Disclaimer: I AM A NERD!!! I am also obsessed with Labyrinth, but wouldn't ever dream of trying to claim any part of that as my own. Wren, her family, friends, and the other OC's my exceptions – they are mine! MINE! MUAHAHAHA!!! –cough- um… nerd?

DanikaLareyna: What? You don't like my title? I'm hurt! –sniff-. And, I seriously doubt that the GK would let you adopt Leyla. If she needed adopting, he'd probably be the first in line.

Nikki: Ah, yes, Squyshee – he is fun, isn't he? He's one of my favorites to write… though, he's not easy. I tend to talk like I'm five after I've spent more than ten minutes at a time on him.

Notwritten: you too, my friend. Have an awesome New Year, and thank you again.

Calla Lillie: I don't think I can say just how happy your review made me – THANK YOU!!!

Contraltissimo: YES! Okay? I KNOW what you are talking about! And… I'm slowly giving in. I think I need a fiery for my wall. Happy? You should be. Hee.

Nathan: Hello! Welcome to my story! Thank you so very much for reviewing!! So many comments and responses I'd love to say... Need a pretty girl? I'm sure the GK could look into that one... stuck in things? Well... sadly, that happens more than most people would think. Wren get stuck on little things, like gum on the sidewalk and stuff. Me? -sigh- I've gotten stuck in the bathroom, seatbelts, and once in the fence out front of the White House. Yep, THAT was interesting. And, feel free to feel accepted here! And, well, you don't really need an active imagination... they're just really boring meetings. I swear. What's wrong with pink bubbles? -snort- But, most of all, thank you for all your lovely comments. I appreciate them more than I can say.

Anij: You know, my sister-in-law is expecting a little girl - they already have three boys, all with blonde hair and blue eyes... think I could convince them to name her Leyla??? -snicker-

Sammi C: Oh! I'm sorry your sick! No fun... no fun at all! I shall send the GK to cheer you up! Maybe do a dance, or something... Feel better, soon!

Miharu Kawashi: Yeah, Orla has her issues. Honestly, I don't think she understands the problem, you know? As a very wonderful author said, "Sometimes those people who were mean to you aren't really mean. They're just stupid."

Music recommendations:

Anyone by Roxette – um… anyone who's 'kissed in the rain'… probably got a cold.

Dream A Little Dream of Me by Cass Elliot – I adore Cass Elliot, she was simply amazing.

TVC 15 by David Bowie – this reminds me of one of those hallucinatory moments you have when you're sick.

Yes. You all know what inspired this chapter. Did I not mention that I'm a nerd? Because I am. And if you ask Danika, I'm a dork, too.

Colors… lots of colors. Yuck, the window is not pretty. Too bright…

It's funny what things you notice when you're sick, isn't it? Some blankets feel itchy, some you just start rolling your feet in because you're restless and also because you like the feel of them…

I HATE being sick.

And I HATE having a cold. I mean, I can stand the sniffles and cough and stuff like that, but it's that first initial part where you have chills and a bit of a fever that just kills me.

And completely wears me out.

Hmm. Better back up here and explain.

I had been sitting with Jareth on my bed talking, when he'd suddenly gotten a strange feeling about the throne room. He pulled out a crystal, seen that a couple of goblins had decided to surprise him buy decorating his throne with ketchup and mustard – he had no clue how they had gotten their hands on the condiment bottles, for as far as he knew, there weren't any in his kitchens – and he had to leave, right away, to remedy the situation.

After he left, I sat there on my bed, my mind both wondering and wandering. I swallowed… something didn't feel right. I swallowed again. It was like… not sore, but like it might be in a day. I shuddered. I did NOT want to get sick. I swallowed a third time, just to try and convince myself I was wrong…

Nope. Third time is the charm… I could feel my throat almost getting sore, which meant I'd be getting sick.

And, since I'm a huge baby about sore throats (especially the kind that feel like bacteria or something, where it makes you shudder and shake each time you swallow, instead of just the raw throat kind), it was time for some vinegar.

Um, I know that sounds gross, but trust me, gargling with a few teaspoons of vinegar and swallowing as much of it as you can will kill whatever is bugging your throat, numb it up, and heal it. It works almost instantly.

But it's just hard to get it down. It's vinegar, after all. It makes me shudder and gag a little, and my mouth waters from it like faucet or something, but a few moments of discomfort and distaste are vastly preferable to hours or days of a sickly sore throat.

