-Disclaimer: I do not own the labyrinth of any of its original characters, they belong to Jim Henson.

Chapter 20: The Invisible Barrier

Jareth materialised himself and Sarah back into their bedroom. Sarah stood shaking in his arms from the obvious shock of what had just happened.

"You're okay love, you're okay. I'm here, it's all over now. He's gone." Jareth said softly, pushing her hair back over her shoulder.

Sarah couldn't stop herself from violently shaking, he held her firmly trying to keep her from her convulsions. She buried her face into his chest trying to hold back her tears from falling, she knew that once she started she wouldn't be able to stop.

"I'm sorry Jareth. I don't know why I did it. I just didn't want to feel afraid anymore." She said softly, her voice muffled into his chest.

"I am not going to lie to you and tell you that I'm not mad- because I am furious at you. But now is not the time to discuss it, when you are so worked up. Come over here and sit down." He said firmly.

Sarah followed him over to the two chairs that were set up near the fireplace, before she even sat down he had started a fire with the flick of his wrist. She sat down on the chair and delicately placed her hands in her lap. Jareth knelt down in front of her and placed his hands on top of hers, he looked into her doe like eyes with his anger struck mismatched ones, it made her heart race and she quickly broke the eye contact and ducked her head down to look at her hands. He moved his hands up to her chin and pushed face up so that she had look into his eyes once again.

She could feel his frustration, just in his stare alone. She looked to him with such innocence, her eyes were glistening in the light from the fire, the wetness obviously caused from the tears that she was trying to hold back.

Jareth felt himself fighting to stay angry at her. She needed to know how stupid and childish she was being, the danger that she had put herself and their baby into. How young she still was and how immature and selfish she could be, he couldn't let this go unpunished.

Even though he could see the pain inside of her, the pain that had been there for months and months on end. He knew the damage that Nick had done to her, because it had bled through into their marriage. When he would touch her intimately, there were many times where she would initially fear his touch- like she thought he was someone else. She didn't know that it hurt him just as much as it hurt her. On other occasions when they had made love it felt to Jareth like he had almost been intimate with someone else- some other Sarah would take over her body a much more aggressive and assertive lover. It wasn't that he didn't like it, sex was always great with her, but it bothered him that it was caused by what had happened to her. It bothered him that he hadn't been there to stop it from initially happening and that he couldn't just fix her.

"I can't believe that you took this risk, given your current condition." He said coldly.

"Do you understand that I just can't live on with out you."

Sarah looked into his eyes, the "Sorry" that was placed within hers, could not have been any clearer than if she was to shout it.

"I know... So stupid." She replied back in a whisper.

Jareth put his head down onto her lap. He didn't make a sound, not a movement, Sarah felt her heart pound frantically, she had never seen him like this... this overwhelming

Vulnerable?

He kept his head down on her lap, but he moved his hands up past her legs, up past her pelvis and he rested them on her growing bump. He could feel his unborn baby kick his hands, he lifted his head up from her lap and a half smile formed on his lips at the feeling.

"I wanted to feel him, to make sure he's okay, I don't know if you understand Sarah how much you both mean to me, how long I've waited for both of you." He said honestly.

Sarah let out a frustrated huff.

"You're right I probably don't understand, I'm 18 years old. I haven't lived through centuries, I haven't done a lot the things that you have done, I haven't seen the things that you've seen. But I did just kill a man, I'm about to be a mother. And to be honest, I am terrified." She replied back defensively.

She didn't really know why she felt the need to defend herself but she did. When she really thought about where her anger came from, it came with the guilt she felt for what she had done, she knew that she had risked her own child and if she was honest with herself she had no excuse for it, she didn't know why she had even done it, when it had happened, it had almost felt like she was in a dream, a trance like state.

Jareth looked at her angrily, he moved his hands off of her, and stood up abruptly, he began circling around her, his hands behind his back, Sarah instantly knew that she'd angered him and she was about to cop it big time.

