"They dreamed the world so it ALWAYS WAS the way it is now, little one… They changed the universe from the beginning of all things, until the end of time."

-Neil Gaiman from The Sandman: Dream Country

"Do you want anything? Tea or coffee?"

"Tea would be nice, thank you," Jareth said, sitting down.

Sarah nodded in relief. It gave her hands something to do besides fidgeting and her mind a moment of reprieve. Toby had already gotten Ben some chicken nuggets and was making himself some instant noodles to eat. It was going to be one of those days for sure.

She handed Jareth his tea, proud of her hands for not shaking as she sat to his right. Toby joined them, after settling Ben into some Sesame Street in the living room. Her brother faced Jareth carefully, squinting slightly in scrutiny. "I think I remember you. Maybe."

The corners of Jareth's mouth upturned to a fond smile. "It would not surprise me. Magic is strong in the both of you. I can sense it." He toon a sip of tea. "Now, I believe you wanted to talk?"

Slowly, they started asking him questions and getting some answers. They learned that there were some humans who have an inordinately connection to magic. It could be because of parental lineage, that maybe they were touched by the fae, their ancestors touched by the fae, or perhaps they themselves had been touch. Even belief of the faerie and an open mind can add to that. Because of that, Sarah's strong belief called upon Jareth and his goblins to take Toby. Once said, he could not simply return Toby. It was against the rules.

She asked him about the little red book, The Labyrinth. Jareth answered that there were many stories told of the fae, some true, some not. Most at least had a grain of truth in them. Tales like that have been created by humans, and sometimes, those stories come into the hands of the humans that are connected to magic. Not always, but more often than ones who are not. They were tales of warnings, of history, of what might happen or not happen. That book specifically was written before Jareth was Goblin King, not of real history but of warning.

Jareth postulated a theory that it was why Ben had a connection with the goblins. His belief had been fed by his imagination and stories that were told to him. Since Sarah had magic on her, it was possible that she passed it onto Ben. It was why he heeded Ben's call and why he answered their wishes.

"Was everything real?" Sarah asked, most curious about this side of things. "Or did I dream it all?"

Jareth looked very thoughtful. When he answered, his words were almost lyrical in the way he described his world to her and Toby. "Your friends and other creatures were real as the sun and moon. The Goblin Kingdom mostly lies within the faerie realm, yes, but it's also part of the Dream Realm, where anything is possible when someone is Running. Dreams are made of hope and possibilities, of things that never was but could have been. For thirteen hours, that place is wild and free but is also interwoven with dreams. Creatures that are dreamt in that space will exist for those hours. The goblins and other real creatures intermingle with the dreams, as dreams are as real and tangible as you and me in that world. Once those thirteen hours are up, that world ceases to be real."

"So Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus… they're all gone?" Sarah asked softly. "They're all dead?"

Jareth tilted his head to the left, studying her carefully. "With most runners, they do not die, no. They simply will have never existed in the first place. There is no death if something never existed, correct? Only I remember them, as that is the burden that I must bear as the Lord of Dreams. Not even the Runners remember, except for when they dream."

Sarah caught on to what he really meant. "You said most runners, not all."

Jareth created a crystal and set it on the table. The crystal rose a little, floating as if suspended by some sort of magnet. It clouded for a moment before clearing, showing a vision of Hoggle working in the castle gardens. "The friends you dreamt of, in this world, they have always existed and continue to exist even after thirteen hours have passed."

Toby didn't take his eyes off the crystal as it turned to Sir Didymus swinging his staff at some goblin who was trying to take his eye patch. "What makes Sarah different?"

Jareth's eyes burned into Sarah's. "She is the only Champion of the Labyrinth. The only one to have ever defeated its monarch."

Silence settled over the three. Only the sounds of Bert and Ernie telling jokes from the TV could be heard, joined by Ben's giggles at their antics.

When she finished processing the information, Sarah shook her head. "That's not possible. You're saying that of all the people who have run the labyrinth, I'm the only one to have won?"

"That is correct, yes." He circled the rim of his mug with his finger. "There were many Wishers, but much fewer Runners than you would expect."

"How so?" Toby asked.

"Most wishers wish away children on purpose." He waved his hand over the crystal, showing a vision of himself carrying a clearly starved child, the mother laying her hand on her child's head one last time. "In times of hardship and famine, parents believed that it was better for a child to be turned into a goblin than die a slow and painful death. However, there are also many who neglected their children and wanted to relieve their burdens by sending them to my care. Very few wish a child away on a whim and the ones who do have never succeeded until you."

