AN: Thanks to Greenchimes for having me plus this chapter; a lot of things would have been missing if it weren't for her guidance to make me think of how to bring more to this chapter. This chapter is probably the most fun I have had in writing anything. I hope their relationship felt like a natural progression and that their reactions were in character. This chapter is full of Fluffy moments. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment! (Updated 1/24/21 with an additional Lemon.)


Chapter 2: From Friends to More

If someone had never been given the opportunity to live through experiences that others take for granted-learning how to walk, losing baby teeth, scraping knees and getting back up again, getting acne, navigating through emotions-and if said person had everything he wanted and everything done his own way, how would others expect him to react when he was denied his will? When he was defeated? Especially, if he was defeated by someone who had caught his fancy. Would he feel confusion, loss, fury, hurt, possession, hate, revenge? Would the concepts of understanding, mercy, and forgiveness be something he could comprehend? Would he even know what it was that he was feeling?

One sure thing Jareth undeniably felt was relief at finding that the vault and the ballroom were undamaged when his castle was destroyed after the girl defeated his Labyrinth. The maze falling apart was to have been expected; after all, the Labyrinth changed and adapted with the needs of the wisher, creating challenges to teach life lessons along the way. However, certain areas of the Labyrinth's maze did not change; Jareth had thought the castle was one of them. As he was the heart of the Labyrinth and he had tried to give the girl his heart, it shouldn't have surprised him that the castle would crumble as his heart had in his chest at her rejection.

The vault being damaged wasn't so much a concern to Jareth as the contents within held little personal value, but had the ballroom collapsed, two very important parts of his heart would have been harmed. With the ballroom blessedly remaining intact, no harm had come to his parents

The souls of his parents lived in a never-ending masquerade created just for them within the castle walls. For nearly two hundred years they had danced and twirled away in their happy fantasy. They chose to stay within and not face the harsh realities of the real world. During her challenge, Jareth had brought the girl into their ballroom to show her, as his mother believed, that fantasy could be better than reality. Apparently, the girl disagreed. That insolent slip of a girl succeeded in the near impossible: bested his Labyrinth, rejected his advances, and left him there without another thought. Or so he had believed.

The dreams told him otherwise.

It had taken a month of using magic and ordering the goblins around to reconstruct the castle at the center of the Goblin City; the whole time he used the magic of the Labyrinth to work non-stop, never sleeping, never eating to keep his mind off of his defeat. He siphoned his strength off the maze. But when the castle was finished, his task complete, he allowed himself to rest. He had never been one to dream, or at least if he had, he didn't remember them. But he couldn't forget the moments she came to him in his sleep.

The first time he met with the girl in a dream, they had both turned away from each other and gone in opposite directions, completely ignoring one another. The second time, they came face to face and just stared at each other until eventually he turned away and said "Get out." The third time, she finally spoke.

"Why do I keep coming back here?" Sarah asked in exasperation.

"Stop invading my dreams." He scoffed.

"Like I have a choice. You stop invading my dreams. I don't even know how I got here in the first place." She walked around him looking around for a way out. "I defeated you and got Toby back. There is no reason I should dream about returning here."

"Then wake up." He chided, "There is nothing keeping you here."

"Don't you think I would if I knew how!" She huffed, then pointed a finger at him. "What did you do?"

"Me, I have done nothing. It is you that is trespassing in my mind." Jareth growled.

She crossed her hands over her chest, "You're the one with magic. It's probably you pulling me in. Some twisted revenge."

"Why would I want revenge?' His voice became softer, "As I recall, you completed the challenge, learned your lessons. If you won, that means I did my duty well."

"Your duty? I thought it was your duty to make me lose." She said.

He shook his head. "It is the duty of the monarch of the Labyrinth to enact challenges that assist the wisher in learning to appreciate what they have in front of them. Surely you don't think you are the only wisher to win back a child."

"I hadn't thought about it at all." She answered honestly.

"Do you think you would ever desire to wish away your brother again?"

She grinned as she shook her head. "No. I love him. Huh. I guess you did do everything that I asked." The smile faded when she noticed he looked sad. "So, why am I back here? Is there still a lesson to be learned?"

"I don't know." He breathed out, then growled, "This could be the Labyrinth's doing."

"Why?" She asked.

"No idea." He shrugged and turned from her, "But, as we do not know why we are here and neither of us wants to be here, I suggest we do as before and just walk away."

She nodded her head with confidence, "Right."


They tried to stay away from each other, but it was if the Labyrinth itself was in charge, for whatever corners they turned, they would come back face to face. On their thirteenth dream, Sarah showed she was quite frustrated.

"Look, Goblin King, your lands are beautiful and all, but I am getting tired of trying to get away from you only to find you right in my face."

He tilted his head and smirked at how annoyed she was. "Again, it is not I doing this."

"Right, this is all the Labyrinth's doing." She mocked, disbelieving. "I need to rest. All this running around is making me not sleep. I mean, yeah, we're dreaming, but I am so tired when I wake up. It's like my body is feeling everything I do while I'm here."

Jareth nodded, "I have also been ill-rested. We could certainly keep avoiding each other, but might I recommend we compromise? If it is the Labyrinth wanting us to share the same vicinity, perhaps we should attempt to appease it."

