"The more a person pushes others away, the clearer it becomes he is in need of love the most."

- Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

For the next few weeks, it wasn't that uncommon for Sarah to come home to find Jareth asking for the next book he could borrow, or telling a goblin to behave. He would then have dinner or spend time with them in other ways, like going on walks and such. He even went bowling with them. It was comforting to find him there, a new constant presence in their lives.

They have also accepted the hoard of goblins that would pop up every now and then.

"Lady very pretty," Evie the goblin said as Sarah was applying makeup one day.

Sarah beamed. Once she got to understand the goblins more, she found them downright adorable. Incredibly destructive, but as long as they had an outlet, it wasn't unlike Ben when he was a toddler. "You're very sweet."

Evie was much better behaved than most goblins, keeping her hands to herself as Sarah popped the lipstick cap closed. Her little eyes gazed at her wonderingly. Sarah rummaged around her makeup bag. "Would you like to try?"

Evie nodded excitedly. "Kingy never lets us try. He has lots of it too!"

Sarah never really thought about how much makeup Jareth would have, seeing as he could use illusions. Perhaps she could ask him about it sometime. "Stay still while I do this."

Evie did as told. When Sarah was done, she wasn't exactly sure how Evie would like it. She needn't worry, for Evie stared at herself in the mirror and clapped her hands excitedly. "I look so pretty!"

"Absolutely stunning," Sarah agreed, happy to make her smile.

Evie hopped off the seat and spun around. "I'm going to show it to all my friends! Bye Lady!"

Sarah waved as Evie disappeared with a pop. Once she was gone, she tried to reach around to zip up her dress, but the zipper kept sliding down to the middle of her back. "Damn." She walked out of her room. "Toby! I need your help!"

She nearly bumped into Jareth, yelping in surprise at not expecting him to be there. "Oh hey."

"I'm in the bathroom!" Toby shouted. "In a minute!"

"Hello." Jareth looked at her dress, his eyes widening slightly at her being dolled up. "You look very nice."

"Thanks." She tried again to zip up her dress without being noticed but failed. "I'm going to a piano recital for my students."

He raised an eyebrow at her struggles. "Do you need help?"

"Yeah, actually." Pink bloomed across her cheeks as his hands reached for the zipper. His breath warmed the back of her neck, sending tingles down her body. Her head swam pleasantly as she breathed in his peach and cinnamon scent. In that moment, she wanted so very badly for him to make the zipper go the other way.

Time seemed to slow as he carefully laid a respectful hand on her back as the zipper glided up.

Toby came trotting out of the hallway, buttoning the top of his shirt and whistling. "Okay I'm here-"

He paused as he saw Jareth's hands on Sarah's back, his fingers still gripping the zipper.

"Oh uh, Jareth got it," Sarah said quickly, making sure that Jareth wasn't looking at her face. She wasn't sure if she could handle seeing his facial expression at the moment in case he knew exactly what was going through her mind. Or even worse, that he had no idea and she was the only one struggling with feeling incredibly aroused. "I just needed help for my dress."

"Riiight." Toby gave a single nod, clearly not believing them. "I'm going to grab Ben and get in the car."

He left quickly and Sarah was now inwardly cursing him for leaving her hormonal self around an incredibly sexy Goblin King who was still behind her. She was secretly hoping that he was staring at her ass, knowing how it looked in this dress. She cleared her throat and turned around. "What's up?"

Jareth, to her delight, looked a little Tedder than before. He held up the book he had been reading. "I finished reading this. May I borrow another one?" He looked almost boyish with that anticipating smile. "Or I can come back later if you want."

Something about that smile made her want to grab his hand and dance. To be happy until it was the only thing she could feel.

She slowly took the book from him. "You can visit us whenever, you know? You don't have to be borrowing a book or returning it. My home is open to the goblins already, why not their king?"

"I-" Jareth paused, blinking, realizing that it was indeed what he had been doing.

