Yay! Another chapter is up! I just recently updated my profile page, and I have put three different challenges on it for those of you who like challenges! Make sure to check it out! Enjoy this chapter, and please review! I am so glad so many of you are enjoying this story! Thank you to everyone who has been giving me input!

"If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities." – Maya Angelou

Chapter Eight: Brownies for Breakfast

Sarah parked the car in front of her house several minutes later and looked to her side to see Jareth fast asleep, his head resting on the car window.

"Jareth," Sarah said quietly, reaching over and tapping him gently on the shoulder. "Jareth, we are back at the house."

Jareth opened his eyes tiredly and looked at her, glitter beginning to swirl around him as he did so. He sat up and then unbuckled his seatbelt. By the time he opened the car door and stepped out, he was fully transformed back into his normal Goblin King self.

Sarah got out of the car and then unlocked the front door of the house. She stepped inside, placed her purse on a chair, and then watched as Jareth walked into the house and made his way into the living room. She then closed the door and followed him. She watched as the great king fell ungracefully onto the living room couch and then let his eyes close again.

"I didn't realize goblin kings needed so much sleep," Sarah teased, pulling a blanket off the arm of the couch and then draping it over Jareth's long body. "I thought they stayed awake most of the time and fought battles."

She stepped back and couldn't help but smile at the contentment on Jareth's face. He was rather handsome, when she felt like admitting it to herself.

"I may as well make us something for breakfast," Sarah said and then left the room.

She stepped into the kitchen and then opened her refrigerator. She found a carton of eggs and then opened the freezer to find a pack of bacon.

The kitchen was very quiet as Sarah prepared a pot of coffee and then placed a pan on the kitchen stove.

"I do need to start imagining again," she said quietly to herself as she cracked some eggs open over the pan. "I want to be able to see things the way Jareth does. I want to notice when miracles are occurring all around me. All right, imagination. Let's start working again."

Sarah closed her eyes for a moment and tried to pull out some form of a daydream from the rusty recesses of her imagination.

"It is rather quiet in here," she said to herself, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. "I could use some company and someone to make the bacon. That's it! I need some Brownies!" She opened her eyes and then put some mushrooms, peppers and cheese in with the eggs. "There are Brownies in the kitchen," she said aloud. "They are rushing about the countertops, helping me get the bacon ready."

She looked hopefully over the counters and was dismayed to find that the only things occupying the kitchen spaces were eggshells, a couple of bowls, milk, and her pot of coffee.

"Well, I tried," she said, shrugging her shoulders and turning her attention back to the eggs.

Something moving caught the corner of her eye, and Sarah turned her head to look at the containers of flour, sugar, and salt next to the refrigerator. The containers were of all different sizes and were all in the shape of cows. She saw a tiny face peeking out at her from behind one of the cows and gasped with surprise, nearly dropping her spoon onto the floor.

The little creature next to the cow made a silly face at her and then stepped out from his hiding place. He was a little man, not much taller than five inches, and wore the most outrageous assortment of clothing Sarah had ever seen. He had the top of an acorn for a hat, a brown leaf for a shirt, and the hide of a mouse for shorts.

"Are you…are you…a Brownie?" Sarah asked, leaning down to have a closer look at the little man.

"Of course I'm a Brownie!" he said indignantly, folding his tiny arms across his chest. "What did you think I was? A fairy?"

"No! Not at all!" Sarah said. "I just…I just didn't think my imagination would work!"

"I'm here with my men. Where's the bacon?" The Brownie quipped, frowning up at her.

"It's over there," Sarah said, pointing to the counter next to the stove.

"Very good. Men! We have work to do!" the Brownie chirped, and five more Brownies rushed out from behind the containers.

Sarah tried to pay attention to the eggs, but she found her concentration constantly being interrupted by the Brownies. They were the most interesting creatures she had ever seen, and she was fascinated with every movement they made. They had a little assembly line going next to her on the stove, and she watched them with delight as they worked, five of them singing a little song the entire time.

