I did not abandon you, my beautiful and most patient readers, or this story. I love Jareth too much to just leave him there. I'm really sorry for the long Hiatus. My laptop finally broke down last year and I didn't have a way to type this chapter. The last one barely made it from my computer but it did! This would be my first story that I've actually finished. I don't know how to feel about that, honestly. It makes me want to cry T^T.

I hope you enjoy this! I typed this for three days and I'm happy on how it turned out.

Thank you for sticking with me for so long. Thank you for also being patient with me (especially my long unannounced absences). I love you guys so much! You guys are the best! I have two Labyrinth stories planned and it is waiting to be planned and written down so expect that, okay?

You guys are awesome! Don't forget that!

~Dreamers see the future~

Lys~Rayn

Snow started falling four days ago and it still hasn't stopped now. That didn't hinder people from their errands, though only few went out nowadays. Heaters would be turned up and wood from the fireplace would be stoked to keep warm. Kids would huddle up in their blankets at night, a nice of hot chocolate milk with little marshmallows floating about in their hands.

But the cold didn't bother Sarah.

Nothing bothered Sarah since that talk she had with Hoggle six months ago. She felt numb inside. Even though she was still functioning as expected - doing her chores, schoolwork and taking care of Toby – she no longer had that certain brightness in her eyes that appeared when she was sixteen years old. This was not gone unnoticed by her family. They were used to Sarah keeping to herself most of the time, but the fact that she barely smiled and moved like her head was not there caused the warning signal to go off on them.

Robert was sitting down on the couch watching TV. Toby, crayon in hand, was busy concentrating on the paper in front of him to take notice of his mother walking in.

"I'm worried, Robert," She said as she crossed her arms on her chest. "It's been a few months now and that thing with Daniel only made it worse."

"Which reminds me, I still haven't visited that boy. You remembered where I placed my shotgun?" He placed his hand on either side of him as if to stand up when Karen looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He sat back down and placed his hands up in defense.

"I was joking. You need to lighten up a little." He scratched his head and sighed. "You have to admit though, you're itching to just shoot him yourself."

"Well that bastard deserves to be shot between his legs for not being able to keep his hormones at bay."

"I definitely wouldn't want to be at the receiving end of your anger." Karen sighed exasperatedly and threw her hands up. "You're not helping me!"

"Well if you just let me get my shotgun I would be happy to help you! She's my daughter too you know," Robert said. "It's also my job to kick the ass of anyone who hurts her."

"Well get in line." Karen started pacing and noticed how Toby didn't even react to the noise they were creating. She kneeled down beside him and patted his head. There was a drawing of a figure with a white-blue color on her that looked like a dress. In front of her was a figure with messy yellow coloring on its head and dark blue on its body. They looked like they were dancing.

"What are you doing there, little buddy?"

Without lifting his gaze from the paper, he said, "I'm drawing a picture for Sarah."

"Oh? Why?"

"She isn't smiling lately… I miss smiling Sarah so I thought if I gave this to her, it'll make her happy," Toby said as he took the silver crayon and started drawing small circles around them.

"She'll definitely be happy if you gave that to her." Toby looked up at his mom and smiled. "What are you drawing though?"

"It's the people from the book Sarah would read to me called "The Labyrinth". It's the Goblin King and the girl who wished her brother away. Sarah always smiled whenever she would read that part to me."

Karen squinted at the picture. "What are those silver circles?"

"They're crystals the Goblin King makes. I can't draw the ballroom they were in so I decided to improvise."

Karen smiled fondly at him and hugged her son. "She'll love it," she whispered. He gave her a toothy grin and went back to finishing her drawing. Karen stood up and said, "I'm going to talk to Sarah."

"Good Luck. Don't try to piss her off like the last time."

"I won't!" she huffed and started for Sarah's room.

Someone knocked on the door, but Sarah didn't budge from her position on the bed. Her arms were hugging her knees and she looked out at her open window.

"Sarah?" Karen opened the door slowly and looked at her stepdaughter. She closed the door around her and went to sit at the edge of the bed.

"Hey."

"Hey…" Sarah whispered and tore her gaze from the window to her stepmother.

"Aren't you cold?" Karen asked as snowflakes drifted into the room.

"I'm fine."

Karen sighed and picked up the blanket on her bed and wrapped it around Sarah.

"Sarah, talk to me, please. We're all worried about you." This wasn't the first time Karen said this to her. Karen made it known that she would listen to anything Sarah would say if it would help her stepdaughter break out of this gloom she's in.

