Note to all readers: I would like to let it be known now that there is an M rating on this for a reason. This work will get dark and disturbing. There is going to be violence and foul language at best, and at worst rape and abuse (most all between Jareth and Sarah, none involving Toby!). If you find these subjects to be extremely reproachable you are correct in that aspect, but if you can not handle that sort of subject matter than this is about where you should leave off in this story.

Beta reader for this chapter is the lovely Shibari Senpai, so you have her to thank for the quick update.

X

Jareth couldn't help but feel elated at the way things were shaping up. Quite possibly this was the best day in his entire life, and after having lived for so long that was saying a lot. His son was home and safe, right where he belonged. Jareth wasn't going to ever let him be stolen away again. He tried to keep from openly grinning as he made his way down the halls but, he still couldn't keep the smile from his face. He barely noticed when he was joined in the hall by his personal attendant, who looked like he had been searching all over the castle for him.

"There you are," the male sighed, just about dropping his folders on the floor as he shuffled them. "I've been looking for you, I have all the papers we will need with me because I thought you might want to leave immediately."

Jareth's attendant, Mavid, was the only other one that Jareth kept in this castle that was also of the fae race. He had grown up alongside the male as companions since before he could remember and without a doubt Mavid was indeed his oldest of friends.

Mavid was a tad shorter than Jareth, and although he carried almost no fat on him like most fae, he wasn't as thinly built but had a more pronounced muscle about him that had come from the advanced fighting classes he had been put through that allowed him to also serve as Jareth's guard when needed. His hair was cut short at the back, hardly half an inch, but long black strands were left to hang down to his chest in the front. His face was more angular than pointed, and his eyes were a match for the deep blue colour of the vest he was wearing over a plain black tunic. In fact, Jareth noticed that the vest was the only colour he was wearing since his pants and boots were black as well. The tattoo he bore on the nape of his neck that marked him as a servant to the royal family, was in plain view like always. "I've had our rides prepared for us in case you didn't want to travel there by magic," he continued, "And I have just sent out for a wet nurse and a regular nurse to be transferred to here to see to the needs of your son."

Jareth nodded his head as he continued to walk. "Keep the wet nurse, but send word we will not need the regular nurse seeing as I have decided to take on another wife that will provide my son with sufficient care. You can also cancel –"

Jareth paused when he realized he was suddenly talking to himself - Mavid had stopped in his tracks a couple paces back. He turned to see the stunned look on his friends face and couldn't help it when the grin broke through. He had known this would be a shock to his companion before he had even said it, taking a small joy in the reaction. "So surprised Mavid?"

Mavid nodded, a frown creeping onto his face. "I am very surprised Jareth, I didn't even know you had anyone in mind."

Jareth shrugged. "I didn't want to say anything till I had discussed with the counsel and they had approved it."

"May I ask who?"

"The stepdaughter of my ex-wife, Sarah, she was the one who ran through my labyrinth you remember. I brought her back at the same time that I retrieved my son. She already proved herself capable of being a fit mother figure for my son to have, as well as a fitting wife and queen as far as I'm concerned. By the way, I need to you get me a marriage license by tonight." He turned, ready to continue walking, but still Mavid didn't move. As much as he knew he would need to answer the many questions his friend probably had to this news, there were a lot of other things he needed to see to yet.

"Carrie's stepdaughter agreed to marry you?" Mavid asked in disbelief and Jareth knew the males mind was probably reeling in his head at all this startling news. Although Jareth shared almost all his goals and ambitions with Mavid, the fascination and feelings that had formed within him for the spunky young mortal were something he had kept very personal till he had at last had her.

Jareth shrugged again. "Not yet, but it's not like she had a choice in the matter."

Mavid didn't say a single word, and he didn't have to for Jareth to know that he greatly disapproved of this. That look on his face alone made Jareth want to start yelling at him, it always did. It's not like this was the way that Jareth wanted to go about it either but she had refused his earlier attempts on her, this was the only way now as far as he was concerned. He didn't want some nurse raising his child. Toby –er, Little Jareth, deserved the very best. A mother was the very best for him, and Sarah was the best choice for the job. There was nothing he would deny his only son, a good stable family wasn't going to be first on that list. Little Jareth deserved this.

And honestly, he deserved this too. He wanted Sarah so badly that when he was around her, it was all he could do to not touch her, hold her, and tell her how much he wanted to please her. If only she would accept him as her king and husband; he would spend every day making sure she felt loved and wanted for nothing, like he had with his first wife, and like he had done with Carrie once upon a time, before she had cost him everything he had ever wanted and cast him off like trash.

Sarah was so different from his previous wives, who had all had about the same soft dreaminess about them that he found appealing in women. They had liked to play pretend too, but they had always played the roles of the beautiful princesses who sat in a tower waiting for their knights to come and save them from their lives. Sarah liked to play the hero, going around doing good deeds and rescuing babies in her stories. She had so much spirit and bravery, enough to match his own and he found that extremely intoxicating about her.

He wasn't about to let Mavid's unspoken objection ruin this for him. "Don't you dare deride me on this matter Mavid, I have already made my decision and it would be too late for her to return to her world anyway."

"Not if the counsel allowed it…" Mavid said in perhaps a slightly softer voice.

Jareth smirked at that. "They have no reason to do so, and after Sarah is officially my wife they will have no right to do so either." Jareth turned again and resumed his stride. This time Mavid followed.

"You can also cancel our transportation, I'm not going yet."

Mavid looked up in surprise again but kept walking. "You're not?"

Jareth shook his head. "I have another matter to attend to before I meet once more with the counsel, they can wait till later tonight." Jareth turned his gaze to Mavid. "Make sure you get that license."

"May I ask what the other matter is?"

"I should write a letter to my parents for one, if they found out that I got married once more after the fact… well that, is a reaming I would like to avoid."

Mavid nodded intently. "As would I."

Mavid had been to Jareth growing up what was referred to customarily as a 'whipping boy', in the oldest sense of the phrase. He had been paired up with Jareth as a companion since early childhood, taken in by the royal family from the lower-class. He had gone through all the same tutoring sessions, tailor fittings and physicals alongside Jareth growing up. The outcome was, that it was Mavid's duty to act as Jareth's adviser, and sometimes as his enforcer.

