Hey everyone! Here's long awaited chapter 3. I wanted to finish it earlier but school has been so crazy lately (not a good idea to take chemistry and human anatomy at the same time). I made it longer than previous chapters! Let me know if they need to be even longer though. So sit back and enjoy! Feedback and all that stuff is always welcome. :)

Chapter 3

The tv screen went in and out of focus as Sarah fought to stay awake on the couch. It was only 8pm, but she was exhausted after today. It was Toby's last day of school, and to celebrate, she took him and a few of his friends to the zoo. Needless to say, she was absolutely worn out and could barely stand to stay awake. Sarah's heavy eyes shut as she reminisced about the zoo trip, but shot right back open as she heard suitcases slam onto the wood floor. She sat up drowsily and squinted, looking into the bright-lighted foyer.

Irene slid her shoes on as Robert accounted for all of their suitcases. Sarah rolled her eyes and flopped back down onto the couch. It had been about two weeks since the argument with her parents and there was still a great deal of tension between them. Her parents, like always, acted like the situation never happened. Sarah, on the other hand, was cold and distant, and only talked to them when they talked to her. She was fed up with them and their narcissistic ways, and was somewhat glad they were finally leaving on their vacation. Footsteps approached the living room and stopped behind the couch.

"Sarah? Are you awake?" Robert questioned softly. Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Yes, dad. I'm awake." She told him, keeping her eyes on the television. Robert came around the couch and sat down beside her.

"I wasn't too sure. You looked pretty worn out when you got home. I figured you'd be in bed by now," he looked down at his watch. "Toby's knocked out. We woke him up to tell him bye and he went right back to sleep as soon as we started walking towards the door."

"Doesn't surprise me. We're both exhausted from today," Sarah mumbled. Irene walked into the living room.

"Okay, I'm all ready to go!" She claimed ecstatically. She came around to the couch and pet Sarah's head. "Are you going to bed soon?" she questioned.

Sarah rolled her eyes. Why does it matter what I'm doing? You two act like you care so much. But of course you guys would act like that right when you are about to leave. She sat up and brought her knees to her chest. "Yeah, I'm going to go lay in bed when you two leave. There's nothing good on tv anyways."

Robert stood up and gave Sarah a peck on the head. "You go do that, sweetheart. When we land at the airport I'll see if I can call you. Not exactly sure what time it'll be here, but I'll understand if you don't pick up."

Irene stepped over and also gave her a goodbye kiss on the head. "We'll send you and Toby lots of postcards! And we'll try to call as much as we can. It'll be hard to call internationally. But if there's any kind of emergency, let Mr. Collins know – his number is on the fridge – and he'll find a way to get in contact with us."

Sarah forced a small smile. "Okay, yeah," she told them curtly. Robert wrapped his arm around Irene's waist and the two made their way out of the living room. They picked up their bags and made their way outside.

"We love you! Have fun while we're gone!" Robert called out as he was halfway out the door.

"Oh, trust me, I –" the door shut loudly, and with that, they were gone. "- won't," Sarah finished her sentence and licked her lips in frustration. "Guess they couldn't wait any longer to abandon us," she mumbled and stood up from the couch. She walked over to the tv and clicked it off, then made her way upstairs. She stopped in front of the bedroom to the right of hers and quietly opened it, poking her head inside. Toby was still sound asleep, snuggling Sarah's old teddy bear, Lancelot. He always loved that thing; even before he could talk. She smiled as she remembered the day she left for college. Toby told her he'd keep an eye on Lancelot for her while she was away. She chuckled to herself as she gazed at her little brother. "Goodnight, Toby. I love you," she whispered quietly.

Sarah slowly closed the door and made her way into her own bedroom. She turned on a lamp resting on her nightstand and flopped down onto the bed. I can't remember the last time I was this exhausted. She yawned and looked at the wall beside her. Some of her old stuffed animals still resided in the cubbies, and some posters were still plastered on the walls. She gazed around the rest of the room, realizing how empty it looked.

