Summary: Sarah over hears two intruders planning a crime.

Disclaimer: I own nothing of LABYRINTH

Rating: T+

Pairing: Jareth/Sarah

CALLING OUT:

Sarah stood looking at the two men who had guns trained on her. She had managed to dodge them all weekend, and now that she was finally able to make her boss aware of what was happening, they were already here. So was her employer. Now she realized how foolish she'd been. The man who paid her, he was also paying to have his office burglarized.

"You made a mistake little girl."

Sarah glared at the blonde man standing to the left of her boss, Mr. Worthington. "I don't think I have." She took a step back.

"Don't move, Sarah." Allan urged. The last thing he wanted was for her to get harmed, but he couldn't see any other way around it.

"All I have to do it make one wish, and I'll be gone." Sarah said quietly. Jareth had promised her he would take her away. All she had to do was wish it. Even now the words were waiting on her tongue.

"A wish? What is this? Neverland?" The brunette man rolled his eyes.

"There was once a young girl who caught the eye of the Goblin King. He fell in love with her and gave her certain powers." Sarah recited words that had long since been buried in her mind. Last time it had been Toby. She hadn't meant it and had fought hard to get him back. "I wish the goblins would take me away…. right now."

THREE DAYS BEFORE:

It was a Friday night as Sarah walked through the doors belonging to the law offices of Sturgis, Worthington, and Myers. She wasn't a lawyer, or a paralegal. Her job was to take all the documents from the week, sort through them, assemble most of them into usable files and then file the rest in the back office cabinets where the large safe rested. Sarah worked for defense attorneys who only defended wealthy people, mob bosses, basically anyone who could pay their obscene fee's.

Who was Sarah to judge? She got paid in the end and all she really did was shuffle papers around. Nothing too harmful. At least she hoped not. There was no use dwelling on it when there was work to be done. She didn't have all night. Putting her headphones on, she hit play, and filled her ears with music. The first stack of papers would be tackled easily as she danced to song after song.

It wasn't until half the night was over that Sarah sensed something wasn't quite right in the stillness around her. Taking her headphones off, she paused her music giving herself a few moments to listen to the silence of the office. At first she thought she was imagining things and then there was the sound of a door closing. Sarah being in the back filing room had a few seconds, at best, to shut the light off, and then hide between two of the cabinets.

Sarah barely managed to squeeze herself in between the two metal monsters, cover her mouth, before the door to her filing room opened, and a harsh light was shining in. Silently she thought, '1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10…' Once she reached ten, she started all over again. All she had to do was stay quiet, stay still, and wait for them to move on. She could do it. She knew she could. After all, she'd bested the Labyrinth and it's King when she had been fourteen. She could stay hidden from two stranger for just a little while longer.

Thinking about Jareth made Sarah's heart skip a beat. What was he doing? Had he stolen another little brother? Was he dancing with some other girl in a bubble ballroom while singing to her? Those thoughts always made her want to cry. She missed him so much, but didn't have the heart to call to him. 'Oh, Jareth, where are you….?' Her mind spoke his name before she thought not to. Sarah brought her hand up to the hollow of her throat where her fingers wrapped around the small pendant that matched the one the Goblin King wore.

Sarah gathered her wits. She was going to make a run for it when the men moved on from where she was hiding. All she had to do was sneak out of the room, out of the office, and make it down the back stairs that led to the alley facing the street. From there she would hail a cab and go home. First, the men had to move along. It was just a waiting game for her and Sarah hated to wait. Her body was ready to run, like she had done in the Labyrinth. The urge to escape was pushing her to move. A second later, the door to the filing room creaked closed.

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief, but remained a few seconds later in her hiding place. She didn't want to make a noise that would draw the men back to discover her. "Steady, Sarah. Don't be stupid." She muttered under her breath. When she was sure she could move, she did. She squeezed herself back out into the open, grabbed her satchel, and slipped on her black leather jacket. Her hand went to the door handle, gripped it twisting it slowly so it wouldn't make a sound.

