I'm not really sure why I wrote this chapter the way I did…but I think it turned out alright…I read your reviews…you think Addoyn is Jareth's father, huh? Heehee. .

Chapter 16

Of Heroes and Villains

"Really, Carol," Sarah said leaning against her door, knee bent supporting her weight, "it's no problem, I can just drop you off on my way to school." Ah, Monday mornings. Sarah watched detached as Carol ran around the house, literally running in circles; her tiny daughter struggling to follow. It was hard to imagine Deirdre as a damned curse at this moment. The little girl had the shiniest blue eyes, and the sweetest facial expressions; almost like the curse was not embodied in her. Watching her now, Sarah could almost pretend the girl was normal…almost, for Deirdre was a fully functional five year old girl by most standards, but it was only a month ago that she had been born and consequently a curse had been spread.

A tiny buddle of hair leaped into her arms, and Sarah, caught off guard, allowed it to hug her, "Hi, Sarah!" the girl said with a soft, baby voice. Sarah swallowed and pat down Deirdre's long, black locks, not really trusting the child, but willingly allowing herself to believe that Deirdre was more than a curse, that somewhere in there was a real little girl named Deirdre. "Hey, kiddo, ready to go?" Sarah asked motioning to Carol.

Carol stopped her frantic searches for nothing and brushed her hair from her face. "Ok, Sarah, if you're offering to take us, I'll take the ride, cuz I sure don't want to be out in the storm." Sarah nodded in agreement. At least it had stopped snowing late last night. The sky was still stormy, but no new snow had fallen, and as such her summer class was still on.

The ride to the doctor's office was uneventful, and Sarah drove away watching Carol and Deirdre waving to her in her rearview mirror. She was thankful for school; though she was usually hateful of Mondays, school was going to be a welcome distraction from the events surrounding her life. She arrived at the junior high and absentmindedly parked. The kids were loud today and Sarah smiled despite herself. Everyone was so ignorant, none knew their world was being affected by a curse designed to destroy a man from another world, or that said curse was living in her house. She shuddered as she entered her room and flicked on the lights, so much for leaving her worries behind.

She sat behind her desk and dug into her briefcase, pulling out random binders and positioning them in front of her. Her students entered laughing and joking, and they took their seats continuing to do so, but she seemed rather oblivious. It was difficult keeping her mind on track, for all she could think about was the Goblin King and whether or not he was making any leeway on a cure and how she acutely missed his presence. That thought shook her and she looked up in shock. Had she just admitted that she missed Jareth?

The first bell rang and the class settled down, waiting for her to begin the class. Needless to say, they were stunned as she continued looking to the far wall of the room. Several students craned their necks to see what she gazed at, but there was nothing abnormal. So they just sat and waited. The tardy bell rang and they all straightened in the chairs fully expecting class to begin, but again they were rewarded with a blank look from their teacher's face.

"Um…Ms. Williams?" One of the girls asked from the front row. Her voice was enough to snap Sarah out of her daze and she lowered her gaze. All her students were staring at her, some open mouthed. What had she been doing? As she remembered, her face turned a shade of red. "You okay, Ms. Williams?" the same girl asked.

Sarah just nodded. Maybe coming to school wasn't such a bright idea, especially if she couldn't get her mind off a certain man; a certain enemy. An enemy? Why would she refer to him as such…and was he really an enemy? She was so confused. She closed her eyes and tried to block out the world. It worked for a few minutes. The classroom darkened, the faces and voices faded, but small sighs broke through the fog and she reopened her eyes to see the very confused faces of her class. Well, she thought with a little bit of humor, if I can't stop thinking of my fears, maybe I'll just voice them.

She stood gracefully, her long skirt swirling around her ankles briefly before her steps straightened the fabric. "What do you think of heroes and villains?" She was rewarded with more confused looks, but they were paying attention to her at least; it was very difficult teaching a summer reading at writing class.

"What do you mean, Ms. Williams?" A freckle faced boy asked from the middle of the room.

"Exactly what I said," she paused a moment, "What do you think of heroes and villains?" The room was silent, and Sarah thought that for a minute they were not going to discuss with her, which was a shame for she seriously needed to think, even if it was with a bunch of thirteen year olds. She began to return to her desk, dejected, when a girl's voice rang through the room.

"Well, you can't have one without the other." She said hesitantly.

Sarah eyed the girl curiously.