There was a bookcase in the corner of her room that was filled with dozens of books; some from her childhood as well as her teenage years. She sighed as she realized how barren her room was. When she was fifteen, she had a never-ending stock pile of stuffed animals and creatures that inhabited her room. She had taken them to a donation center years ago, and hopefully they were some kids' companions now. Her closet was once flooded with costumes that she'd use to reenact plays. Now her closet was nearly empty, the only clothes residing in there being old jeans and worn out t-shirts.

Sarah's depressed eyes wandered over to her old vanity. The thing used to be filled with all kinds of pictures, trinkets, and a lifetime supply of makeup. She couldn't believe it was completely clean and empty now. As she stared at the vanity, she could feel her heart ache deep inside of her. She thought of the day her room, and even life, completely changed:

It had been about a year since her journey to the labyrinth, and over those past few months, she had realized that something deep inside of her had changed. Sarah had talked to her beloved friends, Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus, from the labyrinth often after she left; almost every day. But as the year drug on, she realized she began to distance herself from them, and one day they stopped appearing. It wasn't that they didn't want to see her – she was almost positive about that – but rather, it was her who didn't want to see them. She didn't know what it was, but the longer she was away from the labyrinth and in her world, the more she changed.

One day, as she sat in front of her vanity, it was like she had a self-intervention. She was back in the real world. As much as she hated it, her step-mother was right: she needed to be doing things people her age did; she needed to act like people her age. Sarah had programmed into her brain that it was time to grow up and act mature. She felt her heart ache deep inside of her, but she knew it was what she needed to do. She had to stop living in a fantasy world. She remembered tossing almost all of her stuffed animals into a trash bag, along with her fairytale costumes she adored. She remembered throwing the makeup off of the vanity and shattering the goblin figurine that sat on the edge of it.

Sarah's flood of memories of that night ceased as she remembered the goblin figurine she once had. Jareth. The figurine used to remind her of the king ever since she had returned from the labyrinth. With each day that had went by, it was harder and harder to look it, and it frustrated her that it did. Looking back at it now, she was glad she had destroyed it. She hated thinking about Jareth. However, as much as she hated thinking about him, her mind wandered from the trinket to the goblin king himself.

Sarah hadn't seen Jareth since his appearance at the park. She stared at the ceiling in deep thought. "Why hasn't he shown up again?" she asked herself. She rolled her blue eyes and scoffed. "Why should I even care he hasn't shown up again? I don't want to see him anyways," she mumbled to herself. As she finished her sentence, a book flew from the bookcase and came crashing down onto the floor. Sarah gasped as she scrambled back against her bed frame. "What the hell?!" She looked suspiciously at the book as her heart pounded against her chest. She stood up from her bed and walked wearily towards the bookcase, her heart still fluttering fast. She stopped in front of the book and observed it for a minute, looking between it and the bookcase. "How did you fall out of the case? Or…fly out?" She questioned as she picked the book up. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she read the title. The Labyrinth.

Sarah swallowed hard and flicked through the pages of the long-forgotten book. Her brows furrowed as she realized some of the pages had pictures and she found herself greatly confused. The book never had any types of pictures – until now. Sarah stopped on a random page and felt her heart skip a beat. She gasped quietly as she looked at a portrait of Jareth, his piercing eyes staring right into hers. She looked away from the book as she tried to gather her thoughts. What is going on? Am I delusional? She looked back down at the book and was taken aback. Jareth's portrait was replaced with two sentences. Yep; definitely delusional she thought to herself. She read the words that resided on the page.

Your heart yearns for something, it's easy to see.

Turn the page, dear Sarah, and you will discover what your heart truly needs.

Sarah bit her lip as she studied the page. She was genuinely confused as to what was going on. She read the two sentences over and over again, trying to make sense of it. They were really there on the page; she wasn't imagining them. She exhaled and slowly turned the page, not entirely sure of what she was going to see next. Sarah found herself smiling at the new page and her heart felt warm.