So, I downed (trying and failing to miss my tongue with the tart stuff) what I could and opted to go to bed early… perhaps a little extra sleep would help fight whatever this was. I dug out some Echinacea and took that, then headed off to bed. I was pretty sure that Jareth would understand.

In the middle of the night, I woke, feeling worse. Sure, the throat was only raw, but I was now chilling. I added another blanket and went back to sleep.

When I woke up, it was a Saturday morning (so I didn't have to worry about work), but I was undeniably sick. Just sick. I was feverish feeling, weak, and didn't have the ability to focus on any one thing for more than ten seconds. I got up long enough to get some breakfast (toast was all I felt like eating, and even that was rough) and then went back to bed until noon.

The day went by in a strange haze, and by Sunday morning, I was just… yuck. I knew I had a cold, because some of the yuckier symptoms had subsided, but my nose was beginning to sniffle.

So, there I was, lying in bed, dozing. I didn't feel much like getting out of bed, and I also didn't feel much like sleeping, so I stayed in bed. I felt vaguely feverish, extremely jittery, chilled from time to time. I wondered if this odd feeling was anything like the effects of drugs… probably close. But, if that were true, it boggled me as to why anyone would want to induce these feelings. They were horrible.

Swirling colors fascinated me, mainly my curtains, even though they weren't particularly colorful curtains, but in watching them, the light from the outside wasn't the most fun to look at. But I still watched my curtains because they were preferable to the ceiling, which, due to the popcorn texture, caused my sick eyes to see strange things…

… like puffs of glitter and David Bowie in my room…

Oh, wait. That was Jareth. Duh.

It was nearly noon, and my parents had gone to take my Grandparents to church. Jareth looked down at me, highly concerned. I was usually out of bed by that time on the weekends.

"Hey," I said, rolling my feet.

"Wren, is something wrong?" he asked, looking at my disheveled appearance, "Did something keep you from sleep last night?"

I shook my head, "No, I'm sick."

He looked highly taken aback, "Then where are your parents? Do they not care for you when you are ill?"

I snorted, which wasn't a good idea, because it made me need to blow my nose, and said, "No, I'm a big girl, I can take care of my self. It's a cold, Jareth, just a cold."

He cocked his hips and placed his fists on them indignantly, "Have you no Healers in the Aboveground?"

"It's a cold, Jareth," I said, "I have stuff to ease the symptoms, but there is no cure. It would be a waste to go to a doctor, there's nothing they can do for a cold."

Mistake. That was a big mistake to tell him that.

He quickly snapped his fingers, causing my computer chair to come across the room, just in time for him to sit down beside my bed. "Wren," he said, his voice filled with fear, "There… there is no cure? I do not accept that, I shall not stand for that! Surely…"

I giggled, "Your hair is fuzzy…"

He stopped, mid sentence, and frowned at me, "Is this not a time for seriousness and concern?"

I shook my head, trying to clear it more than to actually disagree with him, "Colds aren't that serious, and they don't last all that long. I took some stuff to help, I have lots of fluids to drink, and I'll be fine in a few days time, a week at the most…" I broke off, coughing into a tissue, "Gah… uh… that reminds me, you shouldn't be here, you could catch it from me, and I don't want to make you sick."

He waved a hand at me, dismissively, and raised his nose into the air, "Nonsense, my dearling. I have yet to meet a Fae who has caught such an illness. Your family has abandoned you in your time of need, so I shall remain with you, to tend to you while you are unwell."

Something about how he said that struck me as funny, "What a kingly nurse," I said, snorting (I suppose my 'snorts' should better be called 'snots', as doing such caused me, without fail, to have to blow my nose on a couple of tissues), "Shouldn't you… I dunno… be taking care of your Kindgom?"

Jareth leaned down and reached out a hand to rest it on the side of my face… oh, his gloves were cool and felt SO good on my face… I instantly turned into his hand and made a happy noise in my throat. This made him smile, "My realm can wait. You are in need of assistance, I am in a position to give it, and my goblins are behaving well enough for the time being. All is well, my dearling. Now," he stroked my cheek, "What might I do for you?"

"Mmmm, right now? Hmmm…" I nuzzled his glove, "Right now you can just touch my face with both your hands…"

He raised an eyebrow at me, "Odd request… might I ask why?"

"Because it feels good."

Sometime after I'd eaten some chicken soup that Jareth had brought me, I'd fallen asleep and dozed… when I woke up, I started thinking…

… and started crying.

Jareth was at my side in an instant, "Wren, what is wrong?"

