Every night for the next two weeks she continued having the same dream. She was always searching for him and he was just out of sight. There were no games and no teasing in the dreams.

There was just a sort of sweet release when she made it to him and they embraced. She had never slept better. The unique scents she began to attribute as his followed her in her day to day life but she couldn't place why.

Finally Sarah decided it was time to go back to the labyrinth. Her last time there had been far too short and she needed to see her friends. Maybe they could help her make sense of the dreams she had been having.

Butterflies fluttered in her stomach and Sarah felt nervous about re-entering again. She stood in front of her mirror and breathed in deeply, "c'mon feet. Let's go."

Once again the mirror melted away like warm butter and Sarah stepped into the Labyrinth.

The orange dust was in place again, minus the glitter and Sarah immediately ventured for the gates to the Labyrinth. The huge doors creaked open slowly upon her arrival and as Sarah entered they slammed shut faster than should have been possible.

Shrugging it off Sarah turned in the general direction of the Goblin Kingdom. She wanted to visit Hoggle first but he wasn't at the gates like she would have thought.

He got around pretty quickly though so Sarah knew she would find him. She'd need him to find Ludo anyways. She had never been to the mountains before. She was sure Sir. Didymus and Ambrosious would love to accompany them as well.

The first thing Sarah really noticed was just how stale the labyrinth had become. It was hard to breathe. That bothered Sarah a little but she continued on, intent to find her friends.

The eyes that watched from the walls seemed to almost creep in on Sarah as she made her way down the corridors.

Did this turn always have an end? Sure the labyrinth was ever changing but still Sarah wasn't so sure. She thought maybe she had stayed away too long and the other times she had run through on gut instinct. So where is my instinct now?

Relief washed over Sarah when she stumbled onto the two headed door guards. All four of them were asleep so Sarah decided to rouse them.

She walked forward and pulled the helmet off of one while twisting his ear, "time to wake up!"

"Hey what do you think you're-." One spoke up, his grumble of anger quite audible.

"That's not fair!" One of the guards yelped, waking another one up as they all were woken up from the pain of the one.

"I need to get through this door." Sarah stated matter-of-factly.

"You do, do you?" One spoke excitedly from his upside down position. Sarah noticed something odd about the way he looked.

His fur was off somehow but Sarah couldn't place her finger on it. When she went through the labyrinth that first time she had barely paid any attention to them, only to solving the riddle.

All four of the heads began to laugh, shaking their shields with them and Sarah grew impatient. She placed a hand on her hip. "Are you going to give me a riddle so I can pass or not?"

Their laughter grew immensely and then one coughed it off and struggled to catch his voice. "Alright, here is one: We are but the children of darkness and evil, we make people do the most regrettable deal. Let us introduce ourselves to you, so you'll know who's who.

Our eldest is a not so bad guy, but thinks of himself so high. Our next is not as cool as a cucumber, but hotheaded and always has a bad temper.

Another of us wants this and that, whatever others do and have. A brother of ours seems to be tired and weary, to do this and that, but he's just lazy.

We have twins who are not brave, also not a coward, but they always crave. One hungers for food and anything it can consume. One hungers for wealth and power that leads to doom.

Last but not the least, is our sister who desires like a beast. Sexual and sensual desires are those that feed her fire. Now answer us, don't be a poop, who are we, as individuals and as a group?"

Sarah listened intently. This riddle was completely different than the last one, and one that wasn't so innocent. She thought of her answer carefully as the answer was obvious but it came in two parts and she had to get it correct.

Sarah's eyes lit up as she stated her answer confidently and she counted them off on her fingers, one by one, "but that's so easy! They're Pride, Wrath, Envy, Sloth, Gluttony, Greed and Lust! They're the Seven Deadly Sins!"

"Ba ba ba bummm, certain death!" The four heads screamed out at one time and Sarah gasped as a strong wind suddenly knocked her off her feet and she slid straight into the hole that loomed for her.

Darkness enveloped her and the air around her turned cold and stale. Then suddenly she was caught, all over, by rough hands. Sarah was sure they were going to leave bruises unlike the last time.

"Help," Sarah called out to the hands.

"What do you mean help? Why should we?" Spoke one of the hands, folding and forming a face with some of the other hands.

"I thought you were helping hands." Sarah stated, becoming frantic as she struggled to stay up.

"Would you like us to let go?" Asked another hand-face. Another one was chuckling, while yet another one was laughing maniacally. Sarah could just barely see them from the sunlight casting silver shadows all around her.

"No! Please no. You were so helpful last time, I just thought." Sarah rambled, becoming quite frightened. Did the Goblin King have something to do with this? Had she been wrong in her delusions?

"You just thought? Well thoughts aren't going to do you much good here." A hand with an annoying scratchy voice spoke from underneath Sarah; its grip on her leg was vice-like. It was so painful her leg began to cramp.

