"You need a ride to school today sweetheart?" Sarah's father asked pleasantly as he grabbed his briefcase and overcoat. Sarah shook her head as she finished her second bowl of cereal. "Tetra's pickin me up today."

Her father gave her a quick peck on the forehead before he hugged her stepmother and left for work.

Tetra was Sarah's only friend from the Aboveground. They had become friends after she had come back from her adventures in the Labyrinth and they were very close.

Tetra was a half black, half white girl who had a fiery personality and an immediate temper. She was very protective of Sarah, which the young woman was grateful. For at school she had always been bullied and made fun of for being different.

Sarah had gotten along with Tetra from the beginning and several weeks into their relationship, the two had started calling each other little nicknames, such as 'cuz' or 'sis'.

Sarah was thankful every day she woke up that she had someone to talk to. Otherwise she would have wished for the Goblins to take her away again, just for some excitement.

If it wasn't for Tetra, her life would be a misery.

Sarah placed her empty bowl in the sink and checked her hoodie pocket for the second time that morning for her phone and house keys. And yet again she felt them, resting undisturbed. Several seconds later the girl heard a car honk outside and knew it was her friend. Sarah quickly gave Toby a hug and grabbed her backpack, running out to meet Tetra.

Tetra owned an old ford truck that she had gotten from a junkyard about a year ago. She and her brother Justin had fixed it up. It had a good engine and very good mileage, but it looked like a beat up hunk of junk. The poor thing was rusted and the paint was chipping off in random places all over the body.

Surely once it had been a very pretty blue but now the paint had faded so much that it looked a very sickly green.

The last hideous detail of the truck was the large dent on the passenger door that made it hard to open. But as beat up as it looked, it was a reliable car and Tetra loved it.

Sarah struggled with her door for a moment before it opened. She smiled up at the girl sitting in the driver's side and hopped in shutting the door.

"It's too early," Tetra complained as a way of greeting.

"Good morning to you to." Sarah said rolling her eyes.

Tetra yawned loudly, "Thank goodness it's Friday. I don't think I could take another day of this crap."

"My feelings exactly," Sarah said jokingly. Tetra smiled and leaned over to give her best friend a hug. When she pulled away she asked the question she asked every morning she picked up the other girl.

"You ready to get going?" Sarah nodded and Tetra gunned the motor, speeding away from Sarah's peaceful neighborhood.

They drove in comfortable silence for about a mile before Sarah remembered their phone conversation that had taken place the day before. "So. . . Did you break up with Robert?"

Tetra kept her eyes on the road but answered her.

"Yeah, he didn't take it too well." She switched lanes and cursed under her breath as another car tried to cut her off.

"You wanna talk about it?" Sarah asked knowing full well her friend did.

Tetra nodded. "You know he actually started to cry." Sarah scrunched her face up ruefully. Tetra looked at her and then back at the road. "I know. It wasn't as easy as I thought it was going to be. . . I thought I was just going to say we were through and leave but it didn't happen anything like that." She shook her head sadly.

"I'm sorry Tet." Sarah apologized.

"I'm not. I am sick of being lied to, Sarah. He blew his chance with me and it's the last time he'll ever cheat on me."

Sarah leaned her head on her friend's shoulder. "I'm glad you're not depressed, cause you deserve better."

Tetra took one hand off the wheel and patted Sarah's head. "I know."

Sarah laughed and lifted her head up, she truly was glad her friend was through with that jock loser. He had been nothing but a jerk and they had never truly gotten along.

"So?" Tetra asked.

"So," Sarah repeated, puzzled.

"You are so forgetful Sarah," Tetra chided. "You said yesterday that you wanted to tell me something important."

Sarah smile vanished.

She had been debating for some time now whether or not she should tell her friend about the Underground. And she had managed to put it off for quite a while now. But with Hoggle and the others not answering her call she was worried. She needed someone to tell her it was going to be okay and that she was merely overreacting.

"I'll tell you at lunch when we can talk undisturbed." She decided.

Tetra frowned slightly, but didn't push her for more details.

They pulled into the school parking lot and got out. They were 15 minutes early thanks to Tetra's mad driving.

"You want a soda?" Tetra asked heading towards the pop-machines.

"Nah . . . I'm trying to quit." Sarah said as nonchalantly as she possibly could.

Tetra shrugged and walked off in search of her morning fix of caffeine.

