Chapter Two: The Rules of the Game

"No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave." ~ Calvin Coolidge

The air of the night was changed. Sarah felt as if she was reliving a portion of her past. This was all so familiar. She awaited the sound of rustling goblins or the attacking claws of a barn owl. However, this time, all the noise there was in the room, consisted of breathing.

"What did you say?" Jason snapped, his eyes red and puffy with his drugged state. He swayed slightly, still holding the broken bottle in one of his hands.

Sarah looked around the room, frantically. Wasn't he coming? It was his job. If she was too old to be taken away, at least he could take Krystal. Once she had found a safe place to live, she'd challenge him, run the Labyrinth once again to regain the ownership of her darling child. But he had to come first and Jareth hadn't shown his smug face yet.

Jason reached down, tearing the book from her hands. "What is this crap?" he asked, holding it upside down as he tried to read it. "The Labyrinth?" he questioned, his two words slurring together as he attempted to phrase the question. "What kind of chicken shit is this?" He pulled out his lighter, and holding the book out in one hand, lit the edge of the cover on fire. Only the book wouldn't light. "What the hell?"

"Tsk, tsk, one should refrain from using such foul language when ladies and children are present," an arrogant voice filled the room.

A cold shiver ran the length of Sarah's spine. She turned her head, glancing over her shoulder to see Jareth standing behind her. He wasn't looking at her. His eyes were stuck on the parasite known as her husband. She clutched Krystal closer to her, feeling the tiny child still shaking with fear.

"Who the fuck are you?" Jason cried, taking a step back.

"I'm the Goblin King," Jareth replied with his usual dramatic air. Sarah would have rolled her eyes and shot out a sarcastic comment, but she wanted to be on his good side until she knew what he was planning to do with her and her baby. "I have come to relieve you of these two," he finally glanced down at Sarah.

Those same mismatched eyes were in his face. The brown one and the blue one, forever different, just like his moods. He could be so kind, so gentle, and then the next instant he was as viscous as a wild animal. It was so unpredictable, so frustrating, and unnerving. It had made her scared of him, afraid of how to act, fearful of not living up to HIS expectations.

"You can't take Sarah," Jason growled. "She's mine."

"Not anymore, I'm happy to announce," Jareth stated, crossing his arms over his chest, and fixing Jason with a smug smirk. "She's mine now."

That didn't sound as nice as he had made it out to. What would he do with her? He could turn Krystal into a goblin, but Sarah knew she was much too old to be turned into one of his mindless minions. Besides, she had been in the Labyrinth before, she knew how it worked. A goblin was too dull-witted to be of any use. Jareth was clever, he wouldn't throw her intelligence away. No, he'd find a way to use her to his advantage, but what was that advantage?

"You'll have to kill me then," Jason said. "Because she belongs to me."

"I belong to no one," Sarah hissed, staring at both men.

Jareth glared down at her, telling her with his eyes to back down. Jason, on the other hand, brought the bottle down on her head. Only the glass never made contact with her flesh. Jareth had intervened. He sliced his hand through the air just above Sarah's head, creating something like a force field. Surprised by his protection, she gave him a slight smile as she lifted her face up away from her hands.

"You will not cause any harm to either Sarah or her daughter."

"They are mine. Sarah through marriage. Krystal through me. She's my blood and Sarah is my wife. You have no right," declared Jason.

"No," Jareth chuckled. "That is where you are wrong. It is you who have no right. When a man strikes a woman it shows his cowardice. In my lands, you would be killed for your impolite actions, but here," he shrugged. "I can only grant wishes and that is what I have come to do."

"Oh really?" Jason asked, pulling something out of his pocket. "Then grant me this, Mr. Genie." He aimed a handgun at Jareth's chest. "Grant me your death."

A sound like the clap of thunder sounded through the living room. Krystal screamed, falling into another crying fit as she clung to Sarah. Her mother was holding her, trying not to look at any one thing. And all the while, Jareth stood there, a smirk painted permanently on his face. "Would you care to try that one again?"

"What? How? It isn't possible," Jason stammered, backing up.

"In this world, perhaps not, but as I've stated before: I'm not from this world." With that, Jareth offered his hand down to Sarah. "We must be going now," he told him, then added to Sarah, "Are you ready?"

She took one glance at Jason, standing there half drunk. The floor around him was littered with broken glass, her own blood, and the gun he had dropped. What kind of life was she living here? Even being a slave in Jareth's court would be better than this. At least she would be safe and her daughter would be able to grow up without any dangers threatening to take her life at any second.

"I've been ready," she told him as her hand slid into his own, which was encased in a black leather glove. She let out a tight gasp as she rose from the floor. Her shoulder was still badly wounded. "I don't think….take Krystal," she told him, sitting back down, while passing her toddler over to him.

"You wished for both of you to be taken away," he reminded her.

"I'm as good as dead anyway," she coughed, feeling the immense surge of pain coming to hit her head on. The excitement had miraculously made it vague but now it was as clear as the glass that was imbedded in her skin. "Get her out of here."

"Not with out you," he grumbled, setting the child down for a moment. Sarah's eyes widened as he picked her up, then presumed to scoop up Krystal as well. Giving Jason a curt nod, he said, "We'll be off now."

They were beginning to fade, disappear, and return home when he shouted something that forced Jareth to stop.

"I object!"

"Excuse me?" Jareth questioned him, glaring daggers at the man who dared to contradict him.

"I want her back. There has to be some kind of bargain we could make. How much money do you want for her? I'm just talking about Sarah. You can have the brat, but I want that bitch. She needs to be taught a lesson."

