Jareth froze, shock reverberating through his body. A tiny prick of hope flowered in his chest and he tightened, trying to drive it away. Hope is the pathway to disappointment for me.

"You threw the orb into the air and disappeared before I could reach you. But I could still see the shimmering dust from the orb and when I touched it, I was outside the castle."

Impossible. Jareth thought as he listened to her. Even if she touched the smallest residue of the orb, she still shouldn't have been able to travel through.

Sarah leaned forward, her eyes scrutinizing his every movement. "You seem surprised. I thought that traveling through the orbs was the only way to get here - is there another?"

"It doesn't matter, you still don't belong here. You made your choice." He tried to keep his voice nonchalant as the voice in his head whispered false hopes to his heart. It could be her, she could be the one. The one to break this curse.

"I'll return you to your world." He suddenly stood up, nearly knocking Sarah off the stool. Reaching into his coat, he pulled an orb out with a flourish.

"Wait!" Sarah cried, jumping up. "You haven't told me if it would work."

"I hardly think it matters anymore." He smiled down at her but his eyes were cold. "A choice once made can never be undone."

"That's not true. You can make a different choice that changes the first one." Sarah crossed her arms, challenging him.

"Not here, not in my labyrinth!" He snapped. "I make the rules here and the decision you made is final - set in stone. So now you need to go back to where you belong."

Jareth reached for her but she ducked and backed out of his reach, shaking her head. "No, not until we fix the curse. Hoggle said it's been going on for thousands of year. It's time for it to stop."

Ah, there it was. Disappointment stabbed his heart at her words. I knew I had no place in her heart. Once again, a Sarah was failing him - though he had to admit that it was the first time for a Sarah to do it twice.

"And how are we supposed to solve this?" He tucked the orb away. "I can't think of any other way unless you're willing to say the words."

He knew she wasn't willing, he was just toying with her; taunting her. "I don't know how. I thought that you could just use your magic to make it right."

Jareth couldn't help but laugh. "That's not how a curse works. For a spell, yes but to lift a curse, it either has to meet it's intended result or be broken."

"What is the point of this curse? All girls named Sarah have to pass through your Labyrinth and play your little games?"

"That would be an utterly pointless - and might I add, exhausting - curse." He pointed out. "No, my sweet; the point of this curse, it's intended outcome was to find me the perfect Sarah. One who would love me and choose me over anything. I would devote myself to her for all eternity if she were able to make that choice."

"That's just as ridiculous!" Sarah protested. "How many Sarahs have you gone through already? And you still have yet to find the 'perfect' one! It's an impossible task. So therefore, an impossible curse."

"Yes, well that's my problem, isn't it?" He cocked an eyebrow at her. "I'm weary of discussing this with you. So home you go."

"Fine, then we won't discuss it anymore. And I don't even need your help, I'll figure out on my own." She snapped, her eyes flashing with a mixture of anger and disappointment.

"Your eyes are so cruel." The words slipped out before he could stop them. And I can be just as cruel. He thought, a sudden idea forming in his mind. "All right, figure it out on your own then if you can. And I've got something that can help you."

Jareth walked off the dais, beckoning for her to follow as he slipped through a doorway on the far right of the room. Sarah was conflicted - on one hand, she wanted to end it but on the other...

"Did you change your mind?" Jareth's voice whispered in her ear and she jumped. I forgot he could sneak around like that!

"No, I haven't." She said stubbornly. "Lead the way." He grinned and lead her through the doorway which lead to a maze of connected hallways.

They kept walking and Sarah was nervous, not sure that she would be able to remember her way out. He must have a thing for mazes. Suddenly he stopped and spun around, stooping to look her in the eyes. "I'm not leading you into a trap, that wouldn't be of any benefit to me. Since we have already established that you are not the One."

The way he spoke irritated Sarah and she glared at him. "That's not what I was thinking. I was thinking..." She paused, trying to think of something.

"It doesn't matter." With a wave of his hand, he straightened and turned around. "We're here."

Before them stood a large door, with strange symbols carved into it. Jareth reached out and touched the door. It sprang open on its own and revealed a study with shelves upon shelves of books and papers.

"Everything you need is here." He didn't step inside but moved aside so she could enter.

Tentatively she took a couple steps inside, overwhelmed by the number of books. "What are all these books?"

"My own personal collection of spell books. If you can find an alternative way to break the spell, it should be in one of these." He still hadn't stepped inside and it was making her uncomfortable.

"One more thing, my sweet. This door is magical, as is most of my castle, but this is special. It can only be opened by me and once the door closes with you inside, it won't open until I come back." His eyes met hers, concern flitting across them before the coldness returned. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes." She had to be brave and strong, just like before when she'd gone through the Labyrinth. "I'm going to find the solution."

With a nod from Jareth, the door slammed shut, sealing her inside for the time being.

Sarah leaned against the door. What on earth am I doing? I can't spend the night here!

She looked around the room, wondering where she should even begin to search for answers. I wish Hoggle and Sir Didymus were here - surely they'd know where to start!

Sarah walked to the first shelf, peering at the book spines. Most of them were in foreign languages or unknown scripts so she just pulled everything out that she could read. She'd worry about understanding the contents later.

Sitting down at the desk, she began opening up book after book, desperately trying to understand what they were saying. The language used was archaic and most of what it said, besides magic being powerful and tricky, was nonsense to her.

After a while, her head began to bob and her eyes closed of their own will. She shook her head, rubbing her face rather violently in an attempt to stay awake. How do I know that he won't send me back home? The fear crept into her. He's not trustworthy!

Somewhere, a clock chimed and Sarah jumped. The memories of the Labyrinth and the rush to find Michael filled her mind, jolting her awake.

Why am I so concerned about him? She thought, confusing building in her brain.What does it matter if he suffers for the next thousand years or not? It's his choice and this is just the consequence of that choice.

Her head became too heavy and she lay it down on the desk. Maybe if I close my eyes, just for a moment. She was asleep before she knew what was happening.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jareth stepped into the room, looking at Sarah with soft eyes. She lay across the desk, passed out from exhaustion. Underneath her arms lay scattered papers with scribbled notes. He moved closer, glancing at them. She really was trying hard to figure out how to break the curse, precious thing.

He couldn't help the smile that appeared on his lips as he reached a gloved hand out, gently pushing back her hair to get a better view of her face.

"How you've turned my world upside down." He murmured, the smile fading. "But it's time for you to go back." It was unfair of him to send her away while she slept but it's what needed to be done. This curse was his doing and it was going to be him that undid it - whatever it cost.

It was entirely too tempting to keep her here forever but he knew, deep down in his heart, that it wasn't right. Her choice to stay would be one of pity and prevention, not of love. It was best to end it before things got out of hand.

The orb appeared and he set it free, gently so he wouldn't wake her. That wasn't very fun. It's rather boring with no one to show off for. He thought as it began to shimmer around him.

Glancing down at her peaceful face, he gingerly scooped her up, careful to not wake her. Stepping through the shimmer, he lay her on her bed, pulling the blanket over her.

She snuggled down into the blanket, curling up. A serene look came across her face and without a thought, he leaned forward to press his lips softly to her forehead.

"Goodbye my precious thing. Perhaps one day, when I'm a better man, we'll meet again." He promised, more to himself than to her. He stepped away from the bed, heading back to his castle when something on the bedside table caught his eye.

You won't be needing this anymore - no one will. He scooped the book off the table and disappeared.