-1With a soft pop, Sarah and Jareth appeared in the living room of Sarah's flat. Jareth immediately collapsed onto the floor. Sarah helped him up onto the couch and he promptly lost consciousness.

"Jareth!" she screamed, as she ran to the phone. "Stay awake! You have to stay awake." She snatched up the phone and hit the speed dial. It rang twice before Toby answered.

"Hello?"

"Toby! You have to come over right now," Sarah fought the urge to scream, but tears of worry slipped down her cheeks and spattered the table.

"Sarah?" She could hear Toby fumble with the phone. "Where have you been? I've called you at least seven times. No one's seen you for five days."

"Just come over right now, and bring your kit."

"Are you hurt?"

"No, it's Jareth. He's badly hurt."

"Jareth? What do you mean?"

"Just come over now!"

"Okay, I'm going," she heard the click of the phone landing in the receiver.

Sarah hung up and threw the phone onto the big chair as she ran into the kitchen. Something to stop the bleeding, she thought, and she grabbed up as many dish towels as she could see and raced back into the living room. "Jareth, stay awake." At the touch of the towels to his bloodied chest, Jareth's eyes flicked open.. "Just hold on," she whispered. He took in a ragged breath, and lay limp, allowing Sarah to press the wound firmly.

"Why am I so weak?" he asked hoarsely.

Sarah was relieved to hear his voice, but even more afraid to hear him sound so defeated. "You've lost a lot of blood."

He grimaced slightly. "Why won't I stop bleeding?"

"The wound is too deep. Toby is going to come and give you stitches and it will close the wound."

Jareth opened his eyes and gave Sarah a disgusted look. "He's going to stitch me? Like fabric?"

Sarah laughed feebly. "Yes, just like fabric." He laughed quietly, then winced and fell silent once more.

They sat frozen in this pose for another five minutes, waiting for Toby. The minutes slid by interminably. Late sunlight caught in the dusty air, the particles swirling and falling. Sarah watched as the light gradually faded from yellow to orange, and then to a dusky lavender. "He'll be here soon," she said softly just to break the quiet. Jareth stirred slightly. A sudden knock caused Sarah to jump. "Come in!"

Toby, tan even in the Spring, pushed open the door and his blue eyes searched the darkened room worriedly. He tossed his sandy blonde hair and strode into the hall, kicking the door shut behind him. "Sarah?"

"In here," she called. He moved to the couch and clicked on a lamp.

He gazed over Jareth and raised his eyebrows. "You're kidding me," he murmured. "What's going on?"

Sarah took a steadying breath and said, in as level a voice as she could muster, "Toby, he's been cut very badly. You have to stitch him up. He's lost so much blood," she added helplessly.

"Why don't you take him to a hospital?"

"We just can't, Toby. Please!"

He appraised the situation skeptically but threw his better judgment aside at the look on his sister's face. "Alright, I'll do what I can. But then he needs to go to a hospital," he knelt next to the couch and looked him over. "Let me see," he gently lifted the towels and probed the wound. "How did you get this?" He dabbed it gently and reached for his kit.

Jareth swallowed thickly. "Iron."

Toby blinked a few times. "Beg pardon?" He glanced between Jareth and Sarah.

"He was stabbed trying to save me. Just stitch him up, please."

Toby saw the tears in Sarah's eyes and immediately opened his kit. He pulled out a syringe and flicked it. "I'm going to give you an anesthetic so that you won't feel this."

"No," Jareth said quietly. "Just do it. And quickly, please."

"But-"

"It won't do any good for someone like me. I'll be alright."

Toby looked to Sarah, but she simply nodded and gripped Jareth's hand.

"Fine," he threaded the needle and swept a sterilizing pad over it and the skin around the jagged wound. He took a deep breath then pulled the skin together. Jareth closed his eyes tightly and inhaled.

The needle plunged into the skin deftly, swimming in and then out. Jareth let out a small groan. Again the needle pressed: in and out. Toby flinched as Jareth let out a muffled cry of pain. All three people braced themselves and Toby slipped the needle through the skin once more. All three people winced, but Jareth was silent, his lip caught between his teeth. Again and again the needle flashed, steadily sewing Jareth's wound.

Finally Toby tied off the stitches and cut the thread. Jareth was panting softly, taking as shallow breaths as possible. Toby sat back on his heels and heaved a sigh of relief.

"Why couldn't I use anesthetic?" he finally asked, his stress seeming to pierce the room.

Sarah glanced at Jareth, who nodded slightly, his eyes still pressed closed..

"Because he's Fae," she replied bluntly.

Toby raised his eyebrows. "He's Fae? You mean, like in the stories you used to read me?" Sarah nodded. He looked around the room, disbelief sketched across every feature. "You mean to tell me that Jareth, the world-renowned rock star is a Fae?" he laughed "Hold on a second, you mean there are Fae? Real Fae?"

Sarah watched Toby as he rose and paced the room. She tightened her grip on Jareth's hand and drew another breath. "I've been in the Underground, with Jareth. I- I accidentally wished myself away to the goblin king and he came and kidnapped me. I didn't realize that-"

Toby interrupted, "But Jareth is the goblin king," then stopped and looked puzzled.

Sarah continued slowly, watching Toby's face. "I thought so too, but his kingdom was taken over by an evil king, Etan, and he kidnapped me and used magic and torture to make me fall in love with him. But Jareth," she reached out and touched his face affectionately. "He came and rescued me. But Etan didn't let go without a fight. That's how Jareth was hurt, saving me from Etan."

Toby sat down on the chair, eyes vacant and flicking back and forth as though listening to some inner story. "That book, Labyrinth, it's all real, isn't it?"

Something about his voice had changed. He sounded like a little boy again. "Toby?"

