Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth or associated characters.

WARNING: disturbing fic alert – angsty, fucked up, all kinds of triggers, dysfunctional relationships. You get the idea.

Summary: Caught in a ruthless game of seduction orchestrated by two lovers, Sarah finds her life changed forever when she falls for one of them. Dark Jareth.

Antithesis: Prologue

(15 years prior)...

"How you torment me, my love." He groans as her mouth swallows him – keeping him on the brink of release. "I ask for so little."

The golden haired assassin pulls back, a smile forming on her lips as he hisses in protest. "Your Grace," she murmurs, her fingers replace her mouth – keeping him aroused. "You're asking for too much." She straddles his waist, knees on either side of his hips.

He shivers as she presses herself against him—so wet. "Raeyn," he half whispers—she's teasing him, slowly rubbing herself along his length. The muscles on his lower abdomen are taut and there's a thin sheen of perspiration on his body. When it comes to pleasure, he's never quite had anyone else like her.

She laughs, flipping her long, wavy hair to the side—letting it flow onto his chest like a waterfall. "Something you want, Your Grace?" Her fingers play with his heated flesh, she collects the pearly fluid at the tip, staring at him intently. Slowly and deliberately, she brings her finger to her mouth and sucks.

Throwing his head back, he chokes out a moan as she ruthlessly pleasures him with her skilled fingers. "Raeyn," he breathes heavily. "Will you take the contract?"

Raising a brow, she studies him, impressed. But he is a King after all, she supposes, official matters would always be a priority. "You wish for me to rid you of Vyrenis, Jareth," she says, using his name, "At great risk to myself. The Eternal Prison is a heavy sentence, and not even you can get me out."

Propping himself on his elbows, he eyes her with a grin. "I have faith in you, my love. And I will pay you handsomely."

She laughs again. "Have no doubt, Your Grace—I will take handsomely from you. But riches to get…tiring after one has accumulated so much," she says, teasing him again with her body—sliding herself against him. "I had another payment in mind, something far more…interesting."

He raises a brow. "Do tell."

She's piqued his curiosity, but she doesn't tell him what—a different kind of torture. Instead, she impales herself upon him in one swift motion, moaning deeply as pleasure clouds her senses. She moves slowly, grinding against him with acute precision. She knows exactly what he likes—how to make him burn with desire.

"Gods," he murmurs, thrusting his hips upwards. He lets out a low gasp when her muscles clench him tighter—raising his lust to unbearable heights. In spite of losing himself to the slow and torturous rhythm of pleasure, he still can't help but wonder what it is that she wants from him. Raising a hand, he twists one of her nipples with his fingers, smiling as she hisses in pain. Still, she retains the torturous rhythm she's set and his body feels like it's on fire. With a wicked grin, he decides to help her speed up her actions—he moves a hand between their bodies and caresses her clitoris in rapid strokes.

It works.

Moaning deeply, she rides him faster, letting out a sharp cry every time he touches a pleasure spot deep within her. She feels his muscles tense…and tense…his thrusts deepen and his hand moves from her nipple to roughly grab her hip. He's close—she knows it. "Come for me, Your Grace," she whispers hoarsely.

He feels her muscles tighten and he flicks her clit—hard. She comes undone and so does he. His body trembles violently as he comes, pouring himself into her in hot spurts.

Breathing roughly, he pulls himself out of her—his eyes sharpen. He's back to being the King in a fraction of a second. "Tell me of your interesting proposal, Raeyn."

She smiles at him—he's so quick to get to business. "I haven't seen you in some time, my love," she lilts. "But I have heard some stories."

The lines on his face turn harsh. "Get to the point."

"I heard a human child solved your little puzzle box, my love….and that you've been keeping your eyes on her," her voice has a strange sing-song quality that makes her sound young and naïve. It's worked well to her advantage—her victims always underestimate her.

"She has nothing to do with the Underground—what interest could you possibly have in her?"

She tilts her head, gathering her golden hair on one side. "So it's true then," she states rather than asks.

He doesn't answer her, his hand running along her hair. He's not one for physical affections after seeking pleasure, but he's always been different from her.

Her eyes grow cold. "If you require my services for Vyrenis, Your Grace, you will have to fulfil a…request of mine."

"Speak."

Smiling slowly, she says, "Corrupt your mortal for me. Seduce her until she bleeds for you."

He sits up, a frown on his face. "Why would you want me to do that?"

"Oh, one gets bored after a few centuries of existence—those were your words, I believe," she replies, her eyes twinkling with laughter. "I've heard so much of mortals and how they love, I'd like to see it firsthand. Make her love you—then break her and see how she falls."

The frown remains on his face. "And Vyrenis?"

"Will die tonight, by my hand."

His gaze hardens. "Agreed."

(Present day)…

Sarah Williams frowns at the man sitting across from her—he's perfect. At 42, he's never been married, so he doesn't come with the baggage of an ex-wife or children. He seems to have accepted her situation…or situations rather…quite readily and has made quite an effort to fit into her life. He works at a modest PE firm that looks at mostly small to mid-cap companies, so his work hours are not insane.

"Robert," she says, cringing a little as she says his name. She'd never have imagined she'd go out with someone that had her dad's name, but here she is. "You realize what you're saying, right? We've only been together for a year and that's…quite a commitment."

Robert laughs. "I'm sure, Sarah. I've found a decent brownstone in Brooklyn where there's enough space for all of us."

She stares at him, incredulous. "You understand the kind of noise you'd be subjected to right? Living with us isn't going to be easy."

He waves off her concerns. "I'm sure. Moving in together is the right step for us."

Just as she's about to question again, her phone rings and she sees 'Tobes' flash across the screen. Her heartrate spikes—she'd told him not to call her unless it is an emergency. "Excuse me," she tells Robert, before moving away for some privacy. "Tobes, is everything alright?" she asks.

"No, Sarah you need to come here now."

Her blood freezes—Toby sounds petrified. Worst case scenarios run through her head, and a lump forms in her throat. "I'm on my way, what is it?"

"He's here."

She rushes out of the restaurant and immediately hails a cab.

AN: Sarah is somewhere between 32 and 33 in this story. Set in NYC so a 42 year old having never been married isn't zomg so strange.

Raeyn's hair isn't blond but actually gold in color (like the metal).

So...this fic is inspired by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos's Les Liaisons dangereuses and a fairy tale or two. It also includes a variety of tropes I do not like such as: teen pregnancy, seduction of an 'innocent', jealous bitch girlfriend, probably a few more.

Anyway, I'd thought about this idea for a while and felt why not. Thought it'd be a good writing exercise to tackle topics that normally incite an eye roll [from me] – this way, I can write the tropes in a manner that I don't find…unsavory.

Lots of back and forth with the timeline. Lots of scene jumps. I'm not going to italicize the past b/c there's a lot of jumping back and forth, and you'll probably hate reading large chunks of writing in italics (like I do). So, no italics for flashbacks.