Author's Note: Wow, the comments begging to continue really surprised me. I have sketchy ideas, so I'll continue till inspiration hits again. Thank you for the encouragement! In all honesty, Mia is what I would probably be like if I ever met Jareth. New character introduction… And more linking to the movie.

Wish?

Since Kay hadn't eaten lunch, I scrambled some eggs for her mixed with cheese and certain seasonings - my specialty. She told me about her newest show, mixing sculpture with her painting, and I asked about her last commission.

"It was an absolutely huge portrait. You know that usually I don't do those, but this rich person wanted me to do a picture of her, but in really abstract colors." Kay laughed. "I couldn't say no to the money, and she gave me free choice, so I took it. Turned out kinda cool, if I do say so myself."

I scrapped the eggs out of the pan and onto a plate. "Where was she going to put it?"

"She wanted it for her new house… some place in the high-class area where people buy those giant houses and are never really home to enjoy them." Kay took the plate from me and dug in without preamble. "So, this goblin king… he wanted you to help him win over another girl?"

"Yes."

"Rather insensitive of him, don't you think?"

I shrugged.

"You ever meet her?"

"Other than the birthday party you mean?" I shook my head, "It was Jess's friend. She went to a different school."

There was a period of silence, save for the scraping of a fork against a plate. Kay finished the last of the eggs in record time and sighed. "Man, I was starved!" She looked around the apartment. "Girl, you need some color in here. It's bleak."

"I'm at work most of the time. Doesn't bother me."

"I could send you some of my fun stuff – the ones that no one would be interested in buying."

"Oh that's nice." I smiled crookedly.

"You know what I mean. But anyway, it seems to me like this goblin-man is full of crap."

I blinked. "What?"

"Well, the dude clearly has issues with women, do you want to help him win over Sarah? Is he even worth her time? You don't know. You don't owe him anything."

"Kay, I haven't dreamed till he said he gave them back to me. He had a crystal and he somehow gave me the ability to dream again."

"Well, I don't think he has anything on you. They were your dreams in the first place."

"But I gave him authority because I wished Min away."

"You didn't know it was true – heck, it might still not be true."

"You want to test that?" Usually I wasn't this impulsive, but the irritation that had been building with Kay's logical argument made me want to prove to her what I had been going through. But I wasn't foolish. This was going to require some very careful working. Taking a deep breath, I announced, "I wish to see the goblin king."

Of course he didn't appear in front of me, it was his nature to twist the rules. He spoke from behind me. "That was a very dangerous and careless thing to do, Mia."

I turned and put my hands on my hips. "I want to know what you really want."

"Mia? Is he here?"

I looked at Kay, who was staring at me, and then the corner where Jareth leaned against the wall. But she wasn't looking at him more than looking through him and I realized what he had done. Stomping my foot, I growled, "Jareth, let her see you."

"Why? You are the one who wished to see me, not her."

"You know what I meant."

"Do I?"

Kay, fortunately picked up on my conversation and announced herself, "I wish to see the goblin king." She took a step back and stared. "Wow, Mia, you might be right. I could pass up Bryan for a bit."

Jareth gave her a self-confident smirk. "Ah, the sarcastic one – I am surprised, actually, that you are so skeptical. You are an artist, and thus more imaginative, so why is it so difficult for you to accept your friend's word?"

Kay was still looking him over as she answered, "Because I needed evidence to back up my theories."

He had chosen to wear a chocolate colored leather jacket with pieces of thick leather formed like armor over his shoulders. The double-breasted front was low enough to show midnight blue lace and pale skin. Gray leggings showed off lean, muscular legs, and… well I deliberately diverted my eyes back up to his face. He did it on purpose.

"Why did you call me?" He tapped a black riding whip against my shelves. "I hope you mean to thank me for cleaning your little cubbyhole of a home."

