AN: Hm…this is looking kind of short to me. I have a tendency to stop at a good stopping point, and then realize I hadn't written a lot…oh well. Bear with me? I'd love you forever! ;D

And thanks to all the awesome reviews! They warm my heart like little fuzzies. Or something to that degree…

Oh, I was sort of on a major headache when I wrote this, so forgive me for any oddities...

Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth. But I do own Karma.

How the Tables have Turned

Chapter One

Surprises

Jareth frowned, staring at the woman with mild distaste. The cheeky look on her face didn't help matters either. He could only wonder who she was and why exactly she went by the name Karma. It's almost as if it didn't bode something well…

"What do you want?" Jareth sighed, dropping his chin into his palm, looking quite bemused.

The woman's smile grew wider if that were even possible.

"I'm surprised you don't know! But I'm sure I can jog your memory. Remember how the Labyrinth has a set of rules you must follow?" Jareth blinked impassively. She frowned. "If I do recall correctly, you just helped a runner complete the Labyrinth. And since I was aware of the rules and such, I do know that it's not your position to do that. Especially that," she emphasized, the mischief running out of her eyes.

Jareth shifted in his seat, not in the least bit perturbed. Oh sure, the Labyrinth had a set of rules to follow since it had come into creation, but this woman had to have been playing an awful joke on him. In any case, he highly doubted anything serious would happen. The woman hardly seemed convincing…

She frowned upon seeing the rather uncaring look on the Goblin King's face.

"You don't believe me, do you?" She placed her hands on her hips.

"No, I'm afraid not," he replied, dusting a bit of lint off his sleeve.

Karma merely narrowed her eyes before a smirk replaced her angered look.

"Do you remember a girl…a girl by the name of Sarah Williams?" Jareth could sense the taunting edge she was putting in her voice.

"What of her?"

"Well, I do know you were absolutely disgusted when she beat you. You thought you had her right in the palm of your hand for the duration of the game. So," she announced, arching a thin eyebrow, "how would you like to have the tables turned a bit?"

Now Jareth was not a stupid man. In fact, he was very intelligent; one had to be smart to run the Labyrinth. And he could tell that this woman was not just bantering anymore. She meant some serious business. The mood of the room totally shifted, and his sense became alert. He just couldn't figure out what she was plotting.

Karma didn't bother to let Jareth retaliate, reveling far too much in her superiority.

"I think a fitting punishment for disobeying the Labyrinth for your own benefit would be…" she paused for dramatic effect, even going so far as to tap her chin with a slender finger, "well, I do love dogs! How about I turn you into a dog? Oh this is so fitting, don't you think?! A creature who is man's best friend…serving their master." She let out a contented sigh. "Oh, and please, let's up the stakes. I do know how much you love playing games with high risks. Why don't I give you the task of earning Sarah Williams's trust? Her affection? Her love, hm? I've always been one for romantics.

"But there comes consequences," she added in a singsong voice. "Should you fail to earn her love, much like you did five years ago – hm, sore spot? – then you will remain a dog forever. Of course, I'll be a little fair and allow you to have a chance to revert back to your true form on every full and new moon. Which I guess is two times per month."

Jareth would've gaped had that been a dignified thing to do.

But a dog? He, the Goblin King, would be turned into a dog? That was utterly ridiculous and horrifying! And to Sarah Williams…the world must really hate him. How could he possibly bend himself to her will? And what if, heaven forbid it, she never liked him? It wouldn't be surprising…how could she like the king who made her run through the crazy Labyrinth?

An odd thing started to pool in his stomach…

Self-doubt.

"Well, I suppose I should start, hm?"

And before Jareth couldn't even open his mouth to retaliate and ask what in the hell was wrong with this woman, an odd sensation took over his body. For a split second, it was sheer pain. He could feel his bones rearranging, snapping together in odd places, and before he knew it, the ground was a lot closer than before.

If dogs could've screamed, Jareth would've certainly been an odd sight.

