Hey people! Only one chapter this time- Save the best till last, that's what I always say. And for those lovely misguided people who like Angus- well, read on…

I hope you guys appreciate this chapter. It went from not even half a page to 1609 words. And you know I wouldn't do anything like that for anyone but you guys.

Moonjava- Thankyou for reviewing- you give me the strength to continue my stories.

Ophelia Eternal- Short chapters coz it's a short story, but that's why I put up (usually) two chapters at a time.

Solea- Yes, I quite agree. I feel horrible about what I mutated Angus to become, wait! Forget I said that!

JediAshes1021- Wouldn't we all. But, who knows? Well, I do…

ItsACrystalNothingMore- You know it, I know it, geez everyone who knows Jareth knows it. I like the name Angus too.

Mord-Sith Rahl- What an interesting name… And I agree completely with you- Sarah is a terrible cow and should be shot dead- after Jareth gets over her, though.

Chapter Six

No-One

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Not long after Jareth's visit, Karen kicked Sarah out. Toby was devastated even though he was only three and a half. Sarah moved into an apartment with Angus, who, always the perfect gentleman, had let her set the pace of their relationship. They never get past second base.

Sarah turned eighteen and got a job as a waitress while going to university. Her father paid her tuition gladly- it had not been his decision to throw her out; Karen had surprised even him with that twist.

But Sarah was happy…mostly. She kept a certain crystal near her at all times. She had taken it out of Lancelot, stitched up the bear and given it back to Toby. Toby hadn't noticed that his plaything was different somehow.

Now Sarah kept the crystal on a stand on her bedside table.

Sometimes when she felt lonely, she would call her friends, who were always there to talk, but always seemed to want to talk about a certain male someone who 'missed' her. Sarah wasn't sure wether to believe them, believe that the Goblin King actually had feelings- that he really wanted to talk to her.

She would say goodbye to her friends in a dazed voice and sit on her bed, staring at the crystal he had given her. She would sit for hours, just thinking about calling him, just to talk to him. But she would always just shake her head and go to bed.

Hoggle of late had begun to look worried. He wouldn't say what was troubling him, only that he didn't want to bother her. Sarah began to think that something big was happening- something bad.

Angus never troubled her when he heard voices coming from Sarah's room; he just thought that she had the radio on, or something. He had never asked her about the strange dude he had found in her room that once- he hadn't wanted to pressure her into telling him. But his patience was waning.

He had begun to get very Goth-like lately: drinking, smoking, having weeks off from his job. Sarah didn't like this new Angus; she much preferred the old one (didn't we all- I'm sorry I had to do this to a character, but I had to screw him up).

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Jareth sat on his kingly throne staring into a crystal. The crystal showed his place in the universe- his Labyrinth. His dying Labyrinth.

The Labyrinth reflected its king's feelings: when Jareth was happy- it was green and plentiful and the inhabitants were joyous.

When Jareth was depressed… Well, the Labyrinth (being an entity unto itself with a consciousness of its own) couldn't cope with that sort of negativity and slowly it began to die- just like the king himself was dying inside. The land was becoming barren, the hedge maze was browning and collapsing, the very walls of the Labyrinth were crumbling and the inhabitants had no idea why it was happening.

But Jareth knew why. And he hated himself for bringing this down upon his subjects - which just made the situation worse.

He already felt terrible- a feeling that originated when Sarah Williams defeated his Labyrinth and destroyed him utterly. A feeling that had intensified over the years and climaxed when he had seen the look of fear on her face when he had spoken to her.

He tried to convince himself that she hadn't known what he was offering her: his heart on a silver platter. But it didn't work. He argued with himself that if she had not known what he was offering why did she throw it back in his face? Why, when he had already explained to her his intentions, did she hide her face and back away from him?

A knock on the great doors of the throne room yanked the king from his reverie.

'Enter,' Jareth said hopelessly.

The dwarf Hoggle entered the room, rocking on the balls of his feet.

Jareth suddenly sat up straight, popping the crystal ball n his hand like a soap bubble. 'What is it? Have you heard from her?' he asked anxiously, eager for news of Sarah. Jareth did not hide his feelings for the girl when it was obvious to all involved (except perhaps the girl herself) that it was because of her that his realm was suffering.

Hoggle cleared his throat, as nervous as he usually was around his king. 'Er, yes. A day or two ago, your Majesty.'

