully in her bed. The moonlight caressed her delicate body and gave her an angelic look. Strands of dark hair whipped across her forehead as the fan blew directly on her face. Shadows danced across the wall as creatures flew past the window and the room was enveloped in a light blue glow.

A low moan escaped her full lips as she twisted underneath the blanket. She was having the dream again. It was always located in a different setting but the premise was the same. She was searching, looking for something important. She never knew what needed to be retrieved but she continued searching. Although she never found it, she continued having the dreams. This time she was in the middle of a meadow, completely alone, wearing only a thin white nightgown and she was barefoot. Her long hair flew behind her as she ran across the damp grass. She felt the wet earth beneath her feet and the moist air slammed into her face, making it harder to breathe. Her legs pumped faster and her heart beat accelerated, she felt a tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach and she knew she was close. Her face felt as though it was on fire despite the cool breeze and an indescribable feeling clawed at her in the center of her chest. Her breathing became ragged but she couldn't stop. The trees surrounding the outskirts of the meadow turned into a blur as she moved at an inhumanly rapid speed. The wind pushed against her, determined to make her lose. She knew she was close to finding what she had been searching for. She felt as if a shrilling alarm rang in her ears and a flashing red light beamed around her. She was getting closer. Closer. Closer. So close! Her long legs felt like caving in but she wouldn't allow it. The harsh wind wrapped around her neck, nearly suffocating her. But she didn't slow down. Her heart nearly exploded as she saw a humanoid shape in the distance. There. That was it. She approached as quickly as her legs could manage. Taking long, graceful strides toward the person of her secret desires, she slipped on the slick grass and fell forward. Her body crashed against the hard ground and a sharp sound of pain come from her mouth. No! She couldn't fail now! She lifted her head up to gaze into familiar eyes and gasped.

Sarah's eyes snapped opened and she bolted straight up in her bed. No, she thought to herself, that couldn't be the object of her desire. Is that who she had been searching for? She quickly shook her head. No. No. No! But the feeling she felt when she saw him. She couldn't deny it. She felt satisfied and knew she found what she had been looking for. A look of pure horror showed plainly on her face.

"Jareth." She whispered to herself.

She hadn't thought about that man, if he even was a man, in years. She had convinced herself the labyrinth was simply a vivid dream and banished any thought of the Goblin King and his subjects. Surely it couldn't have been real. That was impossible. But why did she feel so frightened upon finding out the man she had been searching for was a figment of her imagination?

She hopped off of her queen size bed, unable to sleep, and stalked towards the bathroom. She suddenly felt dirty and needed a quick shower. She opened her bedroom door as quietly as possible, determined not to wake her roommates. Even though it was very possible for them to hear the running water from the shower. She took approximately two steps forward before stopping dead in her tracks. What was she doing? It's barely 3 am. The shower could wait. She abruptly turned back to her bedroom and froze when she saw a figure standing in the shadows. Her entire body stiffened and she could hear her heart beat drumming in her ears.

Having the sudden need to grab something, she clutched the fabric of the faded black t-shirt she wore. Practically the only thing she wore. She suddenly became aware of how exposed she was. The bottom of the shirt barely reached past her hip bones and the red cotton bikini cut underwear she had on was clearly visible. She slid her arms down the length of her shirt and pulled down on the end in her best attempt to cover herself up.

She put one leg behind her and began to back up. All she knew is that there was something in her room and her mind demanded her to run. She opened her mouth to scream for her roommates when the figure stepped into the moonlight.

Long blonde hair cascaded around his face and shoulders. A smug smile threatened to show as his lips lifted slightly. He was clearing attempting to restrain himself from showing his arrogant amusement as she stared at him with wide eyes.

Sarah's mouth gaped open and all she could do was stare. Stare at something that didn't exist. He wasn't real. He couldn't be. She was still dreaming! Of course, that was it! Wake up Sarah, she shouted to herself inside her head. Come on, wake up!

