AN: I know I said I would put chapter 19 up last night, and, in my defense, I did attempt to…about six times

AN: I know I said I would put chapter 19 up last night, and, in my defense, I did attempt to…about six times. FF.net, however, wouldn't let me. I was finally able to do it this morning. Originally, I was going to wait and send this part out on Friday or Saturday. But, I had it finished, and I felt bad about not being able to put 19 up last night like I promised. So, think of this as a peace offering. You may think this is turning into a sappy love story all of a sudden, but, trust me, I do have a plan. The end is in sight, only six chapters to go. Also, because this chapter is longer, and I have posted a total of 3 new chapters within 48 hours, don't expect the next chapter to be up before Wed. Just a warning. In the meantime, what did you guys think of the new story I'm starting?? And this one?? Enjoy, read, and review!! ~ Saphire

Chapter twenty: Seeing the Error of Her Ways

For a while, Sarah was too shocked to do anything. Her entire body was numb and her thought process had stopped completely. After a second, she replayed the events over in her mind. She had been running to help save Jareth, then she herself slipped on a rock, twisting her ankle and going over the edge of the chasm. Her ankle still throbbed as proof of that. She remembered screaming, and being too afraid to look down. Instead, she snapped her eyes shut tightly. Time seemed to slow down and she felt each second tick by, felt each labored breath as her heart hammered in her throat, felt the cool sunset air rush by her skin…then felt it stop. She felt herself suddenly cradled in a strong embrace. At first, her eyes remained shut and she instinctively grabbed for any support she could find, wrapping her arms around a strong pair of shoulders. She didn't remember opening her eyes, she was sure she hadn't, but she could somehow remember an image of Jareth, brow creased with worry for her and the strain from using his magic. He was cradling her in his arms…he seemed to simply be standing on air. By now, that shouldn't surprise her, yet it did. She pressed herself into the Goblin King and felt the air rush by her skin much quicker this time and in the opposite direction. Suddenly, she felt herself hit the ground, but not as gently as she would have hoped. In all, the entire episode had lasted no longer than five seconds. To Sarah, it felt like five years.

Then, she remembered opening her eyes. The first thing she saw was two shades of blue, one light, one dark. She realized she was looking directly into Jareth's eyes. For the first time, she was able to see his gaze, read his eyes for the truth. He had no barriers to her then and she found his emotions laid bare for her. She had never understood him better than at that moment. Their connection was almost a tangible thing. There was fear in his gaze, fear that he had lost her. Pain, pain for what might have been had he not caught her. Relief, relief that he had caught her. Love, a love so strong it frightened Sarah….no, frighten wasn't the right word. She was scared of the intensity because it was nothing she had ever experience before. She was thrilled, exhilarated by it as well. The mix was overwhelming, and Sarah had to fight to catch her breath. She was able to tear her eyes away, finally, and see how pale he had become, his brow covered in sweat, his beautiful moonshine hair matted to his skin in places. A wave of concern washed over her and she reached out for him. Before she could make contact, his eyes closed and he collapsed. In all, this event as well had taken mere seconds.

Ignoring the throbbing pain in her ankle, Sarah crawled the three feet to Jareth's limp form and scooped his head from the ground. She placed his head in her lap, running her fingers over his skin.

"Jareth?" she questioned softly.

There was no response. Her fingers ran over his forehead, wiping the sweat away and sweeping his hair back.

"Jareth?" a little louder.

Still, there was nothing. She ran the tips of her fingers over his cheekbone, across his eyelids, down his nose, over his lips, not entirely conscious of her actions.

"Jareth?? Wake up, please, wake up. Tell me you're ok… Jareth? Tell me you're alright, Jareth," he voice bordered on panic now.

She traced her fingers back up from his lips, held them just beneath his nose and was reassured when she felt a soft breath. It was barely there, but he still breathed. He was alive. Her head looked up, no one seemed to be around…but, Jareth's cousin…D'Vinnian, he had to be here somewhere, right?

