Author's Note: Thank you again to everyone who has read and reviewed the story so far. Reviews and constructive criticism make me happy :)

Usual apologise for mistakes and standard disclaimers apply. I own nothing that you recognise and I make no money from it whatsoever. It's all just for fun.

Jareth sat in his study, his legs draped languidly over the arm of his elegant chair and his eyes fixed on a crystal in his hands. The image inside the magical sphere was not that of his beloved Sarah, however, it was that of her husband. Ever since Sarah had arrived, he had looked in on the mortal, curious as to how he was taking the sudden disappearance of his wife. To his great surprise, he seemed unaffected, and went about his daily routine without an ounce of concern for the beautiful brunette whom had taken up residence in the Queen's chambers of the Goblin Castle. In fact, he had, on more than one occasion, returned home with another woman and proceeded to spend the night with her in the bed he had shared with Sarah. Anger burned within the Goblin King and he contemplated paying the vile mortal a visit, but he was sure that his Sarah would disapprove of him taking drastic action against her husband without her prior knowledge and so he restrained himself and remained in the Underground.

Bored of watching the unfaithful human, he began to move the sphere from hand to hand in a manner that appeared entirely effortless. To him, it was. It was a skill he had mastered as a young boy, when he would perform in front of his parents' High Court, and now it was a force of habit as he lost himself in thought. He began to wonder how long Sarah intended to stay in the Underground and if he would be able to convince her to make it a permanent arrangement. He still hoped to make her his wife and queen. However, judging from the day's events, that might be harder than he had initially hoped; as soon as it seemed that they were getting closer to one another, she would run. He had thoroughly enjoyed their exchanges over breakfast, but the events that had unfolded in the library were disconcerting. He wondered how long it would be before her chambers were no longer sanctuary enough for her and she would ask him to return her Aboveground.

Standing from his position behind his desk, Jareth vanished the crystal from existence and stepped over to the large window, which looked out over one of the numerous castle gardens and his labyrinth beyond. The sky was dark and littered with glistening stars, the air was crisp and fresh and the heat of the day no more than a memory. He stepped up onto the stone ledge and in the blink of an eye changed into his owl form, taking flight from the room and out towards the outer walls of the wild maze.

Sarah watched him from her balcony. She watched as he dipped and dived, soaring over his kingdom as though he hadn't a care in the world. She longed to be as carefree as he appeared from her vantage point. She wondered how it would feel to take flight as he did, to experience such freedom that gravity denied her in her human form. She sighed to herself and leaned back against the castle exterior, her legs stretched out in front of her along the low wall that edged the balcony. She was sure that if Gretel were still around, she would tell her to get down, but Sarah was beyond caring about such matters. Her thoughts returned home as she began to play with the end of her braid, which she had pulled over her shoulder.

Were her family worried about her? Was there a police investigation being carried out as she lived out her days in another world? Was time even the same here as it was there?

She knew Jareth had the power to re-order time and that the hours she had spent here last time had hardly mattered back at home, but she was unsure if that was just a trick for people who ran the Labyrinth. She suddenly felt a strong tug of guilt. What sort of worry had she caused by wishing herself away? She needed to know.

"What have I done?" she asked aloud, as though enquiring of the stars that twinkled peacefully in the night sky, but no reply came from them.

A flutter of wings caused her to turn her head and she watched as the familiar barn owl she had observed from afar perched along the wall from where she sat. It cocked its head slightly, as though studying her.

"I know it's you, Jareth," Sarah told the owl, waiting for him to change back into his usual form. The owl, however, stayed as it was. Sarah sighed again. "Did you enjoy your flight?"

The bird hooted softly.

"Should I take that as a 'yes'?"

All she got was another hoot in reply and she rolled her eyes slightly, going back to her thoughts. The bird continued to study her, his beautiful eyes as mismatched as when he was in his fae form.

"When did my life become so complicated?" she mused aloud, though more to herself than her companion.

The owl hooted again. Sarah looked back at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Y'know, conversation usually works better when both parties are speaking in the same language, Fluffball."

"Excuse me? What did you just call me, Precious?"

Sarah didn't even flinch as the Goblin King resumed his fae appearance, instead she feigned interest in the state of her fingernails.

"You heard me," she smiled innocently up at him.

