A girl sits on her bed and her nose crinkles in determination before she gives up, and starts to cry. Not of heartbreak, not exactly; of frustration. This is not the first time she's crying over a boy, and this is the same boy as the last time she cried over somebody. For some reason, even though he had made her cry before, it had seemed like a good idea to continue to date him at the time. Not such a good idea now, she thinks bitterly to herself.

There are soft footsteps behind him. There is no-one else home, so she knows who it is. She wipes her eyes and turns to face them. "Hello Jareth."

The Goblin King does not look happy. "Tell me you dumped the bastard once and for all."

Sarah blinks. "How did you know it's about Evan?"

"You think I haven't kept tabs on you over the years?"

"So you've been watching me?" She sniffs. "Gee that's really romantic Jareth. Nice to know you've been stalking me. I'm swooning, really."

"You did not answer my question."

"You didn't answer mine."

"I asked first."

Sarah sighs. "Yes, I did. Are you happy now?"

Jareth scowls. "No, not if you're unhappy. I may want you for myself but nevertheless you should be with whoever makes you happy."

"Ugh, Jareth please. I haven't seen you in three years and it's a bit convenient you come back the moment I break up with my boyfriend and when I'm over eighteen."

The Goblin King is idly poking at the dream catcher above her bed and at the bracelets on top of her bedside table. She watches him and wonders why he seems different; even when she was sixteen he was inappropriate and needy and frightening. Somehow, as he picks up a book and flicks through all the pages, he isn't as scary. In fact, Sarah is not afraid of him at all.

He turns and meets her gaze. She means to look away as their eyes meet, but finds she can't. She realises he must have known about her breaking up with Evan but either wanted to hear it from her, or had enough courtesy to not keep watch of her that closely. For some reason, that gives him a bit more credit in Sarah' s eyes.

"Now answer my question," she says softly.

Walking over to her bed, he sits down and she is surprised that he keeps a distance between the two of them and chooses to sit himself down near to her pillow. "I tried to forget about you but I couldn't. I resented how you could have left me, when I had so much to offer you. So I wanted to show up when you were miserable so I could laugh in your face and you could beg to come with me."

His lips purse as he pauses. "But then you met Evan and you seemed happy enough so I left you alone for a while. And even when he betrayed you, you seemed to love him enough to take him back so I resorted to checking up on you every so often, but not in the same way. I had given up trying to persuade you to be with me."

Sarah plays with the hem of her shirt. "I suppose you're here to gloat now."

"Have you not been listening to me Sarah?" He still says her name in the same way; the same hunger in his voice is there. "No, no I am not."

"Thank you," she says after a while. "I know I was an idiot, but I figured he'd learn after the one time. I said I was only going to give him one more chance but..."

Sarah closes her eyes, wanting to shut out the memory of the conversation; the way he'd looked so distraught, begging for another chance, desperately trying to hold onto her both physically and emotionally. "And now here and my stupid pride are sitting here regretting it, alone."

"You're not alone, precious," he whispers. "From the moment I set my eyes on you, you never, ever were going to be alone."

She gives his hand an appreciative squeeze. "Who knew that of all people I know you'd be the one I'm glad is here right now."

"I did." He holds her hand and gives it a gentle squeeze back. "I can rearrange the cosmos, love. I knew you'd come around eventually."

Sarah rolls her eyes and he smirks at her. "Shut up. Don't ruin it or I'll stop being nice to you."

"Noted."