"Ludo…" she said softly. Her fingers traced over a picture of the gentle giant. He was sitting on the ground by a river, looking happy as ever. She missed her old friend. He was always so kind and thoughtful - more kind and thoughtful than any other human Sarah knew. She looked from the portrait of Ludo to the page opposite of his and read a solitary sentence.

Continue reading, dear Sarah, and you will find more joy to fill your heart.

She turned the page and discovered a picture of Sir Didymus. He had his hands on his hips and was looking at Ambrocious, who had managed to hide in a rather small tree trunk. Sarah giggled as she remembered how cowardly Ambrocious was. It killed Sir Didymus, but he loved his companion no matter what. She could only dream of being as loyal and dedicated as Sir Didymus. He was truly an amazing friend. Sarah gave a small smile as she remembered her friend and looked to the right page. Another solitary sentence was written on the page.

There is still more joy to be discovered, dear Sarah.

Sarah turned the page once again. There was a picture of Hoggle sitting in a forest, relaxing and admiring his collection of precious jewels. She smiled warmly at the picture as she remembered his love for jewels. "You always loved jewelry. No matter if it was real gems or not," Sarah murmured as she ran her fingertips alongside the pages. Her smile disappeared as she felt sorrow and heartache run over her. This was the first time she had really thought about her friends in years, much less see some kind of visual of them. It made her realize just how much she missed them. Looking at the book was nostalgic and she yearned to see more of her long-forgotten friends. She looked to the page opposite of Hoggle's portrait.

Nothing. Nothing was written at all. Sarah flicked to the next page, expecting to see another happy picture. Another blank page. She became frantic and flipped through the book. All blank. Maybe there's nothing else, she thought to herself, and she went back to the previous pages she had already looked. Sarah's stomach flipped as she realized, there was nothing on the previous pages; no pictures, no words – nothing. She gritted her teeth in frustration as her vision became blurry from tears. She firmly grasped the book and made her way towards her bed, her feet dragging across the floor. She sat down and flipped through the book again, still not entirely convinced that the book was absent of her fond memories.

There was nothing. Sarah placed the book onto her nightstand and shut her eyes tightly. She never realized how much she missed them, or how much she even needed them. They were the greatest friends she ever had. She never connected with anyone the same way she connected with them. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she laid back onto her bed, bringing her knees up to her chest. She hated this world. Yes, she had Toby, but that was the only thing she really cared about. She felt so lonely and depressed in this world. In the labyrinth, with her companions, she felt like she was home. She was truly happy. Sarah sniffled as she wiped away her tears. "I miss you all so much. I wish I could see you again. I wish…" Sarah hesitated as she remembered all those years ago; the night she made a wish and it changed her life. She bit her lip and continued, "I wish I could be taken back to the labyrinth. I just want to see my friends again."

She held her breath and shut her eyes tightly, waiting – hoping – that something would happen. That she would be whisked away to the labyrinth. Or that she could hear a friend's gentle voice greet her. After many minutes, though, there was still complete silence. She slowly peeked her eyes open. She felt her heart sink when all she saw was her empty room. She sighed and stared at the ceiling as she fought to keep her eyes open from exhaustion. As she dozed off, she dreamt of the day she could reunite with Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus.

The night sky was absolutely beautiful. There were no clouds in sight and the stars flooded they sky. The moon was full and bright and cast a strong light into Sarah's bedroom. The flood of light illuminated Jareth's face as he stepped forward towards her bed. He studied her from where he stood. She was laying down with her back turned to Jareth, her long brown hair the only piece of her that was visible from outside the comforter. He gazed at her with a crooked smile. He walked forward to her bed and extended his neck, trying to get a peek of her face. He gazed at her face, smiling at her soft and beautiful complexion. She definitely matured since her adventure to the labyrinth.

