A/N: In the same vein as chapter two, I had to chop the chapter up because it was getting too long. Only one more chapter after this.

::~*~::

"Allow me to tell you a story. An epilogue of the Labyrinth, if you will." For whatever reason, he ignored the empty chair and remained standing by the balcony door, his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes fixed on the stormy night outside. Sarah wondered where his crop had disappeared to.

"To begin with, let me share with you that you are the only person to ever beat the Labyrinth. The only person. If you'd even like to boost your pride on besting me, I'll even confess that you were also the youngest person to ever enter my Labyrinth. Countless people before you, and a few since, have entered the Labyrinth, only to fail in the end. Do you know why?" He didn't wait for a reply, which Sarah was grateful for, because she had no idea. "Love, or rather, the lack thereof." Sarah's face screwed up in confusion and also a bit of embarrassment. Out of all the things that entered her mind just then, the words near the beginning of the book surfaced: But, what no one knew, was that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl and he had given her certain powers. Her thoughts were terminated as Jareth continued speaking showing his line of speech was nowhere near where her thoughts had drifted. "It takes a certain kind of sadistic person to wish away an innocent child who cannot think or act for him- or herself. A child who is dependent on the same sadistic individual in order to survive the cruelties of your world. A person like that has no love or compassion for anyone but themselves."

Sarah bristled at the assumption that he was calling her sadistic and cruel and had opened her mouth to angrily retort, when his next words stunned her into silence. "You were different. You were little more than a child yourself. Your desire to wish away your brother was born of your childish delusions of what fantasy and magic were all about. You never actually expected it to work, and, deep down, you never actually meant it. It was only ever a book to you. They were empty words that no one was supposed to hear, and yet, they had been spoken and they were heard. Even as you stood before me and tried to take them back, I knew you hadn't meant them, but the ball was in motion, as it were, and there was no way to stop it. You had to run the Labyrinth like so many before you.

"Despite how annoying and how dependent on you Toby was, the moment you realized his freedom was in jeopardy, was the moment you realized how much you really loved him. You were willing to risk everything for him, even sacrificing your dreams which I so readily tempted you with. Your love for Toby is the reason you beat the Labyrinth. That love carried you through its entirety. Had it been anyone else, they would have attempted to win back their loved ones out of some sense of obligation, but no real love. That's why they fail.

"Now, what I just told you ties into why no harm befell the friends you left behind. Everything they did was at my command, yet guided by your actions. When a mortal is in the Labyrinth, there are certain attitudes and behaviors the residents are expected to display, as it is all part of the trial. Treated with love and respect, they are instructed to respond in kind, even going so far as to assist the mortal. Treated with disdain and cruelty, they are instructed to respond in kind, even to the point of leading a traveler astray."

Sarah interrupted him, "But, what about Hoggle? There were times I was cruel to him, stealing his jewels and chastising him for his cowardice. Yet, he stuck by me."

Jareth frowned as he looked at her and she thought he was going to beret her for interrupting him. He finally sat down, relaxing his posture as though he were lounging on his throne. "Are you sure I gave you back the entire memory? I seem to remember he showed you the entrance, then vanished, rescued you from the oubliette, then vanished, panicked at Sir Didymus' bridge, then vanished, and gave you the peach, then vanished. To be completely honest, I'm surprised he kept going back to you as often as he did. Not to say you don't have a sparkling personality," Sarah tensed at the obvious jab of sarcasm there, "but Hoggle was always the hardest to win over. Since he appears so early in the journey, everyone is still in their self-absorbed state of mind that they treat him so cruelly, and this has fueled his natural behavior throughout the years. With the occasional trip to the oubliette to rescue those who become trapped, most of his time is spent on the perimeter of the Labyrinth. His loyalty is never won early enough for him to make the effort to follow the traveler. Yet, with you, by the time you made it to the Goblin City, his loyalty to you was unwavering. Even if you felt there was something harsh in your treatment of him, something about you kept him coming back."

Sarah's expression showed she was still unconvinced. Jareth thought for a moment, before he spoke again. "You have always wanted to be an actress. Of the stage, of the screen, it makes no difference to you. You, of all people, should understand the importance of assuming the guise of a character during a performance."

Sarah's expression softened and Jareth continued on.

"If it makes you feel any better, the next person who entered the Labyrinth, well, let's just say, he was the cruelest sort. Hoggle reverted right back to his role, back to how he was before he ever met you. There was a slim chance he may have been too compassionate to the next individual, because of the friendship he formed with you."

"But, the guy who entered the Labyrinth? You call him cruel, but he made the decision to save his child."