"Yeah," a boy next to the girl chimed in, "If there were no adversaries, there'd be no reason for a hero." Sarah rewarded the boy with a smile, "That's true," she said softly, "and as such, do heroes and villains always have to hate one another?"

The room was silent again and Sarah berated herself. Why was she forcing her students to participate in such a strange conversation, one that had nothing to do with them at all? She wanted to stop all of a sudden, but a student called out, "No, not necessarily." This answer elated Sarah, "Why not?" she asked.

The girl thought a moment, biting her lips nervously before answering timidly, "Well…well, there's that expression, the enemy of my enemy is my friend…well…doesn't that mean that there have been examples of heroes and villains working together before?" The class voiced their agreement and Sarah laughed softly. She had never seen the class participate so actively…maybe she'd have to ask them strange questions more often. A hand in the back of the room lifted in the air and Sarah had to suppress a shocked expression.

The hand belonged to Vince Harrison. He was very quiet, very reserved, and though his writing showed wisdom beyond his years he was nearly impossible to engage in conversation, and when he did speak it was because she called on him, and then she was lucky if she got a sentence…and yet, here he was with his hand in the air. "Yes, Vince?" she asked effectively quieting the room.

Students turned in their desks to hear what their normally silent colleague had to say. He took it all in stride and allowed a smile to touch his hazel eyes. "The way I see it, Ms. Williams, the terms "villains and heroes" are over-rated." He paused a moment, allowing his vocabulary to translate for the other students. "See, does the villain ever really see himself as the villain? I mean, isn't he just doing what he thinks he needs to do? And the hero, well, though the hero generally sees herself as the hero, is she really?" Sarah winced at his choice of pronouns, but allowed the boy to continue. "The villain and the hero, they are much the same. They work so well together because they both want something in the end, but the villain…the villain never thinks he needs the hero, but he does. The hero would hate to think she needs a villain, but she does, so isn't it all really just a matter of perception?"

Sarah couldn't help her jaw from falling slack. Who was this kid? Another demented demon maybe? No, that wasn't fair, just because a thirteen year old seemed wiser than she didn't mean he wasn't normal. She pursed her lips together and with her hands behind her back she walked to her desk, pausing at the chalkboard a moment. "Ok, well, that was certainly interesting," she said breaking the silence. The class laughed and Sarah turned to face them. "Ok, well, let's see…how to work this into an assignment…" the class moaned and Sarah laughed. "It's a reading and writing class, you guys, you have to do work." She laughed at their dubious expression as she picked the chalk up and began writing instructions on the board. "It's a simple assignment, really," she continued as she wrote, "Just tell me a story. A story about a villain and a hero, from either points of view or from both, just think hard before you begin."

"What is the scene?" A voice asked and Sarah smiled, "You have just wished your brother away, and he was taken by the villain. Now, you must fight the villain for your brother, who, remember, you wished away to begin with." Their faces didn't look too disappointed with her spur of the moment idea, and she smiled to them. "Ok guys, I'll be right back, I have to make a phone call." Mischievous looks spread on their faces and Sarah's expression turned stern, "I'm going to be just outside the door, so don't try anything." the faces fell and Sarah knew she had succeeded.

The chilly air was refreshing, but Sarah still rubbed her arms. "Jareth?" she called tentatively to the air. There was no answer, and Sarah felt a pang in her chest. Disappointment? Sadness? She really couldn't tell. "Jareth, I wish you were here." She tried again, when there was no answer she allowed her brows to furrow. Why wouldn't he appear? She rolled her eyes. Like he really had a reason to appear, she mention to herself allowing her arms to drop to her sides. It wasn't like she was in distress, she just…well, she just wanted to see him. "Come on, Jareth," her voice began to whimper and she hated herself for it, "it'll just be a moment…" again there was no response and Sarah felt moistness on her cheek. She rubbed it away; she wasn't really crying was she? Feeling very stupid she turned to reenter her classroom but stopped as a familiar ripple reached her senses.

She turned expectantly, but froze at the sight. A man certainly stood in front of her. He was tall, standing a good hands span above her. His hair was a soft brown, matching the long robes he wore, but the most shocking feature was his eyes. They were such a vibrant blue she couldn't help but stare, her mouth agape. The most important factor though, was that this man was certainly not Jareth. She eyed him curiously, there was something familiar about the man's air, she wasn't sure if it was the way he stood looking down his nose at her, or the way he leaned to one side, but either way the behaviorisms were familiar. "Um…" she really couldn't find anything to say. All she wanted to know was why this man had shown up instead of Jareth, but even she knew that was rude.