Sarah sighed loudly, as she realized that she was actually eager to have her friend leave her alone. She needed a moment to think . . . "How do I tell Tetra about the Underground?" She wondered. "But more importantly, how do I tell her about Jareth?" The young woman slumped down against one of the surrounding hallway walls and landed on the cold title floor. "Knowing Tetra she'll ask me why the hell I didn't stay with him."

"I've asked myself that question countless times and I still don't have an answer."

Sarah jumped as a strange voice came from inside her head. The girl knew it wasn't her voice. . . No. She knew the owner of that silky voice all too well.

"Jareth?"

"Hello Darling," his voice greeted. "Did you miss me?"

Sarah nearly screamed out loud as he answered her. The girl clutched both sides of her head frantically, wondering what on earth he wanted with her now. "What do you want?"

He laughed that musical laugh of his and it made goosebumps rise on her arms and all of her hairs stand on end. "Just a friendly chat Sarah; nothing more," He assured her.

Sarah didn't reply. At least she didn't think she did. After all he was currently inside of her head and prying into her personal thoughts.

Sarah didn't trust Jareth. If he was here it wasn't for a 'friendly chat.'

"You still don't trust me do you?"

Sarah almost laughed.

"Trust you? After what you did? Why would I ever trust you?"

"Because I love you."

She stopped for a second. There was such unmistakable longing in his voice that she was left momentarily speechless. Sarah honestly felt sorry for him, but quickly pushed her empathy away. "That's what he wants you to think," She told herself not caring if he heard her or not.

"I'm not using magic on you Sarah. It's already a huge strain on my magic just talking to you like this. I couldn't influence you if I wanted to . . . I am merely here to talk."

Against her better judgment she believed him.

"Why are you here?"

"Straight to business as always, I see. You haven't changed much within a year's time."

Sarah waited for him to answer her question.

"I want you to be my bride," he said seriously. "I cannot live without you Sarah, and without me, my kingdom will fall, as well as the goblin people. Within time, the Labyrinth and the Goblin City will be no more."

"You can't make me go with you Jareth." She said firmly. "I don't love you."

"Of course I can't make you Sarah. But I can persuade you." He said his tone changing drastically.

Sarah didn't like the way this conversation was going. Deep inside her Sarah knew with a sick feeling that Jareth was holding the trump card. She was in trouble.

"I have something that you might want and you most definitely have something I want. I suggest a trade."

"There is nothing that you have that I want Jareth," Sarah said though her voice betrayed her and cracked. She could imagine the large smirk covering his lips at the sound.

"Are you so sure?" He asked playfully. "Tell me Sarah, have you seen your friends lately?"

Sarah gasped out loud, "No."

"Oh yes."

Sarah's mind was whirling. That's why Hoggle had been worried; he knew that Jareth had an end game. That's why they hadn't answered her when she had called. They were imprisoned.

"They are here at my castle, beyond the Goblin City. They are awaiting trial where they will be sentenced to death for high treason."

"What treason did my friends commit Jareth?"

"Treachery against the crowned king, and aiding and assisting a human, which is against the laws of the land."

Sarah started to cry, because she was so angry. How could she have walked straight into his trap? She should have known the battle for her freedom would never be over, not as long as Jareth had power.

In that moment Sarah hated him, but above all, she hated herself. She was weak and by being weak, she had gotten her friends into this mess. Now she would have to pay the price.

"There has to be another way?"

"There is no other way," Jareth replied in a bored sort of tone. "Marry me and your friends will go free, cleared of all charges. Refuse me and they will die a traitor's death."

"Jareth . . . Please," Sarah begged with her head bowed pleadingly. "This is my fault. Don't take this out on them, please have mercy Jareth. Please?"

"My dear, if I didn't have to do it this way, I wouldn't. But there is no other way I could get your attention. You would never come back to me of your own free will."

Sarah knew this was true. But that didn't make her wish it wasn't any less than she did.

"I will give you until midnight to make your decision." He said softly. "Sarah your dreams were never meant to be taken, but it is the only way my love."

She felt a warm pair of lips gently press against her cheek though no one was sitting next to her in the school halls.

"Please try to understand, my love."

Sarah slowly felt Jareth retracting from her mind.

"Until tonight."

And then as quickly as he had come, Jareth was gone.

Sarah sat disheveled on the floor, crying helplessly into herself. She had let down her friends and herself.

"Damn you Jareth!" She yelled after him knowing that he could hear her.

The girl collapsed in a heap on the floor and lost herself within her own gut wrenching sobs. That night at Midnight, Jareth the Goblin King would win.