The term 'whipping boy', was in play because it was custom among all aristocratic families that, as children, if Jareth had misbehaved and gotten caught, it was Mavid that had taken the whipping for it. Being aristocratic, it would have been something of a crime for Jareth's skin to have been marred in any way; he had been there to watch and cry for his friend every time a new scar had befallen his back. This was simply a normal practice for all members of the aristocracy, and had been accepted by all.

Jareth glanced over at his companion, "I doubt they would indeed try to have you whipped for not stopping me from putting this all into motion." It had been an extremely long time since Mavid had previously been scarred for one of Jareth's mistakes - not that Jareth hadn't made mistakes, but his parents could no longer order Mavid to be punished any more than they could order Jareth about anymore.

Mavid shook his head. "Somehow I'm not entirely sure of that."

X

Karen waited impatiently on pins and needles for some word from the counsel. She had summoned one of their messengers almost an hour ago and had told him of what Jareth had done, and that she needed to be allowed transportation to them at once to try to sort this out. Surely they wouldn't stand for this. She couldn't imagine what Sarah was going through right now.

After they had been allowed to leave the station, Roger had harassed her the same way that the officer had done for the entire ride home, up until she had burst into mad tears and had holed herself up in the downstairs bathroom. She had spent the last hour sitting on top of the closed toilet seat waiting for any word. It hadn't been hard to burst into tears for Roger, her emotions even rawer than her nerves at this point. Breaking down once again had been easy - it was stopping that had proved to be difficult. Even now, tears were still sliding down her cheeks. The wait was just short of unbearable.

She almost jumped out of her skin when the messenger returned, filling the space in her bathroom that, a split second ago had been completely void. The fae servant turned to her, not giving any attention to his surroundings. "The counsel has been made aware of your argument, and has arranged for a meeting to be had between you and your former husband, Jareth the king of the Labyrinth and Goblin City, at nine o'clock Aboveground time."

"But that's hours away!" Karen whined, feeling another tear trailing down her cheek.

"It is the counsel's will Miss, shall I meet you back here to escort you?"

There would be no arguing with him. She was a little surprised to hear him refer to Jareth as her ex-husband, and could only assume that Jareth had had their marriage annulled, since she had never signed anything and had never looked back after escaping the Underground. Karen could do nothing else but nod her head. She was sure that Jareth would never harm his son - it was Sarah who she was worried about. He had taken her to get revenge on Roger, but what could that fiend possibly plan to do with her?

X

"So, for those reasons, I am sending word to you now and wish to let you know that I will be unreachable for at least the next two days. As always, with love, your son Jareth - How does that sound?" Jareth asked, looking up from the papers he was shuffling through as Mavid wrote down the letter he would be sending to his parents.

Mavid glanced up at him in a way that wasn't entirely friendly. "Like a whipping."

Jareth fought the glare he wanted to shoot right back at Mavid, continuing to rifle through his folders once more. "Make sure that is sent out immediately. Where is that sign-off sheet?" He tossed a folder across his desk in disgust.

With the same glare ever present on Mavid's face, the male reached over and picked up the folder that Jareth had just tossed, flipping the thing open and pulling out the document that was needed before pointedly thrusting it back towards him. Jareth grabbed it from his just as pointedly. "Keep trying my patience Mavid, and I'll take a lash to you myself."

They both knew it was an empty threat. He would find a different way to punish his friend if he had to. Mavid ignored Jareth as he placed the letter he had just written out into a crystal of his own and went to the study's window, chucking it out with the utmost trust that it would find its own way to the intended readers. He sat back down in his seat across from Jareth, flipping back through his own papers to keep from giving Jareth any more foul looks.

Jareth went back to his own form which would allow for the building of a new wall around the fountains. He signed off on it and passed it back across the desk to Mavid, who accepted it with neutrality.

Both males jumped back from the desk as quickly and as a far as they could when a black crystal came flying through the window and slammed into the surface with enough force to almost deafen them both from the sudden and extremely loud BANG. Papers flew everywhere and Mavid let out a slur of curses as he collected himself. Jareth had a few choice words bubbling up his own throat as he steadied himself and glared daggers at the black crystal that had bowed in the center of his desk where it had hit. "What happened?!" he demanded angrily.

Mavid picked it up and flipped it over in his hands, causing the crystal to vanish and a piece of parchment to appear. Jareth immediately recognized the seal on it and fought not to let out a childish groan. "It's from your father," Mavid grumbled. He broke the seal and his eyes skimmed over the letter. "He is requesting to see you right away… imagine that."

Jareth scowled at that. "I told him in my letter that I will be unreachable for the next two days, just set that aside for now and I'll get back to it."

"It mentions at the bottom here that if you don't show up in the next five minutes, he will be sending another black crystal after you, and will continue to do so every respective five minutes after that till you –excuse me while I quote, 'get your royal arse up and in my office so that I may yell at you properly'." Mavid looked up at Jareth with a knowing expression, "It sounds like Hamold personally wrote this one."

Jareth rolled his eyes, he didn't have time for this nonsense. All the same, it didn't look like he had a choice.

Mavid nodded as if he was agreeing with Jareth's train of thought. "Shall I accompany you?"

Jareth shook his head as he pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to stave off the headache that threatened him. "That will not be necessary or prudent. You stay here and work on some things, see whether those dwarfs have Sarah's room done at some point, but make sure you don't disturb her, she is staying in my room. I will try to be back as soon as possible, but if it takes too long make sure that my son gets fed and changed, he is also currently resting."

Mavid nodded, "The wet nurse should arrive within the hour for him."

Jareth nodded and took one last look around his now trashed study. "See if you can get someone to help you with this-" he sighed before taking flight, not as an owl, but through the astral plains to his father's castle as a faster means of transportation. He was thankful now that he had not bothered to change out of his armor, he was starting to think it might be needed to protect him. He appeared in the middle of his father's study just as he had expected. His father was in the middle of heated conversation with his own attendant (Jareth could guess what about) but immediately stopped when his son arrived.

