Chapter 3 - Always Crashing in the Same Car

"Hello, Sarah."

The world stopped moving. Her mind went blank. All she could manage to do was gape at the smirking man sitting next to her, head full of questions, criticisms, demands, but unable to articulate any of these things.

"You may want to watch where you're going," he said almost nonchalantly, nodding toward the slick road ahead of them.

Snapping her head back to the front of the car, she pulled the steering wheel jerkily, steering the van away from the edge of the road. He wasn't supposed to exist! His very presence defied the laws of nature, never mind the startling effect he was having on her psyche. Of course he would choose now to show up, and like this! This is just perfect, she thought nervously, noticing her hands beginning to tremble. This wasn't happening. Not now, not after all this time.

She quickly changed her mind to correct the vehicle and instead pulled off to the side again, this time bringing the van to a bumpy halt. Storm or not, she was not about to work under these conditions. "Get out," she said simply, even having the courtesy to throw the gear shift into park before crossing her arms.

She heard him laugh nervously beside her as he glanced out the window at the accumulating clouds overhead. "Now Sarah..."

"Don't bother," she retaliated rather weakly. "I said get out. I don't have time for this."

Should he really have expected anything different from the Labyrinth's Champion? Perhaps he hadn't planned this out quite as carefully as he ought to have. But he had already waited long enough. He sighed. "You don't even wish to know why I am here?" His eyes shifted over to her tight grip on the steering wheel, which was quickly turning her knuckles white. She bit her lip, pausing just long enough for him to confirm the fact that she was significantly more nervous and slightly more interested than her words implied.

Suddenly, she unbuckled her seatbelt. He heard a heavy click, and watched her lean against the metal door and slide out of the driver's seat. She motioned for him to follow.

If what Sarah thought was happening was really happening and wasn't some hallucinogenic fruit-induced dream, there was no way she was dealing with it in the confines of a cramped vehicle in the middle of nowhere. Not with him. She waited for him to round the van before she looked up, making every attempt to look only at his face, which almost made things more difficult. He only returned her fiery gaze with a smile, frustrating her further.

"Alright Goblin King, enlighten me. What are you doing here?" she called out over the howling wind. She cringed, realizing that by having said his title she accepted his presence, but she hugged her arms close to her chest, refusing to back down.

He sauntered over to where she was standing and leaned against the van, hands in his pockets, and shrugged, hoping to come off as unthreatening as possible. How was he supposed to tell her his true reason for being there without scaring her off or lying? She would, after all, come to discover the truth eventually, and every word he said had the potential to effect their future relations. He thought through a few responses before settling on a more neutral approach. "Perhaps you're not in the mood to hear it."

She stood there, simply staring, as if expecting him to say something else. How dare he stand there and act so...so... She clenched her jaw and gave him one more piercing glare before letting out a deep breath and smiling slightly. "Very well."

She pivoted on her right foot and reopened the car door, a part of her refusing to believe that any of this was real. If she returned to the station alone, there would be no David Evans. And if there was no David Evans, there was no Goblin King. But before she could get one leg into the van, he stopped her.

"Sarah, wait."

The words sent a jolt through her body. They sounded so similar to the ones she had heard him speak during their last encounter. He reached up to remove his hat, his blond hair now cropped short but just as unruly as she remembered. It whipped around his face in the wind, his angular features even more defined now that they were framed by a more modern haircut. When she turned to see him step closer to her, the pain she saw in his eyes brought back memories of fifteen years past, and she forced herself to look away.

"I've been searching for you for a long time." He paused at seeing just for a moment the unguarded surprise in her bright green eyes. He could have sworn he saw a glimpse of the excitement of the young girl who had once so determinately traversed his kingdom, but it was gone too soon.

She shut her eyes tightly, refusing to make eye contact again. Sighing again, she looked at the horizon. The storm was approaching, and if they didn't get moving fast, they would risk being trapped in it. She gritted her teeth and motioned toward the car. "Get in."

