Thank you to everyone who has bookmarked this story! Knowing someone is out there waiting for the next chapter keeps me from feeling like I'm wasting my time. We're just about into the home stretch. I think I should be able to wrap this up by next week. Enjoy!

When Sarah awoke the next morning, she got up as usual and went to the bathroom, having completely forgotten about the events of the previous day. It wasn't until she reentered the bedroom and she saw a neatly folded stack of blankets, with a pillow on top that she remembered her uninvited guest. She was suddenly gripped by panic as she wondered where he was and what he was doing. Hurriedly wrapping herself up in her robe, she exited the room and was greeted by an extraordinary sight. Seated on the couch was the Goblin King, and snuggled up next to him was her daughter. They sat in silence, watching Pride and Prejudice and eating ice cream. The most amazing thing of all was that Jareth seemed absolutely enthralled by what was happening on the television.

Kimmie was the first to notice here. She looked up and smiled sheepishly. "Morning, mom. I hope you don't mind that we started without you - it was Jareth's idea."

Sarah realized they had been watching for a while, because they were at the part where Lydia had run off with Mr. Wickham and Elizabeth was making her excuses to Mr. Darcy so she could return home.

Jareth looked at Sarah and smiled brightly. "Come join us," he said, as he made room for her next to him. There being absolutely no good reason for her to do otherwise, she did as Jareth requested. They sat in silence, watching, as they had the night before. When it ended, Jareth was the first to break the silence. "It's funny," he began. "She didn't initially strike me as a fortune hunter."

Not understanding his meaning, Sarah asked for clarification.

"Elizabeth," Jareth responded. "Notice how she her whole attitude changed when she realized how grand Mr. Darcy's estate was and how well respected his name is in the neighborhood?"

Sarah had read the book many times, and had discussed with friends, and this was the first time she had ever heard someone so grossly misinterpret the events. "No," she corrected. "Her change of heart began after he wrote her the letter explaining his side of things, and took root when they met up again and his whole demeanor toward her changed. After his bungled and offensive marriage proposal. . ."

"Offensive?" he asked in a jibing manner. "He declared his love for her and his desire to spend the rest of his life with her at his side. What's so offensive about that?"

Sarah gaped at him. Did he really not understand how wrong Darcy's initial proposal was? Recalling her history with Jareth, she could only conclude that he really was clueless. If he had been truthful with her yesterday, she realized she they needed to find some common ground. She thought very carefully about what she wanted to say before speaking. "A marriage proposal is something that a girl remembers for the rest of her life, and she should be able to recall it fondly. It shouldn't be tainted by comments which might paint her in an unfavorable light."

Jareth looked exasperated. "But a man should be able to make an honest assessment of the situation with the expectation that a reasonable woman will understand his meaning."

Kimmie had been silently watching this exchange, and it suddenly occurred to her that they were no longer talking about Pride and Prejudice.

Sarah smiled. She was finally beginning to understand Jareth, and with a few more carefully chosen words, hopefully he could begin to understand her as well. "So when you said 'fear me,' 'do as I say,' and 'let me rule you' that was your honest assessment you wanted? And by rejecting you , I was being unreasonable?"

Kimmie grimaced as turned to look at Jareth. "Tell me you didn't say that to my mom," she murmured, "did you?"

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Jareth looked at Kimmie, then at Sarah, dumbstruck. He had never thought his words were inappropriate until this weekend. Hearing Kimmie ask for a denial only made him realize just how misguided he had been. He sadly nodded in acknowledgement of his wrongdoing. "Yes, Kimmie, I'm afraid I did."

After breakfast, Kimmie left to go finish her project with Katie. Jareth had been quietly sulking since their earlier conversation. Part of the reason he had been silent was that he was truly ashamed, but he also had no idea what to say to Sarah. This woman continued to turn his world. All his life he had been privileged. People had gone out of their way to accommodate him, and her staunch refusal to do so had him on edge. Not only did she refuse to propitiate, she was determined to show him all his failings, either directly, or by leading him to that conclusion himself, as the morning's events had done. If it were anyone else finding fault with him, he would have bogged them for impertinence. It had simply never occurred to him that he was just as susceptible to making mistakes as anyone else.

