"Oh my God-"

"It's chemical warfare." Mulder was bent over, hands at the knees, dry heaving. "It's against the Geneva Convention, that's what it is."

"Who cares what it is." Scully had her face buried in the elbow of her sleeve and was trying mightily not to gag- "How do we escape it?"

The Bog Sarah had mentioned when they first entered the Labyrinth…How could it be anything else? The stench of it was certainly grotesque enough, and Hoggle was right – it was an experience she could well have done without. And it seemed to be just as eternal, too. The slide had dropped the pair of them at the edge of a wall, with just a foot of space between them and the putrescent waters that lapped at the shoreline. Withered trees and anemic birds stretched beyond her vision (perhaps because her eyes were watering). Flies seemed to buzz at chemical vents: they spit more rotted, crude material than the steam of an Aboveground geyser. Scully jumped slightly when Mulder touched her elbow, pointing to a thicker, solid spot to their left. At her nod, they inched along toward that tiny respite, backs pressed against the wall, hardly daring to breathe.

Fox was carefully taking his handkerchief out of his pocket, and before Dana could protest, he'd brushed her hair from off her neck and had tied it around her nose and mouth. "But what about…" It was not a cure, but it was better; the scent of clean laundry at least kept breathing from being painfully torturous. Mulder unknotted his tie and wrapped that similarly around his own face. Scully smiled at the corners of her mouth, visible only for the way her eyes crinkled, and she touched the thin, dangling portion of the tie. "I'm afraid it's going to be ruined after this."

"That's alright." Mulder shrugged and was busy getting the map from the inner pocket of his sports coat. "I can just wear the one that's shaped like a fish."

"Mulder, no."

The tall agent brushed off the top of a tree stump and settled here, stretching his long legs before him. Scully looked over his arm. "Okay, here's the Bog – holy cow, that can't be."

"What, what is it?"

"Ms. Williams pointed out the Fiery Forest here," Mulder replied, circling the area Sarah had tried to seductively point out before. "And the Bog is way over here…but that slide was only a couple of seconds at best."

Scully just sighed, her head leaning against that of her partner's. "Mulder, what are we even doing here? We're caught up in things that we can't understand. Even if we found the Senator, how would we get out again? What path would we follow? Where would the exit be?"

"You're not giving up, are you?"

She wrinkled her nose. "Of course not. I just think that maybe…."

"…Maybe?" Mulder prompted her.

But Scully didn't even know what she maybe thought. Instead, she delicately shoved the man over on the tree stump so she could sit as well. With a slightly forlorn look, she muttered, "I wish we hadn't dragged Sarah into this."

"I'm not so certain we weren't dragged into this by Sarah. I don't mean it's her fault!" he quickly amended at the look the fiery little agent was giving him. "I just think I, uh….didn't quite anticipate what a, shall we say, distraction she would be to our old friend the Goblin King."

That gave Scully pause. Her head and shoulders picked up while Fox went back to studying the map. "That's true…"

"Hm?" He did not look up, trying to navigate any way at all through the Bog that wouldn't require an amphibious excursion.

"Sarah – she's what he's focused on. He's infatuated."

Mulder just snorted. "Yeah, I guess you could call it that."

"Sarah is the one with all the power." That did make her partner look up, tilting his head at her and quietly listening. "I mean it. So long as she's what he wants, she holds all the cards." Scully smiled again, more slyly this time, and managed to push herself back up onto her feet. "Never mind, I take that back: I'm glad she's with us. She's not the one who can guide us through the Labyrinth – she's the one who can beat the Goblin King."

Mulder watched his partner for a little while, but then slowly began to fold up the map again. "What about me?"

"What about you? Oh," Dana laughed a bit. "Yes, I know you could beat the Goblin King, too, Mulder; we've done it before."

"Not that," he shook his head, carefully replacing the now-worn map. "The other thing."

"What?" Scully puzzled for a minute – and then gave a very slight sigh, extending her hand to pull him up. "Yes, I'm glad you're here, too."

He smiled at her. "Good."

Straight to the Castle…

This wasn't like before, when she and her friends had picked their way through the Junk Heaps to the main gate of the city. Jareth had told her the Labyrinth would take her directly to the Castle, just like she wanted (thought she wanted) – and it did. If there was an obstruction in the roadway, the Labyrinth cleared it; if she came to a gorge, it pulled the two sides close enough together for her to step over; if she nearly tripped, its branches and vines would catch her. Sarah couldn't say thank you. Her heart was too much in her throat.