His father was like him in the way that he was tall, thinly built and carried an aristocratic aura about him at all times. That was about where the similarities ended. His black hair was kept no longer than the very top of his neck, and was combed back flat against his head in a very defined widow's peak, two grey streaks running back through it on the sides of his head from old age. His thin lips were drawn so tight that at the moment they looked little more than like a shadow and his eyes were piercing gunmetal grey in colour. The high collar of his ruby-red cloak rose up to be level with the top of his head, the framing coming out of the fabric in a design that looked like spikes to seem very imposing. Jareth could make out even from behind the desk, that the rest of his father's outfit was a collection of the same red colour with hard looking silver linings. His father's grey stare fell on him like daggers but he showed no fear, which was easy enough to do since he wasn't afraid. He was a full grown fae with his own kingdom and subjects who could damn well make his own choices. His father held no power over him.

"Erib, wait outside while I speak with my son," his father ordered his assistant, his voice gruff.

Erib was to his father what Mavid was to him, a constant companion and trusted friend, Jareth couldn't stand the fae. Erib's hair was already completely white with age and tied back into a stern looking bun on the crown of his head. Despite being a servant, the male was arrogant with the knowledge of being the highest servant of them all and had constantly assumed that that gave him the right to also look down on Jareth as he had grown up. He wore simple white robes that made Jareth think of ghosts almost all the time, now was no exception. He nodded to the king and stepped past Jareth and out the door, but not before shooting him a disapproving look with his dark brown eyes.

Once the door was closed his father wasted no time in getting to business. "What is the meaning of this!?" he shouted at Jareth, holding up the letter Mavid had sent.

Jareth rolled his eyes. "Exactly what you think it means, I've recently found out that, without a doubt I truly am a father and I have reclaimed my child. I have also decided to take on a new bride for the purpose of helping me to raise him."

His father's eyes narrowed. "Yes I gathered that, I also noticed the mention that this is a human girl."

Jareth's back straightened a little. "She is."

Hamold, king of the fae and ruler of the Devine City, slammed his fist down on his desk. "Always with these human girls! Your first wife was of the fae and she was good to you! Take on another fae wife if you must."

Jareth nodded his head, he would never deny that Lavender had been a good wife to him. She had died young though and he had only been with her for such a short time, barely a decade. It had also turned out that she had been barren, as many females of the fae were, and he had craved a child enough after that to decide that it would be prudent to marry human next.

It had been a good union at first, but Carrie had stolen their only babe away from him. In the end, it had been Sarah who had quite literally delivered a son to him and for that he was forever grateful to her - She had earned the right to be his queen.

Jareth's gaze was level with his father's when he answered. "I will have this human girl for my bride father, and nobody's objections are going to change that." Not even hers, he thought to himself.

His father let out a deflating sigh and eased back in his chair, "It's going to look-"

"I do not give a care how it looks father," Jareth informed the older fae calmly.

The male's temper flared up again as he struck his desk once more. "That's obvious!" he shouted.

Jareth reined in his own temper at being spoken to in such a manner, keeping himself calm through no less than a miracle. "Is mother aware of this?" Jareth asked, wondering how she took the news. Probably fainted. This whole thing had been just what he had been trying to avoid by writing the letter, he had never expected his father to turn black crystals on him.

"She doesn't know and I have no intention of telling her," his father muttered, "If I had my way, no one would ever find out."

"I will make this girl my bride, and I do not intend to shut neither her nor my son away from the world. I need to be getting back to my kingdom father, and if you insist on sending any more black crystals my way, I must warn you that you will receive one back with a bill inside it for anything else they ruin - as it is I'm going to need to replace a desk." He didn't wait for his father to go on, figuring he had been 'properly yelled at' enough for one day. He ran to the window and leaped out, turning into his owl form and taking flight through the skies on his way back to the castle. Somewhere behind him he could hear his father shouting out the window, but he didn't give a fairy's arse.

Flying this way wasn't as fast as the astral plane, but it would give him time to cool off and relax a tad bit before he would have to face the world again. Right now, that was just what he needed.

X

"He's absolutely gorgeous isn't he? The spitting image!" Jareth beamed with pride as he held his son in his arms, the babe smiled back up at him and he could just about feel his heart melt.

Mavid watched the babe in Jareth's hold and couldn't help but smirk a little. "He certainly has your ears."

Jareth grinned and bounced his son against his hip, he had returned to the castle by the time the wet nurse had finished his son's feeding. Since the child was awake anyway he had had no qualms about getting to hold and spend a little time with him before he was given a bath and put back down to bed. He hadn't gotten any time before when he had first arrived, simply placing the child in his crib before attending to Sarah. The babe continued to smile up at him and coo approvingly as he reached a hand up. Jareth placed two of his gloved fingers in the child's hand, grinning like a fool as his fingers were squeezed. "You're so happy to finally be with your father aren't you?" Jareth cooed.

Mavid rolled his eyes at the display but continued to smirk. "You're starting to sound more like a mother than a father to me personally."

Jareth paid his comment little mind as he kissed the top of his son's soft head. "Speaking of mothers, I suppose I should pay Sarah another visit." he murmured against his son's blond curls.

"You'll want this I'm sure," Mavid said, handing Jareth a crystal.

"Thank you," Jareth simply said, storing the crystal away for later and placing another kiss on his son's head before passing him off to Mavid. He watched as Mavid shifted the child around in a sure hold, only once Jareth was satisfied that he wasn't about to drop him did he move for the exit.

"Jareth," Mavid called out.

Jareth spun back around, afraid at first that it had to do with the baby.

"You sure about this? The girl I mean? It will be harder for you too if she is not willing."

Jareth couldn't help but smirk in appreciation for his friend's concern but didn't answer as he closed the door to the nursery behind him. He was very sure. Sarah was meant to belong to him. He turned towards the door to his room right across the hall. She would accept him, and if not, she would come to at least appreciate him in time. What other choice did she have?