He obeyed, not wishing to risk pushing her over the edge. That would get him nowhere at this point. He had found Sarah, and he had managed to make contact with her without suffering complete rejection and finding himself abandoned in the Midwest. Of course, he reasoned with himself, that was likely due to the fact that she would undoubtedly be fired once her employer discovered that she had left their honored guest on a strip of deserted road in the middle of a thunderstorm. Although, he thought as he jumped in the van and slammed the door right before Sarah stepped on the gas, I wouldn't put it past her.

"So if you were looking for me," Sarah started sarcastically, unsure of how to go about having a conversation with a man who she hadn't seen for the last half of her life, "why didn't you use one of your crystals to find me, or just poof into my apartment?" She decided to avoid the question of why he had been looking for her, as she wasn't completely sure she would be mentally prepared to handle his answer in her current state of operating a motor vehicle.

Sarah wasn't the only one glad that she had decided not to voice that question first. Grateful for this, he decided to keep his comments about her choice of verb concerning his teleportation ability to himself for the time being. Jareth sighed, not quite sure how to begin. He figured that honesty wouldn't hurt anyone in this situation. "I couldn't," he replied simply.

Sarah said nothing as they sped down the road, waiting for him to continue.

"After...what happened fifteen years go, I have not had access to magic of any kind." When she was silent he looked at her, but she kept her gaze fixed on the approaching clouds. "I happened to see you on television, and-"

"Wait," she interrupted, and looked at him. "You mean to tell me that you have been living...here," she motioned dramatically around the car, "for the past fifteen years?"

He sighed heavily. "Yes," was all he said in response to her outburst.

She stared at him in disbelief. The Goblin King, living as a normal human being? It was difficult for her to imagine. But here was the evidence, staring her straight in the face. The situation was well past the point of ignoring it. After all, the man sitting beside her (if that's indeed what he was) was none other than her very teenage fantasies incarnate. She stole a glance at his figure again before focusing on driving. There was nothing she could do at this point but attempt to keep a cool head while figuring out his motives for being here. That's likely. He didn't seem to be a threat, but magic or not, he was still the Goblin King.

"Don't think that I've enjoyed one minute of it," he retaliated. "I had no choice in the matter."

She had a hard time wrapping her head around what he was saying. "So..." she started. They both knew what she was going to ask. "I'm just going to point out the elephant in the room here and uh..." She looked over at him to see him taking out of his bag what seemed to be a very expensive camera. He seemed to have dropped the conversation.

"The what?" he asked distractedly as he leaned over in his seat to affix the lens to his camera.

"The-" She stopped herself. "Never mind," she finished quickly. But he didn't seem to hear her as he rolled down his window and adjusted the camera strap around his neck.

"What are you doing?" she yelled in surprise over the now fierce wind blasting through the van's cab.

He glanced back at her, hair whipping about his face, and raised his eyebrows. "My job," he replied simply before turning his attention back to the camera.

She watched, paying only slight attention to the road, as he focused the lens with his free hand, absorbed in his work. She shouldn't have been surprised that he actually could take photographs; after all, Fowler wouldn't allow just anyone to book a meteorologist for a day. His hand movements as he stabilized his camera were precise and calculated, and she watched with awe as he began to snap photos of the approaching cumulonimbus, making slight adjustments as necessary with his skilled gloved fingers.

He glanced back at her when he noticed the van beginning to drift again, and she quickly tore her eyes from him, biting her lip as she felt her face heat. "The wind," she offered weakly.

So Sarah had not completely lost interest in all things fantastic, he mused to himself. Perhaps he had been placed in a better position than he expected.

They drove on, rain continuing to hit the windshield with an accelerated force. They got out of the car a few times so Sarah could take measurements and record the storm's progression and so Jareth could take pictures. She had so many more questions, but thought they were best left for a later time. In all honestly, for as interesting as all of this was, Sarah wanted nothing more than to get back to her apartment so she could-with the help of the world's best medicine-ease the weight that these recent developments had placed on her heart and mind.