"Look I don't really know why I-..." She started.

He put his hand up angrily at her, obviously trying to silence her. His glove made a sudden squeaking noise, which is what caught Sarah's attention. As she looked up at him, she noticed that for the first time, since her run of labyrinth, she felt afraid of him.

He stood over her, circling her like a shark in water, dressed all in black from his loose fitting shirt, tight pants and long black boots. She had never pushed his patience this far... she knew that his patience had limits, even for her.

He stared down at her, his eyes squinting, his normal crease between his brows present. Sarah looked down at her hands again afraid to look up to him.

"Enough Sarah."

"Enough, is enough. I am finished with your antics." He said coldy.

"I really did not want to have to do this, I have tried everything to make your transition here as close to your old home as possible- Your freedom, I know you value it. But if you can't be responsible enough to keep yourself from obvious danger, then you leave me no choice."

"No choice?" She said softly, looking up to him fearfully.

"You will stay in this room, until I see other wise fitting. You may leave if you are accompanied by myself or Echo." He said firmly.

"What?!?" She shrieked.

"I can't keep letting your actions go unpunished. It doesn't set a good example for my subjects, and it also doesn't leave you with having any respect for me. It was the one thing I asked of you. You gave me your word. And you broke it...on top of that the obvious danger that your put yourself in to." He explained.

"You can't keep me chained in here like I'm some sort of wild animal! I am your wife Jareth! This is the 21st Century! I am not some little woman that will just keep your bed warm!" She said angrily.

She had removed herself from her chair halfway through her rant, her fear dissipated as she stood before him, hands on her hips, her face stricken with anger, she didn't care that he towered over her or that with the flick of a wrist he could do whatever he wanted to her- she was too angry.

"I have told you once before, little girl, things are different here. You may be my wife, but I am also still your king and I will have your respect Sarah. Even if I have to be cruel to have it." He said looking down at her emotionlessly.

She looked up to him silently, the fierce wrath she could feel building up inside of her was becoming unmanageable, she wasn't sure where she should channel it. She walked over to the desk in the far corner, pushing past him. He attempted to grab her arm to pull her back but she shrugged him off aggressively. She picked up a glass paper weight, heavy in her hands, she stared back up at him and then back at the paper weight. Before Jareth knew it, she had heaved it towards him.

Jareth caught it in his hand, chuckling to himself, he placed it down on the floor next to him.

"You have such a temper my love, I do not want to upset you further for you and for the babe. I'll leave you for the night- if you need me you only need to call. Remember you won't be leaving this room." He said nonchalantly, his facial expression showing another emotion... he was amused.

"Get out." She said defeated.

"Just get out, things would be very different right now if I wasn't pregnant." She said coldly.

"Remember that I love you. Please always remember that." He replied back softer this time

.

By the time Sarah looked back up for him he was gone leaving only a dusting of glitter behind.

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"All of you incompetent half witted vermin, in here now." He shouted malignantly from his throne.

All of the Goblin Kings goblins began pouring into the throne room, fear apparent by their faces, their small little forms shaking at what was to come next.

"Which ones of you were suppose to be watching the human captive, the one I told you was extremely dangerous and was to be watched, supervised and guarded at all times." Jareth said looking down at them, cruelness in eyes burning through them.

Three rather larger goblins began to walk to the front of the room, towards Jareth's throne, as they approached they began to move into a very low bow.

"Your majesty, we are sorry, we didn't think it would be any problem he never even moves, never blinks, it's almost as if he's not even alive, we only went to the great hall to get some ale." He said almost pleadingly but the tone in his voice sounded to Jareth as if it were insincere.

Jareth knew that he was lying, they were gone far longer than just collecting some petty ale, they had been gone for over an hour and had been feasting and getting drunk, having a whole evening of festivities, the first night he decides to leave in heaven knows how long and they take advantage of the situation and a have party, he knew this because he had watched them in his crystals after it had dawned on him that Sarah shouldn't have even been able to get down the stairs.

