Disclaimer: Lenna, Xaiden, the ditzes, Deziktra (the witch), Mannonda, and the goblin servants (including Skhod) are mine. No one else is.

"Somehow I doubt that," Sarah replied, taking a refreshing sip of tea.

"He would let them run amok. They would have the Goblin City in ruins within a day and the whole place would be in shambles by the end of the week."

Sarah stared at him for a moment. "Why would you care? It wouldn't be your kingdom anymore."

"The goblins need a stern ruler, not a careless king who worries about nothing more than the next notch he plans to have on his bedpost."

"You sound jealous," Sarah said, taking a bite of her chicken to hide the fact that she was trying to suppress a grin.

"Hardly," Jareth scoffed. "The git couldn't rule a kingdom if his life depended on it."

Sarah thought for a moment as she finished chewing and swallowing her chicken. "Perhaps you could teach him," she suggested. "He could rule the kingdom and you would be mostly free of the responsibility. You wouldn't even have to mentor him for very long, I'm sure. You could do anything you wanted after that. You could travel anywhere."

Jareth clenched and unclenched his jaw at the thought, having completely forgotten about his dinner. "It's not so easy," he informed her.

"I don't see why not," Sarah said. "You are, after all, the king."

"Because I was born to rule while he was born to play," Jareth growled. "There is no changing that."

Sarah studied Jareth for a moment as he downed his drink and poured another. She could feel the tension radiating off of him, could see the stress at the very idea of giving his kingdom to his brother, of all people, dance across his face. And that's when it hit her.

"You're attached," she said in awe.

Jareth downed his fresh drink and moved to refill it only to find the bottle empty. "Skhod," he called out.

Sarah continued to stare, hardly able to breathe. She could see emotions running through his generally-cold eyes that she had never expected to see in him. It was almost like watching a loving parent imagine the horror of letting criminals raise their children for them.

The goblin whom she assumed to be Skhod walked up to the table at that moment with a bow.

Jareth handed him the bottle. "Bring me another," he said.

Sarah watched him massage the bridge of his nose as Skhod trotted off. He looked exhausted.

She sipped her tea as she watched him, thoughts that she had never expected to think running through her head. Memories of Mannonda telling her to have an open heart and mind tonight, memories of Jareth's final words to her before she'd delivered the final blow, so to speak, on her journey through the Labyrinth, memories of the worm telling her how nothing is what it seems filled her mind and made her feel light-headed.

Skhod returned, setting the bottle on the table. "Anything else, Your Majesty?"

Jareth shook his head and Skhod left.

Sarah continued to watch him as he poured his drink and sipped at it, appearing to be either lost in thought or mentally numb- it was hard to tell which.

She was surprised by the pity that she felt for the king, by the stabs of pain she felt in her heart as he sat across from her, left naked by the lack of any mask to cover his true self.

She swallowed as her strange thoughts became more prominent.

"Jareth," she said when she could no longer stand it.

He looked up, surprised at hearing his name spoken by her. The only place he'd thought he would ever hear it was in their dreams.

Sarah swallowed again, wondering why her throat was so dry.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"You know why," he replied after a long pause, finishing off his drink and pouring another.