Pulling up and opening the door slowly Sarah listened for movement. There was some rustling in her boss's office, and that was on the other side of the of the space. She had a straight shot to the back stairs if she moved quickly and quietly. Step one was to get out of the office. "Move, now…" Sarah slipped out in the dark expanse of office space. Her first hiding place was the closest support column. Quickly she made it, plastering her back against the hard surface. '1,2,3….' She moved again, ducking behind a desk. '1,2,3….' Sarah moved again and she was out the main doors, running for the stairwell. Taking the steps two at a time, she ran down seven floors as fast as she could.

Bursting through the side door to the alley, Sarah stopped on the street to catch her breath. If the men had seen her, they would be coming after her and she couldn't stay here. Moving to the curb she looked up and down for signs of a taxi. Her first hitch in her escape. No taxi. "Come on, come one…" She nibbled her bottom lip. It was then a strange feeling pulled her gaze away from the traffic and up the street. A man was walking towards her, blonde hair falling to his shoulders playing off against the blue of his suit jacket, and the black of his t-shirt. Her eyes kept sweeping down to see black pants and expensive loafers. "Jareth….?" He looked like any number of rich clients her boss would represent. Sarah didn't know how seeing him again would make her feel, and now she knew. Her heart stopped and the air left her lungs.

Jareth had been pulled into the human world when he felt Sarah call for him. He appeared on a silent street just as she came running out of an alley. She had been beautiful at fourteen, but now she was stunning, a truly radiant woman. And she saw him. His heart raced the closer he came to her. "Sarah." She was close enough to take in his arms, but he didn't dare. She had to make the choice to touch him. Jareth was unprepared for her to throw herself into his arms that he didn't embrace her in return right away. His arms came around her waist, fingers digging into the leather that shielded her from the slight night chill.

Momentarily enraptured with the feel of Sarah in his arms, he almost missed the two men coming out of the same alley. What sort of trouble had his Sarah gotten into? If he knew he could get away with it, he would use his powers to turn those two men into goblins and cast them into the Labyrinth. "Sarah, two men are staring at us." His words made her go rigid in his arms.

"Shit…" Sarah growled. How had they seen her? She was careful. Looking over Jareth's shoulder, she saw a taxi coming. She pulled away from him, and went to the curb to hail the driver. Sarah risked a glance at them just as the cab pulled up and then to Jareth she said, "Get in, we're going to my place." She pulled the door closed roughly a few seconds before the two men came up to the taxi. They knew her face now. Sarah wasn't afraid of them. To the cab driver she said, "Take us to SoHo, Underground record store."

UNDERGROUND RECORDS:

Sarah walked up the back stairs with Jareth following behind her without saying anything. In fact, he hadn't said much since they got in the taxi to come here. Pushing open the door, Sarah flipped the switched bathing her apartment in soft yellow light. "Welcome to my home." She moved aside so he could come inside. "Are you ok?" Sarah asked, closing the door, and then she peeled off her jacket to place it on the hook.

Jareth looked at her, mirroring her in taking off his jacket. "I'm fine." He replied. "Why were those men after you?" He asked. Sarah brought her arms around her and looked away from him. "Sarah, why did you call out to me?"

Sarah looked down at the floor, "I didn't mean to." Her answer came out in a whisper. "I was hiding from those men because they broke into the office where I work. Your name just popped into my head and I wanted to see you so badly." She looked at him. He was standing close to her now, his hands reaching out, resting on her shoulders. When he pulled her close, Sarah went willingly into his arms. "I didn't even know they were in the office until this feeling of danger ran through me…." She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly.

"It's alright." Jareth soothed. "I'm here now and I'm not leaving." His brave Sarah. He kissed the side of her head, holding her. After a few minutes he pulled away, his hands running down her arms so he could take her hands in his. It was then he noticed the ring on her left ring finger; the ring he had Hoggle give to her. It was a thin silver band with a light green stone in the center. "You're wearing the gift I sent you through Hoggle." He said.

Sarah was stunned, and grateful for the change of topic. "This was from you?" She had assumed it was a gift from Hoggle, though he hated to part with something so fine as this piece of jewelry. Knowing it was from Jareth made her prize the ring all the more. "Hoggle gave it to me the last time I saw him." She said lightly. "Which I thought it very sweet given how much he loved jewelry." She added a small laugh.

