Sarah finally pulls her eyes away from the Labyrinth and the path of destruction caused by Hellboy and looks at Abe. Cocking his head slightly to the side, he looks back at her. Goblins continue doing what goblins do as if they weren't even there. Then she finally asks the question he's been waiting for.

"What are you?"

"Icthyo Sapien," he answers knowing what will come next.

"Intelligent fish?"

"Yes," he replies and then deftly changes the subject. "You should take care of your wounds. Some of them look a bit deep and goblins don't seem to be the cleanest creatures in the universe."

"I am a bit of a mess aren't I?" she says with a small laugh as she looks at herself. "You wouldn't have a first aid kit handy would you?"

"There are bandages and disinfectant over on the table," he tells her with a graceful wave of his hand toward said table.

Sarah heads over to the table and starts tending her wounds as best she can. The goblins are still avoiding her and give her a wide berth. Abe goes back to watching the Labyrinth. No more walls have collapsed, leaving Abe to worry about Hellboy. The big red monkey can be a right pain in the fins sometimes, but he is still Abe's best friend. Abe reaches out with his hand and tries to sense what's going on, but it's to far away for him to get anything.

Abe pulls his hand back and realizes that his glove is missing. Thinking about when he last saw it, he heads across the room towards the stairs on the other side.

"The only thing up there is the Escher room," Sarah informs him.

"Yes, I know," he responds. "However, I believe one of my gloves is still on the stairs. I'll be back in a moment."

Abe exits the room, and a few moments' later returns with the glove. He starts to put the glove back on. He hears a strange sound again when Sarah notices the bandaged arm.

"Why is you're arm all bandaged up?" she asks.

"A goblin bit and scratched me," he answers simply. "Fortunately, it missed my fin. Fins take the longest time to heal and regenerate."

"Was it from them bringing you here or me throwing them at you?" she questions, not quite looking at him.

"You throwing them," he replies.

"Sorry about that," she apologizes. Suddenly her socks are quite fascinating.

"You were upset," he says with an elegant shrug.

"I was, am, upset with Jareth and Toby," she says. "I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

"I can understand," he responds. "My arrival was a great shock to you."

She still can't bring herself to look at him so all she does is shrug.

"Would you like help dressing your wounds?" he asks, changing the subject again.

"Uh, well, I think I've gotten them all…," she starts, slightly blushing.

"No you haven't," he interrupts, stepping up to her. "There are some on your back that you can't reach. I'm used to dressing wounds. Hellboy often needs tending to after a mission."

"So Hellboy is real?" she asks, finally looking at him and grateful for a distraction.

"Yes," he answers. "How do you know the Goblin King's name?"

"Hoggle told me," she answers. "Oh my god, we need to get out of here."

"Why?"

"Because I refuse to just sit here and let that beast of a king turn me into a goblin," she all but yells at him.

Before he can form a response, she grabs his hand and starts pulling him towards the door. The guards attempt to defend their post by pointing their spears at them. Letting go of Abe, Sarah grabs the first spear just under the head and then swings it with the goblin still holding onto it into a wide arc before releasing it, letting the goblin and spear go flying across the room. While her back is turned, the second guard tries to stab her, but is stopped by Abe grabbing the spear. With one swift move, Abe slams the goblin into the wall knocking it senseless for a moment. Sarah turns back, and seeing that the other guard has been dealt with, grabs Abe's hand once more before she takes off running, dragging Abe along with her.

They race down several hallways with the goblins not far behind until a large pair of metal doors can be seen. Upon seeing them, Sarah starts running even faster. Just before they reach the door, Abe stops causing Sarah to all but fall onto her backside. Abe catches her before she does and she turns on him with anger in her eyes.

"What the hell did you do that for?" she yells.

"And where do you two think you're going?" asks a quiet and sinister voice.

"That's why," Abe answers as she turns around and faces a fuming Goblin King who stands between them and the door.

The goblins come charging around the corner a second later and surround the two prisoners. Various sharp implements are pointed at them as the Goblin King stands there waiting for his answer.

"I'm leaving," Sarah states.

