**Every thrill has gone, wasn't too much fun at all.**

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"Hoggle! Thank you! You're a life saver!"

'At last he gave her my peach!' I nearly shouted out loud, but I didn't want to confuse the goblins.

"Take the boy," I commanded as I handed the child to the nearest pair of goblins. Not waiting for a response—or even to verify they knew the boy was in their midst—I immediately transported myself to my bed chamber. No one would be allowed to view Sarah's fantasies besides me.

Moving to the window, I lounged on the sill and began to juggle my crystals between my fingers. It was a relaxing habit of mine, something I did to keep my impatience in check. She should have taken a bite by this time and it would only be a matter of moments before she fell asleep, opening herself to the world of dreams. Once she was fully under my spell, the balls would fill with those dreams; and I would bring her fantasies to life.

I didn't have to wait long.

As the images in the crystals became clear, I was surprised, and slightly disappointed by the amount of fables she had stored away in her memory. With such an inventive mind, I had hoped for something a little more original. That she played the heroine in each of the stories was not surprising – I already knew of her longing for an adventure – what was unexpected was the indication that she identified most with the mild-mannered princesses, locked away by their evil step mothers to slave away. The evil stepmother part I understood, however, I always pictured her as a fighter, a challenger. Her dreams showed that she didn't want to be the rescuer, she wanted to be rescued. Fascinating.

It was Cinderella, with her wicked step siblings, who popped up most often in Sarah's fantasies. She desired to be romanced by a handsome Prince Charming. Yet, the "prince" in her dreams was none other than the Goblin King. I was more than happy to oblige.

One by one, I took my crystals and blew them to her in the form of bubbles on the wind. When she woke from her dream-like state, she would be surrounded by various aspects of her favorite fantasy, the midnight ball with her prince. All she needed to do was see inside the bubble and she would become part of that world.

I could feel it when my crystals were close, could sense her presence. She was light and energy, and my very essence was drawn to her. She was a magnet.

It was only moments before Sarah lost herself in her imagination and in a flash both she and I were transported to her ball. I couldn't help the smirk that came to my face. I had won. She had forgotten the baby. She would not beat the labyrinth.

She would not be queen. But she would be my subject. She had entered into my dream realm and was in my power for all eternity.

I sighed. It was a bittersweet victory, for I truly desired Sarah for my future queen. She was intelligent and entertaining – someone that would keep me amused when the goblins were grating on my nerves. She could be cruel and she could be generous. She was a fighter. I had been certain I had found my match in her, and yet she couldn't pass my test. Once her thirteen hours were up, she would no longer be eligible to be my queen.

I might as well enjoy what little time I had left with her. It was a ball after all. Unbeknownst to her, I froze time to allow myself the indulgence of a true masquerade. One simply could not be enjoyed properly in an hour. What would be minutes for those outside the bubble, would be hours for those within. But once the clock struck midnight, time would be restarted and the thirteen hours would be close to an end. What a pity.

Taking my stand in the center of the room, I waited for Sarah to find me; I was King after all, my subjects come to me, I do not go to them. The mask covering my face partially blocked my view of her as she moved her way through the revelers and I mentally cursed the inconvenience. With regal elegance, I lowered it slowly so that I could behold her beauty. What I saw wiped away all mirth I had felt at her falling into my trap. She took my breath away.

Her ball gown was made of the purest white silk; underscoring her innocence amongst my lascivious party guests. Yet her hair, her jewelry, and her make up were done in such a way that it was difficult to remember her youth. She was no longer the child she had been when she first began her quest—she had matured into a woman. My bride—if things had worked out in her favor.

And yet she was young. She wasn't quite ready for the adult world of her fantasies – the darker side of the ballroom that she hadn't known she desired. She looked around, lost and uncertain of herself; a child playing dress up, but not sure exactly what to do.

Our eyes met across the crowded dance floor and I watched as Sarah's countenance changed. No longer uncertain, she stared back at me with boldness, caught up in the moment. My heart surged. Her eyes were pale jewels and I found myself wanting to make all her wishes come true right then and there – I'd give her the sky if that was her desire.

She outshone all the other women in the room and it was my right to dance with her, but I held back, allowing her the opportunity to consciously realize that she wanted to dance with me. I was the man of her dreams. I wanted her to chase me for a change.

As a guest moved past me, I transported myself across the room, delighting in her confused expression. She immediately began craning her neck, searching this way and that for a glimpse of me. The chase had begun.

What she was searching for was a new dream. She no longer remembered her brother; she wanted to find her prince. She longed for a love that would last for all time. I would make her wait just a little while longer, make her feel just an ounce of the heartache I had felt since I first discovered my (as of yet) unrequited love for her.

As various women intercepted me for a dance, sometimes several at once, my eyes were constantly drawn back to Sarah. I watched her interact with the other guests. It was obvious that she was uncomfortable with their salacious actions. She wanted her hero to rescue her from their lewdness.

And I wanted to give her the moon—but not yet.

It amused me to watch her look for me. She couldn't make sense of why she couldn't find me, even though at one point we separated merely by a large feathered fan. That she was so unobservant nearly made me want to laugh. And yet, some of the enjoyment was missing – I wanted to be there for her.

I watched as many of my guests leered at her. She was enchanting and it didn't surprise me that they would want to touch her. She was pure and virtuous – something they did not get to witness often. But it did make me angry. She was my Sarah and I would not allow them to mar her innocence.