"Oh we are Brownies, yes we five,

Look at us all come alive!

Leaf throws the bacon. Chirp pats it down,

Sparrow flips the meat when it's all good and brown.

Watch your toes Fire, as the bacon's in the pan.

Move it to the plate Mouse 'cause you're the man.

Take another piece and let it sizzle,

Look alert now, for the leader is Quizzle."

"How absolutely amazing," Sarah said in awe as the little fellows went about their work.

A burning smell began to drift up from the stove, and Sarah glanced down to see that her eggs were quickly becoming brown.

"Oh!" she exclaimed and began to flip them onto a plate. "That's what happens when you don't pay attention," she scolded herself as she turned her burner off and then watched as the Brownies marched in a line towards her pan.

"Shall we clean it, Miss?" Quizzle asked, looking up at her.

"Oh, yes please!" Sarah smiled. "You are welcome to have some of the eggs and bacon. You deserve it."

"Thank you, my lady. I'll let the gents have the bacon. I'm on a diet," Quizzle said, puffing out his chest proudly.

"Do you drink coffee?" Sarah asked.

"Oh yes!" Quizzle shouted, his eyes growing wide. "We love coffee!"

"I'll get you some coffee then," Sarah laughed and then turned away from the stove.

She jumped when she saw Jareth standing directly in front of her, an eyebrow arched and his arms folded across his chest.

"You offered coffee to the Brownies?" he asked, his eyes shining with mischief.

"Yes," Sarah stuttered uncertainly, surprised that he was awake and so close to her.

"Very well. It's your kitchen," he said with a shrug.

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked, watching as the Brownies carried the egg pan across the floor and then climbed up to the sink with it.

"After drinking coffee, Brownies are prone to be quite troublesome, or do you not recall that from your memory?" Jareth asked.

"I'm just pleased that I was able to imagine them here!" Sarah said shortly, turning away from him. "You are the one who wanted me to start dreaming again."

"Of course I did," Jareth smiled, putting his hands on her shoulders and moving his mouth to her ear. "And you did a splendid job for your first time without me."

"This does mean that you'll have to leave soon, doesn't it?" Sarah asked, sucking in a deep breath as he traced the curve of her ear with his lips.

"So eager to get rid of me?"

"What made you think I wanted you to be here in the first place?"

Jareth stepped back and frowned. "You think I'm confusing."

"Oh we are six, look at us mix!

Coffee rich and deep!

Yummy, yummy, it's good for our tummy!

See how far we leap!"

Sarah gasped and dropped down to the floor as two of the Brownies suddenly leaped from the sink top to the stove, sailing across the air as though they were flying. Their other comrades joined them, and then all six of them began to jump back and forth through the kitchen, knocking down pots and pans in their flight.

"I should have known better than to give caffeine to Brownies!" Sarah yelped as one of them landed on her head, did a jig, and then leaped onto one of the counters. "Jareth, get rid of them!"

"You imagined them here. Why ask me for help?" Jareth laughed from the kitchen doorway.

"Because, I can't control my dreaming yet! Help!" Sarah shouted as another pan fell off the counter, nearly hitting her on the head.

"Close your eyes, Sarah, and imagine them away," Jareth said simply.

Sarah let out an aggravated sigh and then did as she was told. She yelped as another Brownie landed on her head, and squeezed her eyes shut more tightly, trying to blot out the distractions.

"All right, Brownies," she said to herself. "You aren't here anymore. Back to your little world you go, and take some of the coffee with you."

The noise stopped, and Sarah opened her eyes.

The counters were clean of all their messes, the bacon and eggs were arranged intricately on two plates, and not a single Brownie was anywhere to be seen.

"I'm afraid I still have much to learn," Sarah sighed, standing up and taking the two plates of food off the counters. "Breakfast, Jareth?"

