Disclaimer- All I own of Labyrinth is a DVD. I don't own the rights to the story or characters.

They had barely taken two steps when Jareth stopped in his tracks.

"Sorry. I forgot something. I'll just be a moment." Smiling at Sarah in such a way that, if she had felt any irritation, it would have been forgotten, he turned and went back to the classroom they had just left.

"Gabe!" she heard him call. "How long are you going to be here?" As he listened for the answer, Jareth took his keys out of his pocket. "Well, if you do leave before that, would you mind locking my things in my car? Right. All right. I'll be across the street at Dania's having lunch. All right. See you then."

Shifting from foot to foot, Sarah tried not to eavesdrop on the one side of the conversation she was able to hear, and asked herself what she was doing. She kept hearing half-remembered snippets of a conversation she must have dreamt once. When you meet the one… meant for you… know it… Don't waste… One day, Sarah… It was the same anytime she was asked out. She always had the tiniest flashes of a voice, or maybe the impression of a voice, which seemed to be cautioning her not to waste herself on someone unworthy of her attention. She had always heeded that advice, and refused those who had asked to see her. More than that, she had never been interested in any of the others.

Much to her stepmother's distress, Sarah had never been on a one-on-one date in her life, preferring group outings instead. Her father, at least, hadn't minded. But this time, everything was different. This man seemed different somehow, and yet she was hard put to define exactly what it was that separated him from the others. Certainly he was attractive, but that wasn't the only reason she had agreed to have lunch with him. She had been asked out by attractive men in the past. They, however, had never had this effect on her. She felt as if her whole being was buzzing with some new energy. Her breath came short, her heart beat frantically, and she had an overwhelming sense of anticipation, as if she- no, they- were entering into something huge. Oh! This is ridiculous! He's just asked you to eat lunch with him; it's not like you're about to go colonize Mars together. Get a grip on yourself, Sar, she chastised herself. Still, the feeling of cautious exhilaration didn't fade in the least.

"Sorry about that," Jareth said as he made his way back to her. "Now, what kind of restaurant is this Dania's? I've never been."

"I think it's Lebanese. I don't really remember. We went there once back when I was in high school. Karen, my stepmother, got this idea that my brother and I needed more 'culture' in our lives, so she decided that we should start learning about different countries, and the kinds of foods they eat, and what kinds of clothes they wear. It was interesting while it lasted. For the most part…" she trailed off with a smile.

"Did you not like the food there? Why didn't you eat there again?" Jareth was starting to wonder why Sarah hadn't chosen the McDonald's across from their intended destination.

"No, I did like it. The problem was my father. He doesn't have an adventurous bone in his body, so he asked the waitress if they had anything similar to something Americans usually eat. So she recommended this meatloaf type of dish that had potatoes baked on it. You know, kind of like meatloaf and potatoes? Well, when Daddy cut into the meat with his fork, it was green." At Jareth's startled expression, Sarah laughed again, and Jareth felt his heart leap on hearing it. Continuing with her story, Sarah said, "It was green because they mix parsley in the meat before they bake it. But no matter how many times the poor waitress tried to explain it, Daddy wouldn't touch his plate. I think he ended up eating cheese pastries."

After walking in companionable silence for a few minutes, Jareth opened the door for Sarah to enter the restaurant. Smiling at him again, Sarah stepped through and tried to calm her nerves. She was really doing this. She really wanted to do this. She had sometimes wondered if there was something wrong with her, but now she wondered if there was perhaps something wrong with the guys who had asked her out before. Not that there was anything the matter with them; maybe they had all just been wrong for her. She absently wondered what Karen would think when she heard that she had finally 'taken her advice' and accepted a date from 'a nice young man'.

Worrying her lower lip, Sarah wondered how old Jareth was. She hadn't thought about it before, but he must certainly be quite a bit older than herself. He was at least in his 30's. She hoped her parents wouldn't make an issue of it. In any case, it was only lunch, right? And she was an adult. It wasn't like she was child; Sarah was a responsible, sensible young woman, and her parents had no reason to doubt her judgment. And her judgment told her that the man holding the chair out for her to sit on was more than just a pretty face, and was interested in her for more than just one reason. Not that he wasn't a pretty face, though…

Stop. staring. at. him. Sar, she berated herself once again. He's going to think you're a freak.

"What do you recommend?" Jareth inquired. He had eaten Middle Eastern food before, but then the menus hadn't been in English, and so he had never learned the names of the foods he'd eaten.

"Karen still talks about their stuffed grape leaves, so I was going to order some of those. Maybe we can share." Sarah focused on the descriptions of the items on the menu she held in her hand in an effort to keep her eyes directed away from the man across from her. It was embarrassing, really, how she couldn't stop looking at him. There was something about him that commanded her attention. Something about him called out to her and she couldn't resist the pull. She could figure it out later. Right now, she needed to make it through lunch without doing something stupid.

The proceeded to order their meal, handed the menus back to the waitress, and sipped on their water as they waited. Sarah discovered that Jareth was a rather successful freelance photographer whose work was focused mainly on nature, and had even won a few awards. Sarah wondered whether 'few' was accurate or he was just being modest. She also learned that he was quite good friends with 'Gabe', her teacher. This surprised her, but on reflection she conceded that she had friends that would probably surprise him.

xxx

Jareth learned that Sarah was actually an English major and was taking Gabe's course as a way to stay busy during the summer. She thought it would be a nice hobby and might help her earn spending money until she had earned her degree. He learned that her parents had divorced when she was a girl and that her mother lived out west with her new husband and family. He wondered how her mother could bear to live so far from her. He imagined it must be quite painful to face each day without seeing the beautiful, animated face before him. Startled at having had that thought, Jareth reminded himself that he had only just met this enchanting girl, and cautioned himself not to get ahead of himself.