"It was on your birthday." Jareth smiled guiding her over to the couch. Together they sat down and he continued to speak. "I wanted to be there with you, but you were having fun. So, I contented myself with watching you."

"You were there?" Sarah asked trying to recall that evening. She remembered Hoggle, Didymus, Ludo, and a few others, but not him. Jareth would have stuck out in a crowd. "I don't remember you being there."

"I was the owl," Jareth reminded. "I was there all the time, perched on a branch outside your bedroom window." He smiled, reaching out once again, only this time he took the small pendant she wore between his fingers. "I had to make sure you were ok, that you were living life."

"Some would call that stalker behavior." Sarah giggled.

"Oh, really, and what would you call it?" Jareth inquired in a light tone.

"Devotion." Sarah answered without hesitation. "Thank you." She added. "I love the ring."

"I'm glad." Jareth bought her left hand up, kissing her knuckles lightly. "How did you come to live in the city?" The apartment she was living in was spacious, well furnished. It didn't seem as if Sarah could easily afford to stay here.

Sarah drew her legs up, sitting Indian style on the couch facing Jareth. "Karen left this place to me after she died, as well as making me partial owner of the record store downstairs. My step mother's business partner runs it, but she let me make one change."

"Underground Records." Jareth chuckled. "I like it."

"I thought you might." Sarah grinned broadly. "In exchange for living in this loft apartment practically rent free, Karen's business partner controls the store downstairs and I work there during the week for a few hours."

Jareth nodded. It was a good enough deal to him. "What are you going to do about those two men?"

Sarah shrugged, "Wait until Monday, go in and talk to my boss about it."

"Why?" Jareth asked.

"My boss goes out of town every weekend and leaves no way to get in contact with him. I can't go to the police because they won't do anything." Sarah explained. "I work in Law Office that specializes in criminals. Though, I work one night a week, filing papers. My boss knew my dad. So…" She shrugged trailing off. "I'll just go to my boss and let him know about it."

"And what if these men decide to try and find you?" Jareth asked, more concerned for her safety than he was a few moments ago. It was a good thing that he was here. There was no power in this world that would keep him from doing what he had to, to protect Sarah.

"They won't be able to." Sarah answered. "I'm not listed by my name in employee records. There is no address for me either, except a PO Box in the heart of the city. That's also another dead end as I gave them another false name."

"Are you running from something, Sarah?" Jareth angled his body towards her.

"No, not really." Sarah replied honestly. "My father."

"Why would you hide from him?" Jareth took her hand in his. What had happened to his Sarah since last he'd seen her?

"He blamed me for Karen's car accident when she died and I walked away. He wished I would disappear and I did." Sarah replied looking away. After the Labyrinth, she had made an effort to get to know Karen, to be less of a brat, and she found that she liked the woman her father had married. "It was a rainy day, Karen and I had taken a girl's day and gone shopping. We were laughing, and joking, and then the next thing I know there's blood on my face, and Karen isn't moving." She took a moment to breathe, to calm herself. "A truck t-boned us. Karen was dead a few minutes later. I passed out from my head colliding with the passenger side window."

Jareth moved to her, pulling Sarah into his arms. He could feel the slight tremor running through her from the sadness and guilt. She survived a random act of misfortune that was hard to escape from. "Her death was not your fault." He whispered, kissing the top of her head. To imagine what kind of personal emotional torment she was going through was something Jareth couldn't fathom.

Sarah hadn't spoken of her step mother in years, not since she'd given her father what he wanted and she vanished. In fact, she had done quite well in putting the whole matter out of her mind for a long time. Then there was Jareth, he made her feel things she tried not to feel. "I know…." Sarah mumbled. She moved from the comfort of his arms, getting off the couch to stand in front of him. "So, stolen any little brothers lately?" There was an intense need inside her to change the subject again.

Jareth didn't fight the switch in topics. He could see she needed it. So, he stood up as well, standing close to her and replied. "No." How he could think of enticing another young woman to run the gauntlet of his Labyrinth when the one he wanted had already bested him as she was always meant to. "I have more than enough goblins to contend with, thank you." He laughed lightly and smiled the smile he knew would warm her heart.

