She lay there, paralyzed, willing her vocal chords into action, but unable to move or speak. Did Jareth know this is what would happen if he took away all the magic from her life? If the Goblin King had known, would he have left? Was this an example of his cruelty?

At that moment, she didn't care. She would surrender to him if he would only appear to take away the pain. She didn't know how much longer she could last. Her energy was almost completely gone. It felt like a blizzard had begun under her sheets, turning her core to ice and freezing her to immobility. She was certain she was not going to survive. She mentally cursed her stupidity. At least if she'd gone with Jareth, she might have had the opportunity to see her family again. Now she would be lucky if there was even a body left to find. A single tear leaked from the corner of her eye—her last remaining vestige of emotion fell in liquid form, staining her pillowcase with its salty presence.

She was going to die.

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And then the rumbling began

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**Choosing a Path**

The rumbling grew exponentially in direct proportion to Sarah's increased anguish; shaking her ceiling fan and causing her vision to blur. Was this an earthquake? If so, she was stuck, defenseless in the center of her bed, unable to move her head as dust bunnies floated down from the fan blades. She actually began to hope that the ceiling would cave in on her—it might lessen her time of suffering. A quick death, rather than the drawn out pain she was currently experiencing.

However, the earthquake theory was thrown out the window when the movement began to concentrate. Her room was no longer shaking, just her bed. And then it was just her. She wasn't sure what exactly it was, but there was a definite vibration coming from the vicinity of her chest. The pulsation was low and filled with warmth. Sarah couldn't move, but she began to feel energy flowing back into her. Through her confusion, she felt a change; the rumbling became a purr.

Jumpers.

Sarah had left the door open so her roommates would have an easy way to check in on her when they returned. It had been a smart move. The cat must have sensed her unease and came to soothe her. She almost laughed at the direction her imagination had taken. Creating an earthquake out of a cat's purr—she must have been further gone than she'd thought!

Somehow the cat had brought her back from the brink of death. She'd recognized his strange ability to soothe her emotions from the moment she'd let him in, but now it appeared as if he was also able to reverse the drain of magic. As she slowly regained mobility, she brought her hand up to feel his silky fur. "Hey, Handsome," she rasped to the little cat, scratching behind his ears. "How'd you manage that?"

His face turned up and an impossible little smirk that was all-too familiar twitched his lips. Sarah groaned. Another point for Jareth.

"You are a stubborn little minx, aren't you?"

Sarah jerked her head around to stare at the Goblin King leaning casually against her bedroom doorjamb—carefully avoiding entrance into the room itself per their earlier parameters. "Were you ever going to call for help or did you plan to expire this evening all alone? I do think your brother might have been a little put out had that happened."

Despite the warmth the cat had brought back to her, Sarah was still shivering in her blanket cocoon. Her emotions were just beginning to catch up to her body, but she couldn't determine if she was shaking from the terror of her near death experience or from her outrage.

He knew!

He knew, and he let her stay home alone anyway! "You bastard! How DARE you use me like some whacked out experiment! You knew what was going to happen to me and you still left! I could have died!" Sarah meant to sound strong and threatening. Unfortunately, her throat was not quite up to the task and her ire came out in a hoarse whisper.

"Stop being so melodramatic. I did not leave you here all alone. You had the cat," Jareth said, gesturing to Jumpers who was curled up on Sarah's stomach attempting to take a nap.

Sarah didn't know what to say to that kind of logic. How do you respond to a maniac? "A cat? You left me alone with a cat and you expect me to, what? Thank you? For the CAT?"

"Oh yes, for we all know how thankful Sarah Williams can be," Jareth said with a bitter laugh. "It was generous of me to send the cat to you for your protection when you stubbornly refused to allow me admittance. As long as he is near you, he can draw on the magic of my Labyrinth and call me if you are in need—even if you refuse to do so yourself. So you were not truly in danger of death, unless perhaps death by pertinacity counts." Sarah glared at him. "But my generosity extended beyond this furry creation," he stated, flicking his hand in Jumper's general direction." You wanted to know what would happen if you stayed here, didn't you? I allowed you to find out. Isn't that generous?"