He stepped forward again. Placing a hand on his hip and a cocky half smile appeared on his face. He patiently waited for her to make her move. To either scream or run away but she held her ground.

She briefly opened her mouth as if to speak but decided against it. Instead, she stepped forward. She put one foot in front of the other very slowly. She took a deep breath and stared directly into his eyes. She moved closer and closer to the fake man standing in front of her.

He glanced down at her underneath his eye lashes and was slightly surprised by her bravery. He hadn't expected a confrontation from her. He played out different scenarios in his mind but never this. They usually involved her screaming until she was blue in the face or jabbing him with some object foreign to him or darting out of the room. He should have known better. This was Sarah. When did she ever let fear conquer her?

She stood 2 inches in front of him and peered up at him. She smirked and an odd emotion gleamed in her eyes. She lightly tapped his shoulder before circling around him.

"Why are you here?" She asked without expecting a response.

Jareth gazed at her curiously and was intrigued by her behavior. He couldn't help but grin back at her and his eyes danced with amusement.

Sarah continued circling him as she spoke. "I must admit I am shocked to see you standing in my bedroom. This is the second most vivid dream I have ever had." She finished circling and stopped in front of him. "Why can't I control you? You're in my imagination. Move."

Jareth raised an eyebrow at her. She didn't believe this is real. He contemplated on getting straight to the point and inform her that she isn't dreaming or if he should continue to let her believe this is all in her head. He was mildly interested in discovering how far she would go to convince herself this is a dream. Five more minutes couldn't hurt.

"Move. Dance. Sing." She demanded. "Humph. Fine." She crossed her arms over stomach and shivered. There was a breeze coming from somewhere other than the fan and she glanced around the room until she noticed the window was slightly open. It was open wide enough for a bird to crawl through. She tried walking straight into Jareth, thinking she'd past right through him. No such luck. She grunted and glared at him.

A slight chuckle escaped from the back of his throat and he could barely contain himself. This was getting ridiculous but he appreciated the temporary entertainment.

Sarah walked around Jareth and closed the window. When she turned, he was standing directly in front her and she jumped.

For the first time since he arrived, Jareth spoke. "What?" He asked with mock concern. "Did I startle you?"

Sarah blinked and shook her head. "No. But I don't want you in my dream. Disappear!"

Jareth smiled slightly, "You're not dreaming, Sarah."

An odd feeling filtered through Sarah as she realized how real this felt. But she had to be dreaming. Jareth didn't exist. She turned around to face the window and watched as the cool wind blew through the trees and the braches swayed.

She continued facing the window as she turned her head in the direction Jareth was standing in and shyly peeked at him. "I am dreaming." She whispered to him. "You're not real." She turned her entire body to face him and wrapped her arms around herself. "You don't exist."

Jareth took a step forward and grinned as he extended his arm out and reached for her face. He swept her hair off of her face and tucked it behind her ear. Sarah began trembling when his gloved hands came in contact with her skin as he gently slid his hand down her cheek and lifted her chin up. "Don't I?" He whispered in her ear.

Sarah shivered involuntary and her breathing became uneven. It took several moments for her to regain her composure and she stepped back to get out of his reach. "No." She said firmly. "I made you. You only exist in here." She pointed at the side of her head as she spoke the last word.

"Oh, really? Prove it." Jareth replied smugly.

I just have to wake up, Sarah thought to herself. She remembered that she never dies in any her dreams. Whenever she is close to defeat, she wakes up. That's it! She'll have to do something drastic to wake herself up.

Sarah turned back to the window. "I will. I can't die in my dreams."

Jareth looked at her suspiciously and frowned. "May I inquire as to your point in that statement?"

