A/N- The regular disclaimer.

...words are binding...

"You hate me Sarah?" Harsh whispered words. Dangerous words. Words heated with anger that coursed through his veins, tempered by the press of their bodies, a heat of another type entirely. "You hate me?"

Sarah had been expecting Jareth to retaliate, but not like this. The anger in which he seized her, paralyzed her, holding her immobile as he spun her around. It was almost violent, the first uncontrolled actions she had ever seen from him, pressing her against him with a bruising force. Feral, untamed passion that turned his voice rough, infused with an intensity that made any lingering anger flee in the face of such emotion. "Answer me!" A demand. He squeezed her, one hand pressing her arm against her side, the other still holding her wrist in the air, a cruel parody of the dance they had shared. She opened her mouth, and closed it, the yes caught in her throat. She wanted to scream it, yes, she hated him, yes, yes, yes! But she couldn't. "The truth Sarah, tell me the truth." His voice was softer now, recovering the liquid feel, the smooth notes that flowed over her, engulfing her. Surrounding her even as his scent enveloped her, embracing her completely, binding her in his arms. His eyes capturing her with their fire, leaving her helpless, vulnerable to him, unable to resist the control he sought, the power he needed, letting him rule her.

"No…" She couldn't look at those eyes anymore, they would swallow her, consume her with their hunger, and she dropped her gaze. She felt his grasp relax slightly, loosening his grip upon her wrist, the crush of their bodies easing. "No… I don't." His arms felt gentle again, protective, as if he once again held something precious, something fragile, something that would break if he let go. He released her wrist but his other hand had curled around her waist, keeping her there. Slowly Jareth brought his free hand up to her face, tenderly lifting her chin so her eyes would look up once more, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face. She felt limp in his arms, pliable, as if all her body would ever wish to do was cling to him and never let go. Safe. His face was indecipherable now, the starving look had gone, but a different expression was written across his features. One Sarah could not understand, not because it was cold or empty, but because there was too much, the emotion that was there was too raw, too painful for Sarah to comprehend. Slowly his face bent down, she could feel his breath, almost taste him he was so close. Too close. With a muffled cry Sarah threw herself backwards, stumbling away from him. Safe? No, that was the last place she was safe- in the arms of the Goblin King.

"Jareth- I- I can't- Just let me go, please. Send me home, send me back to my room. Send me back to my family-"

"What family Sarah? A family that wished you to the Goblins? Face it Sarah, you have no family, they sold you, they gave you away." His voice was harsh, but was devoid of anger, the cruelty of truth with no adornment.

"But that's- that's not true! I have Toby, and I have my father-"

"Sarah! Be honest with yourself, Toby… barely a year old now and he still cries when you hold him… He'll forget about you, I would be surprised if he still remembered you now. And your father Sarah. Has he actually looked at you within the past year? When is the last time he sat you down and told you he loved you? Looked you in the eye? Can you tell me that Sarah? Or could it be you don't remember?"

"Stop it! Stop it Jareth!"

"You don't do you? You can't really call it home, not since your mother died. You haven't really been able to call it home for a long time. Not since your father remarried, and there you were, like an extra wheel, never really part of the family, never quite accepted-"

"Stop it!"

"Given away…" His voice was relentless, tearing at her from the inside out. Gathering strength as he went, getting louder, the words drove themselves through her, echoing painfully because she could not deny, faced with his cruel voice, she could not deny the truth. And to her dismay she found that the tears were running down her face, silent trails of unspoken sorrow, sorrow she had never admitted to anyone. Not even herself. "But Sarah… Look at me…" Soft now, sympathetic. Kind words, persuasive, caring… loving. A caress of words that poured over the scars he had just reopened like clean water, trying to purify her soul. "Look at me Sarah." Finally she did, unwilling to let him see the glistening patterns that ran down her face, but unable to resist the comfort that was promised in his voice. He walked over to her as he spoke, his footsteps as soft as his tone, gentle on the plush carpet, gentle on Sarah's ears. "I am here now Sarah. The only home you could ever want, the only home you will ever need, I can provide it." His hand was light on her shoulder, sending a numbing chill through her body. "I can be everything for you Sarah, I will be your world."

