Author's Note: Chapter two is a long one, but this is where I had to start sticking that "M" rating to this story. Jareth's crotch will be making it's first appearance. What can I but that Jareth moves fast. Anyway since I have seven chapters written and completed, and some really good progress on chapter eight (about a 1000 words so far) I decided to upload this chapter sooner.

Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth. That belongs to the awesome, late Jim Henson, awesome, still kicking it Brian Froud, and the still sexy David Bowie. Thanks guys for such a wonderful movie!

Warnings: This story is rated for mild language, some violence, David Bowie's Area, and of course sex, drugs, and rock n' roll. Oh yeah, and David Bowie's area. I mention this twice because there is going to be a lot of it.

Current Music: Cat People by David Bowie

Chapter Two:

Don't You Know My Name?

It was nearing dusk in the Labyrinth, and a creature was stirring from its sleep. It had been many months since the Goblin King had been split in two, and it was now Christmas Eve. For months he sat on in his crumbling castle, brooding. He never dared to show himself to his moronic subjects, and because of that girl's words he was sealed in his labyrinth. 'How ironic that I would be imprisoned in my own creation.' He had nowhere near the power he used to have, and without it his labyrinth grew out of control. Parts of it remained unchanged, but the rest became darker and more twisted. Black vines with vicious thorns grew and thrived in the shadows, all caused by the shadowy creature the girl left behind. Those that ventured too close were consumed by the strange plants, bones and all. Even the stone walls that they grew on were eventually consumed. He spat curses at the girl that would make even the most foul-mouthed sailor blush. "Does that stupid girl not know that the king and the land are one? What did she think would happen when she cut the puppeteer's strings? That nothing bad would happen tra la la?"

The girl cut off his ability to control his world, and now it will grow out of control until it crumbles away and him along with it. He hated the girl for it, and he hated her even more because he still desired her. He hated himself for that too. He could not even watch the girl from his crystals like he used to. Her words banished him from her life and his own labyrinth. He had a window, however, through the eyes of his other half, flittering about in the mortal realm as a powerless owl. He welcomed these visions whenever they came, especially ones of his other half watching the girl from afar. Another vision washed over him and filled his mind with images of himself watching the girl through her bathroom window. He saw an alluring image of her enjoying a bath. The vision left as quickly as it came but the image of the girl's naked nubile body was burned into his mind, flooding his body with lust and desire. He let out a chilling howl that echoed throughout the labyrinth. He could not go to her to relieve his unrelenting desires. His body was tormented by a need he could not satisfy, and finally, his last shred of sanity snapped. The Goblin King started to laugh. It was the laugh of a madman with nothing left to lose, "If I cannot go to her then, I shall simply have her come to me." A cold, terrible smile appeared on his face, "I will either bed her or I will kill her. Then again, I can always do both."

It was now night and he had much work to do and only a little time. He knew her traitorous friends and many of his moronic subjects were with her now, and when they came back they would have a nasty surprise waiting. The beastly Goblin King laughed maniacally, "If she ever wants to see her precious friends again, she WILL come to me!"

Many months had passed since Sarah had last heard from her friends. Winter thawed and became spring, and it was already her birthday. Since her friends stopped seeing her, life had become a lot lonelier. Even the goblins wouldn't talk to her. She just couldn't seem to make friends at school, and when the other kids weren't ignoring her, they would simply call her 'The Freak,' but that was nothing new. She had always been considered a bit odd for her love of fantasy and her nose always stuck in a book. 'So what if I dress-up and act out plays in the park by myself? That's not that weird is it?'

However, after she solved the Labyrinth, the goblins and her friends would follow her everywhere. Before they stopped coming to see her, that is. Everyone noticed her unusual behavior, like talking to something that isn't there or playing in the park seemingly all by herself. She could see the goblins but no one else ever did, and her reputation grew from simply a bit odd to being labeled a complete freak almost overnight.

