After Jareth disappeared this time, Sarah dropped heavily down onto her bed. So much had happened in such a short amount of time that she was struggling to wrap her head around it all. Just what could possibly be so important that Jareth would be so reluctant to tell her? All his teasing and baiting in the theater club—while it had set her on edge—was what she expected from him. It was when he got serious that she really felt afraid. It only made it worse that, no matter how long she sat on her bed and stewed, she couldn't come up with even the faintest idea. Was there something wrong with her family? With Toby? No, someone would have called her. Something about the Labyrinth? But what did that have to do with her? Or was it about Edward? Sarah's eyes flickered over to the window. Was that it? For all the time she'd spent in Forks, she didn't know all that much about Edward. He was a vampire, that much she did know and she believed he was a good person. She believed it, but you couldn't ever take things for granted, could you?

Sarah quickly shook her head, trying to shake those thoughts from her mind. Edward was good, hadn't he already proved that to her? She was letting Jareth get inside her mind again and twist things around to suit him. Sarah knew that even thinking about his words meant she was playing right into his hands. Yet… Jareth had been too serious for her not to think about. Curiosity burned within her no matter how much she tried to dampen it down. But, whatever Jareth had on his mind, it was something that he wouldn't say in front of anyone but her. And she'd promised Edward to stay away from him.

That, finally, prompted her into action. Sarah stood and unlocked the window, throwing it open. Leaning outside, Sarah saw nothing but the usual quiet forest and still lawn. Though she didn't see him, Sarah knew he was there.

"Come in," she said, not bothering to raise her voice. If Edward was there, he'd hear her all the same. Sarah stepped back from the window. Nothing. Everything was just as quiet outside as it had been before. She sighed. "I know you're there. I want to talk to you." The silence continued for another beat. Sarah prepared to call out one more time, though she found herself wondering if she really was paranoid. Maybe Edward wasn't there after all. Maybe she was making a fool of herself.

"Edward…." she said, even more quietly than before, dropping back down onto her bed. She blinked, and there he was. Even knowing how fast he could move, it still took her by surprise sometimes and she jolted back. For his part, Edward was best described as sheepish. He shuffled on his feet with his back against the wall next to her window.

"So you were out there," she said, though avoiding making it sound like an accusation. She wasn't exactly angry about the fact, though it had prevented Jareth from telling her whatever was on his mind. Then again, she didn't know if she actually wanted to know.

"I just wanted to make sure you were safe," he said. Sarah quirked an eyebrow at him.

"And if you thought I wasn't," she wondered, "what were you going to do? Break the window? Bust down the door?" Edward's lips pressed into a thin line, though he didn't say anything. Sarah doubted he had much of a plan. As smart as he was, those kinds of details seemed to regularly escape him.

"You said you'd stay away from him," Edward said rather than addressing her comments. Sarah raised her eyebrows at him.

"Are you serious?" Indignant skepticism burst out of her uncontrollably. She couldn't keep in her laughter, thinking he had to be joking. When Edward's jaw clenched, her laughter began to fade and was replaced by more disbelief. "He came here. He can teleport. What was I supposed to do?"

"You could have called for me."

"How was I supposed to know you were listening?"

Edward's hands balled into fists at his sides. His eyes flashed steel again, but this time though she felt the usual tremor of fear, she would not back down. What right did he have to be mad at her?

"Bella, he could have hurt you," Edward growled out between clenched teeth.

"But he didn't."

"He could have!"

"But he didn't," she said again, tone firm. Sarah couldn't argue that Jareth absolutely wouldn't hurt her, but she bristled at the idea nonetheless. She met Edward's piercing stare with equal stubbornness.

"Why are you so…?" Edward let out a growl of frustration, eyes dark and angry.

"So what?"

"Reckless," he said, with the air of a parent scolding a naughty child. Sarah could feel indignation bubbling up inside of her and she was sure it was apparent on her face. A flush of anger had spread over her cheeks as she rose to her feet. Talking to Jareth always made her feel like a chastised child, and she hadn't yet recovered enough to take Edward's tone and words as anything other than insult.

