Disclaimer: See Chapter One.

No One Can Blame You
Chapter Three: "How You've Turned My World"

That evening, Veronica watched again as Sarah performed onstage. She quickly scanned backstage and the catwalk overhead, knowing Jareth could be anywhere. **He said he was going to put in an appearance here tonight. How on Earth did I let myself get roped into this?** She sighed. **I just hope he doesn't cause too much trouble.** Veronica did not notice the blonde man with a ponytail make his way down the aisle to the first row. After a few mouthed "excuse me"s, he sat down in the remaining empty seat, front row center.

Sarah, singing about the Phantom of the Opera, noticed the movement out of the corner of her eye. She discreetly turned her head to see who had arrived late, and was shocked to see the Goblin King sitting in the front row. The audience assumed that her startled expression was from being with the Phantom, but Veronica and Jareth knew better. Amazingly, Sarah made it through the rest of the scene and hurried backstage.

"Oh my God," she gasped. "What is he doing here?"

"Who?" Veronica asked, though she knew exactly who Sarah was talking about.

Sarah took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. She looked out at the audience. "Him. Front row, center."

Veronica looked out and spotted him. "He's handsome," she said truthfully. "Who is he?"

"The devil himself."

After the show, Sarah and Veronica walked to Sarah's dressing room, Sarah praying that they would not run into Jareth. There was no sign of him, and Sarah walked into her dressing room feeling very relieved.

Her relief quickly ended when she saw the crystal vase with a dozen peach roses on her vanity.

"No...," she whispered, sinking into her vanity chair.

Veronica noticed the roses and Sarah's reaction. "Sarah? What's wrong?" She walked over to the vanity and pulled out the card. The envelope said simply ~Sarah~. The card inside said:

~I'll move the stars for you.~
~Jareth~

**He's really pouring on the charm,** Veronica thought, then glanced at Sarah, **but she's not buying it. I guess I need to lend a hand. "They're from Jareth. Is he the guy from the front row?"

Sarah nodded slowly. "I haven't seen him in years. I don't know why he suddenly showed up now."

"He certainly seems to be interested in you."

"Jareth is looking for a conquest," Sarah said. "The last time we were together, I defeated him. He wants payback."

"I take it we're not talking about a ping-pong match," Veronica said wryly.

Sarah looked up at her. "You really want to know? I'll tell you."

An hour later, Veronica knew more than she had ever wanted to about Jareth, and Sarah. They had quite a history, and she wondered if bringing them together was really the best thing for them. **Jareth says he loves Sarah, and he needs her to keep his kingdom. Against my better judgment, I'll continue to help him.**

Veronica spent the rest of the week trying to convince Sarah to hear Jareth out. Every night, Jareth came to her and asked her how things were going. Of course, the answer never pleased him. He was convinced that Sarah would never agree to see him, let alone marry him.

On Tuesday, the production moved from Omaha to Chicago. Thursday was spent in rehearsals. The director noticed Sarah had become more and more distracted. After he told everyone to take five, he pulled Veronica aside. "What is wrong with Sarah?" he asked.

"She has man trouble," Veronica said simply.

"Man trouble?" Steve asked, surprised. "What sort of man trouble?"

"A guy she knew a few years ago is back and he's interested in her. He's followed us here from Omaha."

"And she doesn't want to talk to him?"

"Right. She said she's not comfortable around him."

"Is he threatening her?"

"No, he just wants to talk to her," Veronica assured him. **The last thing Jareth needs is to be incarcerated for stalking.**

"Tell Sarah that she has to see him. Maybe then I'll get my Christine back."

Veronica smiled. "Will do, Steve."


After the performance Friday night, Sarah and Veronica were in Sarah's dressing room. Sarah insisted that she wanted nothing whatsoever to do with Jareth.

"You don't know what he's after, Ronni," she said. "You don't even know what he's capable of."

"Sarah, you haven't seen him in fourteen years. I'm sure he's changed by now."

"I don't want to see him."

Veronica sighed. Then, she saw Jareth's image appear in Sarah's vanity mirror. Sarah had her back turned and didn't notice, but Veronica saw his meaningful expression and knew it was time to leave.

"Steve said he wanted to talk to me," she said, walking towards the door. "I'll see you later."

Sarah, lost in her thoughts, didn't notice when Veronica left. She kept thinking about Jareth.


Jareth watched the two young women through a crystal. It delighted him to know that he was the topic of their discussion. When Veronica left, he knew his time had come.


Jareth appeared in Sarah's dressing room, and Sarah stifled a gasp.

"Jareth...," she whispered, her eyes wide.

He favored her with a smirk. "Of course. Were you expecting someone else?" The smirk softened into a smile. "I do hope you enjoyed the flowers."

"I threw them away," Sarah said quietly, unwilling to meet his eyes.

Jareth's smile faded. "Well then, I suppose I will have to try a different approach."

Sarah looked up at him. "To what?"

"To you, Sarah." He sat down on the couch across from her. "You must know how I feel about you. Before you ... defeated me, I offered you everything you could ever want." A crystal formed in his outstretched hand. "I am still offering you your dreams." Slowly, Sarah took the crystal and stared at it in her hands. She looked back at him warily. "There must be a catch, there always is."

"The only catch is that you make me part of your dreams."

Sarah wanted to believe him. She truly did, but the memory of what he said in that crazy, upside-down room haunted her.

