::false pretense

"You have no power over me."

Sarah said it quizzically, like she couldn't really believe it, because, well, she couldn't.

She said it again, and he felt his heart break.

"You have no power over me."

This time it was tinged with realization, and she took a step towards him, her eyes sparking with defiance.

But underneath, it was hollow; and underneath, Jareth knew that she didn't believe it. She was young, so young that perhaps she didn't even realize that she was powerless.

Lie to me.

But they were still the magic words; if she wanted to leave so badly, he would let her, because he loved her.

But it hurts!

"You have no power over me!" And now it was a desperate yell, and he could see that she knew it now too, knew that he had all the power in the world over her—he was the Goblin King, he was everything, nothing, he was hers—

But she didn't want him. Didn't want him, because it was her duty and her pride to take care of the thrice-damned brat, to defy him even though she had already fallen in love with him too.

If you love something, let it go.

So he did, with a rueful smile.

She, she turned and ran as fast as she could, running back to her baby brother and her family and her insipid human world, searching for security and comfort and closure—

I can't be in love with him!

And he could hear her chanting it in her mind, over and over, like it would change the truth. She was too young, too foolish, it couldn't be, couldn't be, she had things to do in life, couldn't be, couldn't be!

But he let her go anyway.

But if it's really love, you need never let go in the first place.

And, many years later, the Goblin King's eyes opened at a call from ages long past, from a love long lost, and fire rekindled in them as he swept her off her feet and back into a beautiful, make-believe, faery world, deep in the land of glass and silk and music and magic.

...Because it will always come back to you when it's ready.

A/N: Just a little Labyrinth ficlet whose plot bunny has been nomming on my brain for quite some time. Deleted and resubmitted, because I'm a moron and totally missed that autocorrect switched Jareth to Jared when proofreading. Anyway, sorry for the short length; I may do a xxxHolic drabble fic soon, or more ficlets for a while. Not sure. Maybe both. Anyway, thanks for reading; read and review? Your reviews keep me going~!