Sarah shot him a glance before lifting the window open, which had no screen behind the glass, and stuck her head and upper body outside. She dangled out of the window as she looked down at the solid pavement. She was on the fourth level of the apartment building and jumping would certainly cause her to wake up. She attempted to lift the rest of her body out of the window but arms encircled her waist and roughly drew her back inside. She hit the back of her head on the window and called out in pain. Damn, that hurt! Her eyes widened at the revelation and her mouth formed a perfect O shape.

Jareth yanked her back inside her room, arms still wrapped around her waist and he spun her around to face him. "As much as I enjoy your insanity, I'd prefer you not to commit suicide."

Sarah touched the back of her head and winced at the pain. She felt a wetness trickle down the length of her fingers and brought her hand in front of her face to examine the blood that covered her fingers.

"Oh my God," She said as she stumbled backwards. If Jareth had not continued to hold her, she would have tripped and possibly fell out of the open window. "I'm really not dreaming, am I?"

Jareth released his grip on her waist and grabbed her arm as he led her towards the bed. He sat her down and forced her to turn her head to get a better look at the cut on the back of her skull. It wasn't too bad, he thought, but it looked as though it would require a few stitches. He placed his black gloved hand on top of the wound and when he removed his hand, the cut was gone. Only a small amount of blood remained.

Sarah glanced at him before touching the back of her head. It didn't hurt anymore. She sighed in relief and when she looked back at him, his eyes were gazing into hers and she felt her heart lift and her stomach felt as though it was filled with butterflies.

"Thank you." She said shyly and broke off the intense eye contact.

She couldn't believe this was really happening. Unless she has an exceptional and extraordinary imagination, Jareth was real. She hadn't dreamt the labyrinth. It was all real.

Jareth watched as she stared straight ahead, obviously deep in thought.

Sarah finally decided to break the silence. "What…what are you doing here?" Her voice quivered and she silently cursed at herself.

Jareth locked his eyes with hers and spoke with arrogance. "You called me."

Sarah looked at him incredulously. "What? No I didn't."

"You spoke my name."

"Saying your name is equivalent to welcoming you into my bedroom in the middle of the night?"

Jareth smiled seductively, "Something like that." He leaned back, never breaking off the eye contact. "What were you dreaming about?" His voice dripped with accusation.

Sarah scoffed and folded her arms over her breasts. "Oh, please. Get over yourself." She rolled her eyes and looked away from him. "I dreamt I was running in a meadow and you interrupted my peaceful run." She half lied.

Jareth sat up straight and scooted closer to her. "Mmm. And what happened when I graced you with my presence?"

Sarah glared at him. "I woke up due to the revolting feeling you caused me when I saw you."

Jareth threw his head back and laughed. "Sure." He sobered and looked straight into her eyes. "Why did it take you so long to think about me?"

Sarah lowered her head and began playing with the seams on her quilt. "I grew up, Goblin King. I'm not a kid anymore. It was time to face reality and push away my childish fantasies."

He shook his head, "Call me Jareth." He paused for a few seconds. "How old are you now?" Jareth asked curiously.

"I'll be 21 in a couple of months." She replied softly.

Jareth's eyes gazed over her entire body. Her legs were long and slender. Nearly perfect. She was slimmer than the last time he saw her. Her arms were slightly muscular but still very feminine. Her face was more angular and her lips slightly fuller. Her eyes were still large and made her appear young and innocent. Her bust was definitely larger and he allowed his eyes to linger a bit longer than necessary.

Sarah caught him checking her out and she uncomfortably shifted her body away from him. She opened her mouth to speak but a loud noise coming from the apartment captured her attention.

"Fu-aack!" She heard a female voice shout right outside of her bedroom. Sarah quickly stood up and faced Jareth.

He also stood up and leaned over her. "If you wish to continue this conversation, just call." He spoke into her ear right before vanishing into thin air.

Sarah stared at the empty spot that Jareth occupied just seconds ago. Remembering the commotion outside of her door, she threw the bedroom door open and switched the living room light on.