"Yeah, I recklessly went to my room to work on my homework," Sarah returned with an eye roll. "I'm a real wildcard."

"You said you'd stay away from him," he burst out again, tone harsh. "You promised." Sarah blinked at him, eyes widening. It was just a moment before they narrowed.

"Is that why you're here? You made me promise, but you still didn't trust me?"

"This isn't about trust," Edward replied, shaking his head.

A fluttering from outside the open window caught her attention and Sarah saw J landing on the tree outside, cocking its head at the window. Its yellow eyes stared into the room. Was it waiting for her? Sarah looked at the owl a little longer, trying to let her flickers of irritation with Edward die down before she talked to him again. At least, that was the plan until she remembered the first night she'd leaned out her window to talk to the owl. At the time she'd dismissed the movement she'd seen in the shadow of the trees as nothing more than a raccoon or stray cat, but it had been too big. The thought hit her suddenly and she was still looking out the window at J as she spoke.

"… Edward, is this the first time you've spied on me?"

"I wasn't…!"

"Have you been out there before?" Edward went silent, but in the way he did when he didn't want to answer a question because he knew it would upset her. Her lips pressed into a firm line. "Edward…."

"I wasn't trying to spy on you," he finally said, avoiding meeting her eye.

"Then what?"

"Getting used to you."

"What does that mean?"

"I thought if I spent more time around you—really got to know you—I wouldn't… I'd want… uh…."

"You'd want to eat me less?" Again Edward said nothing, but the purse of his lips told her that she was right. In a better mood she might have laughed. She sighed.

"It's in the past, right?" And more to the point, Sarah barely had the energy for the confrontation they were currently in. She wasn't ready to open another can of worms. Not right now anyway. "That's not what I wanted to talk about."

"You aren't really thinking about meeting up with him?"

"I just want to know, Edward," she said quietly.

"Why is this so important to you?"

"You have no idea what it's been like," Sarah told him, sinking slowly back down to her bed again. "After the Labyrinth… everything changed. Coming to Forks…. For the first time things are starting to feel normal again. If something's going to happen to ruin that… I want to know."

"Then I'll go with you." Sarah looked up at him, her head tilting just a little to the side.

"Well… that's sort of the thing, isn't it?" she said, glancing around the room. "That's why we're here in the first place. I don't think…. If you're there, I don't think he'll tell me."

"What secret could he have that's so important to you?"

"I…" Sarah rubbed the back of her neck as she thought about it. "I'm not sure it's exactly a secret."

"Then why treat it like one?"

"I just don't think he likes you very much." And even without seeing the frustrated expression on Edward's face, she knew the feeling was mutual.

"If he really has something to say and it's that important, would he really drag it out like this? Just because he doesn't like me?"

"Yeah… he definitely would," Sarah said, her tone caught between amused and exasperated. As his words processed, though, she found herself suddenly looking back at Edward. "If? If he has something to tell me? What's that supposed to mean?"

"How can you be so sure it's not a plot?"

"A plot to do what?"

"Get you by yourself?" Sarah couldn't help but laugh.

"There have been plenty of chances in the past and he's never whisked me off in the middle of the night. Aren't you overreacting? Just a little?"

"I don't like the idea of you being alone with him," Edward said. It might have seemed vulnerable if it didn't sound so much like a growl. Much though she wished she had some way to comfort him, Edward's attitude wasn't doing much to inspire her sympathy. Still, Sarah did her best.

"I know that, but I don't think there's that much to be worried about."

"Because he's never tried to trick you before." Sarah's mouth set in a firm line. She could hear the sense in what Edward was saying, but she hated his tone. Even if Jareth had a penchant for tricks and schemes, she knew him far better than Edward ever would. His superior tone set her teeth on edge.

