Jareth left Sarah alone that night. He did not return to her to talk, nor even to provide her with food, though the likes of which did appear magically in her room anyway. But Jareth had spent enough energy that day explaining what had happened between he and Tebras. And still, even after all these years, thinking about what happened to Susannah and Lianna drained him.

How he had loved them both, and both had been ripped from his grasp. Jareth was determined not to let Tebras take Sarah too. The Goblin King ran a gloved hand through his long, dishevelled hair. Everything was such a mess and he well knew it.

Tebras twisted every situation. All Jareth had wanted was Sarah back; and though, perhaps, his intentions were less than honourable, Tebras' appearance had forced him into taking Sarah. And the Goblin King couldn't help but wonder if she even really understood his actions; the love he felt for her that she seemed blinded to.

With a sigh, Jareth thought, At least we're bonded. Perhaps that will persuade her...

His body slammed into hers, pinning her against the wall, the side of her face grazing slightly on the stone at the force he'd used. His lips were on her other cheek, kissing their way across the pale skin to her jaw line. She didn't know which side was worse. As Jareth started to make his way down to the crease where her neck a shoulder met, Sarah knew that she'd rather hit the wall a thousand times more than let him have her again. But she wasn't fighting him off.

The Goblin King's hands were on her waist, ruffling the thin material of the light blue gown he'd made her wear. Her hands were free, just pushing gently against the wall. Why aren't I doing anything? Sarah thought as she felt Jareth's hand move from her waist to undo the thick blue ribbon that held the dress in place.

She shivered when the dress fell to the floor in a pile, leaving her naked before the fae who had raped her. Sarah wanted to move, she wanted to stop his hands from moving round to cup her breasts. But she couldn't. Why can't I do anything? she thought as his hands moved in a way that he knew she couldn't help but like.

Sarah didn't say anything. She didn't move; didn't try to get him off her. And it took only a few more gentle movements from Jareth's adept fingers for Sarah to figure out why she was frozen. She liked what he was doing. No. I don't... I don't like what he's doing, Sarah thought, trying to convince herself that that was the truth. But as Jareth unleashed a loud moan from her lips, there was no way that she could convince herself that she didn't like what he was doing.

Jareth's lips were still working at her neck so tirelessly in their aim for her pleasure and, as one of his hands moved away from her breast to begin removing his own clothing, he nipped at her sensitive flesh. It distracted her from the missing hand that had returned so much sooner than she would have thought possible for someone to undress themselves.

The Goblin King's fingers trailed over her soft flesh, occasionally turning their attentions to her raised nipples and providing them with a softer touch than that of the rough wall on which they rested. Sarah let out another throaty moan that only encouraged Jareth to move further in his ministrations.

Sarah didn't understand. Why am I letting him do this? Why do I like that he's doing this? She had no answers to the questions that she was asking, but she didn't care anymore when she felt him rub up against her. She had no idea how good it would feel to have him sliding his shaft between her legs, not inside her, but so that in each movement he brushed over her in a way that sent waves of pleasure through her body.

Sarah woke up breathing heavily. She was alone and it was dark. Her thoughts, though uncollected, were somewhat clear. That was... that was a dream? But... Sarah tried to calm herself down as she tried to figure out if that had been a dream or just some sort of repressed memory of when he'd raped her. She'd done a good job of blocking those images from her mind- or so she'd thought. Of course, it was a dream. Why else would I have liked it? she thought with a grimace as she sat up, surrounded by the soft, silk sheet over her.

She didn't understand though, how even in a dream, her subconscious mind would tell her she was enjoying what Jareth did to her. He fucking raped me, for Christ's sake! But Sarah couldn't get the thoughts- and feelings- that that dream had brought to her out of her head.

And that was when it hit her. It wasn't her; this wasn't her fault. It was Jareth. Magic. He's obviously put some sort of spell on me to make me dream of him, or something perverted like that, she thought angrily. I should never have let him mess with my mind.

With a huff, Sarah lay back down to sleep, hoping that she wouldn't dream of the Goblin King again. Because that dream had done its job in arousing her, whether she liked it or not. And it had made her yearn for Jareth's touch; but Sarah had enough self-control to fight against the dream, and scrunch her eyes shut.

Little did she know, she would dream of Jareth again, though he was unaware of what her subconscious mind was leading her to imagine. Sarah hadn't before been afraid to sleep since Jareth had barred Tebras from her dreams; but what she'd dreamt of then made her wonder how confident she was in that assertion.

