NOTE: RIP David Bowie.

Aaron was unceremoniously dropped into what was deemed the royal cell. It was indeed a cell and in the dungeon, but featured a good size bed, a claw-footed bath tub, and a writing desk – all standard fare between kingdoms for most royals and high nobility. It took awhile, but eventually Aaron stirred and slowly picked himself up from the floor.

The goblins had hit him with whacker sticks, as they called them, until he had passed out. His shirt was only green in patches now and his body felt like one big bruise. Aaron stumbled to the bed and with a deep breath, he pulled his shirt off. His muscles resisted the movements and his skin reacted with stinging pain. When the goblins had finished with his front, they had turned him around and attacked his back. It was a punishment unique to the Labyrinth, devised early on by a young Jareth who had to place fear with those revolting against him, but who he refused to kill. The whacker sticks would leave one primarily bruised with some welts, but fully capable of returning to work after a day or two.

Aaron steadied himself on the bed and kicked off his boots. He was thankful for the little things, such as his legs and feet, where his boots had covered, having not been affected by the whackers. With great effort he pushed himself up from the bed and hobbled over to the tub. He turned the knobs and let the water flow. The sound of water was welcoming and Aaron nearly let out a joyful cry. He stood up straight and undid his trousers. Getting into the tub was more of a controlled fall, followed by a splash.

Aaron put the stopper in the drain and the tub began to fill up with lukewarm water. It felt as if it were burning his skin with all the welts and bruising.

"Aaron!" Jareth called from beyond the bars of the cell. Aaron didn't respond. He just watched the water slowly fill the large tub. Regardless, the sound of Jareth's steps echoed over the water until Jareth perched on the edge of the tub, a bottle in his hand. "I just spent the last few hours with your lady-love. She's quite plain, but she does have a certain je ne sais quoi. Bubbles?" Jareth unscrewed the bottle and poured a healthy amount of liquid into the water. It burned relentlessly at Aaron's cuts and he gave a small groan. "It has aloe, for healing."

"What did you do with Tess?" Aaron asked. Bubbles started to reach his chest, stinging the open sores that were scattered up to his neck. Jareth turned the water off as soon as the tub was filled, reached into the bubbles, and pulled one large bubble out of the micro-bubbles. It floated and displayed Tess's current whereabouts. She was wandering through the hedge maze on the eastern side of the Labyrinth. "She looks unharmed."

"Yes, she's fine" Jareth replied. His lips curved upwards ever so slightly. "Perhaps a bit confused, but fine."

"Confused in what way?" Aaron asked. Most of the stinging had stopped and the swelling felt as if it was starting to reduce, but he could feel the bruises fully developing.

"We had a long talk" Jareth mused. Aaron glowered at Jareth. It was the only thing he felt completely capable of doing. "I'm sure you are not in her favor right now."

"She still appears to be trying to find her way here" Aaron replied. "Which means that I am."

"Yes, well she doesn't seem to give up easily" Jareth said. "I'm sure that with her seven remaining hours I could persuade her to forget about you entirely."

"She wouldn't have anything to do with you" Aaron retorted. Jareth chuckled and passed a hand over the floating bubble. It changed to reflect Jareth and Tess's interaction in the courtyard. Aaron watched it in silence and looked away as it began to repeat itself. "You're overly cruel, Jareth."

"You just need to let things be, Aaron" Jareth replied. "Constantly poking around and starting things that you have no right to start." Jareth's hand passed over the bubble and it returned to the present, showing Tess slowly making her way towards the castle. "I will stop you every time."

"I know why you're sore about everything, Jareth" Aaron said pointedly. "It was that last runner you had, the girl that solved the Labyrinth. Right?"

"What of her?" Jareth let his face fall blank. It was true that it was still a soft spot with him, but he hadn't acknowledged her for some time now. Not to Hoggle, not to the goblins, not even to himself.

"What was her name? Sonya? Laura?" Aaron asked.

"It was Sarah" Jareth replied. He did not have a pleasant look on his face. "Everyone knows her name and everyone knows she made it through the Labyrinth."

"Let me go" Aaron requested. "I can find her and you can pursue her."

"I have a kingdom to run, Aaron" Jareth replied with an exasperated sigh. "I don't have time to flounce about with courting and crimson thoughts."

"Fribbler" Aaron accused. Jareth rolled his eyes.

"I have other commitments" Jareth muttered. "A commitment to a woman, a human woman at that, is the last thing I need."

"Are you sure about that?" Aaron asked. He returned his gaze back to the bubble. Tess was making decent time.

"What are your plans with her?" Jareth asked gesturing to the bubble. Aaron gave a hint of a shrug. "You've been watching her for some time. You must have something in mind."

"I never thought I'd talk to her" Aaron told his brother. "I don't know what you tell you, Jareth. I had to help her out." Aaron sat up straight and pulled the drain stopper. "Is there a towel?"

Jareth stood up and retrieved a towel from the only shelf in the cell. It took Aaron some time and effort to stand and to climb out of the tub. Once he did, Jareth tossed the towel to him. His brother's body looked terrible; Aaron's body was a growing rainbow of pain. Aaron hobbled to the bed and sat down with the towel wrapped around his waist. He was slow in pulling his clothing on and left his blood and sweat-soaked shirt off. Jareth had turned to pacing the room while Aaron groaned and pulled his boots on.

"You might be a great sorcerer Jareth" Aaron said. "But you can't hide your inner turmoil from me. You are bothered."

