Disclaimer. I do not own any part of the Labyrinth or the characters. The only thing that belongs to me is the characters I make up and the plotline. This magical realm belongs to none other than Jim Henson, may he rest in peace.

His eyes flickered in excitement to be able to crush her dreams of this Goblin King. "I wish the Goblin King would take you, Sarah Williams, away, right now."

They both stood still, waiting for him to appear. The grandfather clock in Sam's first living room somehow made its appearance in the dining area, though sound of course. Unfortunately, for Sarah, the sound made her anxious. She was hoping he would come and show Sam that he was real. Another part of her didn't really want to see him. He wasn't the villain. Yes, he did take away Toby, but only because Sarah had wished for it. Her eyes remained on the floor. She couldn't stand to see Sam's smug smirk. After ten minutes or so, Sam smirked triumphant. Sarah looked away, her face covered by the veil of her dark brown hair.

"Don't cry," He taunted, "He's not real, Sarah. For all you know, you could've been writing about this majestic man, but really he was nothing but an ugly short goblin himself. I mean, honestly, do you really think this Jareth of yours would really fall for you, Sarah? You may have written about him in your stories doing so, but come back to reality. You have to grow up. " He tossed her notebook into the lit fireplace. "There, piece of cake."

Sarah stared at it as the corners were slowly engulfed by the flames. Before a thought could cross her mind, her body was already in motion, lunging for the notebook. She bit her lip, enduring the pain for only a moment. She quickly tossed the notebook out of the fireplace onto the floor and began patting at the flames with her hands to put it out. It was a foolish thing she did. She hadn't even thought of the consequence of her actions. Her fingers on her right hand were blistering hot. If she thought that burn she had received from earlier had hurt, it was nothing compared to the stinging pain on her hand. The burn wasn't major, but it was going to leave a scar.

"You shouldn't have done that. Forget about the Underground and focus more on what is really happening in real life. You don't have to worry about the ugly Goblin King anymore. I'm here. Besides, if you'd let me, I'd bet I'm better in bed that that ancient, wrinkly fool."

Sam wrapped his arms around Sarah and patted her back, softly. He wanted this to happen to her. He wanted her to feel vulnerable and make her believe that he was still there. It wasn't for good intentions—no, not in his mind. He had a reason for why he ushered his parents out that night and for setting the temperature to one of a sauna. He had every intention of taking away her innocence after this dinner. He smirked, believing he was only one step closer.

Sarah pushed him away from her, using her left hand. She was already upset, but now she was exasperated. She had burned her right hand in rescuing her notebook. He had insulted Jareth, claiming he was better in bed, but she wouldn't know that herself. It was still wrong to lower someone's dignity that way. To call him ugly and short had been a completely understatement. The Goblin King was far from ugly and he was obviously very tall, but Sam didn't know that. He assumed and stereotyped Jareth because he is the Goblin King. If he had been an Elfin King, maybe Sam wouldn't have called him that. Then again, knowing him, he would just call him a short, pointy-eared freak and refer to Santa's helpers. That wasn't the only thing upsetting her that night, though. Jareth didn't come. Every trace of hope she had had vanished in those ten minutes. She had been sitting in this sauna. It was too hot in this house and yet he had the audacity to breathe his humid, onion-scented breath down her face. The heat only made her more frustrated.

Suddenly, Sarah and Sam's attention had been captured by the large crash of noise, followed by a small explosion upstairs. Sam, believing it was a burglar, quickly ran into the garage to come out with a crowbar.

He pressed himself against the wall as he climbed the staircase and tightened his grip on the crowbar. Slowly, he slid next to the door, taking a small peek through his peripheral vision. There was a large mess in his room. The window was closed and there were no signs of a break-in. He walked into his room to see the platter of fruits and chocolate scattered across the white carpet and on the black silk bed set he had bought earlier that day. He found the source of the explosion. It was the can of whipped cream. The can had been sliced down the middle and its contents were on his wall, door, and mirror. Soon after, he came back down to find Sarah and her notebook gone. The only thing she had left behind was a sloppy note torn from a page in her notebook.

I'd choose the Goblin King over you any day.

As promised, I've posted a chapter before the New Year. I don't like the length of this chapter, but I knew before I re-wrote this chapter that I wanted it to end it with the note. Forgive me for it's short length. I wanted to give it a bit of ambiguity.

Did the Goblin King finally show up? Did he take Sarah with him?

Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. Leave a review, if you want—it's completely optional, although, highly encouraged. xD

Tell me what you think might happen in the next chapter. I've already written the second chapter, but I want to see what you all think before I post it. :) I hope it'll come off as a surprise, or shock, or maybe it was expected, due to Sam's nature.

I wanted to thank everyone for reviewing and for following this story. :) It made me happy to see someone enjoying it. I write for my own personal pleasure, but I get a better feeling when I share it with you all. :D I literally get this cheesy, cheesy smile and giggle when I get reviews. My mom has witnessed this attack when I went to check on my story a few days ago. :) I will try my best to stay true to the characters. I know right now that Sarah is out of character, but she'll get her 'Sarah-ness' back… I think. o.o

Other than that, Happy New Year everyone! :)

~EmEv :D

(P.S. I think Jareth might make his appearance in the next chapter. I'm not sure; it depends on where I find a good cliffhanger.)

(P.P.S. Sorry for this long note at the end. I'll try to keep it shorter next time.)