Sarah never thought of it that way, but it made sense. As a mother, she couldn't imagine wishing away her baby on a whim. While she never really thought that Toby would be taken, she definitely wished for it and wanted it to happen. She would never wish either of them away again unless the situation was dire, and even then, she wasn't sure if she would do so.

She saw Jareth with new eyes. Suddenly, he didn't seem so fearsome and dangerous. "Closely acquainted with death, that's what you meant when you said that."

She couldn't imagine what it was like to care for all these children. To be confronted with death and the lowest parts of humanity over and over.

No wonder he was so irritated with her, a dramatic teenager who kept yelling that everything wasn't fair.

Toby eyed his sister and the Goblin King curiously. He was definitely missing something from the conversation. "So all your goblins used to be children?"

Jareth broke eye contact with Sarah. "Actually, none of them are. That was just a tale spread to deceive humans into thinking that's what would happen so they would only wish in dire circumstances. In reality, the children are adopted into families when possible. Many have built their own communities in my kingdom, some adopted into fae families. Some are unfortunately too sick so I try to give them comfort and peace before they pass on to the next world. The purpose of the wish is to care for children who have no other options."

"Mommy?"

Ben trotted up to Sarah, his head barely visible above the dining table. "Can I show Mister Jareth my toys?" He stared at Jareth, pleading him with his eyes to say yes.

Sarah patted his back, "Well…"

"I would be delighted," Jareth answered, beaming at the small child. "If your mother is fine with it, of course."

Sarah looked back and forth between them. It couldn't lead to harm, not when Jareth had every chance to, could it? Especially if she was supervising. "Sure."

Ben excitedly grabbed ahold of Jareth's hand and took him to see the building blocks and books that he had, telling him about his favorites. Jareth listened and asked or answered Ben's questions, taking time to show that he was genuinely fascinated by his little ramblings, fascination that would only come from a person who was used to children. He sat cross-legged as Ben set up his action figures, looking right at home.

Sarah couldn't believe it. Jareth had only met Ben a handful of times, and he was more comfortable around her son than Ben's own grandparents had ever been around him.

"That was a lot to process," Toby said, coming to stand next to her.

Sarah agreed. "Yeah, it was. I think there's more, but that's enough for one day, I think."

Toby wasn't about to protest that one bit. "I'm going to work on some homework, but I'll leave my door open in case you need anything."

Sarah nodded. "Yeah, go ahead." She moved to sit on the couch, plucking a random book from the bookshelf, pleased to see that she had grabbed Mort by Terry Pratchett. It was one of her favorite books, accompanied by wonderful memories.

The whole thing was incredibly comforting, if Sarah was completely honest with herself. Hearing Ben chat with Jareth while Toby typed away on his keyboard on a rainy afternoon (when wasn't it rainy in Seattle though?) and curled up with a favorite book was a special kind of treat.

She wasn't sure how much time passed when Jareth stood next to her, looking at something on the bookshelf. "Is this Ethan?"

Sarah slipped her bookmark in Mort and joined by Jareth's side, mindful of Ben still playing with his toys. Jareth was looking at a photo of them on a completely ordinary afternoon. Ethan had taken out his camera to take a photo of their soaking wet reflection in front of some store.

She had grumbled the whole way about it being so drenched but as a native of the Pacific Northwest, Ethan was right at home in the rain.

"Come on, Sarah," he laughed, "The rain isn't that bad! It's just water!"

"But it's wet and it makes me cold and ruins my perfectly good hair!" She pulled the hood over her head even more.

"I don't mind," he said, messing up his own hair on purpose, nudging her side. Sarah was unable to keep up her grumpiness and laughed at his antics.

"Besides," he continued when she stopped, rain still dripping down on them. "You don't look any less perfect. You look beautiful."

Sarah paused, looking up at his face. He was deadly serious, and for the first time, she didn't worry about being herself. For the first time, she was absolutely terrified of actually losing someone. "Thank you."

He held his camera out, grinning. "Come on, how about a picture? I don't care if your hair is a mess. I mean, mine is. It can be a great memory to talk about one day."

Sarah had been unable to resist his enthusiasm. Amazing how time froze in pictures, videos, and sound recordings. Ethan had the biggest smile even as his hair ruined, leaving him almost unrecognizable. Sarah was grabbing his arm, desperately trying to not laugh at something he had said. It was the photo of two people still getting to know each other, slowly falling in love.