And instead of through the heart of the Goblin City, the Labyrinth took her to a side entrance – a heavy door made of copper, dozens of locks and chains hanging off of it. Each one crumbled at her touch, and the door swung open. It was a courtyard of the castle, she knew without knowing. The open space, the stone-and-brickwork, the fountain that trickled in one corner with a goblin statue (or a real goblin) spitting water…She knew where she was.

Just beyond a laurel hedge was a door. Sarah rushed to it without thought, tested the handle – and was surprised to find it unlocked. Well, perhaps not so surprised. Everything was trying to bring her to this place…What might happen now that she'd arrived? Her stomach twisted unpleasantly, but what choice was there? With a short push, the door swung open, and she stepped cautiously inside.

It was shadowy, dusty – eerily quiet. No goblins, no signs of life….No Goblin King either. She tried to call, "Senator-" but her voice caught. Awkwardly, she cleared her throat and tried again. "Senator Beaumont!" There was no response but her own echo down the massive stone corridors…She'd spent so little time in the Castle before; how big was it? How would she find her way? Or what might she find? That was a worse thought. More hesitantly, she cried out, "Jareth?" But there was no answer to that, either.

"Time, time…" Sarah mumbled to herself. Three hours when she left Hoggle and the others – when she last saw Jareth. How long did it take her to walk the Labyrinth's streamlined trail? How long was she wandering the castle halls? That seemed longer. In desperation, she began opening doors. Please, don't be a bedroom, don't be a bedroom- So far, her luck held: a…a salon or a lounge or whatever the difference was. Horsehair sofas, goblets of gleaming liquid, dishes full of plump fruits – including peaches. Sarah was disinclined and she shut the door. Down the hall, she tried again. Bookshelves on every wall, climbing to the ceiling…Huge chandeliers and sconces casting a soft glow, the scent of old paper everywhere. Far more tempting. What could be inside, if she looked for just a mome- "No. I'm not that easy." Sarah shook her head and instead called out, "Senator, are you here?" Silence. Supposing he was gagged? "Supposing nothing." Sarah sighed and blew a lock of hair from her eyes. "Get real, Williams. Let's go."

The Castle was its own labyrinth, and that figured…Labyrinths within labyrinths, puzzles within mazes. And so many doors…A closet; a cloak room; an herb cellar. Still she kept going. She expected to find another pantry when she yanked on another simple, wooden door, half the beams splintered-

Sarah gasped, stopping short in the threshold. This room was massive, and dark, almost black….Something like fairy lights hung in the air, so that there was a small, blue glow nearby. At least this was different. Hesitantly, she entered, staring at the floor to be sure of her footing. Marble tile…It was smooth and cool, almost cold. Her breath seemed to come in quicker and quicker gasps. She was studying the ground so intently she bumped into one of the lights and squeaked more from surprise than from hurt. Tilting her chin up, she touched her forehead. "A crystal?" Almost as if on cue, the light intensified, and the room became illuminated in a soft, blue-white glow.

A ballroom….the ceiling was vaulted, and a chandelier hung from its center point – yet that remained unlit. Instead, she could see now, dozens of crystals floated, as if hung on strings, each softly burning to light the room. And there, in the center- "Jareth." She stopped short, half aggressive and half cautious.

But the Goblin King merely bowed, one hand sweeping low before him to almost touch the ground. "At your service."

Sarah took a hesitant step forward. "What trick have you got planned this time?"

"I don't do tricks, Sarah." His flaxen brow twitched. "I perform magic. So you see." He twisted his black gloved hand in an easy motion, and Sarah felt her simple white shirt and jeans melting. In their place, it felt for a moment like she was wrapped in cotton candy-

The dress, that stupid, white, voluminous dress. Jareth had clothed her in the same costume from her teenage dream, corset and iridescent sparkles and all. At least he didn't undress me… She balled her fists in the layers of fabric. "Have you ever heard of asking permission?"

He ignored that, slowly walking toward her with the measured step of a predator – or someone trying not to spook a prey animal, at the very least. "I thought, if you were touring the Castle, you ought to at least see the best part."

