I do not own any part of the Labyrinth or Jim Henson's work.


Sarah blinked, a blush already flooding her cheeks again. Oh, get it together, she scolded herself. He's just a pretty face, nothing more. She threw herself back into work, the crowd thankfully full again and keeping her preoccupied well past her shift. Before she knew it, two hours had passed before Billy hollered at her to get lost and let them take over. With a reluctant nod she left the bar to grab her purse and coat from the back. Just as she was about to enter Billy's office a hand cupped her elbow and tugged on it. Sarah jumped when she turned and saw O'Malley.

"Oh, you again," she bristled.

"Just come to see if you thought over my offer."

"I haven't had enough time," Sarah huffed.

"Very well. He asked me to give you this, should you decide to meet him," O'Malley handed her a small, thin silver ring. It was so delicate she was afraid she'd bend it when she took it from him. "This will transport you to the Underground, just ask and it will take you to him."

"And what if it kills me or imprisons me instead?"

O'Malley laughed loudly then. "I can assure you it will not. Though I imagine you won't believe me till you see for yourself."

O'Malley didn't wait for a response before he re-entered the crowd and slipped away. Sarah slipped the ring on gingerly, faintly aware that she could be walking herself into a trap, but also aware that she wouldn't be missing out on much if she did end up imprisoned somewhere. At least she'd be in the Underground, at least something interesting would happen.

The ring was light and fit her perfectly, as she assumed it would. She could feel the magic in it, though faint. Just as she turned to grab her things once more, another hand grasped her elbow.

"What now, O'Malley?" she snapped as she turned on the figure. She blushed profusely upon making eye contact with Jack, a playful grin on his lips.

"Oh, hi," she mumbled, finding herself getting lost in his features all over again.

"Hello." That silky voice was so enticing, erotic even. Sarah felt a small sliver of unease inside her, something felt off about that voice. She abruptly shook it off. It was just the magic messing with her.

"I didn't think you'd still be here," she pushed her hair behind her ear nervously.

"I told you I'd save you a dance, didn't I?" he replied casually. Sarah was vaguely aware his hand was still cupping her elbow.

"Oh," she replied. "It's a bit late," she nibbled on her lip again, trying to not to appear interested or nervous.

"Just one dance then?" He smiled as he slid a hand on her lower back, urging her back into the main area of the bar.

"Um, alright."

She quietly berated herself as he led her out onto the dancefloor.

Sarah had never been afraid to get close and personal with a cute guy if the occasion called for it. Based off her present reaction to this particular cute guy, she was more than tempted to enjoy the distraction from all her raging thoughts and feelings, even if that was all it would be. He pulled her to a corner of the dance floor that was less crowded than the rest, but not by much. It was nearly shoulder to shoulder, the alcohol and sweat stained air making a thick cloud around everyone. She turned toward him, wrapping her arms slowly around his neck, pleased at how fluid she appeared while her heart hammered in her chest. Jack grinned widely at her, those sharp teeth flashing. Something tugged in her mind once more, but she shook it away, determined to just enjoy herself for a bit. Jack was quite the dancer, he kept up beat for beat with her, his lean body quite misleading for the amount of muscle she felt beneath his shirt as he flexed with each movement. Everything about him was beginning to spark her flame. His oddly sexy red hair, those devilish lips, the hard planes of his stomach that brushed against her as they dance and he pulled her in close to him.


"You are quite intoxicating," he whispered in her ear, making her breath hitch.

Jareth grinned. He had thought he was barely concealing his true form with this guise, which he had often used in the Aboveground. He had been convinced she would spot him a mile away and take off like a frightened rabbit. In fact, he had hoped for it, the idea of chasing her down thrilling to him. Instead she had looked up at him with giant green eyes as though he were just another guy at the bar. He could see recognition flare in those emerald depths for the faintest second as they spoke, only to be snuffed out as she appeared to ignore it. He had been captivated at the sound of her voice and those ridiculously sexy red lips pouting just as he remembered them. She was beautiful, all grown up and reserved as opposed to the hot-headed teen he'd once known. Everything she did was graceful, even handling the drunks at the bar. He knew to expect that she would be different yet somehow it still surprised him. It had taken everything in him to walk away from her earlier and collect himself, the urge to snatch her up and trace her to the Underground so intense. But he could sense she was overwhelmed, her aura was all over the place. She was too fragile, and he couldn't afford to break her, not yet. He had to keep his head on straight, he had to let her realize who he was, get her to drop whatever veil was blinding her senses.