"How exactly?"

"Since we do not know its intentions, for a start, I propose we attempt to be civil with one another."

After the third month of almost nightly being thrust together in their dreams, Sarah finally started to soften to him and began asking him questions of his realm. How did magic work? How many creatures did he rule? How many kingdoms were in the Underground? Had he ever ridden a unicorn? And he asked her about her brother and parents, her education, and ambitions in life. He tried to suppress the hope in his heart that she might one day come to think of him not as her villain but as a friend.


Most dreams were mundane in that they were situations that could have been done in the waking world. Sarah even commented that her musing dreams where they didn't meet felt different and that the dreams with him felt very real. In fact, so real that Sarah wanted to try new things.

Jareth found her climbing up the side of the cliff on the edge of the bog one day, using just her bare hands and shod feet. She was wearing very tight-fitting clothes that were bright neon pink and blue and shoes of a kind he had never seen her wear before that had a check mark on the side. She was already twelve feet off the ground and still climbing.

"Sarah, what are you doing?"

"Testing a theory." She said, her voice strained as she lifted herself up to her next position.

"By scaling a cliff?"

"It's called rock climbing. My mom is performing on a cruise ship and let me stay with her for my birthday last week. The ship had a rock climbing wall on the upper deck. It was fun." While she said this, she had raised herself up two more feet.

"And for this you have to wear undergarments?" Jareth asked.

"What? No, you dork. These are workout clothes." She glanced down to see his confused look on his face. "Geez, how to explain. Because working out is strenuous, people have designed clothes that help the body move easier and yet still be covered, like a second skin."

A second skin it was. Jareth was seeing more of her than he ever had. He had to remind himself that Sarah was still a child and forced himself to look at only her head.

"Work out means exercise?" He nearly cried out when she released her hand and hung free by just one arm and one foot as she felt along the edges for a good hold. At least she seemed confident.

"Yeah, you're getting it. Exercise."

"Why are you not wearing gloves? Won't you cut yourself?" He asked when he saw how jagged the edge she was holding was.

"If I did, I would lose my hold. I can't," She pulled herself up to her next position, "feel for what I'm touching if I did. Why do you wear gloves all the time? I've never seen you without them."

"Magic can be unpredictable. It's the way to control when I use it." He answered with reluctance. "And your theory?" He inquired after a moment of just watching her.

She turned slightly to look at him, her head bent down under her outstretched arms, "I figured I should see if what I do here in my dreams really does affect my body in the real world. If I don't get rest while I sleep because of these dreams, I wonder if that means that I am able to tone up?"

"And should you fall? You would risk being injured for a theory?"

"You'd catch me?" She asked without asking.

"You trust me to do so?" He asked humbly.

"Yes."

She never fell, nor did she ever tell him the results of her experiment.


Another memorable dream soon after nearly had him lurching himself awake as her surprise appearance, while he walked through his castle, had caught him off guard.

"Happy Anniversary!"

The words confused him, as did her excitement with which she said them. "I beg your pardon?"

"It's October 14th." His expression said that the date meant nothing to him, so she elaborated, "I ran the Labyrinth one year ago today." Sarah happily smiled.

"Oh." So that was why she was dressed in the glittery gown and their surroundings was the ballroom. He looked down to see himself in the blue frock coat.

Sarah looked taken aback. "Oh? Just 'Oh'?"

To appease her, he bowed formally, but then said, "I don't think it was either of our finest hours. I didn't exactly treat you kindly during your run. And you did, after all, make the wish."

"We've made up for it since then, haven't we?" Sarah asked a bit shyly, "Besides, if I hadn't have made the wish, then we'd have never met."

He grinned, "There is that. Happy Anniversary, Precious."

Precious. Why had he said that? He rationalized to himself that it was because he had come to look forward to seeing her. Their time together was precious to him. It was an escape for him from the duties of his world. Unlike his parents, who had chosen to remain within a fantasy, his obligations in maintaining the Labyrinth and its citizens kept him grounded in what was real. His dreams with Sarah, even if they were sometimes brief, were the only fantasies he could allow himself.


There was never anyone else in their shared dreams, just the two of them. And the setting was always somewhere within the walls of the Labyrinth and never her world. The location seemed to vary based on how one of them was feeling. So far, the location was the only thing they could control.

He knew that in the waking world Sarah still spent time with the subjects she had befriended on the quest for her brother. Her friends were able to be with her whenever she called upon them, which was frequently. She never stepped foot in the Underground, always having her companions meet in her world. Although Jareth could visit the Above, he could only do so in owl form and could not enter her abode. So unless she was outdoors or near enough to a window for him to observe her, he had no idea what she did with her life. The dwarf Hoggle, the rock-caller Ludo, and the canine knight Sir Didymus became his informants on how she was doing in her world.

It irked Jareth that he could never go to her in the waking world because of her victorious words: "You have no power over me." He was sure she became aware of him watching her after a time. When she spotted him, she would stare but she never approached him nor spoke of it in their shared dreams. He racked his brain to come up with some loophole that would allow him to be with her in her world, for she never showed desire to step foot in his.