Jareth laughed aloud, but it was full of malice and fury and it sent a chill down Sarah's spine. His voice became animated with animosity. "He wasn't trying to save his son. He was merely trying to save the free slave labor the boy represented. Even you can't be ignorant of its existence in your world. Twice, his teacher reported suspicious bruises and injuries to the child services department and twice the father provided false evidence to protect himself. I won't even horrify you with the details of what the boy suffered after those visits, but I'm sure you can imagine it. He's safer where he is now."

Sarah's stomach turned inside of her and it had nothing to do with the incident from earlier. There was no ignoring the fact that these situations existed, but what kind of a person was she that she tried to pretend they didn't exist? What did she do to help those in need, or actively speak out on their behalf? The thought of what the little boy had suffered made her nauseous. "Safer as a goblin?" she whispered.

"No."

A simple word, two letters long, and yet it completely surprised her. "No?" she repeated quietly, looking at him curiously.

"I have to say something to motivate the seekers thru the Labyrinth. Of course, once upon a time, children were turned into goblins if they weren't retrieved in the allotted time, but the population was quickly spiraling out of control and I had to figure out an alternate way of taking care of the children. Goblins have an incredibly long lifespan, at least by human standards, so, as morbid as this makes me sound, they weren't dying as quickly as new ones were coming in. I wonder what that says about your world." He mused on the last, before continuing, "So, I started placing these unwanted children where they would be able to live happy lives. You know about the Underground and you know about your world. You also know that books describe fantasy worlds all the time. Some of them may have more fact than fiction in them." He was looking directly at her, watching her reaction to his last comment.

Sarah's interest was immediately piqued, but she stayed on the topic. "Where is he?"

"Neverland."

"Like Peter Pan and Tinkerbell Neverland?"

He nodded.

"How is that supposed to be a happier life for him? If reality is anything like the stories, aren't the adults, the pirates, trying to kill the children?"

He shrugged. "I think you're missing the point, but, if it matters, things are more black and white there. Here, he thought it was normal to be beaten and abused. Nobody cared about what happened to him. There, the other boys will quickly show him it's not okay and they'll teach him to defend himself. But, the primary reason he's there as opposed to being anywhere else: he loves Peter Pan. What six-year-old doesn't like an eternally youthful boy who goes on adventures all day, battling his nemesis who happens to be an adult, everything this little boy learned to distrust and loathe? Trust me, he'll be happy."

They sat in silence for several moments, Sarah trying to digest this new, softened side of the Goblin King that she had never had opportunity to see before. He sat, looking pensive, his eyes on her, but she suspected he wasn't seeing her at all. "Do you realize this is the first civil conversation we've ever had? For once, I don't feel like strangling you."

He smiled, a genuine smile that Sarah found she actually liked. "Refreshing, isn't it?" His dry humor in a non-threatening context was refreshing.

"You still haven't answered my original question. Why are you here? You can't possibly tell me you just wanted to catch up on old times." She shifted in her seat, the sudden urge to get up and move around slightly overwhelming in its intensity.

"I haven't finished answering the questions you should have been asking in the first place. I'll get to why I'm here eventually."

Her annoyance at being told she hadn't asked the right questions, questions that had never even entered her mind, raised her irritation level. Her watch showed that it was close to eleven-thirty at night and she was exhausted from all the packing and moving and unpacking. "Can 'eventually' get here sooner, rather than later? It's been a long day."

He frowned and she could see a wall go up behind his eyes. "By all means, if I'm keeping you from something, I'll gladly take my leave of you. However, once I leave here, I won't be coming back. Ever." He waited for her to make her decision. She yawned, but waved her hand in a way for him to continue.

"At least let me make some coffee." Relieved to finally get up and stretch her legs, she went into the kitchen, leaving Jareth alone in the living room. She almost cried in frustration when she saw all the groceries still sitting on her counter in the corner. She had been home for over three hours and most of the food was supposed to be refrigerated. Sighing in resignation, she started pulling items out of the bags, searching for coffee. Jareth had made chairs appear out of nowhere; maybe she could convince him to fill her refrigerator before he left. Provided she didn't piss him off anymore. He could seriously give any PMS-ing female a run for her money with his mood swings. After emptying the last bag onto the counter and sweeping her eyes over the lot, she realized she hadn't bought any coffee.

"Of course," she muttered. Scanning the items again, she couldn't see anything that would assist in keeping her awake. Resigning herself to a lot of yawning and eye drooping in her future, she returned to the living room.

"Is this what you wanted?"