Chapter Four

I Ain't Never Been No One's Friend Before

"You're going to have to start explaining things to me," Sarah sighed, looking at Jareth through the darkness.

"I didn't WANT your brother," he said in a firm tone "I wanted," he paused "you."

"See," she sighed "you're confusing."

"How is that confusing?" he asked "I wanted you."

"Well why didn't you tell me?" she snapped.

"And what was I to say Sarah?" he asked "that I love you and wanted you to stay with me forever? I made an offer I thought was suitable for your age."

"Forget the child," she snapped "and I'll give you your dreams? What sort of offer was that?" Jareth went quiet for a moment.

"Perhaps I didn't think it though," he admitted.

"You think?" she asked angrily.

"Excuse me," he snapped "you were the one that wished it. You wanted Toby gone. I did it. You wanted to get him back, I allowed you to. You wanted help, there was Hogwart, Sir. Didymus and the beast."

"Ludo," Sarah corrected.

"That's not the point," he snapped "you must understand that you can't blame everything that happened on me."

"I DON'T!" she snapped "don't you think I KNOW what I did wrong? I'm not stupid Jareth, I think after six years I've figured out a great deal."

"Give an example," he ordered.

"And you Sarah," she mimicked "how are you enjoying my Labyrinth?" She paused a moment "it's a piece of cake."

"How is it that you remember it so well?" he asked, curious.

"I suppose you spend a certain amount of time thinking about something," she sighed "you're bound to remember it word for word."

"So," Jareth trailed off a bit "what exactly do you believe your mistake was in that particular situation?"

"I knew that the Labyrinth must have meant a great deal to you," she said "that it was, sort of a pride I suppose. But I went ahead and taunted you anyways. A mere mortal solving it, even the idea of it, would have been insulting."

"Would you like to know my mistake?" he asked "well, one of them anyways?"

"Well," she teased "I thought I knew all of them but, if you want to..."

"Ha-ha," he grumbled.

"Alright then," she smirked, though I didn't matter since he couldn't see her in the dark "tell me."

"I underestimated you," he admitted.

"You truly thought I'd lose?" she asked.

"Well, yes and no," he explained "at the very beginning I was sure that you wouldn't even get past the front gates. By the time you were in the oubliette I was worried so I made an appearance. The woods... I never liked the woods so; I was somewhat of a wreck."

"Why?" she asked disquietly.

"Do you KNOW how dangerous the forest is?" he asked "there are fairies and dragons and-"

"Fireies," Sarah muttered and Jareth looked up.

"I didn't watch you the whole time of course," he said "and the woods were one of them."

"I was fine," she promised but he ignored it.

"And then when you were by the bog," Jareth started but trailed off because Sarah was giving him a hard glare.

"You drugged me," she snapped.

"In a way," he said giving an uneasy smile. She stared hard. "What do you want me to say?" he asked but she just kept glaring "you can't expect me to believe that you felt nothing in the ballroom."

"You didn't cast any," she paused "attraction spells on me, did you?"

"Never," he yawned, "merely for you to forget our previous... meetings, so you wouldn't completely hate me."

"I'm never going to understand you," she gave a teasing sigh.

"Why is that?" he asked.

"Because I can't think like you," she smiled.

"You're so much like your mother," he whispered to himself, unaware that Sarah had heard him.

"What?" she asked "what do you mean? How would you know?"

"Ummm," he paused.

"Jareth..." she grumbled.

"I don't want to tell you;" he admitted "I don't feel like seeing you cry."

"I won't cry," she promised and he sighed.

"When you were little," he said cringing "very little, your mother wished you away."

"No," Sarah protested.

"How do you think I knew about you?" he asked.

"Just lucky I guess," she teased but then became very serious "but... how could she I mean..." So much fell into place at that moment. A lot of things she wanted to be explained were answered. How Jareth knew about her in the first place. Why her mother left her. And how much she really was like her mother.

"I gave you back," he said "once she realized-"

"She didn't have to solve the Labyrinth?" Sarah protested.

"No," he smiled "I reserved that for you."

"Oh well thanks!" she exclaimed "some friend you turn out to be."

"Since when am I your friend?" he asked, amused.

"Since about three hours ago," she explained.

"Humm," Jareth didn't say anything for a long time.

"What?" she asked.

"I've never been anyone's friend before," he said and Sarah laughed. "I'm not joking."

"I know," she said laughing in-between "but you act so serious, I can't help it." She smiled at his upset reaction.

"Don't tease me," he protested.

"And why not?" she asked "it's so easy." He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Why'd you give me back to my mother?"

"Because she asked for you," he smiled.

"I know but," she paused "I mean."

"Well of course I wanted you to stay," he said "but I didn't want you growing up Underground."

"Why?"

"Because it's not the best place to grow up," he said "and if you grew up here, in the castle well, I would have just been a father to you."

"Your too old," she teased.

"Am not," he grumbled.

"And how old are you?" she asked smirking. He muttered something. "Humm?"

"Three thousand twenty-four," he grumbled "that's not old."

"Maybe not to you," she sighed. They both didn't say anything for a long time.