His True Bride

by Noelerin

PG, to be on the safe side. Jareth & Sarah. Need I say more?

So, this is my second attempt at a Labyrinth story. Some of the dialogue from the movie is used. (Hey, why mess with a perfect gem?) Comments are welcomed. As always, be kind.

His True Bride

Sarah Williams walked the lonely road to school, the sounds of laughter and chattering were all around her but she didn't hear it. The beauty of the fall day was wasted on her for she had her head buried in a book, like always. Luckily her feet knew the way and soon she found herself in front of the large, two story gray school building. It was a gloomy place that rather resembled a wrinkled old man. The autumn leaves and golden tones around brightened the place considerably. The windows glinted in the dim sunlight.

All around her, the students chatted and talked amongst themselves while they waited for the school day to begin. But Sarah was as unaware of the bright chatter, as she was of the admiring looks she received from many in the school. She was a smart girl with artistic tendencies, which meant she got along well with other students but didn't really fit in anywhere. Her distracted air had a way of scaring others off, without her meaning to.

She was a tall, slender girl of eighteen with beautiful black hair that had shots of brown in places that softened the dark curtain. It was worn longer than most women wore it, but it suited her. Her eyes were soft brown, like maple syrup. She wore a pair of jeans, a loose blue poet's shirt with a white vest, and a pair of espadrilles. Her black back pack rested over one shoulder uneasily, looking totally out of place and like it might slip off at the slightest provocation. She walked with an unconscious grace, rather like she was walking in the clouds surrounded by music.

Sarah walked down the long corridor where the lockers were stacked by twos, never lifting her eyes from her book. The warning bell rang, giving the students ten more minutes before the summons for class would ring. She looked up then, slightly annoyed at the ear piercing sound that cut through her story. Sarah stood in front of her dull brown locker, opening it and throwing in her books retaining only those that she would need for her classes. She paused to straighten the picture of her mother, Linda, with her boyfriend, Jeremy, that was on the door and placed a picture of a white owl right above them. She smiled wistfully before shutting the door and turning around, quickly picking up the story where she had left off.

She hadn't gone more than a few steps before she crashed into someone, their things went flying and she tumbled down, only to be stopped by his arm. "Oh!" Sarah said, pushing her dark hair away from her eyes and looking up at the tall man she'd bumped into. Her breath caught for a moment, he was one of the handsomest men she'd ever seen! He had hair like golden moonlight worn long and a fine facial structure, high cheekbones and a well shaped mouth. She couldn't quite make out the color of his eyes through his wired rimmed glasses. He wore a pair of jeans that fit his slender form like a glove, the black silk shirt he wore didn't seem to suit him quite as well. He smiled at her as he let her go, almost reluctantly. She stood on her feet a bit shakily. "No harm done, I assure you." His musical, accented voice tickled her ears as she bent down to pick up her stuff. He picked up her book and read the cover, smiling gently at the flustered girl. "Robin McKinley? Do you enjoy fantasy stories?"

"Very much, sir." Sarah stood up, awkwardly holding her things in her arms and reached out for the book. He reluctantly handed it over and their hands momentarily touched causing an electric shock to pass between them. The first bell rang, she looked away from him, startled out of her dreamy haze by the harsh sound. "I've got to go. Thank you for your help."

"Wait a moment, please." She paused, shifting her weight nervously from one foot to the other. "I'm trying to find the drama room, could you tell me where that is?"

"Down the hall," she pointed down the hall on their left, "first door on your right. You can't miss it, it has a comedy mask on the top right of the door frame and the tragedy mask at the bottom left of the door frame."

"Miss Williams!" A stern voice said from down the hall. They looked over and saw an inpatient man standing in front of the green door. She groaned, Mr. Harman. He was a balding man with little sense of humor. He had a pair of icy blue eyes that could cut even the most rebellious student down to size. His gray suit was tailored to his long, lanky frame perfectly. "Would your majesty care to join us in a discussion of practical science?"

"Yes, sir." Sarah blushed hotly under her teacher's icy words. She quickly left the man standing in the hall and entered the room, wishing that the floor would open up and swallow her. The rest of the class passed in a blur for her, which was odd because Mr. Harman was a gifted speaker and could hold anyone's attention. She couldn't shake the memory of that man, or his mesmerizing voice. *Who was he? And what is he doing here?

The man stood in the hall for a moment longer, conscious of her lingering warmth against his hand. "I'll be seeing you soon." He murmured before walking to the drama room.

By the end of the day, Sarah was more than willing to call it quits. She couldn't seem to concentrate on anything, not her studies, her books, or her classes. She kept looking around for that man and it didn't help that everyone was asking her who he was. "Girl, stop dreaming. He's probably forgotten all about you."

"Remember, Sarah. We have rehearsal later today." Ellie called. Sarah had an impression of short blond curls and green eyes as the petite beauty rushed passed her heading towards the town center where the auditorium was located. The school's auditorium was not a part of the school, it was the town's stage. So, the school got many of the benefits of a professional stage as well as the conflicts in scheduling but luckily they had worked out a pretty decent schedule so that both could have equal opportunities to do their plays.

She walked into the auditorium where they were preparing to perform the play, Labyrinth. Sarah found it hard to believe that they were performing one of her favorite stories, they even had the playwright himself playing the part of the mysterious Goblin King. She couldn't wait to meet him. It was all so marvelous, they had many of the 'pro' actors helping. Except for the role of Cassondra, Sarah thought that the play would be a success. Then she felt a twinge of guilt, Ellie was a good actress but she lacked the passionate intensity Sarah felt the role required.

Mrs. Manchester smiled when she saw Sarah, "Here you are. My dear, I want you to meet Mr. Robin Zakar, our Goblin King. Mr. Zakar, here is the girl I was telling you about. This is Sarah, she's the one who's designing the costumes for the play. "

She started to smile but was frozen when she encountered the same man from before. "It's you. I had no idea."

He bit back a smile as he shook her suddenly limp hand, not releasing it immediately. "No, I don't believe I had the opportunity to introduce myself to you earlier."

"You two have met?" Mrs. Manchester plainly did not expect this and she raised her thin eyebrows. She had a pair of snapping black eyes and a dramatic taste in clothes, though most called it eccentric. Today she was wearing a long sleeved Medieval style gray tunic over a pair of tights in the same color and high heeled boots. Her shoulder length brown hair was covered with a black felt page boy's hat with a long feather curling over the left side to dance lightly across her shoulder.

"In the hall, earlier today. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and bumped into Sarah. She helped me find my way to class." He said her name softly, almost dreamily. Then he smiled charmingly at Mrs. Manchester. "I'm here to help you anyway I can. Your wish is my command, my lady."

Sarah smiled at that. "Better be careful with that offer, sir. I might just take advantage of it."

"Why? Are you having problems?" He asked curiously.

"Actually, yes." She pulled her copy of Labyrinth out of her bag and flipped the pages till she found what she was looking for. "Right here, in the description of the Goblin King. It says he has an otherworldly presence. I'm not sure I know how to project that. His clothes should show him to be different from our environment, yet be natural to him and the surroundings. Does that make any sense?"

"Of course. I agree with you. But you don't need to worry, I'll provide my own wardrobe." There was a slight smile in his voice when he said that, "Anything else?"

She sighed in relief. "No. That's a load off my mind."

Mrs. Manchester cleared her throat. "Now that that's been settled, could we get on with rehearsals?"

They smiled at her, then everyone was called to order. After a quick talk, rehearsal began. Ellie came onto the stage wearing a flowing gray dress with a wreath of pink flowers in her hair. She moved to the center of the stage and began to recite her lines, Mr. Zakar winced slightly but recovered quickly. But Mrs. Manchester had caught his look. "What is wrong?" She murmured.

"She lacks something for the part of Cassondra." He whispered, uneasily aware that he could easily see Sarah playing the part to perfection. His eyes drifted over to where her graceful figure was and he smiled to himself. *If only...But he had gathered that she was rather shy, uncomfortable when the attention was focused solely on her. "She's a good actress but is nervous over your presence here." She whispered back, "Give her time." He just nodded, eyes never leaving Sarah's figure till it had disappeared backstage.

Sarah was walking home in the chilly moonlit evening, head so full of cheery thoughts, she forgot about her lousy day. Things were going well with the play and her dream of meeting the creator of the Labyrinth had come true. Her two story home appeared before her, the moonlight dancing across the white surface. She wiped her feet on the porch mat before opening one of the white double doors and walking in. There was a table in the center of the hall and Sarah put her things down on top of it, admiring the dancing lights from the chandelier. "Dad! I'm home!"

"Sarah, hush. You'll wake the baby." Her stepmother, Karyn, hissed at her. She walked out of the den and into the hall to look at Sarah. "And where were you this afternoon?"

Sarah lowered her voice as she moved to stand beside her. "I was at rehearsal. I told you and dad this morning that for the rest of the month I would be busy with the play."

"Well, never mind. Your father and I are going out to dinner. There are some leftovers in the refrigerator, help yourself." Sarah finally noticed that her stepmother was wearing a floor length blue dress and carrying a cloak in her left hand, in her right she held a blue evening bag. Her blond hair was held up with pearl shaped clips, her blue eyes glanced at the clock.

"Hi, Sarah." Her father, Paul, came down the stairs fixing his tie. He was wearing a black suit over a white shirt. He pecked her on the cheek lightly, brown eyes held a distant but affectionate light as he looked as his daughter. His brown hair was slightly wet, he'd obviously had a quick shower. "Don't wait up for us, it's a school night. The number is by the phone if you need us." Then they were gone.

Sarah leaned against the door, wearily. "Thank you. I had an interesting day and learned a whole lot. Rehearsal went along wonderfully, Mr. Zakar is a wonderful actor. How was your day? No, of course I don't mind watching Toby. I hope you have a good time." This wasn't the first time she'd come home from school and had her parents walk out the door, leaving her to take care of things. She sighed and looked around. Toby's baby things were all over the place. Sarah sometimes wondered how one little kid could make such a large mess.

She bent down and started to pick up the room, knowing that Karyn would expect the house to be spotless when they returned. It took her a few hours but soon she had the place cleaned up and was able to enjoy a ham and cheese sandwich. Before she went upstairs, Sarah made sure that the house was secured. She sat down in her room and started her homework. She left her door partially open so that she could hear Toby if he began to cry.

Her room was filled with all kinds of things but mostly revealed that Sarah had a dreamy side to her. Along the wall, beside her bed was a shelf with her collection of stuffed animals. Her favorite was Lancelot, the bear she had gotten from her mother before her parents broke up. Also along that wall was a picture she really loved to study, Relativity by M. C. Escher. Somehow, without her knowing how it happened, she always ended up on the ceiling. She had a vanity where her pictures of her mother and father were hung, as well as posters of plays that she liked.

She sat on her bed, working steadily on her homework. She finished her work at eleven, then yawned and stretched. Sarah went into the bathroom, relieved that it had been a quiet night with Toby for once and took a warm shower before climbing into bed. She stared up at the blue curtains over her bed, trying to get comfortable. Finally, her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep.

