Sarah spent New Years day in Jareth's bed, recovering from the charm at his insistence. She found waking there to be a wonderful thing, even when he wasn't in the bed with her. There was a cup of coffee on the table beside her, waiting, and a light breakfast of fresh peaches. Her lips twisted in amused annoyance, but she ate the light repast, and climbed out of bed, wrapping the flat sheet around herself.

He spent the afternoon in his office, working, and she found him there, hunched over paperwork. She wandered the shelves of his expansive library until she found a book that had a subject of interest and curled up on his couch. She let him work, but took enjoyment in the silent company. She found being able to do this with him was a vast improvement on sitting alone in her apartment.

She remembered the startled gasp when he'd seen her curled up on his couch, wearing only the sheet from his own bed. She'd looked at him, and saw the color of his eyes had been swallowed by his pupils. He forgot his work, then. She thought he'd ravish her on the spot, but instead, he insisted that wasn't warm enough to be wandering the castle, and bundled her up in a soft wool dressing robe.

He returned her home that evening, still wearing the robe. While she prepared to defend her paper, Jareth visited daily, though often not for long. She'd wake to coffee in the pot, and when it was time to go to bed, he'd be waiting. He'd spend a few minutes every evening with her, even if he couldn't spend the night.

It scared her that this was the healthiest relationship she'd ever been in. He seemed to spend time with her for the simple enjoyment of it, as opposed to anything he might get from her. She found she felt the same, and looked forward to those stolen moments she had with him. He was still an insufferable bully, sometimes. He would put food in front of her or bundle her to take her to dinner if he thought she hadn't eaten recently enough. If he thought she looked tired, he'd tuck them in on the couch and make sure she took a nap, especially when he thought she was working too hard.

He distracted her, but he didn't disrupt the flow of her work when she was focused. He fit so seamlessly into her life she was starting to be afraid that it would fall apart when he didn't want to be a part of it any longer.

Today, she sat in her professor's office, grading papers and listening with half an ear as other students were discussing their own dissertations with him. As she flipped through the tests in front of her, a familiar voice broke through her focus, and she saw one of her exes standing there, looking smug as he spoke with their professor.

Tommy was a good looking man, and they'd dated for less than a month before she realized he was only with her to try to distract her from her work. The 'relationship' ended in disaster. He'd been furious that she'd "strung him along" for a full month, and "wasn't serious about him". She'd reminded him that she'd told him in advance that he wouldn't have all of her attention. He was from a wealthy family, however, and was used to getting his way. He'd been looking for a pretty trophy wife. Someone who would stay home and raise his children, clean up his messes, and always look poised and perfect. A mother with wife duties, she'd called it when she'd dumped him.

He'd been attempting to use verbal barbs against him ever since, not understanding that she'd been called worse by better people. It was something she'd come to find with most of her previous boyfriends. They'd tried to hurt her for not bending to them how she'd refused to bend to others.

"Butterfly effect theory is bullshit and here's why?"

What? She felt the grip on her pen slip and the plastic clattered to the desk.

"Yeah, I thought I'd try something a little different. I did the work, and it turned out to be a pretty good paper."

"You might reconsider the title."

"It's a working title."

It was a working title. Her working title. She felt her blood start to boil as she focused on the thick document in her professor's hands and she turned, opening her messenger bag. A hefty ream of blank pages sat there, with some blank floppy disks. Nothing had her marks for edits, the disks didn't have her writing telling her which draft they were. She looked back and saw Tommy looking at her, a nasty smile on his face.

Her paper. He stole her paper.

She stood on shaking legs, walking to the professor and taking the document from him, looking at the cover page. Tommy's name stood out beneath her title. Her professor looked stunned at her boldness, lifting a brow as if to ask what she was doing. She could see nothing but red as she slammed the document down.

"I should rip your fucking heart out just to see if you have one, you fucking thief!"

"Language, Williams!" The professor started, then looked back at Tommy, frowning. "Is this true?"