He was holding her again, holding her as he had just minutes before. But it was different now, now every nerve in her was humming, aware of him to the absolute, buzzing with him. Because now, the security was gone, she was aware, oh-so-very aware of whose arms held her. Of whose voice was tantalizing her ears, whose scent was surrounding her until she could smell nothing else, whose heart she felt thudding next to her own. This time she was very aware of the danger he held to her, aware of the Goblin King. But it was this time, as he leaned in, hovering so close to her face, that she did not pull away, her eyes caught in his, as a cobra hypnotizes a bird. Held for a moment of breathless anticipation, trapped in his gaze, and then his lips were upon hers.

Demanding and possessive, gentle and sweet. It was aggressive yet compassionate, as if he was aware of every nerve in her body as well as his own, that he knew she had never kissed another. Mingled need and restraint, the control he craved so much, a paradox in creation. And Sarah was lost in the kiss. It was true, she had never truly been kissed before, never felt the hunger in another, never yielded herself to anyone. But now she did, for a moment his words were utterly absolutely true, he was her world.

And then the kiss broke, and all that was left was his sharp intake of breath, and her own, half-panicked gasps of air. What have I done?

"I can be everything Sarah…"

She looked up at him, his eyes as vulnerable as her own, and she was terrified. This was the offer she hadn't wanted to understand, didn't want to understand. She was too young, she wasn't ready, she had no business being here, playing with fire. He had no business keeping her, burning her. "No Jareth- No-" She was pushing backwards again. Pull yourself together Sarah! He wants you panicked, he wants you off-guard, pull yourself together! Out of his grasp she straightened, she hated being vulnerable, hated being played, and that is what he had just done. He had played her, and she had followed along, he was the perfect puppet-master, and she had been his marionette. So what if his eyes were as pained as hers? It was all an act. Everything was. She wouldn't be played, rather let him be hurt then her. He had taken her, cut her open and then taken advantage of the pain. "You… you tricked me- How dare you, you tricked me into kissing you, you took advantage of me!" There, righteous anger to suppress the memory of the kiss. Lock away the moment, it meant nothing, think only of your anger, don't let yourself be hurt. It's safer.

...words are binding...

Jareth would never understand her. How one minute she could be so helpless, so pliable in his arms and the next minute she could be accusing him of manipulation. Although he might agree that he was not entirely innocent when it came to that charge. He just preferred to call it seduction. Still, he could not understand how she could do this to him. He was the Goblin King, cool, self-assured, mocking, and yet, when she walked into his life he seemed to start fraying at the edges. All of the self-control, the discipline he had so carefully cultivated was shattered, all of the emotion he had convinced himself that he didn't have was suddenly ruling his actions. But that kiss… For one moment he had lost himself, lost himself to her, in her. He had let himself be vulnerable. And now here she was, accusing him of manipulation? For a moment he could not speak.

"You know what- That's it. I'm leaving, I don't care what it takes, Goblin King, but you're sending me home. And yes, it is my home. Not you, not your bloody Labyrinth, home. I have had enough of this, enough of you, enough of whatever the hell you want between us- I'm leaving-"

Even if you asked him a hundred centuries later, Jareth would still be unable to tell you where the words came from, on what impulse he had been acting. Why he would open himself up further to Sarah's retaliation, maybe it was because he saw him losing her again, and he couldn't bear that. But whatever the cause, the words came unbidden, hanging in the sudden silence like a crystal about to shatter upon the floor. "Marry me, Sarah."

Sarah just stopped, her mouth still slightly open. Marry him? Was he insane? What the hell was he thinking? "Oh, right. Sure, I'll marry you Jareth. I'll marry you and then, on our honeymoon, I'll f-ck you senseless every night for a week. But before that, I'll get down on my knees and polish your bloody boots every f-cking morning-" Why was he smiling? "Jareth? Why… why are you laughing?"

And he was, a bitter laugh, bitter with experience, but also bitter, because in spite of himself, he was pleased with what she had just done. Her family had given her away… but she, she had just sold herself. "Sarah… In the Underground- words are binding."

A/N- Oh, alright, I admit it, that was a mean cliffhanger, I can't excuse myself. I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed once more, it means more then you know, especially now that I have no more backup chapters and must begin to write the story again. I appreciate all the suggestions left, I have tried to improve the story with them, but even more, I appreciate the time taken to pause and review. Such a small ammount of time, but it does make a big difference to the author, of any story I'm sure. So have fun on your wait my duckies... I'll update soon... Review and I'll update sooner.