Words and fragments of ideas wove patterns through his thoughts as he listened to Sarah outline her educational and career goals for him. Now, Jareth… find her… take care… chase her away this ti… innocent young girl… sincere and straightforward… He had listened to the same speech, or perhaps an echo of a speech, before, in bits and pieces, as it came to him now. It had always served to repel him from the shy smiles and lingering glances his eyes had met. Something about the dark haired girl he was now listening to was different. Obviously, he had seen her staring at him at the college, and noticed how diligently she had not stared at him since they had arrived at Dania's, but there was such an honest, open air about her that he couldn't help but find it endearing. He wondered if she felt the same way about him as he felt about her. He could barely take his eyes away from hers, and it wasn't because of her beauty, although she certainly had more than her share of that. It had more to do with her as a whole, which was a bit confusing as he had just met her. Perhaps his soul had merely recognized a kindred spirit is hers.

The plates came and went, and the two hardly noticed the time pass. Sarah now sat drinking her mint tea, as Jareth drank an oddly scented brown liquid in a small cup with no handles. Except that it was too small, the cup itself resembled Chinese or Japanese tea cup, but the drink it held was certainly not tea. She had watched as the waitress poured it out for him, and had noticed grains of something escape the carafe the woman had held.

Sarah felt an odd stirring within her as she watched him consume the strange drink. As his smiling lips curved around the rim of the cup, she caught herself just before she opened her own mouth. Oh, to be that cup. Surprised at herself, she struggled to get a grip before she made her thoughts plain to everyone in the dining area. Jealous of a tea cup, Sar, she scolded. You've reached a new low. Looking up, she met the amused eyes of her companion. Busted. She was sure by his expression that he had a fairly good idea what she had been thinking. Trying desperately to charm her way out of this new predicament, she asked, "Didn't you order coffee?"

Not deceived in the slightest, but in the interest of preserving the girl's illusion that damage control was still a viable outcome, Jareth answered, "This is Arabic coffee. I had it when I was on an assignment in Jordan once."

"Is it good?" Sarah ventured. What a stupid question. He just ordered it, didn't he?

"It's vile. I'm told it's an acquired taste, but it seems to one I'm not going to acquire," he said, looking down into the small cup. Sarah's laugh was music to his ears, and as he met her gaze, he thought that he would surely be willing to do far worse things to himself if only to please her and hear that sound again.

"Then why did you order it?" She was genuinely interested in his answer.

Sheepishly ducking his head before he answered, he replied, "I wanted to see if it was as bad as I remembered." Setting the cup and the remaining coffee on the table, he looked back to Sarah. "It is."

If the waitress hadn't brought the check at that moment, they might have continued to chat about other topics, but looking at his watch Jareth realized that they had been together much longer than he had imagined. Reluctantly, Jareth paid the check and prepared to walk Sarah to her car in the college parking lot. He wished they could spend more time together, but he had to get his keys back from Gabe before he left with them. He had promised to bring them to Jareth if he couldn't wait for him, but knowing Gabe, it was better to go back now. And so, with many regrets, Jareth led Sarah away from the site of his first date with Sarah Williams. If he had his way, it was going to be the first of many. Many, many.

Checking himself, Jareth clasped his hands behind his back. Good lord; what was wrong with him? He had been about to take the girl's hand in his own. This Sarah definitely had an interesting effect on him. He wouldn't have believed it himself if he hadn't felt the disappointment crash through him as he averted his hand from the path it was taking. He couldn't remember the last time he had denied himself something he had wanted as badly.

xxx

Sarah was disappointed herself, and felt more than a little foolish. She had actually thought that Jareth was going to hold her hand as they crossed the street. That was completely ridiculous, of course. It was a little early for that, wasn't it? They hadn't even discussed a second date yet, and here she was wishing they were holding hands. You're really a silly romantic girl, do you know that? Sarah was starting to wonder how well she really knew herself. She had always thought of herself as a romantic girl in the past, but as she grew older and never felt particularly romantic about any of the boys at her high school or college, she had reasoned that she must not be. She had felt all the stirrings of new love and broken hearts and yearning for that which could never be as she read her novels and watched her favorite movies, of course. She had just never experienced such things in her daily life. As she turned to thank Jareth for taking her to lunch, she wondered if it wasn't time to reevaluate herself. Surely the flutters she was feeling now meant something.

"This is my car," she began, as they reached the champagne colored compact. "Thanks for walking me back. Thank you for everything, actually. I had a very nice time with you."

Jareth was elated. Leaving the contemplation of the deeper meaning of the phrase 'with you' until a later time, he answered, "So did I. I'd like to do it again some time if you'd like." Holding his breath as he waited for her response, he felt more apprehension than he would have suspected.

"That would be nice." Sarah wished she could exhale as deeply as she needed to. Relief like she could never have known she would feel flooded through her. She had worried that Jareth would decide that she was a simpering, insignificant young college girl who was not a good match for a man of his stature. He was, after all, an award wining, fairly well known man who had seen parts of the world she surely never would. She had thought that she must seem rather boring in comparison. Sarah had felt rather sad as those thoughts had occurred to her, but it was all forgotten now. He was asking if she was interested in seeing him again!

The two exchanged phone numbers and parted ways, resolving to themselves not to let the other forget about them. Jareth would definitely call Sarah the next day, and Sarah would think of an excuse to call him the day after next if he failed to do so. Minds made up, they continued on their ways and tried to recall every clever word that passed the other's lips, and every bewitching facial expression or captivating gesture they had seen while they were still fresh memories.