I ignored his insult and opened my mouth to ask him about Sarah. He raised gloved hand to cut me off while looking at Kay. "Ah, you were also there that night. I remember you wouldn't obey my spell to keep you asleep. You followed your friend in your dreams. Another dangerous trick – if you had become lost, you would have never woken up."

Kay's eyes widened. "You… you were that white owl. You were trying to save Mia."

"And for that, she owes me her assistance."

She stared at Jareth and I couldn't read her face. He turned to me and gave me a mock bow. "Ah, my Mia, did you forget? I do not act without expecting something in exchange."

"But how could you know that you'd need her help?" Kay snapped. "I don't think you can see the future, goblin or not."

He smirked. "No, I cannot, but I know that favors come in very handily. And it just so happens that I need one from an Upper-worlder."

I finally broke my silence. "You want me to tell you how to win over another human woman, but it's more than just words and actions. You have to be able to give up a part of yourself, to trust and be trusted in return."

His eyes narrowed.

My mind began to roll and the pieces came together. "I told you before, to be honest. And I told you that love was built on trust. Add to that list, respect, patience, and selflessness."

He waved the riding whip lazily. "Is that all?"

His casual acceptance of the elements that completely contradicted his present nature caught me off guard. Frowning, I answered, "I think so."

"Good, because you are coming with me."

"What!" Kay and I exclaimed in unison.

With a snap of his whip against the wall, the entire apartment blacked out. I felt something press in all around me, a warm, damp aura. Panicked, I reached out into the darkness and cautiously called out, "Kay? Can you hear me?"

"Yeah, I'm here." She let out a string of curses. "I guess he's the real thing."

I tried to move towards her voice. "Keep talking, I can't see a thing."

"Okay, um… I once had a dog named Lucky. My mom is convinced I'm going to kill myself with paint fumes. I just tell her I like the high. Bryan is going to be back next week from his road trip to see his parents. And something really gross just touched my arm."

"What kind of gross."

"Wet and warm, like… like a tongue and it's… licking me! Ew!"

Before I could respond, I felt the same warm wetness touch my ankle. Jerking away, I tripped and fell backward into something fleshy. I had the wild impression of being inside a giant mouth. Please don't tell me that I just tripped over teeth!

There were some muffled noises nearby, and I froze. With a loud grumbling, a seam of white light appeared to my right. I could see Kay just opposite me, and the thing that had been touching us. Two long, thick tentacles were curling along the floor of whatever cavern we had been put in. The sight of them made my entire skin crawl on its own. Kay and I traded one look before diving for the opening.

We landed ungracefully on grass. We were in front of a rather quaint house, with a nice porch, pale blue boarding, and Victorian-style detailing. The rumbling behind us drew our gaze down to a giant stone head emerging from the ground. We had been in the mouth of a massive creature that seemed to swim through the soil. The grass rippled around it. There were no facial features except for two black eyes that did not blink, and the seam that served as its lips. With one final grumble, the thing sank under the yard and vanished.

Kay whimpered, "I need a shower."

I voiced my second concern. "Where are we?"

The door to the house opened and a woman came out on the porch. Her long, dark hair fell over her shoulders and even from my angle on the ground I could see that her eyes were a piercing green. Wiping her hands on the hips of her jeans, she asked, "Can I help you two?"

"Um," I scrambled to my feet. "I don't know. We were kinda dropped off here by a guy named Jareth."

She went completely white. "Jareth?"

Kay huffed. "Yeah, weird guy, says he's the goblin king."

She continued to stare at us. I couldn't blame her. Trying to smile, I introduced us, "My name is Mia and this is my friend Kay. We managed to get pulled into something with this guy."

She finally managed a smile in return. "I'm Sarah."

Author's Note: Thank's Midnight Lady – you sparked an idea! However, I love to throw in twists that no one expects, so I plan to have some big ups and downs coming. Jessica Arbuckle – you are rather amusing :) but I named this story Third Wheel for a reason. But I may change my mind later, you never know. Nugrey, I really enjoy your reviews. You explain the elements you like, and I find that very valuable. And thank you Moonjava.