"By the way darling! You have one month!"

--

Sarah had the habit of falling into routine. Most of her days started with getting up and sluggishly starting to make coffee. And then she'd go into the bathroom, take a shower, put on clean clothes, eat breakfast, brush her teeth, and run off to work.

It wasn't a life that most envied, and Sarah could easily understand why.

Ever since the events of the Labyrinth, she had made it her mission to lead a normal life. She couldn't allow herself to get too caught up in fantasies, otherwise she may just find herself running the Labyrinth again…not that she believed in it or anything, but she tried to be cautious now.

Stop thinking about the Labyrinth. It just makes you sound stupid.

She sighed, stirring her cup of coffee before downing it. Checking her watch, she decided it'd be best to get a move on before Stephanie got on her case for being late. More often than not, she stood by the door, just waiting to pounce on those who dared to be a little slower than the rest. It certainly seemed true to Sarah.

After several attempts of starting her car that was about as stubborn as a mule, she got to work just a few minutes before ten. Stephanie, her boss, shot her a look that clearly warned her not to cut it so close next time. Sarah walked over to her desk, dumping her jacket on the back of the chair before plopping in it.

Her friend Rachel quickly swiveled around in her seat to greet the girl.

"Hello sleepyhead!" She sang in teasing voice.

Sarah rolled her eyes halfheartedly. "Good morning, miss annoying ray of sunshine."

Rachel just brushed it off. "Guess what?"

"What?" Sarah played along.

"Connor finally asked me out!"

Sarah suddenly took interest, a smile on her face.

"Really? Finally after all this time?"

"I know. He's pretty stupid when it comes to this sort of stuff, but I think after a year of not-so-subtle flirting, he got the hint. It's better than Ryan who didn't even realize it for two years until after I lost interest in him. Talk about sad," she added with a roll of the eyes.

Sarah laughed, patting Rachel on the knee. "Well make sure you keep him, okay? He seems like a keeper."

"Will do," Rachel mock saluted.

Sarah turned around in her seat to get started on some spreadsheets. For the next seven hours, Sarah would work and type herself into oblivion. All she did was type up reports for the company and keep track of some budgets. The company had something to do with…something. She wasn't even sure anymore. She'd only been doing this job for a year, but it paid the bills, and so she saw no reason to quit it. Accounting! I think that's it…I should've never quit the bookstore job…

And then there was Aiden, her second reason for deciding not to quit just yet.

He was a soft-spoken, kind man who always set Sarah's emotions in turmoil. Everything about him just seemed right. She loved his wispy, always perfectly messy blonde hair, big blue eyes and perfect lips. A calming aura was always around him, one that just made looking at him easier to endure work. But Sarah knew better than to just dive headfirst into silly crushes. Besides, they hardly spoke to each other, save for the friendly 'hello' every now and then.

Rachel, of course, had said to go in for the kill. Just like her to say that.

In any case, at the end of the day, Sarah would go home and remind herself that she had an ordinary life. She hardly fretted over things besides bills, but that was just normal for any adult living the real life. Some, including Rachel, had deemed her life antisocial, and quite frankly, boring. She couldn't fathom why…she liked having quiet time to read and think and go about her own business. Even Karen pressured her to go out and have fun.

But apparently, Sarah's idea of fun was just incomprehensible.

Blah. I'll worry about that later.

--

Sarah pulled up to her home, leisurely unbuckling herself and grabbing her small purse on the way of the car. Stifling a yawn, she unlocked her door and walked in, rubbing her eyes. She felt sleepier than usual. Tossing her purse and jacket onto the nearest sofa, she sauntered into the kitchen and poked around in her rather bare fridge.

"Why do I never have good food?" She murmured before fishing out a few grapes.

Humming a small tune to herself, Sarah walked up the stairs and headed for her bedroom. Opening the door, she nearly continued on to her closet, only to let out a loud scream.

There, sitting at the foot of her bed, was a dog.

"What the hell!" She screeched, backing up several feet.