Though her friends stopped coming to see her, not once did she doubt their existence or her belief in them. All the gifts they left her were physical proof of that. She knew wasn't crazy, even though, once in a while, she would catch a reflection of herself in the mirror, or in a window, that wasn't her. Her eyes were not pitch black, nor were they so very cold. She shivered in fear whenever she would catch a glimpse of that other Sarah; that cold and cruel Sarah that wasn't her. Sarah repeated to herself, a mantra, 'I'm not crazy. Everyone else is just blind, stupid, or both.'

Today someone remembered her birthday and took the time and effort to write on her locker, 'Happy Birthday, Freak'. The day became gradually worse when someone pushed her and she fell into a mud puddle, spending the rest of the day in muddy clothes. She wanted to punch whoever invented the phrase 'Sweet Sixteen'. Even her father and stepmother, who were always busy juggling work and Toby to take much notice of her, were worried about her friendless status. So, they would try to talk her into going out with them to various events with their clients and their families, in hopes of getting Sarah to socialize more, maybe even date. It didn't work, she made most people uncomfortable, boys especially. Her parents would introduce her to a boy her age, always the son of one their rich clients or the son of a well-to-do family they happen to know from whatever concert or party they chatted with. They never stopped hoping that she would start dating them. 'Yeah and eventually get married to some arrogant git with a big fat trust fund and guaranteed to inherit millions in old money.' Sarah thought bitterly. At first the boy seemed really interested in her, though she never felt so much as a spark of interest. Then as soon as they touch her, even to shake her hand they all looked at her at if she were a bear trap far too to close to their genitals and about to snap shut with a sickening crunch. It all ended the same; awkward conversation, lousy excuses, and running away from her terror. 'Why? Do I stink or something?'

Sarah's only solace was that spring break had just started for her, and she wouldn't have to go to school for another week. Again, she pondered on where all her friends in the labyrinth had gone, wondering if a certain monarch had something to do with their disappearance. She kept Granny Williams' frying pan under her bed in case he ever came back. She missed all her friends, and she was even starting to miss the Goblin King, 'He may be a glittery psychopath, but at least he paid attention to me.'

Sarah sat glumly at the table in the kitchen with a plate of half eaten birthday cake and torn wrapping paper. Her father and stepmother had given her an expensive designer dress. She might have worn if it weren't such an ugly shade of mauve. Her present from her Aunt and Uncle from Chicago was a camcorder, it was a cool gift and she liked it, but she was not much of a home movie freak. Her mother and her boyfriend Jeremy had also gotten her a silvery white dress that they found in an antique shop run by a crabby old lady named Agnes. Apparently, it was a girl's wedding dress. They told her that the shop had all sorts of interesting things they thought Sarah would love. When they tried to go back to the shop, however, it wasn't there anymore. It disturbed Sarah just how much the dress resembled another one she wore in a peach-induced dream when she danced with him. If she didn't know any better she would say that this was the same one. Before her adventure in the Labyrinth she would have loved all this stuff, but to her now it was all junk. What she really wanted was not to feel so lonely anymore. 'I wish I had somebody...' Sarah thought to herself, the birthday wish she made.

Toby, who was now two going on three, had made her a finger painting depicting three stick figures holding hands. Toby told her that the one in the middle was her and the small one on her right was him, which made her smile a little. Her smile vanished when Toby told her the taller third figure holding her other hand was "Da Gobwin Kingy."

Sarah noticed this morning's newspaper was open to the horoscope page. Sarah had never really believed in that sort of stuff, but she felt bored and could use a good laugh. "Let's see what mine says, 'Pisces: Today is lucky day for you! You will meet your true love, just keep an open mind and a forgiving heart. Don't forget that nothing is as it seems, after all, yesterday's enemy might be tomorrow's lover.'" Sarah crumpled the page in a ball and threw it angrily across the room, "Lucky day my ass! I knew horoscopes were crap!"

