Author's Note: I have to say, I was very pleased at the responses I got from people, all in the very first chapter. Thank you to those that have reviewed, and even to those that have bothered to take the time and read this. So, my dad and I have been canning peaches lately and all I can think about is the Goblin King and a crystal ballroom. Think he'll take me next? As usual, I own none of the original "Labyrinth" characters; enjoy, and please review. Alas, the suspense is lifted!

"HOGGLE!"

Poor Hoggle jumped about a foot in the air as Jareth's angry call ran through the castle. He immediately dropped the jewel he was observing and ran to meet the Goblin King, maneuvering through the other goblins running in the opposite direction. He slid into the throne room, completely out of breath, and gaped when he saw that Jareth was sitting in his throne in the complete dark.

"Er," he said hesitantly. "Yer majesty? Why are ya sitting in the dark?" He gulped as Jareth lit up a crystal and held it to his face. He looked utterly outraged and Hoggle instinctively cowered against the wall.

"Hoggle." It was normally a bad sign when Jareth called Hoggle by his real name, and poor Hoggle had half a mind to run out of the throne room and never come back. Suddenly, Jareth stood and threw the crystal as hard as he could at a stone wall. Hoggle gulped and ducked as another crystal was lit.

"I don't understand," Jareth burst out suddenly, crumpling into his throne. "I hate this Hoggle. I hate that I can't protect to her! Why did she have to say those damn words? All I wanted was her; just to have her in my castle would've been enough." He threw another crystal with an angry growl and then dropped his head in his hands.

Hoggle knew who he was talking about immediately and he didn't really like how upset Jareth was getting over Sarah. Then his eyes flickered to a bottle on the floor by Jareth's throne and he groaned. "Yer majesty, have you been drinkin' that stuff again?"

Jareth lifted his head and shot a look at the bottle and then glared at Hoggle. "So what if I have? It's impossible for Fae to get drunk on goblin wine."

"Right," Hoggle said slowly. "Forgive me for saying this yer majesty, but just 'cause you can't get drunk doesn't mean you don't get, well, angry." He cowered even more when Jareth looked up at him with nearly black eyes.

"Angry," he said softly, nearly whispering. "You're right Hoggle, I am angry. I'm very angry! I'm angry at everyone; at you for being her friend, at her for being so incredibly strong-willed, at this damn Labyrinth for not putting up a stronger fight, and at myself Hoggle! I'm so upset with myself that I didn't try hard enough; if I'd only tried harder, or said something different, then she would be safe! She'd be safe from everything, safe with me, safe from the danger…" He dropped his head back in his hands and suddenly began to weep.

Hoggle could only stare. Never, not in his whole entire service to the Goblin King, not even after three and a half bottles of goblin wine, had Hoggle seen his king cry. He slowly approached the throne and hesitantly touched Jareth's shoulder. When Jareth didn't immediately vaporize him, he awkwardly patted it. "Er, there, there," he said, wondering how in the world he had ended up in this position. "What danger do you feel you have to protect her from?"

"The greatest one," Jareth whispered. "It's getting closer to her in every passing moment. I have to protect her from him."

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Sarah could only stare as her mind frantically scrambled to find words. "I- you," she stuttered as her vision swam in front of her.

"I'm sorry?"

Sarah blinked and gasped in relief as she saw that it wasn't actually him. "Oh god," she said quickly. "I am so sorry; I thought you were someone I knew." She shook her head to clear. "I think I just really need to go to sleep."

"Well," the man said pleasantly. "After a performance like tonights, I don't blame you. You're acting is outstanding, Sarah Williams."

"Thank you." He didn't even have an accent, she thought to herself, studying him with interest. And on second thought, he hardly even looked like the Goblin King. His hair was a darker blonde and cut just below his chin. Sure, it was wild, but he looked more like a member of a band than the leader of some mystical kingdom. His eyes were a brown so dark they looked nearly black. Sure, they both had the same sort of thin, crooked nose, but this man was obviously not the King of the Goblins.

"Ms. Williams?" He looked at her with slight confusion. Sarah shook her head again and told herself not to be an idiot.

"Sorry?"

He smiled. "I asked if you enjoyed the flowers I sent you."

She looked down at the face in her hand. "Oh, you're M & J? Or one of them, I suppose. And yes, I thought they were very beautiful."

"Good," he said, sounding happy. His smile grew even wider and Sarah couldn't help but feel a warm feeling in her chest. He had such a lovely smile. "My name is Malum," he said, holding out his hand. "So that makes me M."

She shook it and gasped when she felt how cold his hands were. "You're fingers are like ice," she said in surprise.

He shrugged. "My family is cursed with bad circulation in our fingers, so we usually wear gloves."

"Oh," she said, staring at his hands. "Well, thank you again for the flowers."

He smiled and her heart fluttered, much to her dismay. "You're very welcome Ms. Sarah. I must say I was really looking forward to your performance tonight. My brother was too, but I'm afraid he was preoccupied tonight and couldn't make it."

For some reason, his words mesmerized Sarah, even if they were just small talk. It must be his eyes, she decided. They looked straight into hers, as if seeing her very core. "You have a brother?"