'Well?'

Hoggle sighed. 'Well, she's fine in her new… er- apartment- I think she called it. And she still keeps in contact with 'er father and Toby-'

'Yes, yes, but what about me?' Jareth interrupted.

Hoggle took a deep breath. 'She knows tha' I know somethin' about you and she knows tha' there's somethin' wrong- with somethin'.'

'And?' Jareth pressed.

'Well, she doesn't really know…Sarah kind of thinks that…' Hoggle tried to find a good way to put this- a less painful way, at least. 'Sarah hates you.' There, he said it.

Jareth went pale- well, paler than usual. He groaned and held his head in his hands.

Hoggle really didn't know what to do. He was sure his liege wouldn't like him privy to his moment of weakness. Hoggle quietly edged toward the door- and tripped over the pit in the middle of the room, falling over with an extremely loud crash!

Jareth looked up, for once without his domineering sneer, and beckoned Hoggle over to his previous position. 'You mean there's nothing you can do?' he asked piteously.

'Well, the only thing I can think of to change her mind about you would be to go to her- but then you would end up with a catastrophe like last time. You know I warned ya' agains' visiting her just after she found th' crystal, but ya' jus' didn' listen.' Hoggle put his hands on his hips (or, where his hips would be if he had any- I never noticed them, did you?).

Jareth looked at the little man and exhaled heavily, listening to his banter.

'And I know that the whole 'mind-trip' whispers-and-stuff in 'er head thing was just so she'd find the crystal and not forget about us, but you could have laid off her a bit so that you didn' scare her out o' her wits.'

'I know what I did and didn't do, Hog-What. I also know that I scared her badly last time. I don't intend on doing it again.' Jareth sighed.

Hoggle took this as his cue to leave- and leave he did.

Jareth put his head in his hands.

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Sarah was staring at her crystal one night, just thinking about what her friends had said, when Angus came into her room in one of his unbalanced drunken stupors.

'What're you doing?' he drawled stupidly when he saw her gazing at the crystal.

Sarah didn't look up. 'Nothing,' she said simply.

'Don't look like nothing to me. Looks like your thinking about that guy.'

Sarah glanced up at him in surprise. 'What guy?'

'You know what guy. The guy that was in your room that one time at your father's place. You know; blonde hair, wacky eyebrows and tights?' said Angus highly articulately for one as wasted as himself. 'Come to think of it-'

Think, right, scoffed Sarah silently.

'- who was that guy?'

'He was no-one,' lied Sarah quickly.

'What was he doing in your room, then?'

'I truthfully have no idea. I think he must've broken in or something. I can't really remember,' said Sarah, not liking the glint in Angus's eye.

'You're lying.'

'What?' said Sarah, beginning to panic now as he approached her. She got off the bed and took a step toward him so he wouldn't get any ideas about how to use that particular item of furniture. 'No, seriously I don't know why he was there.'

'Then who was he?' said Angus, his voice getting louder and louder.

'No-one,' said Sarah, knowing that he would soon tire of this roundabout conversation and that she didn't want to be around when he did.

Too late.

'Tell me! Or else!' Angus raised his hand threateningly.

Sarah, knowing that she was screwed already, said firmly 'There is nothing to tell.'

Angus struck her hard across the face (Sorry Angus fans, but this is what he was created for). 'Tell me!' he roared.

Sarah felt blood dribble out of her nose and shook her head. 'There's nothing to tell,' she said again.

Angus hit her across the face again, harder this time. Sarah fell to the floor, but that didn't stop her drunken roommate. He hoisted her up by her collar only to shove her against the wall and punch her several times in the stomach and face. Angus then lifted her up and threw her bodily across the room.

Sarah landed with a thud in the corner closest to her bed. She didn't move and her eyes were closed.

Angus grunted in a cave-man fashion and looked at his bruised knuckles. He went over to Sarah and kicked her as she lay crumpled on the floor, then left the apartment to get some more beer.

Sarah stirred and groaned when she heard the apartment door slam closed. She propped herself up against the wall in a sitting and spat a gob of blood out of her mouth. She was finding it difficult to breathe and was panting heavily.

She edged slowly over to her bedside table, feeling unconsciousness tug at her. Sarah looked at her crystal, her green eyes out of focus. 'Jareth,' she whispered and her head dropped onto her chest.

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