AN: Well, here is the part that was giving me so much trouble

AN: Well, here is the part that was giving me so much trouble. I'm actually quite pleased with how it turned out. It was NOTHING like what I had planned, but then this story took on a life of it's own around Part Eight with D'Vinnian's arrival. Enjoy and please R&R! And thank you to all who have reviewed so far. You can't ever imagine how much it means to me! I love you all!! ;-) ~Saphire

Part thirteen: Friends

Sarah could smell the campfire before she saw it. Even though it was a comforting scent, the butterflies in her stomach multiplied in number. She was that much closer to seeing her friends…the same ones that had ignored her for what she had done to their king and their home. Jareth paused suddenly and looked at Sarah.

"Are you alright?" he asked, breaking their utter silence since that…incident.

Sarah took a deep breath and lifter her chin in defiance, "I'm fine."

A light smile broke out on Jareth's face and Sarah could've sworn that he mumbled something along the lines of, "That's my girl." But, she chose to ignore that and put it on her list of things she didn't want to deal with and they continued to walk.

"Well, Sarah, allow me to officially welcome you back to the Underground," Jareth announced as they stopped before the now roaring fire.

Sarah swallowed hard and looked at all of the creatures gathered there. The goblins stared at her and started whispering before a more-than-stern look from their king quieted them. With another, subtle gesture from Jareth, they all scattered to leave Sarah with her friends. Jareth smirked to himself. He had found the goblins to be much more compliant since there was no castle to over-run. He made a mental note to keep the soon-to-be rebuilt castle goblin free. He observed the way Sarah, Hoggle, Ludo, and Didymus regarded each other and wanted to laugh. He could understand Sarah's nervousness, but the others knew he was bringing her back. Surely, they would have thought of something to say. Gently, he placed his hand on Sarah's shoulder, breaking her apparent trance.

"I will leave you to talk. I'm sure there is much for you to discuss together. Should you need me, you have only to whisper my name," he said.

Sarah still wouldn't look in his eyes and he wanted to smile, but didn't. Finally, Sarah nodded and Jareth turned and left. Before turning back to the others, Sarah took a deep breath. Looking in Jareth's eyes was not an option. It seemed to be her undoing. However, avoiding his gaze gave Sarah a chance to look at his other - features. For instance, his lips. Oh, how inviting - but Sarah forced her thoughts to a grinding halt. She was stuck now with a decision to make. If she turned around, she'd have to face her friends. If she left, she'd be faced with Jareth.

"Talk about a rock and a hard place," Sarah muttered quietly before taking one last breath and turning around.

"Sawah back?" Ludo questioned, breaking the uneasy silence.

Sarah smiled at him, "Yes, Ludo. I'm here to help."

"Ya mean, Jareth actually was able ta con ya inta comin' back?" Hoggle asked.

Sarah sighed, "He didn't con me, really. I gave him a hard time, but he's right. I am the cause of this, and I owe it to him to try and help fix it." Sarah moved and sat down, watching the fire for a moment before speaking again, "I'm sorry. I never meant to cause this damage. Not any of it. I had no idea that this would happen, despite what Jareth believes."

"His Majesty doesn't think you've done this purposefully, my lady," Didymus said.

Sarah looked at him, "No, you're right. He hasn't said that. But he says I should've thought about my decisions more and I would've known. He said there was a way around what I did, but I don't see it. Do any of you know."

The three creatures looked at each other.

Finally, Didymus answered, "My lady, I regret to say it is not our place to tell you. That conversation is reserved solely for you and our king."

"But he won't tell me."

"It will be a difficult conversation. His Majesty will wait for the right time, I'm sure," Didymus answered.

"Sawah friend?" Ludo asked suddenly, putting an end to the previous topic of conversation.

Sarah laughed, "Of course, Ludo, if you still want me to be."

Jareth watched as Sarah eased into a conversation with her friends. Slowly, a smile edged on his marble face as he noticed more of the old Sarah emerging. He was glad; he had, for a brief moment, feared that the old Sarah was gone forever. But, that was not so. The combination of the old Sarah and the new, grown Sarah intrigued him. Seeing that he wasn't needed right away, he allowed his thoughts to wander back to what had recently happened between them. Jareth thought of all the times they had argued since their sudden reappearance in each other's lives. Each time, it hadn't been a bout anything of true importance or substance. Jareth thought about their brief argument when he had been….detained…at her house. She had actually apologized to him, explaining her actions. He had lost patience when he realized Sarah truly saw no other way to get her half-brother back. It really wasn't her fault, the king rationalized now. How could he have expected her to see now what she had been blind to in her youth? He shook his blond head and sighed. He shouldn't expect her to see, but that didn't mean that he didn't want her to. Suddenly, he grew angry at himself. Love had no place in this, he repeated to himself, feeling an odd pang in his chest. It was the same feeling he had gotten the last time he had said these words to himself He sighed, feeling suddenly weary and old. Right now, he just wanted some privacy. With one last parting glance at Sarah and her friends, he left the camp.

After the initial tension had dissipated, Sarah found herself chatting with her friends as if she had never left. None of them had changed and it brought Sarah back to the days of her youth when she knew magic was real, long before she ever stepped foot in the Labyrinth…long before she had ever met its king. With the thought of Jareth, Sarah glanced around her at the camp. She saw many different kinds of creatures, some resting, some playing small games, some eating, some feeding young ones, but no Jareth. A frown turned the corners of Sarah's mouth down. She hadn't noticed he had left until she missed him…the same way it had been in her real life, not noticing he was gone until one night.

