She was drunk. This much she knew. But hey, it had been six years since she'd seen him, and she needed a little liquid courage in her system.

"I wish the Goblin king would come into my room right now!" She bellowed in her apartment. A gust of wind blew open the window that she was standing in front of, and there he stood.

Jareth. King of the Goblins. Ruler of the Labyrinth.

Her worst nightmare was once again standing in her room. And she had just invited him in.

"You called," he asked.

She said nothing. She stood there, gasping for air as if she had just ran a mile in the sand.

He spoke again. "You are the last person I expected to summon me. You bested my Labyrinth, defeated me in my own castle, and haven't spoken to me in over six years. Why do you summon me now, Sarah? What is the occasion?"

Finally, she replied. "I want answers, your majesty." She said the last bit with incredulous snark. " I want to know why you did all the things you did when I ran your stupid maze."

The Goblin King nearly slapped her. 'Maze she calls it,' he shouted in his mind. 'Lets see if she can pass my "maze" a second time!' However, he showed no emotion. He wouldn't let her faze him. Especially since he could practically see the alcohol, that she had clearly consumed, sweating out of every pore. He would not harm an inebriated woman.

"Ask away my dear. I have all night to answer your questions. However, if you call my Labyrinth a "maze" again, you shall find yourself at the bottom of the Bog of Eternal Stench," he threatened.

"Fair enough," she replied. She gestured to the door that led into her living room, inviting him to follow her. They walked into the living room and sat, as far away from each other as possible, on the sofa.

"Where would you like to start," he asked.

"Lets start as to why you were listening to me. I had wished that Toby would disappear many times before that. You never took him before."

"You never wished him away to ME before. I have no control over what other Fae do or don't do. As to why I was listening, all you need to do is recount your story from that night."

She thought about it for a moment. She had said that there was a young girl that was treated poorly by her step mother and a baby. She had also said that the King of the Goblins had given her special powers, for he had fallen… "Oh," she breathed. "So, you're saying that you had…"

"You would be correct. In truth, I still love you. I have loved you from the moment I saw you in the park for the first time. Acting out a play or a monologue of some kind. Your dress was very lovely, and your speech impeccable. So I sent you the story of the Labyrinth. It angered me when you thought it was a gift from your mother, but I suppose it couldn't have been helped. You had no idea of my existence at that point in time."

Sarah was surprised to hear his heartfelt speech coming from a man she believed to hate her.

"So, is that why you asked me to stay in the Labyrinth with you, even after I beat you in the Escher Room? You loved me?"

The Goblin King nodded solemnly. There was a pause. Long enough for Jareth to ask, "is there anything else you wish to ask of me," he said in an almost bitter tone.

"Yes. Was there another way for me to go that would have gotten me to the castle sooner?"

"Oh, absolutely," he replied. "However, it was ever so funny to see you struggle through. And it became less funny when you actually made progress. I became desperate to stop you."

"Yeah," she replied. "I could tell from the fact that you sent a METAL DEATH MACHINE after Hoggle and I, down in the tunnels. We could have DIED you know! Where would you have been then, hmm? We wouldn't be having this conversation right now! Although, knowing what I do of you, you wouldn't have batted an eyelash. You'd get a new goblin, and one less person to deal with."

" I wouldn't have let you perish, Sarah. The wall that you pushed over, I lowered just in time. I only wanted to frighten you. Not hurt you and certainly not kill you. As I said, I loved you. Imagine how heartbroken I would have been if you had perished at my hands. I nearly drowned the Fire Gang in the bog for attempting to decapitate you. That was the only time that I was glad you had Higwart."

"His name is Hoggle. And I need an example of when I could have gotten to Toby faster," retorted a slightly annoyed Sarah.

"Your encounter with the worm, near the beginning. He told you to never go a certain way. What you didn't know was that path would have taken you straight to my castle. But that's what comes of not asking the right questions."

Sarah grew pale. Well, as pale as she could, for her cheeks were still flushed from alcohol. "So you're saying…that if I had taken my original path…I would have avoided the crazy doors, and the shaft of those CREEPY dismembered hands, and the oubliette and the Fireys and…ALL OF IT If I had just asked 'why shouldn't I go this way?'"

"You would be correct on all counts. You could have actually gone straight. There was an opening right at the beginning across from the straight through."

Sarah couldn't believe it. She sat there, mouth agape, hunched over on the sofa, in utter disbelief.

"You did very well though, I must say. No one has ever bested my Labyrinth. Some have gotten close, but then my metal guard got in their way and struck them down. I was very proud of my record. Then you came along and ruined everything."

Sarah stared at the king."I had to get my brother back. I didn't mean to wish him away, you know that. I'm not sorry for breaking your record, because I had to get Toby, but if I hurt your feelings or anything like that, I'm sorry."

