A/N : Nothing Labyrinth is owned by me!

Jareth looked at Sarah in confusion. The tears falling into the boiling water clued him in only seconds later. He stepped quickly into the water, plucking the bound woman from its volcanic heat. He kicked open the bedroom door, moving swiftly to the bed. He laid her down gently, slowly taking off her dress. He flinched every time she cried out. With a growl of impatience he used magic, flinging the dress quickly from her body. It landed on the floor a few feet from the bed. Jareth glared at it for a moment, and then quickly returned his attention back to Sarah. His breath caught in his throat as her body came into his gaze. The frost had not deflected the hot water like he had first thought; instead, it had only stopped Sarah from feeling the pain.

Her skin was bright read, burnt and blistered. Her beautiful skin was marred to an unrecognizable mess, blood and puss surging slowly out of open wounds. The skin on her stomach was raw, thick with blood. The blood dripped from her body onto the bed, outlining her in a very disturbing way. Her wrists and ankles were the worst were the rope had rubbed. The skin, like her stomach, was raw, and red with anger. Had these wounds been inflicted by mortal fire, it would have been easy to repair with Jareth's magic. However, since they had been inflicted with magic, it would take a stronger magic to remedy it.

Jareth used his own magic to fully unclothe her. Sarah writhed in pain as the blisters on her back were torn away by the sheets and blankets beneath her. Jareth lovingly touched her forehead, smoothing her wet hair back from her face. "Shh, love, everything will be alright."

"It hurts…Jareth…it hurts so much…" Tears ran freely down her face as she continued to shift on the bed, trying in vein to find a comfortable position.

"I know, pet, I know." He whispered. Jareth then weaved a strong sleeping spell. He watched as his magic moved towards her mind, enticing her to sleep.

"Jareth…" She whispered. Her eyes held so much fear that it tore at the ice in his heart, chipping it away.

He smoothed her hair back once more. "Shh, please Sarah. There will be no pain," He leaned forward, whispering into her ear. "I promise."

He watched as Sarah nodded, her lips twisted into a look of pain. She slowly gave into his spell. Soon, she drifted off, lost in a protective sleep.

Jareth looked down at her, his face one of regret. He had never felt regret before her, before he had fallen in love with her. He fed her dreams as he had so many times before, making them soothing, giving her mind all that it craved. He watched as her burnt, chapped lips smiled slightly. They cracked, a thin line of blood trickling down her chin. He reached down and wiped it away. A look of pure peace came over her, and Jareth leaned down until he could feel her breath on his face. "I love you." He whispered, leaving to summon a healer.

The healer summoned was a cross between a frog and a turtle. He had bright orange gelatinous looking eyes, covered by thick rimmed glasses. His nose was pointed like that of a turtles, but his mouth was like a frog's, long and wide, giving the appearance of a perpetual smile. He was only about three feet tall, barely coming up to Jareth's waist. His arms were to his ankles, long and thin. They led up to thin wrists and wide hands baring only two fingers and an opposable thumb. His legs were bowed, making him waddle when he walked. Luckily, his hands and legs were not needed to heal the very uncomfortably injured Sarah.

"Hmm," His high pitched voice rang out into the room. He raised a hand to his head, little spurts of white hair becoming disarrayed. He combed them over with his fingers, flattening the strands firmly to his head. "Very burnt, is she not?" He chuckled, his high voice making Jareth flinch in irritation.

"Obviously." Jareth retorted testily. The healer giggled, as though he were a school girl and nodded his head. Then, with a dramatic wave of his hand he conjured a thin, transparent blanket. It was green, reminding Jareth of pine trees in the mortal realm. With strangely gentle hands he placed it over her entire body, covering even her head.

To Jareth it looked as though Sarah was lying there dead, covered with the blanket as they had done in the mortal world, letting others see the body. He flinched at the sight, turning away slightly, closing his eyes.

"Sleep she will, long time." The turtle-frog healer moved to the door. He looked at Sarah, his eyes narrowing. "Hmm, healing magic, much in her, runs through her veins. Maybe not long time, medium time." He nodded, as though agreeing with himself. "Yes, medium time will do much good, very." With that, the healer waddled out.

