A/N: I'm baaaack! Never fear, lovely readers, I would never abandon this story. Life has been pretty hectic and hasn't allowed me much time to write. I was going to make this chapter longer, but I decided to just post what I had and call it good. Many thanks go to addictedtocsi777, angel56335, Anonymous, childishmistake, Chrysanthis87, D, DelsGirl, gunitatsuhiko, Her Royal Goddess, holmsie, i luv books94, I'Like'Cheetos, introspectivesubwaystations, KatyAtAll, LittleMargarita, Luca, Lucia Rayne, MoonPrincess623, notwritten, RachCar, RDG, sandy162, ShadowHeartofFaith, TheraSerenity, and VampireMafiaQueen for their awesome reviews that kept me motivated to finish this darn chapter. Remember, reviews make me happy and happy people update faster.
Disclaimer: I own two copies of Labyrinth, but not the rights…sadness.
"I love you more," cooed Sarah.
"No, I love you more," crooned Jareth.
"I'm going to be sick," professed Allie.
"No, I love you more," purred Sarah.
"I think I'm going to join you," agreed Fagan.
The Fairy King and his Lady watched as the two sweethearts continued their nauseating professions of love. Allie and Fagan had been taking a stroll through the gardens when they came upon Jareth and Sarah. They were sitting on a swing and holding each other close. Fagan began to worry about the two of them. It had been a week since the wedding and they weren't being careful about expressing their feelings. Fagan shuddered to think about what would happen if it had been Liam who came upon them. He was going to have to bite the bullet and have a serious conversation with the couple. They couldn't continue on without having some idea on how to deal with the third wheel.
"I'll love you forever," professed Jareth.
"That's not long at all," Sarah replied. "I'll love you for eternity."
"I'll love you to infinity," Jareth vowed.
"While I hate to break up this…whatever it is, we need to talk," Fagan interrupted.
"Yes, yes," Jareth replied dismissively, still looking into the jade eyes of his beloved.
"I'm serious, Jareth," Fagan insisted.
"Fine," Jareth sighed, turning towards his brother. "What can we do for you?"
"Have you two thought about what might happen should our cousin find you here?" Fagan asked. The two lovebirds had the good sense to look ashamed. Fagan continued his lecture, having fully captured their attention. "He may be an interloper, but he is still a man and family. He deserves to be treated better. You need to talk to him and get him to agree to give up his courting rights…and I don't mean tomorrow. I'm disappointed that I had to be the one to talk to you, but would you rather it be me or father? Just imagine what he would think of you parading your victory in front of a man who will never get that chance with Sarah?" Fagan pointed his gloved finger at his elder brother and shook it.
"He's right," Sarah sighed, moving away from Jareth on the swing. "We haven't even taken his feelings into consideration. All we've thought about these last few days is ourselves. I swore to myself that I had outgrown that selfish phase I had gone through as a teenager. It should be my responsibility and I will be the one to face him."
"We will do it together," vowed Jareth, taking her hand in his. "Why don't we confide in father and see if he has some advice on how to handle this situation delicately? As much as he annoys me, I don't want to see Liam hurt in all of this."
"That sounds good," Sarah replied.
"I'll send a summons to my father and have him meet us at my castle. It'll be more private there and you can meet the new girl that's been residing in the palace," Jareth suggested.
"Send for me when you need me to arrive," Sarah replied.
The Goblin King bent towards his beloved and gave her lips a quick kiss. With one more profession of love, he disappeared to do as he had promised. Fagan, caught the eye of his intended. She nodded to him and he quickly excused himself, leaving the two girls to themselves. Sarah narrowed her eyes at her best friend, but said nothing. It was obvious that she wanted to talk so she just waited until the pretty blond was ready.
"Have you thought about what you're going to say to Liam?" Allie asked, after a moment.
"No," Sarah sighed. "I haven't seen him all week and it's been really easy to pretend that he already knows."
"Oh, Sar," Allie replied, shaking her head.
"I know," Sarah said. "I should have told him as soon as I realized how I felt about Jareth. I just worry about hurting his feelings. He's such a nice person and he deserves so much better than me. He needs a girl who wants to be with him. I didn't mean to string him along. I'll take care of this as soon as I see him."
"That's more like the Sarah I know," Allie praised. "Though, I can't blame you for being wrapped up with Jareth. Ain't love grand?"
"We definitely are a couple of lucky girls," Sarah agreed.
"So, have you…" Allie trailed off.
"Have I what?" Sarah asked, though she had a pretty good idea of what Allie was going to say.
"You know…" Allie coaxed.
