28th February 1992

"Trash." Sarah said to herself, flipping through the channels on the TV. "Trash. Trash."

She eventually settled on some cheesy made for TV movie, settling down on her bed. The studio apartment was too small for a couch, but it was warm and nicely decorated and relatively cheap for New York, so she was happy with it. She was on the top floor of a thirteen story building, and from her window she could see the lights of the city stretch out before her. It was a lovely view, somehow obscured by other buildings, and that alone made the rent worth it.

A New York City studio apartment was a little extravagant as a college student, but she had found that living alone was kind of necessary. It was hard to explain to Clara, her roommate in freshman year, why a bunch of ugly little goblins were bouncing up and down on her bed at one in the morning.

Her Underground visitors were frequent, and she found it a comfort. She had "normal" friends, sure, but she was awfully fond of her funny little band of misfits. They came every month or so, causing complete chaos and then leaving. A little inconvenient, but that didn't bother Sarah.

There was one Underground creature who had been noticeable in his absence - the Goblin's ruler. At first, Sarah had expected him to turn up and demand that they all leave. She had seem him a few times, that owl in the window, and then when she had turned sixteen, he'd gone. The Goblins never mentioned him, and Sarah half wondered if something bad had happened to him.

After a few years of wondering, and some quite explicit dreams involving leather that she'd rather not go into, Sarah asked Hoggle where the Goblin King was. It was her nineteenth birthday.

"Him? He's Underground. Why?" Hoggle asked, wondering why Sarah would care about him after all this time. After all, she had only known him for a few hours, and all of those were spent trying to kidnap her brother and kill her.

"Just wondering. I never see him, I thought maybe he'd appear." Sarah said, and Hoggle raised an eyebrow as he noticed a blush creep into her cheeks.

"Do you want to see him?" Hoggle had asked suspiciously, and Sarah shook her head.

"No! No, I was just wondering. Does he, um, know that you guys come up here?"

"He knows everythin'. He has no problem with it." Hoggle looked at her carefully. "What happened between you two? He sulked for a long time after you left."

"Nothing!" Sarah said hurriedly, remembering how she had rejected his offer. Thinking about his words too much made her thoughts run away - recalling that look in his eyes did something to her that she couldn't quite understand.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Sarah got up to change for bed. It was a Friday night, but still early. She was notorious amongst her friends for begin that Grandma of the group - rarely going out, fond of knitting and hard candies and always being in bed as early as possible.

She slid under the covers, shutting her eyes tight. She was thinking of him again. She tried not to - after all, she was a woman now, and he was very much a part of her childhood. Her first crush, she thought with a little smile. She ought to have been furious with him, but now she just found the whole thing kind of funny. It was definitely more pleasant than thinking about what had happened in her personal life lately.

Outside, there was a crash of thunder, and Sarah screamed. Rain hammered against the window, and she got up to close the curtains. As lightning flashed, she jumped as she saw an owl perched on her next door neighbour's balcony. She stared at it, and it flew to her window. Mindlessly, Sarah opened the window and the owl flew in.

Just like all those years ago, the owl shifted from a bird into a man. A man who hadn't changed in nearly six years. Sarah's breath caught in her chest, and she tried to ignore the fluttering in her stomach and the racing of her heart.

"Um." Sarah said, blinking a little. "Hey."

"Hello!" Jareth said cheerily, giving her a little wave. He looked around, a bemused look on his face. "I am in completely the wrong place."

"Right. Are you, uh, okay?" She asked, watching as he picked up a book and examined it closely - upside down. She took it from his hands before he ripped it, and he stood with his hands apart, looking down at the space where the book had been.

"Wonderful!" He said with a grin, walking around again. He picked up her radio, quietly playing a phone in show, and held it to his ear.

"Have you, um, had a drink?" Sarah asked cautiously. He could hardly walk in a straight line, and he was giggling to himself. He looked at her carefully, and then leaned in towards her, and began to whisper as if telling her an important secret.

"I am absolutely pissed." He held a shaky finger to his lips. "Shh."

"Why are you here?" She asked curiously. It had been years since she had seen him, but she saw her other Underground friends fairly regularly. From what she had heard, the Goblin King was actually fairly friendly - providing you weren't trying to get a baby brother back, obviously.

"I got lost." He shrugged. He pointed at the TV, a curious look on his face. Of course, Sarah supposed, he didn't spend much time Above. "What's this?"

"That's a television." Sarah said, bemused at him stumbling around her bedroom like this. He wore a black poet shirt and tight black leggings, along with red leather boots. It was a much simpler ensemble than she had seen him wear the last time she had seen him. She hated to admit it, but there was something incredibly beautiful about him.

