Sarah stood looking over the decorative railing at the hundreds of wild dancers on the marble dance floor below. She was in a mansion, at an out of control party, and ready to go home.

"How do I get myself into these things?" she asked out loud.

"Hey, would you like a drink?" another guy shouted to her over the music. It was the fifth one to offer in the last thirty minutes.

She shook her head politely. "Designated driver," she shouted back, pointing to herself. The truth was, she never drank. The idea of being out of control of what she might say or do scared her. She wasn't willing to take that kind of risk, at least, not when she knew words had power. But the excuse of being the designated driver seemed to work. It got her message across without having to explain herself.

"I'm just waiting for my friends," she called out, continuing her half truth. She wasn't really waiting for her friends. Her friends were trapped in another realm, far, far away. Her friends were fairytale creatures, living in the Goblin Realm. At least, Sarah hoped they were still living. She hadn't seen them since the party in her room after she'd beaten the Goblin King. Her friends were subjects of her greatest enemy.

Sarah shivered at the memory of him. It had been years. Years. And thinking of the Goblin King still frightened her. She knew she'd almost lost. Her trek through his labyrinth had come down to seconds. If she'd taken only seconds longer to remember the lines, or seconds longer to escape the intoxicating peach dream...

Intoxicating. The word brought Sarah back to where she was, standing on an elaborate balcony, looking over a wild dance floor, surrounded by loud music, strobe lights, and hundreds of intoxicated partiers.

"Where are they!" she complained to herself, stomping her foot slightly. She was waiting for her roommates, Chloe and Bren. They'd begged her to come to this party. They'd promised it would be fun. They'd said it was the party of the year, located at the Tyler Mansion.

Sarah knew only those with an invitation could get in. She knew it was where the wealthy got together once a year. And she knew it would probably be her best bet for landing a few jobs. She was hoping she could make some good contacts for selling her artwork. So, she'd given in. She'd agreed to come on one condition. She had to be home by midnight. She had to work in the morning.

But here she was, stuck at a party at nearly one in the morning without any sign of her ride home. This hadn't been the kind of party she could make some contacts at. And even though she'd had some fun, dancing and meeting new people, when the party started turning wild, when the heavy boos came out, when people started looking stoned and skinny dipping in the pool, she was ready to go home. This was no longer her kind of get together.

Sarah looked at the clock on her cell phone, wondering how much later her roommates were going to be.

She understood they were probably having a good time. Or maybe they were looking for her, she hoped. But Sarah didn't have a choice. She was at the prearranged meeting place. If they didn't come soon, she might have to go home without them. She'd have to spend her food budget on a taxi. Sarah dialed Chloe's number once more, hoping she'd get through.

"Still no answer," she muttered.

"I brought you a present."

The sentence interrupted Sarah's thoughts, bringing memories of someone else who'd said that to her.

"Let me guess," the newcomer called out over the music. "Designated driver?"

"How'd you know?" Sarah called back, feeling uneasy.

"Me too," he answered. The man handed her the gift he'd mentioned, a cold bottle of Sprite. "I noticed you were looking as bored as I am," he commented. "This party lost my interest about an hour ago."

Sarah looked at the cold Sprite in her hand, and watched him take a drink of his own soda.

"When they started skinny dipping?" Sarah asked, wrenching the bottle open.

He laughed. "When someone drove a priceless Lamborghini into the pool on the south side," he answered.

Sarah spurted soft drink up her nose when she laughed in surprise. "You're kidding!" she choked and sputtered.

"No, I'm serious." He laughed again, and motioned with his hands. "It sank like a rock."

She couldn't believe it. This had to be a tall tale. Sarah took another drink of her soda, and shook her head, grateful for a drink she trusted.

Chase continued describing the Lamborghini disaster in great detail, and added in parachute jumping monkeys and goblins to the mix. Sarah's interest peaked when he mentioned goblins.

"Seriously though," he finally stopped telling his fantastic story, "I figured it was time to go when I walked in on the guys getting high down stairs," he told her. "I'm not ok with drugs."

Me neither, thought Sarah, remembering a peach she'd once eaten.

"My friends should be ready to go any minute," he went on. "But when I saw you, I had to at least say hello before I left." He held out his hand. "My name's Chase."

Sarah took his hand politely. "I'm Sa Sa Sa Sarah," she introduced herself, wondering why she'd stuttered. Chase wasn't really her type. He was stalky with dark brown hair. But there was no way she was going to be rude. He's saved her from dying of thirst, and he seemed like a nice guy.

"Where are your friends, Sarah?"

She looked puzzled. "Underground," she answered, slurring her words. "They're goblins, but I don't think they know how to drive." Why did I say that? she wondered.

"Underground?"

"Yeah, it's another realm where magic is real." Sarah didn't feel right. She toppled forward.