"I… I think this might be different," Sarah said. She could still feel fluttering in her stomach at the anticipation of what Jareth could have to tell her. Though Edward's words sewed the seeds of doubt in her mind, she couldn't help the feeling that something about this was special.

"You believe him?" Edward asked, the volume of his voice rising. "You think I'm hiding something from you?"

"No," she said, shaking her head quickly. "I don't think that. Not really. But…." Sarah's gaze drifted away from him. "But… but maybe I do trust him… a little."

"You can't be ser—," Edward snapped, taking a step from the wall towards her.

"Shh!" Sarah hushed him, shooting a frantic look at the door. "Do you want to wake up Charlie?" She could still see anger and frustration clouding his face, but he let himself slowly deflate. He slunk to the wall again, biting down whatever else he wanted to say. They both waited, listening, but there were no sounds from outside the room. It was lucky, Sarah thought, that Charlie slept like the dead.

With the awkward tension in the air, Sarah felt jittery. Her fingers fidgeted and her legs bounced, but she didn't want to say anything. There was nothing she could say that wouldn't drive them right back into an argument. Running a hand through her hair, Sarah turned her back to Edward and moved over to the window, taking in deep breaths of fresh air. From outside she could see J still sitting in his tree and he gave a companionable hoot as she approached. For a second she felt like smiling. J was a familiar companion… sometimes a little too familiar. And he had a knack for showing up at very specific times…. Sarah suddenly pulled back and slammed the window shut, groaning.

"Is it too much to ask for a little privacy?" she grumbled, glaring out the window. With a surprised ruffle of his feathers and an indignant hoot, J flew away.

"Is someone out there?" Edward's voice appearing next to her had her heart lurching in surprise. Sarah whirled around, taking a stumbling step back. Sometimes she forgot he wasn't human.

"God, Edward." Edward, at least, had the grace to look apologetic as he backed up again to his place by the wall.

"Is someone out there?" he asked again, a little softer this time.

"Apparently someone is always out there," she said pointedly. Edward's lips drew into a tight line, but he'd experienced enough of her grudges to know better than to speak. Sarah sighed and shook her head. "It's fine. Nothing I can't handle."

"Don't say that," Edward said suddenly. "It can't continue like this. You can't continue like this."

"Then what, Edward?" she demanded. "What do you want me to do?"

"Ask for help. Call for me."

"You can't be around all the time," Sarah replied. The determined set of Edward's eyebrows made her rush to continue. "And even if you could, where does that leave me? Am I supposed to spend the rest of the year with you and never be alone? What if he never goes away? Are you going to follow me for the rest of my life?" She threw her arms out in a wild shrug. "I need a break sometimes, Edward. You do too."

Maybe the idea of time hadn't occurred to him the same way it had to Sarah. She watched his eyes flicker as he considered what she'd said. Maybe in the eyes of an immortal, the lifespan of a human seemed like no time at all, but Sarah knew that neither of them had the kind of patience it would take to spend the rest of her life in this way. Just a few days had them already hitting a breaking point.

"Sometimes I'm going to need to be able to protect myself," she said as her shoulders slumped and her tone quieted. "If I call on you every time, I'll forget how."

"But you don't know what he's planning," Edward returned, and Sarah began to hate his stubbornness. She didn't know how else to put her thoughts into words to make him understand. "You said yourself that he's dangerous."

"And you're not?" As soon as the words came out, Sarah felt a twinge of regret, but she couldn't stop. "You've never wanted to hurt me?"

"Bella… that isn't fair."

"It rarely is," she replied. They both realized at the same time—and with similar feelings of discomfort—that she had parroted back what Jareth said to her earlier.

"You know I wouldn't…." But he didn't finish. Sarah knew that even as he wanted to make her that promise, Edward couldn't. It was possible she believed in his goodness much more than he believed in himself. She didn't think he would hurt her—at least not intentionally—but some part of him might always consider himself a monster. Sarah sighed.

