Replies on chapter 20:

Helena Clara Bouchet: I know right? Karen is horrible. I'm afraid that doesn't change in this chapter, either. Unfortunately, Karen allows her jealousy to consume her. She is fueled by her hatred for Sarah's mother and therefore hates Sarah as well. Thank goodness Sarah has Diane, right? Diane is the friend we all need - especially when faced with a stepmother like Karen! Thank you so much for always leaving feedback! It means so much to me. I really hope you enjoy this chapter!

Guest: Ah yey! I'm so glad you've joined the Labyrinth Fandom! Thank you for reading and for your lovely review! I hope you'll continue to enjoy this story as it progresses! :)

AngelGlass: Awww you and your ability to make me smile :') You're so sweet. Thank you so much for reading and always taking the time to review! I love you, girl!

Cinema Nerd: Oh, what a wonderful review! Thank you so much for such lovely words. You can't begin to know what they mean to me. Especially as I don't consider myself a great writer. It means more than you know to be told such wonderful things! Thank you, truly. I really hope you enjoy this chapter :')

Annibale: Aww, thank you so much!

youcantmakemepickoneship: Ahh this review motivated me so much! I've been feeling extra lazy recently but your review was enough to get me inspired to finish this chapter and post it today! So thanks for that! Here's your update, sorry it took so long! Hope you enjoy it!


Jareth exhaled a large puff of white smoke into the already very smoky room.

Smoking was a filthy habit. One that he'd kicked in many years ago. But upon searching through some draws in his office, untouched for years, he found an old box of cigarettes which had been gifted to him by Lilium some years ago. After inspecting them closely, he found them to be in good condition even after so many years.

He'd told himself he would only smoke one, but as the evening drew nearer, he found himself slipping down into the depressive pit once again, and so he'd given in to temptation and had another.

Then another.

...and then another.

The truth was he didn't have the energy to begrudge himself the only thing that seemed to help him feel better. Even after the comforting words his parents' spirits had offered him, he still felt so broken over what had happened.

He'd not even plucked up the courage to sleep in his chambers since Sarah had left. Everything about that room reminded him of her and not being able to see her resting in their bed, or reading a book on the couch by the fire was almost too much for him to bear. And so for the last few nights he'd been sleeping in his office on the couch by the fire.

Not that sleep came to him often. Most nights he stayed awake, pacing the room restlessly until exhaustion would either force him to rest, or his owl form would take over and he'd fly off into the night air in search of some mental peace. Unfortunately, the only kind of mental 'peace' he received was when he was planning on how to bring back Lilium. In fact, he'd spent most of his days since his decision to return her home planning and scheming in his office.

His plan was far from completion, though. He was yet to figure out how to sneak into Ryrella without his magic being detected. But if nothing else, the distraction helped keep his mind from wandering back to his grief over Sarah.

A gentle tap on the door brought him back to reality. Standing, he walked to the door and pulled it open.

He wasn't unsurprised to find Aiden standing there, dressed casually in tan pants, black boots that weren't quite as long as Jareth wore himself, and with it, he wore a cream shirt coupled with a brown waistcoat, decorated plainly with matching brown buttons down the center.

Aiden blinked, taken aback by the sight of a very disheveled Jareth with a cigarette hanging out the side of his mouth. Dark bags hung under his eyes, his adviser plainly seeing his King's sleep-deprived nights. His hair was also wilder and messier than it usually was, which was saying something!

"My God, you look terrible," Aiden told him without restraint as he waved a hand in front of his face, shooing away some of the smoke. "Since when did you start smoking again?" he asked, coughing softly as his attempt to vanish the smoke failed and it crept its way into his lungs.

Jareth merely shrugged, then turned away from his adviser and approached the window by his desk, opening it wide so that the cold evening air might dance away some of the thick lingering smoke from the room.

Aiden nodded appreciatively, still coughing faintly as Jareth threw himself into the chair by the fire, lifting one leg lazily over the worn leather arm as he exhaled another cloud of smoke without a word passing his lips.

Aiden knew from his silence that he wasn't having a good day.

God, he felt bad for him. He wished he could help more, but he also knew first hand that nothing he could say would comfort him. Jareth was grieving and there was nothing he or anyone else could really do to help him but offer sympathy.

Walking over to his own, much more humble desk positioned a little further away from Jareth's. He picked up a bottle from it and poured Jareth a drink.

"This might be a foolish question," he warned as he crossed the room and passed his King the goblet of purple bubbling liquid, its strong blackberry scent wafting through the air. "...but how are you doing today?"

