DISCLAIMER: I do not own Jareth (wish I did sometimes), Sarah, or any of the characters from Labyrinth. They belong to Jim Henson and those responsible for the making of the wonderful masterpiece that is Labyrinth. This was written for fun and I make no profit from it.

A/N: This is a sequel to Battle of Kings: Goblin King vs Pumpkin King. While only a few things will be mentioned in here that refer back to the first story, It would probably be a good idea to read that first. Especially if you want to know why Jareth owes Sarah a favor, which does play a big role in this story later on.

Chapter 1

October 31, 1989

Jareth had returned the girls to the aboveground and reordered time so they wouldn't be missed. After a goodbye that felt a little too final for Sarah's liking, she returned home alone. Her friends had encouraged her to call for Jareth. They said it was obvious he cared deeply for her and that she should at least get to know him and give him a shot.

So Sarah asked the 5 goblins to leave for the night and sat at her vanity and sighed. Noticing she was still wearing the medallion that Jareth had given her, she took it off and studied it. She could still feel the warmth of the Labyrinth's magic. Smiling, she thought back on all that had happened; the party, dancing with Jareth again, returning to the Labyrinth, their silly game of questions, Jareth giving her Luna, riding Luna with him, their rescue of Beckie and Whit, confronting Oogie Boogie, and his goodbye. He had seemed so sad when he whispered, "Goodbye my Precious Sarah."

Sarah stared at her reflection in the mirror. "But what no one knew..." Unconsciously her finger traced her lips as she remembered their brief kiss when Jareth told her they had much to discuss in private. Making up her mind, she closed her eyes and made her wish. "I wish to see the Goblin King right now."

The window opened and in flew a white barn owl. When Sarah opened her eyes, there stood Jareth with a huge grin on his face. "Miss me already Sarah?" He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall.

Sarah smiled and looked him over. He was dressed similar to the costume Sarah had made, but his shirt was black and open at the top revealing a good portion of his chest and the medallion that always hung around his neck. Sarah placed the medallion he had given her on the desk and stood. "And what if I did miss you? Would that be a bad thing?"

Jareth chuckled. "No Precious, only bad if you decided to be stubborn and not call for me even if you missed me. While I hoped you wouldn't go back to ignoring me, I never dreamed you'd call for me so soon."

Sarah nodded. "I wasn't sure I should call for you, but well..." She stepped towards him. "You were nothing but nice to me and you kept your word and returned my friends and I to the Aboveground." Taking another step, she gazed into his eyes. "Plus I didn't feel comfortable with the way we parted earlier. Your goodbye felt a little too final, like you were never going to see me again."

Jareth lowered his gaze, breaking eye contact. "I was prepared for the worst, Precious." He sighed. "You seemed a little too anxious to get home, like another minute with me was a curse. After what happened at Oogie Boogie's, you seemed to withdraw from me."

Sarah moved so she was directly in front of the King. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel like I didn't want anything to do with you. Yes, part of me still worried you would try and find a way to keep me in the Underground, but mainly I was doing a lot of thinking. A lot happened tonight." She reached out and touched his cheek. "And you're right, we have a lot to discuss. I have questions that only you can answer."

He leaned his head towards her hand, savoring her touch. "I will happily answer any question you ask."

"I want the complete and honest truth Jareth, not a partial answer or quick subject change. That is the reason you owe me a favor now." She smirked.

Smiling, he shook his head. "I had hoped you forgot about that."

"Why? Because you don't like owing me favors or because I beat you at your own game again?" she asked as she pulled her hand away.

"The latter one, dear. I would happily grant any request you make of me even if the favor is not owed or returned," Jareth replied.

Sarah stepped away and went and sat on her bed. "Alright, first question. What do you want from me?"

Jareth laughed. "Straight to the point I see." He moved from his place against the wall to kneel in front of her. Taking both of her hands in his he stared into her eyes. "What I want is you, dear Sarah. I want you to stay with me, be my wife and Queen, help me rule my Kingdom. I want to go to bed with you each night and wake to your beautiful face each day. I want to fight and argue with you and makeup once one or both of us stops being stubborn. I want to spend my life with you."

