A/N: Thanks for all your comments! Toby has no idea what he's asking for...

Disclaimer: Labyrinth is not mine.

Chapter 2: The Bargain

Sarah spun at the sound of his unmistakable lilt, perfected to simultaneously ensnare and alarm. He was easy to spot, leaning gracefully against the side of her hallway, one leather boot propped against her wall and his arms crossed as if feigning boredom. His head-to-toe armor of black shone in sharp contrast to the pale silk of his hair and her pasty plastered walls. Not turned toward her, but confronting her all the same.

She steeled herself. She was no longer a child and she would not be intimidated by some faerie child snatcher. "I wasn't trying to attack you, Goblin King."

He pushed off the wall. "Really," he drawled, sounding less than convinced. "Then I assume this was all another mistake on your part? I'd have thought you'd learned better."

Sarah held her ground as he stalked towards her, a strange lift teasing at his lips, as if he found her folly amusing. He stopped a foot from her, arching one peculiar eyebrow and twisting his wrist. "Or perhaps you have, and have reconsidered my offer?"

She scowled at the crystal he proffered. "I didn't call you for me," she emphasized clearly.

A wolfish grin graced his face. "You called me, precious."

"For me!" Toby shouted, charging through the door.

"Toby," Sarah hissed, trying to get him to turn around.

But, of course, it was too late. Toby, persistent – and idiotic - as he was, had already stormed from her kitchen to present himself to the Goblin King. Sarah about had an aneurysm when Toby stuck his hand out to shake.

"Toby Williams," he offered simultaneously.

The Goblin King looked him up and down once, not lifting a glove. Then, he grinned again and pulled his eyes back to Sarah. "Have you decided it was a mistake to rescue him after all?"

"She didn't wish me away this time," Toby answered, still holding out his hand amiably. "I asked her to call you."

"Did you."

Toby finally dropped his hand when he realized his greeting would remain unanswered. "Yeah, I need a favor. Sarah told me about what happened. I know you are the King of the Goblins. I need to borrow one."

The Goblin King blinked once, then looked at Sarah again. "I know you were an abysmal sitter, Sarah, but I never thought you'd drop the boy so violently on his head."

Her eyes narrowed tighter. "Believe me, I tried to talk him out of this."

"I have a good reason," Toby jumped in, pulling out something from his pants pocket and showing it to the king. "This is Dylan Olson. He's the son of our representative. My office thinks he's been kidnapped by this cult that worships faeries and goblins. We really need to get someone in there to find out what they know."

Something dark passed across the Goblin King's face. "I do not kidnap children, boy," he sneered, and the air sparked. "I take only that which is offered to me."

"That's n-not," Toby sputtered, but Sarah pulled him back behind her before he could finish.

"He's not accusing you," she exclaimed, pushing Toby back farther towards the front door. "I told you this was a mistake," she hissed back to her brother before turning to the king again. "Just forget I called. Leave."

The Goblin King considered her demand for a long moment before responding with a feral grin. "No."

It was Sarah's turn to sputter, but she recovered quickly. "What do you mean, 'no'."

He only grinned wider. Then, without knowing how she got there, Sarah found herself falling sideways onto her battered couch. She pushed herself up quickly, but it took her a moment to realize the Goblin King had moved closer to the door, backing Toby inches from it.

"What is it that you want?" He drawled.

Oh, shit. "Toby—"

But her brother hadn't seemed to hear her because he quickly responded to the king. "I need to borrow a goblin. One that can go undercover for my office." He said it clearly this time.

"That can be arranged," he remarked, and Sarah could hear the grin in the roll of his tongue. "What favor will you grant me in return?"

His ask snapped Sarah to attention and she tried to leap from the couch, but found herself unable to pull herself from the fabric. "Don't make a d—" But the warning was somehow snatched from her lips.

Toby was oblivious to it all. "What do you want?"

"Lodging." He hadn't hesitated, clearly set on the demand.

What?

Toby seemed just as confused. Sarah saw him tilt his head to the side, forehead pinched. "You want…a house?"

"The goblin will need to be monitored at all times. I can't have him wandering off in your world. I want you to grant me lodging."

Sarah instantly caught his slight of words but her muscles refused to move. Somehow, the king who wasn't supposed to have power over her had paralyzed her. On her own couch. There was nothing she could do but hope that Toby heard the danger in his ask and wouldn't fall into the trap.

Toby was a cop; surely, he'd heard that the king hadn't requested lodging for the goblin.

"Oh, right," Toby exclaimed, as if his ask was an obvious want. He scratched at his neck and winced. "I don't have my own place yet but Sarah has an extra bedroom she can spare."

NO! Jesus CHRIST, Toby. He was even more careless than she thought.

"Then we have a deal," the Goblin King almost crooned. "Sarah will host for as long as the goblin is needed."

And then Sarah watched in abject horror as her brother finally got the handshake he'd sought. There was nothing she could to stop the curl of gloved fingers or protest to the king that this apartment was hers and absolutely not something Toby could barter with.

His subsequent turn of his head was victorious. "I'll return soon, Sarah."

And she watched him disappear, the smirk still on his lips.

"Shit."

"Sarah?"

Sarah realized immediately that she'd said it aloud. When the Goblin King vanished, apparently so too had her invisible bonds. She leapt up to meet Toby, struggling over an indescribable need to simultaneously strangle him and drive them both as far away from her apartment as possible. He couldn't stay with her if he couldn't find her. And she damn well was not going to host the Goblin King.

"We've got to leave. Now," she ordered, grabbing his arm and reaching for her car keys off the hook on the wall. "He'll be back soon."

