Quick Recap

Sarah has spent the last 15 years slowly fading away because of a lack of magic. The need culminated with Jareth having removed all magic from her grasp, thus necessitating her return to the Underground. Once there, she learned she would no longer exist in her family's memories, thus prompting her to seek out some "alone time." During her search of the castle, Sarah encountered Shiner who is the grandson of the little blue worm. He related to her a couple of prophecies that he believed she fulfilled. Oh…and there is a group of rebels attacking the Labyrinth. And goblins become goblins because they choose not to run the labyrinth for the wished aways.

I think that covers everything…

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**Demons and Angels**

Sarah meandered her way down the castle hallways. It was well past her bedtime and the emotional journey she had been on after years of nothing was causing her great fatigue. "Oh! I should have just accepted Shiner's offer!" she grumbled to herself. The heavier her eyelids became, the less her internal dialogue stayed where it belonged.

Shortly after Shiner relayed his prophecy, he had jumped up in astonishment. "Blimey! Would ya look at the time! You best be 'eadin' off to your room now. Wouldn't want ya wanderin' the 'alls in the dark now, would we?" Of course he had insisted that he be allowed to walk Sarah to her room, but she'd refused. She hadn't wanted to move at a worm's pace and it hadn't occurred to her at the time that she had no idea which room was hers.

It was only later that she realized she could have carried him.

Mentally kicking herself once more, Sarah turned down another unending corridor ...and immediately slammed her toe into a rather large piece of stone. "Stupid rock!" She yelled as she threw it down the hallway, not caring if anything broke. Leaning against the wall, Sarah picked up her foot and began massaging her toe through the front of her sandals, muttering under her breath as she felt for blood. "Stupid king with his stupid confusing castle. He probably magicked that rock there on purpose! If his hallways were even half as disgusting as his throne room I'd have been looking for it, but nooo! I had to run into the one loose stone in the whole place. Who does that, anyway? Who cleans everything, but the one place they bring guests?"

"Yes, well we can't have chickens running loose in the castle—we'd never find the eggs."

Sarah should have been used to Jareth's propensity to suddenly materialize out of thin air by that time, but exhaustion tends to make one a bit jumpy. Which is precisely what happened: Sarah jumped. On one foot. And fell to the ground in a very undignified heap, adding a sore rear end to her lengthening list of physical and mental complaints.

Surprisingly the mocking laugh that she anticipated hearing never came. Sarah glared at the floor, knowing his face contained that infuriating smirk; she refused to give him the satisfaction of acknowledging it. What she wasn't expecting was the gloved hand that came into her view. Startled, she looked up to find that she was wrong: Jareth wasn't even smiling. Oh sure, his eyes twinkled with their customary mischief, but he did a good job of forcing a blank expression upon his handsome face. In fact, he looked almost uncertain. A peace offering perhaps?

Unsure of the game he was playing, but refusing to give him the upper hand by being seen as ungrateful; Sarah took his palm in hers and allowed him to pull her to her feet. Brushing off the seat of her jeans, she quickly stepped away. "Well, you certainly know how to make an entrance," she quipped. "Is there something you want, or do you just like to scare poor women half to death at every opportunity?"

The twinkle in his eyes became more pronounced as he bowed with a flourish. "As a matter of fact, I am here to help you. It appears as if you've gotten yourself lost. Would you care for some assistance?"

Sarah tilted her head and studied her host to make sure she wasn't seeing an illusion. He sure looked an awful lot like the Goblin King, but she had yet to witness this particular side of him. She wasn't sure she liked a gallant Jareth…it just wasn't quite him. It was like traveling down a beautiful jungle trail, expecting a jaguar to jump out at any moment. He was far too clever to be trusted fully. However, the passageway was dimly lit, to say the least, and she could feel fear rising to the surface. It donned on her that she'd never been in the Labyrinth, or its castle, after dark. Given the reason the goblins were turned into goblins, it might be safer to be escorted by their ruler. She doubted he would go through all the trouble of saving her merely to allow her to be attacked in his own castle—he was much more subtle.