The dog gave her an uninterested look.

"How did…there's no way…I'm just dreaming!"

The dog gave a tired 'woof'.

Seeing that the dog was not making any motion to attack her, Sarah stepped forwards, tentatively stretching a hand out to pet the dog's head. Just before her fingers could glide over the glossy, golden fur, the dog's head snapped to pierce her with a stare. Startled, Sarah fell on her rear, wincing at the impact. The dog gave what Sarah could've sworn was a grin before resting his head on his shaggy paws.

Taking a better look at the dog, she realized it had a very regal, cold attitude…it was elegant. It had an astounding amount of hair, all straight and glossy, pooling around its form while its eyes held a knowing look. Speaking of which…Sarah craned as close as she could to catch a look. Its eyes were very unnatural…in fact…they looked very mismatched, though both the same color.

Jareth! Sarah froze. Argh! You still think about him? God, even a poor dog has to suffer your stupid memories. Besides, Jareth the "Goblin King" doesn't exist, so just get a grip.

With that tiny pep talk, Sarah quickly got to her feet.

"Alright, I don't know how the hell you got in here, but you're not staying!" She swiftly grabbed the dog's long hair around its scruff, attempting to pull it to its feet without harming it. "Come on! Don't be so stubborn."

The dog glowered, instantly pulling its head in the opposite direction.

'Stupid girl…thinking she can order me around', Jareth thought attempting to dislodge her fingers.

Sarah could feel her temper rising. "Just get up! Would it kill you to leave? I can't take care of you, so let's just go and find you a new home!"

'And why ever not?' Jareth demanded though he knew all his thoughts were just that – thoughts. Sarah wouldn't be able to hear him if she tried. Unfortunately, she was no dog whisperer. 'She can defeat a Labyrinth, escape the Bog, but she can't talk to a dog…how pathetic.'

"Fine! Don't move! I'll just make you!" She threatened. And soon enough, she was down on her knees, pushing against the dog's side. It barked in protest, getting up to its feet. Sarah gave a triumphant grin as she grabbed the dog's hair again and pulled it out of her room. "Come on, you! Out you go!" They wrestled down the stairs, Sarah putting all the strength she could into pulling him.

'The very idea that she's threatening to kick me out…'

And so Jareth decided to play the card he wished he never had to play. It went against his very being, so much that he nearly felt his spleen going out of order.

He whined. The classic dog whine that practically screamed 'Are you really that heartless to kick out a defenseless animal? Are you?'

Sarah paused, staring into his wide blue eyes. They widened considerably once aware of her attention.

I just think it gave me the puppy-eye look…oh God.

"Stop that! It's just…argh…Merlin did this all the time…" She sighed, remembering all the times her Old English Sheepdog Merlin would whine and give her such an endearing look that she had to give in. Sarah always did have a soft spot for animals anyways. Why go back on her word to never be cruel to animals? Maybe it was just a hungry dog…though she would never figure out how it got inside her house, inside her closed bedroom.

"Don't tell me magic has been coming to kick my butt…"

The dog woofed.

'Oh believe me, Sarah…it has.'

AN: Yes yes. Jareth the dog. How demeaning. BUT, if you're curious, Jareth is an Afghan Hound. I just had to at least attempt to write this fic once I realized how similar Afghan Hounds are to Jareth. Don't believe me? Check this out. http/ /images. cafepress. com/image/ 8024400400x400.jp (take out the spaces!) And if that's not enough evidence for you:

"The temperament of the typical Afghan Hound can be aloof and dignified, but happy and clownish when playing. The breed has a reputation among dog trainers of having a relatively slow "obedience intelligence" as defined by author Stanley Coren.1 The Afghan Hound has many cat-like tendencies and is not slavish in its obedience as are some other breeds. The Afghan hound has a leaning towards independence. Owners should not be surprised if their Afghan hounds sometimes choose to ignore commands."

Straight out of Wikipedia, my friend.

So anyways, tell me what you think!