Chapter 9.

Jareth did not try to stop the torrent of words flowing from Sarah's lips. Nor did he try to impede the girl's movement; he understood her necessity to be able to transfer the anger into kinetic energy. Had she not left the Labyrinth those years ago she would be pitching a fit with Fae powers. As it was he could see the faint blue snaps of electric sparks flicker here and there as the first wave of anger finished, "Feel better dear," he asked with a hint of sarcasm.

Green eyes flashed as they focused on him, "How long have you known?"

"I have only just come into this information," Jareth answered defensively.

Sarah was not certain she could or should believe the arrogant Goblin King. Her eyes narrowed as her glare deepened. "Why should I take your word for that, you've been known to lie to me before this."

Mismatched blue stormy eyes hardened, "Misleading a runner is well within my rights." He informed her with a hard edge entering his tone. "Allowing some other Fae to become your suitor, no Madame that I would never do;" Turning his back on her he moved toward the throne. "There is much you don't know of our ilk, for all your reading and playacting."

Drawing in a deep cleansing breath, Sarah followed the man toward the seat of power. "Enlighten me," she requested in a slightly demanding timbre.

Jareth turned, his eyes raked over her possessively. "You were always a fetching female Sarah," his voice had dropped an octave; it sounded dangerous and sexually enticing. "One who's charms caused me to threaten a dipping in the bog to a certain subject who was a little too close to you for comfort…" He saw the surprise in her eyes for an instant after his admission. "Sarah, think, did I allow any other person to dance with you in the Crystal Ballroom?" She shook her head no, "There was a reason you know," He informed her with forceful inflection. "You belong to me and to me alone, Madame…" He glowered, "The idea that I would sanction some Fae fellow to come into your life and romance you away from me…is ludicrous!"

She had heard the words, and more than an admonishment, they were a declaration of his desire for her. Sarah smiled as she answered, "I stand corrected."

Jareth was taken aback by the smile, "This pleases you?"

"Very much so," Sarah admitted with a faint blush gracing her cheeks.

Leaning back in the throne, he regarded her with expressive eyes, "Why," he asked quietly.

"It's rather perverse, but…" she shrugged.

"Never doubt my desire for you Sarah," Jareth said as his eyelids lowered to slits, "Never."

At a snail's pace the young woman in the long green form fitted gown moved toward the throne, "What do we do about Jefferson holding Toby?"

"We," the Goblin King inquired teasingly, "Are you planning on taking part in whatever I do in retaliation?"

She placed a manicured hand to his sleeve, "Don't you think I have a stake in this," she asked.

Jareth contemplated the correct response to the query, "Of course," he nodded; "However the culprit is your… intended groom." He reminded softly.

Sarah sighed, "Can we get past that," she asked.

"In time, with motivation," Jareth replied coolly. "Still…"

"Toby did me a favor by wishing me away," Sarah stated flatly. "Now let's return the favor by getting him back from Jeff." She heard the snickers of goblins, "See even your subjects agree with me."

"As do I, my dear, as do I." The King smirked. "I've got scouts out, sent them out as soon as I had received word who has our boy…" invitingly he patted the wide seat of his throne, "Soon as they know where this Halfling is hold up, we'll make our plans."

Sarah moved to join the king on his throne, "You can't just find Jeff?" she asked.

"Not as simple as that," Jareth sighed, "He's a Halfling, brought up in the mortal realm and not under the authority of the High Courts, as most Fae are."

"I don't understand," she sighed, "He's in the Labyrinth, can't you just wish up a crystal and locate him?"

"He is and he isn't in the Labyrinth…" Jareth reasoned, "Even my Labyrinth was not prepared for his arrival." One hand snaked to her waist, "He's an anomaly."

Sarah looked down at the hand now possessively placed, "He's not the only one," she mused.

"Get use to my touch woman," Jareth advised, "I intend to be a very demonstrative spouse."

"Spouse?" She repeated.

"Sarah, I courted you before my entire Kingdom… I allowed you to go on with the games even after I more or less tricked you into losing…"

"I didn't lose," she balked.

"From the moment you ate of the peach…" he began.

"You tricked me!" she argued, "Isn't that cheating?"

"I'm allowed to use whatever means I have," he replied. "I'm the King."

"You're a cheat," she squabbled.

The Goblin King smiled, "And you're a spoiled little brat," he teased, "However, you're my little brat, and I'll never let you go."

Sarah smiled dangerously, "Is that a promise or a threat?"

"A bit of both," Jareth conceded.