"I know," she assured him. "But you have to understand, I can't let him frighten me. If I'm scared of him, that's when he really wins."

"I do understand," Edward responded, but Sarah didn't think he did. If he understood, would he still sound so obstinate? "But that doesn't mean you have to get yourself caught on every piece of bait he throws at you."

"I…. Wh…. Are yo…? Excuse me?" The words inspired such a strong torrent of offense in her that Sarah barely found herself capable of choking the words out. Her mouth hung agape as she felt her fists slowly ball up at her sides.

"Bella, it's a game to him," Edward said. "You do know him better than I do… but he knows you too. He knows exactly the kinds of things to say to get under your skin. He's always trying to get a rise out of you. And it's worked every time." Sarah's cheeks were flushed both in anger and embarrassment. For how much she wanted to scream at Edward, he'd caught the thing that she hated about herself most and there was nothing Sarah could say against the truth. Jareth had power over her. He always had. He always would.

"And if he makes you mad," Edward continued, "you stop being careful. That's what he's after." Anger still coursed through her and Sarah was only barely conscious of her actions as she threw open the window again and jabbed a finger to it.

"Get out." Edward let out a noise that might almost have been a laugh, but when she jabbed her finger at the window again, he looked taken aback.

"I'm just trying to protect you," Edward said, shaking his head. "Bella…."

"How do you know I can't protect myself?" Sarah demanded. "What do you even know about me?"

"Bella, you can't be ser…."

"Sarah," she said suddenly. "My name is Sarah."

Silence followed. Whatever anger had driven Edward to argue with her wiped away and he was left speechless. Sarah hadn't meant to say it, but with all the frustration mounting in her, she thought that if she heard him call her by her cousin's name one more time she would really lose it.

"I mean… you know already, right? You know I'm not…." Sarah paused and then sighed, running a hand through her hair. "You even said it yourself. So don't act like you know anything about me when you can't even call me by my name."

"There are some things I do know."

"Like what?"

"I know you've gotten used to doing this alone," he said. "And I know you don't have to anymore." Sarah's mouth opened as she prepared to speak, but she found suddenly that she no longer had any words. As furious as he'd made her, as frustrated and combative as she'd felt, all she could do was repeat his words in her head. It had been a long time since she felt like there had been anyone on her side—even long before the Labyrinth. And, until he'd said the words, Sarah hadn't realized how desperately she needed it.

"That doesn't…" Edward paused, closing his eyes as he took in a breath. "And that doesn't have to mean me. Alice, Carlisle, Esme… all of us. It's not you against him, it's us." Slowly, carefully, Sarah unballed her fists as tension worked its way out of her shoulders. Her eyes stung with the threat of tears and she looked away from him to hide it.

"But there are some things I still have to do on my own," she told him.

"I know," Edward said quietly. "But not everything."

"Okay," Sarah said finally, sighing. She wasn't mad at him. Well okay, yes she was, but some part of her still understood. Underneath his anger and frustration she knew that he was worried about her. And he did have a point. How many times had Hoggle warned her against trusting Jareth? How many times did she have to learn that lesson herself? Sarah looked back at him again. "You might be right. But…." She could see Edward preparing himself for another round of arguing and she quickly shook her head. "I need some time. To think on it." Edward let out a breath, nodding quietly. "And I don't care if it means seeing him every day, I'm not quitting the theater club."

"I know," he replied. "I never thought you would." But if he thought it was an option, would he have tried? "I wouldn't ask you to." The thought must have been obvious on her face. Exhaustion had settled over her and she no longer had the energy to keep up with him. Nodding, she looked out the window and then slowly back towards Edward. He was hovering and she knew there was still something he wanted to hear, but she had nothing left to offer him.

"Goodnight Edward." Though he took his time shuffling over to the window again, Edward put up no fight as he slid his legs out the window. He paused, sitting on the sill and looked back at her.

"Goodnight… Sarah." And then he was gone.