Jareth watched her, waiting for an answer. Sarah briefly considered darting back through the closet but she knew that he would just be able to follow her. Better to tell the truth and get it over with.

"I just imagined that I would open the door and be here." She spoke quickly, rubbing her fingers together.

"Why here?" Jareth eyed her curiously and she turned away, pretending to study something on the shelf. How can I tell him what Hoggle said? He'll just get angry.

"What did that little imp tell you?" There was no trace of anger in his voice but she still hesitated to answer him. The clock struck the hour and she glanced at it as the hand passed the 13th hour.That's strange...

"I'm waiting." He crossed his arms, cocking his eyebrow slightly.

"I'm still here." Sarah murmured, looking around the room in surprise. "I thought that once the clock struck thirteen, I returned to my world."

"That's only in the Labyrinth, my sweet." She jumped as she realized that Jareth now stood gazing down at her. "Whatever is bringing you back is something different, something that we have yet to figure out."

He backed away from her, the curious look returning to his eye. "Now that we've got that cleared up, I'll ask you once again - What did Hoggle tell you?"

She glanced down, hoping that Jareth wouldn't punish Hoggle. "He told me that your father helped you with the curse. So I thought that I should look through the books again. They were his, weren't they?"

"Yes." Jareth sat back down at the desk, pulling an ancient book closer to him. "But I'm not sure how they would help. I've already been looking through them and I can't find anything to help."

"Maybe a fresh set of eyes will help." She leaned across the desk, looking at the words meticulously written on the pages.

What does this mean? She wondered as she tried to decipher the foreign letters. "Nothing here to help, is there?" Jareth whispered in her ear as he stood, stepping away from the desk.

"Why are you so ready to just give up?" She asked, flipping over the pages. When he didn't respond, she paused and glanced over at him. His eyes were glazed over, either lost in thought or a memory.

"Because my father would never leave anything to help me." His voice was barely a whisper. "Looking for answers in those books is useless."

She let the pages slip from her hands, surprised by his sudden attitude change. Facing him, she scrutinized his face, searching for any clue as to why. Why is he so eager to get me away from these books?

Instantly his face changed and that familiar smirk was back. "Are you hungry? After such a long nap, we should get you something to eat." He started for the door, causing Sarah to become more suspicious. He's hiding something from me...

"No." Her voice was quiet but firm as she sat down at the desk, pulling the spellbook towards her. "You may be ready to give up but I'm not. I don't know how much longer I'm going to be here so I need to focus."

"Stop." Jareth's voice was sharp, his eyes narrowing as he walked to the desk. "I've had quite enough of this, Sarah. It was purely out of the kindness of my heart that I allowed you in here but you try my patience." He pointed towards the door, his jaw tightening, his displeasure evident. "I want you to leave - now."

Ignoring him, she continued to glance through the book, flipping pages as quickly as she could. Something caught her eye and she flipped back, running her finger down the page - there! Her eyes darted across the page when it was pulled from under her hands. "Hey!"She cried as Jareth threw the book across the room.

"Enough is enough. I've indulged your fantasy long enough." Jareth said sternly, reaching for her. "We're leaving now."

"Alright." She shrugged, standing up. She walked straight to the door, refusing to look at him. "I'm not hungry Jareth. If you don't mind, I would rather just return to the bedroom and wait."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The sun was slowly beginning to rise, casting the room in a slightly golden glow. Sarah turned from the window, trying to remember the phrase in the book. "How did it go?" She murmured, closing her eyes as if she could conjure up the image in her mind.

Live without the sunlight

Love without your heartbeat -

That was it!! Her eyes popped open, excitement coursing through her veins for a moment before dissipating. But what do they mean? She slumped forward onto the bed, burying her face in the blanket.

An idea came to her and she rolled onto her side, eyes narrowing as she studied the closet door. He wouldn't have...

Sarah slipped off the bed and cautiously approached the door, her hands sweating slightly. As she reached out, she saw familiar shimmer radiating around her. Why now? She glanced at the clock as it struck 7 and then she was gone.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jareth sighed, sliding down lower in his throne. The pitter-pattering of goblin feet coming down the hall announced the arrival of a messenger. I already know what you're going to say. He absentmindedly rubbed the bridge of his nose as the goblin rushed in.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" The goblin panted.

"Yes, Grimstain?" Annoyance dripped from Jareth's voice.

"Uhh, it's Gritstone, Your Majesty." Jareth opened his eyes, glaring at the goblin who gulped and stepped back. "She's gone, disappeared again."

"I know." Jareth muttered, closing his eyes again. He always knew when she was gone but maybe it was for the best; after all, it's not like she was going to stay forever.

Suddenly he was aware that the goblin hadn't left. "Anything else?"

"N-no, Your Majesty." The goblin squeaked, bowing quickly and scampering away, leaving Jareth to his own thoughts.

Live without the sunlight

Love without your heartbeat

The words reverberate through his mind, taking on a whole new meaning now than they did all those years ago.

Oh Sarah, can't you understand? This curse can't be broken without both of us getting hurt.