"We're friends aren't we?" Sarah asked him gently.

He swallowed. "Yes, of course. We are friends. I just don't have that many of them as of late."

The vulnerable admission made Sarah's heart go out to him. She had acquaintances and people she loved, but wasn't close to that many people anymore. When she went back for reunions and get-togethers, she felt lonely in a sea of people.

Perhaps Jareth was more like her than she had originally thought.

"You know," she started, a little unsure of how to actually say what she wanted to say but pushed forward anyway. "If you ever need anything, even things like talking or relaxing after a hard day, I'm here for you. Friends support each other."

Jareth remembered with shame that when he heard Sarah call Hoggle her friend, he had berated the dwarf and gotten upset over it. Upset that he, the King of Goblins could not be called a friend but the dwarf who had betrayed her could. Upset that he couldn't have anyone to hold near and dear, that he was isolated save for superficial relationships. Any meaningful ones had a barrier between him and the person due to the differences in social status or past grudges.

For her to be extending her proverbial hand to him, to not only call him her friend but to reiterate that they had been friends since reuniting, it made him want to be around her that much more. He wanted nothing more than to be by her side, trying very hard to not push boundaries when she asked him to zip up her dress. "I am honored, Sarah. To be called a friend of you and your family."

They just smiled at each other until Toby honked the car's horn. "I better go."

"Of course," Jareth said quickly, turning away.

"You can come if you want," she said, hoping that it wasn't a mistake. That he wouldn't be too bored. "I mean, you don't have to, and you'll be hearing a lot of kids playing hot-cross buns before you hear more skilled students."

He instantly smiled. "I would love to."

A week later

Sarah, Toby, and Ben arrived bright and early to Carol's and Allen's house for Thanksgiving. No one mentioned what happened the last time they all met together, just simply invited Sarah and Ben.

Maybe this would go okay. Maybe they could make up and do better. Sarah knew that Ethan would want her and Ben to be on good terms with his family if possible and she did want Ben to have a good relationship with his grandparents and extended family. As the only child for years until Toby, she thought back on treasured childhood memories with her cousins.

"Ah, you're finally here!" Carol said, her sweet words coating the acid underneath. "Come in the kitchen and make yourselves useful. Even Ben can do something to help."

After getting the turkey in the oven, Allen went to watch TV instead of helping while Sarah chopped up the vegetables for the stuffing and Toby made the bread rolls. The rest of the family then started filing in, pitching in to chop this or stir that.

It still felt incredibly lonely. Sarah tried to make some conversation but they were all more interested in talking to each other, except Toby, but since they were separated at times, it was hard to actually talk to him. She kept her hands busy, glad for a reprieve from conversation.

Her thoughts turned to Jareth. How they had only reconnected a few weeks ago but was now one of her closest friends. How she felt safe and happy when she was around him. She knew that he could be cruel and jaded too, but he seemed to be very content while around her.

There was also the attraction she had towards him. It was something that was undeniable, but she was sure that pretty much anyone would feel that way towards him. After all, there was something naturally alluring about Jareth. It was just so easy to flirt with him especially when he flirted back. Perhaps he had a lover or more back in the Underground.

The idea made her jab the knife down harder on the vegetables.

It was ridiculous that she even felt that way. It wasn't like they were going to date. The idea of a widow still working through trauma with her therapist being in a relationship with a fae king was laughable.

She snorted. It was probably residual dreams from when she was young. She knew her worth, that she was no less just because of her experiences, but it didn't change the fact that they each had their own responsibilities. It was a fun idea, but nothing to be taken seriously. Besides, they were having a good time as friends. There was no need to think anymore than that, it was just an attraction and friendship, no more.

After saying grace, Carol insisted that everyone go around the table and say what they were thankful for, despite the protests from little Mary that she was starving.