I sat up, still crying, and he moved to sit beside me and hold me, "I don't know where Jill went!"

He frowned, "Jill? Who is this Jill?"

"She… she's my…" I frowned, "Cousin? Sister? Wait… who is Jill?"

Jareth gently began stroking my face to calm me, "I have never heard mention of someone named Jill, Wren…"

"I… but… never?" I looked at him. He shook his head. I sniffed, "Jill's dead!" I wailed.

I cried again and Jareth handed me a glass of water and insisted I drink. After a long drink, my sick mind cleared. "Hold on here," I said, thinking, "I don't know a Jill… what the heck?"

Monday I stayed home from work. Yes, I was feeling much better – especially after a day of Jareth caring for me. At one point, he'd even been so worried about me, he'd attempted to use his magic to cure me, but it only made me sneeze more.

Apparently, nothing can cure the common cold, not even magic.

But, he was doting and caring and made sure my every need was met. Monday, my dad went to work and my mom went out to do her errands, like running to the store and post office and whatnot. I didn't mind – that meant I had complete control of the television.

Jareth was so wonderful (I kept insisting he should stay away from me, so he wouldn't get sick, but he insisted he would not, and would be just fine) he even sat through the movie Labyrinth with me… He only put up a minimal fuss when I insisted we watch it. True, he had his hands over his eyes for most of it, and was groaning through certain parts, but he sat through it all the same.

Of course, once I'd gotten my fill of David Bowie, we watched The Wizard of Oz, which he found far more amusing (although, we had to fast-forward through most of the Munchkin scenes, because they completely weirded him out. He insisted they were evil... which, I still don't get. But whatever). See, those are my sick movies. There is just something trippy about watching all the goblins in Labyrinth, and then all those bright colors in The Wizard of Oz, I just can't resist watching them. I was half tempted to watch my live disc of A Reality Tour, figuring that all those dumb special effects and lighting things they added would be totally trippy and way fun for my sick brain, but… Jareth had been kind enough to tolerate Labyrinth, I wasn't about to be mean and make him sit through more Bowie.

I slept through most of the rest of the day. I was feeling way better, even though I still had a stuffy nose and a cough, but I was exhausted. Jareth gave me a kiss, wished me well, and let me sleep.

Two days later, when I was back at work, loaded up with a mungo-sized box of tissues and lots of water and stuff to drink, I was feeling so much better. Work had been busy lately, and I hadn't seen Jareth since. I made a mental note to thank him next time he came, for taking such good care of me. I mean, really, I had to be the luckiest girl, ever.

But, he hadn't come. Two days, and I was beginning to worry. That wasn't like him, not without reason – and when there was a reason, he usually gave it to me.

I frowned at my computer screen as I worked. Perhaps I could go take a break, sneak Underground, and make sure he was okay.

I printed out the papers I needed, and made my way to the printer. As I grabbed my papers, I spotted another puddle.

"What the heck!" I all but yelled, dashing to Lisa's desk (she was out that day with a cold herself) to the roll of paper towel she kept there, tearing off several rolls. "Who keeps making these puddles! Bill!"

"What!?" Bill's head stuck out of his cubicle, looking highly surprised, "What did I do?"

I pointed a finger to him, and then at the puddle, "Did you do this? You were the last person to use the printer. Was this here?"

"No, Wren, I swear!" he put his hands up in defense, "I didn't notice if it was there or not, but I swear I didn't put it there!"

I relented my steel glare, "Okay, fine then…" I looked back at the puddle, "So where the heck do these keep coming from?"

The day before, it was the freakiest thing ever, I swear! It was like someone kept leaving puddles of clear goo around – and it was always me or Allie who found them! It was so annoying! I was certain that Bill had been doing it, but Allie found one on her desk, and he never goes to her desk.

I was seriously getting annoyed. I mean, come on, goo? GOO! Just small, palm sized puddles of goo… I was almost certain I'd seen one at home, too, but I think my mother found it and cleaned it up. Of course, that could have been some Jell-o thing my dad had tried to make… he'd been trying to perfect Jell-o lately… don't ask.

I trashed the goo, grumbled, and went back to my desk.

It was almost five, and I couldn't wait to go home. First thing after I could change out of my work clothes and get on some jeans, I needed to go check on Jareth. That was my top priority.

At that time of the day, I am the last person in the office, besides Donna, but she's always out smoking or somewhere else in the building. So, I was all alone…

"Spppt!"

I frowned and looked around. "Excuse me?" I said, to no one.

"Spppt!"