"Of course I am!" Jareth snapped. "I've been trying to forget about her."

"Let me help you" Aaron offered. "We can wipe the slate clean of any offenses between us."

"Oh, now I've offended you, have I?" Jareth asked with a raised eyebrow. He tugged on one of his gloves, considering the offer. It had been a few years aboveground since Sarah had been through his Labyrinth. He had told himself that he was past her and that she was an old interest, but nothing had replaced her and he managed to keep tabs on her until she had left for college. He had to admit that his brother, with all of his hunting experience, was quite good at finding those he wanted to find.

Jareth had watched Sarah finish her last two years of high school either in owl form or through a crystal. After her trip through the Labyrinth, he found that she had changed ever so slightly. She tolerated Toby a little more, though he could still see the vehement glare in her eyes when he acted up. She had learned to internalize some of her dramatics, but only some. He had watched her searching frantically for the red book which had been returned to Aaron as soon as she had made her initial wish. By the end of her senior year of high school, Jareth had watched her receive her acceptance letter for some university that she was excited over. She still doodled little pictures of the Labyrinth, her friends, and even a few of himself in the margins of her school work, but she no longer wrote about any of it in her diary or spoke aloud to her bedroom mirror or even really touched her costumes.

"I don't believe she shared the feelings that I felt" Jareth finally told his brother. His head swam with the thoughts he had tried so hard to lock away. He narrowed his eyes and frowned. "You want to help me with Sarah, in exchange for your release?"

"In exchange for my release and for Tess's" Aaron confirmed. He stood before Jareth, shirtless and covered in bruises. "Everything between us is forgotten. No ill-intentions. Just brothers."

"If you fail?" Jareth asked. Aaron kept quiet and only raised a brow, waiting for Jareth to continue. "If you fail, it's five more years working for me and Tess becomes one of us…forever." Jareth paused, letting it sink in for a moment. "Sure you want to agree to the deal?"

"Yes" Aaron replied. Jareth stepped forward and the brothers shook hands.

"Last I heard she was attending some university called Darting Mouth or something like that" Jareth told Aaron. "It's a silly name."

"Darting Mouth?" Aaron repeated. "Sounds like a place for vipers."

"Perhaps the emblem features snakes" Jareth mused. Jareth waved his hand and a natural colored lump appeared in his hand. He tossed it to Aaron. The fabric lump hit his shoulder before he caught it as it slid down his chest. "Don't scare her, Aaron."

Jareth waved his other hand and Aaron faded from the cell with just a hint of glitter.

Aaron felt himself falling and was not pleased when he landed on paved stone. His head had begun to throb. It took him a few seconds before he even realized that his name was being called.

"Aaron!" Tess called to him. He had materialized from thin air and had landed before her. He had made a light moan and didn't seem to hear her. Tess tapped on his cheek, one of the only places that didn't look horribly bruised. "Aaron!"

"Tess?" Aaron asked. His eyes cleared and he rolled to his side in order to push himself up.

"What happened to you?" Tess asked. She was mortified by his slow movements and his wounds. She automatically assisted in helping him over to the closest wall. "Are you okay?"

"I will be" Aaron said. He slowly, achingly pulled the fresh white shirt over his head before speaking again. "I have to go back to your world."

"You're going to take me home?" Tess asked. A smile tugged at her mouth. "How did you manage that?"

"No" Aaron said with a shake of his head. "I am going back, you have to stay here." Tess's face dropped and he continued before she could rebut. "I need to find a school called Darting Mouth. Have you heard of it?"

"Darting Mouth?" Tess repeated. Her expression didn't change, but she started shaking her head 'no'. "Why do I have to stay here? Just take me with you."

"I cannot" Aaron replied. "It wasn't part of the deal."

"Deal?" Tess's cheeks were steadily growing pink, her brow furrowed, and her lip twitched. "What kind of deal? If I'm involved with a deal, why wasn't I involved with making it?" She took a deep breath and planted a hard slap to his face. "Asshole! You both are assholes."

"Tess" Aaron pleaded. He didn't reach for his cheek, but he did try to capture her gaze. "If I can bring her back, Tess, then you can go back. We both can go back."

"Her? Her who?" Tess asked. Tess stepped back with her arms crossed. "You know what? Just go. I'm going to solve this labyrinth and get myself home."

"Darting mouth? Tess, please" Aaron called to her. She had turned and taken a few steps down the corridor. She stopped with a sigh.

"It's Dartmouth and it's in New Hampshire" Tess informed him.

"Dartmouth, New Hampshire" Aaron repeated. "Is that the town name as well?"

"I don't remember what city it's in" Tess replied.

"Why are you angry with me?" Aaron asked. He was overly sore, but he still crossed over to her in three steps. "I'm trying to get us out of here."

"Your brother was kind enough to help me see you in a new light" Tess said. She tried not to look at his golden hazel eyes, and then found herself trying not to stare at his very tan and very bruised chest, exposed by the half buttoned shirt. "You drugged me, abducted me, and now I'm in some strange place, running a strange labyrinth!"

"I'll get you home" Aaron said. He reached out and held Tess's face in his hands, tilting her face to look up at him. "I promise, I will get you home." For a moment he was reminded of a storm when he looked into her eyes. He quickly ducked his head, giving her a light kiss, and stepped back. "I will be back, Tess."

Aaron wasted no time in transforming into a great horned owl and flying off to the aboveground. Tess watched him disappear beyond the high walls before turning to find her way towards the castle.