Jareth eyed the drink numbly for a moment before he sighed. Reaching to his left, he put out the end of his cigarette in the ashtray beside him, and then took the goblet from Aiden with thanks. "I feel the same as I have every day since she left...but you know the drill." He said glumly before he swigged back his drink.

"I understand," Aiden assured him.

"If the rules didn't go against it, I'd probably transport myself above just to make sure she's alright." He was talking to himself more than Aiden, but he answered him all the same.

"We ought to be glad of those rules at a time like this, then. Doing that would only make your situation more painful, sire. Besides, you'd exhaust yourself. Traveling between the worlds isn't as easy as it was back then."

"I know." Jareth sighed, running his fingers through his unruly hair. "My magic is much weaker now. Besides, I must conserve whatever magical energy I have for when we make our move on Ryrella."

Aiden clasped his hands together in nervousness. Despite his eagerness to bring Lilium home, he was still concerned. "I'm still apprehensive on how you're going to pull that off." He told him, truthfully.

"I'm still working out the details." Said Jareth as he adjusted his position and folded one long leg over the other. "But I'm almost certain we can do it. King Beluar has powerful magic, yes, but not powerful enough to keep us from breaking through the barrier. True, with my magic not yet completely returned, I won't be able to do it alone. But between us both, it should work easily enough. Yes, breaking the barrier will be easy. The hard thing will be trying to get into the castle without him detecting my magic. That is what makes this difficult." Jareth said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "But there has to be a way."

"Yes, well, I'm sure we'll think of something." Aiden sighed as he found himself once again taking in the troubled look on his King's tired face. "For now though, let's not think of it. It's almost dinner time. Why don't you join me and Adelaide at dinner? I'm quite aware that you've not eaten these last few days... and I insist that it'll do you good to get something in your system."

Despite his gratitude towards his adviser's concern for his wellbeing, Jareth couldn't help but feel irritated and his expression mirrored his feelings on the matter easily. "No. I couldn't possibly eat." He grumbled, settling himself back in his chair.

"Please, sire, it would mean a lot to me and Adelaide if you joined us." He pushed but was met with silence and a deep frown.

Aiden shifted in his seat. "She's missing Sarah a lot, you know..." He said, almost regretting mentioning Sarah's name when he watched waves of pain contorted his King's features. But he decided to continue on the subject, regardless.

"She used to read to Addie regularly. Often when she'd finished her chores I'd find her playing with her in the nursery. She misses her so much. She has cried herself to sleep almost every night since Sarah left."

Jareth's expression changed, then. The anger, irritation, and pain seemed to wilt away, replaced with extreme guilt. Looking up from the floor, he gazed at Aiden for a few moments before speaking. "She misses Sarah?" Jareth whispered, his voice weak and croaky, barely recognizable.

"Terribly," Aiden told him, truthfully.

Glancing away from him again, Jareth studied the pattern on the rug in front of him.

He had no desire to leave this room or to join Aiden and Adelaide for anything, let alone dinner. But after hearing how much Adelaide missed Sarah, he couldn't help but feel guilty for keeping himself away. Adelaide was a young, sweet little girl without the comfort of her mother and she needed more people in her life to fill the gaping space her mother had left.

Losing Sarah, yet another female figure in her life, couldn't have been easy. He truly didn't want the poor little thing to grieve anymore than she already had in her young life.

With his mind reluctantly changed, Jareth let out a heavy sigh. "Alright...I'll join you both for dinner. Just allow me the time to get cleaned up first. I shall not be long."

Stunned by his King's sudden change of heart, Aiden couldn't stop the smile that formed, turning up the corners of his thin lips. "Yes, of course. I'll see you soon."

Jareth nodded politely and then dismissed him.

As Aiden walked back down the hall back towards the nursery, he continued to beam. Jareth could never resist being there for children when they needed him most.

Aiden knew that he would one day make a wonderful, very doting father.

If that day ever came...


"Heavy snowstorms are expected to start on the 16th and are likely to continue on and off up until new years day."

Sarah tapped her nails against the wooden table in the kitchen as she listened to the weather reports on the radio. The fact of the matter was she cared very little about the upcoming weather but took solace in the sound of the chirpy reporter's voice ringing out in the quiet kitchen.

It was early. 6 am, to be exact.

It had been another sleepless night for Sarah. She'd tossed and turned and woken in a cold sweat after a night terror and a bout of nausea washed over her. Not wanting to wake Diane as she had for the last couple of days, Sarah had made her way downstairs where she could be alone for a while before her family woke once more.

