Reagan walked the halls of the castle, taking the tenth wrong turn in as many minutes. She'd been at the castle for nearly two weeks, and still hadn't learned her way around. It didn't help that the goblins, who were so fond of pranks, seemed to take extra pleasure from getting her turned around. It seemed to be their new favorite game. She was certain that this corridor was one that she'd never seen before.

Now where do I go?

Going back the way she came would be no help, since she was lost when she found the corridor. She decided to follow it and see where it took her. Hopefully to someplace she recognized. It continued on for several more feet, until it ended at a door. Reagan tried it, and found it unlocked.

Here goes nothin'.

Taking a deep breath, and hoping she wasn't about to open some torture chamber, she pushed the door open and stepped inside. She was greeted by a circular staircase, and she followed it up, until she thought her legs might give way. At long last, she finally reached the top, and found herself in a tower room. It was decorated with warm rugs, and a large, overstuffed chair. A chaise lounge was pushed up against one window, and large cushions littered the floor. A fire glowed in the fireplace. It looked as though someone had been here recently.

"Jareth?"

She hadn't seen him all day, which was unusual. Since she'd agreed to act as a companion, he'd spent a few hours of every day with her. Receiving no response, she moved to one of the windows and looked out. This had to be the best view, by far, of the labyrinth.

It was absolutely breathtaking, but she still couldn't look at it without feeling a surge of anger. She would freely admit that her life here was not terrible, but she shouldn't be here. If that blasted Labyrinth hadn't decided it wanted to keep her, she would have made it to the castle in plenty of time to save both Cole and herself.

Reagan was suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of sadness, and she couldn't determine where it was coming from.

What's going on?

She was flooded with images, impressions, and she clung to the windowsill, trying to stay upright. She turned only when she heard the flapping of wings, and a barn owl flew in through the window. As she watched, the owl transformed, until she was staring at Jareth. At the same time, she was hit with another wave of emotion, one she couldn't decipher, and she gripped the windowsill again. Jareth saw the tears falling freely.

"Reagan, what's wrong?"

"I don't know."

"How did you get in here?"

"I was lost, and found the door. Please, what's going on?"

Jareth approached her cautiously, removing his gloves.

"May I?"

At her nod, he gently took her face in his hands, and mentally probed. The Labyrinth was calling her, and she couldn't process it. He immediately severed the connection, sending a mental warning through the Labyrinth not to try it again. She wasn't ready for that.

"Better?"

"What was that? It was so sad."

He conjured a handkerchief and handed it to her. She hadn't realized she was crying. She took it and hastily wiped her face.

"That was the Labyrinth. When you're not accustomed to it, it can be overwhelming."

"I've never felt anything like it. Are you saying—is it sentient? Is that what you meant when you said you weren't controlling it while I ran it?"

"Yes. It's sentient. And for some reason, it's decided that it likes you, which is why it trapped you. Now, did you say you found the door to this room?"

"Yes. I was lost again. I swear, I'm never going to learn my way around here. What is this place?"

"It's my retreat. Where I come to get away from everything. It's an excellent take off point when I fly."

"I'm sorry to have disturbed it. I won't bother you here again, hopefully."

He was concerned that she'd managed to get in at all. That door was enspelled, so that no one but Jareth could enter. Certainly not a simple human. And another thing; no mortal was ever to communicate with the Labyrinth. Never, in all his centuries as king, had such a thing occurred. Why Reagan?

"It's not matter. You are welcome here. Now, let me escort you downstairs. It should be nearly dinnertime, and the goblins aren't allowed up here."

"Please, no more stairs. I can't take them again."

Jareth simply smirked and took her hand in his. They were immediately transported to Reagan's sitting room. To avoid having to use the enormous formal dining room, they alternated between their suites for dinner. Tonight was Reagan's turn. The first thing Reagan noticed was that her bedroom door was open. She knew she'd closed it before she left.

"Excuse me a moment."

She left Jareth in the sitting room, and a minute later he heard a loud shriek. He was on his feet and in the bedroom instantly, looking for whatever it was that had scared Reagan. She yelled again, but he saw nothing.

"Reagan, what is it?"

"Those little—I'm going to kill them!"

She was standing beside her dresser, and he noticed that several drawers were open, and they appeared to be empty. If he remembered correctly, he'd sent her personal items to those drawers.

"Your goblins stole my underwear!"

Jareth stifled a laugh. His goblins had decided that they really liked 'The Lady', and he knew they'd taken to watching her, and occasionally finding their way into her rooms. This, however, was not acceptable.

"I'm sorry Reagan. I'll replace it all. I promise."

"Don't replace it, just get it back!"

"Do you really want those things back after the goblins have done who now what with them?"

"Good point."

Still, the thought of the king selecting lingerie for her was a bit unsettling. They were friends, but they were nowhere near close enough for that.

Noise coming from the sitting room alerted them that dinner was ready. Reagan entered the sitting room, and noticed that the goblin setting down the tray was wearing a pair of her underwear as some sort of hat. She really didn't want it back now.