"Why? I'm nothing special. Just a normal, mortal girl. You'll watch me grow old. So why me?"

"Now you insult me." Jareth let go of her hands and stood. "Do you honestly think a normal girl could defeat my Labyrinth or capture my heart the way you have. No Sarah, you are quite extraordinary. I knew the minute you decided to try and save your brother that you were special," Jareth said as he paced in front of her.

"Are you trying to tell me it was love at first sight?" Sarah asked.

"No, it was not." He glared at her. "I found your belief in magic fascinating and your dreams of adventure made me want to fulfill your desires. I enjoyed watching you in the park for quite some time before I made sure a certain red book made it's way into your possession."

"The book?" Sarah stared at the wall. "Wait, you said the story was true. What no one knew and all that."

"It is true. No one, myself included, knew that I had fallen in love with the girl. At first I wanted to keep you as a pet; something to play with and tease." He stopped seeing her look of disgust. "That changed soon after you entered the Labyrinth. The more you fought me the more I realized you could never be a pet. Not to me or any man. You're too strong and independent. When I gave Hoggle that peach, I knew you were the one to become my Queen. No one else dared challenge me the way you did at every turn and the more you did, the deeper in love I fell. You were what was missing from my life." He sighed and sat in the chair by her vanity. "Sarah you've seen that as King I'm often threatening and strict with my subjects. I need someone to help me balance the Kingdom. In order to keep my Kingdom as long as I have, I've made enemies. No one visits my Kingdom or me due to the goblins and well, my reputation. I've been alone longer than I want to think about." He hung his head and stared at the floor. "I told you before giving orders is all I'm really good at. It pains me to admit it but I'm jealous of your friends and the goblins. Without trying, they befriended you and earned both your love and trust. Despite my best efforts, you refused me and left me alone again."

Sarah watched and listened to the King's tale and she started to understand. He just wanted someone to love him, to be a friend and companion. Without thinking, she stood and walked over to him. Wrapping her arms around him, she held him tight. "You're not alone anymore."

Jareth wrapped his arms around her waist. "You'll stay with me Precious?"

"I'm not agreeing to live with you, but I'm willing to consider it." She ran her fingers through his wild blonde hair. "I hardly know anything about you Jareth. I know you said you're not good at these things, but you have to take it slow. While running off sounds very tempting there's a lot to consider. My family and friends here, my life and my plans for my future. Also, my short life compared to yours."

"Oh Sarah," he pulled her closer to him. "The moment I officially make you my wife and Queen you would become like me and I would never deny you visiting your friends and family."

She smiled and continued playing with his hair. "Still, it's not a decision I can make in one night. I need time Jareth. I still have to finish high school. I'm not promising anything, but I'm willing to give you a chance. Let's take it slow. Start with friendship and see where it goes. You can visit me anytime as long as you give me my privacy and space when needed." She took his face in her hands and made him look at her. "Is that acceptable?"

"Friends with a potential for more?"

"Correct."

Jareth smiled. "Alright Sarah."

She smiled and hugged him. "Just don't overdo it with visits and for now stay out of sight. I'm not sure how my parents would react to you."

"Understood Precious." He let her go and stood. He picked up her medallion and placed it around her neck. "Please don't take this off. It will keep you safe and if you need me, all you have to do is call my name."

Sarah held it in her hand. "Does it always feel warm?"

"Mostly. Pray the Labyrinth is never pissed at you," Jareth replied.

Sarah chuckled. "Still hard to believe the Labyrinth is alive." She sat back on her bed. "I'll need a way to explain it to my parents."

"Just tell them the truth, it was a gift from a friend." Jareth smirked.

Sarah considered it. "Hopefully they don't ask too many questions." She played with a strand of her hair. "If Irene finds out it's from a boy, she'll get all worked up about me dating."

"Boy?" Jareth asked with raised eyebrow.

"Well I can't say a magical King who's very old compared to me gave it to me for protection."

Nodding, he sat back down.

"True, though I wish I didn't have to be a secret. Perhaps on occasion I can visit like a normal boy would." Chuckling at Sarah's look he grinned. "Don't worry I would wear a glamour so they would see me as a human male closer to your age."

"You can do that?"