She went in search of her dog, Merlin, and his leash. She found Merlin waiting by the door with a small rectangular red object in his mouth which turned out to be her book, The Labyrinth. This was the second time she had pried that book from his mouth, the first time they were in the park and he'd dropped the book in her lap. It was how she had gotten the book in the first place. To this day, she still didn't know where he had gotten it from. It didn't have any information on publishing, copyright, or even the author's name. It was, to say the least, an odd book, but she read it and loved it all the more. Little did she know that when she first read it, that she would actually live it out. The book's front cover had the corners partially chewed and had drool on it. She was about to yell at Merlin, but she noticed some writing underneath the front cover, before the very first page. Apparently, two pages had been stuck together all this time, and she never noticed. It was a funny little poem she never saw before;

"A maiden will come to the Labyrinth and solve it she will,

and then the king's power will by love be broken and spill.

Darkness will fill the void in the king's empty throne,

and a monster will be born that is evil true to the bone.

Maiden and friends will fight together in vain

as the Maiden refuses the evil monster's bane.

And when night is at its darkest and a new love is seemingly lost to the Abyss,

evil will be driven back when sundered king is made whole by true love's kiss.

The newly healed King shall then by old law make maiden his Queen,

and together evil vanquished, the Labyrinth healed and the land serene."

Something at the back of Sarah's memory nagged her. She had heard this poem before but she couldn't seem to remember where. She dismissed the nagging familiar feeling and put the book back in her room on her desk and got Merlin's leash. "Okay Merlin, lets go for a walk. Dad! Karen! I'm taking Merlin for a walk! I'll be back later!"

She heard her stepmother's voice, "Just be back before dark Sarah!"

With that, Sarah left with her sheepdog Merlin in tow, and the two of them went to her favorite place in the park. She sat down on a bench with her head in her hands, feeling angry and utterly miserable at the way her birthday was turning out. She let out a sigh, "Life just isn't fair."

An unwanted memory floated to the surface of her mind. She remembered the Goblin Kings words to her when she went through his Labyrinth, "You say that so often, I wonder what your basis for comparison is…"

Merlin placed his chin affectionately on her knee in an attempt to cheer her up. Smiling a little, Sarah scratched behind his ears and watched his tail wag happily. 'At least I've got you, Merlin.' She then heard voices belonging to some boys. They were crowded around something on the grass, underneath a large oak tree.

"Lets poke it with a stick!"

"It's still alive!"

"Don't get too close! It might have rabies or something!"

Something in Sarah had snapped. So much had gone wrong on a day that should be special and happy. The anger had been building up inside and was ready to pop like a bottle of soda that had been shaken up far too much. She ran over to the unfortunate boys, and in that moment she resembled a vengeful demon from hell. She bellowed with a fury that terrified them, "PISS OFF YOU LITTLE BRATS!"

The boys ran for their lives, and Sarah felt a great sense of relief after venting her frustration. She looked down to see what poor creature that they had been tormenting. She froze on the spot. It was a little white owl. 'Calm down Sarah, its just an owl. It's most definitely NOT the Goblin King.' Trying to reassure herself, she bent down at the disheveled white owl to get a better look at it. The thing let out a pathetic hoot. The sound of a cry for help if Sarah ever heard one. Though the poor little owl had feathers sticking out in many directions and looked utterly exhausted, it still managed to hop into her lap. 'Maybe it's domesticated. It looks pretty comfortable around me.' Sarah thought to herself.

Sarah decided to take pity on the poor little owl and picked it up. It seemed to be very happy in her arms. She turned toward Merlin, "Come on Merlin, lets go home. As for you, little owl, you're coming home with me."

The walk home was uneventful and she managed to get home as the sun was setting. She snuck quietly into the house, hoping her parents wouldn't notice the wild animal she brought home. Thanks to her baby brother, her father and stepmother were preoccupied cleaning up his latest mess. Apparently, he decided to use apple sauce to decorate the walls. As a result, she got to her room unnoticed, and she locked her bedroom door behind her. She put the little white owl on her bed, and it hooted happily at her.

