AN: A big thanks to everyone who's reviewed. It really helps when your writing your first fic. This would have been posted much sooner, but FF.net has been down (again) and I had problems updating (again) ~~;;;;. But, here it is! Also I need someone to help review my chapters before I put them up.... I feel like I could really use someone else's opinion when writing it all. So if anyone is interested please email me. :)

The Labyrinth belongs to Jim Henson, but everything else is mine! :)

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Beyond Strange Love by Cynthia Dysis

Chapter 4: Reunion

"Hello Sarah..." whispered a lascivious voice from behind her. She could feel his breath on her neck, his arm around her waist, his chest against her back. 'Oh God Oh God this isn't real it isn't real.....' she kept repeating to herself over and over again, shaking her head, trying to block it out. 'It's not real. I must have fainted, and now I'm dreaming. That's what it has to be, I'm dreaming. He's not real. He's not real.'

Jareth held his arm around Sarah's waist, her back pressed to him, his heart beating. How long had it been since he had touched her? Her soft skin, her tiny frame, her long hair flowing down between them... It was dark in the auditorium, so he couldn't see what color it was...he leaned closer to her, let her hair brush his face. It felt like silk and smelled like wildflowers, just like he remembered. He wanted to weep. He would have if he didn't have a mission to complete, to hurry and get Sarah back to the Underground, to trick fate, to save everyone. That and a weeping Goblin King was probably the last thing Sarah expected, and he didn't want to make things any harder on her than they were already going to be. Wrapping his arms tighter around her waist he waited for her to say something, anything. He had waited to long to hear her voice ... but she was as still and silent as death. Perplexed he looked down at her, and grinned. Her face was a ghostly white, her eyes squeezed shut. She was murmuring something to herself and shaking her head back and forth slightly. Leaning down closer to her ear he spoke in a lowered voice, letting his breath run hot against her neck..."You do know it's rude not to address someone when their talking to you, don't you Sarah?" he asked, one hand turning her around to face him.

Sarah stood there, practically paralyzed with fear, determined to keep her eyes squeezed shut until this all ended. 'Just stay calm and keep your eyes shut, none of this is real, you've just fainted, it's all a dream, it's not real' she whispered to herself over and over. But it felt real. Then she was being turned around, facing him. His hair brushed her cheek, and for the briefest of moments she smelled wildflowers and something else, something she but couldn't quite remember. She had gotten taller since she last saw him, but not by much, her head just reaching his shoulder, under his ears. She clutched her jacket as tight as she could and something else was still in her hand...what was that? 'Oh, damned bloody crystal.' She clutched it until her knuckles turned white, and as much as she wanted to drop it she didn't dare. It would acknowledge that she was aware of what was going on. 'Why couldn't I dream of something else? Why this?' Biting her lip she tried to concentrate on something else, anything, but him. She wouldn't deny that she had thought about this, about him coming back and whisking her away. But it was all only in dreams. She never acknowledged him as a real person...he wasn't. 'He can't be. He's a dream. I made him up. He's not real. I made him up' she lectured to herself.

Jareth just stood there, grinning like a cheshire cat, watching Sarah go through some obvious inner struggle. Her nose was scrunched up as were her eyes. With only the green light of the exit, her features were half masked in shadow, but he knew how beautiful she was. She had grown taller since he last saw her. There were slight lines around the edges of her eyes, her hair was longer and more with more curls, but she still was breathtaking. He looked down at her hand, and saw the crystal their, in a death grip. Her knuckles were turning white, her fingernails digging into her palm. Titling his head he brought one hand up to her face and traced a single finger down her cheek.

"Why do you not address my presence Sarah? I'm not going anywhere, surely you know that. we will stand here all night if we have too." Looking her over he saw he shiver. From his touch? The cold? Looking her over he noticed a silver pendant hanging around her neck, but it was to dark to tell what it was. She whispered something barely audible. 'Damn', he had missed it.

"Sarah, you will have to speak up. Unless of course you want me to get closer..." he pulled her snugly against him, and leaned his face down close to hers. Now she did shiver. Her lips trembled and she took a deep breath, her eyes still squeezed shut.