"Help!" Sarah yelled. "Help! D'Vinnian, please, help!!"

No sooner had the cry torn from her lips, than D'Vinnian appeared along with Hoggle, Didymus, and Ludo. Wordlessly, the beast lifted the Goblin King's still form and effortlessly began to carry him back to the camp. D'Vinnian was right by Ludo's side, appearing to check his cousin over for injuries. Hoggle and Didymus stayed by Sarah's side. She was up a split second later, limping as fast as she could to catch up with Ludo. She scooped up one of Jareth's limp hands and refused to let go until D'Vinnian made her. Then, Sarah sat outside the white tent where her bath had been and waited.

At first, everyone was silent. The whole camp had grown quiet when they saw Ludo carrying their king who, by all accounts, appeared to be dead. After a few minutes, the camp began to whisper, casting glances in Sarah's direction. Sarah neither noticed nor cared. Wordlessly, Hoggle set about starting a fire, while Didymus disappeared into the white tent, reappearing a moment later with a vial of some kind and some white material meant to be a bandage.

Hoggle sat beside Sarah as Didymus approached, "Are yous ok, Little Missy?"

At first, Sarah said nothing, then, softly, "He saved my life."

Hoggle nodded, "He did."

"He loves me," she whispered.

Didymus and Hoggle glanced at each other. So far, they had to admit, D'Vinnian's plan was working, even if it was a little extreme.

"He does, my Lady," Didymus said, "Now, where are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," Sarah said, her voice distant.

Her mind felt like it was spinning out of control, and she was least of all worried about her injury. Hoggle brought her a little more back to reality by placing his pudgy and weathered hand on her arm.

"Nows, Sarah, yous was limping back here. Where're ya hurt?"

Finally, Sarah relented, pulling the hem of her dress up a couple of inches.

"My ankle," she said, motioning to her right ankle.

Sir Didymus nodded and opened the vial, tearing a piece of the white cloth from the rest and soaking it in whatever was in the vial. He rubbed the wet cloth on the swollen area.

Sarah jerked back a little, "It's cold, Didymus. What is it?"

"Something to bring the swelling down, my Lady," he answered and continued his work.

After her ankle was bandaged tightly for support, he took a seat on Sarah's other side. Both Hoggle and Didymus knew they didn't have to say anything. Sarah had had a big revelation when she found out that Jareth still loved her, and to what extent. They knew the rest of the revelation would follow. There was no need to prod her. For now, the friends sat silently by Sarah, their presence enough comfort to keep her calm.

It seemed forever before D'Vinnian reemerged from the white tent. All eyes turned to him for news of their fallen king. Raising himself to his full height, and twisting his features to look remarkably like his cousin, D'Vinnian spoke.

"King Jareth will make a full recovery."

Cheers went up from the crowd, but were silenced when D'Vinnian raised his hand. He saw Sarah stand and walk into the tent from his peripheral vision, and smiled inwardly. His plan was working remarkably well, though he hadn't expected it would take so much out of his cousin. He suspected half of that was from his worry over Sarah. He brought his thoughts back to the present when he realized the camp was waiting for him to speak.

"Until the time that the Goblin King is well again, I will be in charge. Anyone who will not obey will suffer both from myself, and again from the King, when he is able. Are there any questions?"

No one made so much as a single sound. D'Vinnian grinned, intimidation was so easy.

"Good, now, everyone rest tonight, we continue tomorrow."

And, with that, D'Vinnian left to find Hoggle and the others, giving Sarah a few moments alone before he went to speak with her. So far, everything was going perfectly. This next part would be the final push.

