Disclaimer: I do not own the labyrinth in any way, shape, or form.

Hello one and all! If you're reading this it's either cause you saw my note attached to the last chapter, or because you are a new reader. If you're new, thank you for reading this far. :) I hope you will continue the rest of the way and that you will enjoy my work. For all my old readers, let me explain to you why I asked for you to meet me here at the beginning.

This was my first story and as such is my absolute pride and joy. Especially now that it's finished. I knew that the last chapter would be going up this week and because of that I wanted to know that as a finished story it was as perfect as I could possibly make it. In search of that I spent a great portion of this week fiendishly reworking and revising this story. I went through each chapter with a fine toothed comb, elaborating on things, taking out useless bits, and hopefully taking out every error. (If I left any in, be please be so kind as to NOT point them out. I stressed so much over this that might just send me over the edge!) There isn't anything so drastic as a new character, but there are several points that I embellished on and at least one big thing that I added in during Lady Regna's horrible chapter. Therefore, I believe that it would be in the best interest of all those that wish to read this story, both old and new, to start from the beginning.

Now I know some of you might be too impatient for that and I understand completely. :) Like I said, nothing horribly drastic has changed, but there is a part towards the end of the last chapter that might be confusing with out the added explanations I put in... which is exactly why I did so!

In any case, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of my readers, both new and old. You guys have kept me motivated and made sure that I saw this thing to the end. I've never finished a project like this before and if it wasn't for y'all, I don't think it would have happened.

This sounds kinda stupid I'm sure coming at the beginning of the story. :) But oh well.

For the last time for this story, thank you so much to my two wonderful beta's. frm.sarah.w.love and bookperson, you girls are my heros. With out your support and guidance I would still be stuck five chapters back.

All of those that have left reviews; thank you so much. Especially those that have kept with me for the long haul: Apollo's Priestess, maskedpainter, patienceless, passionatewriter, notwritten, AvitarGirl, mirrorchild, ScarletArtist, zotlot, lucy Westerna, Bunni girl, allen's fiance, and so many more. I know I should mention everyone, but I think I read some where that author's notes aren't suppose to be too long. I'm sure this is pushing it. :)

Haha, I feel like I just won the acadamy award... I guess now I should thank my parents and God... Forgive my idiocy, I guess I'm just emotional now that my baby is finished. :)

There is one more person I want to thank, and it's probably silly cause she will never ever read this. You know who you are David Blane. Thanks for being there for me through all my craziness. We'll find those greek boys yet.

Ahh, ok, I'm done I swear. I hope y'all like my sappy fluffy little tale. And for those of you that might be curious, there WILL be a sequel. :) Just not till after Christmas. Gotta finish up my Holiday Saga before I tackle this next beast.

Add me to your myspace! I send out bulletins letting you know about new chapters and stories, so it's not pointless, I promise. :)

Don't forget to leave me a review! Let me know what you think and I love you forever.

Thanks again guys. See ya soon. ;)

Nopa LaMais

Chapter 1

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

"You have no power over me!" Silence. His eyes full of anguish and regret, the world around her dissolves.

"You have no power over me!" Sarah shouted sitting upright in bed, her hair plastered to her head and her heart beating faster than a rabbit's. For a moment she was confused at her surroundings, her eyes seeing nothing but blackness around her. She panicked in the dark, thinking she was back in that place. But gradually her eyes adjusted, and recognizing her room, she sagged against her pillows.

Just a dream Sarah, she told herself. Get a grip already. She lay quietly in bed, breathing harshly, and tried to control the rapid beat of her heart. Three years! It had been three years since that horrible night and yet he still haunted her dreams. At least once a week she was plagued with dreams about him. Sometimes it would be about those last moments, when she defeated him and won hers and Toby's freedom, while other times she would return to the ball. The dreams about their final confrontation were disturbing enough, but the ball dreams were ten times worse.

Thinking about those dreams made her shiver unconsciously. Those dreams were different somehow. She never remembered them as clearly. They would be dancing, faces in masks making a weird tableau all around them. Sarah knew they were there, but all she could see was him. His face looming above her, those electric eyes locked on her, that mouth inches from her own, moving in closer… Wow girl! Don't even go there!