"Amazing." He said, a little breathless. He reached out to touch it, frowning at the hard glass under his fingertips.

"You've never seen a television before?" Sarah asked, biting back a laugh. "Wait, I don't think I even remember your real name."

"Jareth." He said lightly, now sitting down on the floor in front of the television. He jabbed a finger at the screen, frowning as the figures moved. "What is this?"

"It's called a show. Like, a play that they film with a camera. Do you know what a camera is?" Sarah asked, finding it strange that someone who looked so human (glittery eye things aside) had no knowledge at all of her world.

"No."

"It takes pictures of things in real life." Sarah looked at her bookshelf, and took her Polaroid down. To be honest, this whole thing was so bizarre she kind of wanted photographic evidence. "Look, let me take one of you."

He looked at her suspiciously, and then nodded. As she pressed the button, the flash made him jump. That would make a great picture, she thought with a mischievous grin. He watched in astonishment as the square photo shot out of the bottom of the camera.

"Now we just have to wait for a couple minutes, and the picture - photograph - will show up." Sarah said slowly. This was weird; when she was a kid, this guy was scary to her. Now, she wasn't scared at all. If anything, she was amused. This was certainly livening up her Friday night.

There was an awkward silence, Sarah staring down at the photo to try and avoid talking to him. He was pretty damn sexy, now she wasn't scared that Toby would be turned into a Goblin. That hair was a little ridiculous, but his eyes..

She shook her head; she was not attracted to this ridiculous creature, who was now humming along to some commercial for mints. She looked back down at the photo in her hand, and it had developed.

"It's done." Sarah called out to him, and he rose to his feet and walked over to her. She held out the photo to him, and he took it.

"Wow." He said in disbelief. The photo wasn't the best; his eyes were half closed and he grimaced as the flash hurt his eyes. Sarah wondered what it must be like, seeing technology that you could hardly comprehend. This was the first photo he had ever seen.

"Do you like it?"

"It's not the most flattering image I've ever seen of myself." He said, laughing. "May I have a picture of you in return?"

"Me?" Sarah asked with a frown. "Why do you want a photo of me?"

"Something to remember you by. I might not remember this in the morning, in all honesty."

"Um, alright." She handed him the camera. He held it up to his face, as she had done, and looked through the viewfinder. "Wait until I've finished talking to take it. You press that button at the top. Okay, I'm going to stop talking now."

She smiled awkwardly, and he pressed the button. The photo slid out, and he took it from the camera. He looked at it.

"It won't show up for a minute, just wait." She said. "Um, do you mind if I ask again what you're doing here?"

"I was trying to get home." He said slowly, as if trying to recall the evening's events. "Instead of going home, I ended up here. It seemed like a good idea to go for a fly."

"Where were you?" Sarah asked with interest; she was curious to know what the Goblin King did for fun.

"I believe I was at a stag night." He said, and Sarah tried not to laugh when she noticed he was swaying from side to side. He was remarkably good at having a conversation, but his words were a little loose and slurred.

"What's a stag night?" Sarah asked, unfamiliar with the term.

"A party thrown for a groom before his wedding."

"A bachelor party." Sarah corrected him, and he waved a hand indifferently.

"Yes, that."

"Was it, um, yours?" Sarah asked carefully, not sure why the prospect of this virtual stranger getting married made her stomach feel as though it was twisted.

"No, not mine. I'm not married, no plans to be either. It was for my friend."

"Oh. So, you had a lot to drink?" Sarah asked, though really the question was pointless. He grinned widely, too wide, his eyes closing.

"Goblin wine is incredibly strong. I believe I still have some on me, would you like to try some?" He offered, generous to the last.

"No thanks." Sarah said, wrinkling her nose up in distaste. She never wanted to consume any kind of Underground food or drink again. "I think you've had enough."

"Nonsense." His eyes, those strange, uneven eyes, weren't even looking at her properly. When he'd stopped talking, his lips kept moving. Really, it was hard to believe she was ever afraid of this man.

"Can you figure out how to get home?" Sarah asked, feeling genuinely concerned that he might get lost again.

"I'll use your mirror." He shrugged. "The others use it often enough that it should take me straight home."

"You know about them visiting me then?" Sarah asked, checking that Hoggle hadn't been lying to her.

"Yes. I'm rather hurt you've never invited me to one of your little parties." Jareth said, pouting. On any other man, this would look ridiculous, but Sarah found herself wanting to bite his bottom lip.

