A/N Yeah, about owning this, nothing has changed. And I'm so, so sorry about the wait. I had some major writer's block towards the beginning and just couldn't think of any words. I'm so very sorry.

I wake up slowly and stretch lazily. I sit up and look around, marveling in the room around me. I'm still here. I'm still in the Castle. I have a chance to make Jareth love me again. And my friends…my friends! I throw my blankets off and stand up. I'm going to ask Jareth if I can see some old friends from last time I was here. I falter a little bit when I remember that they won't remember me, but quickly decide it will be nice to see them again either way.

Before too long, Winky appears to help me get dressed. I chose an elegant light blue day dress with silver accents. After pinning my hair out of my face, I tell Winky to guide me to where the Goblin King is. (Hey, no need to disrespect him to his subjects. I am trying to avoid his wrath...too much anyway.)

She guides me out to his throne room, and I politely stand to the side until he notices me. He seems surprised that I didn't demand his attention away from the goblin he is dealing with. Once he finishes dealing with his subjects, I even wait for him to acknowledge me. And when I politely ask his permission to see the creatures and land of the Labyrinth, he even suggests he accompany me, much to my surprise. He takes my arm and guides me out of the castle.

"Where do you wish to start?"

I look up at him and nearly forget how to breathe. He's right there, so close. But rather than the subtle highlights of emotion I could see in those cold eyes before, there is nothing. Just his shields. And that saddens me more than I care to admit. "I thought, well…if it isn't too much trouble…there's a hill overlooking the Labyrinth. Could we start there?"

"Of course." I look around and realize we are already there. My eyes fall on the Labyrinth and the Castle Beyond the Goblin City.

"It doesn't look that far." I say mostly to myself, unable to stop the words.

And this time I'm not surprised when he murmurs into my ear. "It's further than you think." And this time I'm not too distracted by my brother to notice the shivers that sends down my spine.

"Should I give up, Jareth? Turn back before it's too late?" I smile at him. "I can't. It's already too late for that. But maybe not too late for me to remind you. But time is short…what a pity." I almost see the flicker of recognition flash across his face. Before I let myself get too hopeful, I remind myself that it's possible he says those words to all the runners. He just looks at me with that lazy and almost…sarcastic curiosity. I tear my eyes away and focus in the Labyrinth again.

After another moment, I start walking towards it. I wonder if Hoggle will still be outside killing fairies. I hear Jareth behind me, and he reaches forward to take my arm again. "You know, Sarah, I feel as though you are constantly making these little jokes and expecting me to understand them."

"In a way, I suppose I am. The Labyrinth told me I could reference my time here, I just couldn't actually tell you about it. Or anyone. I'm hoping…I'm hoping that maybe if I mention it, it will make you remember. That it will help it click in your mind. That it will help you remember me."

"And how is that working for you?"

"I honestly don't know, Jareth. You tell me. I feel like you almost recognized what I said on the hill. I saw it flicker before you slammed your shields back up. But maybe you say the same things to all of your runners. Maybe you even have a script. But my memories of my time here are all I have to go off of. So, I'll use that to the best of my ability. It hurts to know that you are forgotten so completely, erased from someone's memories like you were never even there…and it makes me wonder how many times it happened to you…how many people came and saw this amazing place and have forgotten about it? Forgotten about you…"

Jareth and I continue, walking in silence, until we reach the wall. I look around, but fail to see my little dwarf friend. I do, however, see plenty of fairies that I make a point of staying away from. Jareth just laughs at me.

"And why are you so skittishly avoiding my citizens?"

"Last time I was here one of them bit me. And it hurt."

His smirk vanishes. "Bit you? One of them bit you. I doubt that."

"Why? It's true. It bit my finger."

"Show me where." I indicate the spot on my finger, the one that has been paler ever since my adventure. He takes my hand in both of his gloved ones and looks closely at the indicated mark. He uses his teeth to pull off one of his leather gloves and runs his finger over the spot. I can't contain my gasp or my shiver at the contact. I try to take my hand back, but he holds fast. With his free hand, he summons a crystal and sets in in my grasp. I watch as it is absorbed into my skin. A gentle tingling follows, and it spreads down my arm and through my body. After a minute, the crystal reforms on my hand, but now it is black.

I watch as he holds it up to the light, looks through it, then allows it to fade. "Who are you, Sarah Williams, that the venomous bite of a fairy does not leave your body streaked with the toxins?"

"What?"

"Being bit by a fairy should have had you in pain for that slowly grew until you were unable to move and slowly died. There is no known cure. But, generally, fairies only bite when provoked. They are mischievous tricksters, but, normally, they mean no real harm. So who are you that you would provoke one and live without the poison? That crystal withdrew most of the toxins in your body. Which was a large amount for a human but nothing to really be worried about. That bite should have killed you within three months. No human can withstand their particular brand of poison. And you appear to have removed it from your system somehow."