The man's lips turned up in a smirk, "Say what is on your mind, Child, for I haven't all day."

Oh that accent! That clipped, short and over pronounced accent could not be mistaken for anything else other than the Underground dialect. She eyed him again, "Where is Jareth?"

A strange emotion blazed through the man's eyes momentarily before he was able to guard the expression, but Sarah had noticed. She was use to watching eyes for hidden meanings, and that expression terrified her, for it was dread. "What happened?" She asked stepping towards the man.

The smirk turned into a broad smile, "Ah, you are quick, aren't you?" He brought a hand up to his chin and tapped it briefly. "Jareth, well, Jareth is indisposed at this moment."

Indisposed? What kind of response was that? It was irritating as hell that this man spoke in the same cryptic manner as Jareth. She bit her lip. If this man in front of her was anything like the Labyrinth, she was going to have to phrase her questions very carefully. "Who are you?" Oh, that was a great question, she berated herself silently.

The man laughed. "A friend to you, of sorts," was his response. He walked around her, "I am many things, Sarah."

Her eyes widened. "How do you know my name?"

He shrugged, "A hunch," Sarah looked at him disbelievingly and this caused him to laugh again, "Oh, Jareth would not try to respond to just any mortal girl; I assumed it was you he wished to see."

Well, that answered one question. "Why wouldn't you let him come?"

This girl's intelligence was stunning. "He was in no condition to attempt the crossing." He inspected his fingers and allowed his answer to fully set into the mortal's comprehension.

"What happened?" she asked again, stronger this time, and he found he liked this girl. She was very quick indeed. He met her gaze, such fire burned in those emerald eyes; it was easy to see why Jareth was so captivated with her.

"A snow storm," was what he replied. As if only now noticing his surroundings the man began to look around, walking away from her.

She frowned, "A snow storm….is everyone ok?" She wasn't just asking about Jareth anymore, she was concerned for all the creatures in the Labyrinth; her friends: Hoggle, Sir Didymus, Ludo, and the goblins, and even the annoying red furred creatures, she suddenly feared for them all.

"Oh, now why the concern?" was the man's reply, and she stomped her foot, tired of his games.

"Enough!" she said rising her voice more than she had meant to, "This isn't the time for games! How can you be so…so nonchalant when people could be dying?"

He eyed her calmly. He had baited her into reacting; he had wanted to see if she really cared for Jareth's Labyrinth. He was pleased with the outcome and turned on her, causing her to step back in shock. "Would you like to return, Sarah?"

A squeak escaped her lips and she found herself backing away from the man. He just smiled at her, and that unnerved her even more. "Under what terms?" she managed to ask.

Oh, she was a very remarkable girl. Even in moments of such evident danger she could still think. "Merely as a guest," was all he said. She watched him with narrowed eyes a moment longer before responding. "You will take me to Jareth." It wasn't really a question, and he was taken off guard by her commanding presence. He found it difficult to not grant whatever she wished for, but he pushed down the feeling and just nodded, not sure if his voice would betray his thoughts. As if thinking this over, she turned away from him. A few moments passed and she met his gaze. "Alright, Sir," she said for lack of better title and she certainly felt this man deserved a title of some sort, "I wish to see the Goblin King, but not now!" she said as he raised his hands. He paused in confusion and she continued. "I have a class in there…I've been gone too long as it is. I wish for you to bring me to the Goblin King later tonight." He was amused with her phrasing, for he was not bound by the same rules as Jareth, but he would honor the request, after all, he was filing in for the king in a strange sort of way.

"Very well, Sarah," he replied with a small nod of his head. His form began to fade, a grin in his eyes and on his lips, "until later," his soft, whispery voice circled around her, tickling her neck, but also raising the hair on her arms. She wasn't really sure if she trusted this man, in fact, she was pretty sure she didn't trust him, but at the same time there was something compelling about him. Something in his mannerism wasn't threatening, merely teasing. She wanted so many more answers, but instead, all she was left looking at was emptiness and swallowing quickly she nearly ran back into the classroom.

Well, seeing as it's nearly one in the morning (I stayed up late working on this), I think I'll end it here. I'll update soon, don't worry, but I want to know you're opinions, k? They're important to me, and I appreciate them like a parched man appreciates water in a desert.