After the usual "I'm thankful for family" or "I'm thankful for this food," Toby said that he was grateful for the ability to go to college. To which, Elena rolled her eyes and said "Look at you, lucky that your daddy paid for your college when so many had to work themselves. Some of us can't do that."

The fact that it took this long for someone to say something this nasty was the most surprising part.

Toby clenched his fists under the table. "Yeah, I know. I am very, very lucky that my dad can pay for my education. That's why one of my many goal is to make college more accessible for people who want to go. Besides, your parents are paying for your expensive apartment and you're what, thirty-three years old now? The only reason they never paid for you to go to college was because you didn't want to go."

Allen and Carol blanched, but Elena bulldozed on. "And how would you know about that?"

"Ethan complained about it when you were thirty," Toby shot back.

"Wow, way to bring up my dead brother to win some argument," Elena snarled, making a disgusted face.

Toby clenched is teeth "You were the one who started it!" He shouted.

"That's enough," Carol said, but she was only looking at Toby, not Elena. "Sarah, you're next."

Sarah reached under the table to hold Toby's hand, showing solidarity and also to calm him. "I'm grateful for music."

"Ben?" Carol asked her grandson, not giving anyone time to react to Sarah's perfectly normal answer.

Ben was unnaturally quiet ever since Toby and Elena started to argue. Now that it was his turn, he brightened up again. "I'm grateful for Mister Jareth."

"Who?" Greg asked, his voice surprisingly sharp considering how open-minded he usually was.

"Mommy's friend."

"My friend."

Ben and Toby spoke at the same time.

Toby cleared his throat, speaking lightly. "We were friends first before he was friends with Sarah or Ben."

That was technically true, considering that Jareth more or less babysat Toby while Sarah was running the Labyrinth, the two at odds with each other.

"He helped me on Halloween," Ben recalled excitedly. "He came and watched Star Wars with us later. He comes to the house a lot. He met Mommy and Uncle Toby years and years ago!"

"We didn't reconnect until recently, he's an old friend that we met back East," Toby clarified, looking at Sarah to confirm their story.

Fuck.

For most families, they would understand that it really does mean "friend."

Not this family.

Elena wasn't smiling, but Sarah could have sworn she could see the sinister curve of her lips. "I'm interested in hearing who this Jared is."

"Jareth," Ben corrected his aunt.

Young Amy whispered something to her mother, probably because she was hungry. Phoebe, another one of Ethan's sisters, nodded. "Let's eat first."

The food was delicious, but to Sarah, it tasted like sawdust. She didn't have anything to hide, after all, she was an adult and can date whoever the fuck she wanted if that's what they were hinting it. It was, however, a little weird to be talking about dating with your late husband's family.

But even though she was only friends with Jareth, it was still the beginnings of a trust they were building with each other after years of her closing off from everyone. A friendship with him felt special and sacred, and she didn't need anyone to judge it while it was still in its infancy.

Besides, she was still battling guilt of feeling attraction towards someone else while wearing her wedding ring. Logically, there wasn't a reason why she shouldn't try to date again, but at times, it still felt like Ethan was still there.

Grief is one confusing state of being that is ever evolving.

After dinner, everyone worked to clean the dishes. That was when Elena came to voice exactly what she thought of Jareth, despite not knowing anything about him.

She took the wet pot from Sarah to dry. "So you've known this guy for a while?"

"Yeah." She offered no other explanation, even as the hairs on her neck stood up in defense.

"Years and years ago?"

"Uh huh."

"Why don't you want to talk about him?"

Sarah shrugged, pretending that she didn't want to actually stab her. "You can ask all you want, but there's nothing to talk about. He's a friend that I knew from a long time ago. I recently found out that he's in the area so he comes sometimes."

"Do you do that with all your guy friends?"

"Invite them over to spend time with me and my family for fun? Especially when they're also Toby's friend? Sure, why not?"

