Chapter 4 - Can You Hear Me

The Goblin King felt a familiar jolt in his being that he had not felt in ages. He found himself in unfamiliar surroundings; everything was shrouded in fog. Someone had wished for something, and by doing so had summoned him of his or her own accord. But how was that possible? He twisted his wrist in hopes of conjuring a crystal, and scowled when his hand remained empty. He still had no access to his magic. So why...?

Something wasn't right.

He smelled danger. He smelled blood. That was when he made out the vehicle in the distance, which seemed as though it had run directly into a thick tree on the side of the road. He knew that van. His heart skipped a beat, his breathing becoming labored as he began to realize what had happened.

"No, no, no," he muttered to himself as he dashed to the scene of the accident, only to have his worst fears realized. There, in the driver's seat-or what was left of one-was Sarah.

He didn't waste any time. He immediately dialed 911 and informed them of the situation; they were sending someone right away. Right away is not fast enough! He had not come all this way and waited all this time to have her die the day after he had reestablished contact with her. He took it upon himself to remedy the situation.

Pulling at the heavy metal door on the driver's side, Jareth managed to pry it open just enough so he could make his way to Sarah's injured body. If only he had magic. But if he had had magic, this would have never happened in the first place. Was this the Labyrinth's doing? Why had it made no effort to contact him? Wouldn't it be aware that the only source of hope for its survival was dying? He tore angrily at the van's broken frame until he finally reached her bloody, mangled body. Praying to the gods, he felt her neck for a pulse and released a shaky breath when he realized that not all hope was lost. She had lost a significant amount of blood. It was probably a combination of that and the trauma that caused her to black out.

"Sarah," he said firmly. There was no response. "Can you hear me?" Nothing. He didn't want to risk moving her too much as he did not know the extent of her injuries, but even if for selfish reasons, he needed to know that she was aware of his presence. Her breathing was shallow and labored; he guessed that she had broken some ribs or had a collapsed lung or both. Suddenly, he saw her eyelids flutter as she struggled for consciousness.

"Sarah I need you to listen to me." He brushed her bangs out of her face and attempted to make eye contact, but it was no use. He felt so helpless. He swore that when he made it back to the Underground he would make it a point to throttle the Labyrinth into submission, whether or not this was directly her fault. The fact was, it was completely preventable, and there was no reason to risk what had the potential to restore power to himself and his kingdom.

But as he sat there holding onto her beaten figure that was so desperately clinging to life, Jareth found a very different emotion well up inside of him, one that he hadn't felt in years. He didn't want to see Sarah die because he didn't want her to. He ran his fingers through her short, dark hair, moving it away from her face. "Sarah," he whispered, grateful to hear the sound of sirens in the distance. "I will not let you die. I swear it."

Sarah awoke to a horrid beeping noise. Her alarm clock? No, the tempo wasn't fast enough. She attempted to ignore it, wanting nothing more than to slip back under the blanket of darkness and comfortable sleep, but it wouldn't cease. Then again, she hadn't been having very pleasant dreams. Perhaps it was best if she woke up. But if she woke up, that would mean having to go to work and risk running into you-know-who. ...Well, all of her dreams hadn't been so bad. She had one where he had come to rescue her and had been quite uncharacteristically valiant. She smiled inwardly at this, but someone's voice interrupted her reverie.

"Sarah? Sarah honey, can you hear me?"

It was her father. She hadn't seen her father in months. She only went home during her break for the holidays, and even then time always seemed to be cut short. He seemed worried, as if her response was important. Fighting the thick veil of sleep, Sarah slowly began to open her eyes.

Something didn't feel right. She felt stiff all over, and an acute pain in her side nearly made her gasp. Why couldn't she move? Her eyelids fluttered, but she shut them tightly soon afterwards to shield herself against the bright light filling the room and the sudden pain that was rapidly overriding her senses.

"Sarah, are you awake?" And then more quietly, "Karen, get the nurse."

It was her father's voice again. She heard him mutter something else, but couldn't concentrate enough to hear what he was saying. She groaned in response, twisting her head on what she found to be a scratchy pillowcase. She felt him grip her hand. "Dad?" she managed slowly as she squinted her eyes. Indeed, there was her father, hovering over her, with a worried look that she'd never seen him bare the likes of before. On further inspection, she noticed that Karen was standing beside him, looking not quite as concerned, but still more than her usually hard exterior allowed. "What happened?"