The next morning, when Jareth appeared in Sarah's room, she was wide awake, fully dressed in another tunic-like shirt and trousers, and perched on the windowsill. Jareth frowned slightly as he noticed that she looked as if she'd had very little sleep. As her eyes flickered over to him, Jareth watched as a myriad of emotion flashed over her face before her expression settled into a frown.

"You," she whispered.

One of Jareth's eyebrows rose as he looked at her questioningly, some part of him holding back his annoyance at her tone.

"First him and now you," she continued, scowling harshly at him.

"Stay out of my dreams."

Jareth's own frown darkened as he replied, "Sarah, what are you talking about?"

"As if you don't know what you put into my head," she retorted angrily.

The Goblin King could only stare at her blankly then, because, in truth, he'd done nothing to Sarah in the night just past. He'd placed no spell on her to make her dream of him. He knew, of course, that Sarah wouldn't believe any type of denial from him, however Jareth tried anyway.

Cautiously, he started, "Sarah, I honestly have no idea what it is that you're talking about."

She faltered a little, before coming back with, "Like I'm going to believe that! All this time you've spent trying to convince me that you loved me, when, really, all you want is my body."

At that Jareth blinked. What did she dream about? he wondered, utterly intrigued by her reaction. The Goblin King tilted his head to the side slightly as he looked at the woman who was attempting to stare at him furiously.

"What did you dream of, Sarah?" he asked, taking a step towards her.

Sarah's mouth opened a little, but she closed it, as if to decide that the response to that question was not anything that Jareth needed to hear. So instead she just stood up and folded her arms, moving away from the window a little. But Jareth wasn't satisfied with that as an answer.

"I asked you a question, Sarah."

Her eyes trailed over to him and, through gritted teeth, she answered, "You know very well what you made me dream last night."

That small and all-too-familiar smirk crept into Jareth's expression once again as he took another step closer to Sarah.

"Sarah, I can promise you that I did nothing to your dreams other than stopping Tebras from entering them," he said, almost amusedly.

Sarah hesitated again, but Jareth continued before she could answer.

"The only question that remains now is what it was that you did dream of."

Her eyes widened as the Goblin King stopped just before her, his body less than an arm's length away from her. Sarah didn't step back though; she didn't want provoke him more than her silence already probably was. And a little part of her wouldn't let her back down. Not this time. Not ever.

"Obviously, you dreamt of me," Jareth said, watching her expression flicker as he spoke.

Sure enough, Sarah's face betrayed her and that only brought a broader smirk to Jareth's features.

"Obviously," he repeated.

"So what was it that you dreamt of me doing, Sarah?" Jareth questioned, closing the gap between them so that they were mere inches apart.

Sarah refused to look into those mismatched eyes and instead fixated her gaze on the stone floor below. But Jareth wasn't going to accept that either. His hand reached out and gently pulled her chin up, forcing her to look at him. It was an extremely uncomfortable moment for Sarah, but she still didn't back away. So Jareth's hands moved to her shoulders, just resting lightly there.

"Come on, Sarah. It can't be that hard to admit... Can it?" he added, suggestively.

Sarah let out a long, ragged breath that she could keep under control no longer as his hands slid down her arms. Why am I not telling him to get the fuck off of me? a voice in the back of Sarah's mind asked; but that could barely penetrate the memories of the dreams she'd had. And she had no idea why she couldn't block those out.

Sarah frowned and closed her eyes as Jareth's lips came close enough to brush her cheek. Another long and heavy breath slipped through her lips. Something was wrong with her and she knew it. It was like she was lost in some spell that trapped her in the lust Jareth was pushing on her.

And she couldn't get away from it or force him to stop. Not even when Jareth pressed his body up against hers. All that succeeded in doing was pulling a badly-suppressed groan out of Sarah. She didn't want him that close to her; she hated him being that close to her, in fact. But everything in her seemed to be stopping her from pulling away. All that she had to do was say one little word, and then Jareth would stop. But she couldn't do that either.

"I wonder, Sarah... do I arouse you?" he whispered in her ear, now knowing full well the reason for the answer she would give.

A shiver crept up her body, and after that, Sarah refused to open her eyes and answer him. What could she say? Yes, would have been the honest answer, yet she had no idea why. It was as if every inch of her was being drawn to him. And, for whatever the reason it was happening, she despised herself for it.

Though, before she could even think of anything else, Sarah felt his lips brush down to her neck. She let out a sharp gasp as she felt him; his lips; his tongue. And she couldn't stop herself from tilting her head back slightly, unwittingly pushing her neck into his lips.