"Allie!" Sarah cried. "You know that I can't do that with Liam still as a rival to Jareth. We'd get into big trouble. Even if we did, I wouldn't tell you. A girl's got to have some secrets."
"Aw nuts!" Allie replied with mock irritation. The girls giggled and began to make their way back to the castle.
The first thing Liam noticed while he walked the halls of the Fairy castle was the silence. No giggles of pretty women. No barking orders from his cousin. Where was everyone? He made his way to the women's room, knowing already what he would find. Knocking, he waited for his beloved Sarah to answer. When she didn't, he frowned and began to get nervous. Could she be with Jareth? Of course, she's with Jareth. Where else would she be? The thought of his cousin was making his blood boil. How in the hell was he supposed to woo her if the Goblin King was always getting in his way?
There was only one thing to do. He was going to have to have it out with his fair haired cousin. Even if he had to wait all day, he needed this confrontation. His mind made up, Liam transported himself to the Goblin Kingdom. A frown adorned his face and his nose turned up at the sights and smells of the Throne Room. His cousin was a pig! This was one of the main reasons he never visited the Goblin Kingdom. The creatures were disgusting and left destruction in their wake. Sarah could never want to live here.
Stalking down the hall, he went out in search of the Goblin King and Sarah. The place seemed deserted. The only Goblins he'd seen were passed out quietly in the Throne Room. At least he remembered where everything was located. Jareth had changed nothing since the time of Liam's father. Coming upon the castle's study, he took a deep breath and pounded his fist against the door. When he didn't get an answer, he struck the door even harder. He was sure he'd have a bruise on his fist later.
"Come on out of there!" he demanded.
"I hate to tell you this, but he's not in there," came a voice behind him.
Liam whipped around to see a girl of about eighteen Mortal years. There was something so familiar about her. Her dark hair was pulled back into a pony tail and her brown eyes were focused on a ripe apple in the palm of her hand. She bit into it carefully and Liam took a moment to admire the perfect white teeth within her mouth. After she chewed and swallowed her bite, she looked to him as if she were waiting for some sort of explanation. Liam could feel his temper rise. He didn't owe this Mortal chit anything, least of all an explanation.
"Do you know where he might be?" he asked with an exasperated tone.
"How the heck should I know," Stephanie huffed. "What do I look like, his secretary?"
"Why you insolent wench!" Liam cried.
For the first time in his long life, Liam could feel himself begin to lose his temper. He'd been known to get angry on occasion, but he always managed to reign in his emotions before they got the best of him. As a child, he was his mother's baby. He never gave in to tantrums and was a quiet boy. He often thought that his demeanor may be the reason his father often spent more time with his cousin than with him. Jareth was much more like the previous Goblin King than Liam.
"Who are you calling a wench, you ass!" Stephanie yelled.
"You dare call me an ass?" Liam asked, his voice deceivingly calm.
"If the shoe fits," Stephanie replied, glaring at him.
Liam's control broke in the face of this imprudent mortal child. His posture changed until he was standing straight and tall. At his full height, he towered over the pretty young girl. In his hand, a crystal sat gleaming in the flickering candlelight. Enraged, he threw the crystal down to the ground at his feet. It burst in a cloud of glittery smoke. When the smoke had dissipated, Liam had vanished. Stephanie blinked a couple of times before looking around her. Her heart raced and she found herself willing it to slow.
"Can I help you with something?" asked a familiar arrogant voice from behind. Stephanie shrieked and whipped around.
"Goblin King!" she cried. "You scared the crap out of me!"
"I should hope not," Jareth quipped.
"Ha, ha," she laughed sarcastically.
"Is there a reason you are standing outside of my study?" he asked, raising his eyebrow.
"I was on my way to the library when I came across some guy beating on the door," Stephanie explained. "I told him you weren't here, but he started acting like an ass. Then he disappeared."
"Some guy?" Jareth asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Yeah," Stephanie replied. "He was tall, like you, I dunno…about 5'10 or 11. He had reddish brown hair and blue eyes."
"Liam," Jareth spat. "Damn!"
"A friend of yours?" she asked.
"My cousin and current rival," Jareth said by way of an explanation.
"You steal his girl?" Stephanie asked.
"Of course not!" Jareth cried.
"If you say so," Stephanie replied.
"She is my girl, not his," Jareth groused. "He just doesn't know it, yet."
"Lucky girl," she said sardonically.
"You'll be meeting her today," Jareth informed her. "I expect you to be on your best behavior or I'll find another place for you to live. Somewhere by the Bog of Eternal Stench, perhaps?"
"Yes, sir," Stephanie said, clicking her heels together and saluting him. She turned away from his rolled eyes and began marching up the hall towards her room.
