Disclaimer: I ask for so little, just that you refrain from suing me, because I don't own Labyrinth…
"Someone's about to make a wish!" an annoying high-pitched voice broke through the Goblin King's train of thought. He looked up to see who the offending goblin was.
The creature was even more pitiful looking than the rest, scrawny and sickly green, with a pointed nose. He was new, Jareth remembered. Changed just a few days previous. In fact, he might even know the little bloke's name.
"Snuffs…"
"Snout, yer majesty."
"Yes. Do you, by any chance recall what I said about wishes?" he smiled benevolently at the miserable thing.
"Er, don't bother ye unless its already happened?" he guessed.
"Very good." the Goblin King nodded. "I have expressly told you to stay out of my way unless the wish has already been made!" he bellowed, throwing the creature to the floor, where it scuttled, frightened into a corner. The other goblins, in and around the fire pit laughed uproariously.
"QUIET!" Everything was silent. Even the oldest of the goblins knew better than to cross their king when he was in such a mood. Jareth threw himself dispiritedly down onto the throne, awaiting the wish that would bring him two twin three year-olds. The mother that wished them away would beg for them back, just like all the others had. She would claim she hadn't meant it, that it wasn't fair. She would run the Labyrinth and she would fail. Two new goblins would join his ranks. He had been through this time and time again, and it was getting rather boring.
"Jareth!"
The Goblin King was jerked out of his reverie, this time by a much more familiar, much more pleasant (though currently irate) voice. Sarah. Wait, Sarah?
"Damn it, Jareth!"
The corners of his mouth twitched. Angry, was she? Higgly must have defied his command. He scowled at the thought.
But Sarah had called. What did he do? Present himself to her, as she wished? Let her fume awhile before appearing, or just decline to show up at all? After all, he had promised to never bother her again. On the other hand, she was calling him, so his coming would not be uninvited.
"JARETH! I KNOW YOU CAN HERE ME, WHEREVER YOU ARE, SO SHOW YOURSELF ALREADY!" My, but she was furious. Her cowardly little friend was probably terrified.
Jareth had nearly made up his mind on whether to show up or not when, without warning, Sarah's presence vanished from his mind, replaced by the gravely voice of Hogbrains.
"Jareth...Yer Majesty? I think ya probably wanna be here right now." even in his mind; the dwarf was anxious and flustered. Something was wrong.
The Goblin King stood up very suddenly, ignoring the goblins who tried to tell him that the wish had been made. He strode to the window and transformed. The white owl took flight, headed directly for the Aboveground.
"Mr. Williams? Yes, this is Dr. Ako from the center." the psychiatrist examined her nails disinterestedly as she talked on the phone to Sarah's father.
"Is there anything wrong?" he asked her.
"Oh yes, Mr. Williams, but you'll find it is your problem and not ours."
"What is the problem?" Robert said, a tad irritated.
Dr. Ako fished in her desk for a nail file, came up with one and began filing her nails. "Your daughter, you see. She's run away." No emotion or inflection to give the appearance of any worry for the girl.
"What?!" he yelped.
"Most likely, she'll show up at your house," said the doctor soothingly, "but if she does not, I wanted you to know."
"Have you done nothing to find her?" gasped the astonished man.
"If you recall our contract, once they leave the grounds, runaways become the family's problem again."
"Surely she'll come back here." Robert tried to convince himself.
"Of course." simpered the doctor. "Unfortunately, if she does, and you decide to put her back into an institution, I'm afraid you will have to find a new one."
"Because she ran away?" he said indignantly.
"Of course not, sir; we never judge our patients." answered Dr. Ako. "It's just that a young man by the name of Sebastian Cowell has taken her room."
"Why?" he demanded.
Dr. Ako shrugged, though the gesture was lost over the phone. "He was one of are orderlies here. Last one to see Sarah, in fact. It appears he has lost his mind. All he does is sits on the floor and rocks back and forth. Every now and then, he mentions monsters, but that's all." even the apathetic woman couldn't keep her voice from trembling at this. Sebastian's behavior was more frightening than any case she had ever seen and all he would say was 'goblin…monster….giant…ohno…pleeeaase!!!!'
"Oh." a pause. "I see."
"So we're all filled up." she continued cheerful, again. "So your daughter will have to relocate. So sorry. Yes, sir. Goodbye." Dr. Ako replaced the phone on its cradle and returned to digging through her desk, now looking for nail polish and ignoring the screams of her newest patient, down the hall.
A/N: I know, I know. Short. But the next chappie is the Sarah/Jareth confrontation you've all been waiting for!!