Author's Note: eeek, I never meant to leave this one for so long... HOPEFULLY weekly updates for a bit from now on! Thank you for reading!

Sarah was surprised for many reasons.

For one, she hadn't been expecting to be back here, although she wasn't even sure where she had been expecting to go.

Secondly, she was surprised to see Jareth in general. She hadn't made a wish, at least, not one that she had realized she was making.

But even still, wouldn't her wish have been something along the lines of helping her get ready for her presentation? Or maybe even getting a promotion without having to give a presentation. Or using goblin magic to make it go easier somehow, or to calm her nerves. But certainly not to be whisked away in the middle of the night in her bathrobe to the castle in the center of the Labyrinth.

The first thing she did once she realized where she was was to look up. It was the color of peaches when they fall from the tree, swirled through out with ashen clouds, exactly how it looked on her first arrival. The sun was setting.

Her heart beat a little faster.

"What did you need my help with?" she secretly hoped against hope that it was something involved, something that would be an excuse to stay here a while and forget her Aboveground worries, even though she knew she would have to go up there again at some point.

He sighed wearily.

"Well, it's a very long story, you see. It might take a while to explain." he frowned. "And you're probably quite tired what with me dragging you out of bed at some nonsense hour with barely a chance to change. I can send for some proper clothes for you from town, it shan't take too long. Come inside, now." he ushered her into the castle.

Before closing the front door he sent a crystal floating off towards the Goblin Market.

"The order for your clothes should get there soon." he closed and latched the doors. "And I think it's far past your bedtime. I did consider waiting to summon you until morning, but I felt you weren't likely to hear me over the blender making your morning smoothie. Follow me. Now, we aren't in a rush for anything happening up there because time moves differently in the Underground. So I want to relax for right now, take a rest, and you wake up, I will explain everything."

He had led her to a small, cozy room in the shape of a hexagon. There was a fireplace burning low on one wall, and a window on the wall to right. Opposite the fireplace was a bed stacked tall with soft looking blankets and pillows. There was a vanity on another wall and one wall had nothing but shelves with curious objects.

"You'll find an amulet in the box on the vanity, you can hang it over the door if you wish to lock it. Is there anything else you need for now?"

"No, I'm good." she looked around her new room.

"I'll see you in the morning, then." he turned to leave. "And Sarah... Thank you for coming."

He was gone before she could reply.

She was actually more tired than she cared to admit.

Her Aboveground worries slipped to the back of her mind and thoughts of sleep consumed her. She hung the amulet, which was shaped like a tiny lock, over the door and slid into the bed, which was even more comfortable than it looked.

She slept deeply and dreamlessly, better than she had in a long time. When she awoke, pale sunlight was filtering through the leaded glass window. She stretched her arms out and yawned. A tiny knock came at the door. She got up to answer it.

It was a small goblin wearing a bright pink dress with a large bow in her hair. She curtseyed and handed Sarah a stack of clothing before scurrying away. Sarah closed the door after she was gone and looked over the clothes.

When she was finished dressing, she stood in front of the vanity and ran her fingers through her hair as a makeshift brush. When she was pleased with her appearance, she opened her door to find another goblin there, leaning up against the wall and dozing off until he saw Sarah.

"King wants to come this way." he started off down the hallway.

She followed him to another room where she found Jareth. The goblin wandered off.

"Feeling more rested?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Come walk with me in the courtyard." he led her to a door.

The courtyard seemed to be in the middle of the castle, with walls around every edge of it though it had no roof so the sky was visible. It had a water fountain in the middle of it, and around the edges were flowers and shrubs and small trees and vines growing over lattices. Strain birds were in the trees, singing songs the likes of which Sarah had never heard before. The air was sweetly scented.

"It's beautiful!" Sarah exclaimed, unable to contain herself.

"I"m glad you think so. Unfortunately, if certain others get their way, it won't be here for long." he sighed.

They strolled through the garden, looking at the flowers.

"It's quite a long history, but I shall do my best to keep it brief. In short, the goblin kingdom is danger of being annexed by force by neighbouring kingdoms. Try as I might my pleas have fallen on deaf ears thus far. We've come down to two final options - either we manage to convince them at the next High Court, or we face war."

"What can I do?"

"You can help me convince the other sovereigns at the High Court. There's only myself to speak for this kingdom, I have no co-rulers or heirs - there's the goblins, of course, but the Court absolutely refuses to hear from them. They consider them too far beneath them." he frowned. "A kingdom comprised entirely of them serves no purpose, they say. They intend to ship them off to other lands as servants and workers, and I cannot let that happen to them. They have just as much right to live their lives how they choose as the Sidhe do. But a war will not bode well for us. I wish to curtail this while we still have the chance."

"I want to help." Sarah was determined. She couldn't stand the thought of the poor goblins having to leave their homes and become slaves to other beings in this realm. "But Jareth, if they won't listen to you, what makes you think they'll listen to me? I'm just a human, does my word even hold any weight any here?"

"They view me as reckless and flighty - part of the reason why my rule is over goblins only. Currently all they have is unsavoury me and unworthy goblins to speak up for this kingdom. But you - a fresh voice, a new set of eyes - you just might have a chance to get through to them. Humans here aren't so unusual as you might believe, there a few of them who have left their mortal lives behind to dwell here on this plane. I'll even point them out to you when we see them at High Court."

He paused.

"You will come with me to the High Court, won't you Sarah?"

"Yes." she was resolute.

"Excellent." he grinned. "Oh Sarah, I do so wish your first High Court had been under better circumstances, but I do feel you'll enjoy it anyway. Before we begin the heavy lifting, however, we have some other matters to attend to first."

They went to the goblin together. Jareth wanted fresh groceries for Sarah's visit, and she was eager to see more of the city than had the last time she was there. She couldn't help but giggle at the various goblins who, upon seeing Jareth, would scurry up to him and curtsy or bow. The goblins looked so serious about it, and Jareth was so nonchalant about it all that it proved a comic scene to watch.

The market itself was composed of varying sizes of booths and stalls and wagons. While some of the food made Sarah question if it was even edible, some of it looked absolutely delicious and made her eyes glint as she remembered a certain poem from her childhood - "sweet to tongue and sound to eye".

When they had purchased enough food they stopped by the tailor to pick up Sarah's new wardrobe - four dresses, three pairs of pants, five tunics, and a large basketful of various other articles.

"Oh, Jareth, this is too much."

"Nonsense. It's the least we can do for you, after you so kindly dropped everything to come help us. Your outfit for High Court will take a little longer, so it will be delivered a while later."

He tossed some coins to the goblins he had enlisted to carry the clothing to the castle.

They made small talk on the way back. Sarah tried to include the goblins who were carrying their bags and luggage in the conversation, but they seemed far too star-stuck by Jareth to respond very much - only one would answer, and only with monosyllables.

When they arrived at the castle Sarah took her new clothes to her room and Jareth took the food into the kitchen. The goblins had left, and after hanging up the dresses and leaving the basket at the foot of her bed, she met Jareth in his library.

She sat down in the plush chair across from his own. A small fire burned in the fireplace and the lighting from above seemed to come from source in particular. A little table was between them, on which he had set two teacups with a sweet smelling drink in them.

"Well then." he sighed. "Let us begin."