"I don't know what Williams is talking about, professor. I mean, she's crazy if she thinks I'd ever steal her paper. Maybe our themes were similar? But isn't the point to show our own work and argue our own idea? Maybe she's just pissed because she hadn't gotten her work done with the due date looming in, even with all the pride and conceit she carries around in that messenger bag?"

Sarah seriously considered grabbing her pen and stabbing him in the chest with it. She could almost see the shock on their faces, the blood gushing around the red pen.

A knock at the door drew their attention, and she saw Jareth leaning against the frame. His eyes fixed on her face and he straightened.

Tommy laughed, a brash, abrasive sound. "Wow, Williams. Managed to wrap another idiot around your little finger? Amazed he doesn't have frostbite."

As Jareth passed Tommy, he leaned over to her current lover. "Careful, she's so cold she'll give you blue balls."

Jareth paused, looking at him, and Sarah thought she saw his glamor flicker for just a moment. He didn't say anything at the other man, stepping around him as if there was a particularly nasty spill on the floor and he was trying to avoid getting any of it on him. He saw her rumpled bag and the blank pages within. He lifted the bag, himself, flipping through it.

She just stood there, trembling, trying to hold in tears of rage. She knew that Jareth could see that her dissertation was gone. She knew he'd understand the rage swirling inside of her. Her jaw was starting to cramp from how tight she'd clenched it. Her teeth protested under the pressure. Still, she managed to get some words out.

"I didn't expect you here so early." She hadn't expected him there, at all. Usually, he didn't pop into public places to visit her. She wondered if she'd accidentally called out to him in her upset.

"I got done with work early. I thought I'd see if you wanted a lift home." He shouldered her messenger bag, and put his arm around her waist, stroking a hand down her back to comfort her. His eyes fell on the paper that Tommy was holding, and he straightened, his eyes going narrow. He took the hefty document from Tommy's hand, ignoring the way the other man tried to snatch it back. Jareth looked at the cover, and as Sarah watched, he flipped through it briskly. Then, he set it down with a dull thud. "Do you wish to pursue this, Sarah?"

His voice was low, a quiet threat that told her she didn't mean with legal means. Tommy didn't understand that, and bristled, glaring at Jareth.

"As if the professor would take the word of her boyfriend over a student."

The professor had no idea what sort of pissing contest was going on between the two. Still, he shook himself and looked at Sarah. "If you can't provide proof that the original paper was yours, I'm going to accept this." His eyes moved towards Tommy, a cross expression on his face. "I will factor this into the final grade, however. Don't think I don't know that you dated Miss Williams for a few weeks. You look no better in this."

Sarah grabbed her grading pen and lunged for Tommy, but Jareth caught her around the waist.

"Lucky for you, I suppose, that your professor is so...generous."

Something about Jareth's voice made her go very still. She wondered what Jareth was doing, because she could smell the scent of ozone thick in the air around her and when she looked up at her lover's face, she could see a particularly unpleasant smile there. His hand slid up her back in a gentle caress, and his lips brushed her hairline.

"Come along, precious. You look like you could use a drink. We'll worry about everything else after that."

Then, he guided her from the classroom. He didn't take her to her apartment. As they walked through the doors, she found them in the Labyrinth and her control finally gave out. Her knees buckled, and she clung to Jareth as he went to the ground with her, stroking a soothing hand over her hair.

"That fucking douchebag! Two years of work! MY FUCKING WORK!" She pressed her face against his chest, as angry sobs shook her. Her hands curled in the jacket he was wearing, tears soaking the fabric. She hiccoughed against him, hands aching. Jareth just held and rocked her, stroking her hair until she started to hyperventilate from her sobs.

"Drink." He pushed a flask into her hand. She obeyed because she heard the sharpness of his voice, opening it and pouring whatever burning liquid was in the flask down her throat. She passed it back to him when it was half-empty and she felt the alcohol start soothing her nerves. He accepted it back and capped it, slipping it back into his jacket. "You needn't worry about him profiting from your pain. He will not get what he had hoped out of the theft."