That conversation had a pause until they were in the living room. Carol and Phoebe were talking then suddenly stopped when Sarah and Elena came in. Sarah pretended to not notice, sitting right next to them to show that she wasn't going to sink and hide.

"Ben was telling us more about Jared," Carol started.

"Jareth," Sarah corrected her.

"So you've known him for years?"

"Listen," Sarah stopped her. "Jareth and I are just friends. He just came to visit and say hi so we spent some time together, all four of us. He has a job with refugees and children so he knows how to talk to kids."

Carol humphed at Sarah. "He seems to be spending a lot of time with my grandson."

Sarah didn't understand why this was such a big deal to them. If they cared about who was spending time with Ben, maybe they should actually spend time with him themselves. "Carol, he's always under our supervision, so if you're worried, there's no need. Sometimes he'll offer to keep Ben company while I rehearse or when Toby does homework. One of us is always there."

Carol raised her eyes. "So you don't even take care of your own son?"

Sarah knew she made mistakes with Toby when she was young. Instead of checking if he was fed or changed, she yelled and screamed for the Goblin King to take him. She fought her hardest to win him back.

With Ben, she had been so out of it after Ethan died that she would let him watch TV more than she should have while she did the bare minimum for them to survive. She wasn't perfect as a mother either.

But she took care of her son. And she would be damned before she let anyone disrespect her by claiming she did the opposite. "Says the woman who hired a nanny for all of her children. There's nothing wrong with that, by the way, I just don't see why you're judging me for how I'm raising my son."

Carol didn't seem affected by it, until one saw that the grip she had on her mug tightened. "I'm curious as to how close you are to this Jareth. From what Ben has told me, he's been in your life for a long time."

"Yeah, when we met and then we didn't see each other for like, what, twenty years? Until less than a month ago."

"Really? Because I know for a fact that you and Ethan had issues and you were alone for a time. Or so you say." She took a sip of her cocoa. Elena sat beside her, looking superior.

Sarah couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Are you for fucking real?" The last sentence came out in a high-pitch, pained whisper.

Carol put her hand on her chest, clutching her elusive pearls as she gasped. "Sarah, this isn't the first time! You will be careful of how you use language in my home!"

"Why would you say something like that?" Sarah cried. "Ethan and I loved each other. He was my first real love, and probably my last!"

She wiped the tears off her face. It wasn't that she wanted that last part to be true, but for the time being, she couldn't see it any other way. How could someone love her like that again? "We were imperfect, but we worked it through together, taking a week off for some space. You know why? Because we fought about all of you! About the way you treat me and how I didn't like it! We dragged our asses to couple's therapy and fell for each other even harder. We never, ever would have broken the vows of our marriage. Even when we dated, there was no one else. When he died, a part of me died too." She made a fist and pounded her chest, her voice breaking.

By now, the rest of the family heard what was going on. Most of them pretended to not see the sheer brokenness on Sarah's face. "I would wake up at night and scream because I have to relive it over and over. The image of his lifeless body when I identified it. Or the phone call from the funeral home asking what to do with his body. And instead of caring, you accuse me of being unfaithful to the best person I know." She lifted her sleeve, wiping across her eyes. "I love him so damn much, I'm willing to put up with this kind of crap from his family."

No one else spoke or eluded to it for the rest of the evening, except for Toby who wouldn't let Sarah out of his sight just in case he needed to defend her. A Christmas movie was put on, the children forgetting about the outburst and the adults speaking around Sarah and Toby.

On the drive home, everyone was quiet until Ben asked them a question. "Mommy, did they make you sad again?"

"Let's not talk about it hun," she said, trying to protect her son from the mess. It probably wasn't the best way to talk to him about it, but she had done it for so long. Probably going on the next list of topics she had to speak to therapist about. "Sometimes adults get in arguments. Did you like the movie?"

"Yeah," he said, even though he didn't seem too into it. "It was silly."

As Sarah was tucking him into bed, Ben leaned into her. "Mommy, I have a secret. Can I whisper it?"

