A/N: Hello, everyone, I hope you are enjoying the story. Let me please remind you that, while I may not own elements of this story, I own my OCs and the plot. Enjoy!

The days passed quickly, almost seeming to fly by. Time, that crafty ol' devil, was still bothering poor Tarrant, who couldn't get enough of his time spent with Scrub. They were both content to spend most of their waking time together (and sometimes non-waking if Scrub happened to fall asleep in his workshop). Mirwana, Jareth and Sarah were caught up in the romance of it all and encouraged the two of them as best they could. However, all was not as merry as it might have been, as there was still a great weight on the White Queen's shoulders and she could not help but wonder about the ominous fortune that had befallen them as of late.

"Brother, all has been quiet since the Champion came into our midst. Do you think that the creatures have retreated from the Outlands?" She asked hopefully, her head in her hands.

Jareth stood, rolling another one of his crystals around and around, making it dip and dive all over him. "No." He replied in a dark tone of voice. "There was yet another attack today. I happened to witness it through my crystals. They took a whole town this time, Mirwana. If nothing is done about them, I'm afraid they will devour the entirity of both our kingdoms."

"I must inform Sarah, then." Her eyes dropped down to the ground and she looked so guilty. "I hate having to send her out like this, but it's just getting to be too much."

"She's had time to prepare. She will defeat them, I am sure of it." He stopped the crystal and held it in the tips of his fingers. In the fragile ball, he saw her laughing and carrying on. She was commenting on a game of checkers that was going on between Hatter and her friend. "My Precious Thing..." He mumbled sadly. "Why did it have to be you?" Suddenly, his eyes lit with fury like a match and he hurled the crystal at the wall, where it shattered into a swirl of glitter.

{~Meanwhile~}

"King me!" Scrub exclaimed. She had three black kings on the board already besides her newest one, while Tarrant now had a total count of two. She had captured all of his other pieces and was slowly moving in for the kill. It had been a surprisingly long game, Tarrant really had a knack for it and it was by only by luck and years of practice that Scrub was managing to beat him.

Sarah had been watching this spectacle for some time now. She'd been the one to suggest the board game in the first place, but was quickly demolished by the Hatter's skill. "Honestly, the way you two have been playing...haven't you heard that it's just a game?" She chuckled when her colleages glared at her and continued on.

"Hah! How do you like those squimberries?" Gloated Tarrant as he jumped two of Scrub's kings in a single move. Scrub stuck out her tongue and focused even harder on her possible moves.

Sarah rolled her eyes and McTwisp chuckled nervously. "At least he's having fun." He said to her from behind his paw.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I-" He began, but cut himself off when his ear twitched. "Oh, no!" He jerked a little and fell over in a dead faint. The thud caused Scrub and Hatter to stop the game and stare at Niven's limp form with some concern. However before anyone could act, the tightly-strung rabbit quickly recovered and got up, shaking like a leaf. "RUN!" He hissed. "IT'S THEM!"

"Them?" Scrub asked. A rustling in the far-off trees caused the party to hop to their feet. The noises grew louder and closer, more forboding. "What is that?" She pointed in the direction the sounds were coming from.

Hatter's eyes bulged and he knocked over the checker's board in his haste to get to Scrub. Ignoring her protests, he swung her over his shoulder and shouted at Sarah. "GRAB MCTWISP AND FOLLOW ME!" He ran off like a shot and called back over his shoulder. "NOW! DO IT, YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!"

Sarah scooped up the quivering mass of fur in her arms and followed Hatter out of the clearing. As she ran, she got curious as to what they were running from and turned her head to see.

She wished she hadn't.

The..the things might have been made of sludge or mud if the color of their bodies were any indication. The outside was roughly shaped like an egg and they stood on the more pointed end. In the middle of this disgusting sight was one eye, one grotesquely huge, red eye. There were no no other features, no mouth, no nose and no arms or legs.

She ran on, but they just stayed where they were. They weren't immobile, though, for they seemed to be twisting those ugly bodies of theirs into some sort of design. They each became narrow and the eye moved its way to the end of the body. The vermiculate contorting ended and at first, Sarah wasn't sure what they'd made, but she gasped when she realized what they had done. Out of their bodies was written the word SCRAM.

Well, she did more than that. She overacchieved and scrammed while screaming. She tried to keep Hatter in sight, but he was moving so quickly that she was having a hard time doing so. They ran for what might have been miles or only a few kilometers- it was hard to tell in Underland- before coming to a stop. Sarah caught up then, finally, and collapsed to the ground panting. "What *heave* were *pant* those *heave* things?" She gasped.

