Disclaimer: Hello! Welcome to the next chapter! You've all been so supportive, I'm touched! Now, you know the deal, I don't own Labyrinth, but I love it so much that I can use the characters!

Author: All that and more, baby! This next chapter may not be as good as the others, but I wrote it for you anyway! And by the way, Ja Ne means see you in Japanese. I'm not sure if I'm spelling it right o.~, but it's a familiar and cheerful term. But you would rather read about Sarah and Jareth and Jaelithe, so I am going to turn you over to the main part of the fic. Enjoy!

"Sarah?"

"Yes?"

"How can we be sure that Jaelithe will show up at the house?"

Sarah looked over her shoulder at Gabriel as Jareth drove them toward the house. "I don't know for sure, Gabriel," she said. "But he's been playing with my dreams for some time now. Jareth says he has to be in range for the mental connection, so we're hoping that you two can find him while he's engaged with torturing me."

Gabriel nodded and sat back. "But what if he isn't there tonight?" he asked.

Sarah shrugged. "We'll just have to try again the next night." Gabriel didn't look convinced, but he said nothing. Jareth pulled into the driveway, and the three of them got out.

"Sarah," Gabriel asked. "What if he's too strong for us?"

Sarah turned and opened her mouth to speak, but Jareth cut her off. "Then the Labyrinth will die," he said. "But don't think of what will happen if you fail. Think of what you're saving if you succeed." Gabriel nodded, and the three of them walked up the sidewalk. They stopped outside the door and spoke in hushed tones.

"Now Sarah," Jareth said. "You'll just go inside and go to sleep. When Jaelithe enters your dreams, try to keep him at bay as long as possible. You have nothing to worry about, just give us more time." Sarah nodded and kissed Jareth on the cheek. He raised his eyebrows and coughed uncomfortably before turned to Gabriel.

"You will circle around the right and search for Jaelithe's original form, which you have seen, or a black owl. Try to stay casual, but stick to the shadows and make no noise. I'll circle the left. When you see him, come back and find me. Don't let him know you've seen him. All clear?" Gabriel nodded, and he and Jareth left to ring the house.

Sarah watched Jareth's retreating form as it disappeared into the shadows. Then she opened the door, and walked inside.

"Welcome home, Sarah."

Sarah stared in horror at the boy on her couch. "What the hell are you doing here?" she screamed, her voice cracking with anger and fear. Jaelithe sat up and revolved the twin obsidian spheres around in his hand. He gave her a look of mock surprise.

"Why, haven't you been expecting me?" he asked, his voice like sugar-coated poison. "After all, you decided that I was your ticket back to the Labyrinth, so I thought it best to come inside and wait."

Sarah narrowed her eyes dangerously at him. "You were listening to us in the car," she said accusingly. Jaelithe held up his hands in a guilty shrug.

"My dear Sarah, how could I resist? Jareth had surfaced again and was so determined to get your attention. I must admit I was impressed that he reached you before the highway in his puny human form. I wanted to know what all the fuss was about, and your window was open, and-"

"Put a sock in it," Sarah said impatiently. Jaelithe blinked. He wasn't used to being interrupted. "Skip the fake innocence and get to the point," Sarah said, her hands on her hips. "What are you going to do with me now? And don't try to dodge around it and make yourself look clever, because it's about as idiotic as you are, and your tone sickens me."

Jaelithe dropped his pleasant air quicker than a strapless prom dress. His eyes narrowed as he eyed Sarah dangerously, his eyebrows forming a single line over his eyes. He was more insulted by her insolence than any of her words, and was furious that a mere mortal would dare make a fool of him.

"Foolish girl," he spat, his voice grating in his throat like ice. "You will control your tongue or you will lose it."

Without another word, Jaelithe threw one of his obsidian globes directly at Sarah's face. She dodged, but the orb hovered above her and covered her with a golden light. Her legs flew out from under her, and she fell hard onto the floor, her teeth unexpectedly closing on her tongue. She could taste the blood in her mouth, but could feel no pain for the shock. Her entire body went limp, and she found that she had no control over her muscles.

Images flashed threw her mind. One instant, a withered old hag crowing with delight over her father's blood-stained form. The next, a masked and muscle-bound figure chaining Toby to a medieval torture device. The next, a terrible giant bludgeoning children to death. Flashes of nightmares filled her mind, from a pitiless massacre of infants to the dark silence and cold of death. Above the ringing sounds of battle, above the screams of dying loved ones, Sarah could hear Jaelithe's evil laughter penetrating her thoughts, biting into her very soul.

And she was powerless to stop him.

* * * * *

Jareth gazed up at the sky, his eyes hungrily searching for the silhouette of an owl. He scanned the trees, his eyes mercilessly studying every leaf and twig. His gaze pierced the shadows, straining to catch the faintest sign of life.

But so far, he had only found two birds, one squirrel, and one cat. That was no where near his expectations.

He cursed under his breath as he reached the midway point. Gabriel must not have found anything either. With a sigh, the disguised goblin king turned around and prepared to go around the house again.

Then he stopped. He blinked into the darkness. "What am I doing back here?" Jason asked aloud.

He shrugged and looked down at his luminous digital watch. "Uh-oh. I'm supposed to be in class right now! I better get moving."

He cursed and went around to the front to enter the house.

* * * * *

Gabriel was already inside the house.

He bent over Sarah, completely at a loss. "Sarah!" he shouted, hoping she would hear. "Come on, wake up! Sarah!"

He heard a noise and looked up as Jason walked in. "Oh, thank god," he said in relief. "Jareth, I just found her here, and she won't wake up! I think Jaelithe put a spell on her or something-"

"What are you talking about?" Jason asked. "What happened to Sarah? Is she alright?"

Gabriel's eyes widened. "Jareth?" he ventured meekly.

Jason shook his head. "No, my name's Jason," he corrected. "Now, what happened to Sarah? Did she just pass out?"

Gabriel felt a wave of fear creep into his mind. He looked down at the unconscious Sarah, then back up at the as-good-as-unconscious Jason. He was completely alone.

Author: Well, there's the next chapita, and I hope you liked it! And in case any of you were expecting it, I'm trying to shove some ice cream through the internet right now! (Is it supposed to emit sparks like that?) And I hope you'll tell me what you think! Ja Ne! O.~