CHAPTER ONE

Halloween 1999 (13 years later)

The 1980s music spilled out onto the road as Sarah arrived at the Halloween Party. Dressed as a back cat, Sarah made her way up the stairwell of a Victorian house. Her skintight black catsuit came complete with a tail and a set of ears perched over her straight almost black hair, that tumbled loosely down her back. With her makeup she had given herself cat eyes and whiskers on her cheeks. Her black high heel shoes clicked with every step along the grimey, chewing gum covered pavement in the leafy New York suburb. Entering through the open door she started sweeping through the throng for her friend Hilary.

The narrow hallway, already crowded with party goers spilling out from the incommodious living rooms, reminded Sarah of a horizontal Helping Hands tunnel. She didn't like her chances of finding Hilary in this pit of people's bodies practically slithering over one another. Hilary was the only reason she was here though. She was a good friend who had been with her through the tough times so doing this one teeny tiny favour for her was an easy decision.

Though at 28 years old, House parties seemed a bit young for her. And most of them were university students, which proved her point. And in addition, most of them were trying their hardest to turn it into an orgy, evidenced by the state of undress and the close proximity many people were exhibiting to one another.

Sarah twisted her way through the mass of limbs and torsos, until she caught a glimpse of Hilary, dressed as a sexy devil. Two bodies wrapped around each other, one belonging to Hilary and one that was unfamiliar to Sarah, swayed in sync to the song playing from the stereo. When she got close enough to her friend she tapped her on the shoulder and shouted her name.

Hilary, a pint sized red haired vixen, with the most piercing blue eyes Sarah had ever seen, disengaged from her make-out partner.

"SARAH," Hilary shouted back. "You made it. This is Eddy."

Eddy, the slender, dark-haired boy she had been enclosing with her limbs and mouth, was also dressed as a sexy devil. Eddy and Sarah gingerly but politely exchanged waves and smiles.

It didn't take long until they wrapped around each other again, like vines around a tree trunk, and Sarah was at a loss as to what to do with herself.

"I'm just going to find a drink," Sarah yelled over the 80s music blaring over the tinny speakers. Why did Hilary insist she comes here if she was just going to hook up with someone and then ignore her? Not that she begrudged Hilary her make out session, but she'd rather have been at home reading a book or catching up on some work. She came as a favour, she reminded herself. Hilary wanted someone to accompany her and picked Sarah to do the job. Halloween was Hilary's favourite time of the year, and she didn't want to miss out. Her friend would do the same for her, so Sarah had to just make the most of it.

There was a pile of paperwork for her divorce she still had to sign sitting on her desk that she had been planning on doing. Hilary thought this party would be a good distraction for her. But seeing all the couples just threw her own loneliness into shaper contrast. Not that she could regret walking out on her husband for a single moment.

Having found the significantly quieter kitchen, she rummaged around the pile of discarded cups for a clean one. She was just about to pour herself a cup of vodka when she saw a lanky blonde man staring at her with cool blue eyes from across the room. Sarah's heart stopped. Her cheeks lost all their blood and her mouth flopped open.

The blonde man raised an inquiring eyebrow and Sarah snapped back to reality. What was he doing here? He was the last person she expected to see again. Especially at a student house party. She looked away continuing to pour her drink. Then with a swish of her black cat's tail she turned and went the opposite direction.

But he was too quick. He stood in front of her before she could blink. Her sharp intake of breath didn't go unnoticed either. The blonde smirked as she made eye contact with those startling blue eyes.

"Sarah," was all he said in a cool, throaty voice.

"You," Sarah managed to choke out while she focused on getting her body under control. It would do her no good to let him think he had any power over her. "What are you doing here?"

"It's a party," he shrugged, running his fingers through his blonde locks. "I was invited. Why are you here?"

"I was also invited," Sarah found her courage rise. "But you don't live around here so it seems less natural for you to be here."

"I was in town," his blue eyes assessed her coolly, no hint of warmth. "I don't need your permission you know."

"I was hoping I'd never see you again," Sarah snapped. How this man infuriated her.

"Now, now, now," he smirked again. How she wished she could wipe it off his pretty face. "No need to be rude."

