Jareth knocked on the door of the little house at nine o' clock in the morning the next day. Jeanie answered the door, dressed but yawning.

"Jareth, what are you doing here?"

"Is Sarah home?" Jareth asked nervously.

"No, Hon, she's on an errand."

"Good. Can we talk?"

Jeanie sat Jareth down in the kitchen, made him a cup of decaf (because Lord knows Jareth, of all beings, does not need caffeine), and asked him what was wrong.

Jareth told her of his quandary. He loved her, and even though he had no idea how it happened, he had spent the last two years in utter anguish. But now that he was with her, he loved her even more than he had before (if that were possible) and wanted to feel this way forever.

"But I have no idea where to go from here, Jeanille," Jareth continued. "I can't tell her who I am, she'd never speak to me again. But I don't think I could bear eternity in a human form, without magic, without the Labyrinth…….not to mention lying to Sarah."

Jeanie didn't say anything for a long time. Finally she said, "You have to tell her, Jareth. She's falling in love, I saw that last night. But she's falling in love with Luke, not you."

"But I am Luke."

"Not to her."

Jareth was silent. After a moment, he said, "How do I tell her something like that? 'Hi, Sarah, remember me? I'm the creature that stole your baby brother out of his bed and took him away to my Labyrinth so that you would have to leave everything behind you and suffer a long and grueling journey through an unfamiliar and magically altered plane of existence. Well, anyway, while attempting to overpower and lure you into my clutches as well, I managed to fall in love with you at the same time. Think of that! So, what do you say you join me in ruling over a bunch of dumb goblins in the very plane from which you worked so hard to escape?'"

Jeanie nodded. "Sounds perfect. Did you rehearse that one?"

"This isn't funny."

Jeanie laughed. "On the contrary. It's hysterical."

"Some friend you are."

"Okay, okay. You just have to be straight with her, Jareth. She's not going to be pleased about this and, more than likely, she'll turn you away. You just have to pray that you've made enough of an impression on her that she won't completely hate you forever."

"That sounds so promising."

"It's not."

"I picked up on that. How much time do I have?"

"The sooner you tell her, the better."

The Saturday morning air was coming in fresh and sweet as Sarah drove down her old street and pulled up to her stepmother's house. Tears threatened to pour as she walked up the drive, and she had to pause for a moment to take a deep breath and calm down.

She braced herself as she rang the doorbell, but relaxed slightly when her father answered the door. "Father," Sarah said coldly.

"Sarah," he replied with an expression that was both of excited relief and of apologetic guilt. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see my brother," Sarah said, and after a beat she added, "Is Moira home?"

"No, she's gone shopping," Colin said. "Come in."

"I'd rather not. I was hoping I could take Toby out for the afternoon."

"Your stepmother would be very angry—"

"I honestly couldn't care less. He's still my brother, and the last real family member I have. If you think I'm just going to leave Toby here with her…" Sarah trailed off as she looked into her father's pained face. His eyes were cast down and his whole body sagged with the weight of his forty-six years.

Sarah simply looked at him as an unexpected twinge of pity for her father rose from within her. She did her best not to let it show.

"You never could stand up to her. She took over everything that rightfully belonged to you. The house, the finances, even your children, and you never said a word. You never stood up for us; you never stood up to join your own children in a fight against the person who was invading everything. Toby is still so young; I was on my own. And she won, she beat me, I was forced to leave. But why? Not because I wasn't strong enough, but because my own father wouldn't take up arms against the monster in the closet. Well, fine. You both win. I certainly hope you're happy with yourself."

Colin sighed and couldn't look at his daughter, standing in the doorway like an outsider. "Are you ever coming home?" he asked her.

"Are you ever going to tell Moira to leave?"

Colin bit his lip and remained silent. Sarah shook her head with disdain, "I didn't think so."

It was at this point that Toby came racing down the stairs, through his father's legs, across the threshold and into Sarah's arms. "Hey, Gobs," she said and hugged him.

Sarah looked at Colin. "I'll have him home by dinner," she said and turned her back on the weak little man on the threshold.

"Sarah," he said and she turned once again to face him. He began to say something, but stopped himself. Instead, all he could manage was, "I'm sorry."

Sarah nodded and turned her back on the man who'd done the same to his kids so many years ago.