Picking up a teaspoon, Sarah put it into the jar of honey before her, swirling it around in the golden goodness before she scooped up a generous amount and began stirring it into her herbal tea.

Coffee made her feel queasy, so herbal tea had been an absolute lifesaver for her these last few days. She drank it every morning and it helped her stomach settle down a little bit.

Ever since she'd been back in her own world, she really hadn't been feeling well. At first, she'd expected it had something to do with her heartbreak, but again, why would heartache cause her to gag at even the thought of food? She didn't truly know the answer to it, but she didn't have the mental energy to concern herself with her health, right now. So for now, she would continue to avoid the food and drink that made her want to vomit and continue drinking her special tea.

Sighing as the weather reporter continued, Sarah gazed out of the double glass doors which lead out into the back yard.

It had been snowing most of the night and the ground had a fresh blanket of snow covering it, hiding away any traces of the luscious green grass from her view.

Try as she might to stop, Sarah continued to found her mind wandering back to the Underground. Was it still snowing there? Or had it stopped now? It had certainly been very snowy before she had left, so she wouldn't have been the least bit surprised it was indeed snowing there, too.

Sarah swallowing hard against the lump that ached in her throat, she tried to push her thoughts of the Underground away. She'd only make herself feel worse if she continued to visit it in her mind, and she didn't wish to feel any worse than she did already. As if it wasn't bad enough that her dreams were haunted by his image and by the memories she'd once shared with him and her friends in the Underground.

The kitchen door creaked open behind her and Sarah watched as her stepmother entered the room, switching on the bright light as she did so.

Karen let out an irritable sigh when she spotted Sarah sat at the breakfast table, clasping a mug of herbal tea in her hands.

Almost every morning since she had been home, Karen had come down to find her sat in the darkness of the kitchen with only quiet sounds coming from the radio.

It annoyed her, honestly. The kitchen was her favorite space in the mornings and now it was never empty.

Making her annoyance known, Karen huffed and folded her arms over her chest, standing right before Sarah with her disapproval all over her face. "Let me guess... you couldn't sleep?"

Sarah shook her head but refused to meet Karen's gaze, so she gazed into her cup instead, swirling the contents around slowly.

"Why don't you go and watch some television or something? You can't always be in the kitchen. You know I have to make breakfast and set the table before everyone gets up." She continued, reaching over and switching off the radio as a song started.

Sarah decided not to argue when that heavy wave of nausea washed over her again. Getting up, she exited the kitchen without so much as a whisper, which only seemed to anger Karen more.

How dare Sarah not even mutter a word. The girl had no manners whatsoever.


Taking a seat on the couch in the lounge, Sarah cuddled up with a soft blanket.

She hated it when Karen got up early, which was most days, unfortunately.

Sharing a room with Diane meant she had no place to be alone with her thoughts. In many ways that was a good thing, and in others, it was extremely difficult for her. She'd always been the kind of girl that needed her own space, especially when she was upset or going through a difficult time.

Sighing, Sarah decided not to pout about it anymore. There was nothing she could do about it so she would have to get used to her current arrangement and just hope that things got better as time passed.

Grabbing the remote, she switched on the television, flicking through the channels until she found the early morning cartoons. She hadn't watched television in such a long time and it felt oddly foreign to her. It took more than a while to be able to focus on what she was watching, but soon her old interest in cartoons returned somewhat, and she found herself enjoying the light-hearted trash that she occupied her mind with.

A big comfort to her was knowing that Toby would soon be up. He would likely grab a bowl of cereal and then he would join her on the couch until he had to get ready for school. It had been their morning routine almost every day since she'd been home and every morning she found herself looking forward to the little time they spent together before he'd be rushed off to school.

It had been a wonderful relief to Sarah when she'd been reunited with her brother again. She hadn't been sure what he would think of her since she hadn't been a part of his life in two years. But Toby had been anything but bitter. Instead, he'd embraced her tightly, telling her much he'd missed her and about all the things he'd been doing since she left. After that, he'd rushed up the stairs and brought down all of his favorite new toys that he'd received for his seventh birthday only a few months ago.

Sarah had been more than a little shocked to know that Toby was seven now. She found it extremely hard to get her head around the time difference between her world and the Underground. She remembered very vividly crying on Toby's fifth birthday while she worked in the castle because she had known that she couldn't be with him. And to think she hadn't known then that she would be missing out on so much more than just his fifth birthday. It did make her sad that she'd missed out on that time with him, but she tried not to dwell on lost time. She could never bring it back again, after all, and to mourn it wouldn't change anything.

