I'm sorry this took so long. Last week was so busy. I went to the Arizona Renaissance and then work decided to start being busy. Hope you enjoy. (Catherine really isn't that big a ditz you guys. You'll see.) Thank you for all your really wonderful reviews and a belated but huge thank you to xelena-chan from Laby Realm. She helped me fix Sarah's dress and I was sooo exhasted when I posted that I forgot to mention it. Sorry Xelena. Still don't own Labyrinth Jareth or Sarah. On with the story. ja ne b00k

My will is as strong

Jareth appeared in a burst of glitter and Eli snorted a little at his grandiose gesture. Sarah just sighed and shrugged slightly at her friends' gazes.

"What is going on here," Jareth thundered, glaring menacingly around the room.

"Hello brother," Gareth said, a sly smile oozing over his face. "How good of you to join us. We were just talking about you," he added, turning his back on them and sauntering over to his gaudy throne. He paused, taunting them with his back, before turning and sitting as if he had nothing to worry about.

"Why have you kidnapped my dinner guests, Gareth?" Jareth snapped and Gareth affected a shocked expression.

"I have not kidnapped anyone, dear brother. I merely wished to introduce myself to your beloved fiancé," Gareth replied, mock-hurt.

"I have no fiancé yet. You've kidnapped the Fairy Princess and her companions," Jareth informed his brother coldly. Sarah had an evil idea and bent to share it with Eli and Max.

"Don't lie to me, brother. One of these three mortals possess Goblin magic and she is your fiancé," Gareth snapped back, any pretense of decency gone as he realized that Sarah and her friends weren't even paying attention to him.

"You are a fool if that is what you believe. The Fairy Queen was most irritated when she discovered that her step-daughter was taken and she'll be even more upset when she hears your reasons," Jareth stated.

"I hope Mom wasn't too upset," Max interrupted from behind Jareth.

"Mom is scary when she's upset," Sarah agreed, ignoring Jareth's questioning gaze.

"I hope we get to the Castle Beyond the Goblin City soon. I'm famished," Eli added, rolling her eyes and yawning hugely.

"I quite agree, Lady Sarah," Max said and Sarah nodded.

"Your dinner guests have been most irritating," Gareth informed his brother darkly.

"I did warn you that Sarah was quite vexing when upset. It isn't my fault that you didn't listen to me and added the other two irritations as well. I could have told you that most mortals frustrate our kind," Jareth replied smugly.

"Hey!" the trio of troublemakers protested.

"In a good way, of course," Jareth added quickly, turning and bowing slightly in their direction.

"Of course," Eli replied dryly.

"We would like to return to our parents now," Sarah hinted and Jareth nodded.

"I'm afraid you can't leave just yet," Gareth purred, looking very self-satisfied.

"Why not?" Max asked in surprise.

"She asked for him to come here, not to be able to leave," Gareth replied, laughing at his older brother's startled expression.

"You mean that we are stuck here," Sarah asked sweetly and Jareth shuddered. He recognized that tone of voice from when he was watching her; it meant that things were about to get ugly.

"As I said before, I merely wish to speak some with my brother's fiancé. The others may go," Gareth told her smugly, oblivious to her rising ire.

"How many times do we have to tell you, none of us are engaged to the Goblin King," Eli yelled, also recognizing the signs of a blowout approaching.

"Until you convince me," Gareth replied carelessly. Jareth held his breath and got out from between Gareth and Sarah quickly.

"Believe this, you little fungus. I am sick and tired of your insolent idiocy and if you don't open a portal and take me home, I will make sure that you regret it for the rest of your life," Sarah growled, her eyes narrowing as she strode over to his throne and yanked him onto his feet and down the steps by his ear. Gareth yelped in startlement and his eyes started to tear unwillingly. "Oh, hush. I know for a fact it doesn't hurt that much," Sarah snapped.

"How would you know, witch," he whined, trying to turn and relieve the pressure on his ear. Sarah twisted the opposite way until he yelped and straightened out.

"Show some respect. Even if you were a king, the Goblin King is down here, not up there. You're in the presence of ladies, straighten up and be polite. What did I say about opening a portal?" Sarah snapped, barely giving him time to understand each sentence, and it's accompanying prod to the shoulder, before twisting him around and pushing him another direction. She had marched him all the way around the room by his ear accompanied by the laughter of the courtiers before she finally finished berating him and lecturing him by turns. Pushing him at Jareth, who hastily caught him and set him straight, she turned her attention to the courtiers.

"What are you laughing at?" Sarah asked icily and, like a light switch, everyone stopped moving. "I'm not pleased with you in the slightest. First, you support this idiot in his extremely stupid idea and then you have the audacity to laugh when he gets punished," she started, glaring impartially around the room.