Stop it! She told herself sternly, balling her hands into fists. You are not some horny school girl. He is a man, an attractive man, and yes he's in your bedroom but that does not mean you want him in any way!

"I didn't think inviting my brother's kidnapper was appropriate." Sarah replied coolly, turning away from him to go and sit on her bed.

"I didn't kidnap him." His voice turned sharp, and Sarah felt a familiar sting of fear. "You wished him away!"

"I was a kid!" She shot back. "You shouldn't have taken him."

"You shouldn't have said the words. W-words have power you know." He was trying to act regal, but he was so drunk his tongue was tripping him up.

"Look, if you're going to be a jerk, you can just get out of here. I don't need this shit right now." She turned around, her eyes burning with tears. They weren't for him, they weren't because of him - but he was an easy target and she needed someone to be mad at.

"Are you alright, Sarah?" He asked softly, placing his hand on her shoulder and making her turn around. She shook her head, refusing to meet his eyes. This whole thing was so strange, maybe she was just dreaming.

"Not really, but I'm sure you don't need to know about my problems." She said thickly, and Jareth ran a gloved finger over the side of her face, edging her chin up so she was facing him.

"I can't really go anywhere until I sober up, I'll end up getting arrested again. Really, human law enforcement are so irritating." He stretched every syllable of every word, so it sounded as though he was speaking in slow motion. Sarah frowned at him.

"You got arrested?" She asked carefully, wondering if she was about to get done for harboring a fugitive. "When? Tonight? You're not on the lam are you?"

"What do sheep have to do with anything?" The Goblin King asked, looking thoroughly confused. "Anyway, no, not tonight. Apparently standing on top of something called a White House is a security concern. A story for another time. Now I want to hear your story."

"It's not a particularly interesting one. Girl meets boy, girl falls in love with boy, boy cheats on girl with her best friend." Sarah said bitterly, her fingernails digging into her palm. The memory of Jason and Lisa was burned in her mind, and her chest ached from crying. That had been days ago, and she was still a little delicate.

"Cheats? What does that mean?" Jareth asked. "I understand cheating at cards, but in a coupling?"

"Like, sleeping with someone else. Outside of the relationship." Sarah explained carefully, and Jareth looked puzzled.

"And this is frowned upon amongst your kind?" Jareth asked incredulously. He had taken the bottle of wine from his pocket, and took a deep glug. Sarah rolled her eyes; he was never going to sober up if he kept drinking.

"Uh, yeah it is. Not in yours?" Sarah asked, curious to know more about him. She wasn't even sure what species he was; he was far more attractive than any of the goblins she had seen.

"Oh no, my kind pretty much sleep with anything that moves." He shrugged, and Sarah tried to ignore the predatory grin on his face.

"A lovely image, thank you Jareth." Sarah said, his name rolling on her tongue. It was a name she was sure was unique to him; she had certainly never heard before. Ja-reth. Ja-reth. She liked it.

"I like you saying my name." He said, a strange expression on his face. He was looking at Sarah as though he would devour her, and it made her feel a little uncomfortable. Intrigued, yet uncomfortable.

"Do you want me to call Hoggle to help you get home?" Sarah asked, and Jareth shook his head. His long blonde hair swished over his chest, and Sarah noticed his pendant swung back and forth vigorously. His shirt was undone, almost indecently so, and Sarah couldn't help but look at his smooth chest. He didn't notice.

"You tire of me already, sweet thing? I've thought of you for all this time." He said softly, stepping closer to her. He brushed her cheek with a gloved hand, and Sarah's eyes almost shut. Her body betrayed her, a spark of lust shooting straight through her. She cursed herself; so predictable.

"You have?" Sarah squeaked, his words catching her off guard. "Why?"

"I was a bit of a prat the last time I saw you." He said, face straight and deadly serious. He seemed to realise he was too close to her, stepping back and cocking his head to one side.

"A prat?" Honestly, did this guy talk in riddles or something?

"An idiot, a fool." Jareth said. "I was harsh to you, and I want to apo-apolgize." The word got caught on his tongue, and Sarah got the feeling that apologizing wasn't something he did very often.

"You do?" Sarah blinked; this was unexpected. In all honesty, she had kind of forgiven him. Hoggle had explained that even though yes, the Goblin King could be an ass sometimes, there was a certain way he had to behave. Sarah had assumed the aggressive marriage proposal was all part of that; after all, it had been in her book.

"I do." He shrugged. "And being incredibly drunk, it seems like this is the perfect moment. I shan't remember any of this in the morning."