Half an hour later Robert descended the stairs. He smiled warmly when he spotted Sarah cuddled up on the sofa with a cartoon on the television. Every day since his daughter had been home he had loved getting up and finding her here either by herself or with Toby. It had been something she had done when she was a teenager and he'd found he'd missed it when she had moved away.

Walking in, he smiled at her. "Good morning, honey. How are you feeling?" He asked as he adjusted his cufflinks.

Sarah smiled weakly at her father as she watched him walk towards her. She found herself wishing almost daily that he didn't have to work so often. He had been nothing but kind and caring towards her since she had been back but aside from breakfast time, she barely saw him from one day to the next.

"Hey, Dad, I'm okay."

"Lies," He said, shocking her with his ability to read her better than she'd expected. He took a seat beside her on the couch. "You look very pale..." Sarah didn't miss the concern laced in his tone. She knew her father was worried about her and she hated that she couldn't hide how she felt from him.

"I didn't sleep so well last night," Sarah said, brushing it off so he wouldn't worry about her too much.

"You haven't slept well since you've been home, have you?"

Although she was loathed to admit it, she shook her head. "No, but please don't worry about me, Dad."

Robert reached over and gently clasped her hand in his own. "Asking me not to worry is an impossibility, sweetheart. You are my princess. I neglected you once before, I won't ever do that again."

Sarah swallowed hard as a regretful, pained look shone in her father's green/grey eyes. "Dad, you didn't neglect me-"

"Yes, I did. When you were a child I was never around to be there for you. Not even when your mother left... I was so consumed by my own grief that I didn't even think about how difficult that must have been for you. And me – j-just letting you move to another country with a man I'd never even met before, that was completely stupid of me! I've neglected you. I've failed you so badly." He lowered his head in shame, squeezing her hand gently in his own.

Blinking back tears, Sarah spoke up softly. "You knew there was no point in trying to stop me from leaving...I'd have gone without any consent and you knew that."

Robert chuckled softly."You are your mother's daughter that's for sure." Looking into her face again, he exhaled softly. "You are so strong and so determined just like she was... nothing stood in her way, not even her family." He reached forward, gently brushing some dark hair from his daughter's face. "That's why it breaks my heart to see you so broken when you're normally so strong. Honey, what did that man do to make you this despondent?"

Sarah swallowed hard at the mention of him. She gazed down at her hands for a few moments to contemplate her response, but how was she supposed to reply to such a question? Hadn't she made it obvious that she didn't want to talk about Jareth? She'd been avoiding her father's questions about him and their breakup for days now, but apparently he still hadn't got the message.

"I am strong. I've never stopped being strong, Dad. But you have to try and understand that what we had wasn't some silly teenage romance. I know it's hard for you to get that, but that's the truth. What we had was a powerful, loving relationship..." Shaking her head as a tear trickled down her cheek, she let out a shaky sigh. "Or at least I thought it was... but I was wrong. And I guess I'm just wondering how I'll go on in life without my heartbeat."

To say Robert was shocked by his daughter's words would be an understatement. Sarah had never been so open about her feelings before. Not ever. It touched Robert's heart to know that she was telling him how she truly felt for once.

Wiping her tears away, he cupped her face in his hands. "I understand that pain, honey, I do." He whispered, his voice laced with emotion. "When your mother left me she took a big part of me with her. But this Jared - or whatever his name is - he doesn't deserve you or the feelings you had for him. He never did! The guy's a sweet-talking son of a bitch!" he swore sharply under his breath.

Sarah had known this side of her Dad was going to come out, eventually. After all, she'd come home so suddenly and with such a broken heart, it was no surprise that he would be angry at Jareth for what he'd done to her.

"Dad, please... I don't want to talk about this anymore." She pleaded, knowing that she could no longer take where this conversation was leading.

Robert sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I'm sorry...it just breaks my heart to see what he's done to you. I swear if I ever see him I'll-"

"Morning!" Diane chirped in a sing-song voice as she entered the room, fully dressed for work. She'd applied some light makeup and tied her hair back into a messy bun.

Sarah let out a sigh of relief when she saw her friend but Robert was irritated.

He needed to talk to Sarah properly about all this but every time he attempted to, she'd either ask him to stop, or they'd get interrupted.

