So this has been kicking in my head for a while. A lot of it came from the stuff I've been dealing with lately with trying to set up visitation with my stepdaughter. Her mother can be a real piece of work to deal with and that putting it nicely.

This is equally dysfunctional and sad at the same time. The song is lips of an angel by hinder. I did something different this time and work some of the lyrics in as actual Dialogue. I hope you all enjoy it.

Thank you to KBates who takes her time to enter the realm of my mind and edit my stories and give me feedback when I am unsure of things. You are amazing and awesome! And thank you for letting me rant about my life! you are a Gem!

"Honey, why are you calling me so late " Jareth answered his mirror, as Sarah's face shimmered in. This was not the usual bi-yearly call; it was not June or December it was September. She looked tired. She looked exhausted as she wiped off the makeup that she wore. The room was her bedroom, he saw it before the light blue walls, the oak dresser behind her. He could see a photo of Sarah and a brunette man in a photo frame in the background. They promised to put an end to this did they not? Granted they could only end so much when they shared a child together. "It's kinda hard to talk right now," he said after a moment

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have called to you," she said meekly. "I just don't know-" she said as her voice escaped her, tears ran down her face.

"Honey, why are you crying, is everything okay?" He asked quietly unsure of what brought this on.

"Just another bad night at the theatre; coming back here was supposed to be the right thing for both of us and yet it seems like a mistake. God look at me! I'm a paralegal, who does community theatre! I'm twenty-eight years old with a four-year-old with a father who supposedly lives in another country! I was supposed to follow in my mom's footsteps. I was supposed to be-" she cut herself off.

"Calm down," Jareth said with his soothing drawl his voice lowering. "I gotta whisper 'cause I can't be too loud" He added as he glanced back at the closed door. "Is Gwendolyn alright?"

"Gwen is fine. " Sarah sighed returning to a quieter voice. "I had a dream about you." She added after a long pause. "God, why do I keep doing this!" She slapped the table of her vanity angrily.

Jareth frowned, Sarah couldn't live permanently in the underground; it was against the rules of the underground, no adult could make it their home. She could visit but to stay permanently and be his was not an option. She had been twenty when she called upon him. For two years they went on pretending that they could make things work. Ignoring the one rule that ruled them; he could take no adult into his world and make a home for them. Love or not, it was not in his power. Only children could be taken. At twenty Sarah was too old, how many times had he cursed her initial rejection when she had been young. Now she would wither away. The underground would reject her being.

Gwendolyn would be an exception to the rule being his child. A child that his wife had no clue that he had, even his relationship with Gwendolyn was lacking. She showed him photos and when Gwendolyn was young she would bring the sleeping child to the magic mirror, but now she was told old to question the magic or the man in the mirror. Something they both decided would be best until she was older. Now Max was in her life and it tore him apart. Gwendolyn would have no idea her heritage till much later in life, he was just a man who sent postcards and showed up randomly for a few days at a time to say hello to her. The only other contact he had with her was using magic on a telephone that Sarah gave him to call her once a month. When he made it into a nearby town he was supposedly visiting. That way they could talk and about their days and how school was going for her.

Well, my girl's in the next room

Sometimes I wish she was you

I guess we never really moved on

It's really good to hear your voice saying my name

It sounds so sweet

Sarah said his name once more. He smiled stuck in his daydream of those days. Before the whole mess happened; that night at the ball her elaborate dark wine coloured, off the shoulder with a deep v neckline gown.

God, he wanted to keep her forever; it was so long since he had her in his arms in his bed. Not since the night, they conceived Gwendolyn by sheer dumb luck after a tryst that should have never happened. Sarah had been twenty-three and just finishing up college when she told him the news late one night.

"I'm pregnant, " he remembers. "God Jareth, what did we do! You're married! What will I tell people? I don't even have a boyfriend. My parents will never understand."