"I asked you a question!"

When he was within arm's reach of her, he stopped, and Sarah felt suddenly nervous. Was it the damned ties making it so hard to breathe? Or was it a deeper sense of anxiety in the pit of her stomach? Jareth was staring at her face. What fault could he possibly be finding there? "Of course I am familiar with that. For example-" He raised his hands, and for half a breath, she thought he meant to hit her. The King's brow wrinkled at her flinching. When she stood straight again, he said, "-May I have this dance?"

Sarah stared at him. It felt like her head was swimming. "All this going on….and you want to dance with me?"

"We're in the Grand Ballroom; it seems appropriate."

Hesitatingly, without knowing fully why, Sarah's right hand reached up and found his left. Perfectly practiced, she could feel his palm circling her waist, even through all those layers of taffeta and silk. Her left hand rested on his bicep and she hoped her fingers weren't trembling. There was no music. He took her through a waltz to start with.

Jareth was warm in the cool atmosphere of the ballroom…It felt distressingly easy to be so close to his body. He startled her by speaking, and she could practically hear how his voice would be a hum at his throat. "Now, isn't this delightful? So much more pleasant than all that grousing and fighting."

Sarah's own voice was caught in her throat, she had to clear it to reply. "We can all stop fighting if you just stop kidnapping people, Goblin King."

"Hm. It bears thought. But then, how would I ever get such charming visitors, hm? Agent Mulder, Agent Scully, you-"

"Have you considered trying a dinner party?"

He did not laugh, but his thin mouth crooked at one corner in a sardonic smile. "Such domestic diversions are generally the domain of a hostess, I understand." She was beginning to feel almost too hot now…Before she could pull away, Jareth continued. "You're a much better dancer now, you know."

She felt herself blushing against her will. "Thanks."

"What's that term? A 'triple threat?' No doubt your work demands some practice in the art."

"Well, I'm not going to be cast in 'A Chorus Line' or anything, but I get by."

"And your diligence does pay off." Before Sarah could respond, he'd suddenly twirled her and she felt the skirt billow about her knees. She was breathless with delight, beaming when he finished, and Sarah was almost startled to find the dance done, the Goblin King staring intently at her once more. Her mouth felt dry. "Or perhaps it is only a natural talent. She grows up, and she is only cleverer, more talented, more beautiful." He looked down at her skirt and seemed almost sad. "You do not need such finery and feathering to stand out." He touched the gown, and the whole thing melted away like spun sugar…She was in the clothes she'd come in once more. "Whatever it is you wear, you are everything I want."

Sarah could not say this was the Goblin King at his most human, but at his most vulnerable? Perhaps. Without a word, he took up her hands again and resumed the dance…Without the skirt between them, they were even closer together now. She could almost brush her nose against his cheek, or- "Sarah."

Her breath caught in her throat. "Y-yes?"

"I will release Senator Beaumont – if you remain in his stead."

Sarah went stiff in his grasp, trying to pull away. Jareth would not let her. "You're blackmailing me!"

"Yes. How else would you stay?"

"Stop it-" She tugged against his grip.

"Would it be so terrible? Do you think I would do you harm?" He leaned forward, and she could feel his breath against her collar. "Let me tell you now, I would never."

"Jareth-!"

"Stay with me, Sarah." He no longer led the dance, but stopped them in the center of the dance floor. The young woman couldn't help but to find her gaze trapped, looking into his mismatched eyes. How deep and how dark they were, how intensely he returned her gaze. "Be my bride and remain with me." Sarah couldn't move, and the Goblin King brought her closer, leaning towards her. "My Goblin Queen…"

"N-no!" She barely could press her arms between their bodies, but a short shove was all that was required to free herself from his grasp. He was too startled to hold on tighter. "I'm not going to be kept here like a bird in a cage like you're keeping the Senator!" Sarah stumbled backward, tripping over her own feet; her arms felt like gelatin. "I'm going to stop you, Jareth." Before he could beguile her any further, Sarah turned and fled from the ballroom, her long, dark hair streaming out behind her.

For his part, the Goblin King remained exactly where she'd left him, jaw clenching tighter and tighter as his hands became fists at his side. When his body could bear the tension and the rage no longer, every crystal hanging in the air shattered.