Everyday, Sarah would always reply with "Nothing's wrong." But the way she stared at Karen like she was debating whether she would tell her or not made Karen hope that she would get a different answer. After a few minutes of silence, Sarah sighed.

"I… I made a mistake." Karen smiled at Sarah.

"Everybody makes mistakes."

"Well I'm afraid I might not be able to fix this one."

"Why is that?" She stayed quiet again so Karen gently placed her hand on Sarah's hands and smiled at her. She wasn't going to pressure Sarah into telling her and she wanted her stepdaughter to know that she will be patient.

Sarah smiled back and took a deep breath. She began to tell her everything. How she felt when her mother suddenly upped and left them behind without even saying goodbye; how she felt about her father remarrying; how she felt when she wished Toby away; how terrified she was that there might be a chance she might not be able to win her back; how the Goblin King charmed his way into her life and how she let her fear of getting hurt caused her to lose the person she fell in love with these past few years.

"I know what I'm telling you seem hard to believe and if our positions were reversed, I'd probably think you were going insane. But… I've never felt more... Alive when I was with him." Karen smiled as she watched the spark come back to life in Sarah's eyes. THIS was the Sarah she wanted to see everyday. What she was telling her now definitely sounded farfetched but if it brought out THIS Sarah, then she had to believe her. Something changed in Sarah when she and Robert came back that night. Something that could affect her stepdaughter so much wouldn't be a lie.

What she was seeing in front of her right now is REAL. No lie or even the most factitious story could ever bring out something like this in someone.

Sarah's sigh broke Karen out of her reverie. "What's wrong?" Karen asked.

"No matter how much I want to fix it… I can't. He will never forgive me for the things I said."

"If he loves you as much as what you told me, then I know he will forgive you. Didn't he tell you that everything he did, he did it for you?" Sarah nodded.

"Then why wouldn't he forgive you? Everyone makes mistakes, whether you're human or someone from another world. No one is perfect." Karen caressed her stepdaughters' face. "Loving someone also means accepting their faults and their mistakes. Understand that the reason they do stupid things is because to them, they think it is what's best for you even if you think it's not. They will learn as you will learn," she smiled at Sarah. "One isn't perfect. Two makes it perfect."

Now why can't you think more like her? Her mind spoke up.

'So you decided to finally make your appearance today.' Sarah glared internally.

Wouldn't want to ruin a heart-to-heart, her mind grinned.

"Why don't you call him now so you two can kiss and make up?" Karen raised her eyebrow suggestively. Her smile fell when Sarah looked like she was about to cry. She hugged her knees tighter and hid her face on her knees.

"Honey, what's wrong?" She rubbed Sarah's arm and thought of how what she said could have offended her stepdaughter.

"I can't," Sarah whispered. "I'm not allowed to call him anymore."

Karen's eyes widened. "And why not?" Sarah let out a shuddered breath.

"The veil between the Underground and here is preventing me from ever going there again."

"I said call him, not go to him."

"I'm scared that he's really angry at me. What I said was real hurtful and…" Sarah hugged herself tighter. Karen sighed.

"What did I just tell you?"

"I know, I know. It's just… He usually comes to me. I tried calling him through the mirror but… He doesn't answer."

"Maybe he's just busy." Karen said as she caressed Sarah's hair. "Give him some time. He'll come to you when he's ready. At the meantime, don't stop trying."

Sarah smiled at her stepmother. "If there was anything I could do to bring him back, I'll do it, even if I have to give up everything for it."

Karen shook her head and smiled sadly at Sarah. "Who said it was okay for you to grow up when I took my eyes away from you for a minute?" They both laughed. Karen was thankful that their relationship changed. She loved Sarah very much but she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something was going to happen soon.

"I have to make sure your dad hasn't committed a murder yet."

"I definitely wouldn't mind if he did, as long as it removes one asshole in the world." They both laughed again.

"Everything will get better. You'll see." Karen kissed Sarah's forehead and headed for the door.

"Karen?" She turned and smiled at her daughter.

"Yes?"

"Thank you." Sarah smiled at Karen.

"You're welcome." She looked at her for a minute and was about to close the door behind her when Sarah spoke up again.

"I love you, mom." Karen froze for a minute. She felt tears threatening to fall so she took a deep breath and smiled lovingly at Sarah again.

"I love you too, honey." She gently closed the door and leaned her forehead on the door.

"I know you'll make the right decision, Sarah," she whispered. She tried to compose herself so Robert wouldn't ask any more questions than necessary and headed downstairs.