He chuckled. "Yes, my younger brother. We used to be very close, but I'm afraid that's not the case anymore. I hardly have the chance to see him." He cast his eyes downward and Sarah flinched when she saw how sad they looked.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. His sorrow made her heart ache, even if she hardly knew him. "I used to love spending time with my little brother, but then he-" The words got stuck in her throat as she thought about Toby and she looked at the wall to avoid his gaze. She paled when her eyes settled on the clock and she saw the time.

"Oh no," she moaned. "I'm really sorry, but I have to start walking home. I need to sleep or I might tip over and actually die tomorrow. It was really nice talking to you, and thank you again for the flowers and for coming."

He frowned. "It's awfully late to be walking. Would you like me to give you a ride?"

For a split second, Sarah was about to consent to his offer. But she remembered what Karen always used to tell her and she shook her head. "It's alright; it's only a few blocks." Never, ever except a ride from a stranger Sarah.

"If you insist," he said softly. "Just be safe; it would be a shame for this town to lose such a pretty face as yours."

Sarah's face blushed as red as her costume and something told her it was time to leave. "Thank you. It was very nice to meet you, Malum." She blushed even deeper as he took her hand and kissed it. Thanking him again, Sarah quickly left the building, trying to ignore the odd feeling she felt as his eyes followed her.

When she stepped outside into the refreshing evening air of autumn, Sarah released a breath she hadn't even known she was holding. She looked down at the hand he had kissed and shuddered. His lips had burned, but not hotly. They were like ice; colder than his hands. She hadn't realized it in the dressing room, but Malum freaked her out just a little. Sarah laughed bitterly for no real reason as she made her way down the sidewalk to her house.

"I'm home," she called to her father when she pushed open the door. The house was practically dark so she assumed her father was already asleep. Sarah walked straight to her room, dropped her bag on a chair, put her flowers on her dresser, and wearily collapsed on her bed. She let her thoughts wander and dozed.

Then, the loud hoot of an owl sent her straight upright in bed. She flew to her open window and quickly slammed it shut with all of her might. "You're being silly," she scolded herself, but she was definitely not taking chances with any damn owls tonight. Sarah quickly took off her stage makeup, got her pajamas on, and once again collapsed onto her bed. Within minutes, she was asleep.

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"You were wonderful, as usual Sarah. Thanks for such an awesome show!"

Julia's arms wrapped around Sarah and squeezed her tight. Sarah returned her hug and thanked her for being an amazing stage-manager. The last show had just finished, her costume was hung up and ready to go back into storage, and all of the friends she had made had been thanked, hugged, and congratulated. Sarah was ready to go home and just relax.

She smiled at everybody as she walked out the door of the lobby and into the afternoon air. Thankfully, Malum hadn't shown up again in the dressing room to talk to her, although a tiny, tiny part of her wished that he had. No matter how many times she scolded herself, Sarah often found herself day-dreaming about his face. There was just something about him…

"Sarah," she growled and then quickly looked around to ensure that no one had witnessed her moment of insanity. Thankfully, the sidewalk was empty and Sarah's mental health was safe. She brushed the crazy curls in her hair out of her eyes and thought about how much she missed her normal hair. She knew most curls wished for curly hair, but she personally enjoyed her just-wavy locks.

She hummed idly to herself as she walked through the front door to her house. She didn't bother calling out; her father was at a meeting for the day and was planning on going out drinking with his friends in the evening. Sarah didn't mind; personally she thought it was a good thing that her dad was starting to go back to his old ways. Maybe they were both starting to slowly heal from the loss of Karen and Toby.

She dreamily made her way to the kitchen, planning on looking for a vase to put another bouquet of flowers in. "I swear," she muttered to herself. "This house is going to smell like roses until the day I die in it." She really didn't plan on dying in this house; Sarah had her own dreams that she wanted to fulfill, and most didn't involve staying in her childhood home.

She added a little sashay to the song she was humming as she walked into the kitchen, but she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw that the light in the dining room was on. "I turned that off," she said to herself. "I know I turned that off." Someone was in her house.

Sarah summoned up all of her courage, took a deep breath, and slowly stepped into the dining room. She froze when she saw the woman sitting at the dark maple table, drinking a bottle of sparkling water. At first glance, a stranger may have thought he/she was seeing two Sarah Williams, when in all reality there were two different women. For one thing, one was older, although she hardly looked a day older thirty-eight, and she had a stronger chin than the younger. They both shared the same, luxuriously wavy dark locks, but the older had eyes that were the color of honey, while the younger's eyes were a mixture of grey and green.

The woman looked up at Sarah and for a second, her face was a mixture of shock, sorrow, and fear. Then the woman carefully composed herself as only an actress can do and flashed a beautiful smile. "Sarah," she purred, standing up. "I've missed you."

Sarah felt her eyes prick with hot tears as she gazed upon the woman that had broken her heart ten years ago. Her mind was numb with shock and she didn't know what to do. But then, Sarah found words; even if it was only one.

"Mom."