The moon cast a pale, silvery glow within her room. The old oak tree outside cast a friendly shadow into her room, rather like a guard protecting her through the night. The girl was lost in peaceful dreams for a while. Then, as she dreamed, a castle appeared on a hill in a starlit land. She saw herself, in the most beautiful golden dress she had ever seen with tiny diamonds sparkling like thousands of stars in her hair. By her side was a tall man but she couldn't see his face, though she knew that they were together. He was wearing a black pair of tights with a white shirt and a formal black jacket. They were walking down a long hall into a large ballroom and all eyes were focused upon them. She drew closer to the man and he pressed her hand comfortingly, as if to say 'it's all right'. He whispered, "I'm here for you, I'll always be here." And she wasn't afraid anymore, things would be all right. He made a short speech, thanking everyone for attending their wedding.

Someone in the audience called out, "Well, we didn't believe it was true." There was a lot of good natured laughing all around.

The man, who seemed to be her husband, smiled widely. "Aren't you glad to find out that you can let your daughters out of their towers now that I am no longer a bachelor?" This brought out more laughter from an appreciative audience.

"Actually, we women are devastated. You will no longer be free for us to enjoy, or will you?"

The man by her side didn't even hesitate. "No. I have the one I want." He looked lovingly into her eyes, she was overwhelmed by the look in their blue green depths. Such a look of love and contentment, for her. He pulled her near and kissed her lovingly and gently, she returned the embrace willingly and with all her heart and soul. There was something so right about this moment, she felt complete. He drew away slowly and addressed their guests once more, a bit breathlessly. "I gave my darling Kestral my solemn vow as..."

The sound of Garth Brooks's singing startled Sarah out of her dreams. She raised a hand to her trembling lips, feeling his loving kiss on them. Inside she trembled with a thousand thoughts and feelings. She wondered, what did that dream mean? Sarah sighed and jumped out of bed. She dressed quickly in a blue sweater dress and a pair of black leggings, then pulled on her flats. She brushed her hair, then went down for breakfast.

"Sarah, you're going to be late for school if you don't hurry up." Karyn said as she watched Sarah, who had been playing with her food for the last ten minutes. "It's almost eight o'clock now."

She was dancing in the arms of the man from her dream and he was pulling her closer. He bent his head, her arms reached up around his neck and twined in his hair and then, their lips met in a long and heady kiss. "I love you." She smiled and looked up at him, "I love you, too. Jar"...the impatient tone in her stepmother's voice pulled Sarah from her reverie. "What?" She asked, smiling half dreamily.

Karyn sighed in exasperation. "I said, you're going to be late if you don't hurry up." Sarah looked at the clock and leapt up, gabbing her things, and running out the door. Her stepmother followed her. "Sarah! I'll need you to come home immediately after school to take care of Toby. I have some errands to run and I can't handle him while I do them."

"But I have rehearsals after school!" Sarah protested, *why did she wait until now to mention this?

Her stepmother looked at her, with a slight martyred expression. "I guess it would be too much to ask you to help me out by spending a little time with your brother. Don't worry about it, I'll manage somehow."

Sarah wilted, "I'll come straight home. I'll talk to Mrs. Manchester about her concerns at lunch today."

"If you're sure it won't be too much trouble?" Karyn asked sweetly.

"I'm sure. See you." Sarah ran off, trying to make up for lost time. *I'm going to be late, I just know it!

A car drove past the running girl, then stopped suddenly and pulled back to where she was. "May I give you a lift?" Mr. Zakar asked when she paused and looked at him. Today he was dressed in a blue silk shirt and a pair of slacks in black.

Sarah debated for a moment, then decided he couldn't mean to harm her. She opened the door and slid in. "Thanks." She said breathlessly as the blue fiat drove away from the curb. "What were you doing in my neighborhood?"

"Visiting some old friends. Why were you so late?" He drove confidently towards the school, wondering at his generosity towards the girl. *Really, I've never been quite so...kind to anyone before. But then, Sarah's not just anyone.

"I couldn't get moving this morning." She remembered her dreams and slid further into her seat, praying he wouldn't notice the furious blush suddenly coloring her cheeks. He nodded but said nothing as they pulled up near the school. "Drop me off here, I could get in trouble for riding with you." He ignored her comment and parked in his spot, then got out and held the door for her. She accepted his proffered hand, "Thank you."

He didn't let go. "I will see you at rehearsals, right?"

Sarah nervously noticed the glances that were directed their way and tried to pull away. "I don't think so. My stepmother" she couldn't quite hide the bitter inflection in her voice, "has some errands to run so I need to watch Toby."

"Toby?" He asked, raising an eyebrow, *she has the softest hand and it fits so well in my own.

"My half brother." Sarah was really nervous, everyone was staring at them and he still had her hand. He finally let her have her hand.

"I see. How are you going to answer Mrs. Manchester's questions if you aren't there?" Mr. Zakar walked with her, ignoring her desperate attempts to get away.

"I plan to talk to her at lunch or during my study break." Sarah heard the first bell ring with a feeling of relief tinged with regret. "Excuse me."

"Mrs. Manchester won't be here." His soft words stopped her retreat, she looked back at him. "She asked me to substitute for her classes. She will be at rehearsals. Why don't we meet at lunch and I'll take notes, then give her your answers."

Sarah chewed her lip, debating the wisdom of what he suggested. The bell decided her. "I suppose that would be all right. Outside the drama room at noon?"

He nodded, "See you then, Sarah." Mr. Zakar admired the fleeing girl, then sighed. *What are you doing? You're going to get into so much trouble.

She ran off then, moving easily through the other figures running to class, slipping into her seat right as the final bell rang. "Phew!" She got out her books, squirming slightly under Mr. Harman's irritated glare before he began his lecture. The rest of that morning passed in a blur for Sarah, she was looking forward to seeing Mr. Zakar at lunch. *Do I look all right? Is my hair okay? Sarah, calm down! Shesh! You'd think I had a crush on him the way I'm obsessing.

She was a nervous wreck by the time she met him. He took in her nervous state in glance and sighed to himself. "The cafeteria?"

"No. Karyn packed me a lunch. I usually eat outside, in a small grove on the side of the school."

"Oh, good. I was worried that I'd have to watch you eat it. I heard the food is deadly." She noticed he was carrying something in his hand and figured that was his lunch.

She grinned suddenly. "Only if you actually consume it." They walked outside, laughing. He followed her over to where there was a circle of tall cider and pine trees, there was a place cleared for people to sit, here an indefinable sense of peace was almost tangible. She sat down and he sat right across from her.

They sat in silence for a moment, eating and enjoying the peace. "So, what were these concerns that Mrs. Manchester wanted you to address?" He pulled out a notebook and assumed a serious expression.

She laughed, then became as serious as he was. "She had one concern, it was to know how quickly it would take Ellie to change from her regular outfit to the ballroom dress. I have no idea about that one. In fact, I tried to get her to change that one because of the complexity of it."

"But that is really the only time the Goblin King has to tell her of his love and for him to realize that nothing will dissuade her from her task, not even a spell. It is also the only time she gets to see behind his mask of cruelty. The only other time he gets the chance is at the beginning of their final confrontation, before he brings Freddie into the picture."

"I know. I always felt there was more to him than he let others see, except for Freddie." She paused. "Did he really love her?"

He thought for a moment, wondering how to phrase his answer in a way that she could understand. "Yes. As much as he was able to understand the nature of love, he did. She was unlike anyone he'd ever met before, innocent, yet worldly. On the verge of womanhood, yet more of a woman than most with her strong will and courage. She had a steel will beneath her helpless damsel in distress exterior. He was captivated, he just didn't know how to show her. He saw her working under harsh circumstances. Saw her beauty and grace as she went about her dreary existence, refusing to take the easy way out. Though he tempted her, he really did. In all his lonely life, she was a single ray of light, shinning upon him. He had been surrounded by dirt and creatures who are dumb. He didn't know much of love, till her. In her he found beauty, intelligence, and courage. If he could just get her to open her eyes to life's possibilities, maybe he could win her love."

Sarah listened to his voice and closed her eyes. She could feel the passion and belief in his words and wiped tears away from her eyes. "I'm sorry but that was so beautiful. I can almost see her and how he must have felt."

"And you would take away that beautiful scene where he tries to tell her from his heart how he feels?" He teased her gently, handing over a clean handkerchief.

She blushed as she accepted it with a tiny smile before she explained her reasoning. "I just think that it would be hard to have her slip into a dreamlike sleep have her appear a few minutes later, dressed in a ball gown naturally. Then, after she breaks the spell, fall down and appear in her regular clothes in the junkyard moments later."

"I guess it is a little complicated for a high school to do. Let me think about that one for a moment." He knew she was right, but that scene was very key in showing her emerging courage and strength. She was able to break through a very powerful spell and break away from what was a great temptation for her, the promise of a truer love than she'd ever known existed for her. "Could you design a dress that could slip on and off easily? Over her clothes?"

Sarah thought for a moment, "It shouldn't be that hard. No, wait. I forgot her shirt. It's a high collar, flowing sleeve affair with a vest. There's no way I could get a dress to fit easily over that. Over the pants, covering the shoes, yeah. But no way would it go over the shirt."

"And we can't change the outfit because it emphasizes how different she is from others." He finished, then he thought of something else.

She intercepted his look. "Before you ask, the vest is connected to the shirt."

"Does it slip easily over her head?" He was surprised that she knew what he had been about to ask.

"Yeah and we'd use a wig for the ballroom hairstyle." She nodded thoughtfully, she could see where he was going with this. "That would get her into the ballroom fast, but how about the exit?"

"What if when she breaks free, she slides off stage. The curtains drop and we have Hoggle sitting there, expressing regret for tricking her into accepting the peach? When the curtains open, the scene is set with Cassondra waking in the junk yard." Mr. Zakar was thrilled that he could talk with someone who went along with his thoughts, could see where he was going. *How I've missed this kind of interaction with another!

"That could work, if she could change quickly. But how would you get the ballroom stuff off and out so quickly?" The bell rang before he could answer and she jumped, throwing her things back into her bag. "I've got to go, math is next and I hate math."

"Its not so bad. Give me a while, I'll figure out how to do it." *Maybe I should see if we can use the upper stage for the ballroom and the lower for the junk yard, then we just raise it while the curtains are closed. How much time would that take?

"I'm sure you will. See you." She hurried back into the school, running up the stairs to her math class. She slid in before the second bell rang and was ready for whatever the teacher threw her way. There was a sense of excitement in her, a readiness to accept the challenges given her. It had something to do with Mr. Zakar, he listened to her and could relate to her in a way no one else ever tried to. She loved having a friend she could talk to, even for such a short time. The rest of the day passed in a blur for her and she was soon running home. She ran into the family room and smiled at Toby, who was swinging in his swing. "I'm home!" He cooed at her, he really was a sweet baby. He had big blue eyes and fine golden blonde hair that curled softly. He was in a blue body suit.