Truthfully her parents weren't thrilled at the aspect of their unmarried daughter having a child; then again which parents were? She thought for a moment of terminating. Even made an appointment at her doctors; only changing her mind the day of the procedure. Deciding she was old enough to deal with this, although she was thankful for living in a country that allowed women the choice. It was becoming the norm in society to be a single parent and Sarah fashioned a story of her falling head over heels for a travelling archaeologist. She moved a few months after Gwendolyn had been born from her parent's house; into a small two bedroom apartment in an old Victorian house. Close to downtown and a short walk to the squirrel inhabited park. He would change his appearance few times a year and would visit to keep up appearances and to see Gwendolyn.

At first, it was a constant fight about child support with her father. Sarah told him off by saying she got by. The truth was impossible for him to contribute to her income with actual money; it's not that he didn't wish to, he couldn't. His gold was useless to her and he couldn't use magic to create money. He was able to manipulate records and things though; he managed to enrol Gwen in prestigious private school with tuition fully paid for. Dance lessons, child care was easy enough manipulate and helped lessen the strain on Sarah's budget.

Then the day came when she told him she met someone. Max whom Jareth found out worked at the law firm she where she was a paralegal, and he was not on the good list with the man. He heard the words once too many from the man 'Who abandons a child'? Sarah swore up and down it was never like that. There was never a relationship truly. It had all been a gigantic mess of a situation. Gwen adored Max who was a suit wearing, office working lawyer who was home for dinner and took her out Saturday mornings to the park to feed the squirrels and ducks.

Max treated the short visits of Jareth coldly. In his mind, he was a horrible father. Max was the one who coloured after school while Sarah cooked dinner. Max was the one who put her bed and tucked her in at night. Jareth learned over the past two years to ignore him.

"Jareth?" Sarah called out looking more sad and withdrawn. He wanted to walk through that mirror and take her into his arms, but he couldn't.

Coming from the lips of an angel

Hearing those words - it makes me weak

And I never wanna say goodbye

But, girl, you make it hard to be faithful

With the lips of an angel

"It's funny that you're calling me tonight, " Jareth smiled weakly, "And, yes, I've dreamt of you too."

"You dreamt of me?" Sarah smiled sadly as she twirled a lock of hair around her finger. "What was that dream like?" She teased him lightly.

"The usual dreams, " Jareth taunted her back, "Back when I had you in my arms; before you left me. "

"You got married, and I couldn't stay; you can't have your cake and eat it too," Sarah scoffed at him. "And considering that was six years ago and Gwennie is four that break-up didn't work out well. "

"And does, he know you're talking to me? Will it start a fight?" Jareth asked her as he heard her turn towards the door as a creaking sound.

"Max is at the gym." Sarah shrugged. "Gwen has started asking about you lately. I have no idea what to tell her anymore; it's not exactly fair to either of you to keep you apart."

"I agree, but it's the best for the situation and the parties that are involved." Jareth nodded. "How about I give you a postcard to tell her that I will be in the country on a short unexpected visit and I will spend the day with her? "

"What about Tana?"

"I'll just tell her I have business. " Jareth shrugged.

"Has she never caught on?" Sarah said in somewhat disbelief mostly because he knew that Max often gave her grief of the situation with him, and Tana just seemed oblivious to it all. They had a decent relationship. It had been arranged but he cared for the woman in his own selfish ways. She just wasn't Sarah when it came down to it.

"No, I don't think she has a clue?" Jareth told her truthfully.

"Jareth, " Sarah drawled with a raised eyebrow. "She can't be the blind. "

"Well, she has never questioned me about it." Jareth shrugged once more. "It's better than him either way, she wouldn't feel the need to make me feel guilty about the situation," Jareth told her coldly.

"I know I'll try to talk to him again." Sarah ran a hand through her long dark hair. "I don't get where he gets these ideas from, I have never said a bad word about you. It's just these circumstances that we cannot change, what am I supposed to do, cut you off?" Sarah sighed. "And, I would never do that you know that."

They stared at each other, the same sad look in their eyes that often came about.

"Jareth? "

Well, my girl's in the next room. Sometimes I wish she was you, I guess we never really moved on

"It's really good to hear your voice saying my name, It sounds so sweet" Jareth changed the subject as he rests his chin on his hand. He watched Sarah laugh lightly and blush in the mirror.

"Stop that, " she warned him. "That is over with."