The phone rang while Sarah and Jareth were at the table, and Sarah excused herself. She answered the phone and then smiled when Elaine's cheerful voice was heard.

"Good morning, Sarah! How would you like to come watch a movie with me this afternoon?"

"I don't know…" Sarah said uncertainly, looking over at Jareth. "I sort of have a guest with me, and I don't think he wants to come see a movie with us."

"Is it Jareth?" Elaine nearly squealed.

"Yes," Sarah sighed with irritation and then watched as Jareth stood up and moved towards her.

"Ask him to come along."

"Elaine, I don't know what you are thinking about all of this, but I assure you, Jareth and my relationship is strictly friendly," Sarah said and then stepped back as Jareth came to a stop next to her.

"Oh really? Ask him to come, Sarah."

"But…"

"I'd be delighted," Jareth spoke.

"Was that him?" Elaine asked.

"Yes!" Sarah groaned in aggravation. "We'll meet you at the theater. When did you want us to come?"

"Does three o' clock sound okay?"

"Yes. I'll see you there."

Sarah hung up the phone and then turned to Jareth, her face red.

"Jareth, I don't want you going everywhere with me! People are going to start talking, and I don't want that at all! Besides, you don't even know what a movie is! How do you know you want to come?"

"Sarah," Jareth purred, causing the hairs on the back of Sarah's neck to stand on end. "I would want to go anywhere with you."

"Oh stop it!" Sarah said shortly. "I feel like I'm chained to you. I do need some privacy, you know!"

"You get your private time at night," Jareth said, leaning against the wall, his face tilted towards hers. "I'm being extremely generous in giving you that. I could just take you away to the Labyrinth, and then you'd have no time to yourself at all."

"Why do you have to be so confusing?" Sarah groaned, letting her back rest against the wall. "One day I'll wake up to find this was all a bad dream, or the result of some indigested spinach."

"Enjoy the dream while it lasts," Jareth said, gently running his leather-clad fingers against her cheek. "You'll miss me when I'm gone."

Sarah closed her eyes as he brushed his fingers against her soft skin, his magic working its soothing calm on her.

"Jareth," she murmured. "Why do you love me so?"

"Why?" Jareth asked, smiling, as she didn't fight his touch. He moved closer to her, raising both hands to her face, and then moved his nose to hers. "Because you have such spirit. You are independent-minded, my darling Sarah, and have an imagination that few people seem to possess. I am captivated by your beauty and your dreams."

"Jareth," Sarah said tiredly.

"Hmm?" he asked, moving his mouth slowly to hers.

"Kiss me and I'll kill you."

Jareth stepped away, a smirk playing about his lips as Sarah opened her eyes.

"We have a movie to go to in only a few hours," Sarah said, pushing off of the wall. "Before then, I need to call my parents and take care of a mess in my room. While I do that, you can stay right there in the living room. Let me have a few hours to myself. I won't leave the house."

She slipped past him and made her way up to her room.

Sarah was trembling as she entered her room and closed the door behind her. She closed her eyes and went over to her bed. She was still very tired from the early morning's adventure at the hospital, and she collapsed on her bed and picked up the phone on her night table. She dialed a number and then spoke for several minutes with her father, Karen, and Toby.

As soon as the phone call was finished, Sarah put the phone down and then cuddled up on her bed with her Ludo stuffed animal. She closed her eyes and then drifted into a content sleep.

It was in this position that Jareth found her several hours later. He had knocked gently on her bedroom door, and upon finding that she did not answer; he stepped quietly into the room. He saw his love stretched out on her bed, eyes closed softly in sleep, a stuffed animal held tightly against her.

She was the epitome of beauty to him. Her dark hair, wavy and soft, delicately framed her face. Her dark eyelashes rested against her skin like fine strokes of a painter's brush. Her skin was so pale and pure, her lips so red and delicate.