Of course this plan was going right out the window as they continued to dance quite intimately,. She had been rubbing that petite little body of hers against him for several songs now, seemingly forgetting how 'late' it was, flushed with excitement in reaction to him. She was driving him quite mad, his own desire intensifying with every wave of lust that emanated off of her as she moved.

He wondered how angry she would be when she found out, though he imagined she already knew and simply wished to not see through his guise at the moment for whatever reason. He grazed her neck with his teeth and reveled in the purr that escaped her lips in response. While he was enjoying himself, he was growing impatient. He wanted her to put up the fight he knew she would so that they could get it over with and return to his castle and continue this later. If she wanted to play pretend, he would simply have to push her over the ledge into reality. He pulled back, suddenly turning her sharply to face him, ready to make a snarky comment and reveal himself to her as he had planned to all night and revel in her horrified reaction and that fiery attitude he found himself missing. But just as his eyes met hers again, she did something quite unexpected. Sarah grasped the front of his shirt and pulled him close and kissed him. He hesitated, shocked still by it. That didn't stop her, though. She pushed into him, trying to further the kiss, only hesitating and pulling back when he did not reciprocate after a few seconds, a flash of hurt in her eyes.

"I… I'm sorry…" she started, her breathing heavy, her cheeks flushed.

Jareth couldn't stop himself from dipping toward her and smashing his lips against hers. His hands flew up, clasping her face and pulling her in as he engulfed her with a hot, open kiss. Sarah sighed up into him, her hands tightening around his shirt and tugging him closer.


Sarah had no idea what had come over her. Actually, that was a lie. She knew exactly what came over her, and it came in the form of years of celibacy. The way he moved with her, the way his hands grazed her hips, the way his lips perpetually grinned at her with a wicked gleam as though he wanted to eat her alive, that scent of leather. It centered her inner turmoil until all she felt was lust and desire. She couldn't stop herself. She needed to feel that rush, needed to feel that excitement. She needed to feel this.

She wasn't sure how it happened, but her back was suddenly flush against the stone wall, Jack's hands moving down to grasp her hips roughly as he deepened the kiss, pushing his tongue past her lips and nipping at her. This. Was. Fantastic. Somewhere in the back of her head she felt a warning going off once again. Her mind was trying to alert her of… something. But she ignored it, letting her desire engulf her instead. Jack was pushing himself flesh up against her, his taught body grinding into hers making her moan into his lips. She jerked away suddenly, disconnecting from him and staring up into him.

"Do you want to get out of here?" she asked, her voice breathy. Jack stared at her lips for several long seconds before responding.

"Yes."

Sarah tried to suppress a ridiculous grin as she pulled him along through the crowd, his fingers lacing possessively around hers. She quickly grabbed her things before taking the exit in the back where she flagged down a taxi. She was incredibly thankful she lived just a block away as silence took over them, her heart still clambering in her chest in excitement, her breathing still unsteady. She did her best not to look at him as they drove, praying this didn't get to awkward before they got to her place. It had been so long since she'd had a casual fling and she wasn't sure how to go about it anymore. Jack stayed silent the whole ride, the only indication that he was even there was his hand still locked with hers, a thumb gently tracing along her palm sending goosebumps up her arm. They arrived quickly, much to Sarah's relief, and were up the elevator and in front of her door in no time. A pang of embarrassment suddenly flooded her as she remembered just how much of a shithole she lived in. Jack was wearing a very expensive looking shirt and slacks, his sunglasses still on, obscuring his eyes from her. He was probably disturbed by the place. Sarah quickly unlocked her door and let him in, trying not to think about it. She wasn't sure how to proceed at this point, so decided to fall back on a classic.

"Would you like something to drink?" she asked.

He had the strangest look on his face as he nodded, as though he were troubled by something. She self-consciously wondered if it was her place. She knew it was awful. Sarah scurried off to the kitchen to grab the wine in her fridge and she quickly filled them both a glass, trying to remain calm and natural. Upon returning to the living room she found him standing in front of the massive window in her living space.

"Here," she offered him a glass and he took it without glancing at her.

"Such a stunning view," he murmured.

"Yea, well you can't have everything in New York when you serve cocktails. But at least I got this," she smiled. It was the only reason she stayed in the apartment.


Jareth finally turned to her. Her voice had surprised him. He hadn't noticed at the bar with all the noise, but it was more defined here. That subtle raspy-ness in her tone that replaced the youthful child's voice she once held. It was incredibly alluring. He traced a hand across her chin without thinking, and she leaned into it, her eyes fluttering closed. When they opened again, they pierced his heart as he saw an overwhelming depth of pain within them. He couldn't stop himself as he moved in and kissed her, hard. He needed to make that look disappear. Sarah welcomed his advances, pushing herself into him. It wasn't long before their tongues were dueling, their hands roaming each other's bodies. Sarah began to tug at the buttons on his shirt, freeing several and running her hands across his bare chest. His senses flared, rattling him and he pulled away abruptly. This needed to stop before the line was crossed. He had come to her tonight to reveal himself. That is exactly what he was going to do, this very moment.

