AN: This story was a response to a challenge from the message board at what used to be then the Lablounge, and is now the Escher Room. My inspiration was based on this song "Haunted" by Evanescence.

Challenge: Sarah is out horseback riding one afternoon and a thunderstorm comes up, scaring the horse. It bolts and she's carried away. In the process she hits her head. The Goblin King comes to save her and suddenly there they are: meeting for the first time since she was 15. What do they say to each other?

"Haunted" by Alorin Danya
Ratedfor sexual content and adult themes

What a vacation this was turning out to be. Here her mother had said she wanted to spend time with Sarah, inviting her to Aspen for a weekend, and she wasn't even around. She was off with some friend she had unexpectedly met with. Oh sure, Linda apologized and gave her a bunch of money to blow as compensation, but Sarah didn't accept it. No fellow actor should be considered more important than ones own daughter. And it wasn't as though Sarah would interfere with whatever they were going to do; she was 22 for goodness sakes. If they wanted to go bar hopping, she would be just as happy right along with them. Instead, she was left alone. She wouldn't have been so put out if she felt better, but her mom just dismissed her queasiness as indigestion. Apparently Sarah telling her she'd felt this way for three months meant nothing. With it not being winter, what was she supposed to occupy her time with since there was no snow for skiing?

Stuffing some of the cash into her jean pockets along with her cell phone, Sarah flung on her jacket and decided to go find something to do. Sarah walked to the front desk of the lodge, hoping there might be some brochure with something she might be interested in doing, but there was nothing. It was a nice day, so she decided an afternoon walk might be nice. The lodge, like nearly all in Aspen, was in the midst of the mountains, and there were bound to be trails for her to follow.

Sarah had hardly walked out of the lodge before she spotted exactly what interested her. She walked over to the stables, admiring a mare with her colt as they grazed in the bright sunshine. She leaned against the fence as she watched them, wondering how the bond between the mare and her offspring could be stronger than the one she shared with her own mother. How could things have gotten so messed up between them? Sarah had barely been there two minutes when the mare led her colt away protectively, having noticed she was near them.

The hairs on the back of Sarah's neck began to rise as she had the feeling that she was being watched. Maybe the horses weren't reacting to her.

She had felt this presence before, always there, watching. She had never been rid of the King of the Goblins once she had beaten him. He was still there, even six years after her journey through his Labyrinth. He would call to her, luring her to return Underground. I will be your slave. Sometimes she'd think it was all in her head because she'd never see him save for a glimpse of him in owl form or the occasional dream, but she knew he was real. Even if she couldn't see his corporeal form, he was with her in her dreams. She had dreamt of him since his defeat, but the dreams began to change in her adulthood, dreams that frightened her, dreams that aroused her, dreams that she knew she had to suppress but couldn't. The way he made her feel was almost alive, almost real. But she'd never felt his presence when she was away from her home before. How did he find her here?

His presence grew stronger, but Sarah refused to move and acknowledge the effect he had on her. If he finally wanted to be face to face with her after all this time, then it was he who would have to make the first move, not her.

Despite being prepared, Sarah jumped when a hand lay on her shoulder and she turned around with a start, not ready to face the Goblin King.

"Whoa! Hey there." A blonde young woman in braids took a step back from Sarah, her brown eyes smiling, "Didn't mean to sneak up on you. The ride's about to start, you coming?"

Sarah looked at the girl, who was dressed in a flannel shirt and jeans, stirrups on the heels of her boots. She had on leather gloves and a bandana around her neck, like a true cowgirl. Taking a quick glance behind her, Sarah saw a group of tourist gathered in front of the stable, all in their most ridiculous Western gear. They were all going horseback riding. Sarah smiled. It was something to do.

Sarah was by no means an equestrian, having only gone horseback riding a few times before in her lifetime, and this experience had to be the worst. The horse she had been given had a fickle temperament and often bit the horse in front of her, causing the cowgirl from before to lead Sarah's troublemaking horse to the front of the line. Sarah glanced at her watch once her thighs started to get sore; they had been riding for an hour. Perhaps she should have asked about what she was getting herself into before just joining the group on a whim. Sarah hadn't eaten lunch because she hadn't felt like she could hold anything down, but now her stomach growled and who knew when they would be heading back to the lodge.

Everyone else on the tour knew each other, so they talked and laughed, but Sarah had nothing but the ever lingering feeling of being watched to keep her company. And she saw the owl, she was sure of it. The guide noticed the first signs of a summer storm when clouds rolled in, blocking the sun. She called out to them all that they may have to turn back before they reached the summit they were trying to reach. There were grumbles made, but the cowgirl hadn't turned them around yet.

She should have done so at the first sign of a storm.

Soon enough a down poor had started and everyone tried to get their horses to move faster, but the poor creatures could only go slowly now that the ground was muddy and slick against the rocks. Sarah cursed herself for following her impulse to join this trek. She was now at the very end of the line following everyone else, and the cowgirl guide had gone to the other end to lead everyone back to the lodge. And to top everything off, Sarah's stubborn horse was falling behind the rest of the group. She could hardly see from the rain dripping in her eyes and she hardly expected that her horse was doing any better. The poor thing could hardly find its footing in this rocky terrain.