"Whoa!" Chase caught her by the arms.

Sarah's world was spinning.

"Do you need to sit down?" he asked.

Sarah's mouth dropped open, but no words came out.

"I... I think I'd better go," Sarah turned to leave, but Chase was all that was keeping her from toppling to the floor.

"Here," Chase offered. "Let me help you." He began leading her away from the crowd.

She blinked her eyes, trying to get her bearings.

"This way." He helped her climb the stairs, and move around the other party goers. "In here," he guided her.

Sarah heard a door close, and was relieved when the noise from the party quieted.

"Is that better?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you." Sarah pressed her hands to the sides of her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Something wasn't right. There was something important... "I need to remember," she spoke through the haze. "I needed to remember when I was in the Labyrinth too. He made me forget."

"Sit here, Sarah," Chase spoke softly as he helped her sit down.

"The Goblin King gave me a poisoned peach, err, no." She tried to remember. "No, it was Hoggle."

"Hoggle?"

"Yeah, Hoggle gave me the peach, and..."

"Lay back," Chase pressed Sarah back against the pillows.

"I just wish we could have been friends," she continued. "If we were friends..." My real friends and the other goblins could still visit me through my mirror, she finished her thought silently in her head.

"Oh, we'll be friends." Chase grinned. "I just hope you'll be half as much fun as you're imagination." His grin turned into a smirk.

Internal alarm bells started going off in the back of Sarah's mind. She felt icky and creepy and didn't like how close Chase had gotten. When did he get to be so close? Sarah wondered. When had he started invading her personal space? This was wrong, so wrong.

"Not you," she corrected, trying to push him back to a respectable distance. "I don't wish we were friends," she clarified. She especially didn't want to be friends with someone who was too close. Intending to clear up Chase's misunderstanding, Sarah clarified. "I wish the Goblin King" she stressed the name, "and I were friends."

Lightning struck, letting a roar of thunder shake the mansion. The smell of rain, and the rush of wind could be felt through the walls. She looked up at Chase, grateful for the soft pillows he'd let her relax against, when the smell of magic tickled her nose. Her vision came in and out of focus. The stronger the air tasted like magic, the more her thoughts cleared.

Sarah remembered. She remembered Chase leading her away from the crowd. She remembered feeling dizzy, and she remembered feeling hazy.

"You... you drugged me," she realized aloud, shock written all over her face.

"Prove it," Chase retorted. "Every camera in the mansion shows me giving you a sealed glass pop bottle."

Sarah inhaled sharply, ignoring Chase's retort. She recognized the magic in the air. Fear made her eyes widen. She reached up, and grabbed Chase by the collar with both hands. "What did you wish?" she demanded, afraid he'd wished her away, or worse, afraid she'd wished someone else away. She couldn't remember.

The sound of critters running through the room made Sarah's hands tremble. He was coming. The Goblin King was coming. Any second now, the king of the goblins was going to appear in the room, and Sarah had no idea what he would do. Worse, she had no idea how to handle the situation. Her mind was still fighting the drugs Chase had given her. Before she could question him any further, her thoughts were cut off by the sound of shattering glass. The electricity went out, and the whole mansion was plunged into eery silence. Sarah held her breath. She knew the Goblin King was there.

She peaked around Chase's head, catching sight of the king illuminated by moonlight. Every emotion she'd ever felt in his presence came rushing back all at once. She was overwhelmed.

"Where is the child?" his commanding voice ordered an answer.

Chase gasped an intake of air. He jumped up, afraid he'd been discovered, and ran for the door. Jareth watched him run. With a wave of his arm, he motioned for his goblins to go after him. The creatures scratched and clawed in delight as they obeyed their king's command. They ran through the open door, instantly greeted by screams as the other partiers saw them coming out of the dark.

Jareth looked on, smirking at the frightened sounds beyond the doorway. What a strange world, thought the king.

Sarah didn't hesitate. She took advantage of the king's distraction, and rolled off the bed into a crouching position. She was hiding. When did I end up on a bed? she questioned. How did I get here? And where is here? She knew she'd been drugged. She knew Chase had been leading her in the Mansion. But the rest was just too hazy. She didn't remember.

"Come out!"

Sarah started at Jareth's words.

"Give me the child now, and I may still choose to be generous," demanded the king.

She swallowed. But instead of coming out to meet him, Sarah silently crawled under the bed to hide. She watched the Goblin King's boots pace back and forth at the foot of the bed. She didn't make a sound. She didn't even dare breathe. What happened? she thought, trying to remember.

If she'd wished someone away, accidentally saying something horrible because of whatever drug Chase had given her, she knew she needed to come out and face the Goblin King. She knew she'd have to run his Labyrinth in an attempt to win back the poor soul. And she knew it would be a lot harder than last time. There's no way Jareth hadn't made improvement since she'd beaten him.