"Your not real" she said in a whispery voice.

To this he could only laugh, and he pulled her closer to him, his voice teasing as he brushed her hair out of her face. "I assure you Sarah, that I am quite real. If you do not believe me I would be more than happy to show you..." Leaning down he lowered his face to hers, his inches mer millimeters away from hers ... he could feel her breath on his face, almost taste her....

"No!" she cried and pushed away from him abruptly, stumbling backwards, and falling ungracefully on her rear-end with a thump. She opened her eyes and looked around her, expecting to be alone now, but looked down and saw the crystal still in her hands. She simply stared at it. 'I will not look at him, I will not look at him, I will not look at him' she repeated over and over to herself. She simply stared at the crystal clutched in her hand. Jareth watched her with slight amusement, slight worry that she had hurt herself in her tumble. Now that she had opened her eyes she seemed to be refusing to look at him, just staring at the crystal in her hands with a kind of numb shock on her face.

"Sarah, look at me." He said in a plaintive voice.

She shook her head no, just staring at the orb in her hand, looking nowhere else.

This time he commanded it, sharper, a voice that was not to be reckoned with or refused. "Sarah, I said look at me, and I will not take no as an answer." He crossed his arms, and waited.

Her lips trembling, visibly shaking, she slowly raised her eyes up from the floor, up his boots, his pants, 'Quickly up his pants' she thought, to his chest, then his face. She just stared dumbfounded. It was him. Exactly as she had imagined him. His ashblonde hair, wild and ragged, his high cheekbones and arched brows, the air of arrogance around him. His eyes..oh God, blue and brown, one soft and light, one seductive and dark. And his mouth, the perfect mouth with the pointed teeth, and the slight smirk that played on them...'No, he's supposed to be a dream. This isn't supposed to happen' she thought.

Jareth stood there grinning, enduring her scrutiny of him. When she met his eyes he stopped and his breath caught in his throat. 'Damn that green light' he though. He knew her hair was redder, which really meant nothing, but if her eyes had changed too, then it might mean that her old self was trying to break through... Walking towards her he held his hand out for her to take, to help her up. She stared at his hand dumbly. Growling he took her hand and lurched her to her feet, nearly toppling her over again. "Enough Sarah. It's time for us to leave." he said. That snapped her out of it. He grinned when he saw her eyes light up with fire, and that old stubbornness was back again. This was the Sarah he knew.

'Time to go?' she thought. 'There's no way in hell I'm going anywhere.' And she was just about to tell him so when he put a finger over her mouth, silencing her. "No. I don't want to hear a word. You were wished to me were you not? You know how things go. You will come with me, and you will stay with me."

"No! I will not go with you! Your not real! I'm dreaming all of this up and soon it won't matter because I'll wake up and then I'll go to work and I'll realize that this is all...not real. I'm not going anywhere with you..you..you..weirdo!" she rambled. She was nervous and scared and she had not idea what the hell she was doing. And then he looked at her, one eyebrow arched and laughed. 'He's laughing at me!' she thought. 'That pompous ass!' With a growl she kicked him in the shin and ran towards the exit. Before she got three steps he was behind her again, arm around her waist, chest pressed against her.

"That, my dear, was the wrong thing to do." He growled.

Sarah suddenly realized that she was in control, not him. He was just a figment of her imagination, and couldn't control her. "I don't care! I am not going with you, I don't care what you say! First of all, your not real! And second of all, I don't want to!" Struggling she gasped "And for Christ-sake loosen up on the deathgrip! I need to breath!"

Jareth laughed softly. "Oh Sarah, must I show you I'm real?" Turning her around he grinned at her before leaning his face down to hers. This time Sarah was not ready to warn it off and was stopped dead in her tracks by the feel of his lips against hers. They were soft, and it wasn't a kiss like she expected, cruel and demanding, but slow, and soft. It was giving and asked for nothing in return, almost a chaste kiss. Sarah melted, and for the briefest of moments she leaned into it, let him kiss her before she realized what she was doing and pulled back. He held onto her, not as tightly this time, but enough to show her she wasn't getting anywhere. His eyes were darker with emotion and he looked down at her, grinning softly.