The king smiled. " I accept your apology. It means a lot coming from you." Sarah hiccuped and smiled a slightly drunken smile. "So, have you any more questions," he asked.

"Just a couple more. What was with the peach? And the ballroom? And that dress! Oh my god, I felt like I was drowning in tulle! You got me drugged up, dressed me up in that gaudy white thing, and proceeded to lure me on a wild goose chase through that creepy, but very well decorated, ballroom with creepy people in creepy masks and creepy boxes with creepy snakes inside. Why? What was the purpose?"

Jareth smiled. " I told you that when you look into the crystal, it shows you your dreams. Apparently, your dream was to dance with me in a world that was too grown up for you at the time. Then when you saw the clock on the wall, you realized that there was something you needed to do and broke the spell. Not to mention my heart."

Now Sarah felt bad. It was true that she had always wanted to attend a ball. But when she got one, she realized she wasn't ready for that mature world and wanted to find a familiar face, the only one being Jareth. He had created a place just for her, because it was her dream. And how did she repay him? By leaving him stranded in the crystal ballroom, that she then proceeded to destroy with a chair. 'Very classy Sarah.'

"Once again, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. I didn't mean it. I didn't understand your intentions at the time. So, I have another question. Would you have sent Toby back home, if I had agreed to your proposal?"

Jareth donned a look of astonishment. "Sarah, I had no interest in the baby in the first place."

Sarah was honestly shocked. "You didn't?"

"No! I never wanted him. I wanted you and only you. I figured that if I did as you asked, you would stay with me and forget about the baby. Everything that you asked of me, I did. I did it all for you, Sarah. I had fallen in love with you and I was completely willing to be your slave. You could have had anything you wanted. Anything at all, I could have provided you. But instead you chose to be the hero and defeated me and my attempts to woo you. I suppose that my initial attempts at my proposal could have gone better, and I suppose I could have waited a few years before I asked you. But I honestly couldn't deny my feelings for you any longer. And I became so enraged with you after you had won. I tried to burry all of the feelings I had for you deep in my black heart. But every time I went into my throne room, the goblins continued to ask about you. I wouldn't bog them, but they would be punished. So I kept checking up on you. If you've ever seen a barn owl in broad daylight, it was I, watching over you. My feelings slowly began to bubble back to the surface, and I was constantly thinking of you. Ways that I could lure you back, ways that I could just see you in my true form, anything I could do to make you happy. It was agonizing. And then tonight you finally call me to you after six years of waiting, and everything I have ever felt about you is rushing to me, and I can't stop it any longer!"

The Goblin King rushed over to the slightly sobered Sarah, and kissed her full on the mouth. She tried to resist at first, but then she relaxed into the kiss, and let it play out. She admitted her true feelings for him as well. She had always secretly loved him. How could she not? He HAD done everything she asked. He had been generous to her. He had only wanted to help her be free and happy. How could she hate him for only wanting her to be happy?

The kiss broke softly like a summer rain, and each being simply sat on the sofa, melting into the moment. However it was shortly broken by Jareth, who stood abruptly, and said, " I believe I should be going now." He began to raise his arms to turn himself into an owl, when Sarah leapt up from the sofa and stopped him with another kiss. It was gentle but urgent, as if she was trying to say something within the kiss.

When they broke apart, Sarah said, "I have one more question for you, Jareth." The young woman's already flushed face turned a deeper shade of red as she asked, "Does the offer still stand?"

Jareth dropped his hand, for it had stayed suspended in the air, even through the kiss. She wanted to come back with him? After all these years of nothing, she finally wants to return to the Labyrinth, as his companion? His inner soul was saying, "OH HAPPY DAY!" but his mind was more thought out. "The offer does still stand," he began, "but only when you are sober and are no longer leaking alcohol." The King sat Sarah back down onto the couch, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Please summon me when you meet the qualifications of the offer, and inform me of your position on the matter." Then, just as he was about to transform, he whispered, "I love you, Sarah," just low enough for her to barely hear it. And then he was gone through the window.

Many hours passed by, and Sarah's hang over had passed. She was now completely sober, and was ready to speak with the Goblin King. "I wish that the Goblin King would enter my living room, right now." she said softly. The tell tale owl flew in through the window and transformed into Jareth, who promptly plopped down on the sofa. Despite his laid back exterior, he was actually quite nervous. What would be her answer to his offer? Would he turn her down once again, or would she accept now that she was older and wiser?

"Jareth," she began, " I know we talked about many things last night. We ended the conversation with a few kisses and an offer re-struck. And this afternoon, I have an answer."

Jareth was practically shivering with anticipation. "I would be most grateful to hear it, Sarah."

Sarah took a deep breath and said, "I-…"

How should the story end?! Comment your answers in the sections below! I'll write an ending based on popular demand!

Thank you!