He raised an eyebrow, then took a seat by Sarah's feet on the wall. Sarah followed him with her gaze, then looked serious again, no longer wanting to play games.

"Jareth, I need to ask you something."

"And what might you have need to ask me?" he enquired, curious.

"How much time has passed back in the Aboveground since I left there and arrived here?"

"There's little difference, though time is all relative, Sarah."

"So this is the fourth night I've been away from home?"

He nodded.

"What about when I ran the Labyrinth? You gave me thirteen hours and yet I was home before midnight."

He smiled slightly at that,

"My dear, I gave you less than the initial thirteen hours and I told you back then; I re-ordered time, for you."

She nodded, looking at her hands in her lap.

"Could you - I mean, would you be able to - could I -" she took a deep breath then looked up at him. "Jareth, could you possibly take me to see my family so that I can explain what's going on? I don't want them to worry when they find out that I'm not at home with..."

She looked down again, this time playing with her engagement and wedding bands, a habit that had become more and more common over the past couple of days.

"I could," he replied, though she became wary of the tone in his voice. Jareth watched her for a moment before speaking again. "However, I would like to ask something of you in return."

Sarah swallowed, unsure of what he was about to ask of her. Finally, she found her voice, her eyes fixed on his,

"What do you want from me?"

"I would like to know what happened to cause you to wish yourself away to the goblins."

Whatever she had expected, that wasn't it. Slightly taken aback, she nodded, slowly.

"I suppose you deserve that much from me."

"Sarah, I only ask because I cannot help you if I don't know what's going on in that head of yours. And I'm not stupid. I know something happened to you, to change you so."

"What do you mean?"

"Please, Sarah, do not insult me. You know as well as I do that there's a fire inside of you that something...someone has tried to extinguish. What happened to that beautiful, stubborn girl I remember so fondly?"

"You need your head seeing to, Goblin King," Sarah shook her head, though he didn't miss the gentle tug of a smile at the corners of her mouth. Perhaps their games weren't completely forgotten.

"I don't think so, Sarah, dearest," he argued, though he didn't sound angry or even hurt. "Now, are you going to clear this up for me?"

She watched him for a moment then looked up towards the stars, her head back against the wall,

"Where do I start?"

"The beginning usually works," he replied, gently resting a hand on hers. She returned her gaze to her hands, this time covered by his, and she linked their fingers as she had that morning. She found the contact comforting.

"I suppose I should fill you in on everything that happened after I left here," she mused, raising her head so that she was looking him in the eye. "After you left, that is, after you returned Toby and I home, a lot of things sort of clicked into place. I realised just how much of a selfish brat I had been, especially since Dad married my step-mother and they had Toby. I started to help out more often with him and stopped complaining when they asked me to look after him." She paused for a moment, her eyes fixed on his. "We're a lot closer now than I ever think we would have been if I hadn't wished him away, so I can't regret what I did. I also realised that everything you said to me at the end was true; you had been generous and I hope that you don't think that I don't realise how generous you have been by letting me stay here, especially after ten years and not so much as a 'Hi Goblin King, just wanted to check how that Labyrinth of yours is' from me."

She stopped as she realised that she had begun to ramble, her words almost tripping over one another. She looked back at their hands, squeezing his gently with her own.

"I really appreciate everything you've done for me."

"Well, that's good to know. I'd hate to think my generosity was lost on you again," he teased. Sarah was about to say something, but then realised he was joking as she moved her gaze upwards and saw his smile. She breathed a gentle sigh of relief and then continued with her story.

"Anyway, after everything that happened that night, I finished high school and went to college, where I studied English. I never forgot this place, even though I tried to convince myself it was all a dream. I think part of me always knew I was trying to kid myself. Whenever I had the chance, I would write about it, even if it was just a quick scribble in the margin of whatever I was supposed to be doing," she rolled her eyes slightly as she remembered just how often she would find random sentences running alongside her lecture notes or her draft assignments. "One of my tutors was really impressed with my stories and helped me to get them published, they started out in a kids' magazine that one of the local libraries put together, and then later I was taken on by a proper publisher and I had my first book in bookshops just after I graduated."

She looked at him, waiting for his reaction, but his face gave nothing away. If he was impressed, he wasn't showing it.

"None of that explains you wishing yourself away Sarah," he said seriously.