"Now do you believe I'm real?" he asked amused, and grinned even wider when he saw the faintest traces of a blush creep on her cheeks. Then the little spitfire was back.

"No! I'm not going with you! I can't! I belong here! I wasn't supposed to be wished away! And I wasn't! It was a mistake!" she screamed.

Jareth simply raise an eyebrow "Oh really?" he asked in that slightly arrogant voice of his. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!!" she yelled, struggling to get away.

"Well, the rules are the rules. You will return with me Sarah. Now, don't move... Sarah, I said don't move!" he said forcefully. She stopped for a moment and glared up at him..into his mismatched eyes. 'Why does he have to look so damn good?' she thought... then she was back to struggling again.

"Fine... but when we transport back you may be injured if you move. But have it your way." Reaching down he plucked the crystal she still clucked in her hand from her. She stilled and didn't move, her eyes growing wider and he raised the crystals and let it drop, sending a shower of shards and glitter into the air once more. Sarah felt something come up and swallow them ... felt the press of wind and time and motion all around them. Involuntarily she clutched his jacket...'This is not happening' she thought. She saw the backstage of the auditorium melt around them, and then she screamed, because she realized this all might now be a figment of her imagination...

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Jareth's looked down at the women clutching to the lapels of his jacket, her eyes wide in panic, her lips trembling slightly. In the lighting of the throne room he was finally able to look at her.... her skin was paler...her hair a dark brown red... if she would only look up at him....She had screamed when they has started to dematerialize and he knew she must be frightened because she was shaking like a leaf. 'Oh Sarah..' he thought 'What ever made you doubt that this was all real, things will only be easier once you accept it...'

Sarah was to shocked to say anything. Looking around her she seemed to be in the middle of a medieval castle...the walls were stone, the floor was stone...it was filthy as well. 'I know this place. But..it can't be she thought, her eyes wide in fear and wonder. Looking around she was the massive throne in the front of the room, the cushion made of deep purple velvet. Behind iron the wall was an intricately carved clock, reading 13 o'clock. 'Oh God' she thought 'Oh no...oh God...' she felt herself fainting, her knees buckling beneath her again. And then, like before, two arms pulling her up, standing her upright. Blinking she looked up into a pair of mismatched eyes...and grew angry. With a cry she pushed him away from her and backed away from him, looking every way ... she looked like a scared rabbit. Clutching at the side of her head she squeezed her eyes shut and spoke slowly to herself "This isn't happening, This isn't happening" she repeated.

Jareth watched her, pity and pain swelling up in him. 'Damn fate' he thought, 'for putting her through this.' He wanted nothing more than to pull her against him, to kiss her, shush her, dry up her tears. It killed him to see her like this. And when she had looked up at him, for a moment he thought she remembered ... but then the anger flashed in her eyes. He had seen her eyes though....they were green. Almost completely, just like they were before. She had to remember something if her body was changing it's self to fit her past life... He wanted to kiss her, touch her, comfort her. But he couldn't. She wouldn't allow it and it might send her further over the edge. Walking towards her and helped her to sit down on one of the steps in the front of the throne room. Rocking back and forth she didn't even notice she was sitting down, but kept shaking her head and rocking on the steps. Jareths simply watched her, waiting to see what she would do next. It had been so long since he had been near her, and the last time she was no more than a child...he didn't know what to expect. Part of him was prepare for another temper tantrum, for the constant 'It's not fair's.' Then she suddenly stopped rocking, and sat up straight. Turning she looked at him straight in the eye, her face set hard, her eyes glaring at him. He sighed to himself ...'It's not supposed to be like this' he thought. 'Surely you didn't expect it to be easy' he retorted to himself.

Sarah stared him down, before asking in a slow measure voice. Jareth was sure it was taking everything in her to control herself. "What do I have to do to get out of here?" she asked simply. She watched him, waiting for a reply.

Sighing, Jareth leaned back some. "Sarah, you cannot leave. There is nothing you can do. You are mine and you will remain here." He watched her reaction. But no tantrum came.

