A/n: so, it's been seven years….I am very ashamed….. I highly doubt anyone is still reading this story, but I went back through my account, made a list of every story I haven't finished and decided to make a real effort to finish them all. So, without further adue I present the next chapter in a perfect gift….. even if everyone has given up on this story even if there is only one reader left, I hope you enjoy. Last two things, there may be quite a few inconsistencies in the plot and my writing style has changed considerably since I wrote last, so you may have to adjust a little, much love.

Chapter 8

The Purple Crystal

Sarah wasn't the type of person to give into advances at the drop of a hat. In fact, she had refused many a young lad trying to win her over since her first trip to the labyrinth. Truth be told she had often tried to be off putting, tried to keep her distance from those who would want to even consider a night on the town or a quiet yet romantic sojourn into the world of fancy and dalliances of the flesh.

Though, in all honesty, she couldn't claim that there was anything wrong with her would-be suitors. In fact, often times she was the one who had the problems. To Sarah's utter shame she would find herself looking at the young men before her and comparing their looks, voice and mannerisms to those of a certain goblin king.

How blonde was his hair? What color are those eyes? He should be taller and more formidable and maybe wear a pair of black dusty boots. After the encounter and subsequent, but very polite, refusal of a date she would realize what her subconscious had done and berate herself for being so picky.

Stuck up on a man who wasn't even human, that no other man could compare to and a man that was not only living in another time and place but in a whole other world.

She was setting unrealistic expectations upon these poor men that they couldn't even come close to what she was looking for. Eventually she grew tired of fighting herself about it, grew tired of trying to politely crush a man's hope and started to put up very harsh and unrelenting walls.

Her welcoming smiles faded and her nice and open body posture turned inward and shy. She didn't want the attention of these men because no matter what she told herself or how she tried to see around her own desires she simply could never aqueous to these men who by all unfair standards could not compete.

The true irony of this was that, since she had turned all these men down, she had no real experience in the area of dating, flirting or just enjoying a man's company. She was quick to grow embarrassed and her temper wrapped around her like a protective cover in regards to her present host.

So now, after pushing everyone away who was interested and she was faced with the possibility of getting the one man she really wanted, she had absolutely no clue how to pursue him, how to act around him or how to subtly show her own interest without seeming like an absolutely uneducated child.

After that rather heated conversation in the library a half hour ago she had elected to join him for dinner. She'd only been here as his guest a few days and had yet to try and find a suitable place to build her own home. The least she could do is keep him company and try to be a polite and entertaining guest. Though, at this point she felt more like a burden, a young useless burden.

Sarah didn't have the nerve to even touch on the wild assumption Jareth had made previously. Though, she couldn't lie that it made sense. If the labyrinth wanted them to be together, if it had found her worthy to be his consort who was she to deny it? How could she deny it? She had no proof to say otherwise and in regards to the Labyrinth and its existing consciousness Jareth would know best…. Wouldn't he?

As she sat before this man of her literal dreams, as she sipped on a glass of wine and dined on exquisite foreign foods she had no reason to believe he would deceive her in such a way. Yet, Sarah had done her due diligence and despite having put away her many childhood toys and gowns, grown up and tried to make a real human life for herself, she had done plenty of research into the world of the fae.

Trickery and deceit was a part of their nature, part of the games they liked to play. Jareth had tricked her before, the dreamscape from the peach she had eaten so long ago was still burned into her mind after all these years.

So, despite not wanting to broach the subject and the consequences that may lay there in, because she did not want to feel like a burden she decided to kill two birds with one stone and cleared her throat softly.

Jareth, who had been holding himself in a casual manner all throughout dinner, his ankles crossed and resting on the corner of the table while he lazily scanned through documents and scrolls that Sarah could only guess were legal documents or other such things. Every once and awhile he would pick up his glass and take a small sip of wine, other times she would catch his gloved fingers languidly poach a piece of fruit or chicken from his plate.

He seemed so absorbed in his own little world of politics and papers that Sarah, though reluctant to do so, cleared her throat again and set down her glass. The remaining rays of light, which filtered through the windows on the summer breeze cast rainbows of light across the table as it passed through the Crystal chandelier above them, Sarah couldn't help placing her fingers into the bright spectrum of color that flooded across the tables faded lace cloth.

"You can speak at anytime, I may look busy but I assure you I'm dreadfully board." came his soft tone and Sarah snatched her hand away from the prisms grandiose color scheme as her eyes darted to her present company.

Jareth remained hidden behind his papers but Sarah didn't let that deter her as a realization suddenly crossed her mind, "You aren't actually reading those are you."