"No, I know," she looked down at their hands again and bit her bottom lip slightly before continuing. "While I was at college, I met this guy. His name was Bryan, well is, and he used to come into this little coffee shop that I'd go to when I was writing. The first time I saw him, he was with a group of other guys, but he noticed me as he was looking around and smiled at me. I thought nothing of it, until he came back a few days later, this time alone, and asked if he could buy me a coffee. He had such beautiful chocolate brown eyes and messy dark hair," she had an almost dreamy look in her eyes as she remembered the first proper encounter she'd had with the man who was to become her husband.

"Spare me the details, Precious," Jareth drawled, sounding bored and just a little bit desperate to get away from the subject of the mortal boy's more positive attributes. Sarah raised an amused eyebrow.

"Jealous, Your Majesty?"

"Not in the slightest, my dear," there was almost the hint of a growl behind his words and she giggled slightly. The look in his eyes betrayed him as she searched them intently, leaning towards him slightly.

"You shouldn't be," she insisted, her smile fading to be replaced by a more sombre expression, sitting herself back against the wall, the previously dreamy look now gone from her face as she continued her story. "We dated until I graduated and then he asked me to marry him. Looking back I think it was just a possession thing. I wasn't sure about what I wanted to do after graduation. I didn't have anything lined up job-wise, apart from the part-time job I'd had waitressing at home during the holidays. My publisher hadn't asked about me writing anything else, so I didn't want to pin all my hopes on that working out beyond where it already had. Anyway, after Bryan proposed, he also asked me to move in with him rather than going home. Dad approved and so did Karen, in fact I think she was a bit jealous. She thought Bryan was 'such a nice young man' and would be good for me, she was always flirting with him whenever the two of them met. Karen thought my obsession with fantasy and fairytales was unhealthy and that having a boyfriend and then, even better, a fiancé would be good for me, that it would make me grow up," she sighed slightly. "The following summer we were married. I was writing again by that point and Bryan was working towards a promotion in his company. We had plenty of money to keep up with the rent and pay the bills and we moved into this little house just outside of the city," Sarah swallowed as she remembered the early days of her marriage. "Everything seemed so perfect."

"Did you love him?" Jareth asked, unable to help himself.

"Of course I did!" she snapped, her eyes blazing. "Do you think I would have married him if I didn't?"

Quickly moving from her seated position, Sarah tore her hands from his, and crossed the balcony in a few steps, stopping as far from the Goblin King as she could, her arms folded tightly over her chest.

"Sarah, I didn't -"

"What were you expecting Jareth? For me to have just settled because he gave me some attention? And why do you presume that I don't still love him? At least his proposal didn't include the phrase 'fear me, love me, do as I say'!"

"Well perhaps it should!" He stood from his position on the balcony wall and drew himself up to his full height. "Then you might have at least realised what you were letting yourself in for!"

Her eyes were wide and glistening now, fear and shock mixed in with the anger that had been building within her. She found herself with her back up against the edge of the doorway that led back into her chambers. Composing herself, she looked him straight in the eye.

"How much of this story do you already know Jareth?" she asked, her voice unnaturally calm. "Be honest with me. How much have you already figured out for yourself?"

"Sarah, Precious -" he stepped forward, his voice no longer holding any hint of a threat towards her, but she held out a hand to keep him from her.

"Don't 'Precious' me, Jareth!" she snapped, her voice finally rising again. "I'm not 'your Sarah' or your 'Precious' because unfortunately for you and, as it happens, for me I'm a married woman! Now, tell me the truth! What do you already know about my life before I wished myself away from there?"

"Sarah," he tried to get closer again, her hand pressing against his chest as he did so, but his arms were longer than hers and he rested his hands gently on her shoulders, looking into her eyes. "I know more than I'm sure you want me to. I know more than I want me to, believe me. I know what he put you through. I know that he did it time and again and every time he promised he wouldn't do it again. But what I don't know and what I have spent so long trying to understand is, why didn't you call me sooner? Why did you let that worthless mortal reduce you to someone neither of us recognises?"

"Because I didn't know if you would come!"

The tears were now streaming down Sarah's cheeks and she didn't push him away or move as he gently wiped them away, his eyes filled with a deep sadness. He knew only too well that she had tried to convince herself that everything that happened in those thirteen hours when she was a mere girl of fifteen were a dream. Even him. And how often do dreams come to save you, even when you wish for them with all your heart?