"Why? Before I was allowed to go through the Labyrinth to get Toby? Why can't someone come get me now?"

"Sarah," Jareth said "Toby was a baby. You are not. You are an adult and therefore follow under your own set of rules. You have also been here before, therefore you cannot leave. You have been wished to me, and you are mine to do with as I please." He winced at how that sounded, and was about to correct himself when she spoke up, furious.

"No, I am not yours to 'do with as you please'. I am not supposed to be here. I am being kept against my will by someone who I didn't even think was real, and I'm stuck here! I am not here to do as you please! I want to go home!" she stormed. She was lost...she didn't know what to do. All she could think of was to sit and cry...but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"I know you don't want to be here Sarah," Jareth stated. "But weither you want to or not the fact is you are here. I promise no harm will befall you while you are with me. You will not be here to 'do as I please.' That came out wrong. But you were wished to me, and unlike before I do have power over you. This is not your world and these are not your laws. I will tell you simply: If you chose to leave the gates unaccompanied by me you are at the mercy of whoever finds you, because after you leave I cannot claim you. Do you understand?" he softened "You will be safe here. I promise. You have my word."

Sarah sat staring off into space. 'I'm stuck in another world with a man who kidnaps children... I can't get home. I might not ever see home again. All I want to do right now is scream. And why is he being so nice?? He's supposed to be the bad guy. God...things aren't supposed to be this confusing.'

Jareth saw the lost look in her eyes and decided not to press her further. Standing he offered her his hand, but she ignored it and rose to her feet on her own. "I am tired" he said "and I am sure you are. I will escort you to your room, and there you may retire for the night." Without another word to her he walked from the throne room out into a stairway and up them. Sarah followed, only because she had no other choice, and she was afraid to be left alone in the huge expanse of the castle.

'Maybe I can sneak out of there, or something ... a room is better than that slop down there.' As they walked up the flight they reached a hallway. Sarah stopped. It looked nothing like the throne room below....it was so...clean and regal. Underfoot was an extravagant carpet, a deep crimson red lined in gold. The walls were heavy with tapestries depicting scenes of maidens and unicorns, and paintings in gilded frames of gold and silver ... the doors to the rooms along the hall were carved from a dark wood...decorated with vines and roses and fairies and nymphs. She walked behind Jareth, her mouth agape, to shocked to say anything. They walked up another set of stairs, and another, taking turns and twist and more stairs until Sarah was thoroughly lost. Then she walked into something hard and looked up to see Jareth has stopped and she had walked right into him. She glared at him to hide her slight embarrassment and he simply looked down at her, a mixture of emotions that Sarah could not decipher running though his eyes.

"This is your room" he said. "Mine is down the hall, if you need anything..." he stopped and looked at her, then opened the door to let her in.

Refusing to look at him Sarah walked into the room...and gasped. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. If it had wall, she could not tell, because they were covered with a blood red velvet that surrounded the whole room. On the far wall was a balcony that opened up to the night... a vanity sat against another wall, exquisite...cared from cherry wood, the mirror at least 4 feet wide ... the boreder a tangle of roses and vines. On it sat an assortment of bottles and jars in all shapes and sizes, holding various things. A brush and hand mirror set sat on it as well, and further inspection showed that they were a pure, dusky gold. The room had not one, but three wardrobes in it, all carved in the same manner at the vanity, all with the same roses and vines in cherry wood. A small table sat in one corner next to an elaborately carved chair next to a window. Her eyes were drawn to a back room, wear she guessed the lavatory was. Then her eyes feel on the bed. At least 12 feet tall it was huge ... the four post were as thick as her leg, all carved with detailed roses, vines, fairies, and a multitude of enchanted things. The bed was surrounded by sheer red lace, and she saw a tiny set of steps that led up to it...the sheets were blood red, with rich gold brocade on it. The pillows, the vast amount of them, ranged in size from small to large, all in red silk or lace. Sarah stood with her mouth open, gazing at the beautiful things all around her. Then she remembered wear she was. Turning she looked at Jareth standing in the doorway. Under any other circumstances, she might feel sorry for him. He looked tired, and his eyes held a deep sorrow....'But these aren't normal circumstances' she reminded herself. Walking to the door and gritted her teeth. "Goodnight." she said shortly, and was prepared to shut the door in his face when he pushed his hand against it and looked at her.