But that was all it took for Sarah's eyes to flash open, self-control triumphing over whatever it was that was battling her emotions. As she hadn't before, she suddenly pulled herself back a little.

"Stop," she managed to get out in a heavy breath.

With that one word, Jareth's lips left the skin they'd been teasing so well. With that one word, he pulled away from her, his hands leaving her arms. His body left where it had fitted perfectly against hers, taking the warmth he'd brought to her with him.

Sarah could only stare at the smirking fae in front of her, her eyes not really focussing on him. She could almost swear she was seeing stars as her world started to swirl. Dizziness and some other strange feeling tugged at her as she started to lose focus. And Sarah soon slipped into a strange and, what would seem to her, unprompted unconsciousness.

Jareth could tell that she was close to waking when her eyes began to flicker beneath her sleep-closed eyelids. He wasn't sure what exactly that she was dreaming this time, but he knew the reason for it. A small smirk came to the Goblin King's lips as he watched Sarah sleep, her breathing quickening and restlessness peaking, bringing her closer to waking.

Minutes later, Sarah shot up in her large, soft bed. Her eyes flashed to where Jareth was standing and then immediately to her body, as if checking to make sure that he'd tried nothing. After all, she couldn't object if she was unconscious. To her relief, she was still fully clothed and untouched by him. So the first thing Sarah thought to do was calm her breathing from the latest dream she'd had.

"What did you do?" she asked in a whisper.

Jareth tilted his head as he replied, "Nothing."

Sarah stared at him seriously for a moment.

"You swore not to," she said almost as a clarification.

"I did swear."

"And yet you were touching me earlier," she accused.

"I stopped as soon as you told me to."

"But, I didn't-"

Jareth merely shook his head, interrupting her.

"Whatever you think, you enjoyed that. I can't touch you without your permission, remember? So for me to touch you, you must have wanted that."

Sarah stared at him, trying to look doubtful despite what she knew. Her dreams had made her want that, and she was too confused to understand why. Seeing the confusion breaking through in Sarah's expression, Jareth continued.

"There was one thing that I forgot to mention about me bonding us."

Sarah looked up at him, a frown now creeping into her features.

"You see, as well as stopping Tebras from charming you or touching you without causing immense pain to himself, bonding has its effects on you also."

Sarah blinked.

"W-what are you talking about?" she asked uncertainly.

Mismatched eyes stared into her confused and frightened green ones as he continued.

"You will always drawn to me. Your body will need mine and no other will ever satisfy you- in fact, they would suffer in the act of trying. I'll be like a drug to you now; and you will never be able to leave me."

Sarah stared at the Goblin King blankly.

"What?" she whispered after a long silence had filled the room.

"You heard me, Sarah," he replied, his voice calm and even.

"So... So it wasn't just a way to stop Tebras then," Sarah started, anger and realisation finally hitting her.

"It was a way for you to keep me here!"

Jareth didn't reply for a moment, but, when he did, he tilted his head to the side a little and said, "That wasn't on the top of my priorities... but it was among them."

Disbelieving Jareth's actions, Sarah's breathing started to get out of her control. She was almost hyperventilating by the time she spoke again.

"Get out," she said through gritted teeth and between breaths.

With a sigh, Jareth started, "Sarah-"

"Get out, get out! I hate you!"

A childish reaction, he thought. She'll get used to it soon. But with a bow, Jareth disappeared in an array of magic and sparks, leaving Sarah to realise exactly what it was the Jareth had done to her.

When he'd left her alone, Sarah started to understand what Jareth had done. So he's stopped Tebras from being able to charm or rape me, but, she wondered, how much more did he take from me in doing it? Because he had bonded them, she would never be able to return home. If she needed him as much as he said she was going to, then she would be forced to stay with him.

She would never go home. Never see Toby again. Her father. Even Karen... Sarah groaned and lay back down on the bed as the tears started to fall. What was even worse though, was that she knew now why she dreamt of Jareth. Why she was finding it hard to resist his advances.

And now, she even knew why it was so easy for Jareth to swear he'd never touch her without her permission again. He'd tricked her into trusting him that tiny bit more than she had, knowing full well that he wouldn't have to wait long before she came to him.

So, now, when she thought about what Jareth had done, she knew that he had just taken every choice from her and left her with him as her only option. Him. How Sarah hated him for all that he had done. Because Jareth knew that she'd be pushing herself on him, no matter how much she hated it.

As Jareth had made it sound, Sarah was going to be addicted to him, and she could already feel the signs of it. This is sick, Sarah couldn't help but think. Totally. Fucking. Sick. She wiped away some of the tears that had trailed across her cheeks, only for them to be replaced by fresh ones.