Emmy, her dark haired roommate, stood a couple of feet away from Sarah. She held her knee with a pained expression and hopped over to the sofa. Emmy glanced up at Sarah as her eyes filled with tears.

"Sorry. I jammed my knee into the freaking coffee table!" She grimaced and examined her knee. A piece of skin was peeled back and beads of blood covered the scrape. "Damnit!"

Sarah approached her roommate, "A lot of people seem to be getting hurt around here lately."

"What do you mean?" Emmy asked as she squeezed blood out of her cut.

Sarah lifted her hand and showed her the dry blood on her fingers.

Emmy widened her eyes. "Shit. What happened to you?"

Sarah simply shrugged. "I hit the back of my head on something." Emmy appeared concerned so Sarah added, "But it's okay. I'm healed." She leaned over Emmy's leg and gently pushed her hand away to stop her from squeezing more blood out of the cut. "Ew. Don't do that. Stay right there, I'm going to clean that up."

Emmy leaned back against the sofa and closed her eyes. "Damn, I need to sleep more."

Sarah opened the cabinet in the kitchen containing a first aid kit. "Did you just get in?" Sarah asked across the other side of the apartment.

"Yeah. I was too busy fighting with Barry to realize how late it was."

Sarah walked back into the living room with the first aid kit and laid it down of the coffee table. "Why were you and Barry fighting?"

Emmy blinked back tears. "He's an asshole. I can't believe I keep falling for jerks! You'd think I would finally meet someone nice by now."

Sarah began tending to her friends' wound and spoke without taking her eyes off of the cut. "What did he do now?"

"Tomorrow is my birthday," She glanced at the clock, "well, today, actually." She waved her hand. "You know that. So I wanted the first person I see on the day I turn 21 to be Barry." Tears clouded her vision and she wiped away a single tear that glided down her bronze cheek. "So, I get to his apartment but he's not there. I thought that was odd. And I was about to leave when I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. I looked over the railing and there was Barry. With a girl. She was laughing and leaning into him and he was holding her around her waist." She didn't bother wiping away the tears that spilled over this time. "So, I was like 'What the hell man'? And I confronted him. He was so angry, like I was the one hanging onto another guy. He accused me of spying on him and we got into a really big fight. The girl left and it was just me and Barry screaming at each other for hours inside his apartment." She wiped away the tears with the back of her hand and laughed cruelly. "I am so stupid. Why do I keep letting this happen? I should've listened to you when you first told me you didn't like him."

Sarah observed her sympathetically and pulled her into a tight embrace. "It is not your fault."

A door creaked open and both girls turned to see a petite blonde wonder over to them. "What's going on, guys?" She asked as she shielded her eyes from the bright light and nearly ran into the coffee table as her eyes tried adjusting. She looked over at Emmy's bandaged leg, up to her face, which was covered in tears and saw Sarah holding her in her arms. "My God. What happened, Em?"

Claire sat down on the other side of Emmy and listened intently as the same story she told Sarah spilled from her lips.

Claire took a deep breath and looked at both girls. "Well, you know what I think?"

"What?" Emmy and Sarah replied at the same time.

"In honor of Emmy's 21st birthday and to forget about our past lovers, we should go out to that bar Angie told us about." The girls looked at her wearily and she threw her hands up. "I know. I know. None of us enjoy the bar scene but it'll be fun. Just the three of us, unwinding and drinking."

"You mean the two of you drinking and unwinding." Sarah corrected. "I'm still underage, remember?"

"We could slip you some alcohol when the bartender isn't looking." Claire winked.

Emmy sat up straight and rubbed her eyes. "Actually, I think that's a good idea. I don't want to spend my birthday wallowing over another loser."

Claire smiled brightly. "Sarah?"

Sarah nodded weakly. "Yeah, sure, I guess. Why not?"

"Good, later tonight we will be surrounded by horny men ogling at us while we indulge in cheap alcohol." Claire said briskly.

