A/N: I, Sarai McDougall, do not own, nor have I ever owned, the Labyrinth or any of the characters therein.

So, ladies and gents, faithful readers, I feel like I'm about mid way. Anyone have any requests? Any ideas as to what will happen next? Who is going to win? It's anyone's game as Magical Jareth takes on Sarah the Determined and Micah the Dubious lingers in the background…

Chapter Five

Micah watched Sarah as she paused and looked left and right. For the first time in about three hours she looked like she was lost. The maze had turned from ice to hedge and hedge to winding paths. Sarah hadn't been fazed – she'd just walked on with the same determined pace he'd never seen her use before. If he tried to talk to her she just glared at him before giving him a short answer. Every time he even tried to bring up Jareth or whatever his name was, Sarah cut him off before he could even finish saying the name and he wasn't sure why. This wasn't the girl he knew. Or that he loved. She was someone else and Micah was captivated. Sarah was a force to be reckoned with in this place. It almost suited her. But this indecision scared him completely. And the thoughts of leaving her flooded back to him.

Sarah looked left and right, her feet not leaving the path. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Micah frown. She had no idea which way to go. She could see the Firey's forest, the Junkyard, the Bog and a couple of other places she hadn't been before. She was lost. She'd lost count and she knew exactly when she did it too. It was right when Micah nearly said Jareth's name aloud. Sarah could not allow that to happen. But right now… maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. She smiled. Jareth would give her all the clues she'd need without ever having to wish. He'd heard everything. He would know that she thought him predictable. And he'd relish her silent challenge. She was about to call out to him when she saw a crystal ball floating just above her head.

"Shit, Micah!" Sarah shouted, grabbing him from the edge of the path and standing in the center. She watched the ball carefully. Micah cocked his head and wondered what all the fuss was about. Just a little crystal ball. He broke away from Sarah's clutches.

"No, get back here!" Sarah cried out. "Get back from the edge."

"There is no edge, Sarah, just a windy path with grass edges," Micah said, waving his arm over the edge. The crystal ball hit the ground and Sarah could hear Jareth's laughter.

A force exploded, forcing her backwards on the path, knocking her over. It knocked Micah so he fell half on and half off the path. In the blink of an eye metal spires shot up from the edges of the path, like prison bars topped with spearheads. Sarah shut her eyes as tightly as she could. She knew what had just happened. She knew the Labyrinth was dangerous. Of course she knew that. But she hadn't… believed it. Not in her heart of hearts. She hadn't believed Jareth would ever kill a runner. And he just had. As sure as she was alive, Micah had just been skewered.

Jareth wasn't happy. Death was messy. And permanent. There was no fun to be had with a dead person. That stupid boy. That it was real and lethal was meant to scare, not kill. He might have been angry enough to wish someone dead, but he'd never actually go through with it. Too much paperwork. He much preferred dipping someone in the Bog. Or causing them ridiculous amounts of pain and keeping them alive. There was nothing he could do. Unless… Jareth had a marvelous idea. He turned to the goblin nearest him.

"You there. Don't let anyone destroy the castle while I'm gone," he said, before disappearing.

He reappeared right in front of Sarah. Jareth clicked his tongue sympathetically. She was still screwed up in a ball with her eyes firmly closed, hating that she couldn't move.

"You know Sarah, you can fix this," Jareth said.

"Go away Jareth," she replied.

"I mean it Sarah, I am your slave. All you have to do," Jareth said seductively, kneeling down beside her. Sarah opened her eyes and sat up, staring at him defiantly.

"You hold it right there mister," Sarah snapped at him. "Don't even make me think that." Jareth frowned.

"You could save his life," Jareth pointed out.

"You'd make it worse later," Sarah retorted. Jareth looked hurt.

"I don't like death, Sarah, it's messy," he said indignantly.

"Yet you live in a death trap. Tell me Jareth, if you're so big on living why let all those goblins stab him? Why skewer him on a death spire?" Sarah demanded. Jareth sighed.

"It's not my fault if he got in the way of the spires," Jareth said. Sarah stood up and looked Jareth in the eye. She'd forgotten how difficult that was to do without losing all resolve. They were so easy to get lost in. She hardened herself.

"You killed him Jareth, you. You get to live with that. Besides, I thought you moved the stars for no one," Sarah taunted him. Jareth took a step closer.

"I've moved them for you before, you foolish girl, do not tease me," Jareth whispered dangerously. Sarah gave him a sarcastic smile, but stepped back slightly. She forced herself to look at Micah just once. The wish was instantaneous and she could not stop it. Jareth smiled smugly and a look of pure horror plastered itself on Sarah's face.

"Oh shit," she whispered. "I didn't mean it."

"What's said is said. I thought you learnt a long time ago about saying things you didn't mean," Jareth taunted her smugly as a crystal ball danced on his fingertips.

"You can be cruel," Sarah replied as the spires went down and Micah sat up. Jareth laughed.

"It was your wish," he said. Sarah shook her head as she looked at Micah standing up. There was something different. He wasn't dead… he wasn't alive. He was… a zombie? Sarah almost laughed.

"This is ridiculous," Sarah said.

"Opposite and equal effects," Jareth reminded her. Sarah laughed.

"C'mon, even you have to admit this is bullshit," she said. Jareth smirked.

"Well, it's not exactly what I had planned. But the Labyrinth has it's own ideas sometimes," Jareth admitted. Micah looked at them blankly. Sarah sighed and turned to Jareth.

"Are you going to leave him like this?" she asked him. Jareth grinned.

"It does seem a little cruel," Jareth thought aloud.

"You can be cruel," Sarah repeated. Jareth nodded.

"But even I am not that cruel," he replied. "This changes nothing," he added, as Micah laid down, dead again. Sarah's heart contorted. She thanked God or whoever was listening that this was happening here and not in her world. She couldn't handle it if Micah had died in her world.

"No," Sarah replied softly. "This changes everything." Jareth looked at her for a moment.

"Are you giving up?" Jareth asked.

"No," Sarah said.

"You've got thirteen hours to run the Labyrinth to the Castle beyond the Goblin City," Jareth said. Sarah nodded.

"Thanks. I best be going then," she said. Sarah turned and started walking.

"Wait, Sarah," Jareth said. She stopped and turned slowly.

"What is it?" she asked warily, the old feelings of anger slowly creeping back after such a bizarre exchange. A crystal danced on his fingertips.

"I can offer you your dreams, Sarah," he said, almost desperately. Sarah scoffed at him.

"You can, but you're not. You're offering me my nightmare and really, I'd rather not. See you in thirteen hours," she replied lightly before taking off.

Jareth returned the castle and sat quietly on his throne. He wasn't sure what had just happened. He had no idea why he'd just offered Sarah her dreams again. He didn't want to give them to her. He just… didn't know what else to do. She couldn't win. That was all he knew. She couldn't. And he couldn't keep going to her. She did strange things to his head. And all it did was make him angrier.

Sarah jogged along the path with a steely determination. She was confused by Jareth's actions. Offering her dreams? He couldn't have meant it. He was almost… they were almost compatible with what happened to Micah. Micah. His name spurned her on. She allowed her anger to come back. He'd killed Micah. He'd killed the man she loved. Thought she'd loved. The second they were in the Labyrinth together she'd… dismissed him. That wasn't love, she decided, not real true love. But she did love him dearly as a friend. And he was still dead. Because of Jareth. That word-twisting, baby-stealing, heartless, magical Goblin King. He was destroying her life. That bastard forcing her down here to run his freaking Labyrinth. She sped up as she entered the forest. She had no idea how she was going to get out of there but she knew she had to keep going. She just hoped the Firey's were napping…