"My, my, dear Sarah. You're even more gorgeous than I expected," he stated as he admired her. Sarah turned from her side onto her back, still sound asleep. Jareth gently cleared his throat and caressed her cheek. "Sarah, you have a guest," he murmured. Her eyes remained close, her heavy breathing still consistent. Jareth glared at her, already impatient. He pointed his hand towards her window and whisked his fingers. The window shot open and slammed against the wall, a loud bang echoing through her room. Sarah sat up immediately and her eyes landed on the goblin king who stood right beside her. She screamed at the sight of the unexpected visitor and scrambled against the wall beside her bed.

"What the fuck!" she cried out as she pounded her fists into the bed.

Jareth gave her a mildly shocked expression. "Watch the foul language, young lady," he said sarcastically.

Her chest expanded and shrank rapidly as she tried to catch her breath. "I think I have the right to curse when an intruder appears in my bedroom!"

Jareth laughed, "I'm no intruder," he spun around and studied her room. "Actually, you should be calling me your hero," he smirked as he looked closely at the posters on her wall.

Sarah's forehead scrunched in confusion. "Wh-what the hell is that supposed to mean? You know what; nevermind. I don't want to know," she rubbed her temple. As Jareth inspected her book collection, she let out a hysterical laugh. He turned and looked at her with an amused expression on his face.

"Is something funny?"

"Uh, yeah," Sarah nodded her head up and down as she gazed at the ceiling. She grabbed her hair and pulled it. "I'm going insane! I mean, I keep seeing you. But, you aren't really here. You're just an illusion." She stood up from her bed and approached Jareth, putting her face close to his. "Why the hell won't you leave me alone?" she whispered. Jareth pursed his lips as he looked her up and down. Sarah stared at him, waiting for the illusion to speak to her. She exhaled loudly in annoyance. "Well? Why won't you leave me alone?!" she yelled. Jareth continued to stare at her, remaining silent. Sarah scoffed and licked her lips. "Why am I even trying to talk to you? You aren't even real," she mumbled. She turned and started heading back to her bed when a hand reached out and grabbed hers. Jareth spun her around and their chests collided with one another.

"Now Sarah, if I were just an illusion, I would not have been able to do that," he told her with a smug. Sarah looked at him with bewildered eyes, her chest still against his. Jareth raised his eyebrows, "I also would not have been able to open your window, but you can clearly see that window is wide open." Sarah's eyes trailed over to the window, her mind racing. She slowly looked back at him.

"You are real," she whispered. She backed away from him, crossing her arms over her chest. Her face flushed red as she became angry. "Why are you here? Why did you keep showing up a few weeks ago? Are you stalking me?" she rambled as the questions spilled out. Jareth smiled and laughed. Sarah looked around the room, then looked back at Jareth with glaring eyes. "What's so damn funny?"

"I'm here because that's what you wanted, yes?"

Sarah's brows furrowed. "I wanted you here? NO! I don't want you here!"

Jareth tisked his finger and smirked. "Now don't lie, Sarah. A few hours ago, before you went to sleep, you wished to be taken back to the labyrinth. I'm here to fulfil that wish."

Sarah stared at him, speechless. She had no idea what to say. Yes, she wanted to go back to visit her friends, but did she really think she would be taken there? Not at all, much less with her old foe. She scratched the back of her neck. "Well, I don't want to go anymore. So…you can leave." Sarah turned and crawled into her bed, pulling the covers over her and turning away from Jareth. He rolled his eyes and licked his lips in frustration. He approached her bed.

"But this is what you wanted; you wanted to be taken to the labyrinth. You wished for it. I cannot deny wishes, Sarah."

"Well I don't want to go," she snapped. Jareth gritted his teeth in rage and threw his arm over Sarah's bed. The comforter flew off of her and into the corner of the room. Sarah sat up and looked at him with wide eyes. He leaned in close to her, their faces inches from one another.

"You have no choice but to come with me," he snarled.

"I told you I don't w-"

"Why have you changed your mind? Hm? You were so adamant about coming not long ago."