The little white owl was ecstatic that the object of his affections had finally taken him to her nest. His life was starting to look up. He was exhausted from hunting for both himself and his beloved. Most of all, he was exhausted from nightmares that would not let him sleep peacefully. Nightmares of being a large, clawed, hateful creature that hunted for his beloved like prey, and of a dark twisting maze, overgrown with black ominous vines. He did not want to think about the strangely familiar nightmares, and instead focused on his beloved mate. 'Finally, nearly a year of bringing her gifts have paid off! I wonder how many little chicks she wants? Perhaps seven. Seven is a good number. We can easily fit that many in this large soft nest.' The happy owl day-dreamed of his beloved sitting on seven owl eggs and the two of them lovingly regurgitating partially digested rats for their seven adorable children. He hooted happily and waited for her to join him in their new nest.

Sarah smiled at the owl on her bed, "You know, you're actually kinda cute. I guess I should probably name you. I can't just keep calling you Owl."

Sarah got ready for bed and changed into a simple tank top and briefs. Her new friend seemed quite content on her bed. It watched her intensely as she undressed, almost as if it was appreciating the sight of her naked body. For a moment it unnerved her, and then she remembered that it was just an owl. She slipped under the covers of her bed and opened one of her father's many books she'd borrowed from his study. This one was one of his encyclopedias. She found the entry on Barn Owls:

"The Barn Owl (Tyto alba) is the most widely distributed species of owl, and one of the most widespread of all birds. It is also referred to as Common Barn Owl... It is known by many other names, which may refer to the appearance, call, habitat or the eerie, silent flight: White Owl, Silver Owl, Demon Owl, Ghost Owl, Death Owl, Night Owl, Rat Owl, Church Owl, Cave Owl, Stone Owl, Monkey-faced Owl, Hissing Owl, Hobgoblin Owl…"

Sarah froze when she saw the word Hobgoblin, her mind drifting to the Goblin King. She looked down at the owl that was cuddling in her lap. The cute little owl looked up at her and let out a happy little hoot when she stroked his feathers. She then came to a decision, "Well little owl, I know what your name is. From now on, I'm calling you Jareth."

Suddenly the world seemed to stop. The name Sarah had uttered echoed through the owl's head, and his mind was quickly flooded with lost memories of her and his life as something so much more than just an owl. He remembered first seeing her in the park looking as lonely as he and becoming completely smitten with her then and there. He remembered watching her go about her life in this world for what seemed an eternity. He remembered her wish to take her brother and making her run his Labyrinth. He remembered giving her the peach and singing to her his vows of love and a dance that bonded them together as husband and wife. His heart clenched for a moment as he remembered her rejection, but then it swelled when he remembered that she saved him from those brats and took him to her home. In an explosion of glitter and feathers, the little white owl transformed into a very naked man. He had a radiant smile on his face and he happily shouted in accented voice that Sarah knew quite well, "I remember! I'm Jareth! I'm the Goblin King!"

Jareth looked different then she remembered. He was younger and looked more human, but he still had that strange otherworldly allure about him. His once wild blond hair and eyebrows were now tame. His eyes, though, were as she remembered. One was blue but the other had a permanently dilated pupil. The small ring of color around it shifted between brown, blue, and green depending on which way she looked at it. If it weren't for his mismatched eyes and his accented voice, she would not have recognized him.

Sarah's gaze drifted from his face to his lean muscular chest and continued down southwards where she discovered just what those tight pants he favored contained. Sarah froze as she stared at Jareth's unclothed crotch, transfixed by what she saw. She knew what a man's equipment looked like and how it supposedly functioned, after all she had taken health class, and she's heard some more experienced girls talk in the locker room, but she had never gotten this up close and personal. Sarah gulped when she noticed it getting bigger.

Jareth noticed just what part of his anatomy had captured her attention, and his smiled widened. He leaned in closer to her and whispered into her ear, "You can touch it if you want, precious. It won't bite, I promise."

