A/N: With Forever Upon a Time about done (one chapter left!), my muse has steered me back into this one. Who am I to argue?

Disclaimer: Labyrinth is not mine.

Chapter 3: The Perils of Hosting

Not knowing how Grog would react to the changed surroundings, Toby intended on keeping his hand clenched on Grog's coat all the way to his car. He supposed the car was really more the department's, but since he'd been accepted into the force after he'd turned twenty, he'd felt he'd put enough miles on it—and spilled enough coffee on the seats—that he'd christened it as his own.

Grog, for his part, didn't try to lick Toby once during the walk. That didn't stop passerby from staring at them in consternation, unfortunately. Once they'd left Sarah's building, Grog had spontaneously decided the mood was right to burst into song. The words were garbed and screeching, as if Grog was several hours past intoxicated and had forgotten he was even speaking. But, the sounds had an obvious melody. Even if at one point Toby thought he'd clucked.

"Could you keep it down?" Toby pleaded, picking up his pace. A woman in a garish plaid dress shot them a nasty look. "We're close, I promise." The mounted lights on his hood several cars away came into view and he sighed in relief. "I'll even turn on the sirens if you do." If they didn't distract him, they would at least drown out Grog's 'singing'.

Grog audibly oohed as Toby unlocked the passenger door with a click. "You has siren?"

"Err," Toby stumbled, caught off guard at the goblin's excitement at the term. He was confident the goblin had never seen the flashing horns before. Sarah had never mentioned encountering any sort of modern technology during her visit. Toby's brow furrowed as he urged Grog into the seat, and realized he'd never answered him. "Yeah, I do." He buckled him in before he slammed the door. Just how familiar was Grog with his world? It would make the op more likely to succeed if he was, but still, it seemed odd.

Toby slid into his own seat and twisted the key into the ignition. The engine sputtered once, but started, and Toby exhaled. As he looked over to check his mirror, he realized Grog was hunched forward in his seat, seemingly examining the lint on the car floor. "Hey!" He pulled him back. "Rule number one: back against the seat. You'll hurt yourself if not. Got it?"

"But, where siren?" Grog asked excitedly, turning his head back to peer through the glass partition.

Toby shook his head, bemused, and thinking that Grog would require a bit more supervision that he'd hoped. He hadn't quite known what to expect from a goblin—Sarah had mentioned only that they formed a pretty useless army—but given his enthusiasm, Grog might have been better disguised as a child. "It's on the roof. Let me get on the highway first." He eyed him sideways. "But only if you sit still." Grog just nodded fiercely.

As they pulled out of the lot, Toby asked his nagging question. "How much do you know about this world? Does the Goblin King bring you here a lot?"

"Nah. Not lotta wish aways since you. King come a lot, though. Tells us lots."

That could explain it, Toby concluded, nodding. But it did raise another question. He paused as the stoplight at the intersection turned red and turned back to Grog. "If kids haven't been wished away, why does he come here so often?"

Grog opened his mouth, but then turned a shade greyer and shook his head vigorously. Without saying a word, he leaned back into his seat, suddenly intent on silence.

Toby frowned, but the light changed, and he turned his focus back to the road. Sarah had warned him that the Goblin King was shifty and possibly involved in this kidnapping. The goblin's sudden change of demeanor made him wonder if she was right. He hesitated, but then decided it couldn't hurt to ask. "Grog, did the Goblin King bring back a baby recently? A boy?"

"Don' think so," Grog mumbled, still muted. He didn't offer more.

Toby frowned again, now even more suspicious of the king. That hadn't exactly been a 'no'. He groaned as he recalled just where said king was.

Sarah was going to kill him for offering the king her spare room.

Sarah, as it turned out, while not planning on killing her brother, was considering just how she was going to pay him back for offering up her apartment. To the Goblin King. She scowled as said king crisscrossed his boots again on her coffee table, reading one of the magazines strewn atop.

"Could you not scuff up my table?" She asked irritably. He was clearly not going anywhere anytime soon. And following his pronouncement about tying the lodging to her, it appeared neither was she. "If you plan on staying in my apartment, you follow my rules. Got it?"

He snorted, seeming genuinely amused by her demand. "Really," he drawled, setting down his magazine and settling back against the cushions. "What rules would those be? Am I to have thirteen hours to solve your apartment? Because from what I've seen, precious thing, that's not much of a challenge."

"Don't call me that," she snapped. And after a second, "rule number one: my name is Sarah. Not dear or precious thing or whatever other pet names you think up. Sarah."

He smiled wolfishly at her. "As you wish, Sarah."

