Disclaimer- All I own of Labyrinth is a DVD. I don't own the rights to the story or characters.
notwritten- Thank you for the review. I hope you like this chapter. :)
hazlgrnLizzy- Thank for the praise. This is fun. ;)
Witch Nova- How could anyone really forget Jareth? I'm anxiously awaiting the next chapter of your story, btw. Did I mention that I'm in love with your Jareth? I think I did! I'll stop gushing before I freak you out. :D
futrCSI1490- I'm trying to update daily. I do have 3 little monkeys, though, so all I can do is try! I'm glad you're looking forward to my story, though! :)
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Sarah slammed the door as she entered the house. Karen and Toby were still out; she had seen that the driveway was empty. Her dad would be at work till late in the evening. She was fuming although she didn't suppose she had any right to take it out on her home. Still, it was better than crying again. She wouldn't spare another tear- or another thought- on that jerk. Yes, he was definitely a jerk. He had played her for a fool and now he was ignoring her. But she wouldn't think about him.
She would think about Hoggle instead. He had said that, should she ever need him, all she had to do was call. And Sarah really needed a friend right now. She ran upstairs to her room. The timing was perfect. She was home alone, and no one would hear her and wonder who she was talking to. She giggled as she thought about Karen's reaction if she overheard Sarah talking to 'no one'. She didn't even have a phone in her room, so there would be no way to explain away their voices.
Sarah closed her door and walked across to her vanity. "Hoggle, I need you," she said as she looked at her reflection.
"You do? Well, it's not a very good time right now," a gruff voice said behind her. Turning around, she saw her friend , covered in dust and muck, hair wild, and looking quite put out.
"Hoggle! What's happened to you? You're a mess," she exclaimed.
"Well, you'd be a mess, too, if you'd spent all day trying to move all those rocks out of the city. That rat who calls himself Jareth has ordered us to clean up the city, and he won't even let Ludo help. He said it would teach us to disobey orders again."
"Oh, Hoggle, I'm sorry. I didn't even think about that," Sarah moaned. "Here I've been moping around all day long and didn't even think about the mess we left behind. Is there anything I can do to help? Can I go back with you and help put things back the way they were?"
"No, no. There's no way for you to go back without asking him first, and there's no way I'm going near him right now. But what do you mean you've been moping? What for? You won, didn't you?"
Sarah flinched. She hadn't meant to say that out loud. "It's nothing, Hoggle. But I am glad you came. I feel much better just seeing you here." With that, Sarah reached for Hoggle, prepared to give him a hug a peck on the cheek. She was shocked when he twisted away from her and raised his hand to stop her.
"Oh, no! You're not going to do that again. I've had enough of the Bog, if you don't mind!"
"What are you talking about? What does the Bog have to do with anything?"
"The last time you kissed me, we ended up in the Bog! He told me if you ever kissed me he'd make me the Prince of the Land of Stench. I may not be in his kingdom, but I'm not taking any chances."
"That's why that trapdoor opened up?" Sarah couldn't believe what she was hearing. The Goblin King had sent them to that awful place just because she had kissed her friend on the cheek to thank him for saving her? Why would he care if…? Unless he was jealous. Could it be?
"Yeah, that's why. Anyway, I better get back before they notice I'm gone. It's been nice seein' you though. You call me again anytime. Friend," he said, shyly ducking his head.
"Can I at least get a handshake?" Sarah asked.
"Sure." Hoggle said, taking her hand before slowly fading away.
Sarah sighed contentedly as she looked toward her window. She did feel better for having seen Hoggle. She wished that she could somehow help her friends repair the Goblin City, but on thinking the situation over, she realized that she didn't have the first idea of what that entailed.
"Sarah, are you home?" Karen closed the door behind her and called up to her stepdaughter's room. "We're back."
"Yeah, Karen, I'm up here! Did you find what you wanted?"
"Just barely! You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find high top shoes for little boys that don't cost an arm and a leg! Really! Does making the shoe a little bit higher really justify doubling the price?"
Sarah smiled at her stepmother's rant. She would go off on the oddest things. Sarah knelt down in front of Toby. "What have you got there, little buddy?"
Toby beamed at her, a huge smile on his face. He held one foot up so she could inspect it while he grasped her sleeve- and a good amount of her hair- for balance.
"Wow! Those are really nice, Toby. That's a really cool train on your shoe!" Sarah giggled as Toby ducked his head, flung his arms back, and flew off after his mom. She really did love the little brat. Especially when he was being cute and not screaming!
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Sarah sat on her bed that evening brushing out her hair. Things were going to work out. She still had her family and her friends. She knew deep down that she'd never really forget the Goblin King, or get over the hurt she felt at being forgotten so quickly by him, but she wasn't going to waste her energy trying to understand why he had led her on.
Sighing deeply, she put her brush down and crawled under her covers. She stared up at her ceiling, unable to close her eyes just yet. She definitely was not going to lay there all night thinking about him. Not happening. Nothing good would come from that. She had more pride than that. She would not think about his wicked smile, or the way he had leaned over her in the tunnels, or the way he had looked at her when he asked how she was enjoying his Labyrinth, or how she had felt as he led her around the ballroom, or the expression on his face as she had said the wo…
Sarah let out an exasperated huff as she threw the covers off and stalked off to the kitchen. She was just thirsty. That was all. Once she had had her water, she would be able to sleep just fine.
Returning to her room, she caught sight of her music box princess in the white dress.
Her nose stung and her eyes pricked with tears at the sight. Who was she kidding? This was going to be another long, hard night.
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Jareth looked down at the sleeping girl and felt a stab of pity for her. Her eyes were puffy and red; she looked like she had been crying. He was conflicted. Part of him hoped that he hadn't been the cause of her tears. He had come as soon as he was able. He had responsibilities, and couldn't abandon them to answer the girl's call. On the other hand, if the girl had been crying because he hadn't come- maybe there was hope yet. She had sounded rather nervous, and at the same time excited, when she had called him. Well, he would let the girl clear the situation up when she awoke. And it looked like she would wake up any minute now.
Jareth moved to the window and pretended to look down at the view it presented. He heard the girl squeak behind him and suppressed a grin. Turning back around, he saw that the girl was now buried to the chin in her covers and staring at him with wide eyes.
"What are you doing here?" At first Sarah thought she must have dreamt up the image before her, but soon came to accept the fact that the Goblin King really was standing at her window looking down at her front yard.
"If I'm not mistaken, you called on me. Am I mistaken?" His majesty seemed to be enjoying himself entirely too much.
"Well, yeah, I did call you, but that was yesterday! And it was at the park! Not in my room!" Sarah burrowed even deeper into her covers as she sat up and leaned against the headboard. It was a fascinating thing to watch.
"I see." He moved over to her vanity and picked up the figurine that so resembled himself. "Well, I can certainly understand your reluctance to carry on a conversation here." He returned the small Goblin King to its position on the dresser and turned to face Sarah. "Would you like to continue this somewhere else? Would half an hour be enough time for you to ready yourself and meet me at your park?"
"I think so." Sarah was finally starting to feel awake, and was terribly confused. He had come! But why now and not yesterday? And why was he being so… friendly? He actually looked happy standing there in her room. Was he really going to meet her at the park?
"Very well. I'll be waiting for you, Sarah. Until then."
"Wait!" Sarah blushed. She hadn't meant to say it quite so loudly.
"Yes?" Jareth smirked down at her. Great. Now we were back to that.
"Just… What should I call you?"
The Goblin King's smirk relaxed into a warm smile- a very nice looking warm smile. "You may call me Jareth." And with that, he was gone.