"Yes, Jareth, some assistance would be very welcome. How do I get to my room?" Sarah asked as civilly as possible. She was able to use good manners upon occasion.

Jareth straightened and offered his arm in response. After only a slight hesitation, Sarah placed her hand in the crook of his elbow and fell in step with the king as he began to move through the strange twists and turns of the castle hallways. Although she was careful to maintain a safe "no contact" zone, Sarah found herself occasionally tripping over carpet runners or rocks more often than mere chance would allow, causing her to lean heavily upon her escort. The slight movement at the corner of his lips confirmed her suspicions that she wasn't quite as clumsy as appearances would have her believe.

Sarah was reminded of the havoc her pent up emotions could cause. Right now they were thoroughly in confusion. Aside from the frustration over her inability to sidestep the obstacles Jareth placed in her path, she had to continually fight back the anger from their argument earlier; now was not the time to engage in a battle of wills. Her exhaustion made the depression of never seeing Toby again more acute. She was thoroughly alone here, without even Hoggle to call upon after she had deserted him so many years before. It made her want to weep openly. However, added to her more negative feelings, were emotions that were even more difficult to fight.

The information Shiner had passed on to her made the man beside her a curiosity. And with that there was the ever-present war with lust that she could never fully escape no matter how much she disliked the object of her ogling. She kept her mouth firmly shut—too afraid to even think lest her internal monologue become an external assessment of his assets. There was no denying his overt sexuality. As he sauntered down the hallway, she was unable to ignore how her hormones screamed, "take me, I'm yours!" even as her mind felt repulsed by his utter arrogance. It added a whole new level of frustration.

Thankfully the test of her self-control was short-lived. Three turns later, Jareth came to a stop outside a darkened alcove and announced, "These will be your rooms for the duration of your stay in the castle. They are protected so that only you and those that are specifically invited by you may enter." He leered down at her as if could sense her lascivious thoughts. She didn't give him the pleasure of a blush. Folding her arms across her chest, Sarah raised her right brow and smirked in a silent question of his manliness, which wiped the smile right off his face. He continued almost bitterly, "Should you again feel the need to traverse my hallways…take a map."

And with that bit of civility, he disappeared, leaving Sarah alone facing a thick wooden door. The haphazard lines carved into the surface were reminiscent of a black widow's web; erratic, with no apparent design. She was studying the detail, trying to determine if there was a pattern and postponing the inevitable entrance to her rooms—plural—when Jareth's disembodied voice tickled the base of her neck. "Oh, and Sarah…one more thing. Try not to be caught out in the passageways at night without an escort. The less friendly goblins appear after dark."

Remembering her thoughts from earlier, the pattern on her door was suddenly all too clear and Sarah pushed her way inside. Slamming the door behind her merely dampened the monarch's laughter as it faded into oblivion.

Ugh! That man infuriated her! She pounded her palms into the back of the door for good measure, the splinter she received in the process focusing her energy. Thankfully it was large enough to pull out without tweezers. As she worked on it she turned to survey her new living space.

The room, which she had to assume was her living room, was relatively large. The polished stone walls were lined with plain, lit candelabras around four different doors, around each window (of which there were also four), and around the large fireplace that, in its unlit state, was reminiscent of yet another door. Covering much of the floor was a plush red carpet. This was easy to see as it was the only thing in the room. There were no curtains, no shutters (or glass for that matter) to keep out the chill, and no furniture.

Sarah quickly opened door number one which led to an empty hall closet. Door number two led to another empty room lined with bookshelves, devoid of all books. Door number three contained a bathroom with relatively modern plumbing: a sink with a hand pump and a pull chain shower and toilet—with no toilet paper. Slamming the bathroom door, she moved to the final room. This room had to be her bedroom. It had candelabras on each of the walls, a large walk-in closet, and a fireplace, but aside from another plush, red carpet, it was completely empty.

She didn't even try to restrain herself. "JARETH! I know you can hear me! Get in here! NOW!"

He appeared within seconds, lounging on her windowsill as if he'd been there the entire time. The slight curve of his lips told her he knew exactly why she was furious and was enjoying every minute of it. "Well, well, well, Sarah. I never would have thought you would invite me into your bedroom so soon. What a lovely surprise."

