Author's Note – This chapter takes place at the same time as the previous chapter.
While there are no guns in the Underground, there are cannons, and what looks to be a small cannon is currently being pointed at Jareth's head. Looking past the barrel of said weapon, Jareth's miss matched eyes meet glowing amber ones staring back at him. He quickly takes in the appearance of the one who called him and gets another shock. This is no man, but a human/demon hybrid standing before him, and a big red one at that. Then the question the half breed asked finally registers in his brain.
"I am the Goblin King," Jareth informs the being in front of him with a snarl. He decides to try and get this over with quickly in order to get back to Sarah. Holding up his hand, he forms a crystal at his finger tips and calls forth the image of the one just wished away. "And you've just wish an innocent little what the bloody hell is that?"
Jareth takes a closer look at the blue being in his crystal. This was definitely no innocent babe, but a full grown blue…something. He hears snickering; an unamused Goblin King turns back to the being in front of him.
"That's Abe," the red one answers in a deep reverberating voice.
"Ah, you wished away an enemy," Jareth concludes.
"No, my best friend," is the growled reply. "It was an accident, so you can just give him back."
"As much as I would love to do that, I can't," informs the king.
"Why not?" asks a quiet female voice.
Turning to the new voice, Jareth is given another shock. The woman he sees reminds him very much of Sarah with her long dark hair and fair skin, but there the similarities end. Still, she is quite lovely; however, she's not in the least bit frightened by him. There's something else about her that he can't quite put his finger on. Then he realizes that she has power, a burning power deep inside of her.
"Because those are the rules," he finally answers her as he walks toward her. He's vaguely aware of the small cannon tracking him. "Once someone is wished away, they are mine unless the person who wished them away can make it through my Labyrinth in time."
"How much time have we got?" asks the man standing next to the woman.
The man is completely normal. Pointing at the large red guy, Jareth answers.
"He has thirteen hours to make it through my Labyrinth and to my castle before Abe becomes one of us," put in dramatic pause here, "forever."
"How come you didn't take him when I wished him away?" asks a voice from the vicinity of Jareth's ribcage.
Looking down, Jareth is surprised to see Toby who's pointing at the man. Taking a quick look around, he finally realizes that he's back in Sarah's apartment. Jareth returns his gaze to the little brat who made his dreams come true.
"Ah, Toby, my fine young fellow," Jareth happily gloats. "You can only wish away one person during your lifetime. Handy little rule, that. Otherwise the entire Underground would be crawling with wished away people."
"Fine, I'll go through your Labyrinth," says a deep voice pulling Jareth's attention back to the half breed. "I'll get Abe and the Williams lady back and we'll all be home in time for breakfast."
"Hellboy, I don't like this," says the man. "You'll need backup, maybe special equipment…"
"I'll go with him," says the woman.
"No!" Jareth states forcefully. "Only the person who made the wish can go for the person that they wished away. This means that only Hellboy can go and the only person he can come back with is Abe. Sarah will remain with me."
"Fine," Hellboy responds. "The kid and I'll do it."
"I'm not going," Toby states as he crosses his arms over his chest.
"I'll take Toby's place," the woman insists while she walks up to Hellboy.
"You can't," Jareth reminds her.
"Ok, I'll wish John away," she replies.
"Hey!" John yells.
"NO! No more wishing," Jareth shouts. "The next person to make a wish will be dropped head first into the Bog of Eternal Stench."
"I'm going," she insists.
"Fine, you can go," Jareth finally relents as he feels a migraine coming on. Waving a hand at Hellboy, he continues, "I doubt he'd be able to make it through with a map and a tour guide anyways, and you two are only going for Abe. Sarah is mine unless Toby goes with you, and I can't force him to go."
"You might not," says Hellboy as he holsters his weapon, "but I can."
A second too late, Toby realizes what's about to happen. He makes a break for the bedroom door only to be caught by a large red hand. Kicking, hitting, screaming and biting, he tries to break free of Hellboy's grip.
"Cool it, kid, or I'll have to hold onto you with my other hand," Hellboy threatens as he lets Toby get a good look at the Right Hand of Doom
Toby stops struggling and instead tries to sit down. He hangs from the arm that Hellboy is holding.
"What are you doing?" Hellboy growls.
"I'm not going," Toby pouts. "And if you make me go, you're going to have to carry me."
"Fine," Hellboy responds as flings the kid over his shoulder. He turns back to Jareth. "Ok, I think we're ready now."
"Very well," Jareth grumbles.
He walks towards the small group and smashes the crystal into the floor. As the room fades, they can hear John say, "Ah, crap."
The four of them disappear in a cloud of glitter and reappear near the edge of the vast Labyrinth. A castle can be seen on a hill past the giant maze highlighted against an orange sky.
"You have less than twelve hours," Jareth informs them pointing at a clock with thirteen numbers that's hanging in mid air, "to make it through the Labyrinth and to my castle."
"You said that we have thirteen hours a minute ago," Hellboy snarls rounding on the Goblin King.
