Disclaimer: Labyrinth is the property of Henson and company. Not me. If I did own it then you can bet your boots there would've been a sequel.

Sarah was luxuriating in the shower, enjoying not having another person pounding on the door or feeling rushed thinking that someone would be pounding on the door soon, when she heard her name being called from the other room.

"I'll be out in just a minute!" She hollered.

"Er…take your time!" Hoggle shouted back. "Just get rid of it, Didymus." He whispered venomously to the fox.

It had been a nice past few hours for Sarah. She'd baked cookies, lounging on the couch reading a book with Merlin next to her while they were in the oven. The shaggy sheepdog was enjoying Karen's absence - Sarah allowed him more freedom; he was a senior citizen in dog terms after all. It wasn't like he was going to go insane and chew up the curtains, all he wanted to do was lay down somewhere comfy near Sarah and snooze.

She turned off the water and stepped out of the shower.

"It would be most uncharitable to do so, Sir Hoggle! Lady Sarah is kind. I doubt it twill bother her." The knight whispered back.

"Fine! But I'm not gettin' blamed if things go wrong!" Hoggle shot back.

Sarah slid into a pair of black sweat pants and an old t-shirt. After making cookies, she'd put some snack platters and sandwiches together. She smiled anticipating her friends' reaction to the movie she'd chosen as she plugged in the hairdryer.

"Nice." Ludo remarked as the little creature on his shoulder snuggled into his bright fur.

"What's nice?" Sarah inquired as she walked through the door, shaking back her still slightly damp hair. "Oh." There was a goblin sitting on Ludo's shoulder. That in of itself said something. Ludo wasn't particularly fond of goblins.

"Hi 'un Lady!" The goblin greeted, smiling at her brightly. He looked like he only came up to about her knee and had a fang that protruded from his lower teeth so that it went over his upper lip when his mouth was closed.

"Hello." Sarah said, still taken aback to see a goblin sitting on Ludo's shoulder.

"I humbly apologize for this extra intrusion upon your hospitality, my lady, but this fellow happened upon my brother and myself near the bog and seems loath to leave our company."

"That's alright, Didymus, I don't mind." Didymus raised a bushy white eyebrow at Hoggle in a clearly unspoken 'I told you so'. "What's your name?"

"Me 'un Grunch."

"Well, its very nice to meet you Grunch. I'm glad you could join us."

"Thanks 'un, Lady!" Grunch replied, his tawny eyes shining under his mop of unruly gray-green hair.

"You can call me Sarah, Grunch."

"Alright 'un Lady Sarah!"

"Er…well, let's head downstairs. There's food and the movie's all ready."

"Alright!" Hoggle said, trying to downplay his excitement as they followed Sarah out of her room and down the stairs.

"That was wonderful!" Sir Didymus exclaimed, wiping away a tear from his eye at the conclusion of the movie with one hand while holding the remains of his peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the other.

"I'm glad you liked it, Didymus. It's one of my favorites." Sarah replied, a bit teary at the happy ending herself. "What did the rest of you think?" They had watched 'Singing In The Rain'.

"I liked it." Hoggle said, biting into the last cookie and blinking back the tears at the corners of his eyes.

"Happy." Ludo agreed, nodding his giant head up and down.

"Me 'un love!" Grunch declared emphatically from where he was snuggled next to Sarah. He was now clad in an old t-shirt of Sarah's. The tunic he'd been wearing had been rather pungent before his trip to the Bog of Eternal Stench and the aroma certainly hadn't improved any. Sarah had skillfully managed to part him from it by gifting him with the old blue shirt.

"You guys want to do this again tomorrow night?"

"Alas, my lady, Sir Ludo and I have an excursion planned to visit his esteemed parents." Didymus apologized. "Perhaps we could repeat this pleasant gathering upon our return a few weeks hence?"

"Sowwy, Sawah." Ludo added from where he rested on the floor next to the couch.

"That's alright guys." Sarah said, a little disappointed. "We can hang out when you guys get back. What about you Hoggle?"

Hoggle frowned, swallowing the last of his chocolate chip cookie. "Probably not tomorrow night, Sarah. His Majesty the Royal Jerk-OUCH!" Hoggle shrieked as Grunch's teeth sank into his wrist in a quick bite.

"King 'un no jerk! King 'un like Don Lockwood!" Grunch exclaimed indignantly.

An interesting mental image of the Goblin King tap dancing in the rain, twirling an umbrella and singing out his heart-all while clad in his normal kingly attire- popped unbidden into Sarah's mind. She bit down on her lip to keep from snickering.