Sarah snapped out of her Jareth-induced stupor and realized the suggestive position they were in. He was straddling her in her bed, and he was very naked. Sarah's face turned to the color of a tomato and months of karate classes came back to her. She punched Jareth in the eye and off her bed. Jareth landed on her floor with loud thump and a cry of pain. "Put some clothes on, pervert! And could you penis get off— I mean could you please get off of me?"

Jareth held his hand over his left eye where it was already starting to bruise. He stared at Sarah in shock, "You hit me!"

Sarah looked at Jareth with green eyes blazing with anger, "Yes I did. That was for all the crap you put me through in that damned labyrinth of yours and more. Now put some pants on!"

Jareth soaked in her words and for the first time in a very long time, he felt guilty. The guilt gnawed away at him as remembered how much he frightened the woman he loved during her time in his labyrinth. He then saw Sarah reaching for an old cast iron frying pan. The unfamiliar feeling rose up inside of him like bile, causing words he seldom used to spill out, "I'm sorry!"

Apparently this was the right thing to say because Sarah paused just before the cast iron frying pan reached his head. Her mouth hung open with shock, "What did you say?"

Jareth stood up trying to regain as much composure as he can in his state and cleared his throat, "I said I was sorry. I never meant to, nor did I want to, hurt you. I am truly sorry that I did. I only did those things because I wanted to impress you."

Sarah, surprised, dropped her frying pan, "Really? Do you mean it or is this another trick?"

Jareth was even more surprised at himself because he had meant every word that he had vomited out of his mouth. Her eyes looked at him imploringly, filled with hope. He could not lie to her, his pride had already gone, probably gone in the way of his clothes, and he had nothing left to lose by being completely honest with her, "Yes, I meant every word. Do you think we can start over?"

Jareth held his hand in an offer of peace to her. Sarah looked at his hand and then into his eyes. His strange mismatched eyes, so filled with hope and desperation. They looked the same as their last confrontation. She found her anger melting away under his imploring gaze, 'I did get Toby back and I never did get so much as a scratch even though I had few close calls. He looks like he could use a friend. I know I do.' Sarah thought to herself. Her mind made up, she tentatively took his hand and said, "Alright Jareth I guess I could give you another chance, but no more of your dirty tricks or I'll throw you out this window myself!"

Jareth's face lit up with joy, and he pulled Sarah into a hug, making her gasp with surprise at the sudden skin contact, "Thank you Sarah! I promise I won't let you down!"

Sarah returned his hug after the awkward feeling passed. She rested her head against his shoulder, feeling content and not so lonely. Jareth and Sarah stayed like that for awhile, just enjoying the peaceful lack of loneliness. Their sense of peace was destroyed when they suddenly heard a knock at the door, and Sarah's stepmother's voice drifted through. "Sarah, it's me. I want to talk to you. Do you have someone in there? I heard you talking."

Sarah panicked and whispered to Jareth, "Crap! Quick, find someplace to hide!"

Sarah and Jareth were frantically looking around for someplace to hide a fully grown and very naked man. They heard the door opening and Jareth dove under the bed and disappeared just as the door opened, and Sarah's stepmother walked through with a concerned expression on her face. "Hello Sarah, I just want you to know that your father and I love you very much, but we are getting very worried about you. Today is your birthday, your sweet sixteen to be exact. You should have lots of friends, and be going out on dates by now, but you're not. We just want you to be happy, let us help, just tell us what we can do."

Sarah heard this conversation so many times before, "Don't worry Karen, I'm fine really."

Her stepmother didn't look convinced, "I just want to see you socializing with someone other than your brother. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that you two are bonding, but I wish you were dating someone. At this point I'll accept anyone!"

Sarah blanched when her stepmother said the words 'I wish' in earshot of Jareth, and Sarah was right to worry as a muffled voice coming from under her bed said, "Granted!"

"Did you say something, Sarah?"