Neither of the girls wanted to go back to their separate bedrooms to sleep, so they moved the coffee table out of the center of the living room and threw blankets and pillows on the floor. They huddled close together and talked until one by one, they fell asleep.

Claire left the apartment around 9:30 am and headed to the restaurant where she worked as a hostess. Emmy and Sarah spent the day outside, trying not to think about their habits of picking the wrong type of men. They wandered around Seattle and reminisced about when they first met.

Emmy laughed lightly as she and Sarah crossed the street. "Do you remember how quiet you were?" They approached a bookstore and Emmy held the door open for Sarah to enter first. "I could barely get you to speak in full sentences! And you're still kind of quiet. I've been trying to figure out what you think about in that head of yours for years now."

Sarah shrugged and glanced at her friend. "I've always kept to myself since…" She paused and looked away, "Well, you know."

"Yeah." Emmy whispered. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up."

Sarah shrugged again. "It's okay." She glanced around the store and grabbed Emmy's hand. "It's over there." She pointed with her free hand and dragged Emmy with her towards the fantasy section. She skimmed over the books and found the one she was looking for. She pulled out a small red book and held it out to Emmy.

Emmy took the book in her hands and opened it up to a random page to read a sentence. "This is your favorite childhood memory?"

Sarah nodded, "The book isn't necessarily the best part. It's how I received it."

"Who gave it to you?"

"My mom." Sarah replied sadly.

Emmy smiled at her sweetly and squeezed her shoulder. "Come here. Let me show you my favorite book when I was a kid."

Sarah followed Emmy over to the other side of the store and watched as she pulled 'Little Women' from the shelf.

By 8:30 pm the girls entered the bar that their friend Angie recommended. Sarah wore a simple dark blue floral print dress with spaghetti straps that showed off her long legs. She pinned her hair up in loose curls and was sure to turn heads. Emmy had a sleek strapless black dress on which made her appear older, thinner and taller. She straightened her normally wavy long black hair and left it down. Claire had her short blonde hair up in spikes which had pink highlights. She had on a colorful halter dress that expressed her carefree and fun attitude.

After an hour of drinking and chatting about random topics, Emmy sipped on her Long Island Iced Tea and Claire on her Sea Breeze. Sarah drank water due to being underage and refused Claire's offer of slipping her some alcohol. Emmy was definitely tipsy, bordering on drunk but Claire seemed coherent enough.

A man with dark brown hair, brown eyes and covered in tattoo's sat alone and looked miserable. He had to be in his mid or late 30's. He was slightly chubby yet his arms appeared to be somewhat muscular and he looked as though he hadn't showered in days.

Emmy glanced over at him and felt brave, "Hey you!" She shouted at the strange man.

The man returned the glance but looked away when he saw her. He wasn't interested.

"Heeeellllooooo, anyone there?" Emmy stood up and stumbled towards the man.

Claire and Sarah abruptly stood up and grabbed Emmy from getting any closer. Emmy looked at the man and started laughing.

"You're so ugly." Emmy slurred and began laughing. "I wouldn't touch you with a 10 foot pole." She turned at looked at her friends. "Do you see how ugly he is?" She asked the girls and pointed to the man. "You alone. All alone." She began singing. "All by yourself…"

Claire laughed before she clapped her hands over her mouth. She found the scene hilarious but she didn't want to encourage Emmy.

"Emmy!" Sarah shouted as she dragged her friend away from the man and lectured her about her behavior.

"Okay, that's it. Time to go home!" Sarah told the girls.

Claire agreed and Emmy pouted.

"I have to pee!" Emmy whined.

Sarah sighed and looked at the bartender. "Do you have a restroom around here?"

The bartender nodded, "Go down that hall," He pointed the hall opposite of the entrance door, "It's on the far left."

"Thank you." Sarah replied before looking at Emmy. "Want me to go with you?"

Emmy laughed, "Do you wanna pull my panties down too?" She wrapped her arms around Sarah's neck and laughed even harder. "You can wipe my…"

Sarah rolled her eyes, "Okay, you can go by yourself."