"I know that smile." Sarah felt a blush creep up into her cheeks. He alone could make her weak in the knees. "I remember it from that night you came through the window. You smiled at me and I was stunned." Her hand came up and cupped his face. "You were the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen."

"As were you." Jareth replied bringing his hands up to hold her face gently. "I noticed you have an amulet like mine." He had wanted to ask her about it, but other things had to be discussed first. "Where did you acquire it?"

"Ah…" Sarah backed away, going to the kitchen to get a drink. "A friend from school made it for me. He saw I used to draw it on everything; my notebooks, my class work, tests, my book bag. I couldn't get it out of my head and I wear it every day to feel connected to you." She closed the fridge door opening the bottle of flavored water. "My friend never asked about it and I never explained."

"It suits you." Jareth smiled. "I also like what you've done with your hair." He went to her, his fingers threading through her short shoulder length dark strands.

"Yeah? At least we match now." Sarah chuckled. "Though, I do wish your hair looked how it did…" She bit her bottom lip. The image of him in the ballroom looking so handsome in blue.

Jareth stepped into Sarah's space, crowding her, backing her into the counter, "Can I kiss you?" He asked in a whisper. She nodded her consent and that was enough for him. Angling his head, he took her lips in a gentle kiss, a mere press of lips. He needed to know what this was like. And before it overwhelmed his senses, Jareth pulled back, is hands reaching out to grip the edge of the counter on either side of her hips.

Sarah held his face, her lips kissing his brow. The kiss had been simple, but powerful. "Jareth…." She drew out his name in a single breath, a reverent whisper. He lifted her, setting her on the edge of the counter making her gasp in surprise. Jareth stood between her parted knees, his bi colored eyes staring deeply into hers. She could see the passion stirring in him, but he was holding himself back. He still saw her as the fourteen-year-old girl who challenged him. "I'm not that child anymore." Sarah whispered placing her hands on his chest feeling the deep breath he took.

"I know," Jareth sighed. "I don't want to push you into anything…" Sarah stopped him, her hand covering his mouth.

"I know how to stay STOP." Sarah cut in. "If I didn't want to do something, I wouldn't do it." She said. From the Labyrinth she learned to be strong, to stand up for herself. Though, she could see where Jareth was coming from. She had been a child when they met, and he hadn't aged a day since the last time she'd seen him.

Jareth kissed Sarah's forehead. His heart and his body knew that Sarah was no longer a child, but his mind still saw her as the fourteen-year-old girl that faced off against him. He pulled her off the counter to stand before him, against him. "I guess my mind has to catch up with the idea of you grown up."

"Ok," Sarah nodded slightly. "I understand that." Leaning in, she kissed his cheek gently. "You want something to eat?" Sarah asked moving away from him and back to the fridge to get some food out to heat up on the stove.

Jareth rested his hip against the counter, crossing his arms. "How come you live alone? Do you not have a companion?"

Sarah shook her head setting a skillet on the stove top. She was in the mood for some scrambled eggs. Going to the cabinet, she pulled down a bowl and a plate, then fished in the drawer for a whisk and a spatula. "I live alone because I like my space." She replied cracking a few eggs into the glass bowl. "As for a companion, none of them stick around for more than a night."

Jareth nodded, and his next question was something he didn't want to ask, but he had to. "Why don't they stay?"

Sarah glanced at Jareth over her shoulder, "Because none of them were you." Giving her attention back to the stove she continued to speak. "I fell in love with you when we danced, and that love only grew after I left the Labyrinth. No man could compare to you, to how you make me feel."

Jareth's heart skipped a beat at Sarah's words. She was saying all the things he was hoping to hear when they crossed paths again. He wanted to go to her, to wrap his arms around her, but he kept his place against the counter. Jareth was going to move slow with Sarah, try not to push her in the direction he wanted. "How do I make you feel?"

Sarah smiled a half smile. "Special."