Sarah stood up and looked at herself in the mirror. She sighed at how her hair looked like birds nested in it and how her eyes were red and puffy from crying. She picked up the hairbrush and started taking out the tangles in her hair. It was a tedious task to do but if she left it alone for more than a minute, she feared it would get worse.

"You really let yourself go, Sarah," she whispered to her reflection. "What will Jareth say if he saw you like this?"

"I'm sure he'll still say you're the most beautiful creature he ever set his eyes on."

Sarah jumped and pulled the brush, causing a few strands to taken out.

"Ow… Ow.." Sarah knelt down, cradling her head when she felt a hand on her head.

"Are you alright? Forgive me, I did not expect to startle you. My reflection could be seen on the mirror so I assumed you know of my presence."

Sarah stared at the man before him, shocked at how smooth and deep his voice was and how it sounded familiar. He was carefully inspecting her head, rubbing where the brush pulled out some of her hair. "At least you managed not to injure yourself." He said as he patted her in the head and helped her up.

"I'm sorry but… Who are you?" She looked at the man before him. He was tall and a bit big, shoulders wide and strong. He had dark brown hair that fell to his shoulders and had slightly pointed ears. He had a strong jaw and arched eyebrows. His eyes, a brilliant shade of green-blue, looked like it could see through your soul. She felt the presence of something regal and royal in the air.

"Ah, where are my manners. I am Oberon, high king of the Fae." He bowed, fist to the chest, and smiled brightly at her, showing a row of pearly white teeth. Sarah was dazzled for a minute before she noticed that she could see his chest. She slightly blushed at how low his poet's shirt opened. It reached down to his waist where it was held in place by a thick belt. The shirt wasn't much of use because the whole of his front body was open to her. She saw black markings at the sides that curled and turned. A black trench coat with gold edges was placed loosely on his shoulders and ended inches from the floor. He was wearing knee high boots and slightly tight pants.

A kiss on her knuckles brought her out of her staring and looked at Oberon grinning at her.

He's also wearing leather gloves, in case his chest distracted you too much.

'Gee. What would I do without you,' Sarah rolled her eyes at her mind.

"Why would the king of the Fae come here?" She asked him. It didn't escape her that his eyes grew sad and she couldn't understand why.

"Did you mean what you said?" He asked her.

She raised her eyebrow in confusion. "Mean What... Exactly?"

"What you said about doing anything for my son, Jareth." Sarah stared at Oberon, not understanding what he just said. Then it clicked and her hand flew to cover her mouth.

"You're Jareth's father?!" She gasped. Oberon, suddenly amused, smiled at her.

"Yes, I am Jareth's father," he said. "And I would like to know if you mea-"

"Is he okay?! Do you know where he is?" Sarah suddenly gripped his arms and stared at him with worried eyes. Oberon froze in place, shocked at how fast she moved. He relaxed and his eyes softened when he saw her eyes and how worried she was about Jareth.

"I've been trying to call him… He's not answering. Is he okay?" Oberon's lips thinned and gently took Sarah's hands in his.

"I'm afraid he's not well, my dear." She took her hands from his and stared at him.

"What do you mean by that..?" He sighed.

"My kind, we live for a very long time. We are powerful creatures. Nothing could cripple us… Except love." He walked towards the open window and clasped his hands behind his back.

"It may sound cliché but it is our curse to bear. Our ancestor was a bit of a… In your words, a player, if you will, and he pursued a witch. Many warned him not to because she was a powerful one. He didn't listen." Sarah sat down on her bed and listened fully to what Oberon was saying.

"He wooed her and she fell hard. Under a beautiful night sky, she gave herself to him. He vowed that after he visited his parents, they would be wed. She agreed and waited. She waited and waited, but he never came back. Worried that something might've happened to her love, she went after him. When she found him at last, it was not what she expected. He was in the arms of another woman." Oberon turned and leaned on the windowsill.

"She became angry, as any woman would. The thing was, he didn't even look ashamed. He simply grinned at her and asked her if she would be kind enough to join them." He shook his head and sighed. "Angry and hurt, she cursed him. Every Fae and their offspring would be allowed to fall in love, but when they do, it would be forever. The catch is, if the other passes away or refuses to return the love, he would feel the pain of it. It would be greater each passing day and it would drive him mad in agony. Slowly though, he would weaken and eventually… He would cease to exist."

Sarah was shaking and she hugged herself. "Is there a way out of it…?" She whispered.