Sarah wanted to punch the Goblin King's other eye at this very moment, and she told her stepmother the first lie that came to her mind, "Yeah, I said wish granted. I already have a boyfriend. His name is Jareth."

Sarah winced, wishing she hadn't said that but as a certain someone hiding under her bed once said, 'What's said is said.' Her stepmother raised an eyebrow thinking her stepdaughter had made up some imaginary boyfriend, "Okay Sarah, I'll drop the matter for now, but I would like to meet this young man, and your father would, especially. I also have some bad news. Granny Williams is having surgery on her leg, apparently she tore it up pretty bad fighting a bear when she was out deer hunting. She didn't get any deer, but she now has a new bear skin rug. Anyways, we will be gone for two days. I'm sorry that this is so short notice but can you look after Toby while we're gone this weekend?"

Sarah looked up hopefully at the prospect of no parents, "No problem! I'd be happy to look after the little guy."

Karen looked relieved, "That's a relief, our plane leaves in the morning. We left some money on the kitchen counter, and a list of phone numbers, in case of an emergency, are on the fridge."

They heard a throat clear in the doorway, it was Sarah's father, "Did you tell her the good news Karen?"

"What good news?" Sarah asked.

"We've made a decision. If you do a good job looking after Toby and the house and since you are now sixteen…" Sarah's stepmother began.

"…You can get your learner's permit, pumpkin!" Sarah's father finished excitedly.

Sarah squealed with joy and hugged her parents, "Oh thank you guys! I promise I'll do a good job."

Sarah's joy died and remembered the very naked man hiding under her bed, "Okay, I'm really tired. Love you guys. Good night and give Grandma Williams a hug from me!"

Sarah hugged and kissed her parents and then shooed them out of her room. She let out a huge sigh of relief when she closed and locked the door. Jareth came out of his hiding place to see a livid Sarah, "Damn it Jareth! Are trying to get me in trouble? And for God's sake, put some clothes on!"

Jareth brought his hands in front of his face in case Sarah wanted to give him another black eye, "Sorry Sarah, It was not my intention to get you in trouble, but your stepmother did make a wish that I am more than happy to grant. After all, I am the Goblin King, and granting wishes is what I do. I've been granting wishes for… Huh, I don't seem to remember."

Jareth trailed off and in that moment he reminded Sarah of a lost and lonely child, and her anger was washed away. She sat down next to him on the bed and she gently put her arm around him, trying to comfort him. She spoke to him in a soft gentle voice, "It's okay, no harm was done. Now tell me what you don't remember."

Jareth leaned into her welcoming embrace, "I tried to remember of what my life was like before I met you and I cannot. How and when did I become the Goblin King? How long have I reigned for? How many others before you have run my Labyrinth? Do I have a family? These are questions that I cannot answer because I can't remember. I don't even remember what I am! I don't exactly look like one of my mentally challenged subjects, thank whatever gods for that…"

It frightened Sarah to see the Goblin King so vulnerable. In her mind he was a figure that was supposed to be imposing and powerful. Now, the once frightening Goblin King, is seeking comfort in her arms like a child after waking from a horrible nightmare. It was unnatural to her. "Jareth?" Sarah tentatively began, "What do you remember?"

Jareth pondered her question for a moment, "I remember all these past months stuck in the body and a mind of an owl in your world, and most of all I remember you. I remember when I first met you, you were playing in the park by yourself. You looked lonely and reminded me of myself. My heart went out to you, the lonely girl with so much imagination utterly wasted in this banal world. I remember watching you go about your life here, growing more attached to you as I watched. I remember the night you made that wish and your run in my labyrinth. I admit to being proud to see you blossom into a woman as you made your way through my labyrinth. I am sorry for frightening you, but I am not sorry that you grew stronger from facing all those 'dangers untold and hardships unnumbered'. Do you regret it? Would you take it all back if you could?"