They continued on in silence, with only infrequent and inconsequential small talk to break it, until they made it back to the station around sunset. It was already mostly deserted. Sarah closed her eyes tightly for a moment to collect her thoughts before exiting the car and locking the doors after the Goblin King did the same. They rounded the van and met at the front, and she still could not bring herself to look at him for more than a moment. Crossing her arms she asked, "So do you want to tell me what you're really doing here?"

He shouldn't have been taken off guard by the question. He looked at her. Her scalding green eyes bore into him, but while she seemed focused, she did not seem particularly determined to derive an answer. This was not the time or place for answering these kinds of questions. Then again, there probably was no ideal situation in which to do so. "Would you like to join me for coffee?" he offered politely, hoping she would accept.

Sarah pursed her lips and faced him. "I need answers, Gob-David," she corrected, glancing around for any signs of life besides themselves. "You can't honestly expect me to go home tonight and pretend like none of this ever happened. I think I deserve an honest answer."

He looked at her sadly, almost with pity, and she suddenly felt even more uncomfortable than she had a moment ago. What had happened to the demeaning, cold-hearted, mischievous Goblin King from her youth? The Goblin King who played tricks and stole-. Sarah froze, eyes widening. "Wait." Then, narrowing her eyes and stepping back said slowly, "You're not expecting me...to go back with you."

She was sharper than he thought. He cringed at how quickly she had discovered his motive and ran a hand through his wind-blown hair, taking a step forward. "Sarah, I-"

"No." She started to walk backwards, fear now visible in her emerald eyes, and laughed nervously. "You're kidding. After fifteen years, after I beat you at your own game, after I have a life, you expect me to-" She looked him up and down with disgust, realizing that she had hit the bullseye. "Oh my god."

Of course he didn't expect her to. That was part of the problem. How did the Labyrinth expect him to return them both to the Underground when he did not have her cooperation? He, after all, no longer had access to magic. "Sarah-"

"Don't," she responded tensely, holding up an arm to distance herself from him. "I don't want to see you again." And then, as she looked directly into his striking mismatched eyes, said slowly, "You have no power over me."

And she left him there, alone in the garage of the broadcasting studio, his features pained as they had been fifteen years ago when she had said the very same words. She spun around and walked quickly to her car, not bothering to glance back to check if he was following her.

He stood there and watched her go, knowing he didn't have the right words to stop her. The shock was expected, but he found himself wondering if she would ever come to accept his presence or her inevitable fate. Of course, after saying those words once, they no longer held equivalent meaning. She already had power over him, and a rather significant amount of it at that, especially considering his current predicament. He gathered his things, wondering if their next encounter would be any more fruitful.

"Damn that glittery bastard!" Sarah yelled into her empty apartment as she slammed the door. "How dare he just show up like that and act like everything is normal and then spring something like that on me at the end of the day?"

You did ask him to, her inner voice chimed.

She paused. "It doesn't matter. He can't just show up after a decade and a half and expect me to accept everything he says like I'm some hormonal teenager." The fact that she was currently acting like one wasn't the point. What scared her a little bit was that, for a few years after rescuing Toby, there was a very good chance she would have gone back with him had he asked her to. Although she had immediately rejected all childish things upon her return, the Goblin King was one thing she knew she would never forget. Especially after the dreams...she shook her head, refusing to think about it. She wasn't a teenager anymore; she was thirty years old and she had a life.

Which is why I can do this, she thought to herself while reaching for the whiskey on the top shelf. And she drank her worries away, refusing to deal with her feelings on the subject as would any mature adult.

The next morning, Sarah single-mindedly drove to the network station with a renewed sense of purpose. First, she knew that if David Evans had any sense, he wouldn't come within 200 yards of the building. And second, if she got there and left early enough, she wouldn't even have to worry about it if he did, as she would be miles away by the time he showed up. And this was her master plan to avoid the man whose secret only she knew for however long it took for him to get the message.