"So you don't really mean it then." Sarah said, arms folded over her chest. Really, he was a strange man. He was so human outwardly, yet so thoroughly other. It made her head spin. He made her head spin.

"I do mean it. I really have thought about you, Sarah." Her name was like honey on his lips, and she wanted to hear him say it over and over again. "I've thought about you rather a lot. Perhaps that is why my magic brought me here, instead of my castle."

"You're pretty self aware for a drunkard." Sarah said drily. She yawned. "I'm kind of tired. I might go to bed. Shall I call Hoggle to help you home?"

"Maybe." Jareth admitted defeat. "Hold on, let me try and do some magic."

"What are you gonna do, pull a rabbit from a hat? The ol' snake scarf trick?"

"Sarah, has anyone ever told you tha' sharcasm is the lowest form of wit?" He asked her, sitting down heavily on the chair in the corner. She had her hands on her hips, trying not to laugh.

"No, but I've certainly been told that about sarcasm." Sarah retorted, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes.

"Okay, stand back." He twisted his hand, and sure enough one of his crystals appeared. Sarah edged away from him, wondering what he was about to do with it. He waved his hand over it, and a beautiful flower appeared. It was as though it was cut from crystal; it looked like a rose, but the petals were strangely translucent. He thrust it out towards her. "Here. A gift."

"Excuse me if I'm a little wary of accepting gifts from you, Your Highness." She said, holding her hands in front of her like a shield. He eyed her up and down, a smirk on his lips. He placed the flower on the desk, and looked at her with amusement.

"You're still so snippy, aren't you, beautiful girl?"

She felt herself blush at his words.

"I suppose I should be going. Thank you for your hoshpitality, Sarah Williams. I shan't bother you again."

"Wait." Sarah said, just as he was about to step through the mirror. "Maybe you bothering me again wouldn't be so bad. Give me the photo."

"The what?" He asked, frowning.

"The picture. Give me it." She held out her hand expectantly, and he shook his head.

"No, it's mine!" Jareth said defensively, his hand moving over his pocket to protect the Polaroid.

"I'll give it back. I just want to do something." Sarah held out her hand expectantly, and he handed it over, pouting again.

Sarah walked over to her desk, and took a pen from the stationary pot she kept. She was painfully organised, to the point where people made fun of her. She wrote on the small white strip at the bottom of the paper, read it quickly and then handed it back to Jareth.

"Don't read it now." She instructed him, biting her bottom lip nervously. "Read it in the morning."

"Alright." He gave her a funny little salute. "Well, goodbye Sarah."

"Goodbye, Jareth."

She watched as he passed through the mirror. Her eyes glanced at the clock; he had been there less than fifteen minutes, yet she had the feeling she would never forget this strange night.

She yawned, and got into bed. She hoped he wouldn't remember her terrible pajamas, or the fact that she had almost cried in front of him.

She hoped he would come back one day.

The next morning, Jareth woke up with a pounding headache and a mouth as dry as sand. He sat up, grabbing his tender head as though that would make it stop hurting. He squinted as he tried to remember how he had gotten home last night.

His heart skipped a beat as memories began to flash in his mind. No, that had to be a dream. He couldn't have gone to see Sarah.

He was still fully dressed, and he checked his pockets to see if he had any potions for hangovers knocking around in there. He usually slipped some kind of cure in there, forward planning was one of his fortés. His fingers brushed over something flat and square that felt as though it was made from card. He took it out, and gasped.

Sarah was staring back at him, frozen in time. What was this? He turned it over in his hands; the back was black, with nothing of note to see there. He flipped it back over to see Sarah's smiling face, and his eyes were drawn to the white strip at the bottom of the image. The little bit at the bottom was hard to read; there was limited space, and Sarah had written in tiny letters;

Yes, you did come to see me last night. I hope your head doesn't hurt too much this morning. It was nice to see you, and I wouldn't be mad if you came to see me again. Maybe sober, next time. Sarah x

He blinked in shock. Not only had he gone to see Sarah, but she actually wanted him to come back. This had to be some trick, some cruel practical joke.

He would have to visit her again, after a little time had passed, and ask her.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. This is going to be a story, but it'll be a series of connected one shots more than a proper plot. I want to do more comedy. I've got a few ideas and I'm also looking for prompts - words, or sentences - so if you have any let me know.

Fics where Jareth just turns up at Sarah's home and bugs her are my absoloute favourite,and I love the idea of them being friends. I really want to write one where we see the progress of the friendship rather than just hearing about it down the line when they're almost together. Saying that, the rating on this will almost definitely increase in the future.