"No." he said and Sarah could nearly hear the smile in his voice, "I thought it best to allow you some time to think given what occurred earlier in the library and your subsequent departure to your bedroom, the slamming door indicated to me you were hardly pleased with my behavior but given you decided to join me for dinner you were either really hungry or-"

"I have decided to speak to you about it." She finished for him.

The paper dropped from before his face and he gave a small mischievous smirk, "I do, at the best of times, hate paperwork, there for if I am doing it-"

"You're most likely avoiding something-"

"Either uncomfortable or equally as boring." Jareth finished as he gave a flourish of his wrist and the paperwork went sprawling behind him onto the floor.

Sarah couldn't help the small smirk that wound its way across her lips, so she looked down and a loose strand of brown hair fell from behind her ear. She slowly tucked it back and then glanced up from under her humor filled brow and realized Jareth was staring at her with rather doting eyes.

Quickly she shifted in her seat and neutralized her expression before clearing her throat for the third time, "I want to speak with you about a few things- your advice would be appreciated as well as your knowledge of the Labyrinth itself."

This seemed to catch his majesty off guard and he slowly slunk his feet off the table before he stood and gracefully approached her side. He crouched down next to her and cocked his head curiously as he looked up at her, "And what, pray tell, could you possibly want to know about my Labyrinth, hmm?"

Sarah felt her heartbeat quicken and her face heat up, but regardless she was going to continue as this was the only two items of interest she had to discuss with him. There was no point in lying either as he would surely see through it.

Wanting the truth and an answer for her current situation she felt emboldened despite his proximity she continued on as if he was nothing to worry about, "Earlier, in the library-"

"Yes?" he asked softly, his eyes flashing with cleverness and intrigue, near daring to believe she might be wanting to continue their dalliances in such a place as the dining room, for the time being Sarah was happy to disappoint, "You said that the Labyrinth was alive, that it maybe responsible for our current- habit- of sharing dreams."

Jareth's head cocked further to the side before his face slide from mischievous and daring into curious yet neutral, it was a strange transition but Sarah knew him as the man of many faces both figuratively and literally so at the moment she thought nothing of it.

He stood up and crossed his arms before he sat on the edge of the table and gave her a sideways stare, "As I recall saying, they are your dreams being shared, thus why it is one of my theories, yes."

Sarah fought back the heat that wanted to consume her face and tried to quell her frustrations, "Well, is there a way to prove it? To turn it from a theory into a fact?"

The goblin king stared at her a moment before he brought his finger to his lips in thought, his brow raised and his eyes scanned to the heavens in a sort of contemplative and philosophical debate.

Sarah couldn't help but lean forward a little as she waited for his response, though when it finally came she wasn't sure she felt any more or less satisfied with his answer, "I suppose there might be. But it could cause more trouble than it's worth."

"What do you mean, how so?"

It was like she had taken a peice of bait from the top of the pond, she could nearly see Jareth's sly smile spread across his features before he leaned forward and stpod from his perch, "Well, we could simply ask it."

It was time again for Sarah to grow confused, more so at such a simple solution given that Jareth said it could make things more complicated, "I hate to sound dumb, but, I don't understand-"

She felt his hands come to rest on her shoulders and could feel the heat from his chest on the back of her neck as he leaned down to bring his mouth next to her ear, "The Labyrinth is full of surprises, but none more shocking than actually getting to meet the heart-"

"The heart." Said said matter-of-factly as she realized she was slowly beginning to understand. She was pulled from her thoughts when one of Jareth's hands slid from her shoulder and across her collar bone to rest over her heart, "The very thing that gives it life. A source of life so powerful that the only reason I am in control of it is because it allows me to be. At any given moment it could grow tired of me and my roguish ways and oust me to the unforgiving realm of the Black Wraiths. The heart of the Labyrinth is beyond anything you've ever seen or experienced my girl. You would be most unfortunate if I was wrong and the Labyrinth decided to get rid of you."

Sarah could help herself, she felt anxiety pool in her stomach and her knuckles turned white as she gripped the arms of her chair. When Jareth applied a slight bit of pressure Sarah complied with little resistance and leaned back in her seat.

The leather clad hand slide up her throat gently before taking up her chin and slowly turning her head to look over to him, "I'd be very upset my darling, but you might be right- perhaps we should just ask. The worst that can happen is we die. But what's life without a little adventure, eh?"

Sarah's breath was coming quick now and her eyes were hooded in a soft gaze as she looked into his hypnotic two-tone eyes, "I'd rather enjoy an adventure with you my pet- wouldn't you like that my darling flower- my beautiful and most cherished one- wouldn't you like to go with me?" Sarah's lips were mere centimeters from his and as she closed her eyes she gave a faint nod.