The dreams continued, but only a few times per week, no longer daily as when they had begun. Being unpredictable sometimes meant they were caught off guard. In one memorable dream, Jareth was sitting on the edge of a fountain in a section of the hedge maze, gazing at the bubbling waters as he tried to relax his mind. He saw Sarah enter the courtyard and when she went to open her mouth, he instantly snapped at her.

"I do not feel like answering your questions, Sarah. Not today."

"What crawled up your butt?" When he looked appalled at her statement she clarified, "It's just an expression, okay. It means 'why are you in such a bad mood'? What happened?"

He inclined his head, slightly. "I apologize. I have no qualm with you. It's been a trying day."

"Want to talk about it?" Sarah asked with more sympathy.

He motioned for her to sit near him before starting, "When you wished away your brother, you did so out of frustration and not because you actually hated him. The man today despised his young one. He couldn't stand to look at him. It made me think of my own father."

"Your own dad hated you?"

He looked into her eyes, "How else did you think I got here?"

"Oh my god, Jareth! I didn't know. I thought you just inherited being king. You were wished away?"

He nodded, "By my father. I was an inconvenience. My mother tried to save me but there were...complications. She reached the center of the Labyrinth but it was a moment too late. The goblins needed a king and they chose me."

"And today?" She prompted, after he was quiet for a moment.

"The child was malformed and unwanted. His transformation into a goblin was difficult."

He didn't expect her to care, but she laced her fingers into his gloved hand and placed her head on his shoulder. She didn't say anything more. She just showed she was there for him. It was her first time touching him since their shared dance in his ballroom illusion over a year prior. It was the first time he had been close enough to notice that her hair smelt of peaches.


"Where are we? Is this the Labyrinth?"

It was the second anniversary of the day she made the wish, and they were in a section of the Labyrinth she had never ventured. They stood on a dock made out of stone blocks, the crystal clear waters of a canal flowed gently below. There were strong tall walls of stone, aqueducts, and remnants of both stone and wooden bridges that criss crossed along the jagged puzzle of the canal.

Sarah noticed that Jareth wasn't wearing anything fancy. Their first anniversary, the dream had honored her desire to present them as they had been in the moment they hadn't been enemies. She had loved how beautiful the gown made her feel and how handsome Jareth was in his frock coat; the one time she had been made to forget that he could be frightening. This meeting, his attire was much more relaxed. He was wearing tight breeches, as always, greenish in color, made of a fabric she was unfamiliar with, and they were tucked into his black boots that ended midcalf. His ivory poet shirt was tied loosely with a leather lace, his pendant gleaming on his exposed chest.

And looking down at herself, she was embarrassed to find she was wearing the medieval dress of her high school's most recent musical, "Once Upon a Mattress." The dress was pink-she hated wearing pink-and sure enough when she reached up her hand, there was a band of petite flowers in her hair. She had the role of Lady Larkin, the lovely knocked-up maiden of the musical, but not the lead. She had wanted the lead role of Winnifred, which was a more fun, unrefined role rather than playing the damsel in distress. But her face was too pretty. Plus, she felt odd that when she sang with her romantic lead, she often caught herself daydreaming of Jareth in his place. It helped that her scene partner liked boys and so never kissed her on the lips. He was a fantastic singer too, and she had felt inadequate in their duets..

"Yes, Sarah. This is still my Labyrinth. You entered through the Western gate near the dunes of the Great Howling Wastes. These canals lead to the Northern gate and the Watlen Sea." Jareth answered.

"Why are we here?" She asked as her eyes took in the new setting.

"It was two years ago today that I granted your wish. I felt it would be fitting to show you something you hadn't experienced while you were here." Jareth answered. "I have chosen the place, and it seems as though you have chosen the attire."

Suddenly a gondola appeared on the edge of the canal. He stepped down into it with one leg, his other foot anchored to the dock to hold the vessel steady. He then lifted his hand up, offering it to Sarah. "Shall we?"

"Where did that come from?" Sarah's eyes went wide and she took a step back.

"I thought, and it appeared." Jareth surmised with a shrug.

She closed her eyes as she tried to will a life vest into existence, her brows scrunching as she did so.

"What are you doing?" His voice had a tinkle of a laugh, as her expression was adorable.

"Hoping that when I open my eyes there will be a life vest in the boat." When she opened her eyes, nothing was there. She huffed. "Damn. It's probably because you have magic and I don't."

He chuckled, "Perhaps. Come aboard."

She hesitated a moment, her eyes darting to the water below before easing her hand into his. She quickly stepped in and took a seat. Her knuckles were white from gripping the sides of the vessel tightly.

Seeing how nervous she was, Jareth said softly, "Sarah, we don't have to do this."

She shook her head, "Go ahead. I'll be fine once we get going."

He gave her an unsure glance before grabbing the oar and pushing off.

The thing about gondolas was the gondolier remained standing while passengers could move about freely, either sitting or standing. From the look of her, Jareth was sure Sarah wanted to lie on the floor and become one with the boat; she was virtually attached to it with her grasp.

He shook his head, "I'll turn back."

Sarah let go enough to turn and face him, reattaching her hands once settled, "I know I was on a huge ship for my birthday, but it felt more controlled, a floating city where you could barely feel the waves. This is much closer to the water. I don't want to drown."