Sarah held her breath as she entered the tent, not quite sure what to expect. The interior was dim, the sun having finally dipped below the horizon. There were large candles on metal holders in each corner, and a few on a table near the cot where the king lay. Of course, none of this had been there when Sarah had been here for her bath that morning. Slowly, she walked to the cot and knelt down, ignoring her protesting ankle. Most of the pain was gone, but a stiffness still remained that did not appreciate being bent. She shrugged it away easily, looking instead at Jareth as he lay still unconscious. He was deathly white, and he lay not moving. He looked for all the world as if he was dead. A sob caught in Sarah's throat, but she forced it back, repeating like a mantra in her mind, he'll be ok, D'Vinnian said he'd be ok. His hands lay folded lightly on his chest, the way they put them Aboveground for a burial. There was another parallel for death. Sarah couldn't stand it. She moved one of his hands to his side, and grabbed the other, the one closest to her, and held it. She didn't even hear when D'Vinnian entered.

"Hoggle said your ankle is bandaged. Does it feel better, Sarah?" the Goblin Lord asked softly.

"It's better, thank you," Sarah answered softly, not looking away from Jareth.

"Sarah," D'Vinnian called softly to get her attention.

Slowly, she turned to face D'Vinnian and he saw the emotions on her face.

"Will he really be ok, Vin?" Sarah asked.

D'Vinnian nodded, "Of course. He's immortal, Sarah, you forget."

Sarah looked abashed, "It's just…he looks…"

But Vin interrupted her explanation, "He's drained, Sarah. It took all the power he had to save you."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why save me?" she whispered.

D'Vinnian looked steadily at her, "Do you really have to ask me that, Sarah?"

She faltered for a moment, then shook her head. D'Vinnian could see her struggling with her thoughts, and patiently waited for her to continue. It only took a few minutes.

"It's just weird, y'know. I woke up this morning, and when I went to find Jareth, I found that the chasm had grown back…at least I thought so, I hadn't seen it before. So, I went to find Jareth...and I heard you two talking. I heard him say that he loved me…and I…this feeling just…I can't even explain it, but something changed. The whole time since Jareth took me back Underground, there had been this feeling in my chest…but I ignored it….I didn't want to deal with it. Then I heard what he said, and I knew I had to talk to him. But, he said it didn't matter, I wasn't the same Sarah, it was in the past…and I felt like I had been punched, but I let it slide. But, his eyes, D'Vinnian. When he put me on the ground and I saw his eyes. He still loves me," Sarah finished her rambling, hoping she at least made a little sense.

D'Vinnian squatted down to Sarah's level, noticing that she still grasped the Goblin King's hand.

"Did you ever truly doubt, Sarah, that he still loved you?"

"I didn't know what to think. One minute he was yelling, then we agreed to be friends. Then, he would be kind, almost tender…and the next instant he was so indifferent, like I was a business partner, nothing more. I didn't know how to handle that."

"Jareth was a fool. It was obvious to everyone how much he still cared for you. But, he kept telling himself that you were just friends, that the only thing that mattered was rebuilding the kingdom. It was a tough lie for him to live, and he faltered, and he was warm to you. When he remembered, he was indifferent. When the past haunted him, he was angry. He came back in a weakened state, Sarah, and his emotions had more of a control over him than they ever have in the past. You being back just doubled that."

Sarah listened quietly, casting a glance back at Jareth and sighing.

"His emotions towards you surprised him, Sarah. He is not one to feel greatly about anything, least of all feel the amount of love he has for you…a human."

"It surprised me, too, D'Vinnian. I had no idea he felt that way," Sarah said, her voice becoming tired.

D'Vinnian rose to his full height, "Really, Sarah? I think you had plenty of clues. Jareth came as close to telling you as he could without breaking his role as villain…a role, by the way, he loathed to be in. He didn't want you to hate him and he knew you would, but he did it anyway…for you. Think about your trip, Sarah, really think about it. Are you sure you had no idea he loved you?"

And with that, the Goblin King's cousin left.