"Why didn't you come for me sooner?" she finally asked, her voice barely more than a whisper. "If you knew what I was suffering at his hand, why didn't you come save me before it got so bad that I saw no reason to even care anymore? I needed you."

"I couldn't," his voice was quiet and remorseful. "And even if I could, what would you have said if I had? You wouldn't've wanted to hear that I'd been looking in on you since you won back Toby and left this place. In fact, I've got the distinct feeling you'd tell me to disappear, leave you alone and stop watching you."

"I - you're probably right," she admitted quietly, as she moved her arms around his waist and closed her eyes, her cheek against his chest.

"Yes, I probably am," he agreed, kissing the top of her head softly as he held her close to him, slightly surprised, but not disappointed by her reaction.

"And so modest with it," she quipped, her voice slightly muffled by his shirt and the exhaustion that so often follows the outlet of such strenuous emotional turmoil.

"I don't think anyone ever accused me of being modest, my precious Sarah," he smiled slightly as he felt her tighten her hold on him.

"No, I don't suppose they would."

A comfortable silence bestowed itself upon the two of them as they stood together in the the moonlight, neither willing to let go of the other.

"You've been watching me?" she enquired after a few minutes, though there was nothing accusing in her tone.

"I have," he nodded, still keeping her close.

"Why?"

"Do you really need to ask that?"

"No," she admitted. She knew why he had watched her, it was the same reason she dreamed of him so often.

He stood with her for a while longer, listening to her breathing as it slowly returned to normal. "I think, perhaps, it is time that you got some sleep, Sarah. This evening has been rather emotional, to say the least."

"Not yet," she shook her head ever so slightly as she stayed close to him, reluctant to even think about letting go.

"Sarah, you still need rest," he beseeched, gently, his arms still around her.

"I know. I will," she replied, but still stayed holding onto him, as though afraid he might not be real and if she let go he might vanish. "Jareth?"

"Yes, Precious?"

"Will you stay?" she looked up at him, her eyes pleading with him. "I don't want to be alone. Please."

He considered for a moment and then nodded.

"Of course, Sarah. I'm not going anywhere."

She smiled and stood up on her tiptoes, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you."

With that, she let go of him and made her way back into her bedroom. Picking up her nightgown as she went, she continued through to the adjoining bathroom and closed the door behind her.

By the time Sarah emerged again, Jareth had settled himself on her bed, his back propped against the intricately carved headboard with a number of plush pillows. He was wearing black silk pyjamas bottoms, which hung loosely from his hips, nothing like the tight breeches she had seen him in before. He also wore a deep purple silk dressing gown, embellished with gold embroidery and left open to allow her a view of his perfectly formed chest and stomach. On the nightstand beside him, there were two crystal goblets of golden liquid, which shimmered in the candlelight coming from around the room. Sarah assumed the torches and candles around the castle were lit and extinguished by magic, as she hadn't heard anyone come in to light them during the course of the evening. Jareth watched her as she approached the bed and carefully pulled back the silk sheets before sitting beside him.

"Still want me to stay?" he enquired gently, not wanting her to feel like she couldn't change her mind after having had time to think as she readied herself for bed.

Sarah nodded and Jareth held out one of the goblets to her.

"Drink this," he told her, watching her as she considered the golden liquid, her delicate fingers wrapping themselves around the vessel. "It'll help you to sleep."

"What is it?" she asked, as she lifted it to her nose to take in the spicy aroma.

"Just a local spirit. It'll help, I promise."

"Trying to get me drunk?" she teased quietly, her eyes observing him over the rim.

"Not on this occasion, no, Precious."

"Oh, but you might in the future?" she raised an eyebrow as she lifted the goblet to her lips.

"It's not on my immediate agenda."

"Good," she smiled and slowly sipped the drink in her hands. It had a similar effect to that of her father's favourite whisky, she could feel it warming her as she swallowed it and it trickled down her throat. The liquid was sweet, with a slightly spicy aftertaste, which she found to be quite enjoyable and she soon settled herself back on the pillows and cushions, her head against Jareth's shoulder.

