Disclaimer: I am very sad to say that I do not own Jareth or the Labyrinth, however much I wish that I did. I also do not own the song that is mentioned in this chapterand while I'm not mentioning the artist (to keep it a surprise, for now), I will give credit where it's due, when it comes to it.

Notwritten: I am glad that you think so. Really. I am.

DanikaLareyna: Hee… he is persnickety, isn't he? He's so fun to write. And, yes, he is still suffering from a broken heart! Poor GK. But, Wren should be able to help him before long… perhaps by the time she reaches the castle… we'll see.

Yami Moon: Yes, we totally should. I'll get on that… when I have some time… Okay, about the game I mentioned? is the link, I believe. It's the first game listed – not fancy, but still fun. I just stumbled on this while looking for Jareth pictures… and it was hard to find again! But, it's good to have, so I'm glad I took the time to find it. More hot Jareth on the way!

Babs: Thanks for the suggestion! I know, I'm so bad about scenery… I mean, I see it, so it's tough to remember you all can't… I'll try and work in some more descriptions.

Sanoru: Aw, thanks! Next chapter is in the works...

A/N: Okay, I am bound and determined to get Wren through the Labyrinth. I will get her through it… we'll see if it takes one or two more updates. I seriously have no control over the lengths of these things… they practically write themselves! Ack

Also, I'd like to make a few song recommendations, for anyone who cares. I love to listen to music as I write, so here's what I listen to when writing these chapters:

Lion by Rebecca St. James (written for Narnia, works perfect for Jareth)

Uninvited by Alanis Morriset (sorry, I know I spelled that wrong)

Break me Shake me by Savage Garden

My Immortal by Evanescence

Absolute Beginners by David Bowie (actually, anything by Bowie, really)

I Surrender by Celine Dion (oh the power!)

Reveal also by Celine Dion (Whoo! This one makes me giddy!)

When I think of some more, I'll put them up too. They're just so… Jareth-y.

And I've stalled enough, haven't I? Okay, on with the chapter.

Well, not for the first time since I met him, but I was seriously baffled. Honestly. He was asking if I was coming? Did he mean with him? Why didn't he just, you know… vanish or pop away in an explosion of glitter, like before? I had no words for him, I just stared.

He stood there, head cocked to the side, in front of a large green shrubbery wall, looking annoyed, but still very regal. He frowned at me, "Have you suddenly gone deaf?"

I blinked, "No… just… What do you mean?"

Jareth put his hands on his hips, "Honestly, I didn't think it was that difficult of a question. Are you going to come, or have you chosen to become a garden statue?"

I scowled at him, "Okay, I'm not stupid… I just don't understand…"

"Isn't that somehow in the definition of 'stupid'?"

I shook my head and gritted my teeth, "Look," I paused and took a breath, "I am going to go on my way, towards the castle, in order to finish the Labyrinth, as planned. I understand the meaning of the phrase 'are you coming?' I just don't understand why you're the one saying it. You saying that implies that you'll be coming with me… as I go through the Labyrinth… unless I'm mistaken. So… that's what I don't understand."

He raised an eyebrow, "You don't understand if you are mistaken?"

"No! Gosh, stop doing that! You know what I mean!" I snapped, my voice going high-pitched without me even making it do so. "Isn't there a rule somewhere that says you aren't allowed help me solve the Labyrinth?"

He looked puzzled, "You truly don't understand, do you?"

"What's that mean? Are you insulting me again?"

He closed his eyes and shook his head, giving me a small laugh, "No, Wren… by the way, what is 'Wren' short for?"

"Nothing. That's my name. Wren. Unlike most people, I wasn't given a grand name that I think is so old-lady-ish it has to be shortened. I'm stuck with Wren."

"Oh."

"Just 'oh'?"

"Yes, now stop interrupting me," he turned his head up and looked down at me, "As I was saying, you truly don't understand the nature of this Labyrinth. The Aboveground, it seems, has become terribly lax in explaining the differences between a labyrinth and a maze. A labyrinth is a path, not a place to get lost in. It's a distance to travel with obstacles, whereas a maze is several paths, most which will lead you to dead ends.

"This labyrinth," he held up his hands, motioning to everything around us, "Is what you make of it. Really, if you want it to become a maze, it will be one. Most people don't understand that this place is what you make it to be, or perhaps what you need. You want it to be an evil trap, then it will become one. You seek adventure and wish to be a hero; you'll have someone to rescue and obstacles to overcome. My Labyrinth is a path, but a personal one that each individual needs to take."

Whoa. The movie never said that, for sure. I heard him, and then began to wonder about several things all at once…

"Okay, so let me get this straight…" I paced a little, "If I had a terrible problem with judging people based on their looks, I would have been given an ugly helper, wouldn't I?"

"Yes."