"Oh, really?" the king sneers.

"Yes, really," she snarls back. "If you think for one second I'm just going to sit around and let you turn me into a goblin just because my stupid, good for nothing brother isn't willing to run the Labyrinth for me, then you've got another thing coming, buster."

"At what point did I ever say I was going to turn you into a goblin?" he asks in a dangerously quiet voice as his eyes narrow.

"Uh, well, um, you didn't actually," she stammers. "But you were going to do that to Toby, so why should it be any different for me?"

"I never said that I was going to turn Toby into a goblin," Jareth returns heatedly. "I simply stated that he would become one of us forever."

"And I was supposed to think that you were going to something wonderful for him?" she demands.

"Maybe, and maybe not, you'll never know," he growls.

"Where is Hellboy?" Abe interrupts.

While his abilities to shield himself from regular emotions are normally adequate, he fears that their emotions will overwhelm him. The passion is so intense he can almost feel it and for some strange reason the run from the throne room has left a bit more tired than it should have. By interrupting, he hopes to calm them down enough to avoid a rampaging headache.

"He's in the Labyrinth trying to solve it now," Jareth answers, glowering at the blue being before him.

"I guess I should have left you behind," Sarah sulks. "At least you have a chance of being free."

"Be that as it may, my dear, I would appreciate you not doing that again or I will be forced to take certain measures," Jareth threatens as he forms a crystal in his hand.

"Such as what?" she asks.

She's standing tall and staring Jareth in the eye, but Abe can practically taste her fear. He knows the king can too. Jareth throws the crystal to the ground in front of them, Sarah automatically flinches and Abe instinctively tries to protect her with his body. A moment later the three of them are standing back in the throne room. Goblins can be heard down the hall as they try to figure out where the other three went.

"Such as locking you in the dungeon," he finally answers angrily as he reclaims his throne throwing a leg over the arm.

Abe steps away from the woman. Her emotions wage war within her. Fear, rage, hopelessness, and depression each take turns in turning her into an emotional wreck as she glares at the lounging king. Those emotions are not doing much for Abe either, so he tries another diversion.

"Maybe I should help you with the scratches on your back now," he suggests.

"Sure, why not," she says listlessly, despair setting in. "It's not like I'm going anywhere."

They walk back over to the table with the supplies. Abe takes his gloves off and then picks up the bottle of disinfectant and a small clean cloth.

"Would you please lift your shirt to about there?" he asks as he places the side of his hand on her back just below her bra strap.

Pulling her ruined t-shirt out of her jeans, Sarah complies and stands there quietly as Abe tends to her wounds, her head hanging down in defeat. Jareth is watching them and Abe sense the king's emotions.

"Why are you jealous?" Abe asks glancing back at the monarch.

"Who said I'm jealous?" Jareth sneers as he taps his riding crop on his boot.

"No one," Abe answers as he turns back to Sarah. "But you are."

Jareth sits there seething at the merman, not sure what to make of this strange being that is touching his Sarah. He would like nothing more than to be rid of this blue intruder that is touching what is rightfully his. Then he realizes that she won't be his for much longer if Hellboy succeeds.

How long did he watch and wait? He watched as sister and brother started to drift apart thanks to the parents. How they fawned over the younger one, giving in to any demand until he became a spoiled brat all thanks to them. How she had moved over three hundred miles away to be free of them only to have them follow her and dump her brother on her time and again. He watched as her relationship with her family disintegrated little by little.

He waited for the right moment. And it came a few short hours ago when Toby was looking for a way to get revenge on his sister. Jareth whispered in the boy's ear what to look for and where to find it. He whispered the right words for the boy to say, and then he waited a just a little longer.

When the summons came, he and the goblins were more than ready. He went to the apartment and met the now ten year old boy who didn't remember him. He told the child that he could try and get his sister back. He had to, it is the law. However, he also gave the spoiled brat a preview of what he would be facing if he did. Naturally, the little whelp wasn't too inclined to get his little hands dirty, at least not for something as unimportant as his big sister who never lets him have any fun.

