Chapter 42.

The sky was a blanket of stars; Quinn had not spoken or moved. The soft rumbling of the Pixie's tummy told them it was time for dinner. Quinn looked down at the creature and teased. "I beg your pardon? I didn't quite catch that."

Meep blushed. "I think I'll just run along to the kitchens." He vanished.

Sarah looked at the King, "Hungry?"

"Yes," his head turned, languidly, as he looked toward her.

Sarah blushed. "I think we should get back to the Castle ourselves." She suggested in a squeaky voice.

"Are you afraid to be here with me?" He asked

"If you must know, yes." She stood up, dusting off her long skirt.

Instead of standing, Quinn lay back on the hillside, his hands behind his head. "Really?"

Sarah looked down at him. "What are you up to?" She fidgeted. "We need to get back…"

"You asked me how much of your journey though the Labyrinth did My half, Quinn influence. Do you still want to know?" Mismatched eyes danced with mirth.

"I'd rather go have dinner." She said too quickly.

"Chicken." He said reaching out for her leg with his foot.

"Sound delicious." She dodged his foot and started down the hill. "Are you coming?"

"Nowhere near." He muttered.

Having reached the bottom of the hill, she turned to look at him. "Come on its not that far…" he was not there and her heart sunk.

He was at her elbow now; looking at her, with a smile that was icy. "It's farther than you think." Pointing at a tree, he added, "And the time is shorter."

Sarah did not want to look, she had a feeling that antique wooden clock had appeared in the tree. "Quinn, no… not now…we have to get this parchment back to the castle…They are waiting for this." Even to her ears her voice sounded pitiful in its plea.

Long soft strands of Fae hair moved over her face. "What a pity." Quinn's voice was low, and gentle, as though he meant it. One gloved hand snaked upward, stroking the cheek of the young woman. "The parchment can wait, Sarah. This can not."

'Help him,' Jareth had asked of her. 'Help us.'

Sarah looked at him Magic still hummed in the air as it always did here in this Kingdom. Sarah was standing still, hair tousled by the wind. The wind blew her hair over her face, brushing it back; she took a step forward. "Yes, I want to know."

He was still watching her intensely. They stood facing each other at the bottom of the windswept hilltop. Between them and the hill on which the castle stood was a broad valley. In the darkness, she could not tell what was out there. Experience had taught her to take nothing for granted in the Labyrinth. "Are you certain?" He asked as long fingers teased her skin.

"Yes." She swallowed.

Quinn circled her; cape fluttering madly as had Jareth's. "He gave you but thirteen hours to unriddle his Labyrinth…we have less than three months to unriddle the Labyrinth that is our relationship. Not all of what you will discover is pretty. Some of it is dark, Sarah…very dark. Still want to know?"

Sarah shivered as his hand went possessively to her throat. "Yes, I want to know."

"Then let us begin." He gripped her waist, and led her toward the dark walls of the Labyrinth. "The hardest part of any journey Sarah, is the first steps."

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Solea kept watch; she heard her husband enter the chamber and called out to him. "I'm Scrying."

"Anything of interest?" he poured wine for them both and joined her.

She handed him scrolls. "They have the parchment."

"Have they read it?" Cairbre settled in the seat next to her.

"Not as of yet…they watched the sunset and now Quinn is taking her on another trip down memory lane." Solea stretched. "I'm hungry, think we can have food brought in?"

"It's on it way." He husband promised. "I thought to have it ordered before I finished with my work in the war-room." He pointed to the Scrying Pool. "You are getting quite good at this."

"Thankfully, Husband you use water…I'd have a more difficult time with some other medium." She sipped the wine. "He is taking her back to the beginning of the Labyrinth." She motioned with her goblet.

"Why?" He mused. "Why there?"

"She asked him how much of her journey did he influence." Solea stated. "You thought all the tricks played on her were just Jareth? Seems they were not."

"Shattered Soul strikes again." the Bard moaned. "Why would he want to cover that material again?"

"It's a strange courtship, to be sure. But everything about this pair is different." Solea raised her goblet in a quiet toast.
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Anne ate quietly, thinking. When she spoke, it startled Ryan. "Say that again."

"What? What did I say?" Ryan gulped the food in his mouth.

Anne got up on her knees, "You said something about not knowing how much was me…Ryan…what did you say?"

Ryan looked at her; "I don't know what is causing this ire that burns so hot within you toward Quinn. Maybe it is part of the prophecy. Maybe you have no choice but to play the part Mother Universe has in mind."

Anne grabbed him. "That's it! Mother Universe is directing this screwed up chess game!" She smiled like a mad woman. "I'm not mad at Quinn because he's Quinn…well I am, but it's more…I'm mad at Quinn because I have to be mad at Quinn…I have to be the device that sets Sarah off!"

"And this makes you happy?" Ryan was thinking of getting her to Talbot in a hurry.