That made sense. Sarah had been given Hoggle… he was ugly and traitorous… but Sarah had cared about him anyway, and had learned to forgive him for his mistakes. "And if I was always looking for the perfect fairy tale, you would show me that life isn't fair."

"Correct."

I nodded, "Okay, I get it. And you would play the part of the evil king if I needed it, wouldn't you?"

He stiffened, "Yes."

"But I know life isn't fair, looks don't really matter to me, and I know better than to think you're evil. So… what's my deal?"

His face went blank again, "That, I cannot tell you. So, I'll ask you again, are you coming?"

I squinted at him, still thinking on what it was that I particularly needed in the Labyrinth. It still was the Labyrinth, and nothing was what it seemed…

He didn't know. My face lit, as the thought hit me. He didn't know what I needed, that's why he was sticking around and also why he'd tried to trick me into telling him why I'd wished myself away. He really couldn't tell me, because he didn't fully know.

But… wait. Maybe I knew. So far… he was all I'd really encountered. All my other problems had come from my weight. Men and my weight – that's what it all boiled down to. Did I need his acceptance, in some way? Could be. For now, I'd assume it had something to do with my weight and my insecurities.

I forced a smile, "Yeah, I am."

"Da-da, da-dum da-dum… da-da, da-dum da-dum… da-da, da-dum da-dum…"

The silence that sat between us was driving me crazy. So, as I do it often, I started to hum. I wasn't comfortable singing around him (I mean, would anyone? I'd seen Magic Dance, and knew he could sing way better than I could. I wasn't stupid).

But, my humming, the same song again – it had since stuck itself in my head – seemed to stir him. We had been walking through the hedge… well, I wanted to call it a maze, but it really wasn't. It was almost like a garden path, then. Well, it was tall walls of green bushes and leaves, a few flowers here and there, and now and then we'd pass over cobblestones or pass a statue. As we walked, I noticed that he'd look over at me as while humming (I guess you couldn't call it humming, as I was saying things, but they were just, you know, dum-dums and das and such).

"Whatever are you singing?" he asked at length, looking vaguely interested.

I turned to him, doe eyed, "Nothing." I said quickly and began walking ahead.

"Don't you want me to know what the song is?"

I swallowed, "It's not that…"

A hand on my shoulder caused me to turn around. He was stooped down a little, looking me directly in the face, "Are you afraid I won't like it? I do appreciate music, you know."

His mismatched eyes burrowed deeply into me… I swallowed, even though my mouth had gone dry. "I think you'd mock me relentlessly."

He looked shocked. He drew back and put a hand on his chest, "Heavens, Wren, don't you trust me? I adore music!"

"Yeah, I kinda know that much…"

"Besides," he reasoned, "You sang most of it down in the Oubliette. Why fear singing the words?"

"No… see, I don't sing the lyrics."

He raised an eyebrow at me, "But I heard you."

"But those weren't the lyrics," I turned away and started walking farther ahead of him (we were starting to get to a few more walls made of brick and stone, as opposed to shrubbery). "I don't like the lyrics to the song, just the music. It's fabulous, but the lyrics aren't that great."

He nodded as he came up beside me and started walking, "They're too… sappy?"

I laughed – something about the way he said sappy made me want to giggle, "No. They're not sappy, they're… skanky."

"Skanky? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that term…"

I looked at him, still shocked that we were having a civil conversation – and somehow suspecting that any minute now he was going to do… something. I couldn't figure out what, yet. "Skanky… um, provocative and of a subject matter that I don't necessarily approve of. Skanky."

A mischievous smile lit his face, "You refuse to sing them for me, then?"

I looked at him a funny look. Huh? He wanted me to sing to him? Me sing to him? Not likely.

"That's a huge no."

He stopped and grinned wickedly, "Well, then I'll have to go find them."

"Find what, the real lyrics?" I snorted, "Yeah, right. Good luck with that."

"You don't believe I can find you're dirty lyrics?"

I rounded on him, "First off, they aren't mine they're – someone else's. Secondly, no, I don't think you can find them."

"But you don't deny that they are dirty."

My eyes bulged at him, and – for some reason I didn't understand – my face went bright red, "That's why I made up my own lyrics for the song! I don't like the original ones!"

Jareth grinned, showing me his somewhat pointed teeth. "I do love a challenge. But, why not make it… more interesting? How about, if you can make it to the junkyard before I find them, then I'll go on and never ask you about them again. And, if I find them first… then you have to sing them. Sound like some fun?"

NO! "No – don't you dare!"

His grin widened, "Oh, I would. Now, if you'd excuse me, I have some research to do…"

"JARETH!" I lunged at him, but was too late. He'd already disappeared with a small puff of sparkly glitter. I inhaled some of it, and coughed a lot.

But then I was running again. I had to get to the junkyard before he did. If he read the true lyrics to that song, I'd never live it down!