"This is a dream, Sarah." Jareth reminded her.

"My theory," she interjected quickly. At his quizzical look, she continued, "I think what happens here does affect me on the other side."

Jareth frowned as he glided the oars through the water. He hadn't considered that the dreams could affect them in the waking world.

"Why are these bridges burned?" Sarah asked after they passed the third chard overpass.

"During my mother's run, my predecessor decided it would be a cruel trap to take away any means of her escape. He was quite intent on causing her demise."

"You mean, he wanted her to die? I thought you said the kings were to help the wishers learn lessons, not kill them." Sarah stated with alarm.

"Thus why the goblins wanted a new king and got me." He smirked.

"And when you sent the Cleaners after me?" Sarah reminded him pointedly.

"I wouldn't have let any harm come to you, Precious." He said gently.

Sarah eventually overcame her fear of falling overboard and moved to the side to glide her fingers through the cool waters as she took in their surroundings. She appreciated being guided safely through the twists and turns of this water maze. Had she had to navigate it during her run, she was sure she would have lost. As it was, Jareth knew the way very well and guided them back to where they started.

"Thank you for helping me overcome my fear of water." Sarah said once they were on solid ground.

"Fear?" Jareth didn't understand how one could fear water.

"When I was nine, I almost died at my cousin's lakeside party. My foot got caught by a branch under the water. I had actually stopped breathing. I woke up in the hospital not knowing how I got there. I remember not being able to break free, unable to breathe, and how I panicked." She backed away from him, holding her arms around herself against the memory.

Jareth pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her, "Oh, Precious. Had I known, I would have never chosen this."

Sarah shook her head against his shoulder, saying softly, "It's okay. You were trying to be nice. Happy Anniversary."


Another indelible dream wasn't remarkable due to any pleasantries but for quite the opposite. Jareth felt her, but couldn't find Sarah at first. He knew she had to be there. Their dreams together had a different feel than banal night musings. He felt her soul pulling him forward until he found her curled up on the ground, crying in a pitch black oubliette. She wouldn't move, wouldn't acknowledge his presence as she continued to sob. He picked her up in his arms and, this being a dream, carried her into a place of beauty and light with a mere thought. It was a garden, not even one in the Labyrinth, simply something he created with his imagination because he thought Sarah needed it.

Often in the dreams she would be wearing what she went to sleep in, which this time was an oversize t-shirt and panties. He could feel the warmth of her bare skin through his gloves as he cradled her by the knees. His fingers barely brushed the sides of her breasts as his other hand grasped her torso. He sat on a bench beside a pond covered with lilies and cradled her on his lap. He did his best to remove his arm from beneath her thighs, placing his hand to tightly grip the edge of the bench as he moved his other hand closer to her hip. He then stayed very still. She curled into him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He couldn't help pressing his lips into the top of her head, savoring her sweet peach scent.

"Precious, what's the matter?"

"My mom forgot my sweet sixteen." Sarah sniffled.

It was more terminology he was unfamiliar with. Over the year and a half of sharing dreams, he had no problem letting her know when he didn't understand something and vice versa. "What is a 'sweet sixteen?"

"You forgot too?" She cried even harder and turned her face from him.

"Sarah." Just the tone in using her name spoke volumes to her. She was being unreasonable.

After a moment her shoulders slumped as she angled back towards him, "I turned sixteen today."

He took her hand and squeezed it. "Many happy returns. Is sixteen a special age for humans...your culture?" He corrected himself for many dreams ago she had been offended at him stereotyping the human race, especially since he was also human.

She nodded, "It's a right of passage. I can get a job, drive a car, my curfew is after 10pm, I'm two years closer to being an adult. It's like I won't be seen as a kid any more."

He swallowed a knot in his throat. He'd been waiting for her to not be a child for some time. "I hope you don't hold it against me that the day of your birth is something I've never known."

She sniffled, "No, of course not. But she did know. She gave birth to me. She took me on a cruise last year. And all I wanted this year was for her to come to my party. I told her about the party weeks ago. Just last week over the phone I mentioned it. Even Hoggle, Didymus, and Ludo sang to me this morning. But my mom, nothing. No present. Not even a phone call."

"I obviously have nothing I can give you, except this." He gently lifted her chin and looked into her eyes a moment before he pressed his lips against hers, then pulled back. Her eyes were glistening. "Happy Birthday, Precious."


They didn't share a dream for three months after that. He chastised himself for kissing her, thinking he'd gone too far and scared her off forever.

In the times between dreams, especially when it was uncertain if or when another would occur, Jareth would venture above in his owl form to observe her. This time of year was particularly difficult to visit the Above because it was cold, snow lay on the ground, and the winds could be temperamental. Because of this, Sarah was inside much of the time. But he often chanced it to see how she fared.

A day came where the winds were gone, the sun shining, but the air was still so cold the snow would not melt. This was a perfect day for him to observe her where he could be closer, perched in a tree as she and her brother formed a fort out of the cold substance. Many times she had waved to him when she noticed him before in previous visits Above, but if she had seen him this time, she didn't acknowledge it.