"Well since thoughts here aren't much good we really ought to just let her go." A mustached hand-face surmised.

"What? No!" Sarah began to scream when the hands began bustling to do something.

"He chose down!" A hand screamed in pure excitement.

"He chose down?" Questioned another, and began laughing at the top of its finger lungs.

"What? I thought I was supposed to choose!" Sarah tried reasoning but all at once all of the hands retracted and Sarah began to fall.

All she could hear was, "sometimes in life you don't get to choose. That's the way it is."

"But that's not fair!" Sarah screamed before she could stop herself.

Laughter continued to echo even as she was completely enveloped in darkness.

Sarah didn't know how long she fell. It seemed like forever, but it's not long at all is it? Finally her body struck the cold dirt that mingled with the stone floor. She gasped in pain when she landed. It reverberated throughout her entire being.

Her head hit the ground as well and pain seared through her skull. Sarah had to take a moment to recuperate before she could try to stand.

As she stood the world tilted dangerously and she feared she would pass out. She felt completely helpless. And all I wanted to do was see my friends again. What's going on here?

Sarah didn't know how long she stayed there, not knowing how large or how small that space was. There was no light so there was no way to get her bearings.

It was so hard to be strong when even the powers the Goblin King had given her would not work. Did he do this?

Finally a light flickered on from a door Sarah had not seen. Is that Hoggle? She felt elation bubble up in her body and she sighed in relief and ran towards the light.

"Hoggle I'm so glad it's you, you don't know how much I've missed you!"

The little dwarf was there and Sarah embraced him warmly. Her welcome though was worn out as she was shoved aside violently. Sarah's eyes widened at the cold welcome and suddenly that gnawing feeling of helplessness flitted its way in her stomach.

"Well looksie here if it isn't Sarah, champion of the Labyrinth. Come to cheat your way through this time are ya?"

Hoggle sneered up at her. Sarah then noticed the one thing that really caught her attention; Hoggle's lovely jewels were missing. He never went without his lovely jewels.

"Hoggle, what's going on here? Everything's so strange." Sarah began but the dwarf cut her off as he began to advance towards her.

"Shows what you know don't it?" Hoggle chastised and crept forward still. Something about the way he moved was scaring Sarah.

A silver glint caught her eye. Hoggle had a small silver dagger in his thick left hand.

Sarah gave out a startled yelp and moved out of the way as Hoggle sliced the air where her stomach had been the moment before.

She darted behind the dwarf. She had to think up something fast if she was going to survive.

Hoggle turned quick as his stout little frame would let him and came at her again. Sarah dove for the ground and began feeling around blindly, looking for something, anything that would save her.

Thick wood finally cut across Sarah's fingertips, tearing the skin but Sarah was too relieved to worry about a little cut.

Sarah quickly lifted the wooden door to its full height and tried to open it before discovering it was locked.

"Damn! I should have known better!" Sarah cursed and moved just as another swipe of sharp silver cut through the darkness.

Sarah let Hoggle chase her through the dark until they arrived back at the fire light where Sarah could look at him more carefully.

There they were. The rusted old keys dangled on the keeper's hip like they did the last time but the circumstances were much more dire than before.

As she looked at what was her friend she let her guard down for a mere second, but managed to move, too late though as the dagger slit her side, cutting skin but not going too deep.

Sarah screamed then dove to the ground, digging her fingernails into the moist dirt, and flung dirt into the dwarf's big eyes and lumpy bulging nose.

"Take that!" Sarah yelled and then tackled Hoggle, pushing him to the ground.

The dwarf was surprisingly strong as he lashed out at Sarah and his thick gardener's fingernails dug into her shoulder. Sarah squirmed and bit the dwarf's thick grotesque hand.

Hoggle yelped and Sarah took advantage and yanked at the keys on his hip, pulling them free.

As Sarah pulled free of Hoggle and ran towards the door he kicked the back of her knee causing her to fall to the ground.

With all of the adrenaline pumping through her veins Sarah found she couldn't stand. She was too wobbly. So instead she began to army crawl for the door as fast as she could.

Hoggle came up above her and stomped on her back, causing another startled scream to pour from Sarah's lips but she turned onto her back just as the dagger sliced her shoulder blades.

Once again averted, Sarah put all her weight into a single kick to the dwarf's chest, knocking the air out of his lungs.

"What is wrong with you Hoggle? You're my best friend!" Sarah screamed exasperatedly and then shakily climbed to her knees, scooting forward the last few feet to the door.

The keys jangled dangerously as Sarah fumbled to find the right one, the one that would lead her to safety. Her hands were shaking so uncontrollably that she feared dropping them.

