"Einstein!" Sarah called, giggling, small hands swinging out as she grasped the air in front of her and made a fist around the shrinking form that ran too far ahead to reach. The trees were thick, branches she didn't feel but distantly knew were slapping at her clothes and hair without catching. "Einstein, wait! Sit! Ein-STEIN!"

The dog never stopped running and running, and she chased and chased him through the woods tirelessly, until finally he wasn't that same flashing speck of white in the distance. The dark trees and bushes closed in on the bounding animal's form and he was gone, but Sarah was still running after him all the same and calling his name. Einstein wouldn't leave her- he was always there. Always! Since she was a baby, he was always-

Suddenly she knew, without any trace of doubt, that Einstein was back at home. This knowing brought a sharp chill, a fear she felt much more clearly than the scratches she was just now noticing on her bare arms and legs. No longer small, her favorite dress from first grade gone, she stood nude and shivering in the dark and slowly backed away from the narrow path in the trees she had been following. Whatever she had been chasing, she didn't want to find it now. Maybe if she backed away, made no noise, it would keep going the way it had and leave her alone.

Something landed behind her with a too-loud thump and crunch of leaves. Sarah turned slowly, wrapping her arms around her chest... but it was only a firey. Even so, goosebumps rose on her skin. The ominous threat of the trees only worsened as she heard the chatterings of more fireys overhead. This one's beak was too sharp, fur spiked like a wolf set to attack.

"H-Hoggle..." Sarah whispered. If she spoke too loud the others might hear and come down on her. She was too far away from the house for anyone to hear her anyway. "Hoggle, Daddy, help... Help, I need you..."

"And what." Soft gloved fingers curled over her shoulders, slow and languid as snakes."Whatdo you expect Hogwash to do?"

The fieries were gone. The dark was gone too, but the trees and brush had only retreated to form a gentle circle of grass so the sun could fall through again. Sarah shivered with something more than the chill as she was tugged back against a firm, warm body behind her. "Jareth."

"Me." One of the gloves lifted from her shoulder, running a finger up her chin to hook a loose strand of hair and brush it back. The light caress of his finger over the shell of her ear was electrifying. The following touch of his breath was worse. "Oh Sarah... Were it still in my power, it would always be me."

"No."

"Yes."

Sarah swallowed, remembering her nudity as she squeezed her arms around herself once more. The nightmare had taken an uncomfortable turn, no matter how good it felt in one way or another. "... Give me the child."

"Must our game always come back to this? I'm growing weary of the role."

"No." Smiling as he released her, Sarah turned. "But this is my dream, Goblin King. You have no power over me."

"Ah. Getting clever now? You must be close to waking up." He was so beautiful. More so than she remembered him being, but this was both a dream and through a woman's eyes rather than a girl's. He tsked at her now, touching a curled finger under her chin. "Such a waste. I'll arrive earlier next time and see if you're more creative with your time then."

Sarah's eyes narrowed, jaw setting. "I doubt it."

"I don't. Your choice of attire this evening is... inspired."

"OOH-!" Sarah jerked upright in bed, arm extended, and heard a yelp as something fell off onto the floor. Familiar, accusing curses followed and she knew that 'something' was Hoggle long before he levered his small, awkward body back up again.

"What was that for!" He demanded, chest puffed with offense as he swiped down his shirt with work-grubby fingers. For all the good it did- his clothes were all but one big wrinkle anyways. "See if I come again, gettin' beat on when YOU'RE the one who called me!"

"Shh, shhh, shhh..." Sarah pushed down her grin, opening her arms to him until he grudgingly scooched over to settle against her. She didn't bother noting that his cheek rested on her chest, figuring the lack of bulk there made it about as alright as doing the same to a guy's. Jogging be damned- she never should have let Karen choose their daily 'bonding experience'. "You'll wake up the whole house, shhhhh! I'm sorry."

"You were yellin' first." Hoggle grumbled, at a reasonable volume. "Right before ya popped me in the nose."

"I know, I'm sorry. It was an accident, Hoggy."

"HOGGLE!"

"SHH!" Sarah laughed, squeezing him until he relented back into disgruntled mumbles and a darkly embarrassed flush. Ignoring his discomfort, because really he needed to just get used to affection by now, she curled around his little body and snuggled into him like he was a big stuffed animal, setting her nose in his hair.

She loved his smell. He was dirty, in the way of smelling like he'd been rolling around in fresh turned soil and magic dust and grass... It was such a Labyrinth smell, she could almost believe she was there again if she closed her eyes. He'd probably been gardening all day, or night, or however it worked there since she'd never quite worked it out or really thought about it much. "Mmm."