"I can do many things dearest," he smirked. "I have a question for you Sarah."

"What is it?"

"As we agreed to go slow and start as friends, what am I allowed to do?" Seeing her confusion, he continued. "So that I don't overstep boundaries, may I hug or kiss you?"

"Hugs are fine," Sarah said nervously.

"And kisses?" Jareth smirked at the vast range of emotions that washed over her face. It was clear his kiss had affected her more than she would admit. Before she could answer he said, "For now, a kiss on your cheek or forehead is as far as I'll go unless you wish for more." He gave her a seductive grin and leaned back in the chair. "So what do friends do exactly?"

"You've never had a friend?" Sarah asked. He shook his head. "Not even when you were small?"

"Sarah, in my life there were 2 types of people. Those higher ranking than myself who demanded I obey them and those of lower rank that must obey me."

"No one of equal rank?"

"None that actually bothered to give me any of their time," Jareth answered.

"No wonder you were lonely." Sarah sat back and grabbed her pillow. Leaning against the headboard, she hugged her pillow. "I kind of felt like that at one time. My mother never really had time for me when I was little and daddy was busy at the law firm. Then my mother left us. She decided being a wife and mother put a strain on her precious acting career. Then daddy married Irene and the attention he gave me was split in half. Once Toby was born it was almost nonexistent. I hated Toby because I thought my dad loved him so much that he forgot about me."

"Which is why you spent all your time in the park."

Sarah nodded. "I felt unwanted and unloved. I thought if I could become an actress like my mother then I'd be loved like she is, but I suck as an actress."

"Nonsense," Jareth argued. "I loved watching you act out your plays. I often wondered what they were and what happened in the rest of the story. I realized you were only acting out the roles of the heroines, but you became the characters."

Sarah smiled. "I'm glad someone liked my acting. My drama teacher said I was a disgrace and should never reveal that Linda Williams is my mother."

"Fool. I should drop that teacher into the bog," Jareth sneered.

Sarah chuckled. "Is that your solution to everything?"

"No. Sometimes I simply kick them." He smirked then looked around her room. "Do you still have those books that you used to act out?"

Nodding, Sarah placed her pillow down and stood. She walked to her closet and pulled out a box filled with books. "I couldn't bring myself to get rid of them."

Jareth looked through the box. The books, while a bit worn, were in good condition. "I don't see the little red book I gave you."

Sarah opened the drawer of her desk. "Because its here." She took the book out and ran her hand over the cover. "I used to read it over and over. I never imagined I would live it."

Jareth nodded and placed the box of books on the ground and stood beside Sarah. "I've given versions of this to hundreds of girls over the years. The story was always the same, that is until it touched your hands." He took the book from her and opened it, flipping through slowly. "Normally the book changes to fit the girl. A wicked stepmother, a drunken father, abusive uncle. Something to help the child relate. Never before did it say I fell in love with the girl." He gave her a soft smile and touched her cheek. "I thought it was accommodating your dreams, but perhaps it was mine."

Sarah placed her hand over his. "Maybe it was both. We were both lonely and wanting something that was missing. What about the end? Your final words to me aren't in there."

Jareth laughed. "I've never read your version of this, so how could I know my lines?" He smiled revealing his pointed teeth. "What I said was from my heart, words meant just for you, my champion." Setting the book down, he embraced her. "Sarah."

He started to say more, but the sound of a door opening and closing interrupted him. "Sarah, we're home! Are you here?" her father called from downstairs.

"Damn, they're home," Sarah muttered.

Jareth chuckled. "I should go."

Sarah hugged him tight. "You'll be back though, right?"

"Of course Precious. All you have to do is call for me," Jareth said as he rested his head on top of hers.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

He smiled. "If that is your wish dear." He pulled away and kissed her forehead. "Goodnight Sarah." He turned into an owl and flew out the open window.

Sarah raced to the window and watched him fly away. "Goodnight Jareth," she whispered.

A/N: Well hopefully this is less of a cliff hanger than the end of the last story. I won't be able to post as often as I did before as 1 the story isn't written yet and 2 I'll be busy with work for my actual book. But I promise I'll update as I can and try not to leave you all with cliff hangers for too long.