"It will never be over Sarah-"Jareth said under his breathe. This is why they only did that twice a year. The pull was always so strong when it came to her. It was like all his feelings for Tana disappeared when he saw Sarah. She had cut her hair the last time, but it grew out since then; she aged slightly tiny creases between her brows that she rubbed her moisturizer into.

Coming from the lips of an angel

Hearing those words - it makes me weak

And I never wanna say goodbye

But, girl, you make it hard to be faithful

With the lips of an angel

"Mommy?" He heard Gwendolyn's voice come through the door that was closed in the background.

"Just a moment Gwennie!" Sarah called out grabbing her robe and covering the mirror with it before opening the door.

He heard them talk, getting slightly bitter that he couldn't see them, beside the shadows through the silk.

"Max said he would be home to tell me a story. " the tiny voice whined.

"Max will be home soon darling. " Sarah soothed her. "Go get in bed, and I'll be in to read to you till he comes home."

"Okay mommy, " Gwendolyn, chirped. "Can we read the book daddy gave me? I want to know about goblins. Max doesn't do the voices as good as you."

"Of course, go brush up I'll be right in," Sarah told her before he heard the patter of feet leave the room and the door shut.

"I'm sorry-"Sarah pulled the robe from her mirror seeing the hurt on his face.

"I'll send a postcard tomorrow and I will try and give her a call. I'll be by Saturday at the usual time," Jareth told her. His tone clipped as he tried to keep his cool demeanour.

Jareth looked in the hallway mirror of Sarah apartment or was it Max's; they moved just before the previous visit. His hair was still long on the top; brushed back and over with wisps falling forward into his face. His mismatched eyes lacking the markings on his skin. He straightened his tan suit coat, aboveground fashion was always interesting to him; and knocked the door.

He could hear the shuffling of Gwendolyn's stocking feet, as more heavy footsteps followed her. The door unlocked with a click of the lock, a chain being taken off.

"Daddy!" Gwen shrieked, she always was excited but yet cautious of the strange man who came to see her as she attached herself to his legs. Her mousy brown hair was tied into two small pigtails, her creamy skin slightly tanner from the summer. But what always got him was the same shade of her eyes she inherited from him the same mismatched eyes one blue and one grey.

"Hello Gwendolyn, " he knelt down and handed her a small bouquet of flowers. "For you, " he said with a flourish.

"Thank you, daddy!" She flushed and breathed them in. "Max do we have a vase?" She turned to the man beside her.

"I'll dig one out. " He spoke up. "Sarah had to run out for something," he explained after a moment of stony silence between the men.

"Oh- well thank you for answering the door, " Jareth replied smoothly as he stepped through the doorway.

"Come on, I was just gonna colour, till Mommy came back and then we can go to the park!" Gwen tugged at his hand. "Shoes off though." she pointed to his brown shoes.

He watched Max walk away toward the light modern looking kitchen, reaching up to the top of the cupboards. Ignoring Jareth for the most part as he and Gwen sat at the table waiting for Sarah to return.

"So Sarah said you were in Egypt this time?" Max finally spoke up as he leant against the counter with his coffee, wearing a pair of jeans with no socks and a blue polo shirt. They finally heard the door unlock itself and the heels Sarah wore click on the floor.

"Precious, I'm home!" She called out. Jareth smiled at the stolen nickname.

"Mommy!" Gwen jumped from her chair and raced down the hallway. "Daddy's here!"

"Is he now?" She exclaimed back before straightening up and kicking off her heels. His Sarah would never have worn heels, but she wasn't his Sarah anymore. Her choice of words though cut him straight into the heart.

"Hello Jareth, " Sarah told him plainly as she set down the bag of groceries on the counter. "I trust your work is going well."

"It is, " he replied with a nod of his head. "Interesting as always, the group says hello," he added after a moment meaning her friends.

Sarah smiled and nodded. "Tell them I say hello back."

"So how long are you here for?" Max inquired to him, silently judging his answer that was to come.

"Actually I have a week off, " Jareth told them. "It just worked randomly this time."