"Good. Now, Toby will need a nap at four. Dinner is in the refrigerator, it's just a simple tuna casserole, all you need to do is warm it up. Your father and I will not be home for a few days, so your aunt Hester will be arriving around midnight. Stay up for her will you?" Karyn came out dressed in a red travel suit.

"But I thought you said you had errands to run? You never said anything about Aunt Hester coming or you and daddy's going away earlier."

"Sarah, it just came up today. Your father called around noon to tell me that he was going on a business trip. He asked me if I would like to go and, since I didn't think you would mind, I said yes. Aunt Hester agreed to come and stay but had some appointments so she will be here late." She walked over to the garage door and went to her car. She drove off, calling out the window. "Bye, Sarah. Take care of Toby."

Sarah waved half heartedly as she watched the white car drive away. Toby started to cry and she turned towards him, cuddling him in her arms. "It's okay. Sarah's right here." The day just went down from there, she finally fell into bed at three, exhausted. Aunt Hester had called, she wouldn't be there until morning. She slept fitfully, awakening at six to the sound of the doorbell being leaned on.

She yawned and stumbled down the stairs, "All right, I'm coming." She opened the door to find Aunt Hester. She was a large woman with iron gray hair wearing a bright pink dress and high heels.

"Well, hi there, little missy. Nice to see you up bright and early. Where's the little man?" She had a loud, brassy voice that echoed in Sarah's numb head. They heard a high wail from upstairs. "Guess that answers my question. I'll take your parents' room and hey, you ought to get dressed before you freeze in that thing." Aunt Hester walked right by Sarah and up to see Toby.

Sarah stood at the door, feeling the cold air on her bare legs before she slowly closed it. She went back to her room and tried to take a quick nap before she had to get ready for school. Two hours later, she ran into the school, breathless and fell into her chair, not at all ready for the day ahead of her. She dragged herself towards her second period class, walking past the drama room, looking up blankly when she heard a voice say. "Good heavens, woman! What have you done to yourself?"

"What?" Her tired eyes looked up to see Mr. Zakar and Mrs. Manchester looking at her. He was wearing black slacks and a black shirt, *He wears that color a lot, must be his favorite. He looks really good in it, though. Sarah thought, laughing a little at herself. Mrs. Manchester wore an over large, green artist's smock over a pair of leggings and impossibly high heels. Her hair was arranged in a riot of tight curls.

"I asked you what you'd done to yourself. You look like a wreck." He repeated himself.

Which was true, she realized when she glanced at herself. Sarah hadn't brushed her hair or really taken much thought to her appearance. She was wearing the first thing she'd grabbed, a dirty sweatshirt and a pair of sweat pants. On her feet were two different pairs of shoes, one tennis and the other, a flat. "Bad night. Toby didn't go to sleep until eleven, he kept crying. I had to calm him down. Then I had to do my homework, so I was up until three."

"Why weren't your parents taking care of him?" Mrs. Manchester asked.

She yawned, her jaw popping. "Sorry. Dad had to go on a business trip, he invited Karyn to go with him. My Aunt Hester couldn't come until this morning, she arrived at six, so I got up to let her in."

Mr. Zakar was, to say the least, very annoyed. *She's carrying way too much on her young shoulders. What brutes her family are! "And she let you out of the house in this condition?"

"She didn't see me, she was too busy trying to feed Toby." She blinked when he grabbed her arm and pulled her into the drama room.

He opened a door to the right and they walked into a practice room. "You will sleep." He firmly said. Mrs. Manchester nodded in agreement and walked over to get her a blanket and pillow for the prop room.

"But my classes..." She weakly protested, not really caring at this point. She was so tired, all she wanted to do was sleep.

"I will excuse you from them for the rest of the day." Mrs. Manchester said, taking her bag from her unresisting hand. "Is your homework in here? Then I'll turn it in for you." But Sarah didn't hear her, she had fallen asleep standing up. The teacher was exasperated, she turned to Mr. Zakar. "That family of hers! If I could, I'd strangle them. Unfortunately, some would call it murder. I'd call it a public service. I'll leave you to help her."

"Right." Mr. Zakar gently picked her up and put her on the floor, away from the window and the door. Looking down at her, he had to agree with what Mrs. Manchester had said. *Poor baby. Then he covered her, brushed her hair away from her face, and quietly left, shutting the door softly.

Hours later, Sarah woke up from a delicious dream and stretched. Then she froze, she didn't recognize where she was and it was too dark to see anything specific, nor were there any noises to help her decide where she was. There was a window in one corner and a door right beside it. She got up stiffly, muscles protesting at being used before warming up. She opened the door slowly, stopping when she heard Mrs. Manchester's voice. "Ah, Sarah. You're awake, do you feel better?"

"Much better, thank you." She blushed under their amused gazes. "How long have I been sleeping?"

"Let me put it this way, its time for rehearsal. Come on." Mrs. Manchester started walking to the door.

"Wait! I can't go like this." She gestured to her ragged appearance.

"True. Borrow one of the costumes from the prop room and hurry up."

Sarah quickly changed and ran after them, carrying her clothes in her arms. She was wearing a long sleeved dress much like Juliet would have worn. She had raked her fingers through her hair in a desperate attempt to restore some order to it. Breathless, she entered the auditorium and went backstage to watch the practice. It was wonderful to be back in the theater, smelling the greasepaint and watching as her friends became someone else. Mr. Zakar had worked wonders with the play, changing many things so that they could easily perform this work but keeping it as magical as it had always been.

During the next few weeks, nothing changed much. Sarah worked desperately on the play and at home, caring for Toby and the house. Her stepmother continued to spring sudden baby-sitting jobs on her. Her father just smiled at what was going on and never tried to help Sarah out. The play was going along great though and was a high point of her life, Linda agreed to come and see the play, along with Jeremy. Two days before the play was to open, Ellie came down with measles.

"This is terrible." Mrs. Manchester moaned. She was wearing a director's hat with a long sleeved gray chemise and black kid boots.

Mr. Zakar stood in the center of the stage, cleared his throat, and asked everyone to sit down. His black outfit stood out against the bright white lights, giving him a regal air that was at odds with the simple stage. "Ellie is unable to play Cassondra. Does anyone here know the part who is willing to take on the role?"

His eyes sought out Sarah, she didn't seem to be listening. In fact, he thought she was asleep. It infuriated him to think of the carelessness of her family in letting her take on the job of raising her stepbrother and caring for the house. In the past few weeks, he'd taken the time to learn more about her. After all, if he was going to be drawn to her, he might as well know his enemy.

She was wearing a green poet shirt and vest over black slacks and black espadrilles. As if she felt his gaze, her sleepy eyes opened and looked up at him. Their gazes locked and held, something unspoken passed between them.

Mrs. Manchester spoke, breaking into their silent conversation. "Wanda knows the part."

"Yes. But I don't think I can take her place. I mean, look at me." They could see her point. Wanda was on the basketball team, she was about an inch or two taller than Sarah. Her bright red hair was cropped close to her head and she had green eyes. She wouldn't fit into any of the costumes.

"Sarah, can you alter the costumes to fit Wanda?" Mrs. Manchester asked.

Sarah thought for a moment. "I'll have to redo the ball dress and her first dress. I think she can fit into one of my shirts and vests. She probably has a pair of jeans and flats to finish it off." She glanced down at her watch and bit back an oath, jumping up. "My stepmother's gonna kill me! I needed to be home fifteen minutes ago." She ran out the door, calling over her shoulder. "Wanda, meet me at my house after rehearsals and I'll take your measurements."

The door closed with a bang behind her and rehearsal began with Wanda taking Ellie's place. Mr. Zakar sighed in frustration. *Sarah, when I get my hands on you... The rehearsal continued, everyone there was untroubled by his dark thoughts.

Sarah breathlessly ran into the house. Karyn and Paul were impatiently waiting for her by the door. "Sorry I'm late. Ellie got sick and we had an emergency 'what are we going to do?' meeting."

"Sarah, when I say six o'clock, I mean it. If you were going to be late, you should have called." Karyn said as Paul helped her put on her coat. They walked out the door. "Now the numbers are by the phone, if you need us."

"Toby is in bed, he's been having some rough spells. Watch him carefully, he may be extra fussy. Remember, don't let anyone in." Her father said.

"Have a good time." Sarah said, her shoulders slumped in defeat. She stared at the closed door and heard the car drive away. *Why is it that no matter what I do, I'm always wrong. She then turned her mind towards the task of redoing the ball dress, she went to her room and measured the cloth. *Good. I will have enough. Two hours later, Wanda left the house and Sarah began to sew the dress. Toby started to cry, loudly at around ten. She looked up, vaguely aware that she'd fallen asleep bent over the sewing machine.

Sighing, she walked into his room and picked him up. They sat in the rocking chair by the window. Sarah rubbed his back, singing softly to him.

"Baby, mine, don't you cry Baby, mine, dry you eyes Rest your head, close to my heart Never to part, baby of mine. Little one, when you play Don't you mind what they say Let those eyes sparkle and shine Never a tear, baby of mine If they knew, sweet little you. They'd end up loving you too All those same people who scold you What they'd give just for the right to hold you From your head down to your toes, You're not much, goodness knows But you're so precious to me Sweet as can be, baby of mine All of those people who scold you What they'd give just for the right to hold you From your head down to your toes You're not much, goodness knows But you're so precious to me Sweet as can be, baby of mine Baby of mine.

Toby drifted off to sleep in her arms, his gentle breath tickling her softly. She smiled down at him, unaware of the white owl outside her parents window. He'd been watching her for quite sometime, his gaze drank in her quiet beauty. He sighed, *what would he give just for the right to hold her? Anything she wants and you know it. What is this power she has over me? She slowly rose and placed Toby in his crib, smoothing his hair away from his face. He settled down again and she quietly left the room, rubbing her neck.

Sarah turned back to the task at hand, finishing the dress before the play began. She noticed something about the dress the moment she sat down. "That's odd. I could have sworn I wasn't this far along." The dress was nearly complete.

The white owl smiled at her words. *"Thank you, Ariadne."

*"No problem. What is this girl to you anyway?" The legendary weaver, who had once challenged Athena to a weaving contest, asked the owl. She was a petite, dark haired Grecian lady.

*"She reminds me of someone who was very dear to me." The owl sighed sadly, his heart still ached within for the love he'd lost.

*"Just be careful, my friend." He just nodded at her gentle warning. She left him alone, wondering if he knew what he was getting himself into.

Inside the room, the young woman settled down to finish the dress. Soon her fingers were flying, feeding the cloth through the needle and thread on the machine which softly purred as it stitched the dress together. She quickly finished the hem, "Now all I have to do is wait for Wanda to try it on before I make the final alterations." Sarah then turned towards her homework, but a slight flutter by the window caught her attention. She drew near, cautiously, and saw the white owl calmly sitting there.