As devastated and horrified as she was though, there was a tiny part of her, that couldn't help but feel a little relieved. Relieved that it wasn't her that was responsible for those dreams she was having and the fact that she liked them. And it wasn't her that was the reason she didn't want to stop what Jareth had been doing to her. It was magic. Bonding. It wasn't her fault that these feelings were taking over her.

But Sarah still found herself crying herself into a migraine that day, allowing herself for once to think those words that had gotten her into trouble time and time again. It's not fair.

Hoggle had been pacing around his home since Jareth has sent him back there. Everything that he had found out was twisted, and Hoggle couldn't do anything about it. Jareth had Sarah. That was bad in itself, but that Tebras was after Sarah... Hoggle knew that there was nothing worse.

But, despite his fear of what the two fae might do, with Sarah caught in the middle of their ongoing feud, Hoggle knew he had to at least try to do something. But what? he thought, trying to think of a way around the Goblin King's hold over Sarah.

Hoggle had called upon Sarah's other friends; Ludo, Didymus and Ambrosius. He needed them before he could do anything or come up with any sort of plan. So he was waiting for them to arrive, pacing around his home, ringing circles around his possessions.

When the others had finally arrived; frustrated, Hoggle threw his arms up in the air. Though, of course, his friends had no cause to understand his haste. However, they did understand when Hoggle explained what Jareth had done. Outrage peaked when Hoggle's story turned to Terbas.

"The knave!" Didymus interrupted before Hoggle could finish.

"How dare he-"

"Yes, yes, Didymus, we know tha'. We jus' need t' figure out a way t' get Sarah outta there," Hoggle started, waving a hand to dismiss Didymus' protests.

And so the group began to plan Sarah's rescue from both Jareth and Tebras, though it would take longer than they had thought for them to come up with a plan that just might work. One that later struck them as if by magic.

The main problem they had, but didn't know it, however, was that Sarah's friends had no idea what bonding was. So they didn't understand that whatever they were planning was completely pointless. Because Sarah couldn't leave now, even though that was what she wanted more than anything.

Again, Jareth left Sarah to her thoughts. What else could he do? He'd have to let her calm herself down and try to accept her new life- for it certainly was her new life now. There was no turning back now for Sarah. Or for him. Since he'd brought Sarah back to the Underground, he'd made his choice for the both of them. And now Sarah was aware of that fact.

In his study, Jareth leant back in his chair, a crystal resting in the palm of his hand. He'd had enough of watching Sarah crying. Watching her pity herself. So he let the crystal drop from his grip, to where it rolled slowly off the desk before him and shattered on the stone floor. With a sigh from the Goblin King, the crystal shards littering the floor faded into the same glittering dust that was left when Jareth used his magic.

As the dust started to vanish, however, Jareth noticed the visitor that had been watching him for some time. Anger flared in him at the sight, but the Goblin King refused to let it show in his expression. Why did I not see it sooner? Jareth thought as he stared darkly at the black bird perched on the open window's ledge. The raven tilted its head at Jareth's glare, until the Goblin King let out a sigh.

"I'd have thought better of you than stooping to use a raven as your spy, Tebras," was all Jareth said before the bird tried to fly away.

But it didn't make it more than an inch away from the window ledge, before something inside it seemed to choke the life from it. Feathers flew in all directions and blood sprayed against the glass window pane. After a moment, all that still moved were the few glints of magic sparks that proved Jareth's use of magic.

A bird of ill omen, Jareth thought as he walked over to the window, his eyes trailing over the carmine, viscous liquid splattered over the wall. Not only had the bird been sent as a spy, it seemed; but it had also been a message. A message heralding Tebras' next move.

With a frown, Jareth vanished, ready to make preparations of his own. For the Goblin King knew that, whatever Tebras' next move would be, he would have to do something even more extreme to save Sarah. And it all now depended on how willing she was to cooperate.

Author's Note: Long overdue chapter, eh? Well, I only have one exam next week and then I should be all for writing loads more. :D Oh, and I got a new job, not that you guys really wanted to know, just thought I'd say. :P

Oh yeah, and I wrote the first chapter of Tebras and Jareth's back story and I'm working on the second chapter now. It's called 'It's Just A Game To Him' You can find it here: www. fanfiction. net/s/7025435/1/ Its_Just_A_Game_To_Him (just remove the spaces 'cus the stupid thing won't let me link without putting them in). Reviews would be greatly appreciated! :)

Kit xx