Smiling, Sarah leaned over to humor her son. "What is it?"

Ben put his lips to her ear. "If you're sad, you can wish for Mister Jareth and he can help you feel better."

Sarah kissed his forehead. "Is that what he told you?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "He said that if I'm very sad, I can wish for him. I think you can do that too. I never wished for him again though because I'm not sad anymore. Goodnight, Mommy."

Sarah sighed. "Goodnight, Ben."

She sat on her bed, dressed in a matching sweatshirt and sweatpants. She did feel extraordinarily shitty. She didn't really have anyone to talk to, except Toby but he had done so much for her already. It wasn't fair to unload her burdens on him. She couldn't call her mom, that would be a mistake since Linda was probably cozying up with her own boyfriend at some high-profile party. Her father would tell her to be strong for Ben, and Karen would tell her that it was easy: to not talk to them anymore and ignore their words.

Her hands gravitated towards the crystal on her vanity. The one Jareth gave her to communicate with him. She could simply wish for him but the crystal made it easier on the magic. She held it to her chest, wanting to call him but too scared to. Too scared to let him see how vulnerable she was. Too scared to be told once again that she should just bear the insults hurled at her, lest she be labeled as too sensitive or unstable. She took the pain and buried it deep inside.

A tear fell from her lashes, splashing across the surface of the crystal. If Sarah had been looking, she would have seen it slide down, causing a glowing zig-zag line. She would have seen the whole crystal light up, if she hadn't been sobbing her heart out.

"Sarah?"

She looked up into her mirror, seeing Jareth behind her in the reflection. He was dressed in black silk pajama pants with a matching robe that opened at his chest.

Damn. Did he always have to be downright sexy? It made her sweatshirt and sweatpants feel so plain. Not to mention her bare, tear-streaked face.

"Oh, hey," she wiped her tears away, setting the crystal down and turning to face him. "Umm, what are you doing here?"

He tilted his head, confused. "You were holding the crystal. You wished that I would come."

"I didn't wish for anything."

"You wanted me to come, you made a wish in your heart even if you didn't say so out loud. That combined with holding the crystal was enough to alert me of a wish."

Sarah looked at the glowing crystal in her hands. She gently put it back on the stand. "It's nothing really, I'm just a bit upset. Sorry, I didn't realize that it would get your attention. You can go if you want."

She gave him a watery smile, then looked down at her hands, thinking that he would go so she could cry in peace. It was kind enough for him to even check up on her.

He came to her side. "What happened? It must have been horrid to make my Champion cry."

Sarah snorted but stopped when she saw how serious he was. His earnest expression made the ice around her heart melt a little more. "Well, today was Thanksgiving. My sister-in-law and mother-in-law both accused me of cheating on Ethan." The very thought made her burn with rage again. "I'm a lot of things, but I'm not a cheater. Even if I was tempted, I would feel too much guilt to even try."

"You don't have to prove anything to me," Jareth said kindly. "I believe you, you know."

She sniffed away the last remnants of her tears. "Thank you. I'm still figuring out what to do with my in-laws. I kept in contact with them because they're Ben's family. Otherwise, I don't think I would care that much about speaking to them." Now that she started, she couldn't stop. "My therapist asked me why that was so important and I said I didn't want to be blamed for Ben's estrangement from them, which of course is a selfish way to think. Then she told me that maybe I should rethink why I want Ben to keep in contact with people who treat me poorly and now I'm questioning why I do anything anymore." She scoffed sarcastically.

Jareth smirked slightly. "You say you do it for Ethan, yes?"

"Yeah, but for Ben too. But she has a point. Why do I let my son around people who treat me badly? They don't like me and I just wish they would at least be nice."

"Why don't they like you?"