From a few feet away Hoggle regained his footing. Then the dwarf charged her while issuing a battle cry.

Sarah twisted the last key and finally the door swung open and Sarah dove inside, slamming it shut behind her.

Quickly, Sarah locked it back as Hoggle began jabbing at the wood with the dagger. Then as it clicked locked the passageway disappeared along with Hoggle.

Sarah collapsed in agonizing tears. Her chest rose and fell as she shook with grief. How could this be happening?

Not knowing what else to do Sarah punched at the stone wall with her fists, her emotions so riddled and boggled.

"What is going on here?" Sarah screamed as loudly as she could.

Hoggle was her friend, he would never do that to her. Something wasn't right and she felt that to her very core. Deep inside something was nagging at her but she couldn't figure out what it was exactly.

Eventually Sarah began to take control of her emotions, deciding she wasn't getting anywhere by crying.

Whatever was going on there had nullified her gift from Jareth as well. Sarah's eyes narrowed as she thought of the Goblin King. Was he behind this? Did he make her dearest friend turn on her?

Sarah decided she needed to find Sir. Didymus and Ludo, that maybe they could help her although she was seriously starting to doubt that they could now.

The corridor Sarah was in lead her straight to the false alarms. She knew simply because as soon as she turned a corner there was a roaring blast in her ears. It was so loud Sarah had to shield her ears and run for it.

All of the false alarms made no sense at all. They were all either blaring loud or so quiet they were inaudible. Some were even just cutting their eyes at Sarah. She felt like screaming in frustration.

Sarah even recognized the place when she turned the corner where Jareth had been disguised, only he wasn't there this time.

Sarah had to stop herself when she realized that that was almost a letdown. But here where all of this craziness is happening? I don't even wanna know what he would do.

"What is going on?" Sarah vented and leaned against the wall, trying to get her head straight. "This is all like some long vivid nightmare! I'm awake though. I know I am."

Realizing answers weren't going to just appear before her Sarah decided she needed to move on.

She wasn't a little girl anymore so she had to be brave although she felt like giving up. All she could do was hope against hope that her other friends were still in their right minds.

Sarah continued on down the way where the cleaners had chased Hoggle and herself.

Thinking of Hoggle just sent nausea sweeping down into her belly. The pain was still fresh and it still hurt just as bad. She wouldn't believe that Hoggle would really do that to her though.

Sarah went up the ladder and finally exited up into the hedge maze section of the labyrinth. The old man wasn't there like he was last time but Sarah couldn't really expect him to stay there for so many years.

At that point Sarah wasn't really sure where to go, just that she needed to find a path down to the Bog of Eternal Stench without getting soaked.

Sarah wandered aimlessly for quite a while, all the time noticing how off the Labyrinth had become.

It was just too bizarre. In truth it grew more frustrating by the second. Sarah could just feel something seeping into her bones and it froze her insides with its wrongness.

It was growing darker by the second and the green of the hedge maze gave way to rotted plants and shrubs. The cobblestone pathway grew more into disrepair and Sarah began rubbing her bare arms as the air turned cold and hostile.

"I have to find a way out of this damn it. Where's Jareth?" Sarah began to question, growing desperate.

"Jareth," She screamed and began to run in no real direction at all.

All at once the ground gave way beneath her and she was sliding, sliding, and it seemed to last forever.

The ground was not smooth like the last time she slid down towards the Bog of Eternal Stench; this time the ground cut into her skin and she bit her lip as she slid.

At the end of the tunnel light broke through and then suddenly Sarah was free falling up high, way high. Sarah flailed, trying to find a hand hold to cling on to but finding none all she could do was fall.

Far below her Sarah caught sight of the bog, only it wasn't stench worthy, only far more vicious. There was something about its inky blackness that frightened Sarah.

The usual bog was relatively harmless other than its smell but this one seemed dead serious and incredibly dangerous.

Since that night she discovered her powers Sarah had always carried a sense of security with her but at that moment Sarah felt powerless and her life felt totally up to the fates.

Instead of landing in the inky muck Sarah landed on soft ground that seemed to give in when her weight pressed on it.

The sharp daggers of the grass that grew on it bit into Sarah's skin, causing a phantom itch to sweep up her body.

Sarah writhed against the new sensations, scrambling up to her wobbly feet. It took her a moment to get her bearings and it was completely obvious this was not her innocent bog.

In fact the more Sarah thought about it the more she yearned for her labyrinth and for its Goblin King. She had seen no real residents of this menacing labyrinth.

It seemed everything here was catered to her demise. Sarah wasn't sure she wanted to see what the Jareth of this place would be like.

Sarah stopped, stunned as a realization hit her. She wanted to see Jareth again, not a version trying to kill her but the snarky Goblin King who was always surprising her. And his sunshine scent.