"I have no need for money," Jareth stated, eyes full of ice. "As for Sarah," he continued, watching her expression carefully. "She amuses me. You can't have her."

"There has to be some way to get her back," Jason demanded.

"Maze!" Krystal cried, clapping her hands as a genuine smile formed on her lips.

Jareth glanced down at her, then he too started to smile. "Why darling! You are absolutely right. Forgive me," he said in mock apology to Jason. "There is one way you can regain "ownership" over your wife and daughter. You must run my Labyrinth and reach its center by the thirteenth hour."

"There are twelve hours, bub."

"Not in my world," Jareth grinned.

"So, this Labyrinth," Jason said uneasily, coming forward. "It's a maze?"

"Somewhat," Jareth agreed. "But the perils you will face in it are far, far worse than any that exist in your worst nightmares."

"Spooky," Jason scuffed. "I think I'll go run home to my mommy."

"Sounds about right," the Goblin King nodded.

"I accept your challenge," growled Sarah's husband.

"Then allow me to set up the rules of the game," Jareth sneered, angry that this man dared to go against him. "But first, I need to attend to something of dire importance," he bowed slightly. In the next instant he was gone, taking Krystal and Sarah with him.

"Where are we?" Sarah asked when the three of them arrived in a lovely bedroom.

"You need a doctor," he replied sternly. Careful not to drop Krystal, he laid Sarah down on the bed. "I'll send for someone at once." She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off. "Sarah, just this once, trust me." She searched his gaze, determined to find something devious in there, but instead, she saw only compassion. Reluctantly, she nodded. "That's my girl," he smirked, pulling away from her. With that, he took Krystal from the room and Sarah was left to fall under sleep's peaceful spell.

Meanwhile, Jareth dropped her daughter off in the goblin nursery. "You stay here," he told her, patting her soft hair gently. Motioning to one of the female goblins who were stationed in the room, he called her over. "Take special care of this one Malia. She belongs to a dear friend of mine."

"Of course, sire. Don't you worry none. She'll be fine in here."

"I trust in that," he agreed, giving a quick look over the dozen of goblin babies playing together. Knowing Sarah as he did, he highly doubted that her daughter would be afraid of these creatures. Sarah had mostly likely imbedded a love for fantasy in her. There was nothing to worry about…or so he thought. Then he remembered that Jason, the man who was titled as Sarah's husband, was awaiting further instructions on how to beat the Labyrinth.

Growling at the mere thought of that man entering the Underground, Jareth teleported himself into Sarah's living room to pick up his new contestant.

"Shit! Man, you should warn someone before you just show up like that," Jason exclaimed.

"Usually, I would apologize for my behavior, but you are not worthy of such a generous motion," Jareth commented, giving a rather disgusted look at his opponent. "Now, do you wish to except the challenge of running the Labyrinth?"

"I already told you I would," Jason cried, sounding angrier than he had been just seconds before.

"There is no need to become violent," Jareth told him. "Violence solves nothing," he added.

"Right," spat Jason. "That's what they all say, but beating someone will gain you respect," he snapped.

"Wrong again," the Goblin King snarled. "It will only make those who you wish to gain respect from become utterly afraid of you."

"Exactly what I've been saying," Jason fought back. "They will fear me. That's enough. If she fears me, as she loves me, that's all the respect I need."

Jareth opened his mouth to give a comeback, when the force of Jason's words hit him. Just fear me, love me, and I will be your slave. Hadn't he said those exact lines to Sarah? After all these years, the many nights where he had simply pondered why she had turned him down, now in this single instant, he knew. How could he have been so blind? She had never been the one to back down. She was much too strong in spirit to cave under another. He had asked her for something she simply couldn't give.

"Are we going yet?" Jason grumbled, looking bored.

Snapping his fingers, Jareth transported them to the edge of the Labyrinth. "If you want to see Sarah or your baby daughter ever again, you must reach my castle," he pointed to his palace, "before the clock chimes the final hour." At its cue, a clock with thirteen hours appeared, floating on the air. "And those are the rules of the game, but I should warn you," Jareth couldn't hide his pleasant smirk. "Only one person out of thousands has ever beaten my Labyrinth."

"Who?" Jason asked.

"Your wife."

The words came out as a bitter, soft-spoken sentence. Jareth couldn't hide the remorse he felt in his heart. How could it be so hard after all these years? She belonged to another man. Truthfully, he knew she didn't want him, but the fact that she had married another, given her life to someone as horrid as this person, made him want to never look at her again for fear his heart would burst. On the other hand, if he didn't look at her beautiful face ever again, he knew he'd die.

He had other duties to take care of, such as getting Sarah a doctor. "Time is short," he instructed Jason. "It's a farther distance than your mortal eyes will allow you to think. Such a pity to have another fall under my wrath," he smirked, doing yet another great disappearing act. "Of course, since it's you, it would be more like vengeance." And once again, the Goblin King vanished out of sight and mind.

A/N: Coming up next!: Jareth and Sarah talk about why she married Jason. Jareth decides what to do with Sarah since she is too old to become a goblin. And Sarah pleads with him not to change her daughter into a goblin. Also, a check in on how Jason is doing.

So…did you like? Hate? It couldn't have been that bad. Was it? *shrinks back into a corner* Was it horrible? I bet it was, wasn't it. Don't lie to me! Tell me the truth dammit! I had to up the rating because of the language. Bad Jason! *smacks Jason outside the head for his insolence among other things* Until another time. ~ Nev