She blinked, slowly straightening so she could look him in the eyes. "What do you mean?"

He leaned back against the wall, that unpleasant smile on his face, again. "Well, first I rifled through his rather empty head. He'd erased the disks you'd kept your work saved on, so you'll have to start over from scratch. I suppose it's fortunate for you to have a lover like me, who can give you unlimited time to ensure you're finished on time."

"What?" She stared at him, dumbstruck.

The smirk he gave her made the blood drain out of her head. "The bastard tried to benefit from your hard work and sabotage you in the same moment. He doesn't understand that you have the one thing he doesn't. Unlimited time. You'd have to do the majority of the work from here, and do the final edits in your own realm. Neither of those things will cost you any time, there. I did some checking around the library you work in. Around midnight, there's a stutter in time."

Slowly, she began to realize what he was saying, what he was offering to her. "Jareth -"

His smile grew wider when he knew she understood what he was saying and he silenced her with a quick kiss. "In that brief moment I had my hands on the stolen paper, I changed every word in it after the first page. It's illegible nonsense and gibberish after the title page. I couldn't change the author back to the rightful one, since your professor had already looked at that page. But I ensured he wouldn't benefit from your misery. Honestly, precious, did you actually date that bastard?"

"It was an idiot decision that's still biting me in the ass," she managed, as she stared at him, her heart twisting uncomfortably in her chest. "You did that? Why?"

He gave a satisfied little smile, tapping her nose with a fingertip. "Why not? He hurt you, so I hurt him in kind."

A slow smile curved her lips and she closed her eyes, letting her forehead find his chest. "I'm glad I'm in better hands, now. Thank you, Jareth."

"Alright, precious." She could hear the grin in his voice and lifted her head to look at him. "Past mistakes aside, let's get you set up in my study and see what we can get done. Tonight, we'll head to your library and take advantage of the stutter, so you can find the materials you need for research. You're alright staying here for awhile?"

"How long do I have?" She wondered, rubbing the cramps out of her hands.

"As long as you need to, in order to finish a new paper."

Her heart gave another agonizing twist in her chest. "Where have you been the last eighteen years of my life?"

He grinned at her, pleased with her question. He pulled her in for a quick, but dizzying kiss, then helped her to her feet. "Right here, darling. But that's the past. Let's worry about today's problem, yes?"

"Okay," she laughed, nodding her head.

He took her to his study, to the massive desk she'd seen him hunched over to work, and he started working with her, spitballing ideas back and forth until she settled on one. For all he was good at being a wicked tease and phenomenal in bed, when he put his mind to work, Sarah found that the Goblin King was on a level that reminded her of herself. She thought that should trouble her more than it did.

That evening, they took advantage of the thing he called a 'stutter' in the library on campus - something he admitted most libraries had due to the amount of dreams they had inside of them. She'd pulled references and noted titles and authors, and when her head was spinning, and she was worried she'd doze off, Jareth kept right on pulling down references and making notes for her in that clear, concise hand of his. She had almost fallen asleep at the table they were working at when he scooped her up and then they were in his room in his castle.

"Jareth?" she mumbled, half asleep. She wasn't certain how long they'd been there, but it felt like hours.

He set her on his bed, leaning over her and he gave her a thorough kiss before drawing back. "Sleep, darling. I'll set my goblins to work. I've a few that should be able to procure the required materials for you."

She was too tired to argue with him, and her head still ached from the rage crying she'd done. "How the hell do you have so much energy, your majesty?"

He chuckled, a smile curving his lips as he leaned over her. His fingers brushed against her forehead with a gentle touch. "Darling, someone insulted my lover today and did grave harm to her. I'll have all the energy you need me to have in order to ensure that the miscreant in question is handled appropriately."

"You already wrecked what he tried to steal. He'll either have to start from scratch like me, or he'll have to hand in whatever he'd been writing on his own. Don't ever underestimate how much that means to me."