So Jareth left him with a half dozen goblins that he was required to leave, and went to enjoy his new toy. The revenge he had planned would be sweet and he had wanted to savor every minute of it.

But all of that changed when Hellboy wished away Abe and then decided to run the Labyrinth taking Toby with him along with that woman. He wasn't sure why he agreed to let her come along, maybe because she reminds him of Sarah. Maybe it was because she threatened to wish away the other man in the apartment. It's crowded enough in here, he really didn't want another person to deal with. Then there is the matter of Sarah's old friends joining the little party. Jareth decides he will just have to deal with them later.

With a sigh, his thoughts turn back to his current problem. Hellboy is running the Labyrinth and he has Toby with him. On the up side, if Hellboy wins, he gets to take Abe home. On the down side, if Hellboy wins, it means Toby wins and that would mean that he will lose his only chance to keep Sarah here. And then there's the problem if Hellboy doesn't make it through in time. Then the Labyrinth gets a new blue citizen that the king has no idea what to do with. Jareth sits on his throne trying to figure a way to separate the hybrid and the child.

"Why is Toby with Hellboy?" Abe quietly asks, derailing the king's train of thought.

Jareth looks at the blue enigma. He's finished tending Sarah's wounds and they are both now sitting on the floor leaning against the wall. Sarah is sitting with legs are splayed out in front of her, her head down, her hair creating a curtain around her face and playing with the hem of her shirt. Apparently, she didn't hear Abe's question. Abe is sitting next to her with his feet on top of his knees.

"What makes you think that Toby is with Hellboy?" Jareth counters trying not to show how unnerved Abe's question has made him.

"Because that's what you're thinking about," Abe answers.

"And how would you know what I'm thinking about?" the king queries with another sneer.

"I'm telepathic," is the totally unexpected answer.

This revelation leaves the king totally speechless for some time. They stare at each other for a while. Finally, Jareth stands and disappears in a cloud of glitter.

"Oh, dear," Abe mumbles as a wave of dizziness passes over him.

Sarah looks at Abe with red rimmed eyes. He knew she had been silently crying but had not brought it to the king's attention. He did not want to give the monarch an even bigger edge over the distraught woman.

"What's the matter," she asks with a sniff.

"I'm afraid that Jareth has gone to cause problems with Hellboy," he answers.

"So?" she shrugs, looking back down at her lap. And then continues bitterly, "That's what he's supposed to do."

"Except that he has Toby with him and I believe it is Jareth's intention to split them apart," he responds.

"Toby's here in the Underground?" she asks as her head snaps up, hope returning to her eyes.

"Yes, but I believe it was by force," Abe replies.

"But Jareth said he couldn't force Toby to run the Labyrinth," she states in confusion.

"I believe Hellboy brought him," Abe explains. "Hellboy is about as subtle as an avalanche, so chances are he's dragging your brother through the Labyrinth, probably kicking and screaming."

"I don't care if hog ties him and sticks an apple in his mouth," she exclaims excitedly, "as long as he makes it here within the next seven hours or so."

In her excitement, Sarah throws her arms around Abe's neck and hugs him. At least she tries to. Finally backing off, she takes a critical look at his attire.

"What's that thing around your neck?" she eventually asks.

"It's my respirator," he answers fighting off another round of dizziness.

"Ok, next question," she says as she looks at her hands. "Why is your back all wet?"

Reaching a graceful hand behind him, Abe touches his back and comes back with water on his glove. He swiftly removes his gloves and carefully probes around the respirator until he finds what he had hoped wasn't there.

With great care, he spends the next several minutes removing his respirator, exposing his gills to the air. He examines the hard outer casing and finally finds the problem. A crack that was created when he was dumped into the pit by the goblins is letting the water slowly leak out of the respirator. Upon closer examination, it's obvious that the damage is irreparable. He looks up at Sarah who's watching his neck in fascination.

"Are those gills?" she inquires, pointing at the side of his neck.

"Yes," he responds quietly.

"What's the matter?" she asks, noting the change in his voice.

"My respirator is broken and without, I will eventually die."


Author's note: Love it? Hate it? Please review it.