X

The Labyrinth was a wonder, a true marvel that, had the Aboveground known of its existence, it may have deemed it worthy of being the eighth wonder of the world. Even in this world, it surely had to still be a wonder. The goblin city surrounding was spread out in a rag-tag collection of streets and buildings; buildings were made up of stones and anything else that could be tacked, taped or sewn together to the point where it looked more like a city for patchwork dolls. It was the shapes that made them look anything close to foreboding, constructions covered with sharp angles, dangerous looking spikes rising up and casting shadows everywhere so it was obvious something other than dolls dwelled there. It was like something straight out of a Tim Burton movie. A large stone wall surrounded the town as well as the castle, like it was reaching out to hold it there rather than guard it.

Beyond that, the wall was surrounded with large heaps of trash and litter showing that, while the goblins did have some standards when it came to living in filth, they were also very lazy. Some of the mounds were large enough that they could almost be considered hills, and every couple of hours it seemed like another goblin was tossing a wrapper or unwanted item over the wall, for the collectors to find and add to the piles on their backs as they scoured the junk lands. Beyond those were forests, trees lush and green, enormous thanks to the extra fertilizer they were offered as they too took from the junk lands.

After that was the majesty of it all, a labyrinth that stretched out in all directions just about as far as the eye could see. From over top, one could watch for hours as walls moved and new ones were built to replace the moving ones till, they too, would eventually grow tired of their spots and move. Thousands of creatures and beings moved amongst all the confusion as they had made their homes among those walls, finding themselves caught in the middle of the labyrinth and unable to find their ways out they had adapted to it, some even moved with great ease.

Had she really made it all the way through that?

Sarah looked out at the world around her from the balcony outside Jareth's room. The sun was starting to sink off in the distance; she watched as the labyrinth walls threw off shadows that, slowly, but unstoppably crept closer and closer to the castle. She had awoken a little bit ago, going to the bathroom and then out to the balcony with the purpose of getting her bearings and perhaps even finding a way out of here. Looking at the labyrinth now, it seemed dismal that she would get through it again, assuming she were even able to get to the ground without breaking her neck. Sarah looked down over the edge of the balcony. She had found out by stepping out that Jareth's room was located in a tower, high up in it for that matter. A fall would most certainly kill her. She didn't want to die, but she had really hoped to find a way out of here before Jareth could come back for her answer.

Sarah jumped slightly when she thought she heard the door inside open and close and held her breath while she listened.

"Sarah?" Jareth's voice bellowed from inside.

Her heart sank and she contemplated not answering but, he would eventually find her out here. Then he would probably get mad, and she didn't want him mad if she was to try to reason with him once more. "I'm out here," she said, her voice coming out soft enough that she was sure he wouldn't have heard her.

He seemed to have though, as he came to the balcony doors. Sarah wanted to curl up and hide from that intense gaze of his as he looked her over. He was no longer wearing that black armor that clung to his body, but had seemed to have changed into a loose-fitting silver shirt with ruffles at the cuffs of the sleeves, and more ruffles that trailed down the front of his chest and into the V that his black leather vest created. His pants were black and tight, disappearing into thigh-high black boots. She could make out the chain from his medallion wrapping around the back of his neck and dipping down beneath the ruffles of his shirt. He had an odd way of looking spectacular and inviting, where in the same get up others would have likely just looked silly. He moved his hand up to rest on the doorframe, she could see as the ruffles fell back that his hands were hidden under black gloves. "Do you feel better now?" he asked, his tone careful and low like he was afraid of spooking her.

Hell no! Sarah cleared her throat, "Um, yes." Jareth looked her over again and nodded his head like he was agreeing with her or something, before stepping out onto the balcony.

"What time is it?" Sarah asked, she had been wondering since she had woken up but had failed to find any clocks within Jareth's room or the bathroom, the door to the hall had also been locked against her, as had the door to what Jareth had said would be her own room.

Jareth raised an eyebrow at her question, like he thought her silly for asking that or something. "It is almost nightfall."

"Yes but what time is it?" she asked again.

"Sarah the Labyrinth does not keep time, very few places in the Underground do. The days and seasons pass, years go by, but there is no real concept of time like you are used to in the Aboveground. That's why it was so easy to manipulate and reorder when you were in my labyrinth, time was whatever I wanted it to be."

She was confused, but nodded her head anyway like she understood what he had just said. Jareth stepped closer to her and she instinctively stepped back, his brows knitted into a frown and she couldn't help but want to kick herself. While she had been looking over the labyrinth she had decided to once more try to convince him to let her and her brother go. It wouldn't work if he was cross with her. "Have you thought about my offer?" he asked her, his voice holding a sharper edge to it.

She forced herself to take a deep breath and calm down. "Jareth, I'm too young to marry you," she said, hoping that if she passed blame on to something outside either of their control that just maybe he would stand to be reasoned with. If nothing else, it might buy her some time.

His eyebrow did that mocking arch again. "Oh really?"

She nodded her head firmly. "In my world, in the USA girls aren't allowed to be married until they are twenty-one unless they have their parent's permission," she said, lying through her teeth. "I was raised to believe very firmly and unswayably that I would not mentally be fit for marriage until I was much closer to that age like all the other women I grew up around. Seventeen is just considered much too young for this sort of thing - men have gone to jail for touching girls my age because it's considered statutory rape." At least that last part was true, "It's as frowned on to marry a seventeen year old as it is to marry a five year old."

Jareth's eyes went wide in surprise as he stared at her. "Really?"

She tried not to smile at the thought that this was actually working and nodded her head again.

Jareth stepped closer to her but now she wasn't as afraid. His eyes were still wide as his lifted his hand up, running his fingertips over his bottom lip like he was rethinking his decision to force her to marry him. All of a sudden a look of relief passed over his face and Sarah no longer had to fight the urge to smile - that urge was gone as he himself smiled. "I was worried for a moment there Sarah, truly," he sighed, "Then, I remembered something..." He leaned in closer to her and lowered his voice to a whisper. "We are in my world."