"I'll make a deal with you, then. I'll get my goblins started on getting together what you need, and then come to bed if that's your wish." When he leaned in close, she could feel his lips brush her ear, and his words sent her libido screaming in want for him. "Maybe we could have a replay of New Years, just for fun?"

She felt her face turn crimson and she stared up at him through wide-eyes, remembering all too well everything he'd done during that event. They hadn't had an opportunity since then to do anything else, and she was getting itchy, again. Then, he smiled as if he'd said nothing at all and got to his feet. Still, in his brilliant blue eyes was a promise that made her throat go dry. She was exhausted and she knew it, but if he wanted to do that, again, she'd be glad to miss a few more hours of sleep.

She thought that, but her body thought otherwise. He'd barely been gone for a minute when her exhaustion knocked her flat. The next morning, she woke to find him curled up at her back, snuggled tight. His arm was thrown around her waist, one of his legs curled over hers, as well. She could remember him crawling into bed with her the night before, the warmth of him pressed against her. But he hadn't attempted to wake or seduce her, had just tucked in and wracked out.

She supposed that told her how exhausted he must have been, too.

A smile curved her lips and she shifted, rolling over to look at him. He looked tired, again, she noted. She sighed, and lifted her hands to his hair, working her fingers through his tresses, watching as his face relaxed. A moment later, his eyes opened and he looked at her. He still looked exhausted.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," she said, shifting her fingers to massage his scalp.

He gave a quiet groan and his eyes closed again. "I stirred when you shifted. Regardless, that doesn't mean you should stop - I'm rather enjoying what you're doing with your time, at present."

She grinned, shifting her fingers to his neck, and he gave another groan. She bit her lower lips, finding the tight muscles there. "Oh? Enjoying it enough that it's payment for a cup of coffee?"

"Precious, I need never be repaid for coffee. Coffee in the morning is a simple joy in life." Then, he gave a rough chuckle and his eyes opened. The expression on his face was amused, but there was that edge of sexy darkness in it that made her heart quicken. "And if you wish to repay me for other services rendered, we can discuss that later."

She remembered two very specific favors, including New Years, and her face flushed red. Her fingers paused and she became very aware that they were both laying there, naked in his bed. She met his gaze with wide eyes. There was a satisfied look on his face at her reaction and she wondered if he was just teasing her, again.

"Are you messing with me?" She asked, and she felt the pout she made.

"Absolutely," he said, the smile on his lips taking a wicked edge. "But not how you may think I'm messing with you."

She felt his hand shift, and it drew a line up her back, curved over her shoulder and ran along her collarbone. She quivered in response, and she knew he felt it, because she saw the flash of his sharp teeth right before he sat up.

"Unfortunately for me, you need to concentrate, precious. Meet me in my study. I'll procure your morning beverage, and you can ensure that you have the reading materials and supplies you require to do what you need to do."

The reminder of her paper managed to squash her libido. She sat up, holding his sheets to her chest and gave him another pout. "I suppose this is another favor I'll end up owing you for later?"

"Oh, absolutely," he laughed, rolling out of bed.

She got out of the bed, and hesitated for a moment, then stepped towards him, wrapping her arms around his back, hugging him tight. She pressed her forehead against his shoulder, taking a deep breath. As soon as she'd touched him, he'd gone very still, and his hand lifted up, setting over her hand.

"Thank you."

His hand squeezed her own, and he turned towards her, his hands cupping her face, and his lips brushed against hers. "There's a change of clothing for you on the chair."

"And if I get lost trying to find your study?"

Another laugh bubbled from him and he looked at her for a long moment. "You? Get lost? The woman who defeated my Labyrinth at the tender age of fifteen?" He looked at her, smirking, those beautiful eyes shining. "That would be impossible."

Then, he released him and she watched him go. The tone he'd used, then was strange, curious. He seemed to be unable to even entertain the notion that she might get turned around trying to find his study.

A bit of a smile curved her lips and she sighed.