He frowned and squeezed her hand tighter. His eyes were red. Had he been crying? "You were in a car accident, sweetheart. Do you remember?"

A car accident? That was probably why everything hurt so much. She flexed her fingers and toes; at least she was still more or less in one piece. "Um..." was all she could say. She found it hard to breathe.

"It's okay," he consoled her. "The doctor will be here soon to tell you more than I can."

At just that moment, a tall, older man in a white coat came through the door and stepped up to her bed after asking her father politely to move aside. "Ms. Williams, can you hear me?" His voice was stern, but soothing.

She nodded as best she could. He then asked her to perform a series of simple exercises, which included moving her toes, squeezing his fingers, and looking at a light he held. It took more out of her than she expected. She watched the doctor say something to her father and stepmother and saw them both breathe sighs of relief. Then, he turned to the bed again and spoke.

"You were in an accident, Ms. Williams. Do you remember anything?"

It hurt too much to think. Her wide eyes searched the doctor's face desperately.

Return to me, Sarah Williams.

She closed her eyes. That was the only thing she remembered. Someone had spoken to her, and then she lost control of the van. She didn't remember anything after that, and she wasn't about to tell the doctor that she was hearing voices. "I'm sorry..." she started.

"It's all right," the doctor said comfortingly. "Memories of the accident sometimes come back to the victim later in the recovery. The important thing is that you're safe." He smiled warmly. "I'll leave you some time alone with your family. The nurse will be in soon to adjust your medication." The doctor left, closing the door to leave her alone with her parents.

"Where's Toby?" she asked weakly, looking around the bland whitewashed hospital room.

"He's at home, dear," came the voice of her step mother. "As soon as we heard, we took the first flight to Chicago."

"We're just glad you're all right," her father said sympathetically, handing her a cup of water that she accepted gratefully. "If it wasn't for David, I don't want to think about where you'd be right now."

Sarah choked mid-sip, going into an excruciatingly painful coughing fit. "Who?" she gasped as she finally caught her breath, clutching her chest.

"David," Karen repeated softly, rubbing her back in case she started coughing again. "I'm surprised you didn't tell us about him, Sarah. He's a sweet boy, not to mention handsome." She winked, catching Sarah off guard. "But in all seriousness, he did save your life. If he hadn't been there with you..."

"Wait," Sarah interrupted. "He was the one who saved me?" It couldn't be. She tried to pay attention to what Karen was saying in her state of inner turmoil.

"Yes dear, are you so surprised? It's not as if your boyfriend would just leave you there." She smiled worriedly at Sarah's shocked expression. "And try not to talk so much; the doctor says you punctured a lung."

"My what?" she nearly yelled before beginning to cough again, wincing at the pain. Her father handed her another cup of water, which she nursed slowly as she tried to control her breathing.

"I don't know why you felt the need to hide it from us Sarah," her father said, a similar tone of worry in his voice. "We're your parents after all, and we know that you're a responsible adult."

"But...I don't have a-" She didn't know if she was short of breath due to her apparently broken ribs or the extremity of the situation.

"We've talked with him already, and we think he's a perfectly nice gentleman. Not to mention he saved my daughter's life." He looked at her incredulously, as if at a loss for why his thirty-year-old daughter would feel the need to hide the fact that she had a significant other from her father.

"But really, I don't have a...boyfriend." The word itself was awkward to say, and she felt her face heat due to the fact that she was associating the Goblin King with such a trivial term.

Her parents exchanged worried glances before Karen spoke again. "The accident must have really gotten to you, Sarah. Don't worry, it'll be fine, and we're not going anywhere until we know that you're situated and being taken good care of." She smiled at her as if Sarah was some sort of mental patient.

She gaped at them. They didn't believe her! They thought that the car accident had given her enough of a concussion that she had temporarily forgotten about her own love life! This was bad. If she wasn't so incapacitated, she would have walked straight out those hospital doors to give a certain Goblin King the pummeling of a lifetime.

