Author's Note: So sorry for the delay! Things have been crazy lately, but maybe I'll be able to pump out two chapters today (the house is pretty quiet). So, without further ado, I own nothing except for my own ideas, please leave thoughtful and generous reviews, and enjoy!

Sarah turned the volume up even louder on her iPod, trying to drown out the noise of the high school cafeteria, which was pretty impossible. She stared blankly at the giant textbook in front of her, trying to convince her brain that, yes, she did have to study, and she'd better start immediately. She groaned and rubbed her temple, trying to fight off the headache that was already coming.

She jumped in surprise when someone tapped her on the head, and then rolled her eyes when she realized who it was. She would know the feel of those long, thin fingers anywhere. "Jareth," she groaned, ripping out an ear bud. "Go away. I'm trying to study for this stupid Calc test."

The oh-so-mighty Goblin King sat across from her with a large grin on his face. "Why Miss Williams," he said tauntingly. "I do believe we have a procrastinator in our presence."

She sighed and dropped her head into her hands. "Don't you have to go intimidate some poor, starry-eyed girl with your good looks and charm? I really don't need this right now."

His smirk grew even wider. "My good looks and charm? Well, I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who thinks I posses those qualities."

"Leave me alone," she growled. "You have no power over me!"

He faked a pout. "Oh Sarah, are we really going to bring that up again? Besides, I have a whole file full of legal documents that state that I do indeed have power over you."

She slammed her textbook shut and shoved it in her bag. "This is hopeless! I'm going to the library and I'm going to attempt to cram enough information so that I can at least pass. Enjoy your lunch, Goblin King."

"Have a beautiful day, my lovely Sarah!" She ignored his cheery wave as she grudgingly made her way to the empty library. She found herself an empty table way in the back by the history textbooks and began to spread out everything she would need for the stupid test. Then, she frowned when she felt her phone buzz from within her pocket. The only person who ever called her was Mallory, but Mallory was currently in Nevada somewhere, and knew better than to call her during school.

She fished out her phone from her pocket and answered it. "Hello?"

On the other end was a male voice that she didn't recognize. "Is this Sarah Williams?"

"Yes, this is her. How can I help you?"

The voice paused. "Sarah, this is Dr. Bernhert from Sacred Heart Hospital. I'm sorry to interrupt your day, but I'm afraid I have bad news about your brother, Toby. Unfortunately, there's been an accident."

Sarah felt all of the air rush out of her lungs as she dropped the phone and leaned against the table to support herself. Her mind was numb at his words, and she was immediately taken back to that fatal day in June that had drastically changed her life…

She looked through the fridge, searching for something for her and Toby to eat. She checked the time for the third time in the last minute and sighed with annoyance. Her parents were supposed to be home two hours ago. What was taking them so long?

When the phone rang, she answered it with force and prepared to chew her parents out. They always gave her a hard time when she came back late. Instead, it had been some other woman's voice on the phone. "Sarah Williams? I'm sorry, but there's been an accident with your parents. You need to come to the hospital, immediately."

She'd rushed Toby into her car and buckled him in. She kept her foot on the gas pedal, until they'd pulled into the hospital parking lot. And that night, they had watched their parents die…

Suddenly, Jareth was there from out of nowhere, his joking demeanor totally gone. He grabbed her phone from the floor and gripped her arm to steady her. "Hello? Yes, this is Jareth King, Toby's legal guardian. What the hell is going on? Alright, yes of course, we'll be there immediately."

He hung up the phone and grabbed her other arm with a strong grip. "Sarah," he said softly, looking into her eyes. "Come on Sarah, snap out of it. Everything's to be all right; Toby just had an accident on the playground."

She blinked at him, trying to clear her head, and then she burst into tears. "Sarah," he sighed, and wrapped his arms around her tightly. Some of the students that had filtered in from lunch stared at them as she sobbed noisily into his shirt.

"I'm sorry," she said, hiccupping. "It's just- oh, Toby!"

He rubbed her back. "He's going to be alright, love. The doctors just want us to come down to the hospital. Come on, let's go."

"But my keys," she said shakily, pulling away from him. "They're in my locker, and that's all the way upstairs."

He rolled his eyes. "You think I'm going to be caught driving in that beat up car of yours? No, we're taking my car."

She frowned and lightly punched him in the arm. "You're a jerk. And I don't even want to think about what kind of car you drive."

Jareth's car, it turned out, was a silver 1964 Mustang convertible. Sarah just shook her head when she saw it and dutifully got in the passenger's seat. "Hey," Jareth said, as they pulled out of the parking lot. "On the bright side, you don't have to take you Calc test today."

She rolled her eyes. "That's not even funny, Goblin King. Toby's hurt, and he's in the freaking hospital. Did they say why?"

"It's alright, Sarah. Toby slid down the slide head-first and when he landed at the bottom, one of the kids accidentally kicked him in the head. The doctor said he has a pretty bad concussion, but he's going to be fine."

Sarah swallowed hard when they got out and walked towards the hospital. She stopped dead outside of the doors, her mind wandering back to that night in June. "I hate this place," she said in a tiny voice. "I hate this place with all of my heart."

Jareth smiled softly and took her hands in his. "I know you do, precious. But you have to trust me; everything's going to be alright this time. I would rather give up my entire kingdom and more than see you or Toby get seriously hurt."

"Thank you," she whispered, tears threatening to spill again. "Thank you for everything, Jareth. And I'm sorry for everything I did or said to you."

"Sarah," he said, pulling her into another tight hug. "I forgave you for everything long ago. Now come on, let's go see your baby brother."

He pulled her through the dreaded hospital doors, and she held her breath, feeling as if she were the one that had gotten kicked in the head. But, she knew that if she had the irritating, arrogant, and all together annoying Goblin King by her side, being kicked in the head wouldn't hurt at all.