Sarah was angry at him for all things he did to her. For making her run through his own personal playground of horrors. She looked back on his actions with a new perspective and an epiphany dawned on her. Jareth's actions were not of an evil villain, as she had at first pegged him to be. He was like a boy experiencing his first crush on a girl. He was that boy who would tease the girl he liked endlessly because he wanted her attention. 'That would explain those tight pants he always wore.' Jareth looked at her nervously, like she held his heart in her hands and could crush it at any moment. Sarah winced but she had to ask him, "Jareth, do you like me? Like, really like me?"

Jareth swallowed nervously and nodded. Nervous was not a word Sarah ever thought to associate with Jareth, but he was nervous and she couldn't blame him. The question Sarah now had lingering in her mind was, 'Do I like him? I don't know, I barely know the guy. It's disturbing to know that he's been stalking me. He may be a glittery creep, but he's really cute, and I've been really lonely. I suppose I can give him a chance, after all it's not like I'm marrying the guy. Besides he really is trying.' Sarah gave the nervous Jareth an honest answer, "Jareth, even though I lost count how many times I thought I would die, looking back with hindsight on all of it, I know I would not trade it for anything. I wanted to be a hero with a grand adventure and I got it. If you hadn't made me work my ass off to get my brother back, I would not appreciate him or my family as I do now. I would have become a spoiled and selfish person, and for that, I forgive you for the hell you put me through. If you wanted a date from me you were going about it the wrong way. Giving girls drugged peaches and scaring her out of her wits is not the way to a woman's heart."

Jareth's apprehension was replaced with a cautious optimism, "Are you saying that you would not be completely opposed to the idea of me courting you?"

Sarah nodded and smiled, "Yes, that's what I'm saying. I'll give you a second chance, so lets start over as friends and see where it goes. What do you say?"

Jareth nodded eagerly, he was happy to have another chance to win her heart. "Yes! I would be happy to!" He smiled back at her and continued to enjoy her comfortable shoulder and her presence.

He felt astonished at his own idiocy and laughed, "I feel like an idiot. All that suffering we both could have avoided if I had simply been more clear about my feelings from the beginning. All those months stuck as an owl trying to woo you with presents of dead rodents were wasted."

Sarah shoved him out of her arms, "I knew it! You're the one whose been leaving those disgusting things in my room! Do you know how gross that is?! Even that drugged peach was a better present. Could you please fly back to your little maze before my parents discover their wish for me to bring home a man has come true? As angry as I am at you right now, I still don't want to see you hurt."

Jareth was unable to meet her eyes and looked at Sarah nervously, "To be fair, I had the mentality of an owl, it is the drawback of shapeshifting; you become the animal in body and mind. Giving dead rodents to females is a token of love for owls and as for going back to my labyrinth…" Jareth trailed off awkwardly.

Sarah sighed wearily, she had a strong feeling about what he was going to say, "You have some bad news don't you? Well, spit it out already and let's get it over with."

Jareth sighed, "The thing is I can't get back to my Labyrinth, almost all of my magic is gone. I need a lot of magic to step through the veil between our two worlds. Holes do appear occasionally in the veil but they are rare and random. I'm pretty much stuck in your world."

Jareth debated for a moment if he should inform her the full details about the true nature of the peach he gave her and goblin marriage customs, but as he saw his "wife" collapse on her bed with a horrified expression, he decided he would keep that little tidbit to himself for now.

Sarah slumped in exasperation at the horrible chain of events that had made her sweet sixteen a sour one. She was stuck with the Goblin King who she remembered was still naked, "For the last time, put some damn clothes on!"

Author's Notes: The Barn Owl entry Sarah was reading is from Wikipedia's Barn Owl page in case any of you wanted to know. I giggled when I saw the name "Hobgoblin Owl". Also I'm in the market for a new beta. Any volunteers? PM me or leave a comment in a review if you're interested. Perks to the job include not waiting as long as everyone else for the rest of the chapters I have written already and this author's undying gratitude. Anyways, thanks for reading and feel free to ask me questions!