But they said he saved your life, her inner voice rationalized.

And he also claimed to be my boyfriend, unless dad and Karen are just assuming, she fumed.

"You must be a bit overwhelmed," Karen said, glancing at her husband. "We'll give you some room."

"We'll just be out in the lobby," her father said, attempting to comfort her. "If you need us..."

"I'll call." She managed a smile before watching them walk out of the room, feeling her eyes slip closed.

When Sarah awoke again, the sun was setting. She figured that the nurse must have already come in to adjust the medication in her IV, because she felt warm and slightly numb, the pain seeming to have lessened slightly. Still, she could feel a deep ache in her chest, and her breathing remained shallow. She sighed, looking over at the windowsill, before a shadowed figure caught her by surprise.

She attempted to sit up quickly, pulling the crunchy blanket over the unflattering hospital gown she wore. She didn't have to think twice about who it was. "You!" she rasped more than yelled.

His head snapped up at her voice. Had he been asleep? If he had been, he quickly recovered and sat up with his back flush against the wall, one leg on the cushion on the windowsill, the other hanging casually over the edge. "Me."

She wished she could see his face, which was obscured by shadows. "What did you do?" she said more quietly, as to not alert the hospital staff.

She watched him as he tossed back his head and scoffed. "What do you think I did? I saved your life." He shifted on the windowsill, allowing her to see his sharp features. She couldn't be certain, but he looked more concerned than angry. "Isn't that generous?" He smiled wickedly.

She wasn't up to playing these games with him. She closed her eyes, pretending that maybe, if she wished hard enough, he would simply disappear. When she opened them again, she found him still staring at her intently and sighed. "You know that's not what I meant. Why did you tell my parents that we were..."

"Involved?" he finished blandly. "I had no choice. I do hope you're not under the assumption that I enjoy it." He glared, swinging his other leg onto the windowsill and folding his arms. "If I wasn't of some relation to you, they wouldn't have allowed me to-" He stopped himself, realizing that he had already said too much.

She tried to focus on his once more obscured features, but her efforts proved futile. "Wouldn't have allowed you to what?"

He knew she wouldn't stop pestering until she got an answer. He clenched his jaw. "Accompany you," he mumbled through his teeth.

His confession took Sarah by surprise. Why would the Goblin King think it so important that he accompany her to the hospital? "Why," she began as sarcastically as she could in her current state, "because you couldn't stand to let your precious Labyrinth Champion venture to the hospital all by herself? Or was it because you needed a ride?"

He was silent. Then a thought struck her.

"Wait..." she started hesitantly, wondering if it was her harsh words or what was on the verge of being unmasked that had made him go so still. "You...need me, don't you?"

She could have sworn she saw him flinch, his back rigid against the bland hospital wall. He barked a laugh, that characteristically toothy smile making another appearance. "You sound as if you have been misled to believe that I have been pining away for you all of these years." He waved his hand in a flourishing motion. "What a pity."

Sarah snorted weakly. "You wish." His lack of a clear answer was enough of one for her. Why would the Goblin King go chasing after her after she had beaten him fair and square? And with the guarantee of having no magic, no less? She quickly became serious again. "But you do need me for something, don't you, Goblin King?"

Her words were like daggers, each sentence slowly and painfully sinking into him. How did she know? Were his actions so obvious? He must have been loosing his touch. He chose not to answer.

"All right, don't tell me," she answered finitely, and then closed her eyes, trying to process everything that had happened within the past 48 hours.

It was silent for some time, and when Sarah opened her eyes again and glanced at the empty windowsill, she almost thought he had left. But one quick sweep around the room and she found Jareth alarmingly close to the end of her bed, his back facing her. He seemed to be deep in thought.

Sarah shifted to a more comfortable position-if one indeed existed-before asking softly, "What happened?" They both knew what the question implied. Everyone seemed to be under the impression that the Goblin King had been with her in the car the entire time, miraculously avoiding injury. She might have suffered a concussion, but she would have distinctly remembered if he had been in the car, and he definitely hadn't been.

He didn't move for a moment, and at first she thought he was going to remain silent. But he slowly turned his head toward her, his messy bangs falling around his eyes, a deep emotion that she couldn't name filling their normally cold depths. "You wished for me."