She kicked off the covers, disgusted with herself, and hopped off the bed. What was she thinking? Why was she letting him get to her? Pacing around her room, head held in her hands, she whispered quietly to herself. "Let it go Sarah! You won, you beat him! Get it through your head that he's gone!" However, pacing wasn't doing anything to help clear her head. A corner of her night shirt became wrinkled as she twisted it between her clenched hands, her nerves getting the best of her. Eventually she wandered over to the window and pulled back the curtains.

Pulling aside the curtains and pushing up the pane of glass, she rested a hip against the sill and tried to regain a semblance of peace. Breathing deeply of the refreshing night air calmed her some and her mind settled enough to take in the beauty of the night around her.

A full moon hung high in the sky, filling the backyard with silvery light. She could smell the flowers planted by her step mother, a wonderful mix of roses, jasmine, lavender, and others she couldn't name. A few crickets chirped lazily, creating a soothing background noise. Sarah felt her tense muscles relaxing and her worries seem to melt away. She yawned and stretched, finally feeling calm enough to return to bed.

Just as she began to turn away from the window, a movement out of the corner of her eye stopped her. She glanced over her shoulder, trying to make out what she saw, and noticed the leaves of the tree across the yard rattling around. Unfortunately the branches obscured her vision, keeping the source of the noise hidden. Just as she was about to give up, a giant white owl flew out of the tree.

"No!" Gasping, Sarah stumbled back from the window, her eyes unable to leave the bird as it flew majestically. "It's not him! It can't be! There are plenty of owls around here," she had barely mumbled the words, when the bird turned and flew straight at the house, towards her window. She stood frozen in fear, not knowing what to do. Just when she wondered crazily if the bird would land right in the middle of her room, it once again turned and began to soar away into the night. The moon light shone brilliantly on his snow white feathers, giving him an almost ethereal glow.

When all she could make out of the bird was a faint speck, she moved forward and slammed the window shut, locking it securely. Jareth! He was here, no more than fifty feet away from me! She wanted to deny what she had seen, but she knew it was no use. Real owls don't fly like that and she speculated that they sure as hell don't look as good while they did it. It was him, I know it! By why is he here? Why now?

The next morning, Sarah woke up to bright sunlight streaming in through her window. She glanced over at her clock, surprised that it was already past ten. Normally she didn't sleep in so late, even on a Saturday. Rolling over on to her back, she stretched lazily and rubbed her eyes. As she slowly sat up, her eyes wandered over to the window. Everything from the night before came back in a rush, her dream and then seeing the owl that must have been Jareth.

She jumped off the mattress as if she had sitting on a bed of hot coals. Running over to the window, she peered cautiously out, searching frantically as if she would find Jareth lurking under her window. There was no sign of the goblin king and she breathed a deep sigh of relief. Maybe my imagination is just going in overdrive. As she gathered up a change of clothes and headed for her bathroom door, her mind raced over the possibilities. How many hundreds of owls live in this country? It probably saw me standing at the window, and came over to investigate, thinking it could make a meal out of me. She peeled off the oversize shirt she wore to bed, and let it drop on the floor. After turning the shower on, she stood there for a moment, letting the water get hot.

It was just the dream. I was jumpy because of the damn dream. Why would the goblin king spy on me? As she stared musingly at the water falling from the shower, she had the eerie feeling that someone was standing behind her. She froze and held her breath for a second, then whirled around, only to find the bathroom empty. She let her breath out in a whoosh of air and laughed nervously at herself. Way to be paranoid Sarah. First the owls are spying on you while you sleep and now you're worried about a Peeping Tom Goblin King!

Shaking her head, she got in the shower and tried to let the hot water wash away all of her problems. A knock on the door startled her out of her reverie. "Y-yes?"

"Sarah? Hurry up honey! Your mom saved some breakfast for you."

Sarah rolled her eyes at the use of the word mom, but simply replied, "OK dad, I'll be out in a bit!"

She had repeatedly told her dad in the gentlest way possible that, although Karen was perfectly nice, she would never be her mom. Her dad would always sigh, and reply, "She could be if you just gave her a chance."

