Disclaimer: Nope…I don't own a thing…except for Mr. Bowie! Back up off my Kool-aid girls! Lol.

Author's note: Keep those reviews coming! I love them and they keep me inspired. Thanks for the head's up Snapedreamer; I will do my best to shape it up;) Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I've been killing myself at work and school and haven't had a lot of time to do anything fun. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. Enjoy!

Chapter 4:

Sarah stood at the gates of the Labyrinth, warmed by sunlight and cooled by terror. Jareth couldn't help smiling to himself at her discomfort. If he had anything to say about it, she would become quite acquainted with the feeling. Still, she was holding up admirably despite the seriousness of the occasion. There was a moment when he thought she was going to break down into hysterical sobs but again, his little Sarah had surprised him. One thing was certain; she was ever an enigma to him. His chest tightened in spite of his head's commands to be impassive. He frowned. It wouldn't do to show her any weakness. He was the infamous Goblin King, he must ever live up to her expectations…musn't he?

"You've definitely grown since last you were here, my dear." He said, noticing the length and shapeliness of her legs and the rise and fall of her heavy breasts beneath her thin, over-used shirt. Her head snapped around at the remark, realization of her state of dress coloring her cheeks most becomingly. He made no effort to apologize for his suggestive tone. His eyes took her in from the tips of her naked toes to her flashing green eyes and back again. An approving but lascivious smile was her only reward.

"You bastard!" She cried, attempting in vain to increase the length of her shirt by tugging it down. It wasn't helping. In fact, the movement only accentuated the shape of her fascinating new curves. Jareth's palms near itched to remove the paltry items and have a proper look. He shrugged, keeping his face utterly neutral.

"No use trying to hide it all now. I've already had an eye full. A most pleasing one at that."

Her cheeks burned red. Swallowing hard, she closed her eyes and turned her head to the side. "Look all you want, you sick son of a bitch. You don't know how happy it makes me to amuse you." Her voice grasped at her dignity through sarcasm. He couldn't help but laugh.

"Delightful use of language Sarah. I'm surprised at you. Where is that charming, innocent young girl I once knew, hmm? If she were here, she would be appalled by your manners."

She turned blazing green eyes in his direction. "If SHE were here, she would be just as pissed as me! What the hell am I doing here again Jareth?" She spit, glaring at him as if he were the lowest of creatures. Part of his body responded to her use of his name, although it was spoken in anger. It would be his luck that the first time she'd ever use it; it would be uttered like a curse. He had to halt the disappointment he felt by reminding himself that it was he who'd brought this situation to pass. Still, it was the only way he could get her back. He had to be cruel. It was what she demanded of him.

"In honor of your birthday, I've come up with a most generous offer for you. A new challenge, if you will. One in which you'll find the prize beyond your wildest dreams."

There. For a single heartbeat, he'd seen something flash over her face. Was it interest, or fear? He couldn't be sure but he had an inkling. His adventurous obsession still dwelt in the fortress behind those emerald eyes. He would have been sorely disappointed if her life Aboveground had ruined her love of riddles. Interesting.

"I won't run the Labyrinth again, I told you. Besides, you can't keep me here anyway. You haven't got a stolen relative of mine to bargain with this time. I beat you, remember?"

"Yes, you defeated my Labyrinth and won back your infant brother. You have won the respect and admiration of the whole Underground for doing so but there is still one element you have yet to fully understand."

Her eyebrows met. "And that is…"

He stepped closer to her, giving her a dose of his mismatched gaze. "You haven't defeated me." He turned, waving his hand at the largesse of the Labyrinth. "This as it turns out wasn't a match for you youth and charm, Sarah. It seems that the very stones themselves conspired to aid you in your quest. Such is the power you have over its denizens. Not one person in a thousand years could boast of such, you know. You and your friends turned the Labyrinth and my plans on their proverbial ears. How frustrating it was to watch you ease through each obstacle as if they were made of something as insubstantial as air." He paused, smiling to himself with the memory. "And yet, you still have not proven that you're a match for me, personally. So here I stand, feeling the weight of my throne and wonder, could you vanquish me as easily?"

She shifted, looking perplexed. "What're you talking about?"

"I'm curious, if our situations were reversed if you would have the ability to stop me before I claimed what I want from you."

She laughed. The sound was sweet enough to raise the temperature of his blood. He craved that sound, more than any other. Her joy had always been his deepest pleasure. If he could bottle it, he would carry it on his person at all times, as a reminder of the truth of beauty in his dark, empty world.

"So you're going to run the Labyrinth and I get to play dress up and do whatever I can to mess up your life?"

He gave her a look that halted her sarcastic grin. "Not quite. I was thinking something much more difficult than that, Sarah. What would you say if I wagered that you couldn't stop me, even if all the power and influence of my post were yours?"

"What do you mean? Stop you from what?"

"If you were to rule the Labyrinth for one month's time, unaided by outsiders or counsel…I would grant you anything your heart desires."

Her face went white with shock. She backed up a little, momentarily forgetting her that her shirt rode over hips when released. "You can't be serious?"

Paying particular attention to her softly rounded bottom, he nodded. "Of course I'm serious. When have I ever been anything but? There would be guidelines though, very strict, which would result in forfeiture if broken and having no magic as well should be difficult enough on its own."

Her lips puckered and a faraway look crossed her features as she considered him. "You're not going to take me home, are you?"

He snorted. "Of course not. If you refuse the challenge or attempt to walk out on your post before the allotted time is up, that will also result in forfeiture."