Toby was now three years old and a handful as ever, but Sarah only smiled when he was in her care. Sarah was teaching her brother how to make snowballs and when she drew back her arm to show the boy how to throw the frigid handmade stone, she purposefully made the owl her target. Jareth had no idea that such light and delicate things as snowflakes could feel like a solid rock when packed and molded. It hit him square on the wing and his body went plummeting to the ground.

Jareth wished he could transform into the body of his birth, as hands and arms would be much more maneuverable in uprighting himself in the unmoving snow. As it was, he felt he was flapping around aimlessly getting nowhere. Another ball hit him, this one not as solidly so it must have been from the child as Toby gave a triumphant woot. He turned to find Sarah raising her arm to strike again and started flapping his wings, clumsily finding the momentum to soar away. He glanced down to find Sarah laughing as he flew away.


He was cautious in their next dreaming when he met her in the Firey Forest on a non-particular day. He wasn't sure if her attacking him with snow was some sort of retaliation for the events of their previous dream. He had practiced in his head many times what he would say to her, but what actually came out was much less dignified.

"Don't despise me for kissing you."

Sarah laughed, "You are such a dork. I don't hate you. Your kiss was a gift. It's actually kind of expected on a girl's 16th that she gets a kiss from someone. It was my first kiss. I am glad it was from you." She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his torso. "I've missed you. Why did we stop dreaming?"

He allowed his nose to run along the top of her head, which again smelled of peaches, "I'm not sure, Precious."

She pulled back and took his arm, making him walk with her, "So, what'd I miss? Any kids wished away lately?"

He nodded, "Two wishes, one of whom was reclaimed. And three humans who wandered in. Two of whom remained."

"Wandered in? They can do that?"

"The Labyrinth is where the unwanted go. Some people don't want the lives they are given and in despair see nothing to keep them in the Above, so they sometimes wander and the Labyrinth allows them in. I think it intends to show them kindness by doing so. Letting them become goblins is a much simpler, carefree life."

Sarah physically shivered, "And I take it you make sure they want to stay or decide to return Above."

He nodded, "As you know, everyone should be given a second chance."


The span between dreams was becoming longer, sometimes weeks between their meetings. He hoped it wasn't because she was losing belief in magic or faith in him as she matured. In fear that one day he may never see her again, he made the most of their nocturnal visits. Yet he never allowed himself to hope for her affections. He was resolved that if all he could have of her was friendship, that would have to be enough.

Then one day, she asked him to kiss her.

In the dream, he had found her wandering the quiet forest on the outskirts of the Goblin City. She seemed to be musing to herself and was startled when she noticed him, lounging against a tree as he observed her.

She came close to him, just out of reach, but her voice was soft and she would not focus her glance on him. "Hi."

"Why so melancholy today, Precious?" He pushed himself off the tree to get closer to her. When she wouldn't look him in the eye, he used a gloved hand to raise her chin. "Well?"

"I have to kiss a boy." She still wouldn't look him in the eye.

His heart sank. He knew this would happen some day. He couldn't expect to keep her attention when she had her real life elsewhere. "And kissing makes you sad?"

She pulled herself away from his hold and kicked a twig off the ground, "I got a part in the school play. I'm supposed to kiss my co-star in a few scenes. We practiced today."

"And by practiced you mean…"

"Lots of kissing. And it felt so weird. I don't even like the guy. He was all spit and hands and gropy. The director said to act like we like each other, that I was too stiff. And...I thought it would be so much easier if I practiced with someone I cared about." She glanced sideways at him, hoping he would understand what she was asking without her having to say the words.

"Well, I know little of kissing as I've never been kissed." He answered casually while adjusting his gloves.

"You're nearly two hundred years old and have never been kissed? Well, I mean I guess we kissed on my birthday, but, that's it? I was your first?"

He chortled, "Sorry to disappoint. The opportunities and female personages have been scarce. So you could say I too am in need of practice." He stepped into her, placing his hands on her waist, "So, what did your director instruct?"

Sarah's mouth gaped a moment before she cleared her throat and her eyes obviously focused on his lips, "He didn't say how. He just said to do it."

With him being a few inches taller than her, she placed her hands on his chest and rose up on her toes to lightly place her lips on his mouth. He didn't move his lips but she felt his fingers tighten at her waist. Their noses collided and when she felt him breathe out, the air brushing her eyelashes and cheeks, she couldn't help but to laugh. She pulled out of his arms and looked into the trees above for guidance.

"Geez. Why is this so hard? I mean, you're you. I've been wanting to kiss you again since my birthday."

"Perhaps the key is to not overthink it." He turned her to face him, "Shall we try again?"


When the kisses started, they seemed to never end. In some of their dreams it was their sole interaction, no words spoken. They learned together how to move and how to breathe, when to dominate and when to submit. She quickly discovered that he liked it when she kissed along his jaw and sucked at his earlobe. He learned that the place that made her moan was the side of her neck; small swipes of his tongue against her skin caused shivers down her spine he could feel. Jareth made sure to never touch her below the waist and to never touch her anywhere she told him he couldn't, which she had done the first time he attempted to knead her breast. It bruised his pride, of course, but he understood she wasn't ready.