Her eyes widened. Had she? There had been a moment of desperation, a moment of longing...a moment of fear. Still, just her wishing for him shouldn't have done anything. "But you-"

"I know," he finished, turning his gaze away form her again. "It shouldn't have worked. If anyone has wished for me during the past fifteen years, I have no knowledge of it."

"Then how-"

"Perhaps you would like to answer that question for me." He spun around to face her, walking with soft but swift steps to her bedside. He bent at the waist and brought his face close to hers, but did not make eye contact, preferring to stare at the window. Sarah flinched, her body tense, but she didn't speak. "How is it, Sarah Williams..." Her name flowed off his tongue like liquid chocolate, sending a tingle through her body. "That you still hold the power to summon me even though I am completely devoid of magic?"

The problem was infuriating to him. Although secretly grateful that she had managed to summon him in time, the mechanics behind such a wish left him bereft of all logical answers. Could it possibly mean that an amount of magic still resonated within him, providing the key to his return to the Underground? But he could feel no trace of his former power within himself. The lack of potential solutions was maddening.

"How am I supposed to know?" She lifted her arms and weakly attempted to push him away, but he moved before she could make contact. How this man could have possibly made a positive impression on her parents she hadn't the slightest idea. She looked down at the sound of creaking leather and noticed that he was balling his fists.

He was silent for a moment before attempting to gain a margin of composure by closing his eyes and gritting his teeth. "You should get some rest," he bit out, and strode swiftly toward the door.

But as he placed his hand on the doorknob, Sarah stopped him. "Wait..." Her voice was nearly a whisper.

He paused at the sound of her voice, but did not turn to face her.

She couldn't believe she was about to tell this to the Goblin King of all people, but she had a distinct feeling that if anyone would believe her, it would be him. "I don't know if it helps, but...I remember, before the accident...I heard something."

She saw him go rigid, his hand still on the doorknob. "What did you hear?" he said slowly but firmly.

She bit her lip, not wishing to sound foolish. "Someone...said my name."

He was silent for a time, and then, without answering, opened the door and stepped outside in one fluid motion, as if he had never stopped moving to begin with.

Sarah didn't remember closing her eyes, but she certainly remembered opening them, as she immediately used her hand as a shield from the blinding light that flooded her empty hospital room. She was feeling slightly more well rested, but pain still wracked her body. Her mouth was as dry as sand paper, but when she tried to reach over for the cup of water near her bed, she found herself unable to do so. Just as she was about to give up and lie back down again out of frustration, the door to her room opened and a nurse stepped inside.

"How are you feeling today, Ms. Williams?" the petite woman asked kindly as she walked up to the monitors next to Sarah's bed and started writing down something on her clipboard.

Was that a joke? "I don't exactly feel chipper, if that's what you mean," she replied sarcastically.

The nurse ignored her snarky comment and smiled at her brightly. "You can probably go home today, if the doctor OKs these results. I just need to run a few tests and you should be good to go. Your life isn't in danger, so there's no reason for you to stay here any longer than you have to."

That was a relief to hear. She couldn't say she was a fan of the sterile dreariness of the hospital with all of its metallic surfaces and white walls. It would be nice to get home. Though how she would manage that without being able to move she hadn't a clue. Oh, the perks of living alone on the eighth floor of an apartment building.

Not two minutes after the nurse had left, her dad and Karen came bursting through the door, relief on their faces. Sarah smiled, happy to see them again, but her mood dropped like a rock when she saw who entered the room behind them.

There he stood, stoic as always, today wearing dark jeans and a blazer that fit snugly over his lean frame. And here she was in a hospital gown, not having showered in who knows how long. It was a good thing she wasn't trying to impress him, or she probably would have been tossed into the Bog of Eternal Stench long ago. It was too early to deal with this.

But if she wasn't mistaken, she could almost see a tension in the way he stood, the way his mismatched eyes darted back and forth across the room, to her parents, and back to Sarah. What had him so worked up? She was about to find out.

"How are you feeling, honey?" her father asked softly as he patted her head like he used to when she was a little girl.