She took advantage of his bathroom, washing her face and brushing her teeth, before she retrieved the dress he'd set aside for her. It wasn't one of the fancy dresses she wore when he took her to parties, but she took a moment to appreciate that it was of fine make. The fabric was dark brown, a simple working dress, with long sleeves. It was wool, the same fine make as the dressing gown he'd put her in previously. She pulled it on over her head and pulled the laces that held the waist cinched. There were matching slippers with it, and she pulled them onto her feet, brushing her hands over herself before she ventured from his room with caution.

She considered testing to see if she could get lost, but she didn't want to risk it. Regardless, it seemed Jareth was right, anyways. Either her instincts and memory were excellent, or she just couldn't get lost, here. She wondered, for a long moment if he'd done something to prevent it, or if the Labyrinth simply recognized her from when she'd run it at fifteen.

She stepped into the study and found that Jareth had set up his own desk for her to work at. Piled on it were books that she'd referenced the previous evening at the school library. She hoped for a moment that they weren't missing from there, but at the same time, if he was reordering time for her, she'd be able to get them back well before they'd be considered past due. She walked closer to the desk, finding her favorite black pen, with the end thoroughly bitten from a habit she'd never been able to shake. Refills for the pen were lined up, ready if she should need them. There were highlighters, red pens, lined and unlined paper, and a typewriter that reminded her of the one she'd learned to use in highschool.

The door opened, and she turned, finding Jareth standing there with a tray. On it were two plates, two mugs and a carafe in the middle. She gave him a smile and looked back at the desk. With a steadying breath, she moved towards him.

"Looks like you thought of everything."

"I've done research, myself, on occasion. Not in some time, but it's usually better to be over prepared rather than under. Now, let's get you settled in to work." He set the tray down, and pulled out the chair for her. Once she sat down in it, Jareth set his hands on either arm and leaned over her. The position was familiar, now, from when he'd pinned her other times. She set her hand on one of his, and took a deep breath, closing her eyes and relaxing.

His voice, when he spoke, was quiet, calm. He wasn't trying to distract her, or seduce her, which was appreciated.

"Nothing will disturb you while you're here, not even me, if you don't want it. There's a bed in the corner, if you feel the need to rest. I'll make certain you get fed, and have sufficient coffee and water. So you can relax, and settle into the work. Should you need me, darling, you need only call."

She opened her eyes and looked up at him, touched. Being given that much assurance meant more than she had the words to express, then. She took a deep breath and gave his hand a squeeze. "Alright."

"In the meantime, I'll deal with my own business elsewhere. Unless instructed to do so, no goblin will enter this room. If that door opens while you're here, it's me." He lifted a hand, smoothing her hair and his lips pressed against her forehead, then brushed against her own, more a ghost of a kiss than he'd given her forehead.

She closed her eyes, sighing at the soft pressure.

"Thank you, Jareth," she whispered, looking up into his eyes.

He smiled, and she wondered for a moment if she'd ever think anyone else's smile was half as wonderful. She was definitely twisted up, she thought, and more so because he did thoughtful things like this.

"Eat your breakfast, and then get to work."

Then, he straightened and gave her nose a tweak before he headed out the door.

She swallowed hard, and looked at the massive stack of books she needed to sort through. Still, Jareth's words reminded her she needed to fuel herself, too. So she pulled her breakfast close and picked up a pen. Pulling the first book close, she started taking notes while she ate.

As she worked, her coffee seemed to refill itself whenever she wanted, and if she felt the slightest bit peckish, there was always food close at hand for her. She wasn't certain how long she worked like that the first day, before Jareth walked through the door. She didn't hear him come in, she was so focused. When he set his hand on her shoulder, it startled her a bit. She looked up at him through wide-eyes, noting only now that she had to use the toilet.

Jareth was giving her a patient sort of smile.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you come in."

He gave her a smile. "You've been working steadily for almost twelve hours, darling. You need to take a break."

She opened her mouth to object, then stopped herself. She needed to use the toilet, anyways. She eyed him, anyways, lips twisting in amusement. "I'm taking this break whether I want to or not, aren't I?"