Jareth took a deep breath, gathering his courage to look at Sarah. He could already see her skin slowly healing, the magic coursing through her veins, binding itself with her own magic. Faster then any mortal healing. He surmised. He looked outside, seeing that the sun had set. Once again night had casts its rejuvenating shadow over the Labyrinth. Once more, Jareth sat by Sarah's bedside, watching over her like the angel he thought he could never be.

Hoggle, fortunately, was fairing a little better than Sarah. He had swung a blanket over a gnarled branch that belonged to a tree he assumed was dead. He was not thrilled with the make-shift tent, but at least it kept out the cruel wind. He gathered the soft sand into his little abode, making a large mound. He then placed another thin blanket over it. It was nothing like his comfy feathered mattress at home, but like the tent, it would have to do. Hoggle pulled a third blanket from his large pack, making his bed for the night. Once that small task was done, he set off to fetch dry wood. Within minutes, Hoggle had a cozy campfire going. He sat on the ground in front of the flames, his mind on home.

He wondered if his mother would recognize him, or even acknowledge him. He rubbed his head fondly at the memory of her favorite hammer coming over it; all because he ate her favorite block of cheese. He smirked, remembering her scolding him for letting the goats get out into the mines. Hoggle sighed at the memories; he picked up a stick and poked it absent-mindedly into the flames. He remembered when he left, everyone had been sad to see a favored jeweler go. However, when word of his new place in the Labyrinth spread, he had become feared, and hated. Slowly, with each visit back, the welcoming reception had dwindled. It hadn't been long until he had been told never to return again. Shaking his head he aggressively poked the fire, listening to the protesting crackle. "Eh, shut up! What do you know?" He scoffed. He finally put the stick down, moving into his make-shift tent.

Soon after disappearing into the tent, he came back out, his foot coming down on the stick with fevered anger. One the stick was reduced to a pile of twigs, he moved back into the tent. He had left the fire going to keep the area a little warmer, and the horrid beasts at bay. Scurrying under the thin blanket he closed his eyes, begging for sleep to rescue him quickly.

The hours passed slowly for Jareth. He dozed on and off, his eyes always watching Sarah. Finally, at midnight he cast a sleeping spell on himself. Stumbling to the other side of the bed, he was careful not to remove the healing blanket from Sarah. He laid down sleepily, turning to lie on his back. He listened to Sarah's even breathing, and was soon asleep.

Dream with me… Jareth heard Sarah's voice in his mind as he slept. Jareth…dream with me. Soon he found himself within Sarah's dream, seeing the very depth of her dreams.

They stood in a wondrous garden, even more beautiful than his own garden. He wore only his open necked shirt, black leggings and his boots. His gloves were gone, leaving the smooth skin underneath unprotected. Jareth closed his eyes, a soft breeze caressing his face. When he opened his eyes, Sarah was standing before him. Her skin was smooth and healed. Her eyes were once again a beautiful green. She wore a plain white peasant dress, the full skirt billowing in the breeze.

"Sarah?" He touched her cheek, smiling as she looked up at him.

"Hello Jareth." Her voice echoed throughout the flora and fauna, being carried away on the elusive breeze. "I was waiting for you to fall asleep." She stepped towards him, putting her hand over his.

"Forgive me, my lady," He whispered softly. "I didn't mean to take so long." To that Sarah smiled. She put her arms around his neck, pillowing her head on his shoulder. Jareth's arms were soon around her. He was soon hugging her close, wishing that this embrace was real, and not a dream. He stroked her hair, reveling the feeling of it, even in their dream. His fingers tingled as they traveled up her waist, caressing her shoulder, and then down her arm. He took one of her hands from around her neck, wanting to hold the smaller appendage within his. "You are so wonderful." He touched her cheek, bringing her gaze to his. She moved away, keeping her hand in his.

"Walk with me?"

"Anything."

Sarah then smiled sadly, whispering, "Don't make promises you cannot keep Jareth."