"A simple, 'Sarah, if you stay here you will have to suffer an agonizing death as the magic slowly drains your life-force from your body,' might have sufficed!" Her voice sounded stronger to her own ears. Her energy was increasing by the second and she was finally able to sit up and face the Goblin King. She could not sound nearly as authoritative lying down.

"And would you have believed me?"

His question caught her off guard and she moved Jumpers off her lap in a lame effort to stall. She didn't know how to respond. Sarah would not have trusted him. She knew he had ulterior motives to bringing her to the Underground and although she was pretty sure he could not outright lie, he could sure make the truth unrecognizable. He was right, but there was no way she would give him the satisfaction of admitting it!

Jareth took her silence as an opportunity to go on the offensive. "I told you, Sarah. Time is short. You can no longer make a claim on this world as your own. Without my help, you cannot live here, and I can no longer afford to be your crutch. I have responsibilities in my own world that garner my attention. Make your choice."

It was an ultimatum which Sarah knew she could not refuse. She fought for an argument that would help her remain on a level playing field. With newfound energy, she stood and walked to face him, just out of reach. He smiled at the gesture. "Goblin King, if I have proven anything tonight, it is that I give a new meaning to the word tenacity. I will not be frightened into making a quick decision. If I am to return with you, I have some conditions."

"Sarah, I am offering to save your life. You are in no position to bargain with me." But it was too late. Sarah had already seen the flash of hope that sprung into his eyes before he regained his indifferent expression.

"Ah, but that is where you are wrong, Your Highness." She smiled, and the wicked glint in her eye actually caused the great and mighty Jareth to lean away from her… slightly. "You have already divulged that you need me. Need can mean many things to many people. I would rather die a painful death here and now, than live forever as a slave. So, before you 'save my life' I want to know whether that life is worth it."

Jareth recovered from his brief moment of uncertainty quickly. Unfolding his arms, he stood straight, using his height to his full advantage as he focused his sharp gaze deep within Sarah's eyes. She fought the urge to take a step back, refusing to be bullied by this egomaniacal…bully. He did not look angry or even inconvenienced by her question. It seemed as if he were measuring her, trying to determine if she could handle what he would divulge. Her heart beat wildly as she stared into the mismatched eyes of the Goblin King, waiting for his answer and desperately trying not to let any emotion color her face—despite her ability to pretend to be another person on stage, she had never been the best at poker. The traitor within her hoped that he would find her worthy; somehow seeking to have his approval despite everything he had put her through.

When he finally spoke, it was in exasperation. "My kingdom is at war, attempting to protect your world. Every moment I spend trying to convince you of what you know to be the only course of action is one more moment spent away from my responsibilities. If clarifying minor details will make you move quicker, so be it." Jareth arched his eyebrow and smirked in a way that spoke volumes about coddling a toddler. He continued, "For your safety, you will live primarily in the castle in rooms that have already been prepared. I will say that you will not be a slave. You will be free, on condition. You will need to remain within the Goblin Kingdom unless you are with me. For your protection, of course."

War? Sarah bit back the obvious question as to how those bungling idiots that attempted to stop her from entering the castle could ever protect her world in any capacity. There was just too much she did not understand about the place that she was contemplating spending eternity. Instead she focused on just her life. "Define free," she said and instantly regretted it. The Goblin King's attractive features stormed over and for a brief moment Sarah feared she had pushed him too far.

He glared at her, obviously attempting to reign in control over his temper. "I do not have time to tutor you in the definition of words. I assure you that the language of the Underground translates to your American English perfectly. Free means FREE. As in, I will hold no more control over you than I would any of my other subjects."