He reminded himself she may never let him be fully intimate, that some day a young man from Above would sweep her attentions away and that the dreams would end. She could already have a beau now; he only knew of what she told him during the dreams. She could lie and never tell him if she had a suitor. She had no obligation to him and there was no guarantee the dreams would continue. If the dreams never ended and he discovered she did have a mortal lover, he would try to walk away. He would make it like the dreams in the beginning, where they were merely acquaintances in passing. He had no desire to share her but also no intention to stifle her life.


On the third anniversary of the day they met, Jareth was hoping that he would surprise her, as much as one could during a dream where one couldn't eat nor drink nor conjure presents. Since the only thing that could be controlled was the location of their meeting, he had chosen to show her the view of his kingdom from the highest balcony of his castle as the sun was setting over the Labyrinth. He was always pleased with the shadows cast by the golden hues over the ever-changing maze and wanted to share it with her, remind her of what she had conquered. He was pleased when her response was as he hoped.

"It is so beautiful. And dangerous. I can't believe I survived it three years ago." Sarah breathed out as she leaned back against his chest. He had set her down on the railing of the balcony, her feet dangling to the open air below, while he stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist lest she fall.

"Would that I could share this with you." He whispered.

"Is there any way I can come back without me making a wish? I tried to go through the mirror, since that is how Hoggle, Didymus, and Ludo come to me, but when I touch it, it's just glass."

"If there were a way, I would have already stolen you," He teased.

Sarah grinned and twisted her body around to place her feet back on solid ground. "You don't have to steal what is freely given."

He bent to lift her into his arms and carried her over to a settee his mind conjured, his mouth never leaving hers. She nipped at his lips and gently bit his tongue before sucking it, a new, playful act that made his breath catch. She then pulled her mouth away to look intently into his eyes as her fingers felt down his arm until she reached his wrist. Her gaze was so intense, he had no choice but to keep his eyes on hers. He merely felt confusion with what she was doing with his hand until it finally reached her desired destination. His fingers flexed and gripped the flesh beneath her clothing, feeling the softness and warmth of her breast. As soon as Sarah's head tilted back and her eyes fluttered, his mouth ravaged the skin of her throat as his fingers began to explore. She whispered out a breathy, "Happy Anniversary."


One day, Sarah came into their dream with cautious concern. It had been weeks since their last meeting, and this was the first time finding him in his study, a room lined with books and odd scientific-looking contraptions. He was lax in an armchair, asleep in his sleep. Hoggle and Didymus had told her there had been a battle with another kingdom. Jareth and the Labyrinth had fared well through it, even if they were a bit bruised. Had she known how he made the dreams change to send them to different places, she would have laid him in his bed. He looked so raggedly tired; his complexion was paler than she had ever seen it and faint scratches looked to be healing above his brow. As it was, she rested her hip on the arm of the chair and leaned over to place her lips on his. It was if on instinct that his lips parted for her as he breathed in. She didn't think he was even awake as his mouth began moving against hers. When he finally realized what was happening, he groaned into her and raised a hand, curling his fingers into her hair.

"Sarah." He said her name like a prayer, placing his forehead against hers.

She smiled at him, "Hi. Are you okay?"

He raised his arms to pull her down to sit upon his lap and held her, saying nothing.

Her fingers brushed the metal of the pendant on his chest, "Didymus said there was a mighty battle and you were victorious. Hoggle wasn't so sure. He thinks you got hurt."

"Nothing that won't heal with time." He admitted, then hugged his arms tighter around her torso, "How have you fared? What's new in your life?"

"You missed another birthday." She teased him because he had missed her last birthday as well.

"Hmm, eighteen. You're practically an old maid now." He chuckled.

"And I'm almost free. In two weeks I graduate."

"Free? You were enslaved to something?" He asked with genuine alarm.

"Ugh. I forget you don't understand common phrases. I'm not a slave to anything. Although it kind of felt like forced labor, I'm finishing with my formal education. I'll finally be considered an adult, free to choose if I want to further my education or get a full-time job. My parents want me to go to college and I do like learning things. It's now my decision, not theirs, what I do."

"That is cause for celebration." He yawned before focusing back on her.

She looked at him doubtfully, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Never better." He said before nuzzling his nose against hers.

She raised her fingers to cup his jaw as she latched onto his lips again.


"Jareth! Jareth, where are you?!"

At the panic in Sarah's voice, the Goblin King's legs couldn't move fast enough. He would think that in a dream he'd be able to blink and be at her side, but try as he might he had to manually locate her. He found Sarah wandering the lower tunnels of the Labyrinth, tears streaming down her face. She threw herself into his arms and started sobbing when he reached her.

"Precious, talk to me. Please." He said into her ear as she had tucked her head into the side of his neck.

"I don't want to leave you. It might stop. Hoggle, Didymus, Ludo...they come when I call even when I'm not near the mirror. But the dreams, I only have them when I sleep in my room. I can't take it with me. I have to go away." Her sobs and tears started anew.

"Shush, now. Tell me…"

She took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her face so she could explain why she was in such hysterics, "I'm moving to a dormitory next week, and it will already be furnished. If I don't have my mirror, will the dreams end?"

"I'm not sure, Sarah. We still don't know how this was possible to begin with."

"Then I won't go." She said stubbornly.