Sarah let out a yell of surprise as she felt his hands grip her shoulders and shove her hard. She fell back against the stone ledge that ran around the side of the balcony, pain shot up her back as she hit it. Jareth was on her in half a second, gripping the back of her head by her hair and raising his free hand up in the air. His grip on her hair didn't hurt, but it certainly kept her in place. "You think me so foolish? Tell me lies like that again and I will strike you right on the mouth for it. Do you understand me?"

Sarah's heart was going a mile a minute, besides being uncomfortable, her back hurt from where she had hit the stone wall. Jareth's eyes were cruel and full of threats as he held himself above her, ready to strike if she tried her luck with him much more. Sarah nodded her head and tried to answer but found her voice to be gone, instead a low and pitiful moan escaped her lips and she hated herself for it.

Jareth let go of her hair and brought his hand down, still looming over her. Out of nowhere he let out a long sigh and sat back on his haunches, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. Sarah almost could have sworn she heard him mutter one or two numbers under his breath before looking up at her again, not nearly as pissed off but still far from pleased. "I apologize for that, I don't like being lied to and I won't stand for it Sarah." he hissed.

She simply nodded her head again, still very much afraid of this man –this creature in front of her that seemed capable of anything. It had been a stupid lie and she knew it, but she was willing to try anything at this point. She still wasn't ruling anything out if there was even a slim chance of getting her freedom; more lying, crying, begging… even fighting wasn't ruled out in her survivalist mind.

Jareth let out another sigh and held his hand out to her, "It just has been a very emotional day I suppose."

She didn't want to take his hand, she was afraid of doing so. The fact that she was more afraid of what would happen if she refused was what caused her to place her hand in his without a single protest. He gripped her hand in his strong palm and she allowed him to pull her back up to her feet, never taking her eyes off him for her distrust.

"I wonder," he pondered out loud, "Would you like to go and see Little Jareth?"

He had to mean Toby. She did want that, very much. She wanted to make sure he was still safe, other than that, if she was going to try to escape soon she wanted to know where he was being kept. "Y-yes," she answered, finding her voice once more.

Jareth nodded and led her off the balcony, letting go of her hand so he could pull the French doors closed once again. He turned a lock on them, but Sarah took comfort in the fact that it was just a normal switch that she herself would be free to lock and unlock. In a room full of locked doors there was comfort in that. She jumped slightly when Jareth gripped her hand again, he didn't seem to notice as he led her across the room and out into the hall with the mirror painting. He took her to the door across the hall and turned the handle, revealing that it wasn't locked.

The room inside was about half the size of his own, but still large enough that it could have been an efficiency apartment. The walls were all painted a very light blue and there was a mural that covered the ceiling, painted to make it look like the night sky with stars twinkling down on the room. There was a lavishly carved wooden crib placed against one of the walls and Sarah noted that it was full of white fluffy looking sheets and pillows, even a stuffed animal polar bear with a blue ribbon tied around his throat in a little bowtie. A changing table was set up next to that, in the middle of the floor was a cleared space with a large and super soft looking white rug sitting on the floor. Sarah noticed that the only thing touching the rug was a huge blue box filled with toys, guessing that that meant the rug was a marked play area. Her attention was drawn to the sound of water splashing over against the wall and looked to see a man and a woman standing next to a sink full of water where Toby was currently having a bath. Upon their entry, the two had turned to see who had entered. They both bowed to Jareth before the female lifted Toby up from the water and wrapped him up in a fuzzy yellow towel and patted him dry.

The female was willowy in her thinness, making it look like her arms would snap off at Toby's weight, holding him easily nonetheless. Her hair was pale blonde and kept in a braid that hung down to her waist. Sarah could see, even from the distance they were at, that her eyes were also a pale green colour. Everything about her was pale. Even her simple pink top was washed out, only made more obviously so by the white skirt that hung down to her ankles. For some reason, Sarah didn't even like to admit though she couldn't help but notice that, the female had rather large breasts for such a small frame.

Assisting her in her task was a man with pitch-black hair, cut short in the back and long in the front. His deep blue eyes fixed on her, not in the way of checking her out or anything, but more as though sizing her up. It took all her reserve and Jareth's constant grip on her hand for her to not run over and snatch Toby away from the two strangers.

"Jareth?" the male questioned as he rose from his bow. His eyes swept over Sarah in further question but she paid him no mind, too intent on her brother who saw her and cooed.

"She wanted to see the child, I am allowing it." Jareth released her hand and that was all she needed to rush over to Toby.

The female held him out in front of her for Sarah to take, she couldn't help but smile when she had her brother safely back in her arms. She could accept that he wasn't really her brother in any way, but there was no way of denying that she still loved him like he was her true family. Toby was a weight in her arms that steadied her in a way that made the world feel as though it wasn't spinning out of control for a second. Toby let out an adorable sigh as he relaxed in her arms, she couldn't help but copy it.

"He obviously loves you," the male next to her said with some approval.

She looked at him for the first real time since entering the room, and was stunned at how handsome the male actually was. He was downright stunning in the same kind of way that Jareth was. This meant he was obviously also a fae and not to be trusted. He dipped his head to her in a slight bow, using a towel to dry the water off of his forearms.

"This is Mavid, my trusted assistant and friend," Jareth spoke up, introducing her to the other faes as he stepped up beside her. Sarah tried not to act as tense as she felt at having him come close to her. "And this is Tallia, she is here as a wet-nurse for the babe."

That would explain the boobs.

"You may take your leave, both of you." Jareth spoke up from behind her. Mavid looked back at the king before nodding his head obediently, ushering Tallia with him out the door. Sarah didn't want to look back at Jareth, as though it would spoil her reunion with Toby if she did. Toby looked up at her and cooed once more before smiling. Sarah smiled back down at him.

"Mavid is right," Jareth's voice spoke right next to her ear making her heart skip a beat, as she somehow miraculously kept from jumping out of her skin, probably because you required a heartbeat to be able to jump anywhere. "He really does love you,"

Sarah was hardly comforted by his words as his hand crept around her waist, she clutched Toby tighter, as if she believed Jareth would make to grab him from her. "Just like you love him," he continued. Sarah said nothing as she tried to calm down her racing heart. "I don't want you to stop loving him Sarah, any more than I want to separate him from you. I wouldn't dream of doing any such thing. You can love my son as much as you wish and I would be very pleased for it."

