Hey again! The retreat I went on came back early due to weather :-P, so here I am again. Besides, I already had it written out in the back of my sketchbook, so this shouldn't take long. A little bit of J/S fluff in this one, even though it might not have been completely voluntary on Sarah's part…;p Lol, just read and find out.

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"What the…?!" Sarah stared unblinking at Lindsay. The girl was still gawking at the overall size of the maze that laid ahead of her. Though the blonde showed no sign of seeing the entrance, Sarah spotted the hidden door in an instant. She shuddered at the sudden flood of memories.

"What in the world do you think you're doing, Jareth?" She murmured fervently. Could it be that he had started to take an interest in Lindsay the same way he had taken one in her? Was that why he had taken her to the Underground and into the Labyrinth?

The image inside the orb dissipated. Apparently Jareth had stopped looking in on Lindsay for the time being. Sarah sat on her bed, crystal still in hand, thinking.

Just a week ago I led a normal life, she thought. A hollow laugh tickled the back of her throat. Now goblins and magic are an everyday occurrence for me. It's like something out of a dream…

"I wish it WERE a dream," she said softly to no one. "It would be a heck of a lot better than this nightmare." Her eyelids drooped.

Maybe I AM dreaming, and I'll wake up at any moment.

The thought was nice, but she knew that was a farfetched hope. She stretched out tiredly and let the crystal ball roll from her fingertips onto the nightstand.

Clunk.

"Crap." She knew it had hit the ground, but she couldn't bring herself to reach for it. After all, she had been going nonstop since 6:00am, and it hadn't exactly been the easiest of days. Her eyes felt like they each had 10 pound weights dragging them closed.

As sleep was coming to claim her consciousness, Sarah heard the crystal ball being scooped up from the floor, but she was far too exhausted to look and see its retriever.

"Again you say it," Jareth said softly. "I wish…I wish…" He tucked the covers up around her chin. "I have reordered time, and turned the world upside-down. You only needed to say those two little words and I would be at your beck and call." A slight sigh blew past his lips. "But now you have asked something even I cannot do. I cannot change reality." He hesitated, then gathered Sarah up into his arms. "And it is a reality that I love you." This last was spoken almost inaudibly, but Sarah stirred.

"Jareth?" She was half asleep, so his appearance didn't startle her in the least. She rubbed her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Jareth didn't answer immediately. From the look on his face, he seemed to be debating with himself. But right before Sarah drifted completely into dreamland, he spoke.

"What did you think of that girl coming to my Labyrinth?" He asked quietly.

"I dunno," Sarah mumbled. On some inexplicable impulse, she nuzzled closer to the Goblin King.

He jumped a little, then let his arms relax around the young woman.

"Come on, Sarah," he prodded gently. "Tell me, and then you can sleep."

"I guess I was a little confused," she murmured. "And also a little scared. Cuz you know, I'm gonna hafta be the one to--" --she stifled a yawn-- "--save her."

There it was. The whole reason for his visit. He leaned his head against hers so he could speak comfortably and quietly into her ear.

"There will be no need for that," he whispered, breath making a hissing noise on her ear. "You dreamed all of this. When you got home, you went straight to bed and dreamed I took Lindsay."

"Are YOU a dream?" She asked sleepily.

This shook him. "N…yes," he said after a time.

"Then who can I trust what your saying? It could just be a figment of my imagination."

Jareth laughed and cuddled her closer. "You never cease to amaze me."
"I know, Bryan."

"Bryan…?" He looked at her curiously. "And who might that be?" But she didn't respond. Slumber had finally been victorious. The Goblin King released his hold on the "sleeping beauty" and drew his cloak around himself. "Looks like I'm going to be doing some investigating tomorrow." He looked around the room, then stashed the dark sphere into an old costume closet. Then, with one last glance at the girl on the bed, he was gone.