Once more the girl placed her head to the King's shoulder, "You could have at least let me know of your intentions…"

"I thought I made it crystal clear," pulling her closer, Jareth placed his lips to her brow. "You were so young, so damned innocent…"

Sarah's eyes closed, "And now?"

The Goblin King held still for a moment, "Now we can proceed…" one hand had moved to her chin, he gently applied pressure to tilt it upward, "Do you accept me?" he asked fervently.

Gazing at him, seeing the same magical handsome being that had invaded the nursery, feeling the same rush of adrenalin, and fire in her veins, Sarah gasped, "Yes…"

Dipping his head, Jareth captured her lips, Sarah's lips quivered beneath his. A moment later he ended the kiss and looked at her, "You shall be my queen," he whispered; "And the mother of my children."

"Yes," she nodded in quiet agreement, as one hand rose to caress his chin. "Yes." Drawing a deep breath, she added, "Once Toby is safe."

"Toby is already safe," Jareth winked, "its Jefferson who is in grave danger."

--

"Let me outta here you jerk!" Toby bellowed from the oversized canary cage that hung suspended in mid air as if held by a hook.

Jefferson paced, ignoring the pleas and bellowing of the bothersome child. "Silence," he warned harshly.

Holding the bars of the strange prison, the little boy snarled, "You can't tell me what to do!"

Jefferson tapped his chin, trying to recall all the stories his father had told him over the years of Fae, and Fae kingdoms. He could not recall one instance of a mention of the Labyrinth. He had not contemplated what exactly he was going to do, nor did he truly understand what he had done. But he knew enough to create a buffer zone between himself and the Labyrinth. He was holding the boy hostage in a space within a space. A bubble as it was; that was floating above the Labyrinth. Therefore the child had not been truly removed from it, only deterred. The sphere was wide enough and tall enough for the man to pace about ten feet and not run into the cage which held his captive. "Be silent," he warned again, "I have to think."

"You should have done that before you kidnapped me," warned the howling mad little boy. "When the Goblin King finds you…."

"OH like I'm worried about him," Jefferson sneered. "He wants you; he can have you… as long as I get Sarah in return."

"What makes you think she'll want to be returned to you?" Toby jeered.

Jefferson glared at the child, "Of course she wants to be returned to me, she's my bride to be."

Seeing he'd hit a nerve, Toby took it one step further, "This isn't the first time she's been with him you know…" Jefferson stared at him, "Oh no, she spent time with him before…"

"You're the one who wished her away," Jefferson argued.

"What makes you think she didn't want to be wished away?" Toby leaned forward on the cage holding him. "Maybe it was all a prearranged plan."

Jefferson's jaw locked, "That's not possible."

Toby gave him a hawkish sneer, "Isn't it?" Something in his mind had kicked in, and the words pouring out of his mouth were far more mature than his tender years, but Jefferson was too upset to notice. "I don't see her trying to escape him, do you?"

A churching sound accompanied the grinding of the young lawyers teeth, "She's a prisoner, much like you."

"You can tell yourself that if you like," Toby teased in a bratty tone, "But I'll bet she's making googoo eyes and kissy face right now."

The idea of Sarah with any man other than himself was ludicrous to the avenging groom, "Why on earth should she prefer him to me," he argued. "I'm handsome, I'm powerful, and I'm rich!"

"He's smart, he's handsome and he's the man she's always dreamed of," Toby replied in a singsong manner. "She used to write his name and hers side by side, and then hide it…" he tattled.

"That's a lie," Jefferson bellowed. "Sarah isn't so silly."

"Isn't she," Toby rocked back and forth taunting his captor. "She used to draw his picture…"

"I don't believe a word of this," the man turned his back on the child, but the damages to his ego were done, and he suspected there was a measure of truth to the child's rants. Sarah had never been overly affectionate, not that he'd ever cared. His interest in her was purely from the stand point that she gave the right impressions. She looked the part of the wife of an up and coming political newcomer. But she had never seemed all that interested in Jefferson himself, and he was beginning to wonder why. Could it be that she'd had some kind of clandestine relations with the Fae King? Could she have been carrying on a torrid affair under his very nose? Had he been so obsessed with his own agenda that he'd overlooked Sarah's lack of passion for him? Was it possible, could she have been~ cuckolding him? "That ungrateful bitch," he muttered darkly. "After all I've done to rise her up…"

Toby smiled at the back of the man who was no longer pacing but was clenching his fists. "I'll bet she's laughing at you and your stupid objectives with the Goblin King right now."