"As I was saying," Hoggle continued, rubbing his arm, "the King's got me pretty busy. I was lucky to be able to get away tonight. I'll probably be too tired to do much the next couple of days after I finish work."

Sarah sighed. Life wasn't fair. Then she laughed inwardly at the irony. She'd been such a bratty fifteen year old. "Well, Grunch?"

"More singun'?" He queried hopefully.

Sarah chuckled. "Sure, we can watch a musical every night if you want."

"Yippee!" The goblin cheered, his face breaking out into his toothy grin, dominated by his fang, that was, oddly enough, rather cute.

"Well, I'd best be gettin' back. I've got to get an early start tomorrow."

"We should head back as well in order to begin our journey early on the morrow."

"Will you guys still be able to call occasionally?" Sarah asked as she escorted her friends back up the stairs. Grunch giggled with every step she took. The little goblin had his feet on top of hers while she held both of his hands in hers. He seemed to be enjoying the make-shift rollercoaster.

"Certainly, my lady!"

Sarah gently released Grunch down on the floor when they reached her bedroom. "Have fun visiting your family Ludo!" She said, disappearing in the rock-loving monster's arms as he hugged her. Ludo wiggled his ears happily. "You too, Sir Didymus." She knelt to gently embrace the little knight.

"We shall, my lady! Do be careful and enjoy your time of relaxation!" Sir Didymus said, waving as Ludo picked him up and they went back to Sir Didymus' home.

"Oh, no!" Sarah exclaimed as the realization hit her that they had left something behind. "They forgot Grunch! Will you able to get back to the Bog on your own Grunch?"

"Not goin' to Bog. Was goin' back to castle when found fox an Ludo."

"Why were you in the Bog in the first place?" Sarah asked curiously.

"King 'un send to Bog."

"He sent you to the Bog?"

"It's a favorite punishment of the Royal J…errr…that is the King's." Hoggle explained, eyeing Grunch's fang warily.

"What did you do Grunch?"

"Me 'un sing. Make King drop crystal. So King sent to Bog." Grunch replied matter-of-factly.

"I see." Sarah said, observing Grunch curiously poking her pillow. She could well imagine that the Goblin King wasn't a person who took interruptions well. "Then could he go back with you Hoggle? It'd be quicker for him to get to the castle from your house than the Bog anyway."

"I don't know Sarah. I don't want the King to think I'm messin' with his punishments. It generally takes them a few days to get back from the Bog." He looked askance at the goblin, who was cooing in delight as his hand sunk into Sarah's pillow while humming 'Good Morning'.

"You have a point." There wasn't any love lost between the Goblin King and Hoggle. The Goblin King allowed Hoggle to visit her; she was sure he could put a stop to it if he wanted to and she didn't want to tempt fate. "Hmmm…Grunch, how about you go back to the castle but stay out of the King's way for a few days so he doesn't notice you're back too soon?"

"Hide 'un? Okay, Lady Sarah!"

"Well, then. Come along now." Hoggle said, gesturing brusquely to Grunch.

"Take care of yourself, Hoggle." Sarah said, bending down to hug him and kiss him lightly on the forehead.

"Oh, Sarah! Stop it!" Hoggle squirmed, pretending to push her away.

Sarah laughed, releasing her friend. "Bye Hoggle! See you tomorrow Grunch!"

"Lady Sarah 'un? Can I bringun' some friends with me?" Grunch asked her with wide eyes, pausing before he followed Hoggle into her closet.

A vision of goblins swinging from the chandelier and wrecking other merry havoc throughout the house that Karen had tastefully decorated, organized and kept spotless flashed before Sarah's eyes. "I suppose," she said cautiously, "but no more than ten, okay?"

"Ok!" The goblin replied eagerly, scampering after Hoggle.

With a sigh, Sarah walked back downstairs to tidy up. She gathered up the plates and was sticking them in the sink to wash when a strong odor accosted her sense of smell.

Wrinkling her nose, she turned her attention to the garbage bag sitting by the door where Grunch's old tunic resided.

'I could always burn it.' Sarah thought, picking up the bag with her left hand and pinching her nose with her right. 'But then the smell might waft over to the neighbors and I really don't want to have to think of a way to explain this. I'll just bury it in the bottom of the garbage can.' Sarah carried the bag carefully out to the garbage can in the back yard, unaware of the repercussions that would come from introducing a goblin to musical theater.