"Cut the crap, Jareth. I am exhausted. Where am I supposed to sleep? You knew I didn't have anything!"

Jareth brushed his gloved hand in the air as if batting away her concern. "I would not dare to presume to find furniture for you. Women like to have everything their own way…or so I've been told."

Sarah's glare sharpened to a razor's edge and she opened her mouth to tell him all sorts of wonderful things he could do with his fake feminism, but stopped. Her mouth clicked shut as she took in his barely concealed amusement. Her discomfort was clearly entertaining him. If she could calm down, perhaps he would relent a little.

Taking a deep breath, Sarah once again attempted to remember her acting skills. She even smiled…sort of. "Jareth, I would appreciate it if you would be willing to loan me a bed until I can get my own. And some toilet paper," she added quickly. Better to get the essentials out of the way. She increased her smile—showing some teeth. "Please."

Jareth pushed off from the window sill to stand. "Oh, so the lady has manners." His countenance darkened as he crossed the room, stopping within inches of her and wiping the fake grin right off her face. There he stood, radiating authority, his eyes wavering back and forth as he stared into the depths of Sarah's soul. Her breath caught as she fell under his scrutiny, but Sarah held her ground, returning his gaze with calm assurance, refusing to take a step back no matter how badly her wobbly knees begged. "How charming," he added as he turned his back on her, the sarcasm marring his tone clearly stating that he felt it was anything but charming; whether the remark was meant as a subtle attack against her manners or her person remained to be seen.

A fire sprung up as he moved to lean against the mantle of the fireplace. The Goblin King gazed into the flames for a moment, alternately being cast as a demon and an angel as the light flickered upon his chiseled features in the ever-darkening room. Sarah couldn't help but feel the fire showed his dual nature more than anything had before. Finally Jareth spoke, his eyes never leaving the multi-hued source of warmth. "You presume a lot of me, Sarah. I am not your slave to be at your beck and call." She felt the intended slap bitterly, remembering his words from years earlier when he had promised to be just that—if only to win a game.

He turned to face her and she opened her mouth to respond, but he held up a hand to forestall the words from coming from her lips. "You would do well to remember whom you are dealing with." He tossed a crystal at her. Without thinking, she opened her hands to catch the glass bubble and as it popped upon her fingertips, Jareth disappeared.

Sarah threw up her hands in frustration and took a step backward. Her leg hit something solid and she fell…onto a soft mattress. Looking around she was amazed to see all of her bedroom furniture from her Aboveground abode had been transported within the stone walls—complete with curtains and glass for the windows. Granted, this space was much larger than her previous bedroom had been so the room still appeared fairly empty, but it definitely felt more like home.

Utterly worn out from the day's events, Sarah could not even muster the energy to change into more comfortable sleeping attire. She was much too tired to think of all that had occurred throughout that day; too tired to dwell on Toby, prophecies, or magic, and much too tired to ponder Jareth's words of warning.

She only hoped he had made good on the toilet paper.

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A/N – There we have it: the long awaited next chapter. Will I ever stop being overcritical of my work? I doubt it…and I hope not. Unfortunately, it just means that when life gets busy, FF has to wait . I truly do apologize for taking so long. It was never intended. I cannot believe how much time has flown by since my last update! All my free time has been spent…well, sleeping. And proofreading papers for my husband… (He got 100% on all of them. He did say he would be adding my name to the diploma—well, at least HALF of my name…my last name. I am learning a lot about different counseling methods in the meantime however…)

Truly, THANK YOU for all the fantastic reviews. You cannot possibly know how much they mean to me. Every time I get one, I write. Really. I just usually throw away five or six rough drafts and begin again. So, please keep the reviews coming. They are a wonderful source of encouragement to me. Plus, they are like coffee…giving me energy when I really should be sleeping!

Oh, and I do have one more chapter almost ready for this fic. It is not a Jareth/Sarah chapter, but it moves the plot along smoothly (I think). I must give it another read-through (or five) before I post it though, but hopefully it will be up in a few days? Thank you for staying with me! I will see this to the end...I promise!