And so, Sarah sat by the side of the Goblin King, wielder of magic and weaver of dreams, and remembered. She looked at every memory of that journey, but this time, she saw not as a scared fifteen-year-old, but a mature woman. And it seemed to her that nothing was as she remembered. Toby was taken to fulfill her wish, done on her command….he was hardly stolen. Every danger she had faced, she always had help. Even when she found herself in the oubliette, she had been given a way out. It became clear to her that, while Jareth wanted to scare her, wanted to win, he did not want to hurt her and fiercely did not want to lose her. She came to the part of the adventure where she ate the enchanted peach. That had been the closest to the truth she had come as a child. But she was scared, and then thought he meant only to stall her. This Sarah, the grown Sarah, saw the ball for what it was. A way for Jareth to break his role as a villain and show her what he was offering her, show her how he felt. When she broke away this time, she stopped to look back at him, his face shadowed with sadness, a sense of being lost in hi own confusion about feelings she realized surprised him as much as they surprised her. This time, the words of the song he sang to her stayed with her. That was it, his confession of love. Still, she stayed her course and let her memories play out. The goblin army had been a joke. It looked like more of a comical act than a threat. And, while Sarah wouldn't go so far as to call the goblins smart, knew that they understood how to fight, understood how to follow orders. They hadn't been sent to hurt her and her friends, merely delay them. And the end, in the Escher Room…Sarah had been so wrapped up in getting to Toby, she never even heard Jareth's voice singing to her. But it had been locked away in her memory none the less and she heard it now. His second confession of love, and again she ignored it. And, then, at last, the final confrontation. He revealed the truth to her. He was only playing a role, he wanted her to take his offer, and he wanted her to love him. His words ran through her mind,

"…you can have anything you want."

Her eyes opened and she looked at Jareth as he lay now. The words in her mind kept going,

"Fear me, love me, do as I say."

Now that she was older, and planning a wedding herself, she realized the words sounded a lot like, "love, honor, and obey." An image of Jareth's face as she said the words flashed in front of her eyes, superimposed on the now sleeping king's face, and it brought Sarah to tears. Finally, she knew. That thing she had been missing since she had come back…that thing they all wanted her to see. She could have had Toby back any time she pleased. The destruction she caused was for nothing. All she had to do was ask, truly ask and realize what it was Jareth was trying to say. She had caused all of the Goblin King's pain for nothing. She could have had anything she wanted. Now, all she wanted was for Jareth to wake up. She leaned her head down on his chest, her tears stopping as a serene calm settled over her. At last she knew. Her eyes slipped shut with exhaustion.

"I love you, too, Jareth," she said with a sigh.

Sarah was so tired she didn't even notice as the air around her seemed to throb with a sudden energy. However, everybody outside the tent did. D'Vinnian smiled. Sarah had done it. And now, things would be fine.

Hoggle looked over at the king's cousin, "What's goin' on?"

"Sarah has made a discovery," D'Vinnian said, still smiling.

"What's that?"

"She knows she loves my cousin."

"What has that to do with this commotion, my Lord?" Didymus asked, his muscles tense as the throbbing spread around them and under them so that the ground pulsed.

"My cousin knew from the start that Sarah was the key to rebuilding this place. Obviously, since she is mortal and human, she has no magic as you understand it. But, she is not powerless. All humans have some limited sources of magic. One is their dreams. That was what Jareth thought was the cause of this. He was wrong. Love was. Love is a strong source of power in any realm. If strong enough, the Labyrinth can use it as a free source of magic to grow. That takes a strong love, though. Which is why, until Sarah truly, consciously, admitted her feelings for Jareth, the Labyrinth would not grow back."

"But the other spots?" Hoggle questioned, watching in awe as the things around them slowly started to change.

In the far distance in back of them, there was the sound of stone scraping on stone and the dwarf didn't need to look to know that the castle was repairing itself.

"The other spots were just products of the tension between the two. It took both of them to do it," D'Vinnian explained.

After that, the wind picked up and, with the dust flying around, all parties thought it wise to wait until it was over to speak again. And, so, the Labyrinth was rebuilt slowly through the night as a sleeping Sarah dreamt of a new ball with a certain platinum king.

AN: Quick note. I know that in two places, Sarah appears to "remember" things she didn't really see. This has to do with my personal belief in a sixth sense…and a connection between two people in love (i.e. soul mates). Just thought I would stick that in. Thanks for reading!!