Taking a seat, she looked out her window, and froze. Jareth saw her freeze, and looked out the window. In the courtyard below, a chicken was flying through the air, and a pair of small goblins had a familiar looking garment in their hands.

"Did I just see two goblins using my bra to slingshot a chicken?"

"I'm afraid so."

"That's what I thought."

Unable to control herself any longer, she burst out laughing. Jareth just watched her as he sat. At least she seemed in a better mood now. She was laughing so hard, she fell off the chair and landed on the floor, but still she laughed.. It took several minutes for her to calm down enough to get back into her seat, finally able to eat her food. They ate in companionable silence for about five minutes before Reagan broke it.

"So. You turn into an owl."

"Yes."

"Any other fun parlor tricks I should know about? What exactly are you?"

It had taken her two weeks to ask that question, which had surprised Jareth. He'd expected it much sooner.

"I'm Fae."

"Fae? As in Faerie? As in Oberon and Puck, that kind of Faerie?"

"You know of Oberon?"

"I teach-taught- English Literature. I've read enough Shakespeare. 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is one of my favorites."

"I see. Shakespeare did get a few things right. Oberon was High King of the Fae, until a few centuries ago, when he retired. The current High King is Marek."

She didn't look bored with the history lesson, so he continued.

"There are several other kingdoms in the Underground. The dwarves, centaurs, elves, dragons-"

'Pretty much every fairytale creature?" Reagan interrupted with a smile.

"Pretty much. My sister, Saoirse, is married to Haldrin, king of the Elves. You'll meet them tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? They're coming here tomorrow?"

"We're going there. Haldrin is having a ball, more of a gathering really, and we're attending."

"We are?"

"I thought you might want to see more of the Underground. The Elven lands are beautiful."

"You waited until now to tell me?" she asked, disbelief evident in her voice, "Not even twenty-four hours notice?"

Jareth's eyes narrowed at the tone she took with him. They had so far managed to get along quite well, but he was still king here, and at times would take insult at her lack of respect for the office. No one else in the kingdom would be able to get away with speaking to him as she did. He was also at something of a loss. Why was she so worried?

"Why is it so important?"

Reagan was prepared to completely lay into him, until she saw that he was sincere. He didn't appear to understand that it was too short notice.

"Jareth, you've seen my clothes. Do I have anything even remotely suitable for a ball given by an Elf King?"

"Ah."

In truth, he'd given no thought to the deficiences in Reagan's wardrobe. Until the underwear theft today, he hadn't thought about her clothing at all. It wasn't as if she really had a dress code to keep to here in the Goblin Kingdom. Her jeans and t-shirts were perfectly acceptable when it was just the two of them, which was pretty much all the time. He could understand her point now. He supposed he would be upset if the positions were reversed.

"I'm sorry Reagan. I didn't think about your needing a gown. But if that's all that worries you, I can easily arrange something appropriate. You needn't be concerned."

"Really?"

"Of course."

"Very well then."

It would be good to get away from the Goblin City, and see more of the Underground. And she was interested in meeting Jareth's sister.

"How will we get there?"

"I'm more than capable of transporting us both, Reagan."

He looked affronted, and Reagan bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"Just make sure you're ready to leave in the morning."

"Of course. Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Should I assume that we'll be gone at least overnight?"

"Yes. If you wish, we'll stay a few days. Is that a problem?"

"I have no underwear, thanks to your goblins. And I have a dog. I know the goblins like to play with him, but will he be safe without a referee around?"

Hmm. That could be a problem. For the most part, the goblins were harmless, but Reagan was right to worry about what might happen to the animal with only the goblins to take care of it.

A possible solution came to mind. Didymus. That rather fanciful old fox Jareth had left in charge of defending the rebuilt bridge at the Bog. He would relish a new assignment, especially one that involved "protecting". And the little dog should get along with Ambrosious.

"I think I have someone who would take care of the animal."

"Marly. My dog's name is Marley."

"Someone who will take care of Marley."

He didn't understand why mortals lavished such affection on their pets. It was just a dog, for all that it was rather cute. However, Jareth didn't think it worth arguing over. Especially when she was choosing to take tomorrow's events in stride. Any Fae woman would still be yelling about his failure to give proper notice. Reagan, he'd noticed, tended to adapt to changes fairly well.

He noticed that Reagan had a pained look on her face, and she was holding tightly to the table.

"Reagan?"

He reached out and pushed her lightly, but she still looked away. He removed his glove and touched the side of her face. The Labyrinth was connecting with her again. He immediately broke the connection when he saw tears forming in her eyes. She blinked, and looked over him.

"Thank you."

"Maybe you should get some rest before we leave. Why don't you call it an early night?"

"That's probably a good idea."

She stood, and he rose with her.

"I'm sorry for cutting tonight short."

"It's not your fault Reagan. Just get some rest."

"Good night."

She left him in her sitting room, but paused before closing the door.

"Jareth? What does it want with me?"

"I don't know."

He didn't know, but he was determined to find out just why the Labyrinth was ignoring him. He returned to his own chambers, still mulling over this unexpected turn of events. If the Labyrinth insisted on connecting with Reagan when she wasn't ready, she could end up getting seriously hurt. By rights, she should be hurt already, considering how strong the connection was. No mortal would be able to come out of such a hold completely unharmed. He directed one last order at the Labyrinth.