Still, he realized that perhaps now wasn't the right time to get into such a deep conversation. He had work in less than an hour and he hadn't even had breakfast yet. So this time he'd let it go. But he mentally reminded himself to get a few days off work next week. If Sarah wasn't going to open up to him about what had happened at home, then maybe it was time to try a different approach and take her away for the weekend or something. Spending some quality time with her would surely help her to open up to him about it all.

With his mind made up on the matter, he let out a heavy sigh and stood. "Good morning, Diane. Shall we all go and have breakfast together? Smells like Karen's been a busy woman." He said as the smell of french toast wafted through the air and made his stomach grumble.

"Sounds great to me!" Diane agreed, but her smile faded when she looked at Sarah and noticed the tears in her eyes. She looked as if she was going to break down at any given moment.

"You go on ahead and we'll join you in a moment." Said Diane as she approached Sarah.

Robert simply nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

The second they heard the door latch, Sarah burst into tears. Diane was immediately at her side, gently rubbing her back to comfort her. "What happened?" She asked softly.

Sarah hid her face in her hands and sobbed softly, her shoulders hitching. "Dad - questions." She choked between sobs.

Diane sighed. "He's just worried about you, Sar." She said, offering Sarah the box of Kleenex.

Sarah pulled a tissue from the box and blew her nose. "It's too soon... I need time." She explained, fighting hard to try and calm down.

"I know... but try to understand how hard it is for him to see you like this. You were never the kind of girl that mourned guys after breaking up. I mean, you barely dated anyone but even when you did, you barely even got to second base with them. Not even with your ex-boyfriend and you were with him for a year!"

Sarah swallowed hard but said nothing.

"Look, what I mean is this; you're very different from what you were when you left and it's hard for your father to see such a drastic change in you. When you broke up with Mark you didn't even shed a tear, so to see you so upset after this breakup; it makes him worry and wonder why it's affected you so much."

"It's affected me so much because I loved him! I was going to be his wife! And I can never tell Dad about it because he would never believe me if I tell him about the Labyrinth or about anything that happened!"

"I know." Diane pulled Sarah into another hug, then. "I'll talk to him about asking you questions if you want... I'll ask him to give you time to get over it, okay?"

"Thank you..." She whispered, hugging Diane back tightly.


A few moments later, Toby trotted down the stairs. He was dressed in his flannel pajamas and clasped tightly under his arm was Lancelot, the teddy bear Sarah had given him after her trip to save him through the Labyrinth. He rushed into the lounge where Sarah sat alone. Diane had just left her to join their parents for breakfast, making Sarah promise that she would join them when she managed to calm down a bit. The reality was that Sarah didn't want to eat, but also didn't want the aggravation of telling them all that she wasn't hungry, especially as it had been some days since she'd had a proper meal. She knew they'd been keeping an eye on what she ate, her father in particular. Several times a day he would comment on her weight and tell her she needed to eat more. He just didn't understand her issue. She wasn't starving herself deliberately to gain attention. Hell, she'd tried so hard to eat the dinner Karen had made for them yesterday, but it had only resulted in her spending half the night with her head resting on the toilet seat.

None of this she could tell him, though. He would only worry more if he knew she couldn't keep anything down.

Toby stood in the doorway and watched as Sarah let out a shaky breath, wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her sweater. He knew she hadn't noticed him standing there, so he walked in.

"Sarah?" His big blue eyes widened with concern for his sister when he noticed the slight trembling in her hands as she pulled a strand of hair behind her ear.

Sarah sniffed and looked up when she heard him. Gazing over at her brother, she studied the expression on his face and immediately offered a smile to ease him. "Hey, Tobes," she whispered, motioning for him to come over.

With a frown, he approached her, allowing her to pull him into a tight hug once he was nearer to her.

"Why are you crying, Sarah?" he asked even as Sarah continued to hold him in her arms, clutching him as if he would disappear when she let go.

"I'm just feeling a bit sad today..." She told him, deciding it would be nice to be honest with him. Well, as honest as she could be.

"Is it because I slept in late?" He asked, lowering his head in shame. "I slept through the alarm."

Sarah couldn't help but smile. "No, Toby, of course not."

"Weren't you lonely without me?" He asked, surprised that her sadness was not caused by his late rising.

Sarah smiled, gently raking her fingers through his blonde wavy hair. "Yeah, I was a little, but now that you're here I won't be lonely anymore."

Toby's eyes lit up and he grinned at her, but his expression fell again when he noticed another tear sliding down his sister's cheek. "Then why are you still crying?" He asked again, innocently. "Aren't you happy now?" He used Lancelot's paw to wipe away her tear, causing a watery giggle to slip past her lips before she buried her face in his shoulder again. "I guess I just need to cry for a bit before I can be happy again."