Red as a beet, Hoggle squirmed and pushed in token resistance until she made it clear she would only hug him tighter every time. He finally slumped, nose squished into her sternum where cleavage ought to be, and just tried not to breathe or let his heart beat so quickly that she'd notice. "You- you're too oldfor this."

"Mmmhm." She murmurred, eyes already drooping again as she smiled. "You're not the boss of me."

"No." He said, sniffing in half-serious disdain. "I'm Boss of the Bog, thanks to you."

Her laugh turned into a long yawn. "You're my charming prince, so shhhh. Let me sleep, Jerk."

"You don't need mefor that." He told her, voice lowered more still, but she didn't answer this time and he went breathlessly still as her breathing slowed. Careful not to disturb her he leant his head back so he could look up at her slack face.

She was beautiful. More so than he could recall her being. Years passed between her calls from his side of the mirror, but only five had gone by from hers since they met. Every night she called, and every night was just as nerve wracking as the first as he forgot her face and found himself drawn back to it again anew. She didn't know how different the flow of time was, and he didn't tell her- just thanked all that was that goblins lived such a very long longtime.

Slowly, hesitating when she sighed against his hair, he slid his arm beneath hers to lay a hand on her waist. His thickly callused thumb rasped against the tiny sliver of skin between the matching moon and stars tank top and shorts she'd worn to bed. He set his cheek back down against her chest and breathed deep.

She smelled beautiful too. Exotic, with her pretty shampoos and soaps and perfume- things goblins didn't have and probably wouldn't bother using if they did. Standing near her was enough, but laying here was overwhelming. She wasn't the pretty young girl who'd softened his heart with her determination and stubborn offer of friendship so long ago. These days she was a funny, loving, matured young woman who didn't quite grasp that he wasn't just her little dwarf friend.

He was a man, and completely smitten by her.

Hoggle was gone come morning, just as he always was, and Sarah spared a huff at the small dusty dent in her sheets he'd left. Rubbing her sleep rimmed eyes and avoiding looking at the old photo of Einstein on her dresser, she found her bleary way out of bed and down the hallway to the bathroom she shared with Toby, locking the door so she could shower without him wandering in to pee without knocking. He was six now, he could hold it a little.

She wrinkled her nose as she tossed her pajamas on the floor, unwilling to note that her shorts were particularly fragrant and crunty this morning after another a full night of Jareth invading her dreams. It was an uncomfortable dillema she hated to think too hard on; that she was either a pervert herself, dreaming over and over again about a decidedly unkind man she'd met once- or Jareth was a persistant creep who couldn't keep his thoughts to himself when she was trying to sleep. Either way, she just hoped her dreams didn't come across to poor Hoggle while he was sharing the bed with her.

He would be so embarrassed.

Red at the idea that she might have moaned or moved in some inappropriate way in front of her friend, Sarah winced away those thoughts and ducked her head under the shower spray, scrubbing shampoo from her hair with furious fingertips. All that aside, at least the nightmares ended before they really started these days.

"Sarah! I hope you're up- I'm putting on my shoes!"

The ones that came at night, at least. Sarah made an effort to smooth her forehead of the crease Karen's voice put there. Five years had formed a truce between them, and they were both stubbornly fighting to keep the peace, but Karen's idea of building comradary involved spending all too much time together while Sarah's... didn't. Especially considering the tredmill kick Karen had been on for the past two years.

Still. Knowing Karen would be waiting with tapping toe, Sarah hurried through the rest of her shower and dashed back to her room in a towel to get dressed. The woman was trying, she couldn't fault that. "Coming!"

"I'm halfway out the door, Sarah!" Sarah could hear the clean squeak of brand new sneakers on the polished wood downstairs.

"I'm coming!" Unlike her stepmother, who wore different workout outfits every day, Sarah had the same ratty old t-shirt, shorts, and sneakers set aside to pull on each morning so she wouldn't have to get up early with decisions to make. The point of wearing the good stuff just to get it all sweaty and stinky was lost on Sarah- she could just toss this junk in with Toby's underwear when they got back. "Hold on..."

She was shrugging into her windbreaker when Karen made good on her warnings. Hearing the front door open and close, Sarah stomped her heels into her sneakers, snagged a hair tie from the bunch around her doorknob, and took the stairs four at a time. "I said I'M COMING! Damnit."