"Probably because I have a fucking temper." She made a face. "Honestly? I think it's because I can't be good enough for their family. They already made their opinions of me before meeting, once learning that my mom's an actress and my parents divorced. I thought maybe something was wrong with me, but I didn't start to get mouthy with them until after I married, so it couldn't have been my temper. It was one of the reasons Ethan and I almost split, but we stuck it through. He supported me and told his family that since they didn't have an actual reason to hate me, then they need to keep their mouths shut. I haven't had an issue with them since. Until after Ethan died, that is."

She turned to see Jareth listening intently. Blushing little, Sarah said "I'm sorry for the ramblings. I didn't mean to throw that all on you. It's not exactly fair."

He smiled. "I don't mind. You offered to be a listening ear to me, and I offer you the same. As for fairness, we're just talking. You're not expecting me to solve all of your problems, nor do you ignore me when I go on my ramblings."

Sarah was surprised to feel the urge to kiss him. "I really appreciate it."

"Like you said, we're friends." There was a faraway kind of look in his eyes when he said that.

Suddenly, her bedroom just seemed way too small for the both of them to be in together. "Do you want to go to the kitchen with me? If you're not busy, that is. I really need to sleep so maybe only for half an hour or so?"

He stood, his expression inviting as he extended his hand to her. "That sounds lovely."

She got them both some hot cocoa, finding that Jareth had a sweet-tooth. He preferred it over tea or coffee, especially if she put in whipped cream and sprinkles like one would for a five-year-old. Or six-year-old, since that was the way Ben also preferred his cocoa. It was rather adorable, if she admitted it to herself.

After sitting, she held the mug in her hands to warm it up, shivering slightly from the cold but not wanting to get up to wear her fluffy socks. She stayed that way until something floated by her head.

She looked to the side, facing Jareth. Who was smiling at her. Between them was a floating crystal.

She turned her whole body towards the crystal. It wizzed around her head, stopping right in front of her nose.

She grinned. "How cute."

Sarah leaned a little forward, her nose bumping the crystal. To her surprise, the crystal popped like a soap bubble. She instantly felt warm, no longer freezing.

"Of all the words you could have used, you just had to choose cute, didn't you?" Jareth chuckled. "You could have said marvelous, fantastic, but no, you reduced it to cute."

"Are you really complaining?" Sarah raised her eyebrows, laughing with him. "How's this for a good description: Thoughtful."

"I do like that," he settled. "I'm glad that I could help."

"You do help. A lot, you know?" She stirred the cocoa. "Jareth, about everything, I want to tell you thank you."

"There's no need," he reassured her, taking out crystals to juggle them. "We are friends, and you told me that friends support each other."

"That's not all I meant," she wrapped the robe around herself even tighter. "Although yes, I am grateful for that. I also meant for what you do as Goblin King."

His eyes were filled with emotion. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, thank you for doing your best." She adjusted her chair, moving closer to him, almost touching his knee. "For taking care of lonely children who have been wished away or abandoned. Especially as it's a thankless job. Even if people don't thank you, they have been forever changed and taken care of because of what you do."

He stopped juggling, leaning back. Then swung his legs over to sit cross-legged on his chair, shoulder to shoulder with Sarah, admiring her. "That was a lot more thanks than what I've gotten for the past few decades."

Sarah playfully pushed against his shoulder with hers. "I'm sure that a lot of Wished Aways are grateful, they just don't say so because they probably think that you're too busy for them or the idea of strolling up to the castle to talk to you is a bit intimidating, you being king and all."

She had thought so before, but now, she could fully appreciate his smile, being so close to him. She understood now why people said that smiles of their loved ones took their breaths away, because she was left speechless at seeing how captivating he was.

"You know," he turned to her. "Anyone else, I would have assumed that they were just saying nice things to me. With you, I know that you mean what you say, particularly as you and I did started off on the wrong foot. Then with the two of us bickering with each other more often than cats and dogs."

Sarah laughed, remembering that these words were said by Ethan so long ago, his memory fresh today after the mess that was Thanksgiving. "Ethan said something like that too."