"Leave them alone," Gareth said quickly and she turned back to him queryingly. "It's me you want. It was all my fault," he added shakily.

"I'll get to you in a moment," Sarah replied coldly before turning around. Gareth opened his mouth again but Jareth shushed him quickly before she blew up totally. She was still being very calm about what had happened so far and Jareth didn't want her to get too upset.

"Sarah, shouldn't we be getting that portal open," Eli asked softly and Sarah thought for a moment before regretfully nodding and turning to stare pointedly at Jareth's younger brother. He shrank back from her slightly and looked around to see if anyone would help him.

"Don't try me. My will is as strong as Jareth's and you wouldn't like to see what happens when I get truly upset," she warned him softly and he shuddered at the thought that she hadn't been as mean as she could be and quickly tossed a crystal into the bleak fog surrounding the room. The courtiers stirred, disappointed at not being able to see more but quieted as Sarah's glance traveled the room.

"Sarah," Eli reminded her and Sarah noticed that the black fog had disappeared completely into Gareth's ball.

"Right. I think that Mom needs to meet your brother. Would you mind?" Sarah finally said, directing a querying glance at Jareth. He nodded and disappeared with Eli, Max and Gareth. She smiled, her eyes hardening, and directed her attention to the courtiers standing around nervously. "As for you," she murmured softly and they shuffled away from her uncomfortably. "I think that those of you who are unconscious belong in the Goblin King's parents' castle," she said lazily, gesturing and sending a crystal to Jareth quickly. An answering crystal came back almost immediately and the unconscious partiers disappeared, halving the population of the room. The remaining guests moved closer together and further away from the mortal girl who controlled their lives at the moment. The rest of you had a hand in kidnapping myself and the other guests, I'm sure," Sarah said, pacing the front of the room slowly, like a tiger pacing a meal. They shrank back fearfully and Sarah reveled in the feeling of finally being in charge of everything since Jareth decided to come back into her life.

"We didn't mean anything," one woman started but Sarah held up her hand and everyone stared fearfully.

"You kidnapped all those courtiers for fun?" Sarah asked sweetly and some of them shook their head quickly. "I am a little curious as to why you did kidnap everyone though," Sarah added, distractedly.

"We were told to. The Prince wanted to reproduce the ball where you fell in love with the Goblin King," the woman volunteered hastily.

"I don't suppose he gave a reason for this?" Sarah said dryly but they shook their heads and Sarah sniffed depreciatingly. She paced, observing the reactions of the courtiers and trying to decide what to do with them that would be a bad enough punishment. "Well, I suppose the only fair thing to do is to let your lords or ladies decide what to do. It's the worst thing I can think of since I'm terribly sure that your lords or ladies are displeased with your departure and the uses you put to your ill-gained time," Sarah finally sighed and almost everyone wilted in fear. A few tried to hide smug grins. "And I believe I'll ask Jareth to find someone to check and make sure that you were all punished properly. Maybe Felanist can help," she added, realizing that some of these people could be here with the permission of their lords or ladies. She certainly didn't want anyone to miss being punished. She gazed around to make sure that everyone appeared appropriately crest-fallen before summoning a pair of crystal balls. One she tossed at the crowd and they disappeared one by one. The other she tossed into the air as soon as the last of the courtiers had disappeared. As she left, the fog reappeared and the ballroom was swallowed into the void it had come from.

"What did you do with them?" a startled voice asked as soon as she reappeared in Jareth's castle. Sarah turned curiously to look at the fair blond elf standing by Jareth's side.

"I thought they might like to have some time to think about their sins but I didn't want to leave them in that awful empty place," Sarah replied, shrugging and guessing that this was Jareth's other sibling. "I hope you don't mind, I created a large oubliette out by the Bog of Eternal Stench," she added, smiling at Jareth.

"You didn't!" the woman gasped and Sarah raised her eyebrows at Jareth curiously.

"If she says she did, she did Aereth," Jareth said to both his sister's exclamation and Sarah's silent query.

"I'm not a very good builder though. I don't think that that oubliette is water-tight," Sarah added wickedly and Jareth laughed in delight.

"How cute," Catherine said dazedly and Sarah glanced over at her mother. Following her line-of-sight, she saw the Pixie King staring at Catherine blankly.

"Just ignore them, dear," Karen advised and Sarah shook her head silently at the pair. "We still have an unexpected guest to take care of," she added and they turned their attention to Jareth and Aereth's unsettled brother. He stared back at them and almost whimpered at the menacing looks they gave him. He was in biiiiig trouble.