Toby yanked his arm back, looking at her as if she was insane. "What are you freaked about? He's just bringing the goblin."

"Jesus, Toby. You just offered him my extra bedroom. He said nothing about keeping the goblin here."

Toby was quickly perfecting his look of confusion. "I don't know what you're talking about. He wanted the goblin monitored and I said you had a spare room."

"He may have mentioned not wanting the goblin wandering off, but he asked for lodging for himself. His exact words were 'I want you to grant me lodging.'"

She let it hang in the air until she saw Toby's eyes widen. Now he hears it.

"But, that's not what I meant!" He insisted.

"What's said is said," a cultured voice cut in, his remark an odd mix of derision and amusement.

The hairs on the back of Sarah's neck prickled. He was already back? That couldn't have been more than a minute. Not even enough time to unlock and re-lock her front door if she'd tried to leave.

She took a deep breath and turned to him with the fiercest look she could muster. "Your deal is void. This is not Toby's apartment and he can't bargain it away."

He canted his head, grinning. "I don't know why you'd think that matters. The boy was not yours to bargain away either. I was offered lodging and I accepted." He waved a hand. "I don't much care who owns the property."

"If you don't care, choose a different property," she grit out.

He chuckled then. "But then Sarah dear, the boy would not have his goblin." And before Sarah could protest further, she saw him snap his fingers and a brownish something popped into existence by his side. "You still need him, I assume."

"I do not," she replied sharply.

"I was not asking you, Sarah," he said, arching a brow. "The bargain is not yours."

Sarah snapped her eyes to Toby, trying to send him some of her good sense. Trying to force him to see this was not a fair bargain and was instead an excruciatingly terrible idea. It wasn't even comparable to what she'd done to him twenty years ago, as that lasted only half a day. But he only grinned apologetically at her.

Damn it.

"Can he spy for us? Ask questions without seeming suspicious?"

"You'll need to make it very clear to him what you need him to do, but Grog should have no trouble if you do."

Despite the insanity of the situation, Sarah snorted. "Grog?"

His look to her was piercing, but he turned back to Toby without giving her a word. "I would also recommend you keep him away from your ale."

"Got it," Toby nodded, bending over and extending his hand again. "Thanks for helping, Grog."

Grog took a sideways look at Toby's hand. And then he licked it.

"Hey!" Toby pulled back his hand immediately and rubbed it on his pants.

The Goblin King flashed his grin. "I wouldn't keep your hands too close, either."

"This is a mistake, Toby," Sarah cut in. "There's no way this goblin is going to be any help to you. Just look at him," she cried, noticing the goblin had started to lick his own hand now.

She was glad to see Toby finally looked hesitant about his plan. He had to see that an alcoholic, hand-licking spy wouldn't do him any good. "Just tell your boss you'll find a cop or something to send in. He'll understand."

Toby squatted down, still eying the goblin closely. "Can you listen closely and remember what people say? Ask a few questions?"

Grog nodded enthusiastically. "'Course!"

Sarah rubbed at a temple and groaned. Toby was as stubborn as her when he got an idea stuck in his head. He'd have to realize the absurdity of his plan on his own. She watched in disgust as the goblin started on his other hand, ignoring her brother again.

With Grog as the spy, she thought it possible the realization would come quickly.

"Great, then we're all set." Toby stood, gesturing at Grog while he turned to Sarah. "I'll take him to the station. My boss will want to prep him asap." He grimaced and mumbled to himself. "It might take all night."

"Can you, I don't know, make him blend in or something?" Toby asked the king. "My car isn't close and I don't want to blow the op."

The king raised an eyebrow, likely confused by Toby's lingo, but wasted no time in calling a crystal. He offered it to Toby. "When he needs to be hidden, wish it so. The humans won't notice him if you do so."

Sarah reached to pull Toby's arm back, but he was quicker. "Toby."

"Jeez, Sarah. Take it easy," he said, holding the crystal in both hands. "It's not a grenade. C'mon, Grog. I wish you were hidden."

Sarah stumbled, suddenly looking at a nondescript looking man with messy brown hair who she knew was not a man. Said 'man' was still licking his hand. But Toby just grabbed hold of his coat sleeve and dragged the man-goblin to the front door. "Bye, Sarah!"

"Toby!"

But he was already out the door.

She wasn't sure how, but Sarah heard the king smile behind her.

Shit.

She spun back again, furious. "What are you even doing asking for lodging here? Don't you have a kingdom to run?"

"I didn't ask for your lodging, Sarah," he corrected. "Although I can't say I'm disappointed at the outcome." He tilted his head, grinning at her with hooded eyes. "It has been a long time."

"Not long enough," she muttered. "Go. Home."

"I think I'll stay, actually. I'm quite interested now in whatever your brother thinks my goblin can help with." He moved to her couch, sitting down and propping his boots up on the coffee table in front. "Much easier to follow if I stay Above."

"I wish you would go home," she grit out. "Right now."

"Oh, Sarah," he chuckled darkly. "You know that won't work."

A growl settled at the back of Sarah's throat. If he was intent on staying here, she'd leave. There were cheap hotels that sounded like the Ritz when compared to having the Goblin King as a roommate. "Fine. Don't break anything. I'm getting a hotel room."

He laughed again, and Sarah frowned, hand on the doorknob. There was nothing amusing about this mess.

"How forward of you," he drawled, and Sarah snapped her head around to scowl at him. He continued, clearly pleased with himself. "But you can host me wherever you'd like, Sarah. Your brother agreed to attach the lodging to you."

A/N: You can't borrow a goblin without intriguing the Goblin King. Sarah really should have known better.