"Well, goodbye," Sarah went to turn away when the blonde reached out and grabbed her shoulder.

"Not so fast Sarah," he tutted at her. "Don't you think after all this time we need to talk?"

"There's nothing to talk about," Sarah answered before thinking. "I think I made it pretty clear when we last met that you're no longer welcome in my life."

"Tell me, are you here alone?"

"None of your business," Sarah snarled.

"You may be dressed as a feline but you don't need to be so catty," he grinned at his own joke.

"Goodbye," she repeated, wriggling free of his grasp.

"Sarah, you don't need to be such a teenager about this," he yelled after her.

Sarah saw red. She wheeled back around and glared at him.

"Excuse me?"

"You've always been a spoilt bitch," he continued. "Thought time would have changed that but no you're still the same, stuck up, spoilt selfish brat."

Sarah was about to let loose a tirade when she noticed Hilary at her elbow.

"Hello Mark," Hilary greeted the blonde man. "You can leave Sarah alone now."

"I am talking to my wife, you interfering bint," Mark growled at her red haired friend.

"Ex wife," Hilary corrected, not at all perturbed by Mark's rudeness. "Or have you forgotten?"

"It's not official yet," Mark snapped, an ugly look creeping across his fine features.

"It will be very soon," Sarah stated.

"Did you forget that you ran off with that pixie-like blonde child?" Hilary questioned sardonically.

"She isn't a child," Mark snapped.

"She may as well be," Hilary fired back. "She is only just legal. Still your marriage is over and Sarah has asked not to see you, so perhaps do something right for once and respect her decision."

"Like she can do any better," Mark scoffed. "I bet she isn't here with another bloke. No one would want that used up, lousy lay of a selfish brat anyway. "

Sarah laughed, threw her vodka in Mark's face and for the umpteenth time, she twirled away from him and stalked off into the crowd, with Hilary following her.

"I'm going to the bathroom," Sarah said after ten minutes of dancing vigorously with Hilary to try and forget her anger towards her ex husband. She moved through the press of people until she managed to get towards the front of the bathroom queue.

The bathroom was a room with a vanity and shower only and the access to the toilet was through a separate door within the bathroom. When she finished in the toilet annex, two blonde people, one male and one female, took her by surprise as they stood waiting in the shower room part of the facilities. Sarah gave a slight start at the sight of the couple standing in front of the exit.

"Um," Sarah mumbled as she headed past them, slightly creeped out by their presence. "Sorry, I didn't realise people were waiting."

"That's fine," they both said together. Sarah eyed them suspiciously before washing her hands at the vanity. When she rotated back around they were still standing where they were initially, both still facing her.

"Sarah Williams?" asked the blonde male.

"Why..." was all Sarah got out before they rushed at her and in a blink of an eye she had disappeared from the bathroom.

Jareth had spent the past excruciating thirteen years trying to reach his wife. For the first half he alternated between brooding for his loss and researching how to get her back. While he could occasionally catch glimpses of her in his crystals or as an owl, it was fleeting and insubstantial. None of his dusty tomes in his library revealed any answers to him, and any magic he tried fizzled away into nothingness. The second half consisted of revisiting his first attempts, seeking knowledge from elders like Briyash and trying to enjoy the remaining years he had left before he found his betrothed. So even with his best efforts, it had come to his last resort of waiting the entire thirteen years. He may be immortal, but he was deathly impatient.

He had seen enough to know that she had turned into the promised beauty, plus some. He also knew that she had taken an Aboveground husband. No matter. It wasn't like that marriage would be valid once she returned Underground.

The day had finally arrived. The day he could return to her and bring her home. And it was Samhain, which meant the veil between worlds was at its thinnest. It would use less magic and be easier on her too. The magic seeping through the veil would help in assisting Jareth with convincing his wife to return to him. He considered that she probably would put up a bit of a fight. She was feisty and strong-headed. The thought of going toe to toe with her brought a grin to his chiselled face. He would enjoy her strength of character. Once she agreed to come Underground with him.