"It is inevitable," he whispered back. Sarah choked back a sob and shook her head.

"No... No! There... There must be some way…!" She screamed at him and she shook. Tears flowed from her eyes as she rocked back and forth. "No… No… No!"

Oberon kneeled in front of her and wiped her tears away. "Shh Child. Do not fear. We may still be able to save him." Sarah blinked at him. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. That's why I asked you if you meant what you said."

"Yes! Yes I mean it! Anything to save him..!" She was gripping his shoulders again. Oberon stilled her and made her breathe.

"It would require a great sacrifice. Even then, we are not sure if it will work." Sarah wiped her eyes and looked at him.

"We have to try. I don't want him to die. If there's any way we could save him… What do I have to do?" Oberon smiled sadly at her and held her face in his hands.

"My child, you would need to return to the Underground."

Sarah froze. "But I thought… I thought I couldn't go back?"

"You can with my help." She sighed in relief.

'Saving him would be easy!' She thought.

There's always a catch, Sarah. Nothing is easy. She ignored the voice in her head.

"Well then let's go! What are we waiting for?" She jumped up and headed to her closet to change her clothes. Oberon grabbed her arm to stop her. She growled in frustration.

"What is it? There's no time! We have to go to Jareth now!"

Oberon forced her to sit down on her bed again and kneeled in front of her.

"You won't be able to come back here, Sarah."

Sarah's eyes widened and slightly leaned back. "What do you … mean?"

"I can help you cross the veil, my dear. But you will not be able to return here to the Aboveground. You are pass the age of 20. You no longer have the power to cross over as you please."

"But… But I'm the champion!" She wringed her hands on her lap and bit her bottom lip.

"Even if you are the champion." Oberon pushed the hair on her forehead aside.

"Not everyone is given the chance I am giving you now. Crossing the veil requires a sacrifice: Your life in the Aboveground in exchange for one in the Underground. When you pass through, you will be changed into the race of the one guiding you. In your case, you will be changed into my race, the Fae."

Sarah's heart stopped as he told her this. She couldn't believe it. She had to leave behind her family and the life she built here, just so she could go back to the Underground.

"What will happen to my family…?" She swallowed, waiting nervously for his answer.

"Your existence here in the Aboveground will be erased, like you never existed. They will no longer know who you are." She gasped and stood up, hand over her mouth. Her heart was beating triple time. She walked to her vanity and placed her hands on it, head lowered.

"I am not forcing you to come back with me, Sarah. I am giving you a choice. If you wish to stay then you will stay." Oberon crossed his arms on his chest and watched the girl in front of him. She breathed in and out, trying to steady her heart but it refused to. She didn't know what to do. If she stayed, Jareth will… And if she left, her family….

What is more important to you?

"I love my family…. And I love Jareth… I…" She wrapped her hands around herself and clenched her teeth.

"I am sorry. If there was another way, I would tell you but…" Sarah closed her eyes and saw faces. She saw her dad, Karen and Toby who she was starting to get along with. Then she saw her friends, Hoggle, Ludo and Didymus. Then she saw Jareth smiling back at her.

"I have to decide now, don't I?" She whispered.

"Time is not on our side, I'm afraid." Sarah nodded and turned to look at him. This was the first time she met Jareth's father, and she saw how much he loved his son. He was willing to bring back the girl who had broken his son's heart to save him and he didn't even know her.

"I've brought you a gift." Oberon lifted his arm and a crystal appeared. He ran it along his arm, just the way Jareth did the first time she met him. "It's a crystal… Nothing more. But if you turn it this way, and look into it…" He moved it until it returned to his palm. "It will show you your dreams." The Fae extended his arm towards Sarah, encouraging her to look into it. She peered into the crystal, gasped as tears flowed down once again and turned away.

"Will you take it, Sarah? No one will blame you for the decision you are about to make." Sarah rolled her shoulders back and stood up straighter. She needed to be strong. This decision wouldn't be without consequences. She needed a clear mind to make the right decision.

This time don't fuck up, Sarah. She told her mind to shut up. She stared at the crystal then at Oberon. His gaze wasn't judging her or anything. It was soft and encouraging. He was willing to respect whatever decision she made, even if it was choosing to stay and letting his son die. She wiped the remaining tears from her eyes.

"What is your choice, Sarah Williams?" Oberon asked her one last time.

She let out a deep breathe and closed her eyes.

What is your heart telling you?

She let a single tear fall from her eye.

'To ask for forgiveness.'

Read and Review guys! :) Don't forget I love you all!