Sarah knew where he was going with this, bringing Toby up to hug him against her chest like she used to do with her stuffed animals when she was scared as a child. Jareth moved around to stand in front of her, allowing his hand to slide from her waist along her back to her other side. It sent another shiver up her spine and he wrapped his other arm around her so that he was holding both her and Toby in his arms. The only thing keeping him from getting much too close being Toby caught in between their bodies. Jareth reached his hand up to stroke Toby's wet hair before placing it back on Sarah's side. "Would it be so bad to love me too?" he asked, his voice hushed like he almost couldn't bear to ask it.

There was certain vulnerability in his mismatched eyes that made Sarah really dread any reaction he would have to her answer. She opted to look away, turning her head down so her nose was against Toby's head. Since it hadn't been a rejection Jareth pressed on, "You gave me the world when you brought my son back to me by making that wish, all I want to do is give you a fitting gift in exchange. Let me give you this world Sarah- let me make you a queen. A world for a world, isn't that fair?"

She considered it, God help her but she actually considered it. Would it be so bad to accept his offer of her own violation? He could be caring and sweet at times, she had seen it. It also looked like her brother was being well cared for. He was also attractive, wanted to and could offer her all her fairytale dreams…all she had to do was love him in return. 'Fear me, love me, do as I say' wasn't that what he had stated as his conditions? But that was just the problem- she didn't love him. She feared him too much to ever love him, and could never for a second consider trusting him. Even if Toby did belong here with his father, she didn't.

The labyrinth had been a great adventure for her, but that adventure was over. That story had an ending, it wasn't supposed to go on. She needed to go home. She wanted to go home. She didn't even realize she was shaking her head 'no' until she glanced up and saw Jareth scowling down at her. The look he was giving her was what really sealed the deal- it was a pure and simple reminder that Jareth's moods were as unpredictable and sudden as a lighting storm, and could be just as dangerous. She could not live for hundreds of years like she just had in the last twenty four hours or so, walking on eggshells and living in constant fear of rousing his wrath. She would go mad.

Jareth took Toby carefully but suddenly from her grasp, powerless to do anything but watch as he kissed the babe's cheeks and placed him in his crib, where Toby immediately began to cry when he realized he wasn't being held any longer. Jareth marched back over to Sarah and without a word, grabbed her hand in a painful grip and half led, half dragged her out of the nursery and back into the hall. She scarcely fought him as she was too terrified to hardly think straight. He slammed the door behind her and locked it, the sound deafening in her ears as she watched him and waited for the worst. It was obvious that he was livid with her. It wasn't too late, she could probably take it back if she wanted to, tell him she was sorry and she would indeed agree to marry him. Her dignity denied her that chance though.

Jareth turned to her and she wanted to run, but there was no place for her in here to run to. She considered the bathroom very briefly, but if he didn't catch her first (which she doubted) there was no way to lock him out. She held back a startled scream when Jareth gripped her shoulders in his hands, hard enough to leave bruises. "Say you choose me," he demanded, his voice as low and dangerous as a viper ready to strike, "Say you will be my wife and I'll forgive everything."

An extremely tempting offer at the moment. She continued to bite her tongue, not willing to say such a thing but also not wanting to say anything that would anger him further. She just couldn't win for losing, though her silence only seemed to rile him up more. His grip tightened on her arms till she was forced to cry out, shaking head to toe in fear. Was he going to kill her? That lone thought caused her to panic, a stupid move, but she was beyond reasonable thinking as she started to struggle despite the fact that his nails were biting into her skin till she bled in his determination to hold onto her. The added pain just caused her to freak out even more and she powered through the pain to attempt to use her arms, to push him away from her, kicking at his leg with her foot. "Let me go!" she screamed as loudly as she could.

His grip slipped on one of her arms and a smacking sound rang through the room as she struck him in the face. Jareth let out his own cry of pain then and released her other arm to stroke his reddening cheek. A new and truly terrifying fear gripped Sarah's heart as she backed away from him against the wall, practically choking on the fear that filled her throat- she couldn't have screamed if she had wanted to… "J-Jareth, I'm s-so sor-

WHAM!

The world turned black and spun around her head for a second and from out of nowhere Sarah found herself laying face first on the ground. After a couple terrifying seconds of seeing nothing but blackness, even though her eyes were open, her vision returned to her. The pain was right on its heels, creeping up on her at first and then taking a full out charge at her till her head was screaming in pain from the mighty blow Jareth had dealt her. She hadn't even seen it coming. Was a hit supposed to hurt this much? Terrified, and sure that she now had a concussion, she gripped her head in her hands so it couldn't split apart like an eggshell, which it felt like it was about to do. She swore she could hear her blood rushing in her ears.

Jareth's voice was much louder than that as he stood over her and shouted down at her. "You wench! How dare you strike me like that! I could in all good conscious have you killed for such a thing."

She wanted him to shut up and leave her alone, her head was hurting more and more as she laid there, his voice filtered through her skull like a saw blade. She didn't give him any response as she continued to lay there and will the pain to go away. Jareth reached down and gripped her hair in his hand, yanking her up forcefully. Pain shot from her skull to her entire body in such an intense rush that her stomach clenched up- hard, Sarah could do nothing to stop the vomit from leaving her mouth to fall all over the wooden floor. Jareth instantly let go of her and stumbled back, bringing his arm to cover his mouth and nose in disgust before he could help himself.

Sarah started spitting on the floor to get the foul taste out of her mouth, a little more spit wouldn't matter at this point. Tears were running like streams down her eyes and she was simply thankful that she hadn't passed out as her body shuddered. Jareth must have hit her too hard, in the wrong spot or something… She was no longer lying on the floor though, having stayed on her hands and knees from when Jareth had released her. She took comfort in the fact that she was able to stay in this position. People didn't die on their hands and knees. Jareth disappeared through a door, she wasn't sure which one, just that his presence was no longer in the room. When she heard the sound of water running she realized that he was in the bathroom.