"Sarah," he said almost sternly as he clasped her wrists in his hands firmly.

"Please," that word nearly engulfed him once more. "I need more, I need… I need to feel this… I need to feel something…" her raspy voice begged him.

His plan, his revenge, his morals, his will were completely shredded in that moment. He knew what she was doing. He knew that he was being used as a tool, a means to escape the pit of suffering she was dwelling in. And he didn't care. His one weakness had always been giving her everything she had ever asked of him. He couldn't deny her now even if he wanted to. She leaned in and kissed him again. His control snapped. He began clawing at her, dragging her into him as she did the same. They ripped at each other's clothing, frantic to be rid of them. They somehow found the bed before falling as they pushed and pulled at one another. Sarah fell back onto it and Jareth quickly tugged her jeans from her, running his hands slowly up her legs as he joined her. She bit her lip as his hands wandered over her, cupping her breasts roughly as his lips found hers again.

Sarah pulled his face closer to her, but those damned glasses were getting in the way. She reached up and pulled them off, tossing them to the floor with everything else. He tensed as he stared down at her their eyes meeting briefly. Her breath hitched in her throat as two very peculiar eyes stared back at her in the darkness. Something deep inside her sparked in fear, and it was too obvious to deny anymore. She scrambled back as far across the bed as she could, kicking out of his grasps.

"What the fuck," she gasped out.

"Something the matter?" he cocked his head at her, that all too familiar arrogant grin spreading on his face. She felt her blood turn to ice.

"Ja..Jareth?" her words came out clumsily as she gawked at him. His smirk widened.

"I must say, it took you longer than I expected." Jareth's tone was suddenly calm, dismissive even as he stood from the bed and the glamour faded revealing his true form. Spiky blonde hair, grey tights, white blouse, those dark markings above his eyes. He watched her eyes fill with dread, darting from him to the door.

"Don't even think about it," he snapped at her, causing her to jump.

Sarah was still gaping, her mind refusing to believe what she was seeing. She'd just made-out with the Goblin King? Oh god, she'd let him undress her! That mother...

"What the fuck are you doing here?" she snapped out of her daze then, pulling herself to her knees.

"Such vulgar language," he tsked. "I believe you invited me over. It was rather forward of you but who am I to deny you, my precious?" He winked at her.

"I didn't know it was you!"

"Come, come, Sarah. Don't go all coy on me now. I thought we were making progress?"

His arrogant tone made her skin crawl. He was goading her, amusement lighting his eyes. Sarah clenched her fists, her fear dissipating behind a cloud of fury.

"How dare you!" she snapped. "You tricked me!"

"Do you really expect me to believe you had no idea it was me? Please, Sarah. I was hardly trying," he looked truly disappointed as he spoke.

Sarah grimaced. Did she know? Had she just be ignoring it? All those warnings… She shook herself hard. It didn't matter.

"Fuck you, Jareth."

"Watch yourself, my dear Sarah," his eyes glinted with anger. She didn't care. She felt violated. "Has our time apart made you forget just how cruel I can be?"

"You have no power over me," the words came out like venom and she could have sworn she saw him flinch.

"I'd be careful with your words, precious girl. Lest I need to make you regret them." The icy, all too familiar tone caused her to edge off the bed defensively. She scrambled to her feet, not even caring to cover herself as she glared at him.

"Why are you here? And don't you dare say you just decided to show up after seventy years, pretending to be some random guy at a bar so you could, what, sleep with me?" Sarah was pacing around her corner of the room, trying to avoid staring at him.

"Need I remind you that you came on to me?" That grin widened as she blushed furiously. "While your offer was tempting, love, I'm simply here to take you back to the Underground. Where you belong." He casually leaned against the wall across from her, appearing completely un-phased by the melt down that was brewing inside her.

"Ha! Now? After all this time? Do you have… any idea…" her breathing became choppy, she could barely process what he was saying. She was on the brink of something, she just didn't know if it was homicide or insanity.

"Calm down, Sarah. I thought you'd be more grateful, after all this can't be how you dreamed immortality would be," he waived his hand in annoyance at her apartment.