"I remember it. I remember Jareth, but only barely. It can't be from his albums or television because I recognize the hair. No one could forget that hair," he muttered to himself. He stared at Jareth, then suddenly started. "That pendant," he leaned forward and lifted the goblin insignia to examine it, then he straightened and tugged at the neckline of his own shirt, pulling it down to reveal his collarbone. The exact same symbol was etched into his skin like a strange scar. "How…?"

Jareth opened his eyes and looked at the scar, then pushed himself up to a sitting position. Sarah tried to push him back down, but he waved her away, pressing a hand to his chest but no longer wincing. "Toby?"

Toby's eyes widened slightly, then narrowed in confusion. He looked between Sarah and Jareth, reading their open faces and becoming more and more perplexed.

Sarah reached out and put a hand on his forearm, which was closest to her place on the couch. "You have met before, a long time ago, when you were two." Toby turned all his attention to Sarah. "I- before I knew any better- well, I wished you away to the goblin king," she took a deep breath, watching Toby's reaction. "And Jareth came and took you." Toby said nothing, but his eyes slipped unfocused again, his vision somewhere inside himself. "I felt so awful and pleaded for you to be returned, but Jareth made me solve his Labyrinth to win you back or else he would turn you into a goblin."

"But she solved the Labyrinth," Jareth broke in finally, his voice much closer to his usual suave strength. "And I offered her everything she could ever have wanted in exchange for you, but…." he trailed off and gave a little nod toward Toby. "As you can see, she chose you. So do not blame her," he added defensively, though quietly.

"I don't," Toby replied calmly, his brows still puckered in uncertainty. They remained frozen for a time, each watching the other, then all at once Toby let out a huge, booming laugh. "Haha! But now it all makes sense! The dreams, the mark," he touched his chest. "I knew I fit into this somehow," he added quietly. "And the creatures…."

"The what?" Sarah squeezed Jareth's hand more tightly than she ought have, for he winced again.

"Ludo and Sir Didymus and Hoggle." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small green plastic bottle covered in official looking labels. "I guess that's why these never worked," he shook the bottle lightly, the pills jangling around like a baby's rattle.

Sarah's eyebrows shot up into her disheveled hair. "They visited you?"

"Ever since I was little. When I was older, the shrink thought I might be borderline schizophrenic and put me on these," he raised the bottle. "I tried to pretend that they weren't there, but when I least expected it they would pop up in the corner of my vision or in my mirror." He lapsed back into thought, the silence unbearably thick. All at once he burst out laughing. "But this explains everything! Either everything was real, or I've completely lost it!"

"It's real, Toby. Don't worry," she patted his arm with a smile, then turned to Jareth. "But… What is the mark? Isn't that-"

"The royal goblin insignia," he finished. Toby registered mild surprise. "When I took Toby, and I watched you fight through my labyrinth, I realized that you, both of you, were far stronger than I had imagined." He turned his attention to Toby. "I chose you to be my heir, my own son, and marked you as a true goblin king, granted you immunity from the magical powers that would have turned you to goblin. And Sarah I chose as my queen" he turned to her. Sarah's face softened as her eyes misted. "But of course, I underestimated you again and you defeated me and chose Toby instead. But I understand now that you were too young, too fair. We Fae often forget the youth of mortals." By now, much of the color had returned to his face and lips, his voice was much stronger, though he remained delicate with his wound. "But we do not forget the mortals that affect us."

Sarah grasped his hand tightly, careful of his stained chest. "Oh, Jareth," she whispered softly.

"What the hell?" Toby interjected. The couple returned their gaze to them. "You're serious?" There was a moment of silence, then Jareth nodded. "No way! Wait, you made me your heir?" He turned to face Sarah, "You wished me away! That was mean!" He pouted, once more returning to the little boy Sarah knew so well. The fully-grown Toby put one hand on his hip and ran the other through his hair. "This is so nuts."

"Toby, I didn't really mean it. I hope you know that," Sarah said after a while.

"What? Oh, yes, I forgive you. I would have done the same thing. But this is just so weird!" They all remained frozen awkwardly as Toby processed everything.

Jareth broke the silence, "Yes, it is weird." Sarah nodded. "You know, I never expected that this would be how I met you again. I never really pictured it. I was more than grateful that I found Sarah. I guess I supposed Sarah would introduce us once I went off tour and had the time."

"Hey that's another thing- you've been in the papers," Toby walked back to the front door and opened it, retrieving four rolled up bundles of paper. He selected the most recent one and flipped it open. "You made headlines today."

"I what?"

Toby spread the article on the table. Sarah helped Jareth sit up to read it.

Jareth Missing? Latest Reports on the Glam Rocker's Disappearance

Special correspondent Mina Harker, reporting from London

It has been four days since Jareth, worldwide rock star, has gone missing. Reports from his manager and tour mates categorically state that he has not been seen or heard from since their final concert held last Saturday.

'I would think he'd stay in touch. He hasn't answered his phone or emails. I've had clients chose to slip underground for a few weeks or more after a big tour, but they always keep their agents informed," reports George Kaplan, Jareth's agent. "It's not possible for someone that famous to slip off of the radar without suspicions being raised."

The article continued, detailing the investigation for Jareth, who had not been seen to even leave the building after the concert. Rumors of kidnapping had the police busy, though many speculated that he may have died of a drug overdose or simply gone undercover. The general opinion was that he was eccentric enough to have done just about anything without caring what the populace chose to believe. One critic even harshly claimed that the disappearance was only a publicity stunt.

Rima Schooner, special correspondent said of the missing Jareth: "He realized that he's run out of ideas. His fame is fading fast, and he's clinging to his one-time success."

Jareth snorted a laugh, then grimaced. "Well, I guess next time I'll let my agent know before I slip Underground again."