Sarah shook her head, she had to keep moving. Staying still would get her nowhere and she was already taking the calmness of this area for granted.

Sarah decided to trudge towards the general area she figured Sir Didymus' bridge would be located. It soon became apparent though that the bridge was gone.

In fact the bog itself seemed to begin to creep in on her. It was when the murky black liquid licked at her heel that Sarah found what this bog did.

There was a hissing noise and then the material seemed to melt away. Sarah gasped and then took off running away from the bog. Panic ensued and then Sarah sped up her pace, the bog doing the same as it crept ever closer to her.

Finally it all became too much for Sarah and she gave up, collapsing to her knees, "I wish the King of the Goblins would come and take me away right now!"

There was a strong gust of wind and then he was before her in battle regalia. As soon as his eyes fell upon Sarah she saw the panic in them.

"Sarah what is this place, what's happened to you?" Jareth asked as he moved towards where she had collapsed on the ground.

Sarah was too baffled and in too much pain. All she could do was look up at the Goblin King helplessly, relieved that he wasn't the cause of her suffering this time.

Jareth's face betrayed his emotions, conflicted and scared for her. In yearning he held out an armored arm toward Sarah, the black leather shining in the dusk of the evening. His gloved hand then retracted, afraid of closing the distance.

Every emotion, every scar, every ounce of pain, emotional and physical, that she had endured since arriving hit Sarah at once and all she could think about was sunshine and peaches.

Rushing forward it was Sarah that closed the distance between them, wrapping her own arms around his neck as tightly as possible.

"Take me home Jareth just take me home please." Sarah begged, tears threatening to expel onto the high collar of Jareth's armor.

A gloved hand swept through Sarah's hair and the other wound around her waist, steadying her, "anything for you Precious."

Shivers of different varieties vibrated through Sarah, and she dug her head into his shoulder, her arms holding him tightly. His skin smelled even more amazing than the dream, as if he leaked precious sunlight.

He held her close to him as everything blurred and shifted. She had never felt so safe.

It was then in her room safe and sound that Sarah realized just what she was doing.

Very suddenly Sarah pulled out of Jareth's arms, backing up to her bedroom wall.

Straightening her posture Sarah tried to sound like she had not just lived through Hell.

"That wasn't necessary thank you." She stated, making sure to hold her chin up. How can I be so sure that wasn't his plan all along?

Jareth became angry then, almost looking hurt, "Sarah I do believe it was you who just called for my help and practically tackled me onto the ground."

In frustration Sarah grabbed her favorite purple fleece pillow and chunked it at Jareth who just waved it away with a gloved hand, chuckling at her.

That only infuriated Sarah more so she grabbed whatever object was within reach and began chunking them at the king who only laughed more.

Finally Sarah stopped, realizing she had begun laughing too. It was a bizarre and childish a thing to do but all of the stress melted from her.

Seeming to remember what she had just been through she finally asked. "What was that?"

The sarcastic smile fled from Jareth's sharp features and his eyes became intense. He walked over to Sarah, and reached out with one of his gloved hands to caress her cheek. "What happened there Sarah?"

Sarah closed her eyes to the touch, warmth flooding her. She suddenly felt very tired, "all of that, the labyrinth, Hoggle, the bog, it was different. At first I thought it was you playing tricks again but it continued to get worse. Finally I realized no matter how many tricks you've played you never tried to kill me."

Jareth cut her off then, anger and passion flaring in his eyes. "Sarah that was not my labyrinth and those certainly were not my subjects. Whatever happened was not my doing. You are right. I would never harm you."

Sarah took a moment to breathe properly, her eyes meeting his. There was an intense look in his eyes that she could not place.

Warmth coiled in her belly and she fought the urge to pull him to her. Everything about him is so hypnotizing. Why do I feel this way?

She motioned then for Jareth to take a seat at her vanity, abruptly moving away from him. Surprisingly he did, despite the disappointed look on his face.

As Sarah sat on her bed she laughed a little, despite being so dreadfully tired. She was bloody and bruised but he looked so out of place in her room in his medieval attire. This is so bizarre.

She then began to recount the events of the dark labyrinth.

With each passing second the fury grew on Jareth's face and then he stood; the air around him electrified with his energy.

"Sarah, be careful. I do not know what games are afoot but they are not ones from my labyrinth or from my people.

Do use caution next time you want to enter my labyrinth. Do not enter of your own accord. Call me to escort you. It is not safe for you to travel alone." Jareth spoke, trying to downplay his anger although Sarah could feel it writhing off of him, and then in a rush of wind Jareth was gone, leaving Sarah feeling empty and scared.

Sarah crawled into bed, thinking about what had happened. Someone was out to get her. Someone knew her greatest fears and how to manipulate her. Someone wanted her either traumatized or dead.