But if Chase had wished her away, if the Goblin King was there to take Sarah to his kingdom, if he was going to turn her into a goblin, then there was no way in hell she was coming out to face him. She'd run and hide for the rest of her life to avoid that fate. As much as she liked some of the goblins, she didn't like them all. She definitely didn't want to be one of them.

Even if he didn't turn Sarah into a goblin, she could just imagine Jareth's delight at having her in his power, being able to rule over her, making her one of his subjects. She remembered his words at the end of her run. Fear me. Love me. Do as I say. Just let me rule you...

No way, thought Sarah. No. Way.

She noticed how the moonlight increased, making the room brighter. She watch the king's boots move, and noticed the swish of his cape. She could almost imagine the monarch looking around the room for her. Sarah wondered if the moon had just come out from behind a cloud, or if the Goblin King had done something magically. She heard him let out a disgusted noise. Apparently, he didn't like what he found.

"Come out, harlot," he spoke with conviction. "I'm here for your unwanted bastard. And I'm no longer willing to be generous."

She watched his boots move back.

"What's said is said," he added.

The memory of those words, and the terror they'd invoked, came back to haunt her. Sarah's heart was pounding so hard, she was afraid the king would hear it.

She squeaked, suddenly coming face to face with a goblin. It shrieked back, and scrambled out from under the bed.

"I's found her!" it called out. "I's found her, yer Majesty!"

Sarah watched with trepidation as Jareth's boots came near. Her hands trembled. Her heart pounded in her ears. And she was too afraid to move. She watched the bottom half of Jareth squat down, and the bed lift itself off of her. A moment later, she looked up through her messy hair into the face of her greatest enemy, the Goblin King.

"Well," Jareth paused. "What do we have h..." he stopped short. "Sarah?" his voice elevated an octave.

Sarah watched as a myriad of emotions played across his face, surprise, delight, confusion, frustration, anger, and finally disgust.

"Sarah Williams," his voice darkened. The king stood up, looking down at her.

She squeaked when Jareth magically lifted her into the air with a wave of his hand. She couldn't run. She couldn't get away. And Sarah knew all too well what he was capable of when something upset him. He had her. A memory of running from The Cleaners flashed across her mind.

His eyes glanced up and down her frame, taking her all in. He didn't look happy. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen," he commented

.

Sarah looked down, startled to realize her blouse was completely unbuttoned and open. She quickly closed her blouse, overlapping the front. But before she could think too long about what Chase had planned to do with her, the king lowered his hand, setting Sarah on her feet.

"Consider your wish granted." He waved his hand in the air, letting glitter sparkle from his fingertips.

"But..." Sarah tried to stop him.

"And I refuse to be generous," the king continued.

"Your Majesty..." she tried again.

"I do not offer you the honor of running my Labyrinth," he spoke over top of her. "Nor do I offer you your dreams."

"Wait!" She needed to get him to stop before it was too late.

"I claim what was offered," he didn't stop. "And I take what's mine."

"But I don't even know..."

With one final movement, a crystal appeared in the Goblin King's hand. "Our bargain is sealed," he stated with finality. Jareth closed his fingers around the orb, popping it into sparkling dust. He let his eyes meet hers. "Now, give me the child."

Sarah didn't know what to say. She didn't even know how to begin.

"Sarah."

She scrambled back as he moved closer.

"Beware," he warned, every bit the king she'd met years ago. "My patience is short. I warn you not to defy me."

A memory of the Goblin King throwing a snake at her along with those words brought Sarah's courage into view. "You have no power over me!" she spoke with conviction.

Jareth smirked. He smiled. Then he laughed. He looked around the room. "Well..." he waited. "Laugh," he ordered.

Instantly, little goblin heads poked out of every nook and cranny. And every one of them was laughing. Sarah looked left and right just as she'd done years ago. The goblins could still be frightening.

"Oh, Sarah Williams," Jareth spoke and the laughter stopped. He lowered his head, and let all joviality disappear. He looked over the woman like he was a lion toying with a rabbit, like he was a shark going in for the kill.

Sarah's breathing sped up. If she'd offended him, there was no telling what he might do. She remembered The Cleaners quite well.

"Your wish says I do," he let the information sink in. "You've given me power over you." He could practically taste the magic from her wish in the air. And since he'd granted it, her magic words would no longer protect her. She'd invited him back into her life, at least until the bargain was complete.

He stalked toward her, and Sarah moved back.

"Give me what is owed," he ordered, "or it is well within my rights to take you instead." The Goblin King let out a wide grin. "My oubliettes have missed you," he added for good measure.

Sarah involuntarily took another step back. She was out of ideas, and she hadn't really thought of any yet. She looked around the room, trying to figure out what to do. He wouldn't let her run the Labyrinth if she'd wished someone away. And if Chase had wished her away, there was no escape.