"I'm sorry."

His sudden words cutting through the silence startled Sarah. She looked at him, and saw a very humble, penitent Goblin King genuinely seeking forgiveness.

"I'm sorry for what I said to you when you ran the Labyrinth.. I should have made my meaning clearer. " He paused and sighed deeply before continuing. "Not that it would have made a difference. You would have left anyway."

Sarah was stunned by this brutally honest revelation. "Yes, I would have left anyway. I was fifteen. Fifteen! My God, Jareth! Just imagine Kimmie. You've interacted with her more than you did with me back then. Can you imagine how she would react if anyone were to make her a similar offer?"

Jareth had come to feel quite protective of Kimmie in the short time he had known her, and his first thought was that he knew exactly how he would react if anyone were to make her such an offer. Woe unto any man who would attempt to lure Sarah's young daughter away from home. Shame burned even deeper into his being as he realized that was exactly what he had attempted to do with Sarah. He could not meet Sarah's gaze. "How can you even stand to be around me?" he finally asked. "My behavior has been absolutely inexcusable."

Given the sacrifices Sarah made before Kimmie's birth as a result of Jareth's bad behavior, there were any number of caustic comebacks could have used, but as she took in his words, she suddenly realized that she did not hate him. She wasn't entirely certain what she did feel for him, but somehow, she realized she was bringing out qualities in Jareth that she had never known he possessed. It was entirely possible Jareth himself did not know it. Certainly there was more to explore here than she would have ever imagined just 24 hours earlier. It was no mean feat for a woman to bring out the best in a man, particularly one as stubborn and arrogant as Jareth, and that thought left her feeling an odd combination of pride and accomplishment.

"How about we just let bygones be bygones. Let's bury every mean and hurtful thing we've ever said or done to one another and start fresh." Her words surprised even herself, as she had not known they were true until after she heard them. Was it possible that Jareth, too, was bringing out another side of her personality of which she had been unaware? She moved toward him and held her hand out. "Deal?" she asked.

Jareth looked first at her hand, and then finally at her. He seemed unsure, but her conviction won him over. He took her hand. "Deal," he said as he shook it. She smiled at him, and he thought she had never looked more beautiful. A new thought suddenly came to him. "How about we celebrate our pact with a Frappuccino?"

Sarah let out a good-natured laugh at his suggestion, recalling their misunderstanding the day before. "As much as I would like to take you up on your offer, I'm afraid I can't. It's Sunday, and I still have to clean the apartment, do laundry, go to the market and make dinner. It generally takes me and Kimmie the entire weekend to get through everything at a leisurely pace, but I'm on my own, and now I only have one day left to get everything done. And since you're still here, I may as well make use of you to at least stay on top of getting clothes in and out of the washer and dryer in a timely fashion."

Jareth gaped at her, unsure if he understood her correctly. Certainly, she couldn't possibly be asking him to do domestic work, could she?

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Sarah couldn't repress her laughter as Jareth pushed and she swung higher and higher. She was amazed at how much she was enjoying herself, despite the row they narrowly avoided a little while earlier over household chores. Somehow they had been able to defuse it before it started. After Jareth threw a royal fit over the inappropriateness of even being asked to clean, he suddenly realized that manual labor did not have to be part of that equation. After Sarah carefully explained exactly what needed to be done, Jareth cast a quick spell, and in a flash, laundry was done and put away, the apartment was spotless and the rest of the day was now free for them to enjoy.

They ended up back at the park, where Jareth was fascinated by the apparatus on the playground. He approached it with a look of wonder, and as he discovered the purpose for each new thing - the rock climbing wall, the monkey bars, the zip line, his expression changed from curiosity to that of absolute elation. When he insisted Sarah join him on the swings, she was reluctant, but it his joy was contagious.

After they had exhausted themselves playing, they found an empty bench to sit down and rest.

"Thank you," Sarah said as she smiled at Jareth.

Jareth looked at her quizzically.

"That was the most fun I've had in years," she explained. "I've spent all my time since Kimmie was born working to keep a roof over our heads and worrying that no matter how hard I try, I'm not doing enough for her. I'd forgotten what fun was."