Sarah swallowed nervously and cleared throat. "I didn't think I would actually be taken back," she said quietly, looking down at her lap. She chewed her bottom lip then continued. "Out of all people, I never thought it would be you who would come and get me…I didn't want it to be." She finished her sentence. Jareth was silent with a blank expression on his face. She couldn't tell if he was angry or sad by her statement. For all she knew, he could have been indifferent towards it. After a few moments of silence, Jareth spoke up.

"I'm afraid you have no choice but to accompany me back to the labyrinth," he backed away from her and quickly pulsed his hand towards her light switch. Sarah squinted her eyes as the lights illuminated her room.

"I'm not leaving with you," she mumbled. Jareth turned around and looked at her with a thoughtful look. Sarah scowled at him. "What?" she asked curtly. He walked slowly towards her bed, his boots clacking with each individual step he took.

"3 months."

Sarah cocked her head in confusion. "'3 months'? What do you mean '3 months'?"

"Your parents are gone for about 3 months, aren't they?" Jareth questioned. Sarah's jaw dropped slightly.

"How…how do you-"

"They are gone for 3 months…yes, or no." Jareth repeated sternly. Sarah gulped as she hesitated. How does he know that? He never answered me earlier as to why I kept seeing him. Maybe he really has been stalking me…Her thoughts were interrupted as Jareth cleared his throat. He arched his eyebrow, waiting for a response.

"Yes," she answered quietly. With that, Jareth smiled.

"Good. You will be staying with me for 3 months. You may return after those 3 months…if you wish," he smiled deviously. Sarah rubbed her forehead as she tried to process everything that was happening. She shook her head.

"No."

"No?"

"Yes, that's right. I said no."

Jareth laughed to himself and crossed his arms. "You have no right to say 'no' to me, Sarah." She opened her mouth to respond, prepared to say the last words she ever said to him in the labyrinth. Jareth stopped her. "No, no, no. 'You have no power over me' will not work this time," he scolded her with a smirk. "You wished to be taken away. I'm simply fulfilling your wish. I'm not holding you captive. I agreed to let you come back to this world after 3 months. Now please, quit being so difficult." Sarah stared at him with complete hopelessness. He really isn't going to let me go. She inhaled deeply and rubbed her arms in comfort.

"I'll be able to return after the 3 months have passed?" She asked reassuringly. Jareth gave a nod in agreement. Sarah nodded and looked down at the ground. She snapped her head up and looked at her bedroom door. Toby.

"What's the matter?" Jareth asked, a hint of irritation in his voice.

"It's…it's Toby. I can't just leave him here," she said. Jareth laughed at her response.

"Well of course he can't! He's coming with us as well."

Sarah looked at him suspiciously. "I don't want him to be around you."

Jareth ran his tongue over his teeth and headed towards her door. "We can't just leave him here alone though," he told her as he turned the knob. Sarah sprinted over to the door and stood between it and Jareth.

"Don't you dare touch him!" she demanded. She sighed as she accessed the situation. As much as she hated it, Jareth had the right idea of bringing him. She couldn't leave Toby alone. He had to come with them. She looked up at the king with disgust. "You listen to me: you do not touch him. You do not spend time alone with him - I must be with him at all times when you see him. Just…stay as far away from him as possible," she instructed sternly.

Jareth gave his head a nod and with that, Sarah made her way out of the room. She tiptoed down the hallway and slowly opened Toby's door, making sure to be as quiet as possible. She didn't want to wake him. Once they got to the labyrinth and he woke up, she planned to tell him something as to why they were there. She gingerly picked Toby up, making sure Lancelot didn't drop from his grasp. She reached her room and approached Jareth, who was gazing out the window. He turned around and looked at Toby, a slightly surprised look on his face.

"He's grown up so much," he stated, staring admiringly at the boy. Sarah pulled Toby closer to her and looked at Jareth with a smug look. He looked at Sarah and smiled that devious smile of his. "Let's go home."