Sarah noticed three other beds behind the Goblin King. She noticed dirty lingerie strewn all over the room. She saw signs of indecent behavior, and someone passed out in one of the beds. But that's not what bothered her the most.

What had her skin crawling was the white board sitting up on the dresser in front of the mirror. It was a score board. And it was obvious Chase and his friends had been keeping track of their conquests tonight. It was a game to him, a game. That's why so many guys had been trying to give her a drink. That's why they hadn't left her alone. That's why Chase had given her that Sprite. She had been their next conquest, and Chase had won. Well, he would have won if it weren't for the goblins.

"Who did you wish away!"

Sarah jumped, coming out of her thoughts. She looked at the king, realizing her fate was sealed. Someone was going to become a goblin tonight. And she could see it was probably going to be her.

Jareth took one more step toward Sarah, letting her bump her back into the wall. He leaned one arm above her just as he'd done so long ago in the tunnels in his Labyrinth, and looked down at the terrified woman.

"Please, your highness..."

"I grow tired of asking," the king stated. "So, this will be the last time." He waited. "Who, Sarah Williams, did you wish away?"

She glanced up at him. "I... I don't..."

"We's got him, yer Majesty! We's got him!" The goblins drug Chase back into the room. He was kicking and fighting and struggling against the little monsters, but it didn't do any good.

One of them bit him. "OW!" he howled.

Sarah looked at Chase. She looked at the white board. She looked at the lingerie. And she looked at the poor woman in the bed. She looked back at Chase.

"Him!" she called out. "You can take him."

"Your lover?" Jareth was surprised. He'd seen what Sarah and this man had been doing when he'd arrived. He distinctly remembered her hands pulling the man toward her. Why would she wish away someone she desired?

"Please," Chase called out, trying to defend himself. "Please, Sarah. Don't do..."

"He's not my lover," she cut him off. "I don't even know his last name."

"Take him." Jareth commanded, and all the goblins disappeared with their captive.

Sarah inhaled sharply. Part of her felt sorry for the man she'd just destroyed. She was torn.

"Still cruel as ever, I see," the Goblin King rubbed salt in her emotional wound.

The labyrinth's champion swallowed down her guilt.

"I don't normally take grown men," the king informed Sarah, "but the bargain was sealed. And now we're done." He turned to leave, but stopped. This was Sarah Williams he was talking with. This was the only woman he'd offered himself to. This was a girl he'd once loved. Jareth took in a deep breath, suffering all the emotions he'd been fighting since she'd left him.

If he'd been honest with himself, he'd admit a large part of him had been wishing Sarah would refuse to say who'd she'd wished away. Taking her back to his kingdom, defeated and his by law, would have been priceless. Maybe there was still a way to claim her. Maybe he'd gotten this wrong. Maybe she'd been forced into the life she was living. Maybe he could use that to his advantage. Maybe, if he worded things right... The king turned back to face his champion.

"Unless you wish to visit the Underground again," he tempted her. "Perhaps you wish to see a friend... a bosom companion?" What was his name? Hogwart or something? "Do you wish to leave this life of yours, Sarah?"

Silence filled the air. Well, it was silent except for the sirens approaching. The police and the fire department were on the way. It sounded like an army.

Sarah thought of Hoggle. She thought of Ludo. She wondered about Sir Didymus. But she didn't dare bring the Goblin King's attention to her friends. If he hadn't gone after them already, she wasn't about to put them in danger. Sarah inhaled.

"No, thank you, your Majesty," she managed to keep her voice even. "I'm quite happy with my life here."

And there it was. Jareth's face fell. She still didn't want him. She'd rather live her life of prostitution rather than step foot in his kingdom.

"So be it." The Goblin King lifted his chin, and called upon his magic to leave.

Nothing happened. Jareth looked puzzled. He waved his hand in the air.

Nothing.

He waved it a second time. Still nothing.

The Goblin King called upon one of his crystals. He stared at his empty hand, feeling the first trickle of true fear. There was no crystal resting on his finger tips. There was no glitter filling the air. Even the taste of magic was missing.

Jareth was a powerful being. Not many could manage something like this, not without the right spells, not without equally powerful magic, not without the Goblin King walking into the trap of his own free will.

The king looked around the room, noticing for the first time how the bed frames were all made of iron, and how coils of copper ran through the walls like bars of a cage.

Jareth reached out to sense his subjects, but they were gone. They'd left just as he'd commanded, and he knew without his power they couldn't return. He was on his own. With growing frustration the king of the goblins realized, he was powerless, and trapped in the Aboveground. His demeanor cooled.

He looked at his champion, and pressed his lips together into a frown. Everything fit, the iron in the room, the copper in the walls, Sarah wishing away a stranger.

"Sarah," the Goblin King's voice turned menacing. "What have you done?"