"Sarah, no one who knows you would ever doubt your ability to provide for Kimmie. She's a bright, inquisitive, healthy young girl. And it's obvious the two of you have a bond most mothers would envy."

Sarah blushed at hearing him say that. "Thank you," she repeated.

Jareth sat back on the bench as his gaze became distant. He scanned the treetops, obviously lost in thought. "You have no idea how exceptional you are, do you?" he began. "The way you fought for Toby, when there was so little reason for you to do so. I've encountered parents with far less desire to hold on to their children. For years I've watched your people and been horrified by humanity's inability to treasure their most valued gifts. Time and time again, I see parents, who are supposed to champion their children, defend them, protect them, stand behind them, cast them aside like so much refuse, without a thought as to what might become of them as they attempt to make their way through the world alone."

Sarah visibly blanched at hearing Jareth's description of a situation far too similar to her own. A horrified Jareth realized his mistake too late.

"Sarah, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize -"

"No, Jareth, it's okay," she stammered. "Really." They sat in silence for a while until Sarah spoke again.

"You know, I've tried writing to Toby, several times during the past fifteen years. There's so much I've wanted to share with him. But each letter was returned unopened. Karen and my dad cut me completely out of their lives, and as hard as it is to live with that, not knowing what became of my little brother is almost unbearable. He's probably in college now. Either that, or he's been cut off, too," she said a little bitterly. "I wonder if he even remembers that he once had a big sister," she trailed off, and suddenly brightened as a new thought occurred to her.

"Jareth," she began tentatively, unsure how to phrase her request. "Could you . . . ." She couldn't bring herself to say it, because learning the truth might be more painful than not knowing. What if he wasn't interested in getting reacquainted with the big sister who disappeared 16 years ago, or worse, what if he had forgotten her.

Jareth knew what she was asking and shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, but there are strict rules to how I can use my magic. I can only appear to those who have made a wish. I cannot even conjure an image in a crystal."

Jareth hated being the cause of such intense sadness in her. The mood of the afternoon suddenly shifted as the fun-loving and expressive Sarah was gone and replaced by indomitable mom Sarah, who realized she was being a terrible hostess by making her guest feel bad. "Come on," she said standing up. "I think a Frappuccino is in order."

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Sarah and Jareth returned to the apartment carrying several bagsful of groceries. Sarah took advantage of having access to a set of strong arms which could bring everything up in one trip, where it normally took her and Kimmie two or three trips to unload the car.

They were still putting everything away when Kimmie returned. Kimmie was grateful that they had once again put aside whatever differences existed between them. After Jareth left, she was going to have to sit her mother down and get a full account of her history with Jareth, because it was obvious that it was long, complicated and fraught with hard feelings.

"So what's for dinner," she finally asked as she watched Jareth awkwardly taking directions from Sarah as they finished putting the week's groceries away.

"I was thinking just a simple primavera with some cheesy garlic toast," Sarah replied brightly.

Kimmie's tongue already had a gripe ready to go, because she wasn't a fan of primavera. She much preferred richer meat and cream sauces, but she bit it back at hearing cheesy garlic toast. That was her absolute favorite, and it made the prospect of having to eat primavera tolerable. Kimmie's dislike for the pasta was further lightened when she realized her mother had splurged and bought the premium pasta from the refrigerated section, the tri-color cheese stuffed tortellini. She looked at her mother knowingly and smiled. "I take it this dinner is special?" she asked in a tone which indicated she knew Sarah's intention was far from innocent.

Sarah looked at her daughter, surprised by the insinuation, and clearly flustered by the idea of Jareth realizing what Kimmie meant. She then proceed to finish pulling out everything she would need to cook in as casual a manner as she could manage. "No, I just thought it would be nice for a change." As excuses went, it sounded weak, and she knew whatever hope she had at having Kimmie believe her would vanish as she pulled out the last of the groceries - raspberry lemonade, Sprite and grape juice to make a fizzy punch. Kimmie eyed her mother suspiciously as Sarah pulled the bottles out.

"Okay, Mom, whatever you say." She winked at her mother and walked away.

Jareth wisely decided not to comment on the scene which he had just witnessed.