"Oh, how beautiful you are." She breathed and opened the window. He perched on her window sill and she reached out, softly stroking his downy feathers. She could almost swear that he leaned into her touch, almost longingly. Their eyes met briefly, she thought that his were the most unusual color for an owl. She could almost swear they were human or fae, then he turned and flew away. She watched him go, a deep longing for something unknown in the deepest part of her soul. She returned to her homework, reluctantly, the tight knot within her heart refused to go away.

The owl flew through the heavens, still shivering in reaction to her light touch. His heart pounded within his chest and he wondered how he could be so untrue to his wife after all this time. *If only Sarah wasn't so much like her. He flew into the moon and soon arrived at his domain, his labyrinth, and went into the castle, collapsing on his throne. There was a lot of ear splitting racket going on around him and he sighed, loudly. *Why me?

Gone were the respectable clothes he wore out there, now he was in a long, white shirt that opened at the neck to reveal his pendant. His light hair was no longer bound back and flowed around his face, stirring in the light breeze. He wore gray tights with boots. Now that he wasn't wearing his glasses, his beautiful eyes were revealed-one a deep emerald green and the other, a sapphire blue. They could burn as hot as a flame or freeze over like the cold of an arctic sea. Right now, they swept over the room, disgust plainly written on his fine features.

The room was filled with dirty, jabbering goblins, many were fighting over the remains of their dinner. They were all sorts of shapes and sizes, the largest were a part of the royal guard. The smallest were used for snatching the children because they could easily get in where the others couldn't. Some were there for the express purpose of being turned into chickens to entertain the goblins and some were kick toys for the king. The stench of rotten goblin food hung heavily in the air, almost causing the man on the throne to gag. In the center was a large hole, where they usually placed the wished away child. Right now, it was filled with ragged cloths and various pieces of goblin weaponry.

"Quiet!" His voice was soft but cut across the deafening din in the room with its authority and power. "You will clean up this room or I will suspend you all over the Bog of Eternal Stench, understand?" It wasn't a question he expected them to answer and they knew it. The room quickly went from massive disorder too slightly organized, the chickens were taken out and left in the Goblin City. Jareth sighed but knew that this was the best it would get. At least that awful smell was gone and he could move without tripping. *I wonder what Sarah's doing right now? Ignoring the impulses of his mind which told him to leave her alone, he peered into a crystal and looked at her as she settled onto the bed, falling quickly into a deep sleep. He put the crystal down, slowly, eyes lingering on her innocent face. "I am a fool."

Sarah tossed and turned in her bad, trying to shake away the longing that filled her heart and mind. Her mind started to wander, running the play over in her mind. *Maybe this will help me sleep. It starts out here, in the audience. Cassondra will run in and do her lines, then run on stage, into the house where she's met by her stepmother and they have a confrontation. She then goes upstairs, stepmother and dad give her that time to throw off the outer dress and put on the shirt. Thank goodness the stage is two leveled and can rotate, the Labyrinth will be in the back part. She drifted off, thinking of the Labyrinth and all its wonders, and found herself outside the castle. She sat on a beautiful, black bay. Her husband sat on a dark gray stallion, wearing a very worried look. "Are you sure you should be riding in your condition, dearest?"

She smiled, "Honey, I'm just pregnant. Stop worrying."

"I can't help it, I've never been pregnant before." He protested.

"But you aren't, I am. Relax, I'll be fine. This is the first time we've had to ourselves in a long time." Then she took off into the right section of their kingdom. This was a lush land of hidden waterfalls and secret caverns of crystals and dryads. It was where he had proposed to her. Her laughter rang out through the hills and Jareth relaxed, smiling.

They took their time that afternoon, just talking, looking at the fluffy clouds overhead, and laughing with each other. The heavens began to thunder and Jareth reluctantly stood up, holding out his hand for her. "We'd better get back, I wouldn't want the goblins to come looking for us. Heaven only knows what might happen to them." She laughed in agreement as she got on the horse, experiencing a flash of pain. "What's the matter?"

"Just a kick, I think. Though our baby shouldn't be doing that right now, I'm only in my fourth month. Dr. Waxjery said movement wouldn't begin for another few months." She winced as it happened again.

"Maybe you should ride with me, these pains don't seem to be normal and I wouldn't want anything to happen to you." As he spoke, rain began to fall and a mist layered the land in darkness.

"I'll be fine, we need to get out of this storm." Kestral didn't mean to snap at him but the pain was quickly becoming unbearable and she didn't want to worry him. She looked into his eyes and saw his pain before he quickly hid it from her. "I'm sorry, dearest. I didn't mean to snap at you. Please, let's just leave."

He looked at her one more time, before he walked over to his horse and they took off. "All right, sweetheart. Be careful. I don't want to lose you." They headed down the steep hill, their horses picking their way carefully through the various rocks and fallen limbs.

A brilliant flash of lightening flashed on their right, slicing a tree in half. Her horse jerked under her and she concentrated on holding on. The pain ripped through her body and she let out a scream of pain. Jareth jerked around on his horse and was horrified to see her fly off and land in an uncomfortable heap under her horse.

"Kestral!" He cried and leapt off his horse, going over to her. She looked at him, through pain filled eyes, there was no sign that she knew who he was. He shook her gently, "Lover?" Then he saw a flash of recognition in them. He was so relived he nearly cried. "How do you feel?"

"Terrible, I feel empty. What happened?"

"You fell, hon. Don't you remember?" She thought for a moment, then shook her head. "There was a storm, your horse was spooked and he threw you."

"The baby?" Her voice cracked. She saw his eyes and knew, but had to ask anyway. He held her as they both cried, she was morning the loss of their child. Jareth felt a little bad that his tears were of relief, that he hadn't lost his wife, though he did mourn the loss of his baby.

Sarah jerked up, her heart pounding in her ears. Her face was wet with tears, it felt like Kestral's pain was her own. *What is wrong with me? Am I losing my mind? It was hours before she fell into a dreamless sleep, only to awaken with a pounding migraine. Toby was hollering in his room, she waited and waited for someone to go get him but, after fifteen minutes, did it herself. She glanced over and noticed that her parent's coats were still missing, which meant either they had to go back out or they hadn't come home yet.

She picked up Toby and noticed that his pajamas were soaking, *he must have been crying for much longer than I thought. "Hey, little man, it's okay. Why don't we get you dressed, hmmm?" She walked over to the dresser and saw a note.

Sarah, Be a dear and take care of Toby while your father and I run some errands. Your aunt can't come this time, so I expect him to stay with you and I don't want you missing any school. The school has said that it's okay if you bring him, just as long as he stays quiet and is not disturbing the peace. Karyn

Sarah crumpled the note angrily but schooled her features into a smile so that she wouldn't upset Toby. "Guess what, little one? You're going to visit my school with me. Won't that be fun?"

Toby laughed as she got him dressed in a warm, red jumper with a hood and fed him, then he helped her pick out her clothes for the day. "So, poppet, you think the black sweater would be better than the green?" He giggled. "I see. Should I wear the slacks or the jeans then?" He grabbed the jeans and she smiled at him, quickly changing. Together, they locked the door and started out for school. She pushed him in his stroller and carried his baby bag and her back pack over one shoulder.

Mr. Zakar did a double take when he saw them go by him. He unrolled the window and she walked over. "No, let me guess. Sudden family emergency forced you to bring Toby to school?" His voice dripped with sarcasm and Sarah flinched, he instantly felt bad. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that the way it sounded."

"I know. But it describes me perfectly, Sarah the family doormat. Sarah, the family sacrifice." She ran her fingers through her hair. "But I don't mind."

"I know. I would offer you a ride but I don't have a baby seat, so I'll walk with you." He parked the car and walked beside her. He knew she was a little uneasy walking with him so he began to tease Toby. He was surprised to find out how much he enjoyed the young man. Today, Mr. Zakar was wearing an ivory silk shirt and gray slacks. *The boy is really delightful, like his stubborn sister.

*Stop it, Sarah, he is just walking you to school. There's no reason to behave like a love struck teenager. Sarah relaxed completely in his presence. "You're very good with kids. Do you have any of your own?" She blushed when she realized what she'd just said, he looked slightly amused. "I'm sorry, it's none of my business."

"That's all right. No, I don't have kids but I work with them." *That's putting it mildly.

"Really?" Sarah was curious, this was the first time he'd offered personal information about himself. "What kind of work do you do?"

*Wouldn't you like to know? He chuckled, imagining her reaction. But before he could come up with anything plausible for Sarah to believe, Toby started to cry, big gulping sobs that make conversation difficult. She stopped and reached down to pick him up when Mr. Zakar held out his hand. "You have enough stuff on your shoulder, it'll be awkward. Let me try."

She nodded and watched as he carefully but firmly picked up Toby. After a few minutes, the baby was resting on his shoulder, chewing on his keys. "I've never seen anything like it. Toby doesn't usually let anyone but me cuddle him when he's so upset." She saw his keys and smiled. "I'm afraid your keys are going to be rather messy when he gets done with them."

"That's all right and I have a gift when it comes to children. Why don't you put that stuff in the stroller, he won't need it for a while."

"If you're sure you don't mind?" She hesitated, the bags were heavy but she didn't want to impose.

"Its fine. Me and the young man here are quite all right." He smiled at her. Then tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, letting his hand lightly caress her cheek. She shivered in reaction, wishing she could look into his eyes and see if he was as affected as she was. Mr. Zakar found it hard to concentrate on breathing, her eyes pulled him in, hypnotizing him with their innocent yet knowing depths.

The loud ringing of the bell startled Toby, Mr. Zakar rubbed his back soothingly and broke the spell binding them. They moved off quickly, both reeling from the feelings that strangely connected them. Mr. Zakar took care of Toby for the rest of the day, even though she objected. "We'll be fine, I promise. You need to concentrate, my Sarah." She finally yielded to his wish and reluctantly bid Toby good-bye.

"Sarah!" Karyn yelled angrily at the young woman as she pulled up to the school later that afternoon. "Where is Toby?"

She jogged over to the car and leaned against the window. "Don't worry. He's at the auditorium with a friend."

"Don't worry? My son is with some freakish friend of yours and you tell me not to worry!" Her stepmother's voice raised with every word she said. "We leave you in charge of him for one day and you let some stranger walk off with him!"

"He's not a stranger. I've known him for several weeks, the kids in school and our teachers have known him that long as well. Besides, Toby likes him." Sarah rushed to Mr. Zakar's defense, but it did no good.

Her stepmother ignored her interruption and pressed on relentlessly, every word tearing into Sarah's heart. "What kind of older sister are you? You're so selfish! All you think about is yourself and this stupid play! Now, you get your brother and bring him out here. Then you will get in the car and end your association with this play once and for all."

Toby was sitting on his lap when Sarah ran into the auditorium, tears running down her cheeks. Mr. Zakar's smile froze on his face when he saw her shattered look, it was more than he could bear. "My stepmother is here for Toby. I'll take him to her now."