Hatter didn't answer, he was too busy holding Scrub to hear what she had to say. "It's okay..shhh" He was saying in a comforting voice, but rather it was to himself or to Scrub was hard to say. "You're safe. Don't worry, they can't get to you this close to the castle."

"I'm not really all that disraught." Scrub replied, vexed. "How can I be worried that something will get me if I don't even know what's after me?"

"Once again I ask; WHAT THE HELL WERE THOSE THINGS?" Screamed Sarah. Nivens had fainted away again and she took to fanning him with her hand.

Tarrant shook his head. "That's the problem. We don't know what they are, just that they destroy whatever they come into contact with. They swallow it up like you would your dinner, just gulp it on down. It doesn't matter who or what it is. If it's meat, then they'll attack it." He gulped and shuddered. "And we're meat."

"What are you two talking about?" Scrub was glaring at the two of them, she hated being kept out of the loop. Sarah swallowed hard and calmed herself. She described what she'd seen to Scrub and emphasized how the disgusting creatures had twisted and molded themselves like living Play-Dough. Scrub paled and her eyes narrowed. "I know what they are." She said in a small, timid voice, one that Sarah had never before heard her use.

"You do?" The question came from a surprised and worried Tarrant.

"Vermicious Knids." She answered weakly. "You've got a fludging infestation of cantankerous, mud-whomping, bog-thumping, Vermicious Knids!" She grimaced.

"Come again?" Asked Sarah in disbelief.

"I said-"

"I know what you said!" Sarah snapped. "I want to know how you know what they are!"

Tarrant cleared his throat loudly, interrupting them. "I'm sorry to break up this little chat, but we need to get going. Now." He made a grab for Scrub, who effectively dodged him. "Come on, Scrub!" He pleaded. "Please? You aren't fast enough to keep up with the two of us. I don't want to risk leaving you to the non-existant mercy of those..what did you say they were again?"

"Vermicious Knids." She answered automatically, then shrugged and sighed. "Fine. "She held her arms up for him to get an easier grip on her so that he could hoist her into his arms. "Just don't ever sling me over your shoulder like a sack of potatoes again. It's really uncomfortable."

He smiled at her apologetically. "Deal." To Sarah he said. "Let's go." She nodded and reclaimed the still unconcious rabbit from the ground. The two of them ran like the wind, Sarah began having an easier time of keeping up because Hatter had slowed down immensely now that there was no immediate danger.

{~Fastforward in time about thirty minutes~}

"You know about these monstrosities?" Jareth regarded Scrub with a scouring expression, as if he were trying to divine the truth from her.

"Yes." She said with a glance at Mirwana, who was looking paler than she was normally.

"Would you have any idea how to destroy them and save Underland?" She shook her head and you could feel the proverbial heart of the room drop to its stomach.

"But I know someone who might." The mood of the room lightened considerably at this statement, and heads snapped up to stare at her. She drew a deep breath and frowned. "But he lives in the Aboveground and I haven't seen him or heard from him in years. Not since high school, in fact."

"Of whom do you speak?" Jareth inquired. "Tell me and I shall be able to find him."

"His name is William Wonka, he goes by the nickname Willy." Sarah gasped in shock as her friend smiled grimly. "In the Aboveground he's famous for his sweets and his genius...and for being a complete recluse. I'm related to his heir and I met him at a family reunion, once." She grinned at the memory. The man had been just as accepting to her as Hatter and the rest of Underland had, so he still held a near and dear place in her heart. "He's great, he would definitly help us."

"Surely, you don't mean..." Sarah spluttered.

"Indeed I do." Scrub said with a sad smile. "Sarah, you're my best friend, but he asked me not to flaunt the fact that I knew him so I never mentioned it at all. I'm sorry, but I did promise." Sarah, while she couldn't help but to feel slightly betrayed, did understand. After all, she'd kept her trip to the Underground from Scrub so she didn't really have a leg to stand on.

"Then I should go and get him as quickly as possible." Jareth said finally. He was stopped by Scrub, who held up her hand.

"I don't think he would appreciate a man randomly appearing on his doorstep without some kind of warning. Let me call him first." She dug around in her pockets to find a small rectangle of metal. It shone dully and had a black screen that was lighting up now that she had pressed her finger on a button located on the side. "How are you gonna find him anyway?"

"You can speak to him through that device, can't you?" He pointed at the cell phone she held and she nodded. "Tell him to wish me there, in the meantime, I'll be in the Aboveground waiting for his summons."