She squinted her eyes shut and attempted to sigh normally, but injured as she was, it didn't have quite the dramatic effect she was aiming for. "Oh I'm just peachy," she said without thinking, then choked back a gasp as she saw a smile break out on the Goblin King's face. "I dunno dad," she recovered, "how would you feel if you'd just plowed headfirst into an immovable object at 70 miles per hour?"

She felt guilty at the distraught look that passed over her father's face, but Karen quickly retaliated. "I see she's back to her old dramatic self." She placed a hand on his shoulder as he took a step back. "We heard the doctors say that you should be cleared to go home today," Karen continued.

"Yeah, I heard," Sarah started, still keeping a wary eye on Jareth who was still standing quietly by the door. "But I might need a little bit of help getting there..." she confessed, looking down at her sorry state.

"Of course," Karen beamed uncharacteristically. "We did fly all the way out to Chicago. We wouldn't just abandon you like that."

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's why your father and I have decided it would be best if David help you out until you're able to get around on your own again. Isn't that right Robert?"

Sarah didn't hear her father's reply. Her eyes had gone wide with shock, attempting futilely to burn a hole into the skull of the Goblin King from across the room. But it seemed as if he was having enough of a shock himself at the words. So they weren't in cahoots after all.

"Wait, I-" Sarah and Jareth spoke in unison.

"You wouldn't mind staying a few nights at Sarah's place to help her out, would you David?" Karen asked, turning to him. "It's just that Robert and I have to get back to work, and..."

"Karen!" Sarah rasped. She shot Jareth a glance that screamed 'Help me!' but he only returned it with one of similar confusion.

"Mrs. Williams," he finally spoke. "I believe we've had a misunderstanding. I don't live with Sarah, and I am here strictly on business. Surely she can-"

"You can't offer a bit of sympathy to your girlfriend who's just been in a car accident?" she asked sweetly, though the exasperation in her voice was apparent.

Jareth winced, trying to hide his emotions at this ludicrous situation. She was their daughter! He cared little what he did as long as he stayed in close proximity to Sarah, but this was a bit closer than he had expected, not to mention that she would be completely unwilling to accept what they were suggesting. What had he gotten himself into?

"Karen's right," Sarah's father reinforced. "A few days couldn't hurt you, could it David? She can barely move by herself." He motioned with pity over at his daughter who was helplessly gaping at him, not quite unlike a fish gasping for air. "You're staying in a hotel, right? Think of this as free lodgings for a while. I'm honestly surprised you're not staying at Sarah's apartment..." then muttered, "I didn't think I raised her that strictly."

"Dad!" Sarah retaliated.

"Sarah you need someone to help you out for a while, and your mother and I left a lot of loose ends at home. Not to mention that Toby is probably worried..."

Oh, and as if their daughter getting in a car accident wasn't reason enough for them to take a few days off work. Sarah closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down. She knew there was no way either of them were getting out of this situation; not when Karen was involved.

A few moments of silence passed before Sarah realized that her parents were waiting for an answer. Jareth apparently made the same realization, as he cleared his throat.

"Don't worry about Sarah, Mr. and Mrs. Williams." His voice was strained. If she had not been knee deep in all of this as well, Sarah would have thought such an emotion coloring the Goblin King's voice to be amusing. But the situation was far from that, and now she would have no choice but to live in close quarters-while handicapped-with the man she was trying most desperately to get away from.

"Great, I'll grab her things and let the doctors know," her father said with a smile. How could they abandon her like this? Well, for all they knew, her and the Goblin King were a little more than chummy and found it to be an idillic solution to the problem at hand. Little did they know.

She should have dumped the Goblin King on that deserted strip of road when she had the chance. She should have listened to Parker. She should have not gone into work the other day. She should have done and not done a lot of things. But the fact was, she was about to have a Goblin King for a roommate, whether she liked it or not.

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

A/N:

So sorry for the delay. I had a string of nasty exams, but I am finally free (at least for about a month). Also, I've been experiencing a bout of writer's block, but perhaps that's only because I've been too stressed to write. Hoping to get back into it soon! Please review! They really keep me going and help me improve my writing.

Chapter title is from the song on Bowie's album Young Americans.