Ok, guys, now, if you want to keep thinking that Jareth is flawless and charming and-

Gabriel (taps his fingers on the arm of his chair) Yes, yes, I think we've established that.

Jareth No, go on!

Lady Shut up the both of you! Anyway, if you want to continue believing that Jareth is all nice and will keep Sarah safe and heal her and kick Angus's butt, all the while looking stylish (those pants!)-

Jareth MUST you keep on referring to my pants?

Lady YES! SHUT UP! Anyway, looking stylish and debonair- DON'T READ THIS CHAPTER! AND MOST OF NEXT CHAPTER! Jareth is going to get pissed. DANGER, DANGER, SARAH WILLIAMS!

If you want to read this story with a sensitive Jareth- the rest of the story is not for you. Just make believe that he punched Angus, married Sarah and everyone loved them; THE END

But that isn't how it went.

How many of you ACTUALLY got turned off by that and considered stopping reading then? No-one? Hey, I could be in Telemarketing!

Hmmm (turns to Jareth and Gabriel, who are thumb wrestling for the last bowl of desert) Hey, guys, why is it that I have this weird urge to mutate all of my male characters?

Gabriel (shrugs) I don't know. Hey, Jareth, why don't you tell her? She's messed you up more times than she has me.

Jareth (scowls) Well, maybe she likes the dangerous type- that being the case; I think you're out of luck.

(Gabriel lunges at Jareth and they both start wrestling on the floor, shouting insults: She likes me! In your dreams! You're dreaming if you could think that she would even consider you! Ect…)

Lady (sighs) Well, now for the shout outs- oooh! The last bit of desert!

Jareth and Gabriel Hey!

Petra15- Thankyou- will continue

Moonjava- Thanks

MistySatainDream- Thankyou- you are into the predictable fics, aren't you? Thaks for the compliment about the kaleidoscopically coloured carrot-like vegetable- it was either that or spotted, but I didn't think it was as catchy.

WickedGame- Poor Sarah? Oh, she gets pity… THIS IS EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT I WANTED TO DO FOR HER!

batteredchild- yup, yup. Plain and simple…just hold on-

MordSith-Raal- No, it's- AHHHH!-

Gabriel (claps his hands above Lady's head) Got it!

Lady (sighs) Thanks. Anyway, it's good that you're reading all of the shout-outs- there are good story hints there. I must say I've not the patience. And-

Jareth (looks worried) oh, no! That's the look she gets when she's abut to rant about Sarah! Cover your ears!

Lady I DO NOT LIKE SARAH! SHE SHOULD DIE! I HATE HER! AND HATE IS SUCH A STRONG WORD! I AM NOT, NOR HAVE I EVER BEEN, PART OF HER FAN CLUB! Bet you are, but…

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Chapter 14

Forbidden Walk

Jareth picked up the scroll that Gwyn had dropped off to him. He scanned the page, then stopped when he reached the part about Sarah's cracked ribs.

The air crackled with magic as his rage tried to find an outlet.

How dare he hurt her so badly! Jareth roared in his head. How dare he strike my Sarah? This Angus?

Then a little voice of evil reason piped up, speaking in a voice dripping venom to infect the wounds its words inflicted:

Ahh, hissed the poison-laced voice, but there's the rub; she isn't yours, is she? it said, forcing Jareth to admit his faults t o himself.

Well…Not yet.

Hmm, drawled the voice, so you plan to make the indomitable Sarah Williams yours, yes?

Yes, I do, Jareth insisted forcefully, trying in vain to push the voice away.

When will you understand that she will never stay with you? Sooner or later, she will demand to be sent home, and you will let her leave. She will never love you! And I know you know; you have admitted it to yourself plenty of times, Goblin King.

Jareth roared, stood up with such force that his throne-like chair was knocked to the floor and summoned a crystal. His eyes flashed dangerously as he mutated the crystal into a ball of fire, then pitched it vehemently into the dinning room wall.

The fireball smashed into the stone wall, leaving behind an enormous scorch mark.

Jareth grabbed is cloak off his fallen chair and disappeared into his bedchambers to pace until dawn.

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Sarah sat down heavily on her bed. She was so tired- but she couldn't sleep. Impossible, since Jareth had sent her to her room- but he hadn't sent her medicines with her. They were sitting, forgotten, in the dinning room.

Well, all I have to do is wait a while and then I'll go out and get them, thought Sarah.

She waited for a while. And she waited. And waited. There was no risk of her falling asleep; her ribs were throbbing constantly, preventing any chance Sarah had of relaxation.

Sarah massaged her ribs gently, trying to work out the pain; it was no use. She resigned herself to her medicinal wandering mission.

The moon was low in the sky and the gentle glow of dawn illuminated the horizon beyond the ever changing and slowly recuperating Labyrinth by the time Sarah convinced herself that it was safe to go to the dinning room.

She rested her hand on her door handle, then bit her lip. Jareth said I shouldn't wander around the castle. He said it was to keep me safe…she thought.

But I'm not really wandering; I know where I want to go…

Making up her mind, Sarah carefully opened her door and went out, closing it silently.

She crept along countless passages, moving gingerly to save her ribs, trying to find the dinning room.

After walking for an hour and trying almost 20 doors (she counted), Sarah successfully located the dinning room. She went in and collected her medicines, cradling them in her arms. She slipped out of the cavernous room as quietly as she had entered it.

Sarah ran lightly through the castle and thought that she was home free as her bedchamber door came into view- until she saw Jareth striding down the corridor from the opposite direction, heading right for her.

She stood stock-still as she saw Jareth stiffen, then disappear.

'And and where are you going?'

Sarah reluctantly turned around and hesitantly looked up into Jareth's furious gaze. 'Back to my room,' she said in a small voice.

'And where were you going?' hissed Jareth menacingly. His anger was finally finding an available vent- Sarah.

'I-I was just getting my medicine. I left them in the dinning room,' said Sarah. She sincerely hoped that her fear wasn't obvious in her voice. She could see it in Jareth's eyes that he wasn't himself- he had morphed back into the intimidating, vicious Goblin King that sought revenge for what she had done to him, for what she had practically done to his kingdom. It was impossible not to fear him.

'Did I not say not to wander around the castle at night?' asked Jareth quietly, but his quiet, dangerously silky voice was worse than if he were shouting- at least that's what Sarah thought- until he started shouting.

Sarah nodded. 'Yes.'

'Did I not say tat it was for your own safety?'

Sarah bit her lip. She could no longer meet his eyes and looked down at the stone floor as she said, 'Yes.'

'I will be locking your door from now on, is that clear?'

Sara didn't know when she started crying, but right then she realised that tiny waterfalls of salt were cascading down her cheeks- obviously Jareth hadn't noticed. She nodded silently, not trusting herself to speak.

But Jareth wasn't finished; his pent-up anger was forcing its way out:

'DO YOU REALISE WHT IGHT HAVE HPPENED! THERE ARE OTHERS COMING AND GOING IN THIS PLACE, NOT JUST ME, AND SOME OF THEM WOULD FIND NO GREATER JOY THAN TAKING YOU AWAY FROM ME! YOU ARE NOT TO LEAVE YOUR ROOM UNACCOMPANIED FOR ANY REASON, IS THAT IN ANY WAY UNCEAR!'

Somewhere during Jareth's rant, Sarah had started to sob. She didn't say anything.

Jareth only now realised that she was crying, and, too late, opened his mouth to apologise-

But Sarah didn't give him the time; she simply nodded again, dropped her medicines (which landed and smashed on the floor) and ran into her room, slamming the door.

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