He raised himself from his throne and gracefully walked down to where the goblins bowed. He looked down at them, his lips in a thin line.

"Is that the story you're all sticking to then?" He asked coldly.

"Yes sire." They agreed, nodding their heads quickly.

"Well then, it appears you all think that the limits of my power are pathetic. You honestly think I do not know the extent of you antics tonight?.."

"Such a pity, it doesn't matter though, regardless of whether or not you were honest with me, you three were always going to be punished." He said matter of factly.

"Echo, call Hoggle, tell him these three are to be placed in three separate oubliettes, fifteen years should do it... make it fifteen aboveground years." He said chuckling to himself.

"YOUR HIGHNESS, PLEASE HAVE MERCY!" They all began frantically pleading, the middle goblin grabbing a hold of his boot, Disgusted Jareth shook him off angrily.

"Oh Yes! You will be going. There is no mercy here! You put the Queen and the heir to this throne in danger by your negligence, now you will suffer your consequences.- get them out of my sight before I put you all in the bog." He said waving his hand at the other Goblin guards.

They didn't need to be asked twice, they quickly collected the hysterical goblins and scurried out of the room leaving Jareth to his thoughts.

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Sarah laid herself on to hers and Jareth's king sized bed, the curtains of the large canopy fanned out.

"Magnificent enough for royalty." She said sarcastically to herself.

She began tracing her hands against her swollen belly. The shift her had one was one with buttons and she had only done up the top three, she liked to be able to touch the bare skin of her stomach, it made her feel closer to her unborn baby.

"Your dad can be such as asshole kiddo." She said softly.

"sometimes he can be such a perfect gentleman, the prince from my dream fairy tale, but other times- like tonight he can be the villain."

"And like, what an assumption to make that you are a boy, your obviously going to be a little girl aren't you?" She said smiling to herself.

"He didn't even give me a chance explain to him, why I did it, I did it for us kiddo, I wanted you to be safe, it was like it wasn't even me, like something just took over me. Maybe a maternal instinct or something. Now look at me, I can't even stop shaking. I'm sorry I put you in jeopardy, if you can feel anything that I'm feeling now. I'm sorry for that too." She said softly.

Sarah was busy doting on her bump, when a knock came unannounced at the door, she rose out of the bed and proceeded to head over to open it, her midwife Lidia stood at the door.

"His Highness asked that I come and check on your and the babe, will you allow me to come in and examine you?" She asked politely.

"Oh yes... That would be great... I just... do you mind if I just step out for a second." Sarah said awkwardly.

She began to step forward but as she did she rolled her eyes at the fact that there was an obvious invisible barrier between their shared room and the castle hallway, she had already tried to escape their room numerous times since Jareth had left, but her first attempts she found their bedroom door was locked.

She sighed dramatically.

"Come on in." She hissed.

"His majesty said you would try that." She said almost sadly.

Sarah looked at Lidia's face and saw... pity?

"Yes well he likes making me miserable apparently." Sarah replied, clearly annoyed.

"Welcome come on your grace, lets have a look at your both." Lidia said swiftly, trying to change the subject.

"Your highness, your hands, they are shaking quite badly, how long have they been like that for?" Lidia asked worriedly.

"Oh they are getting better now, it was a lot worse." Sarah replied, trying to shrug it off.

Sarah laid back down on the bed, not embarrassed by her nudity caused by the shift separating. Lidia felt around Sarah's belly, almost as if to show that she was actually doing something, Sarah knew that most of Lidia's examination was done with magic and that she didn't actually need to feel around. She stopped suddenly and looked up to Sarah's face. Sarah thought that she could see a hint of worry on her face but as quickly as it was there, it was hidden by a smile.

"Your highness, I think we should call the King for a moment." Lidia said calmly. Too calmly.

"Why what's wrong?! What's wrong with my baby?!"

Sorry to leave it here guys, Jareth is a bit of an ass in this chapter, but remember it's still Jareth and he is well Jareth