"Did he?" Jareth smirked. "What made him say that? Your stubborn nature?"

"Yes, actually!" Sarah pushed into his shoulder harder this time, their laughs ringing down the hallway. "On our first real date, some guy called Ethan a bunch of names just because he was wearing a pink shirt." She rolled her eyes at the memory. "I handed the guy's ass to him. Ethan told me to just leave it but I couldn't let it slide."

Jareth chuckled. "I can definitely see you doing that, especially the way you sassed me in the tunnels. What happened after that?"

"Nothing, except that Ethan asked me on another date, even though he saw how ferocious I could be." She glanced at Jareth then laughed all over again. The Goblin King, of all people, would know how ferocious she could be.

"How did you two meet?" Jareth played with a crystal again, his shoulder no longer touching hers.

Sarah couldn't help but smile at the memory. It was one of her favorite stories to tell. "Ethan was an EMT at the time -"

"What is that?" he asked her.

"Emergency medical technician. He provides emergency medical services so he was usually in an ambulance as a first responder," she clarified. "I was at a rehearsal one day in this old building, filling in as a pianist for some music group. The ceiling collapsed on us, but luckily no horrible injuries, just trapped and some of us had bruises and scratches. Ethan was one of the EMTs who came, along with the firefighters."

She could still hear Ethan's voice soothing her as he checked her for a concussion that day. They hit it off quite well, even as Ethan was trying to maintain his professionalism.

"He came to the shop I worked at a bit later, trying to get his guitar fixed. I think he wanted to ask me on a date but felt a little awkward as I was at work. It was nice to meet a guy who understood boundaries. I picked up on what he was doing and asked him to come see me perform at some gig I was covering someone for. He asked me to join him in having some coffee after that, and the rest is history."

She looked at her hand where her gold wedding ring was. She had it on for so long that she almost forgot it was there.

Jareth watched as her eyes had a wistful sheen to them, the fingers of her right hand tracing the ring as gently as one would caress the face of a loved one.

"I can tell you love Ethan very much." He turned to the window and watched as the stars gleamed against the dark sky.

Sarah found it comforting and interesting that he used the present tense instead of past tense when describing her love for Ethan. So many people in her life would correct her and it only added to her sadness. "Yes, I do. He's an easy person to love."

"How so?" He folded his arms and tilted his head curiously.

She could feel the sincerity in his questions. That he wanted to know about her. Not because he wanted to build some sort of background on her, but for her.

"He's an easygoing kind of person, with a very calm temperament which makes sense as he eventually became a paramedic. He's so much more mature than I am, taking a few minutes to think about the other person's side instead of getting prideful." She broke into a wide smile. It felt so good to talk about him to someone who cared to listen. "But best of all, he was kind and considerate. He's a wonderful husband and an even better father. He has his faults. Many, many faults." She chuckled a little to herself. "But he is a good person. One of the best."

Jareth turned himself around, facing the window. He took a big breath and looked into her eyes again. "It's a tragedy that his life ended at such a young age."

"Yeah. I wish he was still around." Her heart ached at the thought that he had missed and will continue to miss milestones in Ben's life. "In college, I made friends, but even they held me at arm's length. I may have grown up, but my love for fantasy and just being an overall kind of geek kept me from feeling especially safe with anyone. I think I tried to replace connecting with people by having meaningless sex. Then I met Ethan. Now, Ethan was a social butterfly. He made such genuine connections, and with everyone that he met. He brought that back to me, accepted me and all my weirdness. He didn't always understand, but he didn't need to. I just wanted someone who loved me for me, without strings attached."

She wondered if she was getting too jaded and broken to find that.

"And he gave me that," she found herself continuing. "He gave me new friends. He gave me him, a person and a family member that I can rely on. I mean, it wasn't always picture-perfect, but it was wonderful. I didn't want to marry until him. I had preferred to take each day as it came, but with Ethan, I really wanted a future. When he died, I isolated myself again. This time, instead of endless sex, it was ways of distracting myself and Ben. I miss him. Even if it's not for me, at least he should be here for Ben. Those two are best friends."