He cupped her cheek, saying in all honesty, "Yes, you will. It is the next step to further your life and I will not have you change it for me. If this is to end, I have no regrets."

She pulled him in for a kiss, a kiss they had perfected a thousand times together. She laced her fingers with his, bringing his hand up to cup her breast, whispering against his lips, "Please. If this is to end, that would be my regret, never loving you to the fullest."

Jareth breathed her in, softly feeling the weight of her breast beneath his fingers. He backed her up against the stone wall, moving his mouth to her neck as his fingers massaged her. Her hands started feeling for the edges of his shirt, lifting it from where it was tucked beneath his pants. At the feel of her fingers inching up the smoothness of his bare back, Jareth stepped away and looked at her with unsure eyes. She intensely held his gaze as she began to remove her own clothing, first her dress, then her bra to where she was only wearing her panties. When all he did was stare at her breasts, she moved forward and pulled off each of his gloves, then lifted the edges of his shirt up and over his chest, with which he finished by removing it from his arms and throwing the garment to the ground.

Bare-chested before each other, it was Sarah who moved first, brushing her fingers over the planes of his chest, lightly rubbing her thumbs over his nipples before placing her mouth over one. He closed his eyes as his breath increased, still dazed that this was happening at all. He'd waited so long for her to be ready. When she nipped him with her teeth, he decided it was time to take over and flipped her back against the stone wall, kissing his way from her throat to the swell of her breasts as his hands pushed them closer to his lips. For the first time, she made the setting change, pushing him backwards until his knees hit the edge of his bed.

With one last look for confirmation, Jareth lowered himself to the mattress and pulled Sarah along. He could deny her nothing.

Sarah claimed Jareth's mouth and rolled to lay chest to chest atop him, lacing her fingers into his hair to hold him in place. After a few moments of him moaning in time with the gentle pulls she made against his scalp, she released his head. He made no movement of his own; he was giving this moment to her. She began to explore parts of him she hadn't let herself touch before; the ridges of the sides of his chest, the flatness of his stomach, the tiny row of fine hair from his belly button that trailed beneath his breeches. She felt his breath change when she touched ticklish spots which made her grin wickedly against him.

As she moved further down his torso, she raised herself up onto her knees to look down upon him. He wasn't looking at her but had his eyes closed, feeling everything she was doing. This made her pause and remember; even if he was nearly two centuries old, this was his first time too. And if this would be the only time they had to be this close, to know each other fully, she would make sure it was special for him. She traced the line of his leather pants where it met his skin, fingers trembling slightly in fear, mostly in anticipation at seeing what lay underneath them. She gently tugged on the leather laces that held the front of his breeches together; all the while very aware of the bulge beneath straining for release. She realized her breaths were fast and shallow as she watched her fingers work.

And then, just as she was about to release his cock, she froze in doubt. Doubt that she could do what she'd read about in magazines on how to please a man. Oral stimulation was the number one suggestion. She absently watched as her fingers moved again, this time into the V of the opening of his pants. His flesh was warm, and soft yet firm. Her fingers wrapped around his girth and pulled him into her view. Seeing his size, she inhaled deeply through her nose, trying to slow down her speeding heart thumping in her chest.

She barely registered that Jareth had raised up on to his elbows to watch her, that is until he brought a hand over hers. She gasped and looked into his calm eyes. He sat up fully and as he did so, used his hands to remove his breeches. Next, he moved his hands to Sarah's hips, easing his fingers into the elastic of her panties to pull them down her legs, which she raised to help him. He then sat with his legs crossed in front of her. He softly chuckled when he noticed her eyes dart between his eyes and his cock that stood pointing at attention to her.

He then pulled her to sit over his lap, her knees on either side of his hips. His length was pushed against his stomach as she placed her pelvis against his as her rear was cradled in his lap. She liked that in this position, she was slightly higher than him; generally when they were standing, her eyes were level with his chin. He took her lips, kissing her deeply as he began to rock against her, the friction of their bodies causing his cock to stiffen further. Sarah started grinding against him, then after a moment, took one of her hands behind her back to lead him to her entrance. He released her mouth to look hard into her eyes as he placed both hands on her hips to lower her onto him. She gasped and winced when he entered her a few inches; the pain strange and sharp. He stayed still as she adjusted to the feel of him. She stared into space as she panted through the sting. He raised a hand to cup her cheek, making her look into his eyes. Seeing them reminded her of what they were doing and why; to give of themselves should they never be together again. She was determined to do this, not just for him, but for herself.

She bent her head to kiss him again, moving her hips instinctually in circles yet not taking more of him in. Jareth moaned into the kiss, bringing his hands to slide from her hips up to tangle in her hair. He could feel why she had stopped; her body was still too coiled to receive him. She'd started this, he would go at her pace, agonizing as it was to go slow.

In her grinding, the friction against him caused more of his shaft to enter. The pain was slight but unexpected, causing her to go still again.

"We don't have to do this."

Hearing his words said in patience and understanding, Sarah shook her head. They were doing this. Her arms squeezed him to her, and she forced herself to fully take him within. The sharp pain returned, but this time it was very brief. She noticed he was breathing heavily too.