"Not in this condition, I'll take Toby to her. It may relieve her mind to actually meet me." He raised his eyebrow when she just snorted at his words.

"I'm sorry. It's just that I have to do it. She says that my association with this play is over and I need to go home with her. Something about me being selfish."

"What utter nonsense! You will stay in here after you point this woman out to me, do you understand?" Sarah nodded and pointed to her stepmother. He walked over to Karyn and smiled, almost cruelly, while he studied her. He didn't like the way she looked, with her fashionable hair and high style sky blue suit, nor her high heeled shoes. *They put a woman like this in charge of a young woman like Sarah? What does she know of the joys of dreaming and believing, she gave that up years ago.

Karyn saw the tall man coming towards her with Toby cradled in his arms. The baby looked happy and was giggling, but Sarah was nowhere in sight. "I would appreciate it if you would tell Sarah to come out here, Mr...?"

"Zakar, ma'am, and no I won't." He coolly replied, keeping Toby in his light embrace.

Karyn's eyes widened in surprise at his cultured voice. The man was obviously a gentlemen and not at all what she had expected. "What did you say?"

"I said, no. Which part didn't you understand?" His eyebrow raised in question, like he really cared about her answer.

"I understood you very well, I just don't understand why you are refusing my request." She snappily replied.

"I refused your request because Sarah had put her whole heart and soul into the creation of this play. She has tirelessly worked on the sets, the costumes, being there when she was needed, coaching others in their roles and helping them get into character. She doesn't deserve to be punished for letting Toby stay with me, I told her to because I knew she needed to concentrate on her schoolwork. So, no, I will not break her heart any further by denying her the play and you won't either."

Karyn numbly agreed, something in his voice gave her no other option. "All right. Sarah can stay."

Mr. Zakar smiled and thanked her, rather coldly, and handed Toby over. Then he nodded his head and walked back to the auditorium, feeling like he'd bested a dragon in its lair.

Sarah had been sitting in the auditorium, watching as Wanda practiced. Within her heart boiled an anger against her stepmother and the unfairness of her stepmother's order. *How could she say those things to me! How could she treat me like that, I do so much for them! She treats me like I'm some kind of plague on her marriage! And no matter what I do, or how much I do, it's never enough or always the wrong thing! I've worked so hard on this play and she expects me to meekly walk away! I hate to say it but it's not fair!

Wanda had run into Freddie's room. "I hate you! Someone save me! Someone take me away from this awful place!" Her voice just recited the lines, nothing was in her tone to add to the moment, nothing to reveal how truly upset she was. The baby, Freddie, continued to cry as the storm raged outside.

In that moment, Sarah could no longer bear it, that plea came from her own heart. She stood up and marched up the stairs on the right side of the stage, going straight towards Wanda. "Wanda, I think you need to get a little more anger into your voice. You feel like nothing you do is right. Your room has been invaded, the one place you turn to for comfort and it has been violated. Not to mention that your favorite toy has been taken by your little brother."

Wanda looked into Sarah's eyes, she knew that the other girl was right. "I just don't know how to do that. Maybe you could show me?"

Sarah jumped right into the lines, all the noise stopped as her voice captivated everyone there. Her voice sounded desperate, passionate, and full of something not yet realized by her. She clutched the teddy bear to her chest, tightly, as though it could stop the pain within. She bounced onto the bed, putting the bear beside her. "Once upon a time there was a beautiful girl whose stepmother always made her stay home and take care of the baby. And the baby was a spoiled child, who wanted everything for himself, and the young girl was practically a slave."

Her voice lowered as she leaned forward, the baby's cries softened as she continued. "But what no one knew was that the King of the Goblins had fallen in love with the girl and he had given her certain powers. So one night, after the baby had been particularly cruel to her, she called on the goblins for help." She stood in front of the mirror, eyes narrowed in concentration. "Say your right words, the goblins said, and we'll take the baby to the castle. And you will be free."

She turned and advanced towards the crib, Freddie's cries became louder, as though he was saying 'this isn't the kind of story I wanted'. The storm outside was quiet, as though it was waiting for something. "But the girl knew that the King of the Goblins would keep the baby in his castle forever and ever and turn it into a goblin..." The door opened and someone walked in, but all eyes remained focused on the stage.

Upon entering, he was struck by how still the room was. *Did something happen while I was away? Then he heard a clear voice call across the auditorium and shivers ran up his spine. Everyone was focused on someone standing on the stage, reciting the lines of Cassondra as if every word came straight from her heart! Then he saw her. The stage lights danced across her dark tresses, her hazel eyes were almost green with the passion in their glowing depths. Her voice was like a siren's call to all present.

"Sarah." He breathed, heart in his chest. He stopped halfway down when he heard the unmistakable sounds of goblin voices, they were here. *She's actually called them. But how can that be? He watched as she hoisted the baby above her, thunder began to rumble outside the building and lightening flashed across the sky.

"Goblin King! Goblin King! Wherever you may be! Take this child of mine far away from me!" Her plea held a desperate conviction that her wish would be granted.

Mr. Zakar heard the goblins moan as she got the words wrong and slightly smiled, he could almost believe that she was Kestral. *There's only one way to be sure. He thought, then turned into an owl and waited for his moment.

She put the baby down, refusing to let the words slip. But as she left the room and reached for the light, she couldn't stop herself. "I wish the goblins would come and take you away..." click, "right now."

She walked out of the room, her wish already forgotten. But the sudden silence behind her made her pause at her door and turn around. She reached for the light switch, flicking it up and down, all the while talking to Freddie. "Are you all right? Freddie, why aren't you crying?" Sarah walked up to the bed, trembling like a leaf as the sounds of evil laughter filled her ears. She reached for the blanket and pulled it back, letting out a scream. "No! Freddie!" The bed was empty.

There was a sound behind her and she turned, unable to believe what she saw, under the white coverlet on her parent's bed was a swiftly moving shape. Thud, she turned around and saw a figure scurry across the carpet. Then there was a new sound, the sound of fluttering wings against the balcony window doors which brought her eyes towards it. They widened in shock. There was a white owl trying to get in, the door handle flinched in response to the flapping wings brushing against it. Then it flew open, she threw her hands up to protect her face from its talons.

She slowly lowered her arms after nothing happened, her eyes widened when she saw the dark form by the window. His eyes invited her, drew her in with their teasing. His hair fluttered lightly in the breeze from the opened door. He was wearing an all black outfit with a long cape. "You're him, aren't you? You're the Goblin King." Her voice was a curious mixture of the bold and timid, but there was something that hinted that she knew him.

He didn't answer just stood, one eyebrow raised in question, a half smile on his lips as he looked down at her.

Sarah gathered her courage, "I want my brother back, please, if it's all the same."

"What's said is said." He straightened his gloves, casually, as though their business was finished. But he had slipped in the words from the original story easily, almost casually.

"But I didn't mean it." She protested, following his lead without really realizing that they were straying from the script.

"Oh, you didn't?" He titled his head as though he cared about what she was saying but his tone revealed the truth.

"Please. Where is he?"

"You know very well where he is." His voice drawled, utterly bored.

"Please, bring him back. Please." Sarah despised herself for her begging and acting like an idiot, but she couldn't help it.

Then he approached her, slowly as though trying to determine her worth and value to him. "Cassondra, go back to your room. Play with your toys and your costumes, forget about the baby."

She was tempted, very tempted but..."I can't."

He looked like he almost expected that response and held up one hand, "I've brought you a gift."

She watched as something delicate, but very enticing entered his hand. The shimmery depths drew her gaze, there was a hint of something special within, and she could barely focus on the matter at hand. "What is it?"

His face held a look of calculated surprise. "It's a crystal, nothing more. But if you turn it this way and look into it, it will show you your dreams." He twisted and spun the crystal over his hand, then transferred it easily to the other. She watched him, enticed by what he offered. He held it out to her. "Do you want it?"

*YES! Her dreamer's heart screamed at her, looking at the crystal longingly.

A tiny triumphant smile formed on his face, as though he could guess what she was thinking, "Then forget the baby."

The lightening flashed behind him, Sarah looked at the crystal. Her inner dreamer said yes, just grab it. But her mind prevailed, forcing her to break the spell of the crystal. "I can't. It isn't that I don't appreciate what you're trying to do for me. But I have to have my brother back. He must be so scared."

"Cassondra." *It is her! His voice warned, fighting the triumphant feeling within his heart, bringing her attention back to the crystal when he moved it away. With a slight flick of the wrist, it turned into a purple and blue snake coiled around his gloved hand. "Don't defy me." He said, uncoiling it. He looked at it for a moment, as though debating his next move, then tossed it at her.

She gasped and struggled with the snake at her neck, not noticing that the instant it touched her, it had become a beautiful scarf. She pulled it away and dropped it to the floor, looking at it in disgust. A small, fuzzy haired goblin giggled and took it away with him. There was a chorus of snickers and giggles from around them and she turned, surprised. Goblins were hidden all over the room, they hid quickly.

The audience gasped, and Mrs. Manchester flipped through the script, wondering what was going on, this was not in the script at all.

Sarah turned her attention back to the Goblin King. "You're no match for me." His voice mocked her.

"But I have to have my brother back!" Her voice was full of determination, and yet, there was a hint of fear as well.

He shrugged his shoulders and walked to her side, pointing towards the open balcony doors. "He's there. In my castle." She passed him and looked out, going through the doors. Before her eyes was the red toned land of the labyrinth in all its dawning glory, though it appeared to be sick. She felt the sand shrift beneath her feet and heard the crackle of dried trees. There was a strange sense of coming home within her. "Do you still want to look for him?" There was an almost wistful note in his voice.

"Is that the castle beyond the Goblin City?" She turned back towards him and paused. He was even more breathtaking here in his land than back at home.

"Turn back, Cassondra. Turn back before its too late." He asked her, almost as though he couldn't bear the thought of her traversing the dangers there.

"I can't. Don't you understand that I can't." She replied, determinedly.

"What a pity." He sighed, still standing behind her.

"It doesn't look that far." Sarah bluffed.

He walked right up to her, "Its further than you think and time is short." She jumped when his breath brushed her cheek, he moved away then and pointed towards the clock. "You have thirteen hours in which to solve the labyrinth before your baby brother becomes one of us forever." His eyes ran up and down her form, in a gentle caress. "Such a pity." He disappeared.

Sarah wiped around and looked for him, feeling a strange sense of unease now that he had left and she was alone in his realm. She turned back and straightened her shoulders. "The labyrinth. Doesn't look that hard. Well, come on feet." She started down the sandy hill and the lights went out in the auditorium. When the house lights came on, Sarah was sitting on the ground and Mr. Zakar gave her a hand up. "Thanks." She said, feeling slightly dazed.

There was a burst of fervent applause from the audience and she blushed, trying to hide behind Mr. Zakar. Mrs. Manchester came out onto the stage. "I'm not sure that I liked your ad-libbing, Sarah, but I think that you would make the perfect Cassondra. You and Mr. Zakar here have a certain kind of chemistry that will help move the story along." The whistles from the audience said that they agreed with her. "So, will you?"