Sarah stared, open mouthed at Scrub. "I can't believe you brought your phone with you to a completely different world!" The other occupants of the room gazed at the metallic object with engrossed fascination.

Scrub grinned as she punched in numbers. "Honeybuns, you should know me well enough to realize that I bring this thing everywhere." She held the cell up to her ear and listened to it ring..one..two..three times. A click on the other end signalled that she'd been picked up.

"Good morning, starshine! The earth says hello!" A cheery voice said into the reciever.

"Damn good reception." Muttered a flabberghasted Sarah as she moved closer to hear the conversation.

Scrub smiled. "Good morning earth! The starshine says hello!" She said back in an equally cheery tone.

There was a pause. " I know that voice...is that really you, Scrub?"

She beamed and nodded even though he couldn't see it. "You remembered!" She said excitedly. "I'm flattered, Willy, I really am."

There was a giggle that only the chocolatier could accomplish. "Well, you are the only one besides Charlie that I've given my cell phone number to. So what brought this on? It's been so long..."He sounded kinda put out and pouty and she felt a bit guilty.

"Well..." She replied sheepishly. "Yeah, it has, sorry. I just sorta assumed that you would be really busy and stuff and not have time for the ramblings of the distant cousin of your one and only heir."

Another pause. "I liked your ramblings."

"Really?"

"Really." He confirmed, his tone completely serious. "So why are you calling?"

"I need some help. Me and a bunch of my friends are in deep Schnozzwhanger dung and we're throwing you the shovel that'll dig us out."

"Anything. What kind of help do you need?"

"The kind that requires you to be here with me. I hope that isn't an inconvienience." She crossed her fingers, eyes and every other body part that could possibly be crossed.

"Oh..." He sounded apprehensive and hesitant and Scrub bit her lip. "Where are you?" He said finally and she was overcome. It was really a big thing to ask of him. He hadn't left the factory in so long and now here she was calling him up on the presumption that he would help her just because he'd taken a liking to her three years ago at some reunion that only lasted for about a week.

"Thank you!" She said rather breathlessly. "This means so much, Willy! You are absotively posilutely amazing!"

"Yup." He replied rather smugly. "I know. It's in my theme song."

She giggled. He'd sung it to her when they'd met all those years ago and Charlie had mentioned the melted dolls. Scrub remembered having said she was glad Chucky wasn't present or he'd have a bone to pick with Willy. "Yeah, it is." She motioned for Jareth to get going. He disappeared in a poof of glitter so close to her that she accidently inhaled some of it and it got all over her clothes and hair. "Dammit, Jareth!" She growled. "I'll never be able to wash all of that out of my hair." She whinged, completely forgetting about her audience.

"Uh...who's this Jareth?" If Scrub had paid any actual attention, she might have noticed the slight hint of jealousy in Willy's voice. However, she was oblivious.

"You'll see, he's on his way to the factory right now as a matter of fact. He's going to bring you to me." She thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers as an idea came to her. "Oh, and bring the elevator, that's very important. Do not forget the elevator." She warned. "It is essential to bring it."

"Um...I'll see what I can do." His end went silent, but she could hear someone talking in the background. Willy's voice was yelling indeciferable things to a person in the room. She hoped it was Charlie, the kid was one of a kind and she hadn't seen him in ages.

"One more thing, Willy. I want you to say this right now-"

"This right now."

"Ha, ha. Let's get serious, Mr. Funnybone. You need to say 'I wish the goblins would come and take me away, right now.' Comprende?"

"Si. I wish the goblins would come and take me away right now." A roll of thunder and a crack of lightening tore through the speaker in the phone, causing Scub to drop it in shock. As soon as it hit the ground, it broke into shards of plastic, metal, and wires. Scrub said a word that most sailors would blush at hearing and bent down to pick up the pieces.

"Does your boyfriend really have to make such fuss when he appears back in our world? " She huffed in an annoyed manner. "That had Internet access! And my pictures from the time I spent in Rio!"

"He's not my boyfriend." Argued Sarah.

"Is to." Retorted Scrub as she inspected the irrepairable damage done to her precious phone.

"Is not."

"Is to."

"IS NOT! He's just a friend who happens to be a boy. A boy-friend. Not a boyfriend. Two different concepts." Sarah pinched the bridge of her nose. She loved Scrub, but the older girl could get really annoying at times. Now, for instance, Scrub insisted that she and Jareth were romantically involved and no matter if Sarah said so or not, she would keep up the pretense. And if Sarah hadn't known more about wishing than most people, she would have said that she wished that it were true. However, she knew that sometimes getting what you wish for isn't exactly what you wanted in the first place.