"We will talk in the morning Sarah." he said. 'Commanded' Sarah thought, and her blood boiled. "And remember what I said, should you leave the castles gates I will not be able to protect you. This is real Sarah. The sooner you accept it the easier things will be on you. I hope you remember that." He took his hand off the door, but she didn't close it. She stood glaring at him, murder in her eyes. Jareth calmly waited for what he knew was coming. 'It's not like you don't deserve a little of it' he thought. He had been a little harsher than he meant to be, but he couldn't very well go around with his feeling on his sleeve right now could he? Not with Sarah in the mood she was in. Looking at her he shivered slightly...she looked so much like...

"You have just told me that I am stuck here. I can do nothing to win my freedom and return home. Then you tell me I am practically under house arrest. And then, if that isn't enough you tell me I need to accept it all so it will be easier on me. Your insane! I am not supposed to be here, trapped away from home with someone I hate! I hate you!" she threw at him vehemently. Jareths eyes swirled darkened, and sorrow filled them up ... he looked like he was engulfed in pain ... and for a moment Sarah felt remorse for what she had just said. For a moment she wanted to take it back, to say she was sorry, to kiss all his pain away...'Whoa.' she thought 'Now wear the hell did that come from? He deserves everything I throw at him.'

Jareth looked down at her, his expression pained. Whispering softly he looked at her steadily, pain evident in his soft features, "Then that is something we will remedy." Turning away he walked down the hall, and left her standing there, alone and afraid, with her world turned upside down and feeling like she was no longer in control of anything that happened turned her anymore...

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Shutting his door shut with a forceful shove, Jareth stood in the middle of his bedroom, pain evident on his face. His whole body felt cold, like someone had dashed him with ice water, and his heart was a lump in his chest, choking him. When she had said that she hated him, he didn't believe her. He assumed it was a reaction from everything that she had just been through, but then he had looked at her eyes and saw nothing but anger and fire and hate burning in them. Then he knew she really meant it. In that moment his hopes of a mildly happy reunion were smashed to pieces. This was going to so much harder than he had bargained for. 'You set yourself up for disappointment by assuming she would remember anything to begin with.' he told himself. Rubbing his temples he closed his eyes. He had a massive headache, and he was completely drained form bring Sarah back. Popping his knuckles he walked over to a plump, overstuffed chair in the corner of his room. He smiled, Sarah had one just like it, although his was not red but a midnight black. He had seen how Sarah had reacted towards her room, that look of almost childish wonder and excitement that passed over her face. Then she had remembered him and tried to hide it.

He sighed and took the black jacket off, laying it over the back of the chair, leaving him clad in his boots, breeches, and white poet shirt. Sitting down on the chair, he was in the process of removing his boots when there was a rap at his door. He shoved his foot as quickly as he could back into his boot and almost fell on his face trying to get to the door, thinking maybe it was Sarah. Maybe she had come to apologize. He grinned. He would have to fight back from kissing her senseless. With a huge grin plastered on his face he opened the door ... only to be greeted by a man dressed in gray breeches and black boots, and a simple gray shirt that buttoned up the front, with a large collar and pointed cuffs. The edges of the cuffs were embroidered with tiny feathers, which were also stitched around the button holes and collars of his shirt. Jareth's smile fell and he turn back into his room, grumbling. "Come in Lucfiel." he mumbled, and plopped back down in the chair, beginning to take his boots off again.

Lucfiel laughed and walked into Jareth's room, shutting the door behind him. "I take it from your reaction that it wasn't me you were hoping to see?" he said with a slight grin. Jareth shot him a scorn, which only made his laugh again. "I assume she is comfortably settled in then?" he inquired.

"Yes. She is." Jareth's reply was short, clipped. Agitation was obvious in his voice.