Jareth didn't respond, he instead walked with her. He slipped her arm through his, caressing her hand with his free one.

"So," He said quietly, defusing the rising tension. "This is your personal world? One that even I have not seen…" Jareth looked around, truly awed as petals began to rain down upon them.

Sarah nodded, a small smile replacing the true one that had been on her lips. "This is my escape. When things were at their worst, and I didn't dream of you, I came here. This was a place that I could be myself. This was a place that I could remember when I was stronger. When I was me, when I was running towards something, not away from it."

Jareth nodded, feeling her pain once more. He stopped, pulling her towards him. He gently pushed her head up with his index finger. Once she was looked at him, he leaned down, kissing her gently. To Sarah, it was like a butterflies wing brushing past her lips, light, teasing, but soft and kind. "He can't hurt you anymore." Jareth whispered in her ear, enfolding her in his arms once more.

"I know Jareth. The only regret I have is that I was so blind for so long. I thought that he was my escape, my escape from everything that I couldn't have anymore."

Sarah had baited him, and Jareth took it, grasping it with all of his abominable heart.

"What is it that you couldn't have Sarah?"

"My dreams," She paused in speaking, looking down for a moment before meeting his gaze again. "I can't believe I was only fifteen when I came here. Yet, I took it all for granted still, even afterwards. I thought that maybe if I wished hard enough, you would still come back for me, save me like you had before. I thought that you would forgive me, that you somehow could forgive me."

Jareth nodded at her words, brushing her long hair back from her face. "I heard your wishes." He commented softly. She offered him a small smile, continuing on with her story.

"I let everything go Jareth. Hoggle, Ludo, Didymus, one by one. I forgot, I blocked it all out, telling myself over and over again that it was all a deluded fantasy! I told myself that it was a dream, like this." She gestured to the perfect world she had created. "I thought I would grow up, marry, live in a real life happy ending." Sarah smiled sadly, touching Jareth's cheek.

"But you are in real life, right now Sarah." Jareth leaned into her hand. He caressed her cheek, moving his hand then to the back of her head. He pulled her forward gently, but insistently. Sarah followed his lead more than willingly. He kissed her with a ferocious tenderness that she had never felt before. His lips were demanding yet giving all at once. He wrapped his arms around her, making her a part of himself.

In her dreams, she felt cold, but she could also feel a searing heat. Sarah pulled away moment later, breathless within her mind. "It is, isn't it?" She whispered. She leaned up and kissed him gently once more. Jareth held her close, smiling as she smiled against his heated flesh. She kissed his chest, pulling away. "Wake up now…"

Jareth's eyes opened. The sun was still not up. The moon cast strange light in the room. Everything seemed to glow with an inner life of its own. Jareth looked then at Sarah, not surprised to find her looking at him. Her skin was still red, some of the more serious wounds now looking like the minor ones had. "Hold me." She requested tiredly, her hand creeping out of the blanket to hold his.

"I don't want to hurt you.' He replied worriedly.

"Please." Her voice was hoarse from the screaming she had done earlier. Jareth nodded. He stood, removing his boots as well as his gloves and jacket. He tossed them aside, climbing into the bed once more. He lifted the green veil like blanket, sliding in beside Sarah. Jareth laid it over the both of them before he took her into his arms.

Sarah sighed contently in his hold. Her skin was still sensitive, every where his skin touched hers ached, but she ignored it. The pain was a good sort of pain, it was a way of letting her know that she was alive.

"Jareth?"

"Yes Sarah?"

"What happened? I don't understand what happened to me." Her voice trailed off as she laid there in his arms, waiting for an answer.

"My heart, Sarah, is very cold. Quite literally in fact."

A/N: Lil' dream love, a lil' 'in real life' love...and a lil' bit of good ol' Hoggle complaining once more! I have gotten many requests for more romance! So, in honor of a year of working on this story, there will be a very romantic and lovely chapter coming up! I promise no crazy bad things happening! Until the next chapter . Thanks to all who R&R! -MB