It wasn't until the third Saturday night party with her Underground friends that Sarah noticed the white owl on the branch outside her bedroom window. He was watching them all intently, with a wistful expression (if owls can have expressions).

She knew it was Jareth. She knew he was tricky, and she knew he probably wasn't happy with his defeat. But, assured of her freedom from his power, she took pity on him as he sat on the cold, wet branch and invited him in.

Hoggle gasped in fright as Jareth assumed his Fae form and ran to hide behind Ludo. "What'dya go and do a thing like that for?" he hissed at Sarah, as the rest of the party sat in stunned silence.

"Don't let me stop the party," Jareth said, smiling slightly at his subjects. "Sarah has been nice enough to host you all, and allow me to visit. Carry on as you were." He casually took the seat at her vanity as the goblins and other creatures slowly went back to what they'd been doing.

Sarah gave Hoggle a reassuring smile. "Would you like to play Scrabble, Your Majesty?" she asked Jareth.

"No, thank you, my dear. Not one for word games. Though, if you have a chess set…?" he glanced around.

She nodded and pulled the box from under her bed.

Thus began a weekly ritual. The citizens of the Goblin Kingdom would come to Sarah's bedroom after Toby was asleep, and Jareth would visit long enough to engage her in a game of chess or to help her with math homework. Though he remained flamboyant, arrogant, and smug, he was never less than kind to her. She, in turn, found herself enjoying his company.

One Saturday, roughly two years after her trip through the Labyrinth, they found themselves still battling on the chessboard as everyone else drifted back through the mirror to their beds. "It's getting late, Sarah. Are you sure you don't want to forfeit now and save yourself the prolonged defeat?" Jareth asked, a smirk forming on his lips.

Sarah glanced up at him, the tip of her tongue at the corner of her lip, her face still creased in concentration. "What? No way. You aren't going to smooth talk your way out of this beating, Mister."

Jareth grinned. "That's what you say, but according to my infallible memory, I have beaten you many more times than I have lost."

"Yeah, okay…just because we didn't write it down doesn't mean you get to change history!" Moving her bishop, she said, "Check!"

Jareth's hand moved slightly and his rook followed, sliding across the board of its own accord and trapping her king. "Checkmate, precious thing. I have, once again, beaten you."

Sarah flopped back on the floor. "Ugh! How do you always win?"

"Simple. I am a king. I have fought real battles with real strategy. You are a human girl. You are smart, clever, and resourceful, but you know nothing of battle strategy."

Sarah stared up at the ceiling, stretching her legs next to the chessboard. "You think I'm smart?"

Jareth chuckled. "An idiot wouldn't have made it through my labyrinth, even if I made it easier for you."

She rolled her eyes. "Why did you do that, anyway?" They'd discussed the trip and reconciled their differences early on, but she'd never asked him this.

Jareth pondered how to answer. "Because…you wanted to win. It completed your dream, your fantasy. You beat the villain and won back the baby. It's quite simple, really."

"Not to me. Why did you take Toby if you intended to give him back?"

Sighing, Jareth reclined back on an elbow and conjured an apple. Taking a bite, he said, "My job is to help children. Sometimes," he paused to swallow, "that means finding them new homes. Sometimes it means helping their caregivers see their value. Sometimes, the person who did the wishing is a child who needs help." Sarah glanced up at him and saw his small smile. "You needed to learn to put others ahead of yourself. You did. Simple." He took another bite of his apple.

"So nothing you said to me while I was there was real?" Sarah let her eyes fall closed. She hadn't entirely meant to voice this question. She liked Jareth, liked having him around. She felt like she could like him a whole lot more, if the opportunity presented itself. She didn't want to ruin their friendship.

"Sarah," he sighed. "I am over 1,400 years old. Fae mate for life. I have never had female companionship in all those many long years. Don't get me wrong, I love my subjects and the children I help. I truly do. But you, my dear," and here he paused. She sat up and looked into his eyes. "You interested me from before, when I saw you in the park. You entertained me. I wanted to know you better. But you were only a child. I said what I had to say to fulfill your fantasy, but that doesn't mean there wasn't any truth behind it."

He looked away, his expression almost pained. "Can I tell you something?" she asked him.

"Certainly. You can tell me anything." His eyes met hers again, and she felt a familiar pang.

"The reason that was part of my fantasy was because I wanted…I mean, I felt…this sounded a lot better in my head!" she thumped her fist on the floor and he chuckled.

"You wanted to be the sought-after heroine, I get that."

"No, that's not it. Well, that's not all of it. At first that was the idea, but after I met you, I guess I felt like…there was something more there than just the villain. I think I felt your kindness from the beginning." She grinned. "Plus, I do love glitter."

Laughing, Jareth sat up. He reached for her hand and she allowed him to take it. "I wish we could spend more time talking about glitter, than just a few hours once a week."

Her breath shuddered out as he ran his thumb over her knuckles. "Why haven't you married? You can't tell me no Fae woman has ever been interested, because I won't believe that."

It was with a more serious tone that he answered. "Actually, that is the truth. Few Fae marry other Fae. There are not many of us, and we have close lines of kinship. The few female Fae to which I am not related are either already married, or unsuitable." He cleared his throat and met her eyes. "And it can be terribly difficult to woo a human female when the only women you meet are those who have just wished away their own children."

At this, she saw centuries of painful loneliness fall behind his eyes. "You are the only human to ever take an interest in me as something other than a keeper of unwanted children. Ever."

Sarah pulled her legs in and rose up on her knees. Leaning towards Jareth, her free hand moved involuntarily to cup his cheek. She watched his eyes fall closed as he leaned into her hand. Her thumb stroked the cool planes of his jaw. Close enough now to smell his wintery, minty, magic fragrance, she briefly touched her lips to his.

"Sarah," he said, opening his eyes. "I value you, and our friendship. Please don't feel you must…" She cut him off with another kiss.

"Jareth, this isn't pity if that's what you're thinking," she said once they broke apart. "I value you, too. More than anyone I've met. I can't imagine a life without you in it. If you want to stay just friends, if that's all you want, that's fine. But if you can imagine more, with me…" it was his turn to swallow her words in a kiss.

"Yes, I can imagine more."