"I…I don't know." The only theory I can think of is that he removed it for me. But if I tell him that, it might cause him to wonder why he would do so much for a simple runner. He lets his fingers slide up my arm, and it causes more shivers.

"Why does my touch cause such an effect in you, Sarah?" He finally allows me to snatch my arm back.

As the glove slips back over his hand, he asks me where I want to go next. "I was…I was hoping to see some friends I had made when I was here before…Hoggle, the dwarf. Maybe Ludo and Sir Didymus."

"My, my, Sarah, you do keep interesting company, don't you? Hedgewart, that lumbering beast, and the little mutt?"

"Hoggle."I watch him as he offers a hand to me, which I hesitantly take. I look up in time to get mesmerized by his delicious smirk. I force myself to look away, to try to regain control of myself. I can't let him do this to me. I need to be in control a bit. I'm not that same little girl who ran through here last time. I'm not 16 anymore. He needs to see me as I am now, too. He needs to remember me as I was then, but know me now. Such a fine line I must walk here.

I look back up to see him watching me.

"Precious, look around."

"What?"

"I said look around."

"No…you said something before that."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did…you called me Precious."

"Precious? Now, why would I call you that?"

"You would have to tell me." I try to stop the smile, but it doesn't quite work. When I was here before I hated him calling me that. But now, I love it. I love the way it rolls off his lips, so naturally that he didn't even realize it. So effortlessly that he can't even recall it. It really does give me hope that he will remember. Or maybe, like the Labyrinth said, even if he has forgotten all about me, he can't quite forget me.

I turn away, looking around our new location. We are still on the outside of the walls, but now we are next to a forest. There are a couple houses nearby, all too small for me or Jareth, but too big for a goblin. I turn and look at him in confusion, and he indicates one of them with a nod of his head. I go and knock on the door. I hear some grumbling and shuffling then the door opens.

"Hoggle!" I can feel the big smile stretch my face.

"Yeah, and who're you?"

I feel my smile dim a little. "I'm…I'm Sarah. We met once, a long time ago, and became friends. You helped me a lot."

"I ain't got no friends. Hoggle is Hoggle's friend."

"Don't pretend to be so hard. I know you are my friend." I see my bracelet on his wrist, and smile a little bigger. "That bracelet! I gave you that, Hoggle." He looks at in confusion.

"And why would some fancy lady give me a bracelet?"

"Fancy lady? What?" I look down and remember my dress. It feels so natural I had forgotten about it. "Oh! I'm not…I'm from the Aboveground. I'm just borrowing this."

He gives me that look, like he's done listening to me try to convince him of something that isn't true. I stand up. "Well, thank you. You were a big help when I needed you. Maybe we can spend some time together and help you remember."

"Why should I?"

"Because I need you, Hoggle. I don't know why, but every now and again in my life, for no reason at all, I need you. All of you."

"Come, come, come now, Hogbrain, I'm surprised at you."

"Jareth! You aren't going to help." I chuckle a little bit. "Besides, his name is Hoggle."

"Hoggle, Hogbrain, what's the difference?"

"Jareth, Jarhead, what's the difference?" I smile at him, and just wait for his comeback.

Instead, his eyes took on that incredibly sexy cast they get when he's annoyed, and he stepped closer to me. "Sarah, be careful with your words. If what you say is true, then you above all should know the power behind them."

I can feel my breath hitch as I stare him in the eyes. He lets his eyes drift over me then back up to mine. "Sarah, you seem to be flushed. Is something wrong?" I force myself to shake my head. "Come, come, Sarah, you really should eat. Your eyes are entirely too bright. Why, if I didn't know better, I would say you had a fever."

I know he knows I don't have a fever, and he knows that I know. He smiles, chuckles, then turns and strolls away. I remain frozen for a second longer, then hurry to follow him. As I do so I realize we left Hoggle and his house behind, and are back in the castle. Right now, I'm not sure if that's magic, or if I'm that distracted by him. Jareth leads me into the dining room, where I see food laid out for us. He indicates a seat, and I take it. We eat and he actually starts a conversation. I tell him about my life Aboveground, and he tells me about his life down here. After the meal we sit and munch on various fruits laid out for us.

"Do you dislike peaches, Sarah?" he watches me with that lazy look he has perfected.

"No, I just…"

"Then you must try the peaches of the Underground." He sets one in my hand, and I don't think he realizes how much of an act of trust that he is asking me for. The soft, slightly fuzzy texture of it tickles my hand, and reminds me of the last time I held a peach, the last time he gave me one. I look up from the fruit to his eyes. He's waiting for me to eat it, but I just want to throw it across the room.

Am I really the type of person to let a simple fear keep me from what used to be my favorite fruit? I slowly raise it to my mouth and take a bite.