Jareth stepped over to her and knelt down so that his face was even with hers. He carefully reached up and traced her fair cheek with his hand, drawing an imaginary line across her jaw and bringing his fingers to rest on her lips.

"Sarah," he said quietly. "Sarah, it is time to wake up."

Sarah moaned in protest and then opened her eyes. She gazed steadily into his face for several seconds before she realized how close he was. Once that realization hit her, she sat up abruptly and moved away from him.

"Why did you come in here?" she gasped, tossing her stuffed animal aside and scooting away from Jareth.

"It is half an hour until three o' clock. I thought you might like to be awakened," Jareth said, standing up.

As he stood up, his clothes changed. Black pants, a white button down shirt, and a light, button down brown jacket, replaced the white poet's shirt and black breeches. His hair was once again cut short, and the shimmer disappeared from his face.

"I suppose you're right," Sarah sighed, standing up. "You just interrupted a most wonderful dream."

"Oh? And what was it?"

"I thought you knew all of my dreams," Sarah said as she moved over to her closet and pulled out a pair of sneakers.

"All of your waking dreams and all of your sleeping dreams about me," Jareth said.

"Well, this dream was about Peter Pan."

"Peter Pan?" Jareth frowned.

"Yes," Sarah nodded. "I was flying away with him to Neverland. He wanted to show me the pirates and the Indians. I could actually feel myself flying, Jareth. It was quite the sensation."

"Tell me about this Peter Pan," Jareth scowled, and Sarah looked up at him with interest.

Wow, she thought to herself. He's actually jealous of Peter Pan! I may as well torment him a bit.

"Well," Sarah said, pulling her sneakers on and smiling. "He's a most cocky fellow, you know. A little bit like you, actually. He dresses himself in leaves and vines, and has the wildest, most beautiful golden hair. Or is it red? Sometimes I forget. He's a great leader."

Sarah tied her shoes and then stood up. She moved to the doorway, and was stopped, seconds later, when Jareth grabbed her wrists and turned her to face him.

"He is a great leader? Of how many?"

Sarah had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing at the Goblin King's obvious frustration.

"Oh, I'd say about eight or nine. His army grows larger every day. It's hard to keep track."

"That's no army," Jareth frowned, releasing her and then following her down the stairs.

"He can fly, and he doesn't have to turn into an owl to do it. He can also swordfight. Why, he's taken over a whole pirate ship before and defeated the most infamous pirate captain of them all!"

Jareth didn't speak for the remainder of the next half hour. He sat in sullen silence in the car, and Sarah could tell that he was distraught. So he thought he had competition, did he? Well, it was his fault for following her around all the time. If he weren't so provoking and possessive, she wouldn't have teased him.

Elaine was very happy to see Jareth and Sarah. They quickly bought popcorn and sodas and then found seats in the theater. Sarah sat in between Elaine and Jareth.

"So, what are your plans for the weekend?" Elaine asked as they waited for the movie to begin.

"Tomorrow I'm going to visit with the Reagan family. On Sunday I'm going to attend church services at the orphanage and spend the day with the children. They are doing their 'Peter Pan' play that night, and I was invited to be there. They are actually going to have a large formal dinner for all the volunteers and workers involved at the orphanage," Sarah smiled. "I was asked to dress as formally as was possible. The children seem to be very excited about the whole thing. They get to do a play in front of over one hundred people, and then they get to have a fancy dinner."

"What dress are you going to wear?" Elaine asked.

"I don't know yet. I don't even know if I have a good one, come to think of it."

"Tomorrow, then, before you go to the Reagans', you simply must go to the mall with me and we can get you a new dress. Jareth, how long are you going to be in town?" Elaine asked, leaning forward to look at Jareth, who was playing with a piece of popcorn and examining its texture.

"Several days longer. I don't like having Sarah be alone for long amounts of time without her parents nearby. Unfortunately, I probably won't be able to stay as long as they are gone, but I'll stay as long as I can," Jareth said.