"Your eyes can be so cruel, just as I can be so cruel."

She looked back at him with fear and loathing in her eyes. "Do you honestly think I'd want you after everything you did to me? You're a monster, Jareth, and I want you out of my life forever."

**I can just feel Oberon taking possession of the Labyrinth.** "Sarah..."

"I don't want to hear anymore! Get out!"

"Not until you have heard everything I have to say," Jareth insisted. He knelt in front of her and gently took her hands, though it was clear that she did not want him touching her. "Sarah, I love you, and more than that, I need you."

"If all that is all you want, there are plenty of prostitutes who would gladly satisfy you," she said quietly, not meeting his eyes.

"Though you are quite lovely, I was not talking about that."

He had Sarah's full attention now. She looked up at him curiously, in spite of herself.

"I need you to help me save my kingdom. If I am not married by the next full moon, my brother Oberon will take over the Labyrinth. Do you really want that, Sarah? Do you really want me to lose everything I have?"

Sarah glared at him. "You tell me you love me, but you care more about your kingdom. I don't care what happens to it. In fact, I think your brother would make a better ruler. He certainly couldn't do any worse."

Jareth sighed inwardly. **If I did not need her...**

Sarah wrenched her hands away then stood up and walked to the door. Holding it open, she said, "I want you gone, Jareth, and I mean now."

"Wait, Sarah. Please, close that door. There is still something I want to say."

Against her better judgment, Sarah closed the door and walked back over to him. He motioned for her to sit down on the couch, and she did. Sarah watched as Jareth paced the small room, trying to find the right words to make her accept him. Finally, he looked up at her.

Jareth held up his hand as another crystal formed. It started glowing softly, and with the glow came a beautiful, familiar melody. He started singing the song he knew would win him Sarah.

"There's such a sad love deep in your eyes.
A kind of pale jewel, opened and closed within your eyes.
I'll place the sky..."

Sarah knew exactly what he was trying to do. "Stop! If you really want my love, don't try to seduce me!" She took a deep breath and calmed herself. "How much time do you have left?" she asked cautiously.

"Three weeks," Jareth said just as cautiously.

"Then you have three weeks to convince me that you truly love me."


Veronica had just settled back in the tub when she sensed that someone else was in the room. Her eyes shot open and she looked up to see Jareth lazily leaning against the door, his arms crossed in front of his chest and a devilish grin on his face.

"Jareth!" Veronica screamed. She quickly yanked the curtain closed.

"Quiet, dear," Jareth said, still grinning to himself, "unless you want the entire hotel to think you are having an affair with a man named Jareth. Of course, if you want to improve your reputation, go ahead and scream."

Jareth heard the water start to drain then saw a hand shoot out from behind the curtain and grope around for a towel. He gentlemanly handed Veronica the towel and watched with satisfaction as it disappeared behind the curtain. After a moment, the hand appeared again.

"Could you hand me my robe?" Veronica asked quietly.

"Certainly." Jareth retrieved the pink terrycloth robe from its hook on the back of the door and graciously presented it to the outstretched hand. "Your robe, my lady."

Veronica put the robe on then pushed back the curtain to glare at Jareth. "What the hell has gotten into you?" She wrapped the towel into a turban on top of her head then stepped out of the tub, still giving Jareth the evil eye. "Well?"

Jareth's grin went from ear to ear. "Sarah is giving me three weeks to win her heart."

"You mean she actually listened to you?" Veronica asked, surprised.

"Of course. What did you expect?"

It was Veronica's turn to grin. "That she'd toss you out on your tights-clad butt."

Jareth laughed. "Hardly. Sarah loves me, and we are going to make her see that."

Veronica sighed tiredly. "Why do you still need me?"

"Because nothing in this world is guaranteed," Jareth said. "Still, at the moment, I feel like celebrating, and you are celebrating with me."

Veronica eyed him warily. "What kind of celebrating do you have in mind?"

"I thought we could do what you humans call 'clubbing.'"

**He can't be serious.** Veronica eyed his gray tights, white poets shirt, black vest, and black boots. "Unless you want to check out one of those 'men only' clubs, I think you'd better change."

Jareth glared at her then waved his hand, his clothes changing instantly to black jeans and a royal purple silk shirt. His make-up was gone and his hair had been pulled into a low ponytail.

Veronica could not help but notice that the jeans looked like they had been painted on him. She swallowed hard and forced herself to meet his eyes. "You look ... good," she managed.

The beginning of a smile raised the corners of Jareth's mouth as he accepted her compliment. "Now," he said, "about you." He raised a hand to his chin thoughtfully as he studied her. **It is high time this woman started dressing for others instead of just herself. Now that I know she has a body, I can help her show it off.**

Jareth waved his hand again and Veronica was dressed in a wine-colored, short-sleeved velvet dress that went to mid-thigh and hugged every curve. Her dark brown hair was piled on top of her head in loose curls with tendrils left to hang beside her ears. Veronica's lips and nails were painted to match her dress and on her feet were wine-colored strappy heels. She gazed at her reflection in the mirror. **That's me? I don't even look like myself.** "I look like..."

"You look like my date," Jareth said simply. His smile widened in approval as his gazed traveled from her feet to her hair. " Beautiful enough to escort me."

Veronica rolled her eyes and turned back to him. "Shall we go?"

With a wave of his hand, the Goblin King and his lady for the evening vanished.