When she felt nothing but the fullness of him within her, she rose her hips and slowly eased down again. She did this again a few times more before feeling Jareth raise his hips up to join her down motion, and she cried out in surprise at how good that felt. When he stilled at hearing her, she whispered it was okay for him to do it again. Together, they started a rhythm of give and take. The slow, steady grinding against each other made it easy to let her kiss him or for him to capture the tip of her breast with his lips.

Without removing his lips from her, Jareth used his hands to ease her legs to wrap around him. Doing this allowed for him to angle up easier into her at a faster pace. At one point, he went too fast and he slipped out of her. He tried to put himself back in, but in having no success, she helped by taking his fingers to feel for how to guide himself back in. This position also allowed Sarah to take him deeper within her and she ground her hips against him with abandon.

Occasionally, he would use his tongue and lips against her throat, but mostly he stared at her as she took her pleasure from him. Then, he took control and angled his hips a bit more under her and started bouncing steadily up into her. She arched her head back and clutched his head to her, his nose fitting into the crook of her neck as she held on for the ride. Soon, she voiced a keen wail into his skin as the first bout of pleasure struck her.

Jareth gently moved Sarah onto her back, using one hand to guide his cock back inside her. He slowed his motions, gliding his tongue along her breast in time with the languid churn of his hips as he rocked against her. Sarah could hardly intake breaths as she focused on feeling him move within her. He then raised up on his elbows so that he could power through with swift thrusts as he sought his own climax, his pendant swaying like a pendulum over her heart. Sarah couldn't help but to grin when he voiced out his own release. After a moment of just staring at each other as they caught their breath, Jareth returned his mouth to hers. He danced his tongue with hers a moment before easing himself to lay against her, placing his ear over her heart. She lazily ran her fingers through his hair as she listened to him breathing.

This night, the dream lasted longer than any other, and they took full advantage of getting to know each other in as many ways possible.


Sarah's first days on campus were a whirlwind of emotions. It was overwhelming to decide what student groups to join. She was exposed to new foods, new cultures, new ways of thinking. And to have to make decisions on her own without her dad's input was both exhilarating and terrifying. Freedom to choose was something she'd craved a long time, but there was always the fear of choosing the wrong thing.

And the one person she wanted to share her experiences with was no longer accessible.

Sarah had been right. Without being near the magic the Labyrinth had given the mirror in her bedroom, the dreams went silent.


Attempts to break into the Labyrinth were becoming more frequent. He knew the bandits were out there, a small group of looters biding their time for a way to access the contents of the Labyrinth's vaults. But as they were on the lands of another kingdom, he had no right to dispose of them lest he wanted to start a war. The Labyrinth did well at keeping the intruders at bay; it would never weaken and they would not be able to find an imperfection with its defenses. Though they kept trying.

Jareth had begun dreaming of Sarah; genuine dreams of the musing kind. But it was never really her. The touches and feel of her phantom were false, mere wishes of his imagination that she had returned to him. It had been over a year without her.

Had he known where she had gone, he could have easily checked on her in owl form. When he did go to her home to see if she had returned, he never saw her, only her father, step-mother and brother. Occasionally, he would check with her trio of comrades to inquire on the happenings of her life, but only when they came to him first on her behalf. Despite feeling it, he did not want to seem overly desperate. At least he had the comfort in learning she was still thinking of him when she sent them to him.


It was the fifth anniversary of the day Sarah came into his life and Jareth wished with all his heart, pleading with the Labyrinth to let her come to him again. Of course, he had no certainty that it was the Labyrinth's doing to begin with; their nocturnal meetings never made sense.

Jareth had just laid his head down to try to sleep when hands wrapped around his face, covering his eyes. He was about to commit murder against his assailant. Thinking one of the bandits had somehow made it through the maze, he grabbed their wrists and pulled their arm behind their back, pushing their body down into the bed with his knee, bringing his other hand to crush around their neck. Then he heard the strangled whimper, saw the ebony strands of hair and smelt the peach scent that wafted off the body he held and he nearly collapsed. Instead, to steady himself, he removed his harsh hold and turned her around.

"Sarah, I could have killed you!" He snarled.

She rubbed her hand over her neck, inching her body out from under him, "Now I know, never surprise a magical monarch, even in a dream."

The words barely passed her lips before he claimed her mouth, pressing her body hard into the mattress, his hands going everywhere. Minutes went by as he re-acquainted himself with the feel of her. Then he pulled back to let them catch their breath. She raised her fingers to wipe the tears that had traveled down his cheeks.

"Precious...how?" Was all he could get out.

"Let's just hope seven years of bad luck is a superstition and not a rule. I broke a corner off the mirror and had a friend make it into a compact necklace. Now I can keep you with me no matter where I go." She dangled the silver chain before his eyes, a circular amulet decorated with the symbol of his monarchy swinging at its end.

He kissed her forehead before hugging her to him again, "You have a brilliant mind."

Even with her new work-around, the dreams were intermittent. His heart couldn't take it anymore. He was determined that he must somehow join her in her world.


A/N 2: For the gondola scene, to get an idea of what Jareth and Sarah are wearing, look up Zooey Dechannel as Lady Larkin in the 2005 made for TV version of "Once Upon a Mattress," specifically the video for the song "Normandy."