…For my will is as strong as yours and my kingdom as great…

The words formed within her mind automatically strengthening Sarah's backbone. She somehow found the courage to maintain a steady gaze, focusing on his right eye—the one that looked human. It was easier to pretend he was just a man when she looked into the blue eye rather than the overly dilated one that appeared to be raw gold in the lighting cast by the lamp near her door. That eye was hypnotic and she needed full wits about her to make sure her demand was met. "I will not be free if I am expected to bow to a king. I will not cower before you as your other subjects do. I come to the Underground as your equal, or I do not come at all." She cringed internally, waiting for his wrath to rain down upon her; however her face remained resolute.

But instead of striking her dead on the spot, something in his expression softened—a little less strain around the corner of his eyes, perhaps. Rather than be further offended by her challenge, he seemed…intrigued. He cocked his head to the left and studied her a moment before responding. "You must submit to my authority—for your own safety—but for all intents and purposes you will be allowed to interact with me on a higher level than my subjects. I would ask that you do not openly defy me when others are present as it would undermine my authority. I will not make you grovel and I will not send you to the bog for insubordination as I know it is virtually impossible for you to be respectful at all times. We shall be as… friends. Are we agreed?"

How did he do that? His tone of voice melted her to the core. Though it was impossible to call the Goblin King kind, when he spoke to her like that she forgot why she should be angry with him. She forgot that he had nearly killed her 'for her own good.' She forgot that he had attempted to assert his power over her—the power she had removed with her words all those years ago. She forgot everything except the song he sang to her in that ballroom.

We're choosing the path between the stars.

She had a choice to make. She could continue to see him as a villain or she could begin to see him as a man from another culture who knew next to nothing about women in America. A sexy man. Who was going to save her life. And who asked to be her friend. Well, said they would be friends, but for him that was about as close to asking as she would get.

Sarah couldn't let her heart (and hormones) do the thinking for her in this instance. She turned away, chewing on her lip as she made her way across her room; analyzing every word he had spoken for a hidden trap. He had not claimed them as equals, a fact that had not gone unnoticed.

Suddenly shy, Sarah half-turned to him, her face mostly hidden beneath her curtain of hair, and requested, "Jareth, I will agree to your terms on one condition. I need to hear you say that you consider us equals. I will submit to your authority on matters of the Underground as I don't really know much about your world, and I will do my best to be respectful of you in public, however, if I am to be your friend, then I need to know that we are on equal ground. I do not expect to be a…queen," she hesitated, embarrassed to utter the word, realizing he knew she had once dreamt of that very thing, "and I don't care about having a specific title. I do not ask for your subjects to bow to me, or to have authority in your kingdom. But I would like to be treated as a…traveling dignitary. And I want to hear you say that you consider me your equal."

It was a gamble. He said he needed her. But would the proud Goblin King humble himself to make her his equal?

He hesitated only a moment before responding in a tender voice, "Sarah, you are the equal of any king. You are my equal."

Her heart skipped a beat and she looked away, ashamed by how much his words affected her. After she was certain her face was no longer a rosy hue, she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and announced, "Please take me to the Underground. I am ready to go."

The slight glint in his eye was the only indication that the Goblin King gave that he'd won a major victory. Without waiting for a second prompting, Jareth entered her room and took her hands in his. It was then, with the ease in which he broke the invisible barrier without her express permission, that Sarah realized she had made a mistake. When she'd defeated him all those years ago, she had taken away his power over her. In effect, she held all the power in their "relationship". By making her his "equal", she had given him back at least some of that power.

And he was ready to make full use of that.

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A/N – I love you. Does that help take the sting out of the cliff hanger/two weeks of no communication? How about cyber flowers…does that help?

So sorry this took longer than I promised, but I have been EXTREMELY busy and falling asleep at the computer every night. But from here on out we will be in the Underground and doesn't that make up for it? And since many of your challenges that I have left to fulfill take place in the Underground, we shall start seeing them now. In fact, (as it stands right now) the opening line of the next chapter is a challenge from someone…

Thank you again for all your reviews! I am such a review junkie. Really. I can't get enough. Please send me more!