Toby's arms around her tightened. "Then I'll hug you until you feel happy again, okay?"

"Okay..." she whispered, her voice muffled against his shoulder.

Even though he was a little older now, Toby still had an innocence to him that most his age would likely have already lost. She doubted that any boy of seven would share a moment like this with a sister that hadn't been in his life for two years. To say she was grateful for the love he so effortlessly showered her with would be an understatement. Every second that Toby hugged her and loved her so unconditionally, she would cherish.


After cleansing himself, Jareth dressed in his warmest black pants and matching tall boots. On his upper body, he wore an overly large black shirt and a leather vest that fastened together with leather ties down his torso. To complete the look, he wore his favorite black leather gloves; they were worn, soft, and buttery after many years of wear. And, of course, he wore his amulet. But that was nothing different for he was never without it, not even when he slept.

Jareth sighed as he regarded his reflection through the glass of the mirror. Starring back at him was a man whose frown was so deep; it aged his face far beyond his years. And in his eyes, he saw flickers of deep sadness, pain, and regret, all of which had been mostly brought about by his own foolish mistakes.

A rather irritable sigh rushed past his lips as raked a hand through his spiky hair which stuck out in all manner of directions around his angular face.

Even when he tidied himself up, he still looked messy, he realized. Not that that had ever mattered to him before. He had always looked this way, so why was he finding fault in his appearance only now?

He already knew why he was allowing such petty things to enter his mind. The truth was, he was procrastinating.

He was in no hurry to join his dear adviser and his little daughter for dinner, not when he had no desire for company or nourishment. He had fought hard against the desire to wallow in the bleakness of his sorrow, but that was proving to be impossible. But it mattered very little what he wanted right now. He'd made a promise to join Aiden and Addie for dinner, and so that was exactly what he was going to do. Aiden and Adelaide needed him. They needed his company just as he needed solace. But he'd spent too much time thinking of what he needed. Now it was time for him to be unselfish.

"Be kind to your subjects; to your friends. You'll be surprised at the joy you'll find in doing things for others." His mother's voice would remind him.

Gazing at his reflection as he adjusted his gloves in the mirror, the Goblin King shook his head a little, watching as his dulled down hair sprung back to life again, little wisps of blonde tickling his face.

It was time. Time to force himself to smile again, just for a short while.


Jareth had barely raised his hand to knock when the oak door creaked open, revealing Aiden, dressed in the same clothes he'd seen him in earlier, only he'd removed his waistcoat and his hair had been let down from the ponytail he usually kept it in.

"Your Majesty, I'm so glad you did not change your mind to join us." He bowed politely even as Jareth motioned for him to rise. "Such formalities aren't necessary among us this evening, Aiden," Jareth assured him with a smile.

Aiden simply nodded and stepped aside, inviting Jareth into chambers. Upon entering, Jareth glanced around at the familiar room filled with the Aboveground Victorian furniture that he remembered so well despite it being some years since he'd re-acquainted himself with these rooms. Even when he'd banished Aiden many years ago, never once after his departure had he set foot in these chambers. Their shattered friendship had him too angry to even think of him, so the rooms had been left untouched until he'd returned.

"Will you allow me to tempt you to a glass of peach wine?" Aiden asked as he ushered Jareth to the best seat he owned which was right beside the roaring fire.

Lowering himself into the chair, Jareth shook his head. "No, thank you. Just some water please if you have some." Although tempted, Jareth could not face the emotions that would likely surface if he tasted peaches; the connection to them and his dear Sarah still too great.

Although somewhat puzzled by Jareth's request for water, Aiden didn't ask him why. "Of course, I'll be right back. Addie, come and say hello to Jareth." He called to Adelaide, who Jareth was yet to see.

When Adelaide did not answer, Aiden frowned and called for her again, but Jareth stood. "May I go and get her?" He asked.

"Certainly." Aiden agreed without hesitation.

Jareth walked towards the door, gently pushing it open and stepping into the bed-chamber that Aiden shared with Adelaide.

The room was smaller than he'd expected, but that only made it feel more intimate, which Jareth found he actually quite liked. The room was bathed in a warm golden glow that was cast out across the floor from the light of the fire that burned brightly in the hearth.

Jareth had never been in this part of Aiden's room before, he realized as he admired the four-poster bed, dressed pleasantly with light green curtains at each post, the bed covers and pillows matching them perfectly in both shade and material.