"Say it-" he offered lightly as he kept his lips just out of reach from hers, "S-say it?" Sarah asked, her head was growing hot and her senses were dulling down to a soft haze, "You will go anywhere with me, promise-" he chuckled softly and in such a soothing tone Sarah couldn't help the small smirk that spread across her lips.

"I will-"

"No no, fair word play my darling, promise me and I will seal it with a kiss so potent you'll not know what hit you, just promise me…" the slight hint of desperation in his voice flared a desire in her belly and she quickly went to agree, Sarah leaned in and brushed her lips to his, "I prom- wait… f-fair word p-play- what? I- where am I?" Sarah leaned away from him and Jareth let out a guttural groan of disappointment.

"What is it with you you wretched child! First the peach and now my powers of persuasions- did you eat a fae resistant mushroom or are you really so stubborn that you just can't let someone have their way with you!" Jareth knocked one of the chairs over with a rather lackluster push and Sarah was up and standing before she knew that her legs were moving.

"You! You jerk! You tried to enamour me!" Sarah barked out as she ran a hand through her hair and stared at him in shock, "You awful, terrible slug!"

Jareth dismissed her insults with the flick of his wrist and an upturned face, "Yes yes I know I'm so vile to show interest in you. Well, I won't try it again as it apparently doesn't work on you you silly simple little thing."

This caught Sarah off guard and she jerked her head to look at him, "Wait- wait wait- is enamouring not a form of enchanting mind control?"

Jareth looked at her and stood in his own form of outraged frustration, "Enchanted brain- you foolish mortal! It's a courting ritual. Promising something to another with full intent to see it through- you humans call them vows the fae call it enamouring."

Sarah was left standing there dumbstruck, staring at him in utter shock, she swore her left eye was twitching and her heart had nearly stopped.

"So, you were just-"

Jareth gave a sneer and looked away, his arms folded before him and his posture showing his offense, though sarah was not quick to back down.

"I felt the spell you ass! I felt my head getting all wobbly and disoriented- the overpowering urge to kiss you and let you do whatever you wanted. You enchanted and bewitched me, I felt it!"

Jareth slowly adjusted so he could look at her, his eyes narrow and brow up, a leering smile set about pointy teeth, "Did I now?" he turned then and slowly walked towards her, leaving Sarah to stumble back a little as she realized she may have given him more information than he needed to know or quite possibly had known at the time of her mentioning it, "Did I ensnare you? Make you all wobbly in the head? Or was it something more devastating- could it have been your own desires Sarah?"

"Jareth-" she started.

"Is it possible that you want me as badly as I want you but for some reason you have elected to play hard to get? Or is it just so possible that you've no clue what you're doing in regards to men and you are so lost right now you can't tell your own lust apart from a little Fae vow!"

Sarah looked down in shame and true embarrassment and for some reason she couldn't explain, she back down. It wasn't in her nature, not really, so when she kept her head down and backed up into a wall she didn't even try to push him back or snap at him in her own defense.

"How pittius you are- such an old maid and yet so absolutely and totally ignorant of all the world around you. No longer a child but obviously not an adult. Such a pity. Such a true and utter pity to know that I shall have to teach you everything-"

Jareth reached out and grabbed her by her arms, pulling her towards him with a painful grip, "Jareth!" she bit out in shock and surprise and the goblin king's eyes shot open in surprise. He looked to his hands and saw what he was doing before he sucked in a breath and released her. He instantly pulled back and turned away from her.

"Get out Sarah. Go to your room." Jareth ordered and instead of fighting back she did as she was told, a shock to Jareth to be sure, but never the less he was grateful for her lack of fight.

As he heard her shuffle out, he realized what he had said, realized the cruelty of his words and that his old habits and sharp tongue had come back ten-fold against his will.

That had not been him talking-

"Sarah!" he called out as he turned around but the door was slammed shut and the girl gone before he could say anything more. A shiver ran down his spin and he stumbled a little before he managed to catch himself on the table.

His eyes bounced back and forth quickly, trying to catch the strange trickle of magic that had just possessed him, but it was gone before he could grab it.

"What are you?" he murmured to himself, unsure of what magic had just laced itself with his own. He needed to go to his library, he suddenly had a large amount of research to do.

Across the land, hidden inside a foreboding castle, a wolf was howling with laughter, a purple crystal held like a precious stone in his hand.

While a young lady inside the goblin king's lair was preparing herself for battle, her heart crushed but her temper more than ready to lash back, and so heaven help her she would.

A/N: Let me know what you think as I've changed some things up.