She got out of the shower and quickly got dressed. As she was pulling the brush through her hair, her heart skipped a beat when she thought she saw a face in the mirror off to the side. Once again she whirled around but there was nothing there. "I'm going crazy," she muttered to herself.

After running downstairs and grabbing a granola bar in lieu of breakfast, she started for the door, intending to take a walk outside. "Oh Sarah," Karen said before she could slip out, "Don't forget you promised you would watch Toby tonight!"

Sarah heaved a great sigh, "I know Karen. I'm just going out for a bit, I'll be back soon." Karen opened her mouth, but before she got the chance to say anything, Sarah walked out the door and closed it firmly behind her. She leaned against it for a moment, letting her eyes adjust to the bright sunshine. It was a gorgeous day, with hardly any clouds. The sky was a brilliant blue while the sun was a comfortably warm presence, not too hot even in the middle of summer. Finally stepping away from the door, she walked forward and almost stepped on a small object laid next to the top step. Only barely registering the oddness of a bit of color amidst the grey steps saved the thing from being crushed. With a frown Sarah looked down to see which one of Toby's toys were almost destroyed. Her mouth fell open in shock as she realized that it wasn't a truck of action figure, but rather a beautifully delicate looking blood red rose. So dark it was almost black and tied around it was a black satin ribbon.

Carefully she stooped down to pick it up, mind already racing as to how or why it was there. She brought it to her nose and inhaled the wonderful fragrance that wafted out from its petals and while looking at the stem, she noticed that someone had taken time to strip away all the thorns. All in all, it was the most beautiful rose she had ever seen. It couldn't have ended up here by chance, so it must have been a gift, but there was no note. A soft hooting broke the silence and Sarah quickly looked up. There wasn't an owl to be seen, but she knew what she had heard. Jareth! Could it really be you? She held on to the rose as she walked away from the house, her thoughts a jumbled mess.

It can't be him! It just can't be! Not having a particular direction in mind, she let her feet wander where they willed. They crunched their way over the gravel in the yard and on past all her familiar haunts. She continued walking until she got to the park where she knew she could wander around aimlessly with out being disturbed. If it really is him, what does he want? What new game is he playing? Walking the winding paths through the park, she idly toyed with the rose in her hand, lost in thought. She was so far gone, she never even saw the man standing before her until she walked right into him.

"Oh!" She exclaimed. "I'm so sorry sir, I should be paying…" Her eyes had been downcast when she ran into him, so the first thing she noticed was thigh high black boots. Her eyes moved up slowly past the boots to the breeches tucked into them. Continuing up she saw the white silk shirt, covered with the electric blue frock coat. That was as far as she got before she stopped. She refused to go any further with her examination. Her mouth closed and with out saying another word, she attempted to neatly side step him. However, she failed as he smoothly moved with her. She tried in the opposite direction, and again he moved with her.

She closed her eyes in exasperation and clenched her jaw tightly. He still had not said a word, but she knew it was him. Arrogance and amusement practically oozed out of him. Who else would be dressed like that and had the power to make her feel this upset with out even saying a word?

"Sarah," he said in that oh so mocking voice that could give her chills and make her want to scream, "I won't go away just because you're not looking at me."

"If I can't see you then you're not there." The thought was childish and petulant, not to mention ridiculous to think it would work, but it was her best and only plan. She kept her eyes tightly closed as he gently captured her chin in his hand and brought her head up.

"Let's not play these juvenile games," he said in an arrogant voice. He waited a moment, but Sarah was nothing if not stubborn. "Look at me Sarah." She could hear the smile as he said it. He was laughing at her!

"Damn you Jareth!" The words exploded out of her mouth as her eyes snapped open. They immediately focused on the face in front of her, a face that had haunted her for the last three years. Her immediate thought was that he looked the same as he had back then. While she had matured, and had become a woman, he remained the same. He still bore the same smirk that never failed to make her hackles rise, the same intense mismatched eyes, and even the long platinum hair. She had already made note of his tall frame dressed in his preferred garb, now only a few inches higher than her own, but she took time to take in the lean grace. It was all there. The Goblin King, in all his annoying glory, was once more in her life.