Looking around again it didn't take more than a second for Jareth to stop the large oil painting above the fire of a woman whose smile radiated out like a warm hug, the entire room seemingly protected by her watchful gaze.

Jareth knew right away that the woman in the portrait was Aiden's dearly departed wife and for a moment he found himself wishing that he had thought to commission someone to paint Sarah for him so that a part of her would always grace the castle.

His thoughts of Sarah and paintings were soon interrupted by the sound of soft sniffling coming from the room just across from where he stood.

Jareth immediately remembered why he'd ventured here, and he crossed the room, knocking softly on the door. "Adelaide?" He called to her, the gentleness in his voice somewhat surprising even to his ears.

Adelaide did not answer him, but Jareth was not looking for an answer. Nudging the door open with his foot, he found Adelaide sat on her small bed, decorated with frilly pink fabrics. In her hands, she held a teddy bear made from fabrics that Jareth was almost certain he recognized.

Big tears ran a race down her chubby cheeks and she wiped them away with the back of her hand.

It took only three or four steps to be at her side. The room was small, that was to be sure. "What's wrong, little one?" Asked Jareth as he gently tucked a dark ringlet behind her ear.

The toddler gazed up at him with big grey eyes filled to the brim with tears. "Sawah gone!" She wailed and then proceeded to babble nonsensical sentences that Jareth could barely make out, save for the mention of the goblin's being sad, more particularly Ellie, the goblin that acted as Adelaide's nanny when Aiden was busy.

Jareth continued to listen regardless of whether he could understand her babbling or not. Sometimes this was all a child needed - an ear to listen without the offer of a solution to the issue at hand.

Although it had been many years since Jareth had cared for a child, he was still very familiar with child care. He'd always been excellent with babies and toddlers in particular and was often praised for his ability to bring a child to such ease just by being near it for a short while.

Being sat here now, with little Adelaide off-loading all her woes to him, made him realize just how much he missed his job.

Children were seldom wished away to him now. Not since Sarah had beaten The Labyrinth. Though he doubted that she had anything to do with it. Times had just changed. People barely read fairytales anymore, let alone making wishes to goblin kings to take away their babies.

Feeling a little better after her cry, Adelaide stole a glance at the man who sat beside her; the soft brush of his leather gloves against her chubby cheeks as he whipped away her remaining tears comforted her.

Jareth offered her a warm smile. "There, now... all better." He said as he brought his hand back to rest on his knee. "It's not easy to be without those who made our lives brighter, Addie. But all we can do when they leave us is remember them. Love them from afar and hope that one day, your paths might just cross again."

Adelaide sniffed, and then nodded her head, her ringlets bouncing about her face.

"Now, what do you think about us having something to eat together, hmm?"

Adelaide agreed, but instead of rushing from the room like he'd expected her to, she instead threw herself into his arms, knocking the breath from his lungs. She fully expected him to carry her to dinner.

Luckily, Jareth was only too happy to oblige and he chuckled as he stood, sliding the toddler over to rest on his right hip. Fortunately, she was still small and very light, so carrying her was effortless.

"What about this toy of yours? Are you bringing it with you?" he asked as he bent to retrieve the toy bear that she'd dropped when he'd maneuvered her onto his right.

He furrowed a brow as he inspected it closely. It really wasn't the kind of toy that could be found in the Underground. It was unusual, made from odd scraps of material and not the kind of material that was popular here in the Underground. It had little black buttons for eyes and a soft fleecy heart shape sewn into the middle of its chest.

A sad smile tugged at his lips when a realization hit him. The toy bear had been hand-crafted by Sarah, using her old clothes from the Above. Her favorite jeans, her t-shirt, even the fluffy blanket she'd brought from home...

Sarah had truly believed she wouldn't be needing them again, hadn't she?

The bittersweet feeling made itself known in his heart and guilt swept through him.

"My beloved Sarah, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, she can have dinner too!" Adelaide chirped in his ear, any traces of her sad mood now long gone. Her voice shook Jareth from his thoughts, and he managed to smile at the child in his arms as he handed her back the toy bear. "Indeed. You must take very special care of him." He said as he carried her into the sitting room where Aiden was likely awaiting them.

"It's a girl, her name is Sawah." Adelaide corrected him.

Jareth smiled sadly. "Yes... of course, it is."


Breakfast had passed by awkwardly for Sarah.

Robert and Karen had spoken of their plans for the day which had resulted in a little argument between them.

Robert had expressed his desire to take a few days off the following week to spend time with Sarah and Karen had flipped out about it.