Sarah shot him a look of surprise, as Gwendolyn shrieked. "A Week a whole week!" She repeated as she hugged him. He noticed Max roll his eyes and venture off into his office. "Excuse me for a moment, " Sarah told him before leaving to follow Max.

"Daddy?" Gwendolyn tugged on his jacket. "Want to see something cool?"

"Sure, " Jareth smiled.

"You can't tell mommy. " she warned him seriously.

"Very well, " Jareth laughed lightly and watched her curiously as she held out her hand palm up. His heart started to race as he saw the crystal forming before popping away from her inexperience; she giggled as it disappeared.

"Darling, " Jareth bent down. "Why did you show me that?"

"Because you're the Goblin King, Mommy thinks I don't know but I do." Gwendolyn cocked her head. "Why didn't you make mommy queen? "

"Because I couldn't, " Jareth sighed. "How do you know this?"

"It's in my storybook, I'm smarter than I look." She told with a matter-of-factly attitude. She really was too smart for her own good.

Jareth strained his ears as he picked up the voices from behind the closed door.

"I don't like this Sarah-"

"Whether you like it or not is the issue, " Sarah cut him off. "I've been upfront about everything. Jareth is her father and has every right to see her. All I ask is for you to be civil to him."

"I just don't understand it, Sarah, he's like forty. " Max objected.

"Look the past is the past, so what he was a few years older than me. I've known him since I was fifteen-"

"Fifteen Sarah! He would have been in his twenties when you met!"

"It wasn't like that! I just knew him back then." Sarah hissed. "So get it together. We are together and Jareth is married to his work." And married he added in too her statement.

Jareth turned his attentions back to Gwen who frowned at the raised voices. She must have his hearing as well he groaned to himself.

It's really good to hear your voice saying my name

It sounds so sweet

Coming from the lips of an angel

Hearing those words - it makes me weak

And I never wanna say goodbye

But, girl, you make it hard to be faithful

With the lips of an angel

They sat on the park bench next to each other later that day as Gwen chased the squirrels around.

"I know you heard the fight. " Sarah sighed breaking the silence.

"It's not as if he's the first person not to like me." Jareth shrugged. "I am here for Gwendolyn, nothing more."

"I'm glad you found the time-" Sarah began. "It means a lot to her."

"She's showing signs of magic," Jareth told her honestly. "She shouldn't this early. We need to tell her the full truth. I need to teach her how to control it. She'll need the underground Sarah. "

"We'll figure it out." Sarah squeezed his arm gently. Letting her hand rest on his forearm for longer than she should have.

He turned his neck to face her, to look at her beautiful features, the small smile that graced her lips as she watches Gwendolyn. Why did it have to be this way?

"Do you love him?" He asked letting the words leave his lips before he could regret them.

"Do you love her?" Sarah countered back at him with a look.

"Not like I have loved you. " Jareth admitted.

"No one will ever compare to you. " Sarah admitted quietly, her green eyes looking into his. "You gave me Gwen and the fantasy that I craved, I was just too old and now we live with the consequences of our actions."

And I never wanna say goodbye

But, girl, you make it so hard to be faithful

With the lips of an angel

Jareth strolled into the bedchamber. Tana was sitting at her vanity wearing a frilly robe she lounged in often. A large amount of photos surrounding her on the floor; all the photo's he had of Gwen and Sarah. She looked up at him with her large blue eyes, his face most of told her the truth as she shook her head sorrowfully.

"I always wondered, but I never imagined this." Her voice low. "I didn't think you would keep something like this from me."

"It's not like that-" Jareth started as he turned to his study his amulet that was connected to the mirror. "I have to…"

"Daddy!" The familiar high pitch of Gwendolyn's voice rang out, Sarah must have shown her the mirror? He looked back at Tana.

"I'll explain everything, just let me see what she wants?" he spoke with his head low.

"Go-" was all she said, giving him the chance to turn and go into his study. All you heard him say,

"Honey, why are you calling me so late?"

Well, there you go!

There may be a two more on the way. Going backwards into the story of Jareth and Sarah's relationship and how they got to this point.

Tell me what you think! The good and the bad! I love to hear your comments on my musings lol.

Tina.