"Yeah, it is," she said, smiling at the sweet memory, without a touch of sadness, surprising her. Normally, it would make her break down in tears or at least make her feel depressed. Now, she just felt happy that it even happened. Happy that she had been loved and had loved Ethan back just as much. "That's him and his horribly soaked mop of hair."

Jareth didn't blink once as he kept staring at the photograph. "You looked very happy."

"I was," she said, her voice softening.

Jareth turned to her slightly. "Are you now?"

"I-" Sarah bit her bottom lip, looking at the ground. She couldn't decipher what he was thinking, what his motive for asking was. Nor was she ready to try. "Happiness is a work in progress," she settled.

Jareth nodded, not pushing her. He looked at another photo that hung on the wall. "I can see how much Benjamin resembles him. However, I can see that he has your eyes."

Sarah couldn't help but grin. "Ethan would love to hear that. They have a lot of the same personality traits too."

"Such as?"

"Ethan has always been so much more calm than me and more willing to go with the flow, but still assertive when need be. As you know, Ben is incredibly calm for a kid and empathetic. He gets it from his father."

"And his mother too, I'm sure." Jareth turned to her. "I've seen the way you speak to him, listening to him and answering his questions. Just because you might not be able to read someone as well doesn't make you any less of a caring person."

Sarah felt a warmth in her heart spreading all the way to her toes. "Thank you. That's just about the nicest compliment anyone has given me."

She said the last part a bit too quietly, and it didn't seem like Jareth had heard her. He walked past yet another photo. She heard him inhale sharply, a completely unreadable expression in his eyes.

Her wedding photos.

There was one large one of her and Ethan holding hands, staring into each other's eyes with the sun behind them. Smaller photos had them with their respective families and a another of them kissing underneath her veil.

It wasn't that Sarah felt uncomfortable with Jareth looking at these photos. Rather, she just felt very… intimate. Exposed. Vulnerable. She had the urge to push him from those pictures and another urge to tell him more, so he would see a happier side of her life instead of just this widow in her mid-thirties trying to make sure her sanity didn't fall apart at any moment.

"You were a beautiful bride, Sarah," he said with awe and reverence.

Still unsure of how to respond to that, Sarah tried to lighten things up. "Yeah, I guess I was. Back when I was more than ten years younger and much more attractive."

Indeed, she could see now that she was in fact, very pretty when she was young. Looking back, she definitely got a lot of attention for it during her more wild years. She hadn't thought so at the time, but these pictures proved otherwise. Thick, full hair, curves in all the right places, and a pleasant smile when needed. Now, her body was no longer the ideal shape it had been. Not to mention losing some of her hair due to the stress the last few years had given her. She still worked out and kept in decent shape, her beauty still there, but there was no question as to what society would think when compared to how she looked in her twenties.

"I disagree," he said with seriousness, eyeing her from the side. "You are older and wiser, with the experiences that you carry. You carry an air of confidence and patience that you could have only gotten through age. At the same time, you don't have patience for frivolous things. You don't want to waste time and get to the point, as you did with me earlier in the car."

He stood closer to her, taking her hand in his and placing another hand on top of it. "As for physical attractiveness, you have aged like fine wine. Anyone who says otherwise can play in the Bog."

A tug pulled at the corner of Sarah's lips. To say she wasn't expecting his kind words was an understatement. "And if that person who says otherwise is myself?"

A spark of mischief shined in his eye. "Then I will have to convince you otherwise because I prefer you to not smell like said Bog."

She hadn't felt this alive in a very long time. Even when she would spend time with Ben, she would force herself, finding only very tiny moments of feeling instead of numbness.

"About that," she started, still smiling. "What the heck was that all about, nearly dropping me in a bog with my friends? Or the cleaners? Or the goblin army?"

"I must admit, I did get carried away." Jareth put her hand down as Ben came into view, chuckling. "It was all a part of your adventure. None of those things would have hurt you. I wouldn't have allowed it, they were just there to scare you. And if I wanted to hurt you, you would still be safe through the magic of the labyrinth as a runner."

"And our interactions?" She asked. "Was that pretend, are you really that much of a scoundrel?" She winked just to be safe, not wanting to offend him. His hurt face from when she accused him of wanting to steal Ben the night before still haunted her.

Jareth smiled so that a particularly inhuman fang glinted in the light. "I suppose you'll just have to spend more time with me to find out, won't you?"

"I'm going to take that as a yes," she laughed.