Usually, Karen was good at keeping herself calm even if she didn't approve of her husband's decisions, but today her temper had boiled over and she'd lashed out in front of all of them.

Robert had been un-phased by it, perhaps it wasn't the first time he'd seen his wife get upset like this, but Toby and Diane had watched with wide eyes as Karen went on and on about how unnecessary it was to take time off work just to spend time with his daughter, who 'was old enough to take care of herself and was only acting up to get attention'.

Robert had merely assured her, very calmly, that that was not the case.

Sarah couldn't deny feeling like a stranger. They spoke of her as an outsider, as if she wasn't in the room sat at the table with them. Her younger self would likely have gotten upset and angry about it. Once she'd have probably tried to defend herself against the things her stepmother accused her of. But Sarah wasn't like her old self, right now. She'd lost the fire that flared to life inside her to fight, she realized. Whether it was due to her heartbreak or her maturity, she wasn't sure. She briefly wondered, though, if it would ever return.

Diane had watched her closely from the opposite side of the table the entire time. Sarah wasn't sure if it was to try and offer her comfort, or if she was waiting to see if she would suddenly snap and defend herself. Maybe both.

Eventually, Robert and Karen settled their disagreement and breakfast concluded in silence save for the gentle clatter of knives and forks against the plates as they ate. Even Toby didn't speak, not even when Robert excused him from the table and told him to go and get ready for school.

It had been some hours since breakfast, now. Toby was at school, her father and Diane at work, and Karen had gone out to run a few errands.

It was the first time Sarah had had the luxury of being home alone. She'd expected a great relief to fall upon her, but unfortunately, that was not to be. Her mind had raced from memory to memory, hindering her every thought until she could scarcely see through her tears.

The emotional outburst cost her and she spent a good hour bringing up the little food she'd consumed at breakfast. It left her dizzy and weak, forcing her into bed before midday had even approached.

She slept deeply for hours, only waking when she heard the faint sound of Diane's voice, pleading for her to wake.

Sarah's eyes fluttered slowly open. The world around her was still a haze and it took a few moments before her vision cleared. When it did, she was met with the vision of her friend, her expression fraught with concern as she tightly clutched her hand.

"What happened?" Sarah asked her voice croaky from sleep.

"You tell me! My god, Sarah, I came back for my lunch break and found you like this but I thought nothing of it then, but coming back now and finding you asleep still - I was so worried! I've been trying to wake you up for ten minutes!"

Sarah stared at Diane in disbelief. "Ten minutes? Wait, what time is it?"

"It's half-past three! Sarah, what's going on?"

"I...I don't know..."

Diane helped her to sit up in the single bed, placing another pillow behind her back to help support her weight. "What do you mean you don't know? Sar, you're freaking me out."

Sarah rubbed her forehead, desperately trying to think past the thunderous headache that pounded in her skull. It was as if her memories of the day's events had slipped out of her head and ran off! She could barely recall waking up this morning.

"I'm sorry, I just... I don't remember." She sighed. "I probably just got really tired and decided to come back to bed. You know I haven't been sleeping well recently."

Diane didn't look satisfied with that answer. "Maybe... but it is weird that you don't remember anything."

Sarah shrugged and reached for the tall glass of fresh water that sat on her bedside table. "I'm just not myself at the moment...I mean, I barely know left from right!" She chuckled, brushing off the entire incident to reassure her friend. "I'm sure there's a simple explanation."

Reluctantly, Diane let it go. Perhaps Sarah was right. Maybe she really had just felt tired and slept so deeply that her mind had become disorientated.

As they began a light conversation, Sarah swallowed hard. She tried hard to be rid of the feeling that something most unusual had happened. Something she knew she should remember...

Everything's dancing.

Perched on a skeletal branch outside her bedroom window with a darkening sky behind him sat a Raven. Its eyes a piercing shade of golden. It watched the two women thoughtfully before it flapped its wings and flew off into the night...


AN: So the ending of this chapter turned out a little different from what you expected, right? Do any of you guys have any ideas on what's going on with Sarah? Do you know why a Raven watched her through her bedroom window? Let me know what your thoughts are!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I've worked hard on improving my writing recently, which is why this chapter came out a little later than I anticipated. It seems I'm never quite satisfied with what I've written, though, but perhaps that's because I've been working on this too long.

Anyway, do let me know what you thought of it, and let me know what you're hoping to read in the next chapter!

As always, thank you to all of you who have reviewed and favorited! I cannot deny how inspired I get to start writing more after receiving a review! You guys make my day every time.