A comfortable silence settled between them for a few minutes before Jareth spoke again. "To love someone so wholeheartedly and to receive that same love in return, as you had, is something that I have longed for," The Goblin King said, giving her another rare glimpse of his vulnerability.

In search of new dreams, a love that will last...

The crystal dream danced in her mind, causing her to think about that instead of a response to his heartfelt comment.

After a few moment, Jareth looked down, disappointment barely hidden at her lack of response and faraway eyes. He said "I know that it's been a very long day for you and you only wanted to be out here for half an hour. I'll accompany you to your room."

Sarah wanted to kick herself. Here he was, being open to her and she couldn't say anything back.

He held his arm out and she took it. It didn't take long for them to approach her room.

"Goodnight, Sarah." He turned to leave.

"Wait!" She put her hand on his arm. Her cheeks flushed at the sound of her loud voice echoing down the hallway.

Jareth turned, eyeing her curiously as he did so.

She gave his arm a gentle squeeze. His eyebrows shot up when she did. However, he didn't move his arm away so she didn't either.

"I wanted to say this earlier, but my mind was a bit occupied at that moment," she stepped closer to him. "If you want to be loved wholeheartedly, then I'm sure you'll get your wish. Just like I said about you finding friends. You have basically forever to find that, being immortal and all."

"It's not that easy." He glanced away from her, looking like he didn't want to talk about it anymore. "Despite being king, I have had relationships, even superficial ones, fail. Not to mention an actual betrothal once. I am entertaining for a time, but not easy to love like your Ethan." His voice was resigned with a hint of bitterness, an invisible cloud casting a shadow over his eyes.

"I, of all people, understand that." She walked around so she was facing him again. "Listen, Jareth, I said Ethan was easy to love. I didn't say I am." She briefly glanced to the side, her voice amused but also sad. "I guess you and I are alike in that way."

That got his attention. He looked at her eyes again, his harsh features softening in the hallway light.

She sniffed, trying to hold her emotions in. "When you find this person, hold them tight. Tell them you love them and show it to them. Treasure them even when life gets difficult. Fight for them when they need you most."

Somehow, she went from holding his arm to placing her hand on his hand. If anything good could come out of Ethan's death, it would be for her to show that enduring love is worth fighting for.

Jareth looked down at their hands, his expression unreadable.

Suddenly, Sarah felt small again. But just as she stood against him with bravery as an adolescent, she would do so now.

Jareth gave a curt nod. She relaxed her shoulders when he squeezed her hands back. "I will. Thank you, Sarah."

His voice came out in a gentle caress, a stark contrast to his usual strong and commanding voice. He had a beautiful smile that warmed her from her head to her toes. "You're welcome. And thank you, for listening to me," she said. "Thank you for caring."

She let go of his hands and took a step to her room. "Goodnight, Jareth."

"Goodnight, Sarah. Try to sleep as much as you can tonight," he said.

Sarah nodded to him and went inside, feeling much lighter.

She didn't realize that he was still standing outside her door, wistfully staring at it for a few moments longer before disappearing back to his own world.

This story originally had a different trajectory (I'll explain it as we get to later chapters so I don't give spoilers lol), but anyway, the ending conversation is actually one of the earlier scenes I wrote for this story. Things are changing for the two of them, just a few weeks and already they're falling for each other even if they won't say it to themselves. Sarah is still dealing with her grief and a bit of guilt that she's falling for someone new, it's very normal. Not everyone does feel this way but some do, and I want you to know that if you feel this way, it doesn't make you a bad person for moving on. I also hope you can get an awesome therapist like Sarah's to help if need be. We'll also hear more of Jareth's backstory later. Thank you very much for your reviews!