"Did things not go as planned Your Highness?" Lucfiel asked, his eyes darkening. Jareth was his king, but his friend also. He worried for him, especially now, with things becoming worse in the Underground, and the arrival of this girl....

"No, and yes. She is here, which is all that matters for now. But I had hoped she would be more...cooperative with the situation. Oh what the hell, I was hoping she'd remember everything as soon as she saw me so I wouldn't have to make everything so hard." he grumbled. "But things didn't go as expected there. It seems she had convinced herself that all of this," he sweeped his hand around the room "wasn't real. That she had just made it all up." He left out the bit about Sarah saying she hated him. Even though Lucfiel was his best friend, he still had his pride. "So now I don't know what to do." Sighing he put his head in his hands.

Lucfiel looked at his friends with remorse and pity. He knew how much Jareth loved this woman... he knew first hand. How Jareth had gone eons without her, wanting her, needing her. He was there when they had been pulled apart and cast down ... It has been apparent that God had other plans for the two lovers.... He shivered thinking about it, the images of that time flashing through his mind. For the time being he pushed those thoughts aside. Jareth needed guidance, and he would be here for him. Clearing his throat he spoke "Well.. she hasn't been back here in 13 years, and she was only a child when she was here, so it's only understandable that she might have convinced herself that this was all pretend. Just look around you Jareth. You don't see things like this Aboveground."

Jareth looked around his room, almost identical to Sarah, though were hers was red and gold, his was black and silver. The intricate carving on the furniture were not of fairies and flowers like Sarah's, but of owls and goblins. The other feminine aspects of Sarah's room were not obvious in this one either. The velvet remained, but the lace and silk were gone, replaced with brocade and linen. On the floor were fur rugs of black... outside his balcony lay the rest of the Underground... the Labyrinth, the Enchanted Forest, the Bog.... no, he supposed there wasn't anything like this Aboveground. Lucfiel saw that Jareth understood, and kept going...

"Also, she was taken from her home, and has no way to get back. She's back in a strange place, that she thought was imaginary up until this point and she can't even contact her family. She's going to be out of it for a little while Jareth. Just give her time to adapt before you tell her anything."

Jareth nodded, deep in thought. He finally spoke "I'll give her a few days... let her get settled and get used to everything. As much as she can anyway. Then I'll start talking to her, trying to see if she remembers anything. I do need to have her measured for clothes though... she can't go around in what she's wearing for they next couple of days... Which reminds me..." Standing up he walked to the door and pulled a silver rope that hung to the side of it. Though it couldn't be heard form his room, far below in the castle a bell rang, letting the servants know their king needed something. In no time three goblin servants dressed in beige clothes arrived at his door. Upon their arrival Jareth gave them his inscriptions.

"We have a visitor who will be staying with us a while. Therefore she will require a new wardrobe, and I'd like her measured and it started by tomorrow. Dresses, pants, shirts, nightgowns, everything. But I want everything checked over with me first. Is this understood?" The goblins nodded, and said they would start first thing in the morning, and turned to leave before Jareth remembered something else and called them back. "She will need a nightgown tonight, and a dress for tomorrow. I'm sure you can find something suitable enough for one day. Also see that she is assigned a maid to tend to her room. That will be all." With a curt nod he dismissed the goblins, shutting his door behind them. His manner with Sarah and Lucfiel may be warm and civil, but to his servants it was curt and short. He was not a bad king, and his subjects liked him, but he knew friendliness to servants would result in a poorer quality of service in his kingdom. Sighing he turned back to Lucfiel, exhaustion written all over his face. Seeing this Lucfiel took it as his cue to leave, and told Jareth to rest well, and just wait it out before he excused himself from the room.

Jareth walked back over to the chair and sat down. His eyes burned and his vision was fuzzy. He need to rest badly. Removing his boots he sat them down on the floor next to the chair, and slid his poet's shirt over his head, exposing his bare alabaster chest, the silver pendant hanging in the middle of it. Standing he made his way to the bed. He knew something was wrong, that the gate must be getting stronger if he were this tired from just one trip to the Aboveground. Pulling back the brocade coverlets and linen sheets he crawled into bed and situated himself. Staring at the blackened ceiling he felt sleep slowly take him over, his body relaxing, his stress temporally leaving him. As he drifted off his last thoughts were of a woman, right down the hall from him, so close and yet so far away. He whispered her name softly before lapsing into sleep.