Jareth watched her go and sighed deeply. He needed to reach his father sooner rather than later. If Liam was visiting him in his Kingdom, it was just a matter of time before he found out about the changing nature of Sarah's relationship to him. Opening the door to his study, he went inside to his sanctuary. He made sure the door was secure then sank down into the chair behind his desk. With a flick of his wrist, a crystal appeared in his palm. Closing his eyes, he worked on creating a summoning spell. He sent it on its way after examining it to make sure it held the correct spell.
With that task out of the way, he began to go through the paperwork on his desk. He'd spent the last week so enthralled with Sarah that he had been neglecting his duties. What a week it had been. His head dropped into his propped hand and his eyes glazed over as he succumbed to the memory. The scrolls on his desk slowly faded away as his mind replayed the moment she first admitted her feelings for him. It was a moment in time he wished to keep forever. Absently, he created a crystal and began to twirl it around his free hand. It spun on the tip of his finger before rolling onto his arm. After coming to rest in the crook of his elbow, he bounced it back up into his hand. His head, still resting in his hand, turned to view the crystal.
Inside the glowing orb, he could watch the moment she said 'I love you' for the first time. He did so, over and over…and over. Everything else faded away as he stared at the crystal globe within his hand. It wasn't until he heard the sound of knocking at his door that he realized just how mesmerized by his beloved Sarah. She was the most perfect thing in the entire universe. No one had hair just the right shade of black or eyes the precise color of jade. He threw the crystal into the air and it vanished to a hidden spot known only to the Goblin King.
"Enter," he called.
The door opened and his father glided into the room. He looked at the massive pile of paperwork on his son's desk with a raised eyebrow. Jareth shrugged and stood before the High King. Though he may have been Jareth's father, he was still the High King of the Underground and that demanded respect. Jareth bowed deeply and his father nodded his head in return. He walked over to a set of high backed plush chairs and indicated that they have a seat for this chat. Once Raghnall and Jareth were seated, the younger Fae began to speak.
"Sarah and I need to speak with you," he stated.
"Oh?" Raghnall said nonchalantly. His smile belied his attempt at indifference. "Where, might I ask, is the darling woman?"
"Damn and blast!" Jareth cursed. "I forgot to get Sarah."
"Why don't you go to your brother's Kingdom and retrieve her?" Raghnall suggested. "I'll wait for you in the sitting room."
"I will return shortly," Jareth promised.
With a nod of his head, he was in the hallway outside of her room within the castle beyond the Fairy City. He knocked on the door and was relieved when it was answered by Sarah. She looked at him expectantly.
"My father is ready for us," he announced.
"Alright, give me a second to put on some shoes and I'll be ready to go," Sarah replied.
Jareth looked down to see red polished toes sticking out from under her gown. He grinned as she went back into her room to find her slippers. Jareth could hear her growl in frustration and mumbling about how she had just had them on so where could they have gone. She began crawling on the floor to look under the bed. With a triumphant shout, she grasped onto her wayward shoes. Shoving her foot into each of them, she calmly walked towards Jareth and placed her hand in the crook of his elbow. He snapped his fingers and the two of them were transported to the sitting room within his castle.
"Your Majesty," Sarah greeted with a warm smile and deep curtsy.
"Hello, my dear," Raghnall greeted, skipping the formalities and pulling her into a tight embrace. She returned it with her whole heart. "Now, what's all this about?"
"Jareth and I are in love," Sarah declared.
"And we want to get married," Jareth continued.
"But we don't know what to do about Liam," Sarah finished.
Raghnall's head moved back and forth between the two sweethearts. It looked as if he were witnessing a tennis match. A bright smile adorned his face at the thought of Sarah becoming his daughter-in-law. She was a perfect match for his son and he couldn't be happier. His smile dissolved at the thought of his nephew in this affair. He was not going to take this news well. It was apparent that the couple before him had similar thoughts.
"Congratulations, my children," he said, at last. "I give my blessings to you both. Let us sit and ponder what we shall do about young Liam."
The two monarchs and the future Goblin Queen sat down to discuss their situation. After a time, they decided upon speaking with Queen Catrin. Sarah believed her to be an ally to their cause and may be able to help. Then they decided to invite Liam to a neutral location and try to reason with him. With luck, the four of them might be able to convince the man to find love somewhere else. Raghnall gave final congratulations and hugs to each of them. He vanished, leaving Jareth and Sarah alone to finalize their plans.