A shiver ran through her and she instantly wondered if she'd made a mistake. He'd called her Sarah several times before, but now, the word was more a caress than a name. She remembered he had a way with words, but his tone was…unsettling. Reminiscent of an offer twenty years ago that she couldn't quite forget. He had immediately propositioned her again when he'd arrived, leading her to believe his ridiculous offer stood. She scowled.

"Rule number two: keep to yourself. Toby offered you my lodging, so that's what you get: a room. I'm not here to entertain you."

He considered her quietly for a moment, then stood, the faintest of frowns at his lips. His path to her was measured, as if he'd spotted prey that he didn't dare startle, and Sarah stilled when he stopped directly in front of her. Not quite touching, but the distracting heat of his body enveloped hers without contact. Before she could process a response to his nearness, a gloved hand had tilted up her chin so that her face was inches from his own, and Sarah's breath caught suddenly at the thought that he intended to kiss her. But for some seconds, he only stared, thin lips slightly parted, and Sarah realized he was testing her; trying to see if she'd turn her face or flee. Perhaps to see if she meant her words about him keeping to himself. She clenched her teeth. It was a move he'd tried before, all those years ago in his tunnels. Just as then, her innate stubbornness refused to give him the satisfaction of running away. She tilted up her chin minutely and tried to even her breathing. The frown morphed back into his familiar grin, but she held steady; gaze focused, despite an inner something telling her she was playing with fire to allow him so close.

He dropped his hand but kept his body tight to hers. "I nevertheless find myself entertained," he said lowly. "But your desires are noted."

The temperature fell as he stepped back, and it was only when she saw him moving towards her hallway that she processed his response to her demand. In no way had he agreed to leave her alone. Her pulse ticked up again.

"The lodging?" He asked, leaning back again against one side of the wall.

The request brought Sarah's focus back to the bargain. Right. Second bedroom. "Last door on the right." She watched him push off, then move down the hallway until he reached the doorway she'd indicated. He did not enter.

"Given the boy's questionable sense, I should have expected he'd lack a basic understanding of the requirements of a bedroom."

Despite his repeated slight of her brother, Sarah couldn't help but grin at his obvious displeasure as she came up behind him. She wasn't particularly thrilled with Toby at the moment, either. "It's really more of an office, but Toby has spent the night here." There was a bed, as Toby offered, but Sarah realized his never seeing a sleeper sofa could work in her favor. She was in no hurry to correct his misconception. Even though he seemed intent on staying with her, she had a hard time believing the otherworldly Goblin King would relegate himself to sleeping on a sofa.

"Very well," he answered and by words alone, one would think he'd declined the space.

She knew better. The easy roll of his tongue brought Sarah back to his victorious sealing of the bargain, and she saw her ruse had backfired. But she didn't have time to stop him before he'd turned, moving with new swagger as he crossed the hall into her own bedroom. She raced after him when she realized his intent, but was too late to stop the tell-tale sound of springs jostling.

Oh, fuck.

He looked every bit at home nestled against her mass of coral pillows, stretched out across her queen-sized sleigh bed and looking across the room at her with hooded eyes. For an instant, she was too distracted by the sight of anyone else in her bed to process that it was the Goblin King who was looking at her as if expecting her to curl up beside him. The sly curve of his lips broke the spell.

"My bedroom was not part of the bargain," she said crisply.

"The boy offered me a spare bedroom, Sarah; not an office." His grin grew when she just pursed her lips at him. "Fortunately for him—and you, I suppose—I won't deem the bargain broken by our shared accommodations. It would be unfortunate to lose him again."

Sarah's stomach dropped as the blood rushed from her head, now understanding the consequences of her brother's broken promise. She had read as much before, in research for her books, but hardly knew if it was true. As angry as she was with Toby, she was not prepared to lose him over her temporary discomfort. Not again. She would ensure she kept the terms he'd agreed to. She could tolerate the dark faerie king for his sake. She'd done it before.

"The bargain stands," she sighed, resigned to hosting duties. She rubbed at her eyes. "It's a sleeper sofa. You just need to pull it out."

"Beg pardon?" He said, slowly raising one peculiar brow. Pointed canines flashed.

"The bed," she clarified quickly when she realized how he'd understood her order. She made a mental note to speak carefully around him, lest he twist her words against her. She didn't quite know what he wanted with her, but she'd be damned if she mistakenly offered him the very something encouraging his ask for lodging. "The sofa folds out into a bed." She sighed again and waved a hand at his blank stare. "Let me set it up."