"Would you care to go to the mall with us?" Elaine asked.

"Elaine!" Sarah exclaimed, cheeks turning red. "I do not want a man's help in finding a suitable dress for Sunday!"

"Is he going to go with you on Sunday?"

"Yes," Jareth answered before Sarah could speak.

Sarah closed her mouth and sat back in her chair, a frown on her face.

"Then he'll need a suit as well. Perhaps he can find one at the mall," Elaine smiled.

"The movie's starting," Sarah said, letting out a long breath as the lights began to dim and images began to flicker on the movie screen.

Sitting next to Jareth in a dark theater was an uncomfortable experience, but sitting with Jareth in a dark theater and watching a chick flick was completely disturbing. Sarah hadn't thought much about what movie they were watching until the movie began to play. She squirmed when the first romance scene, a kissing scene in the rain, appeared on the screen, and found her eyes involuntarily going to Jareth. He was leaning back casually; one leg crossed over the other, and was tossing popcorn easily into his mouth. He didn't seem the least bit affected by the scene, and he looked at Sarah with a puzzled expression on his face.

The movie was over an hour and a half long, and each romantic piece of the film brought a twitch or a squirm from Sarah. The film captivated Elaine, and Jareth was strangely intrigued by it.

Sarah dreaded the drive home. She just knew Jareth was going to say something about the movie, and her expectations were not disappointed. As soon as they got in the car and she started driving away from the theater, he sat back in his seat and turned to look at her.

"So that's what human women want?"

"Want what?" Sarah grimaced.

"All of that kissing in the rain nonsense? The great passion of being lifted into the air by the man they absolutely adore, whether or not they're married? In my world, it's positively disgraceful for anyone, aside from the king, to enter a woman's room in the still of the night and sweep her into a great whirl of passion if they are not married."

"And I'm sure you take advantage of being a king," Sarah growled. "You do notice the most uncomfortable things, Jareth. Look, I didn't realize what we were stepping into. I had heard that it was a good movie, not some overrated flick. If I had known there was going to be all that…all that mushy nonsense, I wouldn't have brought you."

"Is that what you want, Sarah? The type or romance that was in that movie?"

"Jareth!" Sarah exclaimed. "Now you're getting too personal! Why do you care about what I want?"

"I'm still trying to understand why you resist me so," Jareth said with a simple wave of his hand. "I can offer you so much more than those measly films, and yet you absolutely refuse to have any care or concern for me."

"You just think you're the greatest thing to ever step into my life, don't you?" Sarah snapped. "Just because you are the Goblin King doesn't mean that every woman is going to drop at your feet and beg for your affection. And don't even tell me about the women in the Labyrinth! From what I recall at the dance, they were drooling over every male, not just you!"

"You didn't answer my question," Jareth replied calmly.

"I do want to have some romance in my life, yes," Sarah said, letting out an exasperated sigh. "I want to be swept away by the man of my dreams to a world that I never knew existed. But there is such a thing as reality, Jareth, and right now my reality pushes aside those flippant, unimportant wants and forces me to face the truth."

"Your wants aren't flippant or unimportant, Sarah," Jareth frowned. "You are a positively beautiful woman, and your dreams used to be so beautiful and certainly romantic. Your dreams were what sustained you. Now that you have pushed them aside, you are falling apart. Everyone should want a bit of romance."

When they arrived back at the house a few minutes later, Sarah led the way into the front entrance room and then put her purse down on a chair. She walked into the living room and then plopped down on a couch.

"Of all the movies I could have taken him to see, I just had to take him to that one! And now he's going to go clothes shopping with me tomorrow! Ah!" she exclaimed.

"Sarah," Jareth said, entering the room. "You should look out at the sunset. It's absolutely stunning."

Sarah stood up from the couch and moved over to the living room window. She pulled the curtain aside and then looked out. She couldn't see much above the house next door, but she did manage to see traces of pink, gold, orange, and red shining in the sky.