A little while later, Jareth was on the couch with Sarah, the light noise of the tv in the background. Curled into the corner, she had fallen into a light slumber that held his rapt attention. Sarah looked so peaceful to him, even younger than she was, or had been in his eyes. Moving next to her, Jareth lightly brushed a few errant strands away from her cheek so his fingers could whisper over her skin without waking her up. He smiled as he traced the outline of her lips, feeling the rose petal softness of them. This was his Sarah. This was how she had grown. "Beautiful." Jareth murmured, leaning in to place a gentle kiss to her cheek before pulling back to allow her to remain sleeping.

Sarah opened her eyes to a smiling Goblin King. The sight of him still had the power to warm her. "I didn't realize I fell asleep."

"Being chased by dangerous men will make you tired, I'd imagine." Jareth commented lightly.

"I never tired when I was running the Labyrinth, and there were more dangerous things found within those walls." Sarah joked sitting up.

"Those things were meant to test your resolve, not kill you." Jareth pointed out.

"Oh, so those fiery fools weren't really trying to take my head off?" Sarah laughed, recalling her encounter with them.

Jareth furrowed his brow, "They're insane, so yes, they may have been trying…" He laughed when she glared at him. It only made him laugh harder. "I'm sorry your path was diverted to them." He moved over, sitting closer to her.

"It's ok," Sarah reached out to grasp his delicate chin. "I found them mildly entertaining in the beginning, you know, before they started to remove their appendages."

"Yes, they have their moments." Jareth responded. He delighted in the gentle touch of her fingers upon his chin. It sent an electric current through him he'd not felt for someone in a long time. The last time this feeling pervaded him had been when Sarah danced with him. When they'd been in that illusion he never expected to be affected.

"Come on," Sarah dropped her hand, getting up from the couch. "We should get some sleep."

Jareth kept his place on the couch, "I can stay here."

"I don't mind sharing." Sarah took Jareth's hand, pulling him up to follow her. She wouldn't admit it, but after being nearly caught during a break in, seeing him, she needed someone to hold her. By the look in his eyes, he knew what she needed.

Jareth followed willingly in Sarah's wake. He could sense he unsettled nerve she had tried to keep under control, and he could hear what it was she was not asking from him. It was why he didn't decline her offer. If anything, he didn't want to be separated from her. Letting go of her hand, he let her walk into her bedroom first to give her time to change.

In her room, Sarah pulled off her shirt leaving her camisole on and then stripped out of her jeans to drape them over the chair set against the wall. She picked up her pajama shorts before going into her closet to retrieve a pair of male sleep pants with a large black t-shirt. Jareth was slender to the point that he could easily wear her clothes. The thought made Sarah chuckle as she left her closet to return to him. "Here, you'll be comfortable in these."

Jareth took the clothes from her hands. "Thank you…" His eyes traveled down her body taking in the sight of her long legs that looked like they would be silky to the touch. From him peripheral vision Jareth could see that Sarah was smiling at him, enjoying the way he openly admired her. He brought his eyes back up to her face and cleared his throat.

"The door to your right is the bathroom. You can change in there." Sarah said with a light chuckle. She left him to change, going back to the bed to turn the covers down and turn on the TV. Late night informercials always lulled her into sleep quicker than anything else. Sarah never slept in silence, she couldn't, not since her time in the Labyrinth. Crawling into bed, she waited for Jareth to return.

Jareth changed quickly so he could return to the bedroom where he found Sarah already in bed. Without being told, he flipped the switch on the wall before joining her. He settled himself on his back, the covers resting around his waist. Sarah slid close to him, her left leg draping over his, and her head pillowing on his chest. Jareth couldn't have imagined how right this felt if he'd tried. She was a warm weight that chased away the long years without her. For as long as he could he was going to fight off falling asleep so he could savor the feeling of her against him.

Sarah pulled the covers up and around her as she settled in next to Jareth. His arms came around her, his left hand burying in her hair to cup the back of her head, and his right hand settling over her arm that she had draped over his abdomen. She sighed in complete and utter contentment. Jareth fit to her perfectly, so much so that she almost hated to fall asleep, but she could feel the first wave of sleep taking her, pulling her down into the dark. Sarah knew she was safe; Jareth was holding her.

TO BE CONTINUED: