Chapter One.

One Second Too Late

"Give me the child. . ."

"Sarah, beware. I have been generous until now. But I can be cruel."

"Generous? What have you done that's generous?"

"Everything! Everything that you have wanted, I have done. You asked the child be taken, and I took him. You coward before me. . . I was frightening. . . I have re-ordered time. . . I have turned the world upside down. . . ! And I have done it all for you! I'm exhausted from living up to your expectations. Isn't that generous?"

"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered. I have fought my way to the castle beyond the goblin city. . . My will is as strong as yours. . . And my kingdom . . ."

"Stop! Wait! Look Sarah, look at what I'm offering you. Your dreams."

"And my kingdom as great. . ."

"I ask for so little. Just let me rule you and you can have everything that you want."

"Kingdom as great. . . Damn, I can never remember that line. . ."

"Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave!"

"Kingdom as great. . . Kingdom as great. . ."

A clock ticked in the background over bearing Sarah's ears. Suddenly every distraction was out to get her. Jareth, the Goblin King leaned forward anxiously, his eyes never leaving her face. A paranoid feeling as though he was trying to block her train of thought grew inside her belly and rose up in her chest, chocking her till the point where her vocal cords refused to work even if she did remember the last line.

A single chime rung in the air as Sarah's desperate cry sounded through the air, "You have no power over me!" The chimes continued to chime as both Sarah and the King continued to stare at each other. Sarah's face full of defeat as Jareth stood in front of her, smirking.

"You're too late, Sarah. Go back to your room. Play with your toys and your costumes. Forget about the baby." Jareth circled around Sarah as though he was in his owl form searching for the perfect time to strike his pray.

"No!" Sarah cried. Tears trickled down her face. "Please!"

"We made a deal," Jareth whispered into Sarah's ear from behind. Sarah jumped, the way he was walking was all to familiar. He walked just as he had on the sandy hill over looking the labyrinth outside the main gate.

"But I solved the labyrinth! I saw Toby with my own two eyes," Sarah pleaded. She turned to face Jareth, shocked on how close he was. He hands where clasped behind his back, his eyes matching his smirking mouth. He made no attempt to step back even though he was obviously aware of her discomfort. "It's not fair!" Jareth raised a single eye brow, his mismatched eyes sparkling from lights surrounding them.

"You still stick to your old self? You've learned nothing from my kingdom?" Sarah's face flared as more tears flowed. Jareth clicked his tongue as he turned and began to walk slowly away toward the stone archway where he had appeared. "I won, fair or not. . ."

"Then let's make another deal!" Sarah cried. The words flew out of her mouth faster then she comprehended them. "Take me instead of Toby!"

Jareth stopped and turned around to face her yet again. A smile grew on his lips. "Either way, you won't have your brother back."

Sarah licked her lips nervously as she stepped forward to the king. "He's young and needs a mother. I've lived my teenage years." Jareth looked Sarah up and down. His lips where suddenly pinched. He matched Sarah's steps towards her, his head held slightly back as he observed her. He placed a hand under her chin raising her face up to his.

"Say the right words. . ." He whispered, twisting his wrist under Sarah's chin in a fancy circle, forming yet another crystal bubble.

"You have power over me," hot breath covered Sarah's face as arms circled her waist. She put her hands on his upper arms trembling. She felt his eyes burning her body as he stared at her, but she didn't have the courage to look at him. Except for flickers when she dared to glance up from her feet.

She felt her feat leave the ground, but she didn't cling to Jareth. Instead she simply hoped that she would fall, but Jareth's magic never seemed to have loop holes for anyone other then himself. Sarah simply rose in the air with Jareth next to her, his hands resting on her softly. She closed her eyes waiting for her body to change. She waited for her skin to turn leathery with a shield of oil around her, followed with her height to go down considerably with her voice to change to a higher level of pitch. She waited to become a goblin.

But the seconds seemed to drag on, but the only thing that seemed to change about her was that she no longer felt exhausted. A weird sense came over her, that she somehow was more empowered. Sarah opened her eyes to look down at her self.

Sure enough she was standing on solid stone again, though still in the castle. Jareth had changed his choice of clothes to back to what he wore when he scared her in the room with the stairs. That wolfish grin of his was back as he stared at her. He tilted his head to the side.

"Do you expect to be a goblin?" he asked. He played with a crystal sending to hand from hand as he stepped back. Sarah nodded truthfully, her face blushing as he let out a laugh.

"Come come, my precious little thing," he said as he turned to walk away. "Why would go and do a thing like that for?" he looked over his shoulders. "Follow Sarah, or do you wish to walk around in more mazes?"

Sarah hastened her self to follow him, taking careful watch to follow him through the twisted stairs and arch ways.

"Where is Toby now?" she asked timidly.

"Back in his crib. Do you wish to see?" Jareth turned on his heels holding the crystal on his finger tips. Sarah peered inside of the bubble. Her step mother was leaning over the cage, petting her sons head. Tears filled Sarah's eyes again.

"They don't notice I'm gone?" she asked Jareth. Jareth lost his smirk as he too peered into the bubble. Suddenly her father rushed into the room pulling Karen's arm away from her own baby. He seemed frantic. "Daddy!" Sarah cried. She grabbed Jareth's wrist as though it would bring her closer to her father. The bubble followed them to Sarah's room. It seemed ransacked, with many things broken, and walls seemingly torn down from the inside. "What happened?" she asked desperately.

"You don't remember the goblin lady at the dump?" Jareth answered with a question. "You're parents. . . With such little imagination will claim that you where stolen from them. They won't know the difference." Fury rose in Sarah.

"What difference is there?!" she asked. Jareth placed an arm around her waist.

"The difference?" he whispered in her ear. "That you gave your self away and you made that mess. You where not attacked and adducted. You chose to search for Toby for 13 hours. I told you go back to your room. I told you twice, and yet you still continued to stay within this very labyrinth. You agreed to my terms."

"Terms?" Sarah looked up in fear.

"Fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave. . ." he placed a single kiss on her neck. A shiver raced down Sarah's neck. Tears raced down her face again.

"You're so cruel."

"Just as you can be so cruel. Though I do believe in you, Sarah," his words rolled off his tongue with ease. He turned around. We must get you dressed. I refuse to have a wife looking like a human who's rolled around the streets."

"I am hu -" Sarah stopped speechless. "Wife?!"

"Love me, Sarah. This all falls under what you agreed too." he never turned around to her. "And your no longer human. You haven't been human sense that peach you ate."

"What did you say?" Sarah cried. "You tricked me!"

"Trickery isn't the word I was thinking off," Jareth took her hand as he pulled her into the throne room. Goblins carried on, all most as though ignoring their king and future queen. "More of like surprised," he kicked away one of the goblins in his way.

Sarah trailed behind Jareth feeling generally doomed and sorry for her self. But he seemed rather joyful in front of her, his hair bouncing with his step, with his free hand swinging in the air, as though he didn't have a care in the world.

Of course he doesn't, Sarah thought to her self; He's a spoiled little prince who's used to getting his way. . . There's got to be some way I can get out of this! Married?! To Jareth of all beings?!

"What am I then, Jareth?" Sarah asked trying to sound calm.

"You're like me. Not Human or a Goblin. Merely a being living and thriving of the Goblin world." Sarah eyed him suspiciously. There had to be something more complex at work then just from what he was saying. Something more important to him.

"If you . . ." she started but Jareth hushed her.

"So many questions! You will over load your self, my dear," he grinned at her.

Does he honestly think I'm just going to give up everything and love him in return?!

His eyes twinkled as they came to a stop. Sarah looked around. The palace was so much bigger then it appeared from the outside. Jareth kicked open a door with his heal, backing up while holding both of her hands, into a bedroom.

It was a circle room decorated with dark blues and silvers as though under a night sky. A four poster bed; large enough for two, sat in the middle of the room, with silver drapes hanging from the ceiling. For the moment it was tied back to the pillars in the corners, but it could hang strait to block off the world.

Mirrors, again shaped in circles, hung around the wall. Sarah felt trapped in a mystery house like at carnivals. She half expected a scary clown to pop out of the dark corners of the room. Jareth walked to the opposite side of the room opening to glass doors to large balcony. The balcony looked over the city.

"Our bedroom and our kingdom, my love," Jareth turned to look at Sarah. She swallowed, looking around anxious. It was a beautiful room she had to admit. And Jareth did seem be actually attractive standing there with the light shining in from behind him. He stood with his legs slightly spread and his hands on his hips. Looking very much the part of the king that he was.

"Sharing a bedroom before we're married?" Sarah asked, and idea forming in her head to prolong any vows. . . Or vows shared under blankets. Jareth let out another laugh, as though she was a foolish child with no mind.

"And who's to marry us?" he asked as he walked up to her. He looked her up and down and then walked to a large wooden cabinet. He brought out a green silk robe. The bodice was tight with silver threads forming a corset into the dress. The skirt trailed, flowing at the hips, showing off the persons figure without being scandalous. The long sleeves ended with a v that would reach Sarah middle finger and the front came up to the neck. The only thing Sarah frowned at was an oval cut in the center of the chest area that would surely show more then enough cleavage. "A goblin?!" Jareth said grinning again bringing back Sarah's attention back to him.

He knew that the dress had distracted her. . . "Would you like to wear it, my Queen?" He held it out to her.

"Jareth, I insist that we not stay together till we're vowed to each other." She backed up and turned to the door looking for an escape. She gasped when Jareth stood suddenly in front of the door, frowning and giving her a cross look.

"Even if there was someone to fulfill your silly vow wish, which there isn't, it wouldn't make much sense as you all ready vowed your self to me."

"I vowed to love you and do as you sa -" Sarah wished she could manage to keep her mouth shut. She closed her eyes and realized that she just proved her own point wrong.

"Then do as I say, Sarah, and put this dress on. And you will be come my Queen tonight, love, as promised," he took one step at time towards her, a frown still on his face. All playfulness was gone from his eyes. For once Sarah felt general fear of what was going to happen to her.

"You lost our little game, love, and you started another one. One that both of us can win if you let that happen," he held out the dress to her. He pointed to the door to the right. "You can use the bathing room to dress in. I can understand wanting privacy for that." He turned and sat down at a desk, lighting an oil lamp, shifting through papers.

Sarah stared at him for a minute, watching as he took off his black coat, and opened his vest, revealing his poet like shirt. He looked up once, smiled at her with a cheeky grin, and looked back down again. She sniffed unhappily, which was noticed by Jareth, and moved for the door he pointed too.

"Sarah. . ." Jareth called out. She placed a hand on the door as she looked over her should to look at him. "I can make you happy. Just open your mind to your situation." Sarah drew in a quick breath as she saw a flicker of sadness wash over his face before it was rinsed away by something else. She didn't say anything, but instead nodded.

"What happened to my friends?" Sarah asked calmly. "They where waiting in the thrown room before I found you and Toby." Sarah thought it best to change the conversation topic.

"Royally pardoned from any felons against the kingdom," he said softly as he scribbled notes on important looking documents. "Or at least they will be once I'm finished with these."

"What felonies did they commit?!" Sarah asked alarmed.

"Treason - for helping you to the castle," he said before Sarah could say anymore. "Every soul in the Goblin Realms know that helping wondering humans in the Labyrinth are off of bounds unless I give permission."

"Humans? I was the only human in there." Sarah rushed to the balcony. The dress was forgotten on the floor. Sure enough, what seemed tons of humans wondered hopelessly around the labyrinth. "How do they not see each other?" Sarah asked confused. Her heart reached out for everyone of them.

"The Labyrinth has many secrets and magic in it," Jareth explained from behind his desk. He viewed her with caution. "It's not good to try and communicate with them, love. It just cause's more stress to some." Sarah gave Jareth a look that Jareth must have seen as he responded with the perfect response. "I only talked to you while on your trip because I wanted you to be my Queen. . . I have for a while now. Now get dressed Sarah!" he ordered eyeing the dress on the floor with annoyance. Sarah glanced at Jareth once more before picking up the dress from the floor and changing like he asked.


When Sarah had walked out the room, dressed in the gown, Jareth was gone. She rushed for the door, frantic at the thought of way to escape. The door was locked. Sarah let out of growl of frustration as she slammed her fist down on the door.

"Damnit!"

She threw her self down on the bed, staring out the large balcony that was still open. The sun was starting to disappear behind the city towers and walls. That meant it was closer to the time where Jareth was expecting Sarah to sleep with him.

Slowly Sarah stood up and walked towards the edge of the balcony. She slowly looked over the edge, gulping at the height she was above the ground. For a brief second Sarah had thoughts of simply jumping over the edge of the balcony before anything worse happened. Her hands gripped the stone banister tightly as she pictured on what the damage would be done to her body if she did that.

No. . . Trying to escape sounded much better. . . Even if she had to sleep with Jareth first.

Time traveled fast for Sarah, as she watched the sun fall over the final wall of the labyrinth before it disappeared setting the kingdom in darkness. A small smile spread over her lips as she watched one by one, lights appeared around the houses and buildings that the goblins lived and worked in. For at least a day she can pretend that she was living every girls dream and becoming a princess to a fantasy world.

She was so preoccupied with watching the Labyrinth be taken over by it's night life she didn't hear the door become unlocked, opened, and closed.

Arms circled around her waist and lips trailed kisses from her shoulder, up her neck, to the back of her ear. She jumped at the surprise contact, but somewhat relaxed with she saw it was Jareth. She closed her eyes and leaned into his embrace pretending it was someone else holding her that way. Maybe that nice boy that asked her for a date, the last day she in her own world, would suite her imagination just fine.

But her imagination wouldn't let her forget who was really kissing her neck. Slowly she let Jareth turn her around. "You look beautiful in this dress," he whispered softly. He laced his fingers with hers tilting his head to the right as it took her in. "Won't you kiss me willingly?" for a moment Sarah's heart stopped. She breathed in deeply as a rose hue took over her cheeks.

"I've never kissed someone before. . ."

For the first time Sarah saw Jareth give a genuine smile. As though he was someone normal, and not the trickster that tormented her from the beginning of her time in the labyrinth.

"I know this," Jareth pulled Sarah against his chest slowly. He brushed her hair back from her face as he put his arms around her, breathing in deeply as he felt her own arms slip slowly around his waist. He leaned in, brushing his lips against her, his grip on Sarah tightening. He coaxed her into kissing him as he held her as tight as she could. Her own grip on him was just as tight as his was, as she pushed her self against him.

Sarah didn't know what was happening to her. Maybe it was her own curiosity of getting kissed, or maybe it was the fact that all personality faults aside, Jareth was a rather handsome man. Sarah didn't quite know. But she lost control of her self as she responded to his kisses.

She didn't realize what Jareth was doing to her, till she found her self on her back with Jareth on top of her, pulling up her skirts. Sarah caught his hands as he pushed her skirts up to her knee's.

"Jareth!" she cried gasping for breath from the surprisingly intense kiss. Jareth himself looked breathless as he stopped his kisses to look at her.

"What is it?"

"Please don't make me do this," Jareth looked down at her with his eye brows knotted. "Please, Jareth. I'll agree to being your wife but I'm not ready for this," she pleaded as tears pooled in her eyes.

Slowly Jareth rolled off of Sarah, stretching himself out beside her.

"Thank you. . . Love," she said softly and awkwardly. Jareth looked suspicious of her but Sarah gave him the most innocent look she could.

"Then when you are ready," Jareth said slowly. Sarah let out an angelic smile as she moved her self close to him. She let him wrap his arms around her. She began to fall asleep, surprised on how she easily found her self at ease with goblin king.

This has to be a bad dream. . .


I feel as though this chapter was rather dry. But I would love your opinions to see if I should continue or whatnot. It was an I idea I came up with watching the end of the labyrinth but then decided to write it down at 2 in the morning while on cold meds.