They sat together in companionable silence as they both drank their drinks. Jareth gently unbraided Sarah's hair with his free hand and ran his fingers through her dark brown tresses. To his surprise, she didn't question him, verbally or otherwise. In fact, she was enjoying the feel of his fingers as they gently combed through her locks and down her arm. She cuddled up closer to him and closed her eyes, her goblet now empty in her hand. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so content and relaxed in another's arms and she silently hoped that it would not be the last time that the Goblin King held her so tenderly.

Jareth waited until he was sure that Sarah was asleep before removing the empty goblet from her fingers and then settling them both down in the bed, pulling the sheets up over both of them. Finally he was about to spend the night with his beautiful Sarah safely in his arms; where nothing and no-one could harm her.

Sarah found herself standing on the edge of a very familiar ballroom, dressed in a very familiar ball-gown. Why she couldn't change the dream dress she could never fathom. Surely her twenty-five year old psyche wouldn't choose the same meringue her fifteen year old self had imagined. She began to search the crowd for those familiar mismatched eyes that she longed for so dearly. She caught a flash of blue out of the corner of her eye and spun around. He was playing with her, the way he often did, that's how it went.

That was the way the game worked.

Those were the rules.

She continued to seek him out from among the mocking gentry around her, getting more and more frustrated by the second. She wanted to be in those arms again, his arms. Finally, a hand on her waist announced his presence behind her and she turned into him, one hand finding his shoulder, the other clasped in the one that wasn't at her waist.

She smiled and they danced together through the crowds and he serenaded her with those same words that he always did, to that same tune that had haunted her since her last venture into the Labyrinth. But, unlike that first dance, she did not run, there was no screaming toddler for her to save, she was free to finish the dance and as they came to a stop, she reached up and kissed him. His lips were so soft against hers, his hands so gentle on her back as he held her close. She lost herself in that perfect kiss.

And then someone pulled at her arm, tearing her from her King's grasp.

"You bitch!"

The hand around her wrist was tight and painful and the voice, although unexpected, was terrifyingly familiar.

"No!" she wailed. She didn't have to think twice to know that voice. That cruel, heartless voice. The voice of her husband.

"You little whore!"

His hand met her cheek with such force that she crumpled to the ground, her gown pooling around her, crimson staining the snow white silk.

"You're mine, Sarah!"

Before her mind could comprehend just what was going on, he was on top of her, his hands working to move her skirts up. The surrounding crowd were laughing at her humiliation as she tried and failed to fight him off her.

"No! Stop it! Bryan, stop it! I don't want this! Please, no!"

"No!" she whimpered, lashing out in her sleep, her hand hitting something solid, something flesh, but she was still lost to her nightmare.

Jareth winced slightly as she hit him in the chest, her engagement ring catching his skin and causing a thin red line to appear against his otherwise immaculate complexion.

"No! No! Please…" she whimpered again, now almost sobbing in her sleep.

He gently gathered her in his arms and held her close, trying to keep her from harming herself, or him any further.

"Sarah, Precious, it's alright, I've got you," he whispered soothingly in her ear. He kissed her temple tenderly, keeping his arms tightly around her as he waited for the nightmare to subside. He rocked her gently and began to sing softly.

"…As the pain sweeps through, makes no sense for you. Every thrill is gone. Wasn't too much fun at all. But I'll be there for you, as the world falls down…"

"Jareth?"

He looked down as Sarah's timid voice interrupted him and although the only light in the room now came from the stars outside, he could still see how scared and desperate she was as she searched for his eyes in the darkness.

"Yes, Sarah, it's me. I'm still here. I've not left your side," he tried to reassure her as she turned in his arms and held him close.

"Yes you did," she muttered quietly, her cheek resting against his smooth chest.

"I can assure you that I didn't, Sarah," he replied and kissed her hair softly. "Why would you think that I did?"

"In my dream. He came and you left me to fight him off, but I couldn't and he - he -"

Before she could finish, he cut her off with a soft finger against her lips and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. He didn't need to ask whom she was referring to. He knew.

"It wasn't real Sarah, it was just a dream, he cannot hurt you. I promise," he lifted her chin so that she was looking at him in the darkness. "And I will do everything in my power to make sure he can never hurt you again. I swear to you."

He rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes and keeping her close. She closed her own, breathing in his sweet, spicy scent.

"Don't leave me," she pleaded quietly.

"Never," he promised and kissed her forehead softly, resting his cheek against her hair as he held her in his arms. "I'll be there, even as the world falls down."