"Sa-raaaaaaaah!" Toby groaned, walking out of his room with his hands in his pockets, making a face. "I'm hungry."

"Are you sure you're an adult?" Sarah pursed her lips together, reaching up to mess with his hair.

His stomach rumbled right at that moment. He grumbled. "Seriously I need food, any ideas for dinner?"

Sarah sighed. While today had gotten exponentially better now that they were home, the idea of cooking just made her want to cry. "How about some tacos?"

Toby hummed, brightening at the thought. "I'm down."

She turned to Jareth. "Would you like to join us for dinner?"

Jareth flicked his hand, a crystal appearing in it. He looked into it before waving it away again. "Sure. It's dinner time for me too, so why not? Besides, I haven't had a taco in years."

"Well that's a problem that we need to remedy!" Sarah said with command. "How can you live your life without tacos?"

During dinner, Ben wanted to talk more about his Halloween costume and the stash of candy he got. "I got so many good candies! But Iglepus took them."

"I completely forgot about that," Jareth said, clicking his tongue. "That is on me."

"Is that one of your goblins?" Sarah asked.

Jareth nodded. He shoved the rest of his taco in his mouth and clapped. "Iglepus!"

A goblin appeared right between Jareth and Sarah, causing the latter to jump. Iglepus took one look at Sarah with wide eyes and shouted "SCARY LADY!"

He tried to scurry away but Jareth grabbed him by the collar. "Not so fast. You stole candy from this young man right here."

Ben glared at him. "You cheat! I said that you could take one!"

"But I gives you a rock present!"

"I still said only one!" He held out a single finger.

"Iglepus," Jareth called after the goblin again. "Did Benjamin really say that to you? That you could only take one?"

Iglepus groaned. "But Kingy, I gives present! I gives shiny rock!"

"Answer the question."

Iglepus mumbled.

"I can't hear you."

"Yeah, he did," the goblin huffed.

"Don't do it again." Jareth said it with such authority that everyone present shut up. It reminded Sarah of when he berated Hoggle in the tunnels. "The penalty for stealing shall be, oh, guarding the Bog of Eternal Stench. One hour for every candy you stole.

"Ten hours?! NOOO!" Iglepus got on his knees pleading. "Please, another punishment?"

Sarah gagged. She hadn't spent much time at the bog, and she couldn't imagine being there for ten whole hours.

"Oh fine." Jareth waved in defeat. "You will have throne room cleaning duty for the next ten nights. If you don't do well, I will personally send you to the bog for twenty hours and have Lady Sarah kick you."

"AH!" Iglepus looked at Sarah again in terror. "No Scary Lady, please!"

"Then you better make sure the throne room is spotless, not a single chicken feather!" Jareth kicked him with the boot of his heel, a strange squeal coming out of the goblin. "Now get out of my sight before I change my mind."

Iglepus bowed hastily and left.

"There, problem solved," Jareth said to Ben, looking quite pleased with himself.

"Excuse me," Sarah put her hands up in confusion. "What was that?"

"That was discipline," Jareth said in a matter-of-fact sort of way.

Sarah continued to glare at him. "I meant about the part where I kick them?"

Toby choked on his food laughing. Sarah kicked him under the table, trying to remind him that Ben was a very impressionable child. Toby stopped but shrugged without a bit of remorse.

Jareth made a crystal, lazily rolling it in his hands. "You got their homes wrecked, remember? They find you quite terrifying. Consider yourself lucky that they respect you that much."

Sarah shook her head, a bit ashamed at destroying their houses. Of course, they did most of it by shooting canons but she still got Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus to help her do so. "And kicking them? That's a bit inhumane, isn't it?"

"But they aren't humans," Jareth pointed out. "So your point is moot."

"Does it hurt them, Mister Jareth?" Ben asked him, his tiny bottom lip trembling in worry. "Kicking would hurt me."

"They don't feel a thing." Jareth waved the thought away. "They like the stimulation. It often feels like a poke. Goblins are one of the most indestructible creates in my world."

"Then why is it a punishment?" Toby asked.

"Because it's rather inconvenient to be kicked." Jareth said this as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Ooh!" Ben waved excitedly. "Does that mean I can hit him with my lightsaber?"

Jareth smirked. "Sure, if you want."

"No one is getting hit by a lightsaber," Sarah said quickly, glaring at Jareth. "Including goblins."

"Where does this lightsaber come from anyway?" Jareth asked them. "It just looks like a fancy glow-stick."