Sarah fiddled with her hair, nervousness in her every gesture. She didn't even acknowledge the fact that she was clinging to Mr. Zakar's hand. "I-I don't know. I don't think it would be such a good idea. I mean, my stepmother and..."

"She agreed that you can continue to be in the play." Mr. Zakar interrupted her gently. He was pleasantly surprised to find out that she didn't seem to want to pull away from his touch. "Say you will." Then, so softly that only Sarah heard him. "please?"

She reluctantly agreed, blushing a rosy red as the class let out a few cat calls.

"Very good." Mrs. Manchester nodded. "But this time, stick to the script. No more ad-libbing. Understand?"

"Yes." They said in unison, then they were left alone on the stage for a moment to work out minor details. Mr. Zakar lifted her hand courteously to his lips before slowly letting go.

The play was a smashing success, their families and friends came to the cast party. Sarah and Mr. Zakar were the center of attention. She was wearing a simple lilac dress, he wore a dark suit. Linda and Jeremy were there, proud of Sarah's hidden talent. Linda couldn't help but feel that there was something about Mr. Zakar that she recognized. Then it hit her as she watched the graceful way he moved through the room, as though he owned it. *Jareth! He saw her walking towards him and pulled her aside before she had a chance to damage his person. "I don't mean to harm your daughter, so please don't kill me."

"Give me one good reason why I should believe you?" Linda demanded, arms on her hips. She had flipped her dark hair over her black silk clad shoulder.

"I love her." He simply said to this woman who looked so much like Sarah. "She is my wife."

Linda paled. "How can that be? Kestral died over a thousand years ago."

"Ours was a true love." As though that explained it all. Her brow raised in a silent question, so he explained further. "Her soul and mine were joined for all time. She will always come back to me, as I would come back to her."

"How do you know this to be true?" Her eyes narrowed. "I swear, Jareth, if this is one of your sick, twisted jokes, I'll kill you."

"It isn't. The Labyrinth was written by my wife. Of course, I changed some of the details but Sarah knew the real words by heart." He smiled, thinking back to that moment when she revealed the very passionate intensity inside her. "She was trying to help Wanda get into character. It didn't work out quite the way she had planned. I suspected when she called the goblins to her, and they actually came, but when she resisted the lure of her dreams, I knew."

Linda paused as something hit her. *The gifts. "I must have known. She has the book, the music box that played your love song, a statue of you."

"But those were gifts from you." Jareth reminded her, somewhat confused.

"Yes, I never knew what prompted me to get them for her." She agreed with him. Linda's eyes swept the room, fixing on her radiant daughter. "Are you going to tell her?"

"Of course, but I have to wait until she is older. This may come as quite a shock to her, being married to the Goblin King." He winced, wondering if she would be happy or angry. "Tell me, is living among mortals as much fun as you thought it would be?"

"It's great, though it can be monotonous at times."

"Next time, avoid angering the High King." Jareth murmured, then left her to claim Sarah in a dance. She smiled up at him, still reeling from the excitement of the play. "I don't know when I'll have another chance to do this without your running off." He teased as she moved easily into his arms.

She blushed, but replied. "Well, next time, make the others stay away. It was their pressing in that frightened me away."

"I see. I'll remember that." Jareth pulled her closer and she rested her head on his shoulder. He sighed, holding her was both a pleasure and a torment. Sarah thought his touch was pure heaven and she relaxed in his embrace.

They were dancing their third dance, lost in each other's eyes. Sarah felt herself slip away into a daydream, floating away into a world where it was just the two of them. *Of course, it was always like this. Only he used to kiss me before we began and during and...That thought shocked her and she stopped dancing in surprise.

He looked down at her suddenly pale face. They were so close, he could feel the erratic beating of her heart. "What is it?" He softly asked, moving them away from the dance floor and over to a sheltered alcove. The perfumed air swirled around them, delighting their senses with the smell of cinnamon and flowers. The stars twinkled in the heavens, the moon cast a silvery glow around the two as they walked.

Sarah stared at the sky. "So like her hair."

"Who's hair?" He asked, pulling her to a stop and looking down at her. A shiver of awareness ran down his spine. Luckily for his peace of mind, she was totally unaware of the effect she was having on him.

"The woman in my dreams. She's been there for a while, every night since we met, in fact. She was beautiful. She kind of looked like me, except a little older and her eyes were a vivid emerald green."

He drew in a deep breath, "You've been having dreams?" *I should have realized that coming into contact with me would bring up her memories.

"Yeah." She blushed as she remembered some of them. "Some are so odd, the way they feel so personal to me."

"I see." He didn't want to press her anymore, so he just rubbed her back soothingly and was alarmed when she fell into a deep sleep.

The couple stood on the top of the castle overlooking the land around them, from the cliffs to the stream on the far right. "It's so beautiful, Jareth. Am I really going to be the queen of it all?" She turned wide disbelieving eyes towards him.

He smiled at her, still marveling that this vibrant woman was his to love forever. "Yes." There was a look of panic that entered her eyes. "Darling, you will be a wonderful queen, the goblins already adore you."

"And what about you? Does my love find me as pleasing as your dubious subjects do?" She teased, her eyes twinkling merrily.

"More so, you delight me. If you come over here, I'll prove it to you." He said wickedly, his eyes alight with a familiar spark.

Kestral pretended to think and came closer to him, before she turned and ran off. His face mirrored his shock, she laughed merrily. "Catch me if you can!"

He took off after her, catching her at the bottom of the stairs and pulling her in for a long, loving kiss that left her limp in his arms, longing for more. "Gotcha." He murmured seductively in her ear, pulling away.

Sarah jerked upright, startling Jareth. "What's the matter, Sarah?"

She looked up at him in surprise, she had forgotten he was there. "I just had another dream." She blinked and blushed, looking down at her hands. She tried to forget the look in Jareth's eyes as he looked at Kestral, she tried to ignore the feelings rushing through her body as she sat by this man.

Jareth desperately wanted her to look up at him. He tipped up her chin, very gently, so as not to frighten her. His heart tightened when he saw the confusion, and the longing, in their depths. He knew she wanted, no needed, answers to the questions running through her mind. But, for once, he had none to give her, it was frustrating. The look changed slightly, he knew what it meant even if she didn't recognize the signal she was sending. He tried to resist her allure, but gave in with a moan. It had been so long since he'd last held her.

His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her even closer. His kiss was tentative at first, gently exploring. His lips lightly brushed hers, teasing, tasting, touching, memorizing. Then, with a slight groan, he pulled her tightly into his embrace and kissed her hungrily. Sarah was shocked, delighted, and a bit scared, all at the same time. She was confused by the familiarity of his touch, but she understood one thing, she wanted this to go on. Her arms wound around his neck, into his hair, pulling him even closer. One kiss became two, then more as the passion and suppressed hunger between them rose to a fever pitch.

Jareth finally pulled away, they were both breathing heavily and clinging on to each other for dear life. Sarah blushed and buried her head in his neck, feeling ashamed of herself, knowing that this shouldn't be happening. "Sarah." His voice was breathless. He paused for a moment before continuing. "Sarah, look at me." He softly commanded. "We did nothing wrong. You shouldn't feel ashamed about what happened."

She automatically obeyed his gentle order, her eyes sought his through his spectacles but could only see her own reflection. He took off his glasses and for the first time, she saw his eyes. They were two different colors-blue and green. "Who are you?" Sarah asked, her tone confused. He just looked at her, letting her figure it out for herself. "You are the Goblin King. I don't understand." She pulled out of his arms and stood up, wrapping her arms around her waist.

"I don't suppose you do, neither did I. The truth only became clear to me recently, but Sarah, I can't tell you what's going on. You need to figure that out on your own." He rose and walked over to her but kept a comfortable distance between them.

"Why? Why can't you tell me?" She flung herself at him, holding on to him as if she was afraid he would disappear. He stood in shock for a moment before wrapping his arms around her and rocking her in his light embrace. Her tear filled eyes sought his, pleading with him to release her from this torture and just tell her.

He sighed, he never was able to resist her. "It's complicated, there are some things that you need to learn on your own."

"Then at least tell me, who is Jareth? Who is Kestral and why am I having her memories?"

"I am. My name is Jareth and yes, I am the Goblin King." He referred to her earlier statement. "As for Kestral..."

"But the name in the story was..." She interrupted him, stopping when he just looked down at her. "Of course, you wouldn't have used your real name."

"Exactly. Just like the real words weren't used to wish the child away. We can't have that information floating around, can we? It's too dangerous." He smiled, she weakly returned it. "As for your other questions, well, those are something only you can find out."

"You really love riddles, don't you?" But there was no bitterness in her voice, just a sound of resignation. He was about to speak when she stopped him. "If you tell me this is all for the best, I'll slug you."

She felt his chest rumble under her cheek, heard the smile in his voice. "Yes, ma'am." They stood under the full moon, enjoying the opportunity of holding each other. Finally, he let go. As wonderful as it was to hold her close, it was a torture as well. He tilted her head up. "I've got to go and you need to get back inside before they come looking for you."

She nodded and watched as he left her before turning and walking into the reception hall. "Mom." Linda turned at her daughter's voice, taking in her appearance at a glance. "I'd like to go home." Linda just nodded, Sarah seemed to be distracted but not in an unhappy way.

"Sure, precious." Sarah looked around for Jeremy. Linda explained quietly on the way to the limo. "Jeremy went to the hotel, business call. But he wanted me to tell you that you have great potential."

Sarah smiled dreamily, her mind still in the garden. Her mother sighed, "Sarah?"

"Sorry, mom. What is it?" Sarah looked up at her mother, her face revealed the direction of her thoughts.

"Thinking about Jareth?" Linda shrewdly guessed. Sarah gasped and Linda smiled. "Tomorrow night, we'll go for a drive. I'll explain then."

Sarah impatiently waited for her to come, there were so many questions that flew through her mind and only her mother could answer them. Linda picked her up and drove away. "Don't interrupt me till I'm done, okay?"

Sarah nodded, eyes on her mother's face the whole time. She pulled over in the park and they went for a walk by the lake. The moon cast a silvery glow that reflected back up into the heavens, the smell of peace hung lightly in the air. They sat down on the dewy grass, feeling it seep through their jeans and listening as the crickets chirped merrily amongst themselves.

Linda then began her story. "I was born in the Underground about five hundred years ago. Now, you must remember that time moves differently down there than up here, dearest." She explained after she heard Sarah's faint gasp. "I was not blessed with much of the magic in the special fae blood, but I am of that immortal race. A few years ago, I made the High King very angry at me. He asked me what I thought of his new hairdo. Honestly, that man is so vain. Anyway, I said that he looked like a fru-fru. That's a small, furry critter that looks a bit like a hyena with a bad hairdo."