Liam felt horrible for losing his temper. It was just that damn girl! She had to be the most irritating creature in any realm. All he wanted to do was find Jareth. She didn't have to be so rude about it. Still, that didn't excuse his horrible breech of etiquette. Transporting away without so much as a by-your-leave was certainly not Liam's style. He had been looking for her in his cousin's disgusting castle for at least a half an hour when he heard voices coming from the sitting room. Creeping closer, he realized one of the voices was that of the High King.
Staying in the shadows, he began to hear snippets of conversation. Jareth was obviously there and he was about to leave as he believed it to be a discussion between the Goblin King and his father. He froze as he heard the voice of Sarah joining the other two. What in the Underground could they be discussing? Frowning deeply, he caught the sound of his own name. They were talking about him. He held his breath as he strained to hear what they were saying.
Liam's heart dropped into his stomach as he heard about Sarah's proclamation to Jareth. How could she be in love with that blond fop? He must have bespelled her. There was no other explanation. He was going to have to get her away from the man in order to fix things. This whole mess was completely unfair. Sarah deserved someone faithful and good, not that philandering cad. Jareth hadn't had a relationship with a woman that lasted more than a night in centuries. Even ones that went beyond a one night stand were shallow and self-serving.
With a determination he'd never felt before, Liam transported himself to the one place where he could sit and think for a bit. He would make Jareth pay for using magic to secure Sarah's hand. Once he had Sarah, he'd make sure to humiliate the Goblin King. But first, how to get them apart? It was apparent that they had been spending quite a bit of time together this past week. Seeing Sarah had been all but impossible. This was a conundrum indeed.
"Did you hear that?" Sarah asked, turning her head towards the door.
"Hear what?" Jareth asked. His voice was muffled as his mouth was currently attached to her neck.
"Seriously, Jareth, I thought I heard something," Sarah said.
"It was probably just a Goblin," Jareth argued. "Now, where was I?"
Jareth had just reached out his tongue once more to taste her sweet skin when a small giggle reached his ear. With a frown, he heaved an exasperated sigh. He was King here, wasn't he? Couldn't he get one moment of peace to snog his sweetheart? Sarah giggled at his obvious put-out expression. Her laughter was like an aphrodisiac and he quickly returned to his new favorite activity. Although he loved kicking Goblins, kissing Sarah had usurped that pastime to take over the number one slot.
"Blast it all!" he cried as the giggle returned.
Sarah hopped off of his lap and Jareth angrily got to his feet. Stalking off, he whipped open the door to reveal…nothing. There was no one in the hallway. Jareth turned to Sarah with a quizzical expression on his handsome face. The giggle sounded again and, this time, Sarah picked up on a location. She strode over to a tapestry and flung it out of the way. With it gone, a hidden door was revealed. Sarah looked to Jareth and threw the door open.
"Ah ha!" she cried. Her grin of triumph quickly faded into a look of surprise. "Stephie?"
"Sarah!" exclaimed the dark-haired girl.
"What in the hell are you doing here?" they asked in almost perfect unison.
"You two know each other?" he asked, wincing. That had to be the most inane question ever asked.
"This is my cousin," Sarah announced. "I'm surprised you didn't see the resemblance. People used to think we were sisters."
Jareth looked back and forth between the two women and did, indeed, see the similarities. Both of them had dark hair and a fair complexion. The true difference could be seen in their eyes. Sarah's were a sexy, exotic jade green. Stephanie's were an earthy brown. Sarah also held herself in a very confident, womanly manner, whereas Stephanie still behaved like a little girl. Still, both of them held their chins in a very defiant and stubborn manner. He was in a very interesting predicament indeed.
"What are you doing here Sarah?" Stephanie asked again. "Did you wish yourself away, too?"
"Good heavens, no," Sarah laughed. "Fagan brought me here to torment Jareth. I suppose, from your question, that you went ahead and wished yourself away."
"Yep," Stephanie replied. "Who's Fagan?"
"The Fairy King," Sarah answered. "He's Jareth's younger brother and Allie's suitor."
"Allison's here, too?" Stephanie asked.
"Yeah. Maybe you can come visit both of us in the castle beyond the Fairy City," Sarah suggested.
"So, what's the story with you and Mr. Fancy Pants," Stephanie asked.
"It's a long story," Sarah warned.
"I've got time," Stephanie replied. Sarah motioned for her to take a seat in one of the plush Sitting Room chairs. After all three of them were seated, Sarah began.
"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful young girl whose stepmother always made her stay home with the baby…"
Sarah and Jareth took turns telling their story. Stephanie looked at them and could tell that they were in love. For Heaven's sake, they finished each other's sentences. If only she could have a romantic story like them. Unfortunately, she hadn't met any prospective suitors while in the Goblin Kingdom. Just that one guy. Ugh! He was the furthest thing from her perfect romantic lead conjured by her fantasy induced mind.