"You're human, Sarah. At least take the time to use the facilities and stretch your legs for a few minutes. Then you can get back to work."

She looked up at him for a long moment, her heart warming. She bit her lower lip and nodded. "Okay."

He took her hand, letting her use the grip on him to get to her feet. She felt the cramping in her shoulders and lower back from hunching over the desk. Her knees ached from having been bent for so long. She gave a groan, wincing.

"Ohh, didn't notice those until I stood up," she muttered, wincing.

His brow lifted as she straightened her back and tilted her head towards each shoulder to stretch her neck. There were several cracks around her neck and back as she did.

"I'm fairly certain you aren't supposed to make noises like that, darling."

She looked at him and gave him a grin. "As you pointed out, I'm human, Jareth. Sometimes, we sound like this."

His lips twitched and she saw amusement in his eyes. Still, he gave her a nod of acceptance, then walked with her so she could use the toilet. She suspected that he'd come to find her just so he could have a few minutes of her time. On the way back to his study, he suggested she take a nap soon, and she promised she'd try to remember to do so. His smile was one of exasperation, but he didn't argue with her.

The next few days went the same, until she started preempting his arrival by taking care of bathroom breaks herself, even giving herself the time to shower and brush her teeth. She learned to take care of herself as she worked so that he wouldn't worry about her so much. She still ended up falling asleep at the desk, rather than napping in the bed in the room. More often than not, no matter where she ended up passing out for the night, she'd wake in the bed that was tucked back in a corner, out of sight.

More than once, while she worked, Jareth would let her sob out her frustrations regarding having to start over from scratch on his shoulders. But he made certain she didn't give up on herself. When she'd get stuck, he'd toss ideas back and forth with her until she got her head past whatever hurdle was holding her back. She was grateful for that, it had her blazing through this paper faster than the first one.

When she set the last page of a finished second draft down in front of her, she wasn't certain how long she'd actually been in the Underground, writing and rewriting her paper. It didn't feel like it took her as long as the first one had. She swallowed hard, staring at it and leaned back in the chair. A quiet sigh escaped her as she stared at it with intense thoughts swirling around in her brain.

Jareth sat, reclined in a chair across from the desk, reading from one of her textbooks with interest. He must have noticed the end of her frantic typing, because he looked up towards her, a smile curving his lips.

The silence in the room scraped at her. She swallowed hard, lifting her eyes to look at him. "I think it's mostly finished. I need to get on a computer and check a few things, but -"

He'd gotten out of the chair when she'd started speaking, and leaned down, giving her the best possible manner of reward. His lips sealed over hers, silencing her nervous words, and he gave her a very long, very thorough kiss. When he finally straightened, his eyes were shining. "Then let's get you tucked in back at your place. If you need to use your library, we can use that glitch to ensure all edits are finished to your satisfaction."

"How long have I been working on this?"

"Darling, you don't want to know that." He gave her a smile that was sharp teeth and pride. He was proud of her. Her heart warmed further at that realization. "For now, just relax in knowing that by your time, it will still be when I initially brought you here from the library."

She closed her eyes, nodding her head and leaned towards him, setting her hand on the stack of papers beside her.

His fingers stroked through her hair, and he set his other hand beside hers on the stack of papers. Next thing she noticed, she was sitting at her kitchen table, in her apartment, and the clock on her wall was chiming twelve o'clock. She gave a sharp, surprised breath, looking around the room.

Jareth hadn't come with her, she noticed, but the paper sat on her table beside her. And on her paper was a sphere of crystal. Reaching over, she picked it up, and found a hand written note on a yellow post-it on the top page in his crisp handwriting.

Sleep, I'll see you tomorrow.

She lifted the cool orb to her lips, setting a kiss against it, and then she set it back on her new paper, giving a quiet laugh. He was probably tired, too, she realized. After taking care of her for the last who knew how long. For a moment, she sat there, staring at the stack of pages. A soft smile curved her lips and she finally let herself accept something that she'd been struggling with since Christmas.

She was head over heels in love with him.