A/N: still no certain title. Any ideas?

Sorry, sorry, sorry. I really wanted to get this posted before the Thanksgiving holiday weekend but time got away from me.

Riddles and Lies

Alex rounded the corner and came upon a table in the center of what now looked like a circular room with no openings, turning quickly she discovered that the way she had entered was now blocked by a high stone wall. She approached the table and looked at the surface and nearly squealed in glee, it was a group of riddles and mind puzzles.

"Okay, instructions where are you?" she whispered to herself as she looked over everything.

"It be puzzles," came a voice from under the table.

"That much I can see," Alex said, "what I need to know is what am I supposed to do to solve them?"

"Oh~," the creature laughed insanely, "to solve it you have to get the ice cube out without knotting the string but still using it, and umm, ah here," the thing said as it handed her a sheet of paper with all her challenges listed on it.

She quickly figured out how to get the ice cube out, and moved onto the next challenge. "The answer is in the heart of the pyramid," she read out loud. "Pi," she answered after a while before moving onto the next one. "Eleven into nine…" she began, "wait, did I really just read that?" She laughed when she realized the next few puzzles where the ones she had done shortly before she and her brother ended up in this labyrinth. In just a few minutes she had all the puzzles solved and began looking around to see where she was going to be lead next. However when she searched all she saw was that the Goblin King was now standing before her.

"You are quite intelligent aren't you?" he drawled in his sexy accent.

Alex stared at him expectantly, waiting to hear what he had to say but not saying anything herself. She held her breath as he walked towards her slowly, "Can you answer a question I have?" he asked.

"Is that rhetorical or do you really need an answer?" Alex quipped before taking a quick step back to put space between herself and the man.

"What is your gender?" he asked as he took a few large steps to place himself as close to her as he could. .

"That is not relevant information." Alex answered as she resumed her search of the area, trying to find a way to get closer to finding her brother.

"I'll decide what is and is not relevant information," he snapped as he walked up to stand behind her as she searched. He kept trying to get close enough that he would be able to pull on the back of her shirt to pull it tight against her body, however every time he reached out to pull on it she would change direction quickly and end up just beyond his grasp. "Stay still damn it," he growled.

"Can't. I need to get out of this labyrinth and into the castle so I can get Tony and myself out of here," she said as she pushed on a hedge, smiling as it gave under the pressure and moved like a door out of her way. 'Note to self, absolutely nothing here is as it seems,' Alex thought as she walked down the corridor the hedge revealed.

"Alex wait, your brother is already at my castle. I am here to bring you to him." Jareth called out as he followed her. 'He just doesn't give up does he?' Alex thought to herself. 'And there's no way Tony already got through this labyrinth, he's not great with mazes or puzzles or anything of that sort,' she thought to herself. 'But maybe he did, maybe…'

Alex stumbled before she turned to look at the Goblin King; he was facing her with his arm extended towards her his fingers twitching as though he really wanted to reach out and grab her himself. His eyes seemed to plead with her to trust him and take his hand but a feeling in the pit of her stomach kept her from doing so. Instead she turned and began to jog down the corridor that had been revealed by the hedge door.

"Alex, just take my hand. I will get you out of this labyrinth," Jareth pleaded "you could get hurt if you continue on."

She had been about to take his hand when something collided with her back and sent her crashing to the ground. "Alex don't trust him," sounded the voice of her twin from behind her.

"Tony?" she asked as she turned to look at him.

"Alex trust me, no good can come from him taking us directly to the castle. There is no guarantee that he will even take us where he has said he would," Tony said as he pulled Alex into a standing position.

"Clever boy." Jareth said before he vanished in a flash of glitter but before he vanished he took notice that when Tony collided with Alex the ball cap came loose for a moment and a few long strands of sable colored hair fell free.

"Tony this isn't good, I think he knows. And if he doesn't he at least suspects that we are not identical twins." Alex whispered quickly as the pair of them began running down the corridor after she tucked her hair back up under the cap.

"I think so too, he seemed strangely desperate to get you out of the labyrinth. I wouldn't be all that surprised if it was because he wants to try to trick you into being his concubine or something."

"Great, I get out of one crappy relationship only to catch the potential interest of yet another crappy guy," Alex sighed angrily as she turned down a corridor.

"HEY! Don't go that way," a voice called out to the two of them.

Both Alex and Tony stopped in their tracks and turned around, searching for the source of the voice.

"I'm right 'ere," sounded the voice. Lowering their eyes Alex and Tony saw what looked like a cross between a worm and a caterpillar.

"Why not?" Tony asked.

"Never go that way." replied the creature.

"We're not going that way. We're going this way." Alex said when she realized the creature's emphasis on the word 'that'. Before the creature could call them back Alex and Tony walked off, heading in the direction they were going before being called out to.

There was a sudden flash of light followed by a booming crash of thunder and the twins found themselves standing at opposite ends of a large crevice.

"I'll keep going this way. You try the other," Alex said as she and Tony both ran off in opposite directions, Alex heading the original way and Tony heading the way the small creature had tried to get them to go.