"Hello?" I was certain it was the techie I'd called, coming to fix the back printer, but when I looked, no one was there.

"Spppt!" the noise went again, "Lady! Oder here!"

I turned around in my chair, looking under the empty cubicle that was behind me. There, on his hands and knees, was Squyshee, trying desperately to get my attention.

"Squyshee!" I gasped, "What are you doing here?" He'd really startled me.

He peeked out from the cube, looking around, "Is it safe, Lady?"

I nodded, "Sure, I'm the only person here, right now. What's the matter?"

He held up a piece of parchment, folded over, in the air. "I is bringing the King's Lady a message from the King."

"Hmm. Why didn't he send a crystal?"

Squyshee hung his head, "He tried. Something is wrong, and the King's Lady didn't get his messages."

Quickly, worriedly, I took the envelope from the little goblin and opened it. I blinked a little… It was Jareth's handwriting, for certain, but it wasn't as straight as it usually was. In fact, it was down right sloppy for him.

I decided to just read it out loud. It was a rather formal letter, nothing like what I was expecting from him. I began reading it, idly, "Wren Neilson, the King of the Goblins hereby requests your presence. The Labyrinth and Goblin Kingdom are facing terribly dark days ahead. The King wishes to bid his farewell to you from his death bed… DEATH BED???"

Without thinking, though terribly wishing I had not read the letter out loud, as it had made Squyshee cry and near inconsolable, I stuffed the letter in my bag, grabbed my things, and decided that, with ten minutes to five, I needed to leave then. I picked the sobbing goblin up in my arms and counted my crystals right away.

We appeared outside of Jareth's room. I looked around… something about Jareth's letter let me know that, no, he wasn't dying. I couldn't explain it. I just had a feeling I guess. Well, either way, I knew that I couldn't leave Squyshee to just sob himself silly or to go tell all the goblins that their King was dying…

I ran down the hall to my rooms. I went in side, sat the small goblin on the bed with my bag, told him to stay put and guard my things for me, until I came back. He nodded, his eyes huge and watery. I patted him on the head, "Hey, I'll take care of things, okay? Don't worry… I promise it'll be okay. Don't cry."

He nodded, but then fell face first on the bed, crying again. I sighed. Best to hurry and find out what the trouble was, so I could convince Squyshee that things were okay. If I didn't soon, he'd probably make himself sick.

I raced back to Jareth's room, all but bursting through the doors. He was lying in his bed, shifting a little this way and that under his blankets. There was a pile of handkerchiefs on his bedside table, many of them used. At present, there was one just lying over his face, blocking out the sunlight from his window, which had the curtains drawn back.

"Jareth?" I asked, hurrying to his side. "Jareth, what's the matter?"

There was a distinct sniffle from under the handkerchief. "Wren?"

"Yes, it's me," I said.

His hands came up and covered his face, handkerchief and all. "No, pleath," his voice sounded terrible, "I would radder you did not thee me thith way."

I put my hands on my hips, "You called for me, remember?"

"Oh… well, I changed my mind."

Giggles threatened to escape my throat, "Jareth! Why did you say you were on your death bed?"

There was a sniffle again. "I am dying. There ith no other explanation."

I sat down on the edge of the bed and pried his hands from his face and removed the handkerchief, revealing his very sick looking face. His eyes were red rimmed, his nose was also red, presumably from blowing it, his mouth was slightly open, I guessed because his throat was sore, and he looked a little pale. Well, even for him.

I sighed, finding that, despite being sick, he looked utterly adorable. I reached out and brushed away the strands of his hair that were sticking to his forehead. He leaned into my hand and took hold of it with both of his hands, which were gloveless. "You were so cross with me about the vegetables, I was not certain I would get to say goodbye to you before I died…"

"Jareth," I said, reasonably, "First off, you aren't going to die. Secondly, I don't think I've ever been 'cross' with you about vegetables."

He frowned, "No? Truly?"

I smiled and patted his head, "Never. You just have a cold, and probably dreamt it."

"No, no, I am dying, I am sure of it!" he wailed, "This cannot be mere illness! And my healers cannot cure it, therefore I am DYING!"

I sighed, "Jareth... listen to me, okay? You caught MY cold, an Aboveground cold, and there is no cure for those. You aren't dying, you just have to deal with it, like I did, and ride it out. Okay?"

He sniffed, almost not sure whether or not to believe me. "What do I do?"

Leaning down, I kissed his forehead, "First, you let me go console a very distraught goblin, who thinks his king is dying, and then you let me help you feel better."