Toby's eyes went wide. "You mean, you haven't seen Star Wars?"

Jareth shook his head. "No, I have not. I haven't seen a movie since, well, since before I last had tacos."

"This is a tragedy," Toby said dramatically. "It's Star Wars!"

"Can we watch it tonight?" Ben asked.

Sarah shook her head. "It's a school night, no way. Besides, aren't you guys bored of it? We just rewatched the whole trilogy recently."

"Nah," her brother and son said at the same time.

"How about Friday?" Toby suggested. "No, Saturday. I'm going to hang out with friends on Friday."

Ben slid off of his chair to stand next to Jareth. "Please, Mister Jareth?" He rested his head on Sarah's shoulder. "Please, Mommy?"

Jareth looked to her. "That would depend on your mother."

Sarah massaged her temple, taking her sweet time answering. She didn't really want to rewatch the whole trilogy so soon, but it could be fun watching Jareth's reactions. "Okay, Saturday we can watch Star Wars with Jareth."

"Yeah!" Toby pumped his fist in the air.

"You won't be busy with kingly business?" Sarah asked him.

Jareth shook his head. "I shouldn't be. I will try to get all my work done by then but even so, I don't have anything urgent. I should only cancel if an emergency arises or if a child is wished away but that's much rarer these days."

After eating and cleaning everything up, Jareth bade them goodnight. "I thank you, Sarah, for the hospitality that you've given me. I hope that in time, we can be better acquainted and be better friends."

He bowed to them, fading away to the Underground.

Arriving back home, Jareth felt lighter than he had in decades.

Time had more meaning for Jareth than other fae as his line of work brought him closer to humans than the rest of his kind. Two decades should have been gone by quickly. Instead, it felt like a chasm to him.

Sarah really had aged into a beautiful and mature woman, no longer the contrarian teenager he had met. She seemed more open to his willingness to get to know her and her family, though more cautious than she might have been when she was younger.

He washed his face, thinking on how amazing it was that she had been out of his life for so long that she had been married and had a child. Even more amazing was how Toby, a mere babe at the time, was now a grown man. He thought of Benjamin, his little smile and enthusiasm.

He brushed out his hair, smiling at the thought of the child. He could never hold anything against children, as they were always the innocent party. He should have known there was something special about Benjamin beyond his belief in the faerie.

He shouldn't have treated Sarah the way he did, as he was the older party, no matter her mistakes. He had been isolated and lonely for so long. It wasn't that he never spoke to anyone (he was a king, of course he had to speak to people), he just wasn't close to anyone in particular anymore. He had family and old friends but they all lived so far away. His kingdom was not near proper faerie society and most of his subjects that weren't goblins were considered a bunch of misfits. Even the fae that resided here.

He found himself drawn to Sarah's determination, her courage, and her bravery in the face of the impossible. In the end, he did want her to stay, starved from his own lonely existence, not quite thinking through the ramifications of it and how different the world was after the Industrial Revolution. In this day and age, sixteen was considered very much a child even if the fae snd most of human history considered sixteen the age of adulthood.

Seeing her now, he was happy to see the difference in her adolescent and adult self. He meant every word he said. He wanted to be worthy of her friendship and her kindness.

He went to sleep with content, glad that he had a second chance to know her.

The idea of dreams making the world as it is or simply caused something to never have existed in the first place is an inspired by Neil Gaiman's The Sandman comics, where this very idea is presented in different stories but most importantly in its prequel, Overture. It's now my head canon for Labyrinth.

If you haven't read "Labyrinth, the Visual History" by the Jim Henson Company, I highly recommend it! It's amazing and gives a lot of facts and interviews you haven't seen about Labyrinth. In it, David Bowie says that Jareth is "smitten" with Sarah and that she "rather likes him" but must do her duty to save Toby (unsure of when he said this exactly, Jennifer Connelly wasn't casted until a month before filming and the original Sarah was meant to be 18 or older). You will see more of Jareth's thoughts on young Sarah in later chapters.

I very much enjoyed writing this chapter, because I wanted to show that Sarah had been very happy before Jareth. And to show that Jareth is interested in her past but doesn't judge and doesn't push her. I haven't seen this angle written where Sarah had/is truly happy with someone and Jareth doesn't swoop in and try to steal her, but gives her the space to do so.

He does have... a lot of feelings about her late husband, but they will be explored more in later chapters. As for why he isn't as devious as most fae are, there is a reason and you'll see later as well :)