The plan was simple. If she didn't immediately agree, he would try to convince her. If that fell to the wayside, then he could at least imbue her with protection spells until the time she was ready to come down. He'd woo her if needs be. Trickery wasn't beneath him, but Sarah, he knew, had a strong sense of fairness. He would play by her rules for a while, but she would have to have a time limit, as he had a time limit placed on him. He didn't doubt that his charm and the charms of being Queen, would win her over. He doubted he would need to go as far as wooing her. Who wouldn't want to be Queen, learn magic and be married to him? Who wouldn't want to live forever? He grinned again. He could almost taste his victory.

He created a crystal and with it he commanded it to send him to Sarah. He arrived shortly in a room full of people dressed as all manner of creatures, enveloped by music and flashing lights. He fit right in even dressed as the Goblin King in his dark blue and black cape, over a dark grey and black outfit complete with black boots and his fae markings. No-one would bat an eye at his wild hair and glitter imbued clothing at a Halloween party. No need to even bother with a glamour. Immediately he set about seeking Sarah out.

He saw her. She danced closely with another girl, dressed in head to toe black. He was quite mesmerised by her dancing and her beauty. Jareth continued to be captivated as Sarah danced in the skin tight black outfit. The music was playing something about coming on Eileen. Jareth wondered briefly who Eileen was and why the singer was preoccupied with coming on her. As he watched her his attention became solely fixated on Sarah, and he couldn't care less about how much cum was now all over Eileen by the end of the song. Sarah and her friend had started swaying to a song about a jitterbug, waking up and yo-yos, whatever they were. Mortal songs were very strange to Jareth's ears, but seeing her face all lit up and her feminine body move to the music was enough to overlook the nonsense words. She looked rapturous and quite enticing in her euphoria. His dear wife had certainly grown up. The adult in her was certainly speaking to the adult in him, he thought with a lascivious grin.

He was about to approach her when she stopped dancing to head away from her friend. He followed at a distance as she wandered into a long line of people. He gathered she was waiting to use the bathroom and so hung back to wait for her, not taking his eyes off the point he last saw her.

Ten minutes had passed and she hadn't reappeared so he headed towards the facilities. There was no way out unless she snuck out the window. And he hadn't seen her go past. He was about to find a private space to look into another crystal when he got bumped by a younger gentleman who started yelling in a manner that suggested he was heavily intoxicated.

"Sarah, you slut," he bellowed in a drunken manner. "Where the fuck are you hiding? Come out and talk to your husband."

People stared at him and then hurriedly shuffled away from the unhinged man.

"Excuse me," Jareth grabbed the other man's shoulder, having recognised him from his crystal viewing in previous years. "Are you Sarah Williams' husband?"

"Yes I am, who wants to know?" the other blonde man sized him up with unfocused eyes as he swayed side to side. "The name's Mark and I'm the husband of that useless bag of bones."

Jareth felt his anger at this man simmering to the point of boiling.

"My name is Jack," Jareth lied. "I am a friend of Sarah's and was looking for her too."

"She is probably off shagging a student in one of the bedrooms," Mark's glazed eyes narrowed dangerously. "If you're next in line, don't bother she is a fucking awful shag."

"You fucking liar, Mark," came a voice from Jareth's elbow. He noticed the short, pretty red haired girl Sarah had been dancing with standing next to him.

"She was the best shag you ever had and you're kicking yourself for running off with Melinda," Sarah's friend admonished the husband. "Now where is she?"

"If I knew I wouldn't tell you," Mark growled. "You slut enabler, Hilary."

"Sarah can make her own choices about her own body," Hilary stared Mark down. "And for what it's worth, she was always faithful to you, which is more than you deserved."

"BULLSHIT," he yelled, spittle flying out of his mouth. "She is a lying little slut who..."

"She wasn't the one who slept with her best friend at her parent's funeral," Hilary yelled.

Jareth's heart instinctively skipped a beat and his breath faltered. Sarah's family were dead? And she had been married to this monster? Oh why couldn't he have come sooner? What of Toby? Was he still alive? Had Sarah not been content in the past thirteen years? What made her marry such a despicable being? Did he really bed her bosom friend at the funeral of her progenitors? As soon as these thoughts came rushing through, they were stopped by recalling that while she was to marry him, it was a marriage of convenience and her feelings and history were of little consequence to him. As surely, his feelings would matter little to her. He would make sure she was comfortable, but her happiness would be her own responsibility. That was the way fae marriages worked.