"Wreeen, it thmellth."

I nodded and handed him the small cup of vinegar. I wasn't about to try and use a teaspoon and get it all over me, so I'd gotten a small measuring cup for the stuff. "I know it smells, and I promise you it tastes nasty, too, but it's worth it. You don't like your throat hurting, do you?"

"No…" he looked very much like a sullen child. I couldn't blame him. Tolerating something way nasty was hard enough when you weren't sick. Still, if I could do it, so could he. And, poor thing, his throat had gotten worse, and now he was lisping. He needed it.

"Then take it," I forced the cup into his hand.

With a pitifully shaking sigh, he knocked back the cup of vinegar and began to gargle.

"Mmmm," he murmured, almost purring (ha!), as I rubbed his face and neck with my hands.

I had gone home, told my parents I'd had some errands to run, and then had gone back to help Jareth.

Um, seriously, there is something very… surreal about taking care of another person, and the moment is even more so when said person is the Goblin King. I doubt that the fact that he is the Goblin King will ever cease to amaze me.

I had brought my stuff with me: my tea and honey, some soup, cough drops, a fresh box of tissues and you know, all those things that are good for you when you're sick. He had protested at first, especially since he claimed that he didn't like honey, but I insisted that they would help him – after all, if he was capable of catching my cold, then surely my remedies could help.

Turns out, though, he likes lemon tea with honey. And I made him eat some soup, too. His kitchen staff was happy to see me again, but could not understand why it was that I wanted to cook for the King. The dying King.

Drat. That was going to call for some damage control – but I'm sure he could handle the brunt of that once he got better.

I corrected them. No, he wasn't dying, he was just ill. He'd be better soon, once I got him this stuff.

After that, they were more than willing to help me, and took serious notes on the food items I was making.

But, anyway, oddly enough, what seemed to help him the most was contact. Oh, sure, during the worst of my cold, his gloves had felt good, but contact actually seemed to improve his health. I now had him lying on his stomach, and was rubbing the back of his neck and back (long before I'd came, he'd pronounced his nightshirt to be 'itchy' and thrown it across the room).

I smiled as I played with his hair a little, sitting kind of side-saddle on the edge of the bed, right next to him. I tugged on his ears, he frowned and peeked open an eye at me… but when I began massaging the area just behind his ear, causing his Eustachian tubes to drain, he smiled and moved his jaw silently.

"You know," I said, "If you ever get sick, you should call for me sooner. I was worried about you, over the last few days."

He closed his eyes, turning his head the other way so I could work on his other ear, "I did," he murmured, "But my magic was not – and still is not – working properly."

I paused, frowning, "Wait a minute… how did you try and contact me?"

He propped himself up and faced me, holding out one hand. He swirled it around, forming a crystal. I eyed it, suspiciously… then he dropped in on the bed. When it landed, it neither bounced nor shattered…

… It formed a puddle of goo.

My hands came up and covered my mouth in absolute surprise. "Oh!" I burst out laughing, in absolute hysterics… Goo!!

He rested his head down on his pillow, smiling vaguely at me. "You see?" he said, "I tried."

Still laughing, I prodded the goo with my finger. It wobbled like jello. I grabbed a few tissues and cleaned it up. Tossing it onto the pile of tissues he'd collected, I snickered, "You've… heheh… you've got a mucus problem, haven't you?"

He raised an eyebrow at me, "Enjoy laughing at me?"

I leaned out and kissed his forehead, hugging him tightly, "No, at myself, for not putting the pieces together, sooner," I let go and looked at him, "I'm sorry."

He sighed and leaned back on his bed, giving me a faint smile, "Do not be. You have more than made up for… erm… things…" he shook his head, looking tired.

I patted his hand, "You should get some rest. I'll come back and see you tomorrow."

He smiled, his eyes closing, "Yes, please," he murmured, starting to doze, "My sweet Wren… my healer…"

I grinned, leaned over and gave him a kiss, "Sweet dreams, my sick GK."

A/N: Oh, it's so good to be free of the sniffles. I hope this chapter was up to par! Please review, and tell me what you think. I can't stress it enough that reviews keep me going here...

And speaking of reviews, I have a challenge for you. Yes, YOU, you know who you are. YOU are the reader who's been following this story, perhaps even added it to your favorites, but has never sent me a review, either in a very long time, or ever at all. I challenge YOU to send me a review. It only takes a minute - probably less than half the time it took for you to read this chapter! C'mon! You can do it, I know YOU can!

Until next, much love,

Marti