As she pulled up to the station, her plan seemed to be working. There was no Goblin King in sight, and only a few of the crew members had started set-up.

"Hey Williams!" someone called from behind her.

She didn't have to turn around to know who it was. "Parker, what are you doing here so early?" She forced a grin, trying to be polite.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," the young man laughed. He continued when she didn't say anything, but lowered his voice. "I'm being put with a new crew for a while since you've got that Evans guy. How's that going, anyway?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Come on, it can't be-"

"I'm serious, Parker." She gazed at him earnestly, hoping he would understand and not pry any further.

"All right, I get it," he replied suspiciously. "Have a nice day, Williams." She nodded and he turned to her one last time. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine," she said impatiently, but felt a wave of guilt rush over her when she saw his worried expression. "I'm sorry, Parker." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm fine, really. I've just got a lot on my mind."

He nodded slowly. "All right, well be careful today. The forecast called for fog." He paused to look behind him. "In fact, you might want to wait a bit; I overheard Fowler saying he might not send out the crews today because of it."

She nodded absently. There was no way she was going to wait around for someone to make a call when you-know-who could show up at any given moment.

After grabbing a coffee, she turned, left the office building, and got in the van. It was so early that no one had even opened the garage door, so she took it upon herself to do so and pulled out of the station's driveway.

Once she was on the road, she kicked herself for being so immature. Had she really sunk so low as to sneak around before sunrise just to escape seeing her fantasy world nemesis? She shook her head. What's done was done. Perhaps today she could actually get some work done and be able to focus without the distraction of that glittery excuse for a monarch.

She drove on in silence, her mind filled with thoughts from the previous day. It wasn't until about an hour or so into her drive that she noticed that the thick fog was not lifting. Squinting did her no good, and even her flood lights couldn't cut through the thick mist. Frustrated, she picked up her speed slightly, confident that there was no one in front of her. She had been this way before; no one was out on the road this early.

The fog seemed to go on forever. "God damn weather..." she muttered as she rolled down her window and looked out in an attempt to get a better view. Nothing. Maybe she should have stayed back at the station. There was no way she was going to get anything done in this haze.

Sarah...

She twitched, startled, having thought someone had said her name. Obviously, no one else was in the car. She criticized herself for being so jumpy. Must have had too much to drink last night.

But just as she was about to pull over and turn around, she felt the steering wheel catch; there must have been some debris on the road. It all happened so fast. She tried desperately to take control of the vehicle, which she felt slipping quickly out of her grasp. She went into panic mode, but there was no time to think.

And then everything went black.

Sarah awoke to an excruciating pain in her side that made her cry out. Blood. She smelled blood. She couldn't focus; everything was blurred. Why couldn't she move? Every time she attempted to it felt as if she would run out of breath or tear herself in two. Where was she? What had she been doing? Trying to remember proved futile.

There was broken glass everywhere. She managed to look down, but all she saw was blood and would have become sick if the pain wasn't too much to allow her to do so. Her mind began to fade. Was she dying? She couldn't be dying. She was too dignified to die like this.

Sarah Williams, Champion of the Labyrinth.

Champion of the Labyrinth. This was all because of him. That deceitful, unnerving, infuriatingly handsome... No...it wasn't going to end this way. It couldn't.

She mustered up the last of her strength and focused on two words: "I wish..." Her throat went dry, and she couldn't focus long enough to manage anything else. The world was going dark. Everything seemed to become smaller, less clear, as she slipped into the void. But as her eyes slipped shut, her traumatized body going into shock, one word slipped past her lips.

"Jareth..."

Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth or any of its characters. Labyrinth belongs to The Jim Henson Company and all applicable associates.

A/N:

Another cliffy; I know I'm horrible! Chapter title comes from the track of the same title from Bowie's album Low.

Please review! I would very much like to improve my writing, and constructive criticism helps me do so.