It was time to end my charade. She began to push and shove her way through the crowd and, as she turned around, I finally allowed her to see me. I was dancing with two other women; she needed to see that I was desired and have the opportunity to feel a little envious of their position.

She froze as our eyes met once more. Though I was virtually a stranger to her, she knew me. She was drawn to me just as I was to her. This time I would give in to her desires. I would be her Prince Charming. I would paint her mornings of gold and spin her valentine evenings. I would romance her. I would save her.

She wanted me. I was her hero.

My hands encircled her waist firmly as I collected my prize. When I had granted her deepest fantasy, I had simply wished to win a game. But now she was here in my arms and all I could think about was how right it felt. She should be my queen.

For a moment I forgot about the labyrinth, forgot about the game. I simply entranced myself in her eyes as she was in mine. We waltzed around the ballroom, never breaking eye contact. I could see into her soul. "But I'll be there for you as the world falls down," I sang to her, allowing the words to flow forth from my heart. It was just she and I, choosing a path between the stars; falling in love.

Then the clock chimed.

I watched her look around in confusion. Of course her fantasy would end when the clock struck midnight – that was when Cinderella ran away. Damn her lack of creativity!

I tried to keep her focused on my eyes, focused on our perfect fit, but it was too late. The story was already coming to a conclusion. She struggled out of my arms and to the side of my ballroom bubble, looking for anything she could use to escape. A nearby chair became her weapon of choice and I watched in frustration as she broke the crystal walls and fled from her dream world, thrusting me back into my bedroom.

Sighing, I slowly walked back to the throne room. Of course, she wouldn't get her memory back, she wouldn't remember to go looking for the baby, but I had hoped to spend the last hour with her as a princess – as a potential queen – before she became a mere commoner.

My heart ached as I realized that she was not the one for whom I had been waiting. She was not my equal. And yet I loved her. How was that possible? The labyrinth was designed so that only the person that I truly loved could defeat it. I had never loved anyone the way I loved her. She should be able to defeat it!

In my frustration, I kicked a few of the goblins that littered the pathway between the door and my throne. It didn't cheer me up as I had anticipated. I glowered as I sat and thought some more.

She could not be my queen, but I could still watch over her, could still offer her help when she needed it. After all, she was baby Jareth's sister. As sister to the heir to the throne she deserved some sort of special treatment.

Tapping the riding crop against my boot, I turned and surveyed my throne room. There were so many goblins littering the floor that you could not yawn without hitting a couple. How I had wanted a human companion with whom to share this throne room. The baby will be nice, but it will be years before he is even remotely capable of carrying on a conversation with me. I wanted a female companion, someone young and intelligent, who I could mold into adulthood so that when she was old enough, she would become the perfect bride.

Ugh! I had to stop thinking of Sarah. "You there!" I commanded, pointing to one of the female goblins that was chasing a chicken around the stone fountain in the middle of my throne room. "Where's the baby? Bring him to me."

She bowed away from me and opened a hidden door in the corner. The goblins had made a makeshift nursery for him when he seemed tired and had laid him down for a nap. Thankfully, he was an easy riser.

He was all smiles as she handed him over and I immediately felt better. I began to look forward to spending my days with the little chap. "In fifteen minutes, you'll be mine." I told him. He was a smart child, it wouldn't be long before he was ordering these goblins around himself.

He really did look a lot like me, which was as it should be. "You are a handsome little boy, aren't you?" I cooed. His answering laugh brought a smile to my face.

"Your Highness! Your Highness!" yelled one of my goblin guards as he came storming into my throne room. I looked up and acknowledged his presence with the smile still on my face – his boisterousness would not irritate me with the baby on my lap.

"Your Highness! The girl! The girl who ate the peach and forgot everything!"

Away went the smile. Why did he have to bring her up again, just when I was enjoying the thought of baby Jareth? "What of her?"

"She's here with the monster and Sir Didymus and the dwarf who works for you! They've got through the gates and they're on their way to the castle!"

"What!" It was impossible! Could she really have found her way out of my spell so completely?

A large part of me hoped that she truly would make it to the end, would be able to complete the labyrinth, but there was a section of me that remembered the baby in my arms – the new dreams that I had begun to cultivate. I wasn't sure I was ready to give him up yet.

"Stop her!" I yelled. "Call out the guards! Take the baby and hide it!" I commanded, handing him to one of the goblins. "She must be stopped! Do something! Come on…Move! Move!"

She only had twelve minutes left. She would never make it through the goblin city and find her baby brother in time. Would she?

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A/N – My sincerest apologies for taking so long to get this chapter up. I once heard it said that procrastination is a sign of perfectionism since a perfectionist holds off on starting things because they will never be as good as they imagine. Well, I am a closet perfectionist. I love the ballroom scene so much that I didn't want to ruin it and it took me forever to sit down and write this out. I still don't think I did it justice, but I did my best. Don't shoot me!

One thing that bothers me in many of the fan fictions I see on here is they make Jareth singing the entire song to her, but I always got the impression that she was in that ballroom for a long time. It seemed like the song was more thoughts he was having throughout the evening until they got together for their "final" dance before the clock struck midnight. Then he sings to her. So that is what I did here. I hope you liked it.

Anyway, hopefully I won't take so long on my next chapter—though the "victory scene" is my 2nd favorite scene…

Also, just so you know, the next chapter is not going to be my last—I intend to have several chapters AFTER the conclusion of the movie…it did not conclude right in my opinion ;-).

Hope you like this. Please review!!!