"But that's not…"

"Fair? Really Sarah. I thought you were past all of this."

"So I have no choice? You come into my home in the middle of the night after years of letting me believe you were just an imaginary monster and expect me to submit to your ridiculous challenge on a whim? And on my birthday no less! Well you can forget it! I want to go home Jareth, now." Her voice was laced with the steel of resolve.

Jareth felt a twinge of something he could barely have hoped for. Had she missed him? Had she been hoping he would reveal himself to her over the years? It was a thought he tucked away for later examination but the idea itself greatly improved his spirits.

"I'm afraid that isn't possible Sarah. You must answer the challenge. Unless of course you forfeit?"

She whirled on him. "What exactly happens if I do forfeit?"

Jareth allowed every unseemly thought he had about her current state of undress leek into his smile. "Why, you'll be a subject of the Underground Sarah and as such, mine to do with as I please."

Her face went white as cotton. "You can't be serious. That's barbaric! That's completely medieval. That's…"

"My right as a king my dear. You see, the laws you are accustomed to make no difference to us here. In the Underground, I'm the law. I can do whatever I wish to and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it."

Forgetting every semblance of self-consciousness, Sarah grabbed his shirtfront and forced her face into his. His blood roared in his veins at the contact, yet his face remained carved of marble. "You. Can't. Do. This. I'm a human being and I have rights godammit! I am not a toy for you to pick up or discard at will, you slimy, underhanded, sore loser! Send me home immediately or I will make it my mission in life to make you miserable. So help me god! You just try and keep me here and I'll make you wish you'd never heard my name." Her eyes practically glowed with fury. The wind whispered past her, blowing a dark lock of her hair across his cheek. For a moment, he was actually intimidated by the intensity of her beauty. The light perfume wafting from her skin assailed his senses, causing him to swallow inelegantly.

"I have no doubt that you can make me miserable Sarah." Something, perhaps guilt, lowered her lashes and released her menacing grip. Still, she did not turn from him. She held her ground despite the piercing look he gave her. "However, I can keep you here whether you like it or not. Without my help, unfair or not, you can never return home. So, what's it to be my dear? Do you accept my challenge or not?"

She sighed. "What happens if I lose? What happens if I fail to be a good…erm, ruler?"

He had her. He knew it. She knew it. He chuckled heartily causing her to blush to the roots of her hair. "Ah. Well, as much as I would enjoy making you my personal subject it would hardly befit your station as the only person to ever defeat the Labyrinth. I believe my goblins would readily accept you as queen." He paused, watching her eyes widen in amazement. "One way or the other, I mean to keep you here Sarah. Only you can decide in which capacity that will be. Slave or queen? Which would you prefer?"

"Let me get this straight. You're saying that if I refuse to play this stupid game, I'll be your little toy or whatever but if I choose to accept your challenge…you'll make me your queen? That doesn't sound right. Are you insane?"

"No. I'm merely being practical. You see either way, you'll be humiliated, cowed and beholden to me. Hence, I win. The possibilities are limitless."

"Not if I accept and you lose, again. Why me? Why go to so much trouble to have power over me? Why couldn't you just leave me alone?" She said, her voice gone quiet.

Jareth lifted her errant lock of hair and gently tucked it behind her ear. "I should think the answer to that question an obvious one."

She backed away slightly, enough to give him the full effect of her narrowed green eyes. "You're on. I don't like it and I don't like you but I don't have a choice do I? All right Jareth, I accept your challenge. I will make you sorry you ever dreamed up this whole hair-brained scheme in the first place by kicking your royal ass."

"That's the spirit we've missed. I wonder if you have any idea how difficult this is going to be for you?"

She shrugged and faced the Labyrinth with renewed enthusiasm. "I'm sure it'll be a piece of cake. So what are you going to be doing while I'm being a better ruler than you?"

Jareth's eyebrows lifted at the sauciness of her tone. "Why I'll be undermining your authority at every opportunity of course by doing what I do best."

Her expression darkened. "What do you mean?"

"Let's just say that I can be very distracting."

"Distracting how?" The suspicion in her voice didn't deter him from pulling her roughly against him and slamming his mouth down on hers. Her startled moan nearly weakened his resolve as he slid his tongue inside the sweetness between her lips. One hand wrapped itself tightly around her waist and the other grasped at the silken mass of her hair at the base of her neck. At first she tried to struggle but as his lower hand slid across her lower back, pressing her against the length of his body, she whimpered and was forced to cling to him for support. Losing himself in the in her mouth and the curves of her body, he slid his lips and tongue across her jawbone and against her throat finding her pulse and taking the slightest of nips against he soft skin. Her breathing became labored; her hands finding a resting place on his chest above his heart. She leaned into him, arching her neck to give him better access. For the briefest moment, he considered abandoning his plan and finishing what was promising to be the most satisfying event he'd ever started. For a moment anyway.

Just as Sarah's lips came forward to brush against his collarbone she was suddenly off balance and alone. Her knees buckled beneath her, sending her trembling body to a harsh stone floor. Startled, she looked up. Jareth was gone and she was inside the throne room of his castle. The floor she occupied was filthy and unkempt, practically brimming with the refuse and years of neglect. All around her were goblins perched with curious and knowing eyes, staring down and her disheveled and severely undressed form. They were all silent, expectant, waiting. As if waiting for her to jump up and explain herself.

Her face filled with blood and mortification.

"Oh god. That sonofabitch!"