After the gym it was time for a second, hastier, shower and change before the start of classes. Sarah squeezed into a tight grey tanktop that accentuated her slim waist rather than her flat chest, pulled on some baggy black sweats, and took a few minutes to fuss over putting hair back up or letting it down. Down was the victor this time, her scalp still stinging from the tight ponytail she'd worn earlier. Her hair was getting too long and heavy for it these days.

"Ka- Mom, are you going out?" Sarah was still finger combing as she trotted down the stairs. Her socked feet almost slipped on the last step, legs numb and wobbly from her tredmill and elliptical hopping. "Before Dad gets home, I mean? I wanted to take the car today."

"Oh, I don't know." Karen was in the kitchen, chopping away at an iceburg lettuce that Sarah hoped was just going to be the makings of her stepmother's lunch instead of the whole family's dinner later. Toby could whine his way into something more substantial, but Sarah would just have to pick up some takeout and make apologies for herself and Dad.

"Well," Sarah sat down on the bottom step, making a face as she put back on her sneakers. She could already feel their sweaty dampness seeping into her fresh socks, "I kind of need to know now. I have to leave?"

Karen sighed, knife clacking as she set it down on the counter. "I wish you wouldn't use that tone with me, Sarah. I don't exist just to give you a hard time, whatever you may think."

Sarah had to reign in her groan. They were not getting into that old argument again, not right now and not over her tone of voice. Sarah was too old for this shit. "Yea- yes. I know. I just- I'm just in a hurry, Karen. Am I taking the car or the bus?"

Karen sighed again, and her own put-upon tone didn't lessen all that much either. "I don't know. I was thinking of going to the store..."

Sarah wanted nothing better than to sink into the hottest bubble bath known to mankind when she got home that night. From foot to shoulder she ached from either being on her feet or bent over a desk all day. That last trudge home from the bus stop had been her breaking point, legs wobbling like rubberbands as she mounted the porch stairs and slipped in the front door as silent and ginger as she could manage with feet that felt like mortar bricks.

"Sarah! Is that you? I have your plate ready... Were you in the mood for ranch or italian?"

Shit. Sarah kept the groan inward, made to slump back against the door by the force of her exasperation- she completely forgot to grab something edible to stash away and bring home during her work break. Maybe, if she could lure Karen away from the kitchen and use the phone real quick-

"Your father called to let us know he'd be late, so don't worry about holding back. I know how you like to eat, Honey."

No, Karen did not know how Sarah liked to eat. Karen couldn't comprehend how anyone liked to eat if it involved copious amounts of meat. Sprinkle a little tuna on top and she was happy as a clam. It wasn't that Sarah hated salads or vegetables or cucumber zucchini whatevers, but couldn't they just be, you know, on the side?

Sarah covered her face, took a big deep breath, and dragged herself upright. Stuffing her hands in her jacket pockets she slumped into the kitchen. "Ranch, Mom. Ranch sounds... good. What did you make?"

"A nice antipasto!" Karen was all smiles, table set and ready and tidy except for the lettuce-shrewn corner that Toby typically resided in. He'd obviously come and gone already. "Toby already ate, so help yourself... I think he picked most of the meats out, unfortunately. I hope you don't mind too much."

Ugh. Sarah was going to strangle him. "No problem." Right after she drowned this salad in cheese and dressing.

"Hoggle...?" Sarah whispered that night, because Toby had thrown a fit over his bedtime and was likely still awake and sulking down the hall. She lay with her head on Hoggle's chest this time, fiddling absently with the growing strings of beads and trinkets she had been adding to over the years that now looped around his neck and waist. She had one that stretched from his shoulder to belt rolled between her fingers now.

He grunted back at her, arms flat at his sides as if touching her with any part of his hands would encourage her behavior. The old grump.

Sarah grinned and bumped his chin with the top of her head. "Do goblins eat salad?"

"That's a dumb question."

She gave his arm a smack this time. "Who cares? Just answer it."

"Who's tellin' you anything? Hittin' at me and all that," Hoggle grouched and tried to shove her off, starting a brief but furious tussle that ended in Sarah giggling too loud for the time of night and her arms locked around his waist so she could keep her spot. "Quit!"

"Hush- you'll get me in trouble!" Sarah shushed like he started it, cheeks pink from the minor exertion of fending off an ornery little dwarf's flailing limbs. When he'd settled back down enough to just glare at her she slid her arms free so she could fold them on him and look down at his face. "So?"

"So what?" He tossed back.