"Then who is this?" Mark pointed at him. "The next dope who falls for her tricks?"

"I would not dishonour her so," Jareth growled through gritted teeth. "I would know where she is though."

"If I knew I wouldn't tell you," he laughed. "You fucking fairy."

"Mark," Hilary cut in. "Why don't you bugger off?"

Before Mark could respond, Hilary had grabbed Jareth's arm and dragged him through the crowd.

"My name's Hilary," she said over her shoulder. "You're sober. Help me find her."

"Jack," Jareth inclined his blonde head in greeting. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," she said. "I don't know who you are or how you know Sarah but we need to find her and we need to get her out of here. Her husband, or ex husband should I say, is desperate when he is drunk."

"I'm an acquaintance," Jareth explained as they looked through the throng for Sarah. "I've known her for 13 years but she hasn't seen me in quite a long while. I'm back in town, and saw her dancing with you. I just wanted to address her when I lost sight of her."

"Well you can do that when we find her," The red head weaved through the crowds effortlessly.

"Why is her ex husband dangerous?" Jareth asked as they passed into a new room.

"He can get mouthy and has been known to be a bit pushy when drunk," Hilary frowned. "He is a nasty piece of work, drunk or sober. Sarah is well shot of him."

"It sounds like it," Jareth scowled. "Look I am just going to search the bathroom for a minute."

Jareth couldn't waste anymore time looking for her the mortal way. The bathroom may contain clues as to her whereabouts but it also would be a place he could consult his crystals without drawing suspicion from the mortals. Pushing into the bathroom, when it was his turn, he quickly summoned a crystal and asked it to show him where his wife was.

Sarah landed with a hefty thud. She groaned and rolled over onto her back. She prised open her gritty eyes and gazed around. She was in the Underground. The orange sky that greeted her scrutiny told her so. Turning her raven head, she could identify the walls of the Labyrinth towering over her and feel the dusty, grainy ground under her hands. She sat up immediately investigating around her for her kidnappers but she was perfectly alone. Not a single soul in any direction she looked. Only the wind whipping her hair for company. Not even Hoggle, she realised with disappointment. Not even a fairy, she realised with satisfaction.

And with relief, utterly devoid of those two blonde people at the party she assumed were fae, based on their ability to transport her via magic. What was their game, abducting her and abandoning her outside the Labyrinth? The sudden thought of being captured by Jareth as she sat in a catsuit, covered in orange dust, outside his very Kingdom, had her springing to her feet. She had to get out of here and expeditiously.

She picked a direction and just ran.

Finally secluded, Jareth stared into the depths of the crystal. There had been no clues of her whereabouts in the mortal bathroom, but he detected magic, albeit weak magic. Magic that only had a chance of being successful Aboveground during the thinning of the veils. He was not familiar with the brand of power used so he turned to his crystals for the answers he sought. He detected her image flickering briefly and then it disappeared into a murky grey cloud. She was outside his Labyrinth. How in the seven Hells did she get there? For a second he contemplated going and telling Hilary he had found her, but didn't want to waste anymore time. He contemplated that the Labyrinth had recalled her after 13 years, but doubted that theory almost immediately. Something else was afoot here.

Without another thought he flickered out of existence.

Sarah had been running for time immeasurable. Or at least that's what it felt like. She eventually slowed to catch her breath with her hands on her knees as she pulled delicious air into her starved lungs. She heard footsteps and jerked her head up. In front of her was a slender blonde man with tan breeches and a lighter coloured cream stockings and dusty grey heeled shoes. His shirt was flowy and white under a wool knit vest.

He ceased moving right in front of her.

"Greetings," welcomed the familiar man with a slight incline of his blonde head and a leisurely wave of his gloved hand. Sarah gasped and stepped back, away from the oncoming personage.

A/N: I loathe editing and it takes me longer to edit than it does to write haha. So chapter 2 is done and 3 is almost complete. They are both much longer than this chapter but unedited. Thank you to everyone who reviewed/followed/faved. And also thanks to the person who shared it in LFFL. :)

The usual disclaimers: I don't own anything.