Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own the Labyrinth or the characters in it. I do own, Azan, Connor, and Lili. And for the most part, the plot is also mine, with contributions and suggestions from readers.

A/N: Whew. I am so sorry for the long wait on this chapter. Family emergencies and moving out have prevented me from any writing time. I don't know when I'll be able to write more, so I wanted to put up what I have for all of you now.

Within

Chapter Thirteen Part One: Trigger

The network in Jareth's mind was going berserk, but on the outside he managed to appear calm. "Sarah, what are you saying?" he managed to ask, even though millions of questions popped in and out of his mind.

"I don't know," she laughed nervously.

He was curious. Her behavior was so odd from the last time he saw her under the influence. First she was angry, gutsy, proud, among other strong characteristics, and now… now she was shy, nervous, "Could it be that you wish to experience something like that again?" It was too hard to hide his grin.

"Oh," She laughed, throwing him off, "I have countless times. In a way- for a while after my encounter with you, I couldn't stand thinking of the song…or of you. And what do you know? I can't help it anyway and sooner or later you pop back into my life, just as I was beginning to think reality escaped me for a night and my imagination ran wild."

The warmth of Jareth's hand on her shoulder caused her to look up. His lips weren't curved into a smile or a frown, but there was something about the way his eyes looked at her that was sincere. Truth be told, she did see this expression on his face before, but it was still new to her.

Thinking better of recently conceived Plan B, Jareth sighed. "There are things I still need to take care of, so I should return to my …"

Again, something unexpected happened. Sarah wrapped her arms around him and held on to him tightly. "Do you have to?" she barely whispered.

It was odd to see her like this- Her guard was down, she was extremely feminine with her words and actions. Jareth had seen so many sides of Sarah Williams today that he only could imagine previously.

"…I could make an exception," he said. 'I'd make any exception for you,' he thought.

Piles of dusty books were strewn about. Connor sat in the middle of the mess before the massive bookshelf. "Ah, that's right. Jareth the Goblin King lives in the castle beyond the Goblin City. Its been ages since I've been near there." It had been days since he was able to write anything worth reading on his computer. It had been days since she was on his mind and all the while, he wondered why the Goblin King chose to fall for a human woman. He was tempted to give up at first, but why should he? He knew there was some chemistry between them. Maybe, just maybe the girl would fall for him, instead of that cruel king? As he leafed through pages of his book, he searched for an answer to his problems.

"Perhaps there is a way to get back," he said, proud that the idea finally came to him.

The chair she sat in was vacant when she first visited the room eight years ago…and like eight years ago, the Goblin King was nowhere in sight. Her eyes drifted from one corner of the room to the other. There was the thirteen-hour clock that triggered many memories and there was the spot where she left her friends for the final battle.

She could feel the effects of her previous drinks wearing off as her brain began to process most of the events of the evening- seeing as how a few things were a bit fuzzy. What did she say to him? No, why did she say that to him? Deep down inside, she knew the answers to all these questions. "So it takes a few alcoholic beverages for me to realize things that were pretty evident about myself," she sighed sipping water out of the porcelain cup in her hand.

"Oh? What self- revelation have you had?" came the Goblin King's voice. Jareth, slowly made his way next to her with a smile on his face. At first, he didn't expect her to sit on his throne. After all, he wasn't used to anyone but himself sitting on the throne here, but something about the way she looked there just fit.

"I can't tell you," she responded. A slight smile curved on her lips. "And don't you try to read my thoughts."

"Always a step ahead?" Jareth laughed. "I wont."

"So," she began, "open up to me."

"What?" he asked, once again being hit with the unexpected. 'This woman likes to throw me off.' He noted for future references.

"I know nothing about you, with the exception of what I've experienced and learned from our past encounter…and that isn't too promising." She said, starting to say her thoughts rather than think about them first.

Jareth, also without thinking asked, "And what, my dear, is not so promising?"

"Well, for one- you wouldn't give me my brother back and to prevent me from getting him back you were cruel and devious- and considering more recent events, it is hard to believe you really are the pompous jerk I thought you were." Sarah sighed. 'There, I said it…' Part of her was relieved, but part of her was still on edge. 'Maybe he's going to get mad…' she regretted not being more delicate with her words.

True, her words were harsh, but they weren't wrong. He said nothing at first, causing her to worry more, but just as she was about to apologize, she heard his words.

"I was cruel, you're right about that… But I was everything you wanted me to be. Wouldn't you think that anyone would resort to some form of reasoning in order to keep something they love?" Jareth sighed. This was a lot harder than he imagined it to be. He originally planned to sweep her off her feet once she returned to the Underground, but once again, Sarah Williams managed to foil such plans. At this point, he wanted nothing more than to make sure she understood who he really is.

Sarah watched him intently. Words weren't coming to her mouth. She wanted to disagree with him, but in truth, he was right. Her eyes averted down and her brows furrowed as his words echoed in her mind. A small smile finally crept onto her face. "So what great plans do you have waiting for tomorrow?"

She half meant to change the subject. For one, it opened the gateway to hopefully a happier topic and for another she wouldn't be caught in that awkward 'I'm wrong; you're right, and I know it' stage.

Truth be told, he didn't know about tomorrow. In fact, about ten minutes ago, that was the last thing on his mind.

A/N: Again, this is just what I have so far- there will be part two once I have the time to write again! I really want to thank everyone else who reviewed the previous chapter!

Amani07, Angel, babymene17, bra4goten, carrie132, futrCSI1490, Ginabella59, HappyDepressive, hazlgrnLizzy, Irene Sharda, jojo661538, notwritten, PassionHime, Redhanded Napolean, Sylistra the scholar, ViperineVampire, Welshteen