"Sarah...."

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Sarah stood pacing back in forth in her room. She was exhausted, but she couldn't sleep, her mind was moving to fast. She had thoroughly explored her room as soon as Jareth left her, but that had only occupied her for a short amount of time. She had been disappointed to see that there was no plumbing in the castle, but knew she should have expected as much, considering how old it appeared to be and where she was. In the chair in the corner sat her jacket and purse, which she had been carrying when Jareth took her back here. She had her checkbook, money, credit cards, car keys, tons of things that would be of no use to her here. She had her cell phone as well, but it seemed to be dead, probably due to the fact that she was here, God knows how far away from home. She didn't even know if she were on the same planet anymore. Sighing she stretch and her back popped. She was so exhausted ... 'No.' she told herself, 'You need to think about what your going to do." He head was spinning...what about her job? Or her family? 'Oh my God! What about mom and dad and Toby? They'll all think I'll be dead or kidnapped!' She felt sick to her stomach. Holding her hand to her face she tried to block out the image of the police arriving at her house, the look on her families faces.

Just then there was a rapping on her door. Glaring daggers into it she crossed the room, ready to beat the living daylights out of Jareth. How dare he come back to her room! Flinging the door open Sarah looked around and saw no one. The she heard a sound like someone clearing their throat, and looked down. A small woman goblin stood there, holding some kind of material in her hand. Without waiting for Sarah to move aside she pushed her way past her and into her room.

"His majesty told me to bring you some things to sleep in. My names Gwinda, and I'll be your maid. Now if you need anything you ask for me. I'll be back in the morning for some more things for you to wear, but until then you should get some sleep. " she spoke while she walked to the bed, turned down the cover and laid the white material on it. "Well, should you be needing anything I'll be in the kitchen. Just pull that rope next to the door."

Sarah looked at the gold rope hanging there. She was still baffled. She had a maid? Why would Jareth give her a maid? In attempts to make her comfortable? 'Yeah right.' she told herself 'Probably just to remind you that you are under his control now.' The little goblin woman passed her and was on her way out the door when Sarah snapped out of it and cleared her throat, and called after her. "Thank you Gwinda." The small goblin turn around and gave a short nod to her before turning and heading back down the hall. Shaking her head Sarah closed the door, becoming more and more perplexed.

Walking to the bed she picked up the sash of white material that Gwinda had placed on the bed and unfolded it. Her breath caught in her voice. It was a nightgown, made from linen. But it seemed to have simmering threads sown in with it and the cuffs and low neckline were trimmed in ivory lace, tiny pearls sown to it. She suddenly realized how very tired she was, and decided maybe she would just go to sleep for a little bit...just a nap. Walking to the changing curtain she stood behind it to change into her nightgown. She was sure no one would come in here without knocking, but she wasn't about to take any chances. She slid the nightgown down over her head and shivered. It felt wonderful. She pulled her silver spoon pendant out from under her nightgown and held it in her hand. 'I wish I did know how to see the future with this thing...' she thought, remembering how her grandmother could. Walking to her purse she opened it and pulled one of her pill bottles out, shaking 3 pills out. She knew she would need them tonight, in this creepy place. Popping them into her mouth she looked around for a glass of water, and then had to swallow them dry seeing there was none.

Sighing she walked towards the bed and slid underneath the cover, the pills already working. She could feel her limbs getting warm and heavy, and her eyes slowly shutting. Rolling on her stomach she closed her eyes and let sleep take her, trying not to think of anything. Not of Jareth, or where she saw, or her family, or how she would get home. If she would ever get home. She feel into a deep, empty, dreamless sleep. But somewhere in the back of her subconscious a woman sat, waiting for Sarah to remember, her red hair flowing down around her, her green eyes glowing brightly. Laying between her breast, on a thin silver cord was a small pendant. A tiny, silver spoon.