"Happy, no, relived yes." Anne sighed. "Look, it makes sense. I have been protective of Sarah ever since we talked her into coming to the Complex with us. I have had a nearly irrational bent! I could never understand where it was coming from…I'm not a prude…but the way I've treated Sarah from the time she was Sareth to now is Draconian! But it makes sense…I'm the catalyst."

Ryan raised a brow at her, "So you're good with this?"

"No, but I'll survive." Anne sighed. "It will make trying to read the next part of the prophecy easier." She sliced cheese, passed a piece to her husband and ate more at ease. "I'll survive."

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They stood at the pond where Sarah first saw Hoggle. She wondered how much Quinn knew about those first moments here in the Labyrinth. "Quinn." She ventured.

Sanding behind her caressing her shoulders, he answered. "Yes?" He leaned closer, and his lips tickled her ear.

"How does the summons work?"

"Wrong question." He teased.

Closing her eyes, she tried to ignore how his closeness made her feel "What is the right question?"

His lips were still at her ear. "Depends on what you want to know. Do you know what you want to know?" Sarah nodded and he smiled. "Then ask."

"What happens to you Quinn when there's a summons?" She opened her eyes.

His eyes twinkled, and he answered. "When the Goblin King would receive a summons, I would become aware of it and more or less tune in and watch. If ever the King needed back up I was always ready."

"But he said he didn't receive a summons from me…I didn't call him I called the Goblins." Sarah said. "Yet you say you gave him the idea of using the snake…in my parents room."

Quinn winked. "Technically, he didn't receive the summons… the horde did and it altered me."

"Then it should have been you who came to take Toby…" Sarah's mind was racing.

"Not so fast, Sarah." Quinn cautioned. "I was aware that my Brother was already here. He felt the alarm go off though our connection and knew it was you. He told me he'd take the call as he was so close." A wicked smile crossed Quinn's lips. "Otherwise you'd be the mother of three."

"You would have forced yourself on me?" She did not quite believe that.

"Who says it would have been forced?" He teased. "I can be persuasive without resorting to violence."

"I know a thing or two about the law, Quinn…I was fifteen…and with or without my permission that would have been classified as rape." She snapped.

"I know a thing or two about women, Sarah…"He growled in her ear. "You wouldn't have complained." He sidestepped quickly to avoid the hand that came up to cuff him. He laughed as he moved toward the heavy gate.

"Pretty sure of yourself aren't you?" She snipped.

Quinn turned and eyed her, "No, darling. It's you I'm sure of."

Sarah looked away. "This is where I met Hoggle." She changed the subject quickly.

"Yes, I know." Quinn pointed to the green waters of the pond. "The little bugger likes to piss in that pond because Jareth ordered him not to." Quinn gazed at her with a sly smile. "You came upon him doing just that." He pointed at her with a gloved hand and then shook his head and clucked his tongue at her.

"Jareth sent me down the hill…I didn't know I would …" she began to explain before she saw the gleam in the eye of her Fae Guide. "Funny Quinn, very funny." She looked to see a swarm of little fairies come at her. "Oh not again!"

Quinn placed himself between the swarm and Sarah. "Mine!" he said loudly. The swarm disbursed quickly.

Sarah looked at him, "How'd you do that?"

"Wrong question again, Sarah." He moved toward the gate.

"Hold it!" she shouted and he froze. "The swarm belongs to you."

"Is that a question or a statement?" He teased.

"Does the swarm belong to you?" She asked.

"Yes…yes it does." He leaned down and kissed her.

"What are they doing here in Labyrinthia if they belong to Quinn of Tarsi?"

He gathered her in his arms. "You're getting good at this now." He praised. "I sent them to Jareth as a little gift after the first hundred years of his reign."

"They bite." Sarah said agitatedly. Quinn wriggled up his nose and nodded.

"That's juvenile!"

"We were mean little kids, remember I told you what we did to the High Queen." Quinn reminded her as he flicked his wrist and the gate opened. "Ladies first."

She didn't look at him as she walked past him though the gate. She gathered her courage and took two steps into the Labyrinth. Then she stopped short. A passageway ran across the entrance. It was so narrow, and the wall was so high, that the sky was a mere slit over her head. In the gloom, she heard a continual drip of water, echoing.

She approached the farther wall, touched it, and pulled her hand away. It was dank and slimy, like mildew.

"Cozy, ain't it?" Hoggle had said to her in his sarcastic manner. Laughing at her discomfort.

Quinn stepped in. "God! It stinks in here." He said and waved a hand eliminating the odor. Which direction did you go?"

She pointed and began to walk. "Why does it have to be so…filthy?"

"Jareth did that to discourage sweet young things from even trying." Quinn explained as he followed Sarah down the passageway. "Worked fine until you came along."

Sarah stopped so suddenly he ran into her. "What?" She spun on her heals. "You mean no one even tried?"

"NO, I mean he put this here after there were so many who did try and failed within the first few steps…it was to weed the weak from the strong." He shrugged. "It's not our fault if so many mortals are so weak." He stepped past her. "How far did you get down this way?"