Sarah's golden laughter rang out through the night, her mother smiled. "Go ahead and laugh, but he didn't think it was so funny. I suddenly found myself being exiled to the Upper Realms. I didn't mind, I'd always wanted to visit. Unfortunately, I was pregnant and ill prepared for life up here. That was when I met Paul, he was a sort of knight errant for me. We had a good marriage, kitten, but it was founded on the wrong reasons. Never doubt that your father was a special man to me, we were just too incompatible for marriage. When you were born, I knew there was something special about you. I don't suppose Jareth has told you anything?"

"Just his name. He said it was complicated and I needed to find out for myself. I'm just so confused, I've been having these dreams about him and his wife, Kestral. Her feelings and mine seem to be entwined, and when Jareth kissed me, it was like coming home. I just don't understand!"

"Did it ever occur to you that the dreams might be trying to tell you something?" Linda gently pressed her.

"Of course it has! I'm not entirely stupid, no matter what Karyn believes." Sarah had her head bent so her words were somewhat muffled and her mother had to strain her hearing to catch them.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." What she really wanted to say was that she'd love to kill that witch. Using what little power she had, she caused Sarah to fall into a deep sleep. But this time she let Sarah be on the outside instead of as Kestral, to hear the thoughts and feelings of all involved in the plot.

Jareth appeared behind them, Linda felt his approach. "Stay with her, she's going to need you."

He watched Linda walk away, then looked down at his sleeping love. She was so beautiful sleeping there with the grass framing her slender form and the moonlight playing across her tresses and he longed to take her into his arms. *This is going to be a long night. He sat down by her side and waited.

Sarah rolled onto her side, whimpering as the dream changed. She sought out the warm presence beside her. She felt so cold and alone, for the first time all their thoughts were before her. The evening was peaceful and calm, nothing to warn of the heartbreak ahead. It was Jareth and Kestral, he'd just said something to her that made her mad. "How could you do this to me? You know I hate having to see that stupid twit!"

"Honey, she's our neighbor. How was I to know that she would drop by?" Her husband protested.

"You should have guessed! Morwina has always wanted you, the incomparable, handsome, debonair..."

"You're jealous!" He interrupted, partly surprised by his wife's impassioned outburst. *How come she's doubting me? I would never hurt her. "I didn't know you felt that way."

"I am not jealous! I just don't appreciate being made to look like a fool. Don't you know that I know you're lovers? Ariana couldn't wait to tell me that you'd become bored with me after all these centuries of wedded bliss, you've moved on with a woman who could give you a child." She was crying. "She's always hanging around here! Coming when she knows I'm out on a ride or shopping or attending to Goblin affairs for you. How dumb do you think I am?"

"Dearest, that isn't true. Ariana is a gossiping old woman who likes to make trouble. I have only ever loved you, will only love you. We are of one soul. How can you think I could be so callous, so heartless of your feelings. I would never hurt you like that, I love you too much. I can't do without you. It doesn't matter to me about the children, we get so many from those who wish them away." He moved over to her, taking her into his loving embrace.

She melted, as she always had at his touch, feeling his strength and letting his love sweep away all her hurt feelings and doubts. Then a picture flashed suddenly into her mind. Morwina's triumphant smile that she'd flashed at them all at the Silver and Gold Ball. She had returned on his arm, her hair was mussed and she looked like she'd just been thoroughly loved!

She jerked away from him. He was so surprised, he let her go. "Don't play me like I'm some kind of puppet, your highness. I won't have it, I know what's going on. Why couldn't you just tell me though instead of letting me find out from someone else?" Her words cut into his heart, tearing it into tiny, little pieces. She ran out of the castle, he was at her heals.

"Kestral, wait!" He reached out for her hand when he was jerked back by someone. He looked behind in shock, and saw Morwina there. "Excuse me, but I need to talk to my wife."

"But I've come all this way just to see you."

He was surprised, *she couldn't possibly mean what I think she does! Then he took in her appearance. Her amber hair was artfully arranged, her garnet eyes promised seduction. Her blood red dress was cut distressingly low and she pulled him into her hungry arms, planting a kiss on his startled lips *She does. The bloody fool! As if anyone could replace Kestral in my life!.

Kestral stopped when she heard his voice, her heart begged her to give him a chance to explain. She turned and was horrified to see her husband locked in a passionate embrace with that woman. Her tears blinded her, she turned and ran. She didn't see him pull away and shove Morwina to the ground. Morwina heard a crack and winced in pain. "Kestral!" He cried, his heart in his voice. Though she longed to turn back, she couldn't and fled from his presence. His heart broke when she transformed into a white owl and flew away.

He turned and hissed at the woman on the ground. "I trust that will never happen again, you worthless jade. My wife means more to me than anyone I have ever known, I would not throw such a wonderful soul away on a fool hearted creature like you. Morwina, you are no longer welcome in my land and if I find that you so much as come near my wife, even accidentally, I will personally kill you and spread your remains all over the land. Do I make myself clear?"

She stood up, her dignity in tatters, her pride bruised. *Should have listened when they said that nothing could separate him from her. But nooo, I had to try to prove them wrong. Now I have nothing to fall back on, not even revenge on that little brat. "Very clear, sire. But you better hurry, I think the trolls are out hunting owls tonight." She curtsied mockingly, then she waltzed slowly away.

His face paled and he transformed, taking to the air after his wife. His eyes searched desperately for Kestral, they widened when they saw a large group of trolls gathered around something. *Oh, please! Don't let me be too late! He flew in, firing off crystals which exploded and drove them away. He landed by the form softly, his heart stopped when he turned it towards him. *Kestral, oh no, love!. He gathered her close, his tears running unheeded down his cheeks and soaking her hair. He cried for his foolishness and the loss of such a precious life, his one true bride was gone forever because of his foolishness. *How can I live without you? I will never love another but you, I can't. " I love you, Kestral. I didn't cheat on you, I swear it."

After his tears dried and he felt that he could handle this delicate business, he examined the killing blow. It was near her heart, directly under the crystal heart necklace he'd given her on their wedding night. He felt a rage unlike any he'd ever known boiling within, there were no other marks to be found. That meant the blow was made while she was transforming, it was a deliberate kill.

The Goblin King picked up his wife and set out for the western part of the Shadow Lands. He was going to see the Troll King, Pulange. He ignored the surroundings, they resembled his throne room to much for his comfort. There was the same kind of careless destruction and chaos here as back home. As odd as it may seem, it was somewhat comforting to be around something that was familiar to him.

"Jareth. What a delightful sur...Is that your wife? What happened to her?" The troll's grassy eyes glazed over when he saw the limp body in Jareth's arms. He was taller than most trolls and had a shock of orange green hair that stubbornly stuck to the left side of his face no matter what, partially blocking his vision. He descended his red upholstered throne, his red tunic and cape trailing around him.

Jareth was convinced that Pulange had no knowledge of what his trolls had done. "She was killed while transforming by a bunch of trolls."

Pulange's voice rose and roared across the land. "WHAT?!?" Jareth winced at the power of his voice. "I will deal with them." With a clap of his hands, his men sprang into action and, armed with the information Jareth provided, hunted down the little band. "Would you be able to identify them?"

"They are marked. Thank you, Pulange." Jareth shook his hand, fighting back tears and wondering if he would be able to get back to the Labyrinth without breaking down.

"Your wife was a rare jewel, she was always kind and friendly to me. It's the least I can do for you and her." Pulange hid his tears for his friend's sake, and his own. The time for tears would come later, now was the time for retribution. Those who had done this would pay with their lives.

Jareth stood in front of Kestral's grave two years later. "Darling, I know you don't approve of our laws for traitors but I couldn't let your murderers go unpunished. They have been, as severely as our laws allow. I won't go into details but I can guarantee this kind of thing won't happen again. I guess this is proof that good things can happen out of a tragedy!" His voice was bitter, heart dead within him. She didn't answer him, she hadn't in a long time.

Sarah stood behind him, his words caused her heart to ache. She went up behind him and tried to hug him but her arms passed right through him. "Won't work, I've tried that myself. It's always the same. He can't hear or feel us."

Sarah turned and saw Kestral for the first time, face to face. It was incredible, they were mirror images. "What is this? Some kind of sick joke?"

"Not really, dear Sarah. You are me, I am you." Kestral came closer, softly touching her cheek. "I must say, I can't understand why it took my story to convince Jareth that you were me reborn."

"I don't understand any of this." Sarah realized what she said, "Wait. Your story?"

"Yes. I wrote the labyrinth, Jareth just changed some of the details."

"Wow. Why did you?"

"Do you know how long I have waited for my husband to find me again? A long time, over a thousand years to be precise. But I have been reborn hundreds of times. Each time, Jareth arrived to late to reclaim me. I was not taking any chances with you, dear. I want to be with my husband more than anything, we have walked alone for far to long. I laid the groundwork long before you were a twinkle in your mother's eyes, I made sure that you would be surrounded by things that would remind you of home. They would draw Jareth to you." She smiled widely. "It was by no accident that you met in the hall that day and then began to have these 'dreams.' They are our memories."

Sarah heard the conviction in her voice, felt that it was true. But still? *This is to crazy, how can this be?

"I know it is crazy, but you believe that it is true." Sarah looked at her in surprise. "Surprised? You shouldn't be."

"I know, but things like this just don't happen." Sarah answered. "It isn't that I don't believe you, I do."

"But you have questions. Ask."

"Why is it so important that you be together? I mean, why can't he be with someone else?"

"We were married physically and from the soul. He cannot be with anyone else and not be destroyed. As you could see from your one visit here, the land is red. This symbolizes that Jareth's heart is dying, giving up. The Labyrinth cannot survive without his heart, you must save it."

"How?"

"You already know. It began the moment you met again, trust that love."

"But I may be you and you maybe me, I still feel like a different person from the one I remember being. How can I feel like myself and not like I'm trying to live up to the memory of what I once was?" She cried out in despair, finally getting to the heart of the matter.

"Are you afraid he only loves you because of the memory of me?" Sarah nodded. "He cursed himself for falling in love with you before he knew, he hated himself for his weakness. The only real difference between us is the way we were raised but it will only make you a stronger couple as you grow together, learning about each other. Jareth is not the same man he was when we were together either, he has changed. He waits for you, return to him." Kestral faded into the mist, leaving Sarah behind. She looked at the grave, the defeated posture of Jareth, and then forced herself to face the future.

Sarah opened her eyes and fond herself lying in Jareth's lap. The sun was coming up in the east, casting a golden glow upon the earth, waking it from its slumber. Jareth looked down at her, the look of acceptance was there in her eyes. "Sleep well, pet?"

She didn't answer but sat up, moving close to him. He was wearing a black satin shirt with black tights and boots. On his hands were gloves, he was dressed as Jareth, except for the spectacles on his face. He watched her warily as she moved even closer to him, running her fingers along the plains of his face as though she was trying to memorize them. He shivered in reaction to her touch. It was torture to wait for her to speak but he knew she needed this as much as he did, if not more.