"True, you and your lady friend have thirteen hours," Jareth concedes. "Toby, on the other hand, has less than twelve. You'll never make it in time. Such a pity."
As he says the last few words, the Goblin King and the floating clock fade from view. Hellboy turns back toward the Labyrinth, sticks a cigar in his mouth, lights it and takes a drag off of it.
"Piece a cake," Hellboy says in a cloud of smoke.
Not too far away, a group of friends is busy working on removing a fairy infestation. Hoggle is using his trusty sprayer, Sir Didymus is using his staff to hit them out of the air and Ludo is simply trying to smash them between his huge hands.
"I say, Sir Hoggle, have you talked to the fair maiden of late?" Didymus asks as he swings at a fairy and misses.
"I was visitin' her a few days back, but we was interrupted by an unexpected visitor," Hoggle answers while he sprays another pest. "62. I hasn't seen her since."
"Ludo miss Sawah," the giant beast says sadly.
"We all do, Brother Ludo, we all do," Didymus comforts his large orange friend. "Tis not like Lady Sarah to take so long in calling on us. I worry if our dear friend is all right."
Further conversation is halted by the sound of crashing. They turn and see a most curious sight. A very large red man with a tail and an abnormally large hand, carrying a struggling boy over his shoulder and another who cannot be seen because the red man is blocking their view are standing next to the outside wall of the Labyrinth. They watch in fascinated horror as the red man pulls his large hand back and slams it into the wall. The process repeats a few more times until there's a large gaping hole in the wall. As the dust settles, the newcomers walk over the rubble into the Labyrinth.
Before the others can stop him, Didymus charges toward them. He quickly covers the distance and then hops to the top of the ruined bricks and gets ready to issue his challenge. But the sight of the previously unseen person stops him. While he cannot see her face, her long dark hair is all the information he needs to make his conclusion.
"Lady Sarah," he exclaims. "You have returned to us."
The woman turns towards the voice with a look of confusion on her face. The big red man drops the hand that he was about to pound into the next wall and turns to see who spoke.
"You are not Lady Sarah," Didymus states.
The woman looks at down him with a bewildered look. She stares at Didymus for a moment and then smiles and bends over to be at his level.
"Do you know Sarah Williams?" the woman asks.
"Of course," Didymus states proudly as he waves toward Hoggle and Ludo who are walking toward them. "We are her friends."
"We're trying to rescue Sarah," the woman tells them.
"The fair maiden is in danger?" Didymus asks, horrified.
"Yeah, Puff the Magic Drag Queen has got her up in his castle," the red man says.
"Jareth has Sarah?" Hoggle asks from behind the one eyed fox. "How did he get hold of her?"
"Pipsqueak here wished her away to him," the man answers.
"Sawah in danger?" Ludo asks. "Ludo help."
"Yes, of course, Brother Ludo, we will go and rescue the fair maid at once," Didymus states. Turning back the way he came he lets out a short loud whistle. "Ambrosius, come here boy."
"Hey, whoa, I didn't ask for any help," the man exclaims.
"Why not?" asks the woman. "Obviously they know Sarah, so why not let them help? Besides, they might be of some use."
"Fine," the man snarls. "Just keep them out of my way."
Turning back toward the wall, he proceeds to knock a large hole in this one as well. Meanwhile, a very timid sheep dog with a saddle on his back approaches Didymus. The little fox climbs up into the saddle and follows the newcomers, Hoggle, and Ludo through the ruined walls.
"I am Sir Didymus," Didymus states. "And these are Sir Hoggle and Sir Ludo."
"Hi, I'm Liz," says Liz. "The big guy is Hellboy and the kid is Toby."
"Toby?" asks Didymus. "Surely this is not the same Toby that our dear fair maiden solved the Labyrinth for all those years ago."
"What are you talking about?" grumbles Toby from his rather uncomfortable perch as Hellboy walks over another pile of destroyed wall.
"Let me ask you this," Hoggle starts. "Are you or are you not Sarah's brother?"
"Yeah, Sarah's my sister," Toby grouches. "What of it?"
"But she saved you," Hoggle states in stunned surprise. "She solved the Labyrinth and faced Jareth alone to get you back. How could you wish her away to him?"
"Because she didn't let me stay up as late as I wanted," Toby answers seeming rather proud of himself.
"You mean because you're a spoiled rotten brat that should be taken over someone's knee," Hellboy snarls as he sends another wall to the ground.
"Wait a minute," Liz interrupts. "Sarah and Toby have been here before?"
"Yes, nine years ago I believe," Didymus answers.
"Um, how did the Goblin King get Toby?" Liz asks.
"Oh, uh, well, you see," Hoggle stammers. "The only reason Jareth would take someone is if the person was wished away to him."
"Sarah wished me away to the Goblin King?" Toby yells in surprise. "See? I had every right to wish her away."
"Maybe," Liz responds rather heatedly. "But she at least went through the Labyrinth to get you back, you weren't even willing to try."
Before Toby can respond, Hellboy knocks down the next wall and immediately says, "Ah, crap."
The others turn and look through the new hole to see a very perturbed Goblin King standing there.