Just as she was starting to feel sympathetic for this poor beast of burden, a bolt of lightening burst through the sky, spooking the horse. It reared its front hooves into the air, causing Sarah to loose her grip of the reigns as her bottom began to slip off the slick saddle, which she grabbed onto for dear life. The horse settled to the ground once again, and Sarah tried to pet its neck to soothe it, but a second bolt of lightening struck nearer by, scaring the horse so much that it broke into a gallop. Sarah desperately wrapped her arms around the horse's neck, having lost the reigns, but the horse was moving so fast that Sarah lost her grip.

She cried out as her head hit something very hard when her body fell onto the jagged rocks below. She felt a sharp pain in her side and moved her hand down, only to find a large gash oozing blood. She dizzily tried to get up but fell back to the ground, the blood from her head wound spilling into her eyes as she rolled onto her back. Sarah knew she had to stay awake, fight the pain and chills she was feeling from being wet, but it was so hard. The last thing she remembered before blacking out was seeing a pair of mismatched eyes as lightening flashed through the sky.

Sarah's mind fought to break into consciousness. She could feel herself writhing in pleasure, moaning from the feelings that had only come to her in her dreams. His warm breath hovered over her lips and his hands caressed her breasts as he moved within her. She knew she must have been dreaming; she had been with him like this in her dreams since she turned 21. Dreams weren't real. But this had never felt so real before. Her insides ached in pain and pleasure at the same time, as though she had done this hundreds of times before but was feeling it for the first time.

"Sarah!" Jareth cried out her name as he came within her.

He had never said anything in the previous dreams when they made love.

Sarah snapped her eyes open when the Goblin King's spent body slumped against her. She frantically looked about, unable to see anything but the crimson canopy above and blood red sheets that surrounded her with his body impeding further movement. When he moved his arms to hold her, placing a soft kiss at the base of her neck, fear struck Sarah and she pushed him off and out of her. She moved to the other side of the bed, holding her knees to her chest to cover her naked body. Tears streamed down her bowed faced as she rocked herself, trying to understand what was going on.

Only after a moment did she finally speak, "You raped me."

It was only a whisper, but her words were like thunder to his ears, "This wasn't rape, Sarah. It isn't anything we haven't done before."

"No." Sarah's head shot up, blazing eyes glistening with her tears, "Those were only dreams."

Jareth moved cautiously towards her, ignoring her wide eyes as he moved his hand to her lower abdomen, "I doubt you'll believe that when you bare my daughter in five months."

Sarah jerked away, viciously slapping his arm away, "How could I possibly be four months pregnant? I've never had sex before…now."

Jareth grinned sadly at her disbelief, "Underground, dreams are as real as reality. You loved me in your dreams."

"I don't love you." Sarah shot back, a little too quickly. "How did I even get here?"

"I saved you."

"Saved me?" Sarah stared off into space, remembering that her horse had gotten spooked and she fell off. She remembered blood flowing in her eyes, then nothing. "Someone would have found me."

"I doubt they would have reached you before you bled to death. It was already dusk, and no one knew you had left, did they?" Jareth asked, cocking his head with mastered arrogance.

Sarah looked him straight in the eyes with a deadly glare, "I would rather have died than to have been touched by you."

Jareth moved back, unable to match her gaze, "I'm sorry you see it like that."

"How else am I supposed to see it?" Sarah screamed, "I was unconscious, and you see nothing wrong with what you've done!"

"You seemed to enjoy it."

Sarah turned her head, trying to keep her face from flushing. In the dreams, she did enjoy the pleasure he gave her. But this wasn't a dream and she hadn't known what was going on until it was already done. She might have felt real pleasure, but the pain that she had no willing part in it was too much.

"I'd like to go home now."

Jareth looked at her, amazed she had not denied having some sense of satisfaction. Even though she had been willing so many times before, he understood he was wrong. He had watched her for so long that finally having her in his arms after so many teasing encounters, he couldn't help but to take her. And now she hated him for it. However, now that she was with child, he couldn't let her leave. She had to understand that, "I do not wish to hold you against your will, but for the time being, I cannot allow you to leave the Underground."

Sarah wanted to kill him, "Why the HELL not!"

"If you care about the life of our child, you would do well to keep her nourished in the magic provided here. She will not survive without it. After she is borne, you may do as you wish."

"I am NOT leaving her with YOU." Sarah shot out.

"And how could you take her from me, Sarah?" Jareth asked in all seriousness, unable to disguise his inherent cockiness, "Fae children cannot venture to your world safely until they are mature. So until that time, for her sake, she must remain here."

Sarah crossed her arms over her naked breasts. She understood, and though she didn't like the idea of staying with Jareth after what he had just done to her, what choice did she have? She couldn't let her child die. She wasn't a monster.

Sarah nodded her head in agreement but didn't say anything.

"I'll have a room prepared for you," Jareth sighed, then after a second thought, said reluctantly, "Tomorrow, you may find accommodations elsewhere if you so choose."

Sarah blinked, not sure she had heard him correctly, "You would let me go?"

"As long as you promise to remain Underground, yes."

Sarah nodded, moving her knees back up to her chest, burying her face in her knees as she whispered, "Thank you."

Jareth shuddered inside. He would let her go, but he would always keep watching.

Perhaps to be continued…