A/N: Yes I'm back! (at last) Bet you were all wondering what happened to me. Well maybe not but I'm going to tell y'all in two words anyway – real life. However I finally get a break and you people finally get an update. I hope you think it was worth it.

Niffers: again you played the prophet; enjoy!

Emerald Skye: Thank you and I hope you like this one just as much.

TopazQueen1188: Yeah – at last I update! I hope you like it.

Jenny: Sorry that did take so long. I can only hope you haven't lost interest. Pesky universities, expecting me to do work when I could be writing, damn them!

Redaura: thanks and enjoy.

Insane Dragoness: yup, I'm evil and cliff hangers are becoming my signature mark by the looks of things, hope this was worth the wait.

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The silk tore easily, opening like a gash down her body. Her struggles became frantic with Jareth's name still ringing in her small hallway.

Oh God. Oh God. Oh God.

A prayer or just a plea, she wasn't sure which but she kept saying it over and over in her head and hands gripped her thighs with bruising strength, pinning her legs and stopping her from reaching the knife. Stopping her even from turning. She didn't doubt whose hands they were.

When the hall lit up it was so sudden and so bright that she was momentarily blinded and confused by it and she closed her eyes against it. Part of that was the light and part of it was that she didn't want to see Kirk's face; she didn't want to see him looking at her while she was so vulnerable.

"You…called," The amused tone in Jareth's voice vanished in the pause between words as he took in the scene Sarah's words had invited him into. She was lying on the floor, her body twisted slightly to one side as she fought, pinned by the weight of some…ape who hadn't even paused in his assault. He was still dragging a whimpering Sarah towards him.

It was a small matter for Jareth to close the distance between them. An even smaller one to catch the man in the jaw, sending him back and almost down the stairs.

Sarah was trembling, eyes closed against the light and her own nightmare when Jareth stooped to touch her. Something in him very nearly broke when she flinched at his hand on her shoulder.

"Shhh, little one," he soothed. "It's me. I'm here."

She opened her eyes, and although she didn't stop trembling she did allow him to pick her up off the floor. He removed the midnight blue frock coat he was wearing and draped it around her, concealing her torn nightdress in its folds.

"Are you hurt?" he asked. As soon as the words left his mouth he noticed the bruise on her jaw. His gloved hand touched her jaw line softly, tracing the mark.

"Did he…" Jareth didn't finish and Sarah just nodded dumbly. "Did he do anything else to you?"

"Mostly…I'm just scared," she told him. Jareth was here, between her and her nightmare and slowly she was calming down. Not as much as she would have liked though. She was still shaking, but she could stand and she could talk with only a slight tremor. "He didn't…you came in time." She whispered. She wasn't aware that the tears had begun to roll down her cheeks as she clutched Jareth's coat tighter to herself.

Jareth moved from her side swiftly, marching to the man who was only just recovering from the initial blow and climbing slowly to his knees. Jareth grabbed the front of his shirt and dragged him to his feet, shoving him hard against a wall.

"Just what do you think you were doing to my wife?" Jareth asked. His voice was calm.

"I…" Kirk began but was abruptly cut off when Jareth's fist connected with the side of his face.

"That was for attacking my wife and that -" his fist slammed into Kirk's face again "- was just for scarring her." He let go of Kirk's shirt and let him fall to the floor before returning to Sarah's side and pulling her protectively under his arm, turning his back on Kirk and letting his much larger frame shield her. He felt her fingers clutch the ruffles of his shirt and he held her a little tighter.

"Your…wife," Kirk said dumbly from the floor.

"Get out," Jareth said still calm.

"But…"

"Leave now, or I swear I will cease to be generous!" Jareth told him. "You have trespassed in this home and you have done a great wrong to the woman in my protection. Do not mistake me, I have no desire to see you live through tonight and if this were my land you would not have!"

Kirk stared at Jareth's back before scrambling to his feet and rushing for the door.

"You called me your wife," Sarah said numbly as she heard the front door slam.

"I'm taking you home," was all Jareth said before scooping her up into his arms and in the blink of an eye they were in Jareth's castle. He carried her to his bedroom and set her lightly on the bed. He left her there for a moment while he retrieved one of his simpler shirts for her to wear and helped her slip it on.

"Get into bed," he said softly.

"Is this your room?" she asked crawling across the huge bed to get under the covers and somehow managing to look like a lost little girl in the process.

"Our room." He took off his own shirt and boots, tossing them carelessly on the floor and climbing in bedside her. A wave of the hand snuffed out the candles but he still felt it when she stiffened. "Shhhh…I'm only going to hold you, little love."

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. Come here," his voice was soft and compelling at the same time and slowly she slid over to his side and let him wrap her up in his arms. He murmured soothing nonsense to her till she fell asleep.