"It's gorgeous, Jareth," she said and then turned away.

"You couldn't even see it," Jareth frowned, stepping towards her. "This the perfect opportunity for more dreams."

He put his hand on her shoulder, and instantly, they disappeared.

The next thing Sarah knew, she was standing atop a tall building, looking out at nothing but a large, empty meadow and the setting sun. From this place, she could see the whole sky stretched out before her. There were clouds of gold tracing the beautiful expanse, and flames of red, purple and orange illuminated the sky.

"What do you see, Sarah?" Jareth asked, sitting down.

"Clouds and light," Sarah said simply, sitting down next to him.

"Don't the clouds look like paths, stretching up to the heavens? What did you use to see, Sarah, when you looked at a scene as magnificent as this?" Jareth asked.

"Dragons and castles," Sarah smiled. "All right, Jareth. I'll let my mind play again. At the very end of the golden clouds is a great castle, white and pure. Its towers reach up as far as I can see. The red and orange traces of light aren't really light. No, they are fire from the nostrils of a great dragon. He's dark red with gold-tipped wings and a gold-tipped tail. His wings are as wide as nine men, and his tail as long as this building is high. He flies in much the same way as a great eagle, with long, graceful sweeps of his wings and strong, fluid movements."

"Are you seeing it, Sarah?" Jareth whispered, nearly trembling with excitement that his queen was beginning to see on her own again.

Sarah looked out at the clouds and was, once again, amazed to find that her imagination was coming to life. There was a magnificent castle at the end of the golden trail. It shimmered and sparkled in the light of the setting sun. A huge figure suddenly flew up from behind it, sweeping above the castle and moving stealthily and smoothly towards Jareth and Sarah.

"Jareth!" Sarah choked, grabbing his arm. "Jareth, it's real! There's a dragon coming this way! Jareth, they eat people! Make it go away!"

"I can't," Jareth said simply. "Only you have the power to turn your dreams away."

Sarah stood up and watched, wide-eyed and open-mouthed as the enormous creature, smoke and fire billowing from his nostrils, rushed towards her. His tail flailed in the wind after him, and Sarah found, to her utmost terror, that she couldn't move. She couldn't make a sound as the amazing creature came only a few yards away from her and then stopped. Smoke billowed up into Sarah's face, and a horrible realization swept over her.

"Jareth…" she managed to stammer, her throat dry. "Is he really here, or is this just a dream?"

"Does it feel like he's here?" Jareth asked, watching as the dragon moved so that his nose was nearly touching Sarah.

"And the unicorn, Brownies, and pirates. Were they really there?" Sarah asked and then gasped as the dragon nudged her roughly with his nose.

"Did you never wonder exactly what special powers the Goblin King had given to the girl?" Jareth asked, standing up next to her.

"Jareth, please don't tell me you…"

"I gave you the power to make your dreams reality," Jareth said calmly, putting his hand on Sarah's shoulder. "The dragon is really here. Everything you have dreamed or imagined over the past few days has really happened. If someone were to suddenly step onto that meadow below, they would see the dragon and have a fit of hysterics. Yes, all of the creatures you saw and touched were real. You imagined them into existence."

The dragon opened his mouth at that moment, almost in the shape of a smile, and Sarah, overwhelmed and confused beyond explanation, fainted dead away.

The dragon and castle immediately disappeared as Sarah's imagination was submerged into unconsciousness, and Jareth caught her as she fell.

"I wasn't certain how you would take the news, my precious Sarah," he said gently, scooping her up into her arms and then disappearing.

They appeared back in Sarah's room, and Jareth gently placed her on her bed and covered her with her blankets.

"There was no simpler way to tell you the truth. You have the power to make your dreams come to life," Jareth whispered, stroking her cheek with his fingers and then walking towards the doorway. "Good night, my love," he said as he turned her bedroom light off and then left the room.