I panicked horribly for a few moments after he'd puffed away, seeing as how I no longer had a guide, but then I remembered what he'd told me about the Labyrinth being a path, and relaxed. Unfortunately, it wasn't an easy path. I guess if it wasn't playing a maze, then the Labyrinth walls all kinda came together and made the journey that much longer. Every piece was now apart of the path – had it been a maze, I bet there would be parts that I would bypass on the way.

And I was running out of breath quicker than before. I was panicked… and slightly thrilled. I really didn't want him to have those lyrics… if I beat the Labyrinth (how I was supposed to do that, I wasn't sure now, when I tried to consider the whole stupid 'path' crap) then I might be spending a lot of time with the Goblin King (did that frighten me or scare me? I wasn't sure), and he'd never let me forget it. If he found those lyrics, I would very well be too embarrassed to stay, even if I won.

Okay, I confess, I was excited. This was slightly on the fun side.

It hadn't been too long before I had reached the end of the hedge area, thingy. I came to two doors, each with a knocker on it. Without thinking much about anything, I knocked the one with the ring in it's mouth, and promptly pushed open the door and into a very, um, glittery forest. I could tell that Jareth had had some say in this part, with all the sparkles.

It was getting dark, now, and things were slightly harder to see… but perhaps it was only the cover of the trees. Either way, I had a long way to go to make it to the junkyard and not enough time. I just kept going… I jumped over a low branch and dashed around a tree… realizing that the three looked just like one I'd already passed. I stopped, looked around, and groaned.

I had no idea where I was or what I was doing. I was so screwed. I don't know how he'd do it, but I know he'd find the song, and know the lyrics, and mock me for it.

I blinked in the dim light. Before me was – a wall. Weird. I didn't know where it had come from… but at least I hadn't run into it.

I looked up the wall, "How in the world am I supposed to get up there?" I said to myself.

There was a snort, "You might just try the stairs."

I whirled. Jareth was behind me, smiling and pointing to my left. There, I saw, about thirty feet away, an angular stone stair way that led to the top of the wall. Man, I felt dumb. But, at the moment, something else horrible had occurred to me.

I blanched, "You found them?"

He shook his head, "No, not yet. Don't worry, I will find them. I merely came because while I am searching, you are alone, and this is still a dangerous place…"

I gave him a wicked smile, partly to hid the blush I couldn't fight, "Gee, Jareth, I didn't know you cared so much."

Jareth looked at me sharply, "I never said I did!" he snapped, instantly doing that thing like Bilbo on the Lord of the Rings film, where one moment he's nice and the next he's evil looking. Okay, Jareth didn't look evil, but his face had instantly gone from playful to sharp and upset.

It wasn't the first time he'd done it, and I had had enough.

I frowned and stalked over to him. "Okay that's it, Mr. Magic Pants. What the heck is your problem? What did I ever do to upset you so horribly that you have to treat me like a piece of crap any time I'm nice to you?"

He bristled, "Aren't I your villain?"

I gritted my teeth, "We've been through this, and you're not, so spill! Stop trying to be the villain and tell me what is wrong!"

"NO!" he roared, getting his face really close to mine (dude, I could see the lines in his face… very distinguished… urgh, I'm hopeless), "This isn't about me, you wretched little girl! You are here for a wish…"

I balled my fists at my side, "Call me little again, and I swear I'll smack you! And don't call me wretched! You are right, this isn't about you, but your emotional constipation is causing problems for the both of us! WHY DO YOU RESENT ME BEING HERE!"

He looked positively murderous. His face was super close to mine, but he didn't say anything. I waited, meeting his gaze head on… I knew how to handle the spoiled child. After a few seconds of holding his blazing gaze, I softened mine and gave him a pleading look. He deflated and turned away from me.

"Tell me, Jareth," I said softly, "You've been nothing but angry with me since I came… and I've haven't done anything bad, that I know of. What the heck could have hurt you so terribly?"

He shook his head, his spiky hair flying around him, "It's not for you to be troubled with…" he said quietly.

Hmm. I wasn't born yesterday, and I totally had an idea as to what was wrong. I decided to take a chance. "Is this because of Sarah? Did she… hurt you?"

Jareth whirled on me, fresh anger in his eyes, "Don't mention her."

"Don't protect her name like a lucky charm – if she hurt you, be angry!"

There was a growl in his throat, "You know nothing of this, Wren, so stay out of it. Don't mention her again."

I smiled grimly, "I don't think so! Look, you're taking you're anger and frustration on people like me-"

Something hard hit me in the face, and the glittery forest vanished as I blacked out.

And wait just a second… was that a peach taste in my mouth?

A/N: Okay, there's the next chapter... I swear I wanted to get Wren through, but Jareth is just so fiesty... Well, the next chapter, we'll all try again. In the meantime, please review.