"You knew I was going to become immortal?! Oh, of course you knew," she scoffed. "The answer is no. Get out of my apartment!" She crossed her arms, glaring at him with all that fire he hadn't been sure still existed in her until now. He chuckled, the site of her in nothing but her undergarments practically stomping her feet was oddly adorable and had managed to slightly dim his irritation with her.

"I'll make you a deal," he began to move toward her, but she stood her ground, her chin raising defiantly. "Come with me, willingly, to my castle, and I will see to it that you never suffer another day."

Sarah laughed, but it was a broken sound. "You think I would ever trust you? After what you did to me?" her voice broke, her bottom lip quivering. She could feel nothing but hate and anger.

"You brought this on yourself," he snapped, moving so close now that they almost touched.

"You are really something else, you know that? First, you kidnap my brother, you repeatedly manipulated the game for your own amusement, you attacked me, you tricked me time and again and then you banish me to live as an immortal alone and watch everyone and everything I loved die." Her voice broke at the end, a hot flash of tears pooling in her eyes.

A look came over him then, something she never expected. He had the audacity to look sorry.

"I never banished you, precious. You did that to yourself. I made you an offer, you refused it," he cast his eyes down away from her.

"I had no idea what I was doing. I was a child trying to play your stupid games," she snapped again, the fury beginning to broil over. She was vaguely aware she was shaking, her sudden rush of emotions too much to channel.

"I would have come to you sooner if I could have. You shouldn't have suffered for so long. I would have…" he cut his words off, as if it pained him to continue.

"No. Don't you dare," Sarah hissed at him. "You don't get to feel sorry for me. You don't get to pretend you cared about me!" The tears fell treacherously down her cheeks. The emotions were to new, to fresh. She was breaking beneath the weight of them.

Jareth was on her in a second, his hand cupping her chin forcing her to look at him.

"Despite what you may have deluded yourself into believing in these years apart, Sarah, I meant what I said to you in our last moments together. Your pain was caused by your own foolish pride," he growled at her.

Anger blinded her. She shoved at him, hard. He barely budged but he released her and she fled to the other side of the room.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," she fumed, hands clenched at her sides.

"On the contrary, you will be coming with me to my kingdom and you will be swearing fealty as a subject of mine this very day. You are, and always will be, mine."

Sarah let out a frustrated cry before throwing the nearest object at him. She missed of course, and the statue shattered against the wall behind him.

"In your dreams, Goblin King," her voice was ragged with anger.

She saw his eyes narrow and his entire frame go tense. Before she could blink, he had her pushed up against the wall behind her, his hand clasping her neck tightly as their faces sat inches from each other.

"In time, you will not feel so broken. Submit to me, Sarah."

There was something so… tender in his tone, in such contrast to the grip he held her in. If she were weaker, she'd let herself believe as she had as a child, that maybe he actually had fallen in love with her, that he did care. But she wasn't so naive anymore. Seventy empty years had taught her better. He was a monster who kidnapped children and nothing more. She stared into those mismatched eyes as defiantly as possible.

"Never."

He scowled at her before slamming his lips against hers. Sarah pushed back against him with a fury she didn't know she was capable of, making him stagger slightly. He was stronger though and continued to forcefully kiss her, his tongue forcing her lips apart. Sarah struggled against him, every fiber in her being wanting to claw him apart. She didn't notice when her shoving and pushing had turned to clutching and pulling. Jareth sensed it immediately and clasped her thighs, hefting her up till her legs wrapped around him. He pushed her back into the wall as she moaned against his lips. Their bodies were flush against each other as her hands ran up through his hair, pulling at it till pain spiked through him as he devoured her mouth.

Sarah let the desire consume her for several moments before the anger reared again. No, he didn't deserve to have her like this, to give her any sense of relief. He was manipulating her, just as he had earlier tonight. He was taking advantage of her inability to control herself at the moment. She shoved at him again, with more force than before. It was enough to make him drop her, and before he could regain his grip, she dodged out of his hold and scurried to the other end of the apartment.

"You don't get to fix me, Jareth. You sure as hell don't get to own me." her tone was cold as ice as he turned to face her, his eyes sharpening at her words. "I'd submit myself to anyone but you."

That last line seemed to do the trick, his jaw clenching sharply. Rage rolled off of him in waves making the hair on her body stand straight. She knew she had pushed the right button. It was his turn to be pissed off. She knew he was going to lunge for her again and that he would trace them away before she could escape. So she took the only escape she had. With her eyes level with his as he began to slowly step toward her, she clutched her right hand to her chest, his eyes following the movement.

"Take me to Cruex," she commanded the ring. It burned hot against her skin instantly.

Jareth's eyes flashed with a fury she had never seen before just as she disappeared from her apartment.