He must have been curious, because he followed her into the second bedroom. Sarah pulled off one of the brown tartan cushions and set it alongside the armrest. The second quickly followed. She looked back to see the Goblin King watching the process with some interest, but he didn't move from his place near the doorway. He was obviously not going to assist. She exhaled deeply, then stepped in front of the couch before leaning down to pull up on the small metal handle. The sudden strained creaking of hinges was jarring, and she cringed when the bed stuck. It had been awhile since anyone had slept in the bed; she prayed it was just rusty and wasn't broken. She repositioned her weight and tried again, groaning.

"Do you require assistance?"

His offer startled her, and the slight lift of the bed disappeared back into the couch. "What?"

"With that contraption you claim is a bed." He twisted his wrist to form a crystal simultaneously, holding it out to her. "I can make things far less taxing for you."

She looked at the crystal warily, knowing well now that all of his offers were accompanied by a catch; it was the whole reason she was in this mess. "You could just help," she suggested instead.

"Don't tell me you're afraid to accept it?" The curve of lips became Cheshire.

No, not afraid. Cautious. After all she'd seen, immediately taking him up on another offer would be foolish. But, she wasn't making much progress on unfurling the bed on her own and accepting the known alternatives seemed far worse than not asking. She could probably fall asleep on the couch, but that still meant allowing the Goblin King free reign of her room and bed. "What's the catch?"

He raised an eyebrow at her suspicion, but didn't pull back the crystal. "Who said there was a catch?"

"With you, there's always a catch," she responded dryly. Her dreams for Toby, the goblin for her lodging…

Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave.

He laughed softly, startling Sarah again, and stepped over to her. Her failure to refuse outright indicated she was willing to bargain. "Then I shall deign to live up to your expectations." He tilted his head, rolling the crystal across his hands. "The boy's request intrigues me. There are very few of my kind that can cross the veil. If the beings of the Underground have somehow slipped into your side without my knowledge, I would like to be involved in uncovering how and why they did so."

It seemed a reasonable request; just not something she could trade. "That's not up to me, Goblin King. It's Toby's investigation."

"Perhaps. But the boy only requested my assistance when you told him of me, and he only was able to do so upon your wishing for me. You are intricately involved in the bargain and he, as the mortals charmingly put it, 'owes you one'. I'm certain you can persuade him of my usefulness to his pursuit."

"Why don't you just ask him yourself?" He was likely right that Toby would agree if she asked, but she hadn't intended on wasting any guilt Toby was feeling on a favor for the harbinger of that same guilt.

"I believe your request far more likely to be successful."

She looked back at the folded bed once and sighed. She'd much rather have him on the case than in her bed. "Fine, I'll ask him. But I can't guarantee he or his office will agree to it. They asked him for a goblin, not the Goblin King."

"That is acceptable to me," he nodded, offering the crystal again. Still, she hesitated before reaching out to take the crystal.

"What, precisely, does this crystal do?"

"Really, Sarah," he drawled. "I've already said it will assist you with that contraption you claim is a bed. The enchantment will do you no harm."

That wasn't nearly precise enough. "It will give me the strength to open the bed?" She asked pointedly.

"Precisely."

Sarah refrained from knocking the smirk from his face and instead looked back at the crystal. It was almost mocking her now, shimmering with a strange hum that sounded vaguely like laughter. She settled the growl in her throat and took it in both hands.

The crystal instantly popped at her touch, shattering into a mist of glitter that evaporated into the air. Or did it seep into her skin? Sarah shook her hands, trying to work out the strange tingle that settled in her palms. Besides that, she didn't particularly feel stronger. She frowned at him once, then moved back to pull out the bed.

Upon one swift yank, the bed unfurled itself and locked into position with only a few sharp clicks. Even with his claim, she was surprised at how effortless it had been compared to before. He hadn't lied about that. Sarah exhaled in relief and quickly grabbed the extra comforter and a pillow from the room's closet. She tossed them on the bed neatly. "There you go: a spare bedroom. Bathroom is the door just outside," she offered, pointing to the door outside at the end of the hallway. "Bargain kept."

"And your bargain?" He asked as she moved to exit the room.

"Tomorrow, Goblin King," she sighed. "I'm sure Toby will be back bright and early with updates." Or better yet, a change of heart on his plan. And without another word, she crossed the hall to her own room and quickly shut the door behind her.

A/N: Sorry to drop a few more mysteries in this one, but what's the fun in knowing exactly what's going on? I can guarantee, however, that everything is not what it seems—especially with Jareth. I'm going to try and stick to every-other-week updates on this one, work depending. All comments welcome.