Sarah stayed on her hands and knees, listening to the water and concentrating on calming down her breathing. Jareth quickly came back out of the bathroom with the water still running behind him, a washcloth in his hand. He was careful as he approached Sarah, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder before applying just the slightest pressure to indicate he wanted her to try to sit back on her legs. Sarah complied, in her position she wasn't able to argue, allowing him to bring the washcloth to her face. It was wet, cold and felt like heaven as he pressed it against her still throbbing head and she reached up to hold it there herself. "That's good, Sarah," he encouraged her in a soft voice. If anyone were to walk in on them at that moment they would have never guessed that it had been Jareth who had hit her.

"Can you stand?" he asked her.

She didn't answer, unsure of the answer herself as she moved the washcloth, already growing warm from her hot face to wipe off her mouth. She noticed that there was a stain of red on the white towel from where it had been pressed to her temple- she was bleeding. She hoped it wasn't deep. Jareth carefully and slowly lifted her up, carrying her gingerly into the washroom where the tub was filling with water. He bent and placed her carefully on the rug next to it, pulling Sarah's loafers and socks from her feet. He reached up and started unbuttoning her shirt, it was then that Sarah realized that he was going to completely undress her. For some reason she had just pieced together that a tub full of water didn't require taking off one's clothes.

She immediately started moving around again, trying uselessly to bat his hands away from her blouse. Jareth caught her hands easily and held them without any strain as the world spun around her again. "Shhh, shhhh… be still Sarah," he implored her.

He stroked her face and arms till she fell still but, he wasn't what caused her to as much as the world spinning around her did. She didn't have the energy to fight back and she could feel tears escape her at the dawning of her own helplessness. If she fought she would pass out and if she passed out she couldn't fight. She cried while she hoped and prayed he did not intend to force himself on her.

Jareth went back to work on her blouse, his nimble fingers freeing all the buttons within a minute, he had her lean forward so he could reach around to unclasp her bra as well. Sarah shook all over as the air hit her bare chest, if Jareth thought anything of it he was polite enough to not say so. He then unfastened her jeans and Sarah waited patiently while he moved her around just enough to remove her underwear and pants together. She was completely bare to him now and at his mercy. Jareth scooped her up in his arms again and gently lowered her into the water of the tub, making sure that she was braced against the side so her head wouldn't slip under as he let her go. The sleeves of his silver shirt were soaked as he pulled them up out of the water, he undid the clasps of his vest and then the buttons of his own shirt, removing both and throwing them on the marble floor somewhere behind him. His gloves followed. He grabbed a new towel from next to the sink and rolled it up, propping it behind Sarah's head like a pillow.

Sarah paid no mind to the fact that she could now see his hands and chest bare for the first time, but she did notice with satisfaction that his cheek was still red and starting to look swollen. She could almost make out her finger marks among all that red… Jareth got up from the floor and went over to the sink, pumping the faucet so more water ran onto another washcloth. He returned to her side once it was soaked and placed it against her forehead, the cold water running off of it and down her face like tears of relief. He perched on the edge of the tub and she instinctively covered her chest with her arms, not that she would be able to stop him from doing anything. He simply lifted the edge of her washrag to peer at her head. "Not deep at all, you've already stopped bleeding." he murmured, like he wasn't the one to cause it.

She hated him, he would be soft with her when he wanted something, but if he didn't get his way he would become horrible and evil to her. After he was done unleashing his temper on her, the same hands that harmed her would caress and care for her. Was this sick cycle what he referred to as love? She hated him.

Even though she was sure it would upset him again, she couldn't help but turn her head away from him. "Please just leave me alone…" she sobbed.

Jareth was still next to her for a few seconds, she didn't have the strength or courage to look over at him. When he spoke his voice was still soft. "Alright Sarah, I will leave you be, but you must do a few things for me first. Are you listening?"

Sarah nodded her head slightly. Just freaking leave already!

"I don't want to leave you alone in your condition, will you allow me to send in the wet-nurse to keep an eye on you?"

She nodded her head, anything to get him to leave. "Alright but I also need your hand for a moment, your writing hand."

With an irritated sigh she moved her right hand out of the water and to the edge of the tub, she didn't even look over as Jareth dried it off with a towel and placed a small stick in her fingers. "Sign this." She looked over and saw that she was holding a pen, he pulled a crystal out of thin air and turned it over in his hands, producing a piece of crisp white paper for her. He pointed towards the bottom line, "Sign here and I'll leave you alone for the entire night- Tallia can even make sure you get to bed and I will take up lodgings elsewhere."

Boy did he know how to bargain. Sarah signed on the line and dropped the pen on the floor without a care, turning her aching head away once again as he stood up and quickly left the room to fetch the wet-nurse.

X

Jareth said nothing to Mavid as they walked down the stairs of the bottomless pit, located at the borders of the Sidhe lands, to meet with the counsel. Carrie was trying to appeal to the counsel to get back her son and daughter- she wasn't going to win if Jareth had any say at all in the matter. He could feel Mavid glancing at him out of the corner of his eye, but refused to give him an invitation to speak by meeting his stare. He kept thinking about Sarah, worried about her sitting in that tub with only a wet-nurse to watch over her. He hadn't meant to hit her at all, but when she had hit him he had just reacted accordingly, he certainly hadn't meant to hit her so hard. Mavid had been with the wet-nurse when Jareth had entered the nursery to find them once more watching over his son so Mavid knew about her condition, and knowing Jareth, could guess at what had happened. He had also come into the doorway long enough to see the mess Sarah had left on the floor. Jareth shook off the shame that was threatening to creep into his head and take up nest there. She had struck him first damn it, why should he feel guilty? Besides, hadn't he nursed her afterwards? He would have continued to too if it hadn't been for this damn meeting he had to attend. Since she had asked him to leave and he needed to be here to keep from being forced to send her back with Carrie, he had conceded to go.

If there was indeed a bottom to the bottomless pit, he didn't know, the counsel being located on a platform dug into the side of the hole to create a cavern of sorts. Carrie was already there, wearing a pair of flannel pants and a matching button up shirt that looked like sleepwear. Jareth had not been allotted time to change, since his shirt had still been very wet he had simply worn his vest over his torso, matching well with Mavid now. He could not hold back his glare upon seeing Carrie and she returned it, her eyes full of hatred at she stared back at him. The difference was that her eyes held something else as well- they held fear.

