Author's Note: What happened at the end of the last chapter? Time will tell….but now… The scene is set, the pieces are in play…on with the show! Without any further ado, I give you…the beginning of the end.

Chapter Nine

Sarah.

A soft chiming woke her and she opened her eyes to the coppery light of dusk.

As she sat up, the noise stopped and a parchment fluttered into her lap.

Dearest Sarah:

Time is short. The ball begins at sunset tonight. Your attendance is not required, but you will have my protection there. If you do not attend, remember that Alryn will be able to leave the ball to search for you; I will not. The choice is clear. Your dress has been laid out.

I trust you are recovered from your recent mishap. Next time listen to the dwarf.

-J

Sarah huffed. "Recent mishap? What's he talking about?"

She remembered talking to Hoggle, and then glitter and drowning and darkness. And then light…

Confused, she looked around the room. Jareth's room, but she didn't remember arriving there or departing the gardens. The last fading rays of sunlight glittered on a jagged shape sitting on a low table. Sarah rose and approached the object on wobbly legs, wondering at her weakness. Her eyes widened as she realized what she was seeing.

Fragments of a great golden shell.

"What have I done?" she whispered.

Was this why Jareth greeted her with a note instead of his presence before what was surely to be a night of great turmoil for both of them? Had she unwittingly caused the death of a rare magical creature? Sarah pressed a hand to her stomach, feeling ill.

Then she saw the dress. Of course it was The dress. That glittering frothy concoction she had dreamed up at her last Goblin Ball. She fingered the poufed sleeves and sighed softly. She imagined that Jareth wanted to reenact their dance, in much the same way that they had reenacted their final confrontation a few days past.

Too bad for him, Sarah thought. The past is gone and it's time we make some new memories.

She pulled open the doors of the heavy wardrobe in the corner, brushing past dozens of dazzling gowns before finding what she was looking for. She studied it thoughtfully, a smile curling her lips.

"Perfect," she said aloud. "Time to give the Underground something it's never seen before."

Jareth.

She was late.

He tapped his fingers against the arm of his chair irritably. His magic had told him she'd read his note hours ago, yet she still failed to make an appearance at the ball. He hoped the little fool hadn't opted to hide in her room all night. Thus far, the Dryn seemed happy enough with the…selection before them, but he knew Alryn at least had very specific prey in mind.

Jareth scanned the crowds again. Most of the Dryn were lost in a lustful haze and the wanton mood was infecting his subjects as well. In a sickening display that was half-dance and half mad orgy, wild-eyed Dryn threw themselves at the other dancers, their victims clinging to them seductively only to whirl away moments later. Marveling at the madness before him, Jareth was torn between disgust and perverse pleasure.

And then she arrived.

He rose to his feet without consciously realizing it, hungrily drinking in the sight of her. She was not wearing the dress he had given her, nor was she wearing anything like the rest of the women at the ball.

She looked like a greek goddess who had mistakenly wandered into the halls of corruption. Every other woman in the room wore a gem-encrusted, many-layered ballgown cut to scandalously reveal her body. Sarah wore a length of unadorned silk so white it appeared to glow. It was knotted at one shoulder, leaving the other bare. That pale shoulder somehow seemed more enticing than any of the other women's dipping necklines. The dress was trimmed in silver and bound with a silver cord around her waist. Her arms were bare as well, save for a silver circlet on her upper right arm, and dainty silver sandals peeked from underneath that silken folds when she walked.

The contrasts didn't stop there either.

Where the other women caked their faces with makeup and darkened their lips to blood red, Sarah's face glowed with cleanliness and only the lightest dusting of powder.

Where they wore great horned masks in bold, dark colors, Sarah wore a delicate silver net in the shape of a half-mask that made her eyes appear large and luminous.

Where they teased and sprayed their hair to match the size of their gowns, Sarah's was curled into tiny ringlets and held in place with two twisted silver bands.

Where their lush over-ripeness and lowered lashes meant nothing to the king, Sarah's serene gaze left him trembling…

He stepped down from the dais and began winding his way through the crowd towards her.

Sarah.

It seemed so much more corrupt than she had remembered.

She faced the crazed throngs with the same grace that she had faced the goblins in the throne room several days past, though the icy touch of fear lurked in the back of her mind. The mob swirled around her and she held her calm exterior with effort. Where was Jareth?

A gloved hand stroked her bare shoulder and she turned, relieved.

"Such a lovely dress, dear Sarah. It looks…so easy…to remove." Alryn leered at her, eyes glowing with a hunger that Sarah didn't want to understand.

She stepped away, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him, molding his body against hers through the thin silk of her dress. She felt his breath warm on her neck and shuddered, struggling free from his grip. "Don't touch me!" she said coldly, backing away.

Instead of following her as she expected, the Dryn studied her suspiciously. "The mark…impossible. Where is the mark?" Sarah's eyes widened and her hand went to her neck, finding only smooth skin where puncture marks had previously marred her throat.

"Gone…" Sarah whispered. She found herself smiling at Alryn in helpless relief. Gone!

Her reaction only enraged the Dryn further. He lunged for her…

And a figure emerged from the frenzied chaos to step protectively between Sarah and her attacker.

She gave a trembling sigh and rested her forehead briefly against Jareth's back. Then he whirled, taking her into his arms and spinning her across the dance floor. She glimpsed Alryn all but snarling in impotent rage before they were lost in the frolicking crowd.

Then there was only Jareth, staring down at her with that little trademark smirk of his. He was dressed exactly as she remembered, down to the blue streaks in his wild hair. She smiled at him and his eyes glowed with a warmth that made her blush.

"Your attire is unexpected, but it suits you."

"Thank you," she said simply. "I hope you don't mind, but I wanted to wear something that was less of a fantasy and more…me." She laughed. "And I feel more like myself now than I have since…well…" Her expression grew serious again as she scanned the crowd for black-robed figures, looking a question at Jareth.

His arm tensed around her waist. "They wouldn't dare come near, not while I am your partner."

Sarah nodded and let herself relax for a moment, leaning closer to rest her head on Jareth's shoulder. "He said the mark was gone," she murmured. "Is it true? Did you…?"

Jareth rested his chin on her curls, inhaling the scent. "As much as I would have enjoyed it, I'm afraid credit for that little miracle goes to another."

"What?" She drew back to stare at him. "Who?"

"Time enough for that story later," he replied, the edges of his lips curling into a smile as he pulled her close again. "I've waited too long for this moment."

As if on cue (and it probably was), there was music. Sarah tumbled through her memories, powerful déjà vu leaving her as dazed as if she was again drugged by an enchanted peach, and Jareth lowered his head so sing softly in her ear.

Lost in a time and place where the Dryn were only pale shadows in the background, the Goblin King and his lady slowly swayed across the marble floor.

Response to reviews:

Orphelia-Rose: Thank you for the compliments! I do think I can handle emotions or drama in general better than ordinary conversation or events…hmm I may end up making some minor revisions to this once it's finished.

Draegon-fire: You're still here! Delightful! Yes, I wanted to bring the wyvern egg back into the story, but I too am (or..was, since I've started it now) eager to get on with the ball. I suspect there may only be a few more chapters now.