"That is so romantic!" she exclaimed when they were done.
"If you say so," Sarah replied, laughing. "He ruined one of my best dresses with mud."
"As I recall, you are the one who pushed me in first, love," Jareth argued.
"You've got me there," Sarah replied.
"Not yet," Jareth said with a devilish smirk. "Perhaps we can save that for a future endeavor."
"Oh, you are so bad," Sarah declared. Her smirk mirrored his own.
"You wouldn't love me any other way," Jareth replied.
"Too true," Sarah conceded.
Before the banter could continue, the door opened and five little Goblins ran into the room. They stopped short when they saw their sovereign sitting with Stephanie and their future Queen. Sarah couldn't hide a giggle when she saw them fall into a heap when the ones in the back weren't able to stop in time to prevent running into the ones in front.
"Hi guys," Sarah greeted their arrival.
"Queenie!"
"Kingy!"
"Play game?"
"Make yum yum?
"Singy?"
"I don't know boys," Sarah replied. "Maybe a little later."
"You can go play with the Goblins if you would like," Jareth interjected. He wanted his subjects to continue to love their future Queen. They brought her joy and Jareth vowed to always attempt to bring a smile to her face.
"Alright," Sarah replied with a grin. "Let's go into the Throne Room and play Goblin King." Jareth's eyebrows disappeared into his hair as he watched her leave with the five little Goblins.
"She's quite a woman, isn't she?" asked Stephanie, observing her new King's reaction to his Lady.
"There's no one like her in any realm," replied Jareth, in agreement.
"What are you going to do about that other guy?" Stephanie inquired.
"He will be told that Sarah is no longer interested in his courtship," Jareth replied flippantly, as if this were common knowledge.
"And he's going to give up, just like that," Stephanie countered.
"If he knows what's good for him," Jareth replied.
"You sure are a cocky bastard," Stephanie commented, standing and walking towards the door. "Welcome to the family."
Jareth had no retort as she opened the door and went through it. After a moment of introspection, he, too, arose and made his way out the door and into the stone hallway. Even from this distance, he could hear the cheers and music streaming from the Throne Room. With a grin, he hurried down the hall towards the sound. He paused at the doorway to watch and admire his Sarah as she danced with his subjects. It astounded him at how she never seemed to be repulsed by the Goblins as were many of the Fae women.
The Goblins used their own magic to fill the Throne Room with music. Sarah was jumping around the room in a most amusing manner as she sang a song from the Above. Jareth had to laugh as the Goblins joined her on the chorus, mimicking her dance moves.
I come home in the morning light,
My mother says "When you gonna live your life right?"
Oh,mother,dear,
We're not the fortunate ones,
And girls,
They wanna have fu-un.
Oh,girls,
Just wanna have fun.
The phone rings in the middle of the night,
My father yells "What you gonna do with your life?"
Oh,daddy,dear,
You know you're still number one,
But girls,
They wanna have fu-un,
Oh,girls,just wanna have
That's all they really want...
Some fun...
When the working day is done,
Oh,girls,
They wanna have fu-un,
Oh,girls,
Just wanna have fun...
Girls,
They want,
Wanna have fun.
Girls,
Wanna have
Some boys take a beautiful girl,
And hide her away from the rest of the world.
I wanna be the one to walk in the sun.
Oh,girls,
They wanna have fu-un.
Oh,girls,
Just wanna have
That's all they really want...
Some fun...
When the working day is done,
Oh,girls,
They wanna have fu-un.
Oh,girls,
Just wanna have fun...
Girls,
They want,
Wanna have fun.
Girls,
Wanna have.
They just wanna,
They just wanna...
They just wanna,
(Oh...)
They just wanna...
(Girls just wanna have fun...)
When the song was over, Sarah flopped onto the Throne. Adjusting into the massive chair, she flung one leg over the arm. The Goblins may be simple creatures, but even they noticed the similarities between their King and future Queen. When Jareth stepped into the room, the inhabitants scattered to the corners to begin drinking themselves silly. Sarah idly watched him as he approached his seat of command. Without saying a word, he hoisted her off of his Throne and sat down in her place. Once settled, he placed her across his legs. His arms wound around her waist and held her close as he cuddled with her.
"Don't you ever tire of sharing the same seat?" she asked in mock irritation. To be honest, she enjoyed being so close to him. He shook his head and nuzzled her neck, breathing in her heady scent.
"So, girls just want to have fun?" he asked, pulling away from her soft skin. Sarah grinned and placed a delicate kiss upon his neck, eliciting a groan from her handsome suitor. "They aren't the only ones."