She took off his glasses and met his eyes, hers were shy but wondering. His were cautious, as though he were afraid of rejection after all this time apart. He was haunted by the memory of their parting and blamed himself for her death, she read that instantly. It was then that she threw herself into his arms and knocked him over. "It wasn't your fault, Jareth. Stop blaming yourself. It was me, I was just so jealous and afraid."

"Of what, my love?" Jareth asked, conscious of the feel of her in his arms and the wet grass beneath him.

"Losing you. I couldn't understand how come you would stay with me, I was so confused that I was lead astray by a jealous woman. I am so sorry. How can you still love me after my foolishness?"

"Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds." Jareth softly quoted. "And the blame is not entirely yours. I should have given more credit to your suspicions, instead I ignored them and tried to cover them up. Forgive me?"

"As I once told you, anytime, anywhere." She looked down at him, the sun glinting off his hair and the grass framing it. He looked up at her and marveled at how even more beautiful the sun and blue sky made her appear to him. Then he pulled her down to him and kissed her, drawing a response from her very soul.

"My, I'd forgotten what a passionate nature my timid little Sarah had." He teased, running a hand through her hair.

"I'm not so little." She growled and pulled him in for another kiss, teasing him by denying him her unrestrained response. The sound of a dog's barking parted them and they looked at each other.

"I could send it to the bog, if we were at home." Sarah blushed fiercely as she realized that they were still in the park, trying to hide in his neck.

She whispered into his neck. "Can we get out of here, please?"

"As you wish, beautiful." Jareth snapped his hand and she found herself in her room, all alone.

"Jareth?" She asked, looking around. "Come out, I know you're here. This isn't funny. Where are you? Jareth?" Her voice filled with tears when he didn't answer.

"Sarah." The voice came from her mirror, she sat down and saw him. "I can only come when I am invited in. You need to say the words."

"But I only know how to wish someone away. Are those the words?" Sarah asked.

"Of course." They looked at each other for a moment, "You don't have to do it right away, take your time."

Sarah stood up and glanced around her room, then at him. Her choice was clear. She took a deep breath and began. "I wish that the goblins...Hey, wait a minute!" Jareth looked at her in surprise. "I don't want to be a goblin!"

"I would never let that happen to you. Don't you trust me?" His eyes teased her.

"Of course I do, I just don't trust your dubious goblins!" Sarah placed her hands on her hips and cocked her head at him.

He laughed, "Good point. Then just wish for the Goblin King to take you away."

She stood up and looked at him, considering his words. He saw a teasing light enter her eyes moments before she spoke. "Let me think, how did it go? Oh, yeah. There's no place like home." She clicked her heels together three times, then pouted playfully when nothing happened. "Oh, that's not it."

She playfully paced the room, eyes full of teasing concentration, trying out different wishes that didn't work. Jareth grinned, *she may be my wife but she is uniquely Sarah. How I will love to learn the byways of her mind. He watched as her eyes cleared.

"Well, I granted your wish for today. I guess you'll have to wait until later tonight for your second wish, your highness." She mock curtsied.

He was so surprised that he began to laugh. "Sarah, if you thought that was my wish, you don't know me very well. And tonight, you'd better be packed and ready to go."

"As you wish, my love." Sarah softly replied, a loving look entering her eyes and voice. Their eyes met and held. "I wish the Goblin King would come and take me away, right now."

There was a sudden stillness in the room, the mirror went dark. "All you had to do was ask." A voice said seconds before she was picked up in his arms and given a kiss that blew their previous kisses away. It was like dark chocolate with a hint of mint and caramel. A cup of hot chocolate in front of a roaring fire on a rainy afternoon.

After a while, Sarah pulled back and looked at him. Her hands had run through his hair, causing it to be even more of a force of nature. She smiled at him, then she heard Toby giggling in the background and remembered where she was, blushing scarlet red. "This isn't proper, you know. You're in my bedroom."

He laughed, "Have you forgotten? You're my wife and I am not waiting any longer to claim you." So saying, he kissed her again. Then he locked the door and carried her to the bed, laying her gently down.

Later as she lay in his arms, her head cradled against his shoulder, she looked up and saw a rainbow above her, as always. That opened the box, releasing the rest of her memories. "I remember it all. I tried to come back so many times, but never could. And there was never anyone for me but you."

"I know. Come home with me?" Jareth asked, his arm secure about his wife's waist. "I'll even get the goblins to clean for your arrival."

She laughed, then stopped. There was a look of infinite sadness on her face. "I can't. Toby."

"You don't want to leave him behind but you don't want to rob him of his home or heritage here."

"I'm sorry." Sarah began to cry. "I just found you and I'm going to lose you."

"No, you're not. You will always have me. I've been invited back into your life and, unless you plan to kick me out, I intend to stay." He punctuated each of his words with kisses. "When the time comes, I'll come for you." He turned her mind back towards the lovemaking which he intended to keep them in her bed for the rest of the morning.

Hours later, Sarah walked into the family room, glowing with an inner light that comes from being truly loved. They looked at her in surprise. "Good afternoon, dad, Karyn. And how's my little Toby?"

He giggled up at her. "And just when did you come in?"

"Late. I didn't want to disturb anyone so I climbed in through the window." She answered Karyn's question, looking her straight in the eye and crossing her fingers.

Sarah continued to see Jareth, he escorted her to the prom and was there when she graduated. And of course, there was always their nights together, passionate and romantic. A few months later, Paul had finally accepted that this older man was interested in his Sarah and gave his okay for their relationship to continue. They were on a picnic, with Toby, watching him play with the ducks. Jareth pushed her on the swings, she felt like she was flying-like the white owl she used to be. "Will you let me transform again?"

Jareth froze for a moment, caught up in the memory of the last time she transformed. Even now, with her back in his life, he could still feel the searing pain of his loneliness and the fear that gripped his heart. The concerned look on her face made him shrug away that memory, but he still couldn't answer.

She instantly knew what was wrong and felt terrible. She leapt off the swing, going over to him. "Jareth, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up." She wrapped her arms around him and Toby joined them. He didn't quite understand what was going on but his sister always knew what to do. Besides, he liked this guy, he was fun. And, unlike his dad, he played with him.

In the distance, they heard the wail of sirens. Sarah looked at Jareth, who nodded in understanding. "Hey, babe. Why don't we go and play in the sand box?" He took her hand willingly and they left Jareth.

He flew through the sky, following the sound of the sirens and stopped at the scene of a terrible accident. Even from his vantage point, he could tell that it wasn't good. There were two cars, one on its side. The smell of gasoline and alcohol hit his nose and made him gag. He heard the sound of sobbing and saw Paul Williams bent over the limp form of his wife. Even from this distance he could tell that she was dead. Jareth bowed his head and, though he had never liked the woman, he shared the man's grief. Paul got up and ran away from the scene of the accident, unable to take the shock.

Jareth flew back to Sarah and saw her and Toby building a sand castle. He walked over and smiled at her, but his eyes gave him away. Sarah knew what it meant and stood up, he shook his head, mouthing. "Let him enjoy this for a little while, he's in for a savage few days." She nodded. Later, the police came and told them of Karyn's death and Paul's disappearance.

Sarah moved Toby into her room and held him all night long, Jareth came in sometime before midnight and smiled at the peaceful couple. She felt his eyes on them and opened hers, "Hi." She gestured to a spot on her right and he sat down, gently pulling her into his light embrace and kissing her forehead lightly.

"Hi, yourself. How are you holding up?" He softly asked, stroking Toby's hair and marveling at his sweetness.

"I don't know. I never really got along well with Karyn and my dad never really paid attention to me but I miss them both. And what about Toby?" She yawned and snuggled closer to him.

"What do you mean? He'll come with us, of course. Can't you just see him as a prince and my heir?" Jareth teased lightly, pulling her more securely into his loving embrace.

They didn't know that there was a third party listening in to their conversation, he felt vaguely relieved that his son and daughter would be cared for. Though he was mildly upset that she invited this man into her bedroom, he knew Sarah must love him dearly and, trust him, so would he. He packed a bag of things, wrote a note, and quietly slipped away.

The next morning, Sarah awoke with a stiff neck and something heavy on her stomach. But what really freaked her out was the fact that someone was sleeping beside her. She cautiously opened her eyes and saw Jareth by her side. The sunlight danced across his face and warmed his gorgeous eyes, which twinkled up at her. "Morning." He whispered to her, smiling at the delighted look on her face. He kissed her lightly on the lips, which quickly led to a more passionate embrace.

"Ewww!" The little boy in Sarah's arms groaned when he saw them. "That's disgusting!"

Jareth looked down at him, Sarah blushed furiously. "One day you'll change your mind about that." Toby shook his head in avid denial and they laughed at him.

Sarah stood in front of the full length mirror, looking at herself critically. She wore a long sleeved dress with a v-shaped waist in a deep lavender. On her feet were slippers in the same shade. Her hair was pulled up in a simple bun, with a few curls framing her face. Around her throat was her crystal necklace. On her left ring finger was a simple band with a twinkling opal in certain places. These were the only two pieces of jewelry she wore.

"Love, you look wonderful, as always. Stop worrying." Jareth's amused voice carried across their bedroom. It never ceased to amaze him that this incredible woman was his and, as he watched her, that need to hold her overcame him.

She turned and caught her breath when she saw him. He wore a black evening jacket over a white shirt and tights and his usual black boots. His hair had a light dusting of silver glitter which brought out its natural luminescence. Even after six hundred years of marriage, he still stole her breath. "Easy for you to say."

He moved away from the door and wrapped his arms around her waist, gently nuzzling her cheek over her token protests. Being this close to her always made him act a little crazy, he loved her so much and he wanted her. "It's true. I think you'll outshine the bride." He watched as her eyes clouded over, *Good. Now, she won't know what hit her till to late. Jareth grinned wickedly.

This brought Sarah's mind towards the young couple below. Toby had finally decided that there was something in this kissing stuff, but it had taken a certain woman's touch to do it. Zari was a dijin from the eastern kingdom who had come seeking a favor from them, freedom from her cruel master. She was a willowy amethyst haired lady with lavender eyes. Toby had taken one look at this exotic beauty and vowed to make her his. He had helped her out but then had to prove his worthiness to her.

It was a source of amusement for Jareth that this boy who had once run screaming from the thought of that one special someone had jumped in willingly to his own fate. Sarah often chided him to be nice to Toby. After all, she reminded him, he himself had squirmed a bit before Sarah had taken on the task of taming him.

The feel of his lips against her neck brought her back to the present and she looked at them in the mirror. The reflection that stared back was that of a happy couple. "Stop that!" Sarah half sighed, half moaned as his hands loosened her hair. "We need to go. Toby can't be married without...Oh!" She gave up rational thought as he kissed her, between every other word. "Kiss me properly!" She moaned and pulled him in for a kiss, raking her fingers through his hair as he had hers.

There was a loud knock on the door, Jareth reluctantly tore his lips from hers. "Show time." He grinned and she lightly hit him. Then, with a wave of his hand, he restored them to their more respectable appearance and they walked down the stairs together.

The End.