"Leave her alone. She can't handle it now."

Reagan tossed restlessly, twisting in her sheets. The dream had started almost as soon as she closed her eyes, and she couldn't wake up. Something was after her, and the only place she would be safe was inside the Labyrinth. She had to go to it.

Her eyes never opened as she pushed away the sheets and climbed out of the bed. Marley barked after her, but she never woke up. The little dog jumped off the bed and ran after her as she padded from the room, and into the corridors.

Jareth woke to the sound of the dog barking madly outside. He climbed out of his bed and stood at the window, wondering why the little mutt was outside. His mouth dropped open in surprise when he saw Reagan, barefoot and in her nightgown, walking into the Labyrinth. He quickly slipped a shirt, breeches, and boots on before transporting himself outside. Somehow, he doubted she'd appreciate him showing up nude before her.

He followed in the direction Reagan had taken, and soon caught up with them. Marley whined piteously up at him, and he grabbed Reagan by the shoulder.

"Reagan, what are you doing out here?"

She broke free of his grip and continued walking. This time he placed himself directly in her path, and she walked right into him. It was then he noticed that her eyes were closed. She was sleepwalking! That she hadn't fallen down a staircase and broken her neck was nothing short of a miracle. The Labyrinth itself must be guiding her.

Unfazed at their run-in, Reagan stepped around him and continued walking. Every time he placed himself in front of her, she went around him and kept walking. She even ignored Marley, who jumped at her and whined. Jareth finally picked the dog up and followed her, realizing there was nothing he could do that would stop her. Better to just make sure she didn't hurt herself.

His concern grew when they entered areas that he knew Reagan had never seen. This was a corridor in the Labyrinth that was almost never used. Jareth himself hadn't been down this corridor in years. She took another turn and descended a stone staircase, without missing a step. In the small courtyard stood a giant tree, and Jareth watched as it seemed to explode on its own. He placed himself between Reagan and the flying debris, until all was quiet again. As soon as he moved out of the way, Reagan walked up to the remains of the tree and reached inside. She came out holding what appeared to be a large white stone, and Jareth's jaw dropped in shock.

"Jareth? What's going on? Why are we outside?"

She was awake, and looked scared and confused. Wasting no time, Jareth lightly wrapped an arm around her waist, and transported them all back to the castle. They reappeared in his bedroom, and he guided Reagan and the dog to the bed.

"I want you to stay here tonight, Reagan. I don't know that the Labyrinth's done with you, and I don't want you to be alone."

"Alright', she agreed, her voice shaky, "What happened?"

Jareth took a good look at her. She didn't appear hurt, but she was definitely scared, and in no condition to be left alone.

"You were sleepwalking."

"Sleepwalking? But I never do that."

"I think the Labyrinth was directing you to find this."

He held out the stone, and Reagan eyed it warily.

"What is it?"

"A dragon egg."

She looked up at him in disbelief.

"A dragon egg. Are you serious, because I don't think I can take any sort of prank right now?"

"Quite serious."

"And this worries you."

It was a statement, not a question. Reagan could tell that Jareth was truly worried about this, though she couldn't begin to guess why.

"What can you tell me about your family?"

She looked surprised at the abrupt subject change, but Jareth was waiting for an answer. What did her family have to do with any of this?

'There's not much to tell. My father was a university professor, he taught history and mythology. My mother was a book editor, who stopped working to stay and home and raise my brother and I."

That really wasn't much help, and Jareth tried to think of a question that might lead them in the right direction. The answer came when he remembered how Reagan had sent Melot into the wall.

"Did either of your parents have any of your gifts?"

Something in her closed off, and she became unreadable. He'd hit a nerve.

"No."

The tone of her voice told Jareth that she wasn't willing to discuss it, and he wisely refrained from saying anything further. Enough had happened tonight.

"Get some sleep Reagan. Tomorrow will be a big day."

He gently lifter her to her feet, and with a wave of his hand, the bedding pulled back, and he gently pushed her back down. She immediately rolled onto her side and curled up in a ball, the dog circling around and laying down beside her. The blankets tucked up around her shoulders on their own, and she was asleep almost instantly. The slight 'push' he'd given her should ensure she'd sleep the rest of the night, leaving him free to contemplate the object he held in his hand

A dragon egg. And a white one at that. What was it doing in a tree in the middle of the Labyrinth? It had to be one of the stolen eggs, there was no other explanation. The dragons had been seeking the stolen eggs for centuries, but there were at least half a dozen that were never recovered. And to think, one had been here the entire time. The white dragons were the rarest of all the dragon species, they would certainly want this one back. White dragons were said to be healers, though Jareth didn't have any personal experience with them. This would have to be handled very carefully.

Not wanting to think any longer on the implications of this find, he waved a hand, changing into a pair of loose fitting black pants, and climbed into the bed. Marley looked over at him then laid his head back on his mistress' feet. The bed was plenty big enough that Jareth was nowhere near Reagan, but he could feel every move she made. If she left the bed, he would know.