"As far as a friendly worm." She muttered.

"'ello Quinnie!" greeted a cheery voice.

Quinn looked down and smiled back. "'ello Alphie. How's the missus?"

"Cor! She's got me running ragged." He looked past the Fae, and winked at Sarah. "Luv!"

Sarah looked at the worm, then at Quinn. "You two seem to know each other."

The worm snickered and laughed. "Yeah, you might say that."

Sarah looked at Quinn and waited. He cleared his throat. "Alphie and his wife volunteered to come here."

"You sent spies?" Sarah closed her eyes and winced. "Why?"

"In case my brother got to…soft hearted with the runners." Quinn said honestly.

Sarah looked down at the worm, "You sent me in the wrong direction, didn't you?"

The worm with the wild blue hair was backing up. "I hear the missus callin' must be tea time…ta!" he was gone quickly.

Sarah placed hands on her hips and walked up to the Goblin King who was smirking maddeningly. "What else did you do to me Quinn?"

"Oh so many things." He teased. "Not nearly as much as I wanted." He lifted her off her feet, turned and walked into what looked like a solid wall. "Which way?" Sarah pointed and he carried her away from the passage that would have led straight to the castle.

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Solea turned to her husband. "Were you aware of this?"

He looked at her with a cantankerous look on his handsome face. "Do I look happy?" She shook her head. "I wonder if Oberon is aware how fast and loose these two have been."

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Quinn, still carrying Sarah, looked at the maze of passages. "Which way?"

Sarah shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine…they kept changing."

Quinn set her on her feet. "Show me the path Sarah Williams took." He called out and the passage opened to the doors guarded by the ruse. "This way."

"Smart ass." She muttered behind his back.

"Better a smart ass than a dumb ass." He said over his shoulder.

Sarah giggled.

The guards at the ruse shivered as they approached. One ventured. "What is she doing back?"

Another said. "Look who's with her!"

Sarah looked at Quinn; "I went though that door." She pointed.

Quinn stroked her nose. "I know."

"Of course you do." She sniped.

He looked at the doors. "Open." The passage opened and Quinn said "Ladies first."

Sarah groaned. "Do you know what happens here?"

Quinn whispered in her ear, "It's the helping hands or Quinn's groping hands…choice is yours Sarah."

Shuddering Sarah walked forward, letting out a soft yelp as she fell into the tunnel of helping hands.

Quinn flicked his wrist and materialized in the oubliette. He positioned himself and held open his arms as she came though the hatch. "Hello, ma petite." He teased as he drew her closer and kissed her soundly. He set her on her feet so swiftly she nearly toppled. "I told you I knew this was here!"

"So you did." She complained.

He looked at her. "He sent Hoggle here…you were never suppose to have gotten this far. It pissed him off, and intrigued him all at the same time." Quinn leaned on the wall.

"We went though that." She motioned toward the one time bench.

"Lead on." He suggested.

She stepped though into the passages of False alarms. None of which seemed to want to talk. She looked at her companion. "They had all kinds of warnings before."

"They don't want to say anything while I'm here." He said.

They had come to the place where the Goblin King had been sitting. "Jareth tried to trap us here."

"Correction, he wanted to trap you and get rid of the pest dwarf." Quinn said

"Why would he want to get rid of Hoggle?" she asked then thought better of it after the words were already out.

Quinn pushed her against the wall and pressed up against her. "I thought you'd never ask." He held her tight.

"Stop that!" Sarah yelped.

Quinn raised his head. "You had him delirious with passion and you never even seemed to know it." He said. "Or care. You said the Labyrinth was a piece of cake."

"We've covered this before." She snapped. Then her face went white. "YOU…You told him to use the Cleaners on me!"

Quinn nodded. "Yes I did."

"You could have gotten me killed!" she beat against him with her balled fists.

He acted as if he felt nothing he just smiled. "Sarah, do you really think you could have been killed?"

She stopped, "I was scared out of my mind there, Quinn."

Quinn kissed her eyes, "Both Jareth and I used spells to break down the wall that fell under yours and Hoggle's weight." He swept her up in his arms again. "You were never in any real danger."

She rested her head on his shoulder. "Now you tell me."

He looked at the tunnel, blinked, it vanished, and they were in a moonlit garden. He sat down with her in his lap. "That was fun."

"I don't think so." She said woefully.

"Those first hours in the Labyrinth you won my brother's heart Sarah." Quinn said thoughtfully. "I see now how and why."

"He took time from me in that tunnel." She winced.

"Because he thought you were more than his match…he feared you, Sarah." Quinn took off the gloves that were so much a part of Jareth's persona. He stoked her face with bare hands. "We adore you, Sarah Williams. We adore your brave spirit, and your fire."

"So you were both part of my journey though the Labyrinth…" She said.

"As we will both be part of your journey though the rest of your life, sweet Sarah." Quinn kissed her. "Forever."

She kissed him back. "Not long at all."