A sharp look over his shoulder at the boy gave Jefferson's anxiety and uneasiness away, "I told you to be quiet," he growled.

--

Firefly Globstamer and his brother Porkuspie were the first to spot the unusual orb that floated above the old trail. "What's that," he asked the other goblin.

Porkuspie shrugged, "It looks like a bubble," he answered, "But look, there's people inside it."

Firefly ducked down, making himself small and unseen, Porkuspie followed suit. "We need to warn the King," he said in a small frightened voice. "Find one of the pixies."

Moments later a small creature dressed in knots and tatters crept toward the pair, "What do you want," it demanded.

Firefly pointed to the sphere, "Tell the king," he commanded. "We're being invaded."

Crabapple, the pixie frowned, "That's the king's boy… and the Halfling." He scratched his bald head, "How'd he figure out how to do that?"

"Halfling," gasped the Globstamer brothers.

The old pixie nodded, "You two knot heads not been paying attention?"

Firefly, the elder of the two blinked; "We been gathering herbs for the crone of the woods."

Crabapple made a face, then pointed to the caged child within the floating orb, "The King's chosen heir wished the Sarah away… she's with the king now. Little scamp then demanded to run the Labyrinth."

"Who's that with the heir?" Porkuspie asked with a grim expression.

"The groom the King's Sarah was about to marry," Crabapple giggled. Firefly and his brother exchanged puzzled glances, and the old pixie continued. "She didn't know she was spoken for."

"What do we do," Porkuspie looked at the stationary bubble.

"Watch it," Crabapple ordered the pair. "I'll tell the king that the pair have been found." He moved to a tree knot and disappeared.

Firefly hunkered down, "The Sarah and the King," he said in a soft whispered.

"Makes you believe in fairytales," agreed Porkuspie dreamily.

--

Taking his eyes off his precious Sarah, Jareth glanced about the throne room, "It is an improvement," he praised her efforts with the cleaning. "I fear I more or less gave up."

"I think that's a guy thing," Sarah snuggled into the crook of his shoulder. "Sometimes it just takes a woman's touch…"

"Or her bellowing," teased the happy king.

Blushing slightly Sarah giggled at the good natured tease, "Why couldn't you have been like this the first time," she asked.

"You were too young," he commented, "I broke rules just by tricking you into eating the peach." His grip on her tightened slightly. "And I'd do it all over again."

A throat clearing altered the couple they were no longer alone. "Excuse the intrusions," Crabapple bowed, "But the intruder has been located."

"Is Toby with him?" Sarah asked.

Jareth looked at her disdainfully, cleared his own throat to warn the young woman to restrain herself. "Kindly report," he instructed the elderly pixie.

Crabapple gave the girl a faint smile; he understood she was not use to the protocol of the goblin court. "The Globstamer brothers were in the western woods gathering herbs for the crone who employs them," the elderly creature moved closer. "They spotted the pair in a spherical energy bubble… the Halfling knew enough to stay off Labyrinth soil."

"Within and without," agreed the King, "Clever."

"Very," Crabapple's head bobbed up and down, "I have the Globstamers watching."

"Don't interfere," warned the King, "Let's see how much rope the Halfling needs."

"I think I should tell you," the old one cackled, "it appears the Heir is taunting and tormenting his captor…" He pulled on the long hairs on his chin, "The boy did not appear to be fearful or worried; I can't say that for the Halfling."

Fascinated by the tidbit of information, Jareth leaned forward, "Any ideas as to what the child is using as bait?"

The old pixie slyly smiled as he turned to look at the young woman in the King's half embrace. "OH I think you can form your own conclusion on that, Sire."

Sarah's breath caught in her throat, "Me," she asked in surprise, "He's using me?"

"Us," Jareth corrected delicately, "He's using… us."

"But he doesn't know about us," Sarah augured in an urgent whisper.

"Of course he does," Jareth disagreed.

"No," Sarah shook her head adamantly. "I never told him… I never told anyone!"

Mismatched eyes turned to look at her with amusement, "You didn't have to," he teased. "My scent clings to you… and my heir knows it."

"But he didn't know he was your heir!" Sarah continued. Both King and pixie were not snickering. "How could he?"

Forebodingly Jareth purred in the back of his throat, "Let's just say a little bird told him so." Sarah stared back, mouth agape and stammering for a reply. It never quite made it over her trembling lips. The Goblin King turned his attentions back to the Pixie, "Keep me informed."

Grandly the pixie bowed, "As you wish."