"What's buggin' ya, Sarah?" Hoggle's gruff voice broke through her thoughts.

Sarah turned her attention back to him and offered an apologetic smile.

"I was just wondering exactly how Jareth plans on having me help. Hard labor?" she joked, covering for herself.

"No, m'lady, I doubt that King Jareth would make you lift a finger in physical labor," Didymus answered, peering at her closely, knowing she was hiding something.

Hoggle caught on and decided to press a little further, "Didymus is right, ya know. Jareth cares for ya too much ta let yas get hurt doin' something like that."

Sarah gave Hoggle a sharp look, but couldn't hide the blush that crept up her cheeks. She knew exactly where they were going with that and wouldn't be surprised if Ludo joined in soon. She had to nip this in the bud. She had been using the fire to hide her hands, but now she brought her left hand out, letting her engagement ring catch the firelight. Three pairs of eyes grew wide, even though Didymus had already known of the pending nuptials from spying on Sarah's dream.

"I'm engaged, guys. Jareth knows it. I guess you could say in a way he's already met Ben…and I don't think he likes him. But that's not important. The only thing that is important right now is this kingdom. I'm here to help, then I'm going back home to my family, and to Ben," Sarah explained.

Hoggle and Didymus looked at each other, the sad note in her voice not lost to them.

"Sawah not love Jareth?" Ludo suddenly asked, finally taking his eyes off of his friend's ring and looking into her eyes.

Sarah flushed a crimson, remembering her list of things she didn't want to deal with. This issue had been at the top of that list. She cleared her throat and stood up, "I think I should try and find where the infamous Goblin King has disappeared to anyway. Good night, all of you. I'll see you tomorrow," she finished, making a hasty retreat.

Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus watched her figure retreat into the distance, then Didymus turned to Ludo.

"Good work, Brother," he praised the hairy beast.

Hoggle nodded in agreement before turning back to the fire.

Sarah stood at the border of the camp, looking at the barren land that was once the great maze, comtemplating which way to go. Every direction seemed the same to her, nothing. She looked up at the sky, admiring the stars as she used to on Earth. Since she had moved to Los Angeles, she just hadn't found the time. She smiled as they twinkled. She always thought of the stars as guiding lights. That thought gave her an idea. She looked at the moon off to her left for a brief moment before taking off in that direction. She wasn't sure how, but she knew she'd find Jareth by following the moon. After about five minutes of walking, she noticed that the ground stopped, dropping off into a deep chasm. Her eyes scanned the line of the ground and found Jareth sitting at the chasm's edge, watching the moon. Quietly, she walked over to him and sat down, Jareth never took his eyes from the sky and Sarah eventually followed his gaze. Finally, after a few long minutes of silence, Sarah spoke.

"I've always loved clear nights like this," she commented, not really having anything else to say.

She wasn't sure why she was even here, why she had sought him out. She didn't have to, he was a big boy and could fend for himself. Besides, if he had left the camp, then he had obviously wanted to be alone. But, here she was, and she couldn't bring herself to leave.

"Nights always are - were - the best times in the Labyrinth," Jareth answered her, his gaze still on the moon.

"It's so peaceful here," Sarah sighed in contentment.

Jareth nodded, finally looking at her, "Yes. This used to be one of my favorite places as a boy."

"A boy?"

Jareth smiled at her and chuckled, nothing mocking in his tone or face, "Yes, Sarah, a boy. Does that surprise you? That I was once an infant, and a child; that I was born just like you were?"

Sarah blushed, realizing how stupid her question must have sounded. "Well," she hesitated, but decided to be honest, "Yes, Jareth, it does surprise me."

Jareth chuckled again and clucked his tongue, "I can assure you it is true."

"So, what, then? You were born, you grew, and then you just stopped aging?"

Jareth cocked a brow at her, "Yes. When Fae mature, they stop aging. By then they also have enough magic to change appearances and look whatever age they feel best suits them."

"And this is what you chose?"

Jareth shrugged, "Not really. This is just what I looked like when I matured. I never bothered to change myself as I was never out to impress anyone."

Sarah gave him a whistful glance, "You don't look bad, you know."

Jareth laughed again, jovially, "Why thank you, Sarah. I'm blushing, really. Well, while I may meet your approval, you'll find that I'm one of the older looking faes."

"So, are you an old fae?"

"I said older looking, not older. And, how would you judge an immortal creature to be old? I suppose you could say I'm middle aged. I'm older than most fae, but one of the youngest of the royal fae. Does that answer your question?"

Sarah nodded.

"Why all of this sudden curiosity, may I ask?" Jareth inquired, leaning back to lay on the ground, hands folded behind his head, his legs bent over the chasm's edge, looking up at Sarah.

Sarah shrugged, "I - I don't really know. I guess because it looks like I'll be here for a few days and I know absolutely nothing about you."

"Ah, I see."

Sarah turned her attention back to the moon. After another quiet moment, she turned and looked down that the Goblin King.

"Do you realize that we had a conversation without it dissolving into a fight?"

A soft grin slipped across the king's mouth, "Yes, and it was rather nice at that, Sarah. I wouldn't mind trying it again."

Sarah smiled and lay back next to the king. She reached across her body and offered him her hand, "Friends, then?"

Jareth looked at her, then her hand, then finally, took her offer, shaking her hand and nodding, "Friends."