X

Karen watched, anger boiling in her stomach and throat, as Jareth descended the stairs glaring daggers at her. She mustered up just enough hatred to return the look but she knew, if it weren't for the fact that she was standing right in front of the counsel meaning Jareth couldn't do anything to her for it, she wouldn't have dared. That look was still enough to make her heart speed up and her legs want to start running. She wasn't surprised to see Mavid trailing along behind him and wanted to spit in her distaste, if there was one male she couldn't stand compared to Jareth, it was Mavid.

The counsel was made up of only three members; Tavin, Shayia and Dominix. All were fae and all cared only about rules and laws, nothing about right and wrong. There was a difference.

Tavin was the one to speak first once everyone was gather before them, "State your claims against Jareth, the goblin king."

Karen straightened her spine and spoke in a clear and precise voice, "I accuse him of breaking into Aboveground when it is forbidden by your own counsel and steeling away two children, my son and stepdaughter."

She tensed when both Jareth and Mavid laughed at this. Dominix raised his head and fixed her with a stern glare, "We have already been made aware of the actions that took place regarding your claims. He did not break into the Aboveground, the lack of destruction in both worlds proves that he was summoned there by one Sarah Marie Williams. She wished to have one Tobias Matthew Williams taken away into Jareth's possession."

That was impossible, how would she even know about Jareth to do something like that?

Dominix continued, "Proof was submitted to us that Mr. Williams was indeed legitimate issue of Jareth, and so you had no right to remove him from his father in the first place. Secondly, this counsel saw fit to grant Jareth's wishes of granting him sole custody on the grounds of child neglect and abuse."

"Abuse?" her head was spinning, they had agreed to this.

Shayia leaned forward in her seat, "Kidnapping a child and transferring him to the Aboveground without consent, showing complete and utter disregard for said child's tendencies and abilities toward magic, neglecting to nurture child's magical abilities, disregarding child's magical heritage, and making it possible for child to lose all magical abilities permanently by cutting off all magic ties at a developing age- this is all not mentioning that this child is of royal blood..."

Her mouth was dragging on the floor, she couldn't believe what she was hearing- they thought she was an unfit mother and had stripped her of all her rights to her own son behind her own back! This couldn't be happening. She looked over at Jareth like he could explain it better to her. He simply shook his head back and forth while he tsk-tsked her.

"In note on your accusation of kidnapping your stepdaughter, she had come with the baby to this world of her own accord where she then ran his labyrinth and accepted his offer of marriage."

There were so many things wrong with that sentence she didn't even know where to start, and worse, she couldn't start. Her voice had left her as she continued to stand there, gaping like a fish as they informed her of all this. That had to be a lie though, Sarah had been snatched right out of her house along with her child, and there was no doubt about it - and she ran the labyrinth? How could she have!? It would take a person years to solve that monster, the labyrinth was the most effective and dangerous cage she had ever had the misfortune of seeing. But the last bit had left the sourest taste in her mouth- Marriage? It had never dawned on Karen that Jareth meant to marry her stepdaughter. And Sarah would surely never accept such an outrageous offer…

Karen found her voice again, but it was shaky, "S-he would n-never marry-

"Really?" Jareth asked, his brow arching up mockingly. He held up his hand and Mavid pulled a piece of paper from a folder, handing it to Jareth who then handed it over to the counsel, "Then why would she sign a marriage license?"

Karen watched in stunned silence as the counsel looked over the document. Tavin held the document up for her to see, "Can you verify that this is the female's signature?" he asked her.

Karen took slow and painful steps forward, feeling her heart sink along with her hope as she looked over the document. It was Sarah's signature all right, she had a tell-tale way of adding a swoosh on both ends of her A's. How could this all be true though? Why would Sarah do something like this? Karen just knew she wouldn't- she couldn't… Karen had spent the better part of two decades chained to Jareth's side- she knew from experience that he was slick enough that he could have found a way to make the pope sign his name on that document if he had wanted. She looked over at Jareth in full suspicion and her eyes narrowed at what she saw there. "What's wrong with your cheek Jareth?" she growled out.

His hand instinctively moved to his red cheek, wincing when he came into contact with it. "I wasn't paying attention and walked into a door." he shrugged.

"It looks like a slap to me." she hissed, knowing full well what slaps looked like by now.

Jareth grinned at her then, "Oh, it was a fighter, but it's hardly more than splinters now." he joked.

The counsel all spoke to each other in hushed voices, paying attention to the documents they were going over. They made no bother to listen to Jareth and Carrie's exchange, and likely wouldn't have cared even if they had been.

Karen felt a shiver run down her back at what he had said, knowing there was probably more truth to those words than she wanted to admit to herself. If she knew Jareth, Sarah had fought back. She had tried that too when the abuse had first started- She had learned quickly not to, just like she was sure Sarah was learning now too. Her heart broke for her step daughter. This was all her fault. Karen turned back towards the counsel, "You can't let him keep Sarah, he's abusing her."

Dominix fixed her with a steady gaze, "Jareth has already made us aware of several instances where the girl proved to be a capable and nurturing care-giver, which would be best suited for helping in the raising of his son. He has also submitted proof that the marriage between him and the female is legal and now binding, the court cannot break apart a man and his wife. Furthermore, not only do you have no proof in your allegations of abuse, but this document shows that in any case the female in question has agreed to be his wife. You will be shown back to the Aboveground immediately after this hearing, and shall remain there for the rest of your human life. Toby and Sarah will stay with Jareth in the Labyrinth for the rest of their time. Decision made." he said, dismissing her.

Karen couldn't believe it as the messenger who had brought her to the underground, stepped over to lead her out again. She turned to fix both Jareth and Mavid with lethal glares. "You're a soulless bastard Jareth! I'm not going to just let you have them. I swear before I die I will help both Sarah and my son escape you, even if it means I have to kill you to do so!"