Emmy continued laughing and released her friend. She stumbled down the hall, pressed up against the wall and took her sweet time getting to the restroom.

The bartender chuckled lightly and started telling a story about a woman who came in last week and caused the funniest scene he had ever seen. The girls were listening intently and laughing. They didn't even notice the strange man stalk toward the hallway with an angry expression written on his face.

Emmy stood in front of the mirror and washed her hands. She heard the restroom door open and footsteps approach but she didn't look up. She stared at the soap on her hands and giggled. The footsteps grew closer and stopped right next to her. Emmy glanced at her reflection in the mirror and gasped when she saw a man standing behind her. She started laughing and held a hand up to her heart.

"You almost gave me a heart attack, mister!" Her words were barely comprehensible due to her slurring and laughing.

The man's brows frowned and he took a step closer to Emmy. Emmy spun around and hiccupped. "You are naughty! This is the woman's room. But I won't tell." She started laughing again and walked past him.

The man roughly grabbed Emmy's arm and yanked her back to face him.

"Ow!" Emmy screamed.

The man unbuckled his belt and held it up to her face. Emmy stared at him, suddenly becoming afraid.

The bartender, Claire and a few other customers laughed together and Sarah looked toward the hallway. It had been several minutes since Emmy walked into the restroom. She wondered what was taking her so long. She glanced at the people listening to the bartender talk and noticed someone was missing. The man Emmy had harassed was gone. She knew no one left or entered the bar between the time Emmy traveled down the hallway and now. There was a bell that rang every time the door opened. Sarah stood up and decided to check on her friend.

She quickly walked down the hallway and stood in front of the restroom door. "Emmy?" She knocked on the door and heard a shuffling sound. She slowly opened the door and saw the man standing over Emmy with a belt around her neck. He was strangling her!

Sarah ran into the restroom and attempted to push the man off of her friend. The man barely budged and faced Sarah. His light brown eyes darkened and he looked purely evil. He growled and pushed Sarah against the wall without saying a word. Sarah pushed on his shoulders to make him back away but he was too strong. He grabbed her wrists and pinned her arms above her head. She should feel his disgusting hot breath on her neck and shuddered. He smelt like beer and cigarettes.

She could see Emmy's limp body lying on the dirty tiles and tears filled her eyes. Sarah screamed as loud as she could, hoping someone would hear her. The man released one of her wrists before he quickly transferred it into his other hand. He used his free hand to cover her mouth and Sarah gagged because of the strong sent of tobacco, leather and sweat. She lifted her leg and swiftly plunged it forward to his manly area.

The man doubled over in pain and Sarah used the opportunity to remove herself from being trapped against the wall. She ran over to Emmy and loosened the belt around her neck.

"Emmy, can you hear me? Em?" Sarah searched for a pulse but the man recovered from her attack grabbed a handful of Sarah's hair. He forced her to stand up, his hand still wrapped in her hair and jammed her body against one of the stalls. Once again, she screamed on the top of her lungs but she couldn't hear anyone coming to the rescue.

She remembered the events that happened early that morning. The Goblin King had hold her to call him if she wants to talk to him again.

She took a deep breath and shut her eyes. "Ja…JARETH!!" She shouted as loud as she could.

The man still had a firm hold on her and slammed her back up against the wall. He opened his legs wide and trapped her legs in between his so she couldn't kick him. He pinned her wrists above her head again and spoke for the first time, "Die, bitch."

Sarah waited for Jareth to show up but she saw no signs of his entrance. He didn't come.

Sarah looked into the man's eyes and trembled. She was going to die.

Jareth sat in his throne, deeply involved in an important conversation with Princess Ilaya and her husband Prince Embry when he sensed Sarah calling him. He frowned and knew he was obligated to finish his conversation with Ilaya and Embry. Sarah would have to wait.

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