"Salad?" She prompted with raised brows and a mock serious line made of her lips. Her hair was tousled, a little frizzed from too much brushing after her shower, and she looked pretty with it falling in her face like that.

"Damnit- I'll eat whatever. I don't care, quit botherin' me."

He met her like he met any other girl- through an unwanted baby. And like most, she was confused, frightened, and regretful of the situation she found herself in when she realized that baby was gone. Her little brother, barely six months old, had been unfairly left in her care while their mother was gone.

For three days. Without any word to why.

Three days of a screaming baby who repeatedly refused and spat up the formula she tried to feed him; three days of the endless wailing, the diaper changing; and three days of the neighbors' mounting anger toward a baby's deafening discontent. Missing school and worrying about her mother. Milo, sweetfaced and sweet tempered Milo, was a frantic mess when he found her sitting in front of the crib clutching the Book she had been reading in an attempt to calm herself just as much as her brother, an assortment of other failed fairytales scattered around her feet.

Some girls called him intentionally, motivated in the heat of the moment by the Book's compulsion. Others, like Milo, simply made the mistake of reading the right words out loud at the right moment- with just the right amount of emotion. The Book always knew when the moment was right and Jareth had seen it all. Greedy girls, ugly girls, stupid girls, plain girls, pretty girls, spoiled girls, needy and abused girls... whatever their situation, he hardly bothered to take it in anymore. He was there to collect his newest goblin subject.

He offered her the same lies, the same unlikely chance to retrieve her lost brother, and, when she finally accepted that the Labyrinth was impossible, he came to her again and offered her himself. The only difference being, he found he wanted this girl for enough shallow reasons to mean it.

When Hoggle climbed back through Sarah's mirror, the Labyrinth was in bloom like it hadn't been in centuries. The paved stones were freshly swept, perfectly aligned squares and rectangles instead of the jumbled mess he knew, and the leaves of the walls were thick leaved and lined with large white roses. A decidedly misleading sparkle of warm, seductive welcome was in the air, and he was immediately certain it wasn't intended for him. Even before hearing the voices.

He backed back into the groove he'd stepped out from, now just a small opening through the wall, and crouched to peer suspiciously after Jareth's voice.

Rather than the Goblin King, Hoggle saw a girl in what looked to be a painful sprawl on the ground. An unsurprising sight to stumble onto during a Labyrinth challenge, and Hoggle didn't question that there was no apparent reason for her to be so roughed up in a corner by herself. For all he knew, something had tossed her in the air and this was just her landing spot. She sat covered in grime, rub rashes, and thankfully shallow burns from what he recognized as a riddle gone wrong. Not the clever sort, this one. Maybe a little cute, if you were the sort to like round faces, rounder eyes, and a fat upper lip.

"Let me rule you, Milo." Jareth's voice again, and now the Goblin King paced back within view, crouching before the rumpled and frightened girl to gently press her hair back from her forehead. He whispered in her ear, pressing his lips to her temple with a fervor Hoggle didn't often see in these performances. The King's acting skills had improved. "Fear me, love me, do as I say... and I will be your slave. You can have everything you want."

"Even my brother?" She searched Jareth's eyes and he smiled down at her now, knowing she was in his thrall. The words to reverse his power weren't coming. Stupid girl didn't remember the end of the Book at all, if she had ever finished it in the first place.

"Everything... Except what's mine." Jareth crooned to her, all but petting her. Her short, wild gold curls, her flushed cheeks. His thumb slid over the plump surface of her upper lip, and still she only continued to stare up into his eyes. Her own had gone glassy, uncomprehending and dreamy as he rolled her will up tight in his magic. It didn't matter what he said now. He could have offered her an oubliette and she would have gladly climbed in if he was the one who brought her there. "Forget him."

Hoggle felt a chill go down his spine, hairs standing up on his arms as he came to the unexpected conclusion that he was witnessing an intimate scene here. The King was making no attempts to conceal his intentions, if the surroundings were any indication, and if Hoggle stayed a moment longer he was probably going to see Jareth kiss that girl- or worse. Propelled backward in disgust, Hoggle squeezed his eyes shut and dragged himself out the other side of the wall with as much haste as he could manage without rustling the leaves.

He shuddered away a pink scatter of sparkling dust, patting the rest off his vest and knees as he got himself straightened out, and the wall received a disgusted up and down look for setting him up to be privy to such a thing.

He hitched up his trousers and tucked his hands in the pockets with a final "Ugh!" before heading back on home to the Bog.