DISCLAIMER - I don't own Sarah or Jareth or the Labyrinth (unfortunately) they belong to Jim Henson & Co, and I'm definitely not making a profit from this.
All other NPC's are a figment of my own imagination.

"I'm going to bunk on you. Do you mind? I feel utterly shattered." Sarah whispered to Chris as they watched Ollie struggling with a very drunk Cassandra trying to get her into the car outside the gallery.
"Sure Petal, go right ahead. We'll sort things out here and do all the cleaning in the morning if that's ok?" Chris said giving her a squeeze.
"That's fine, I'll be in early to help. Thanks Chris I owe you guys." Sarah smiled in relief. Making her way hastily to her office she picked up the torn oil painting and her coat before hastily making her way out the rear entrance of the gallery and into the safety of her car; where she found Gob playing with a box of tissues on the back seat. The goblin had covered the car in bits of tissue and was attacking the empty box with abandon. He bounced into the front seat as she started the car, too tired to bother reprimanding him.
"Tidy this up before you leave." She said throwing a handful of tissue at him before driving out the car park.
"Ungry! Got bored waitin." He mumbled beneath the tissues.
"You're always hungry Gob."
"Yup." Gob replied happily as he watched the cars go past, his nose pressed to the window like a dog.
He chattered to her the entire way home, an unceasing monologue of goblin antics which kept her mind off everything else.
"And the King? What does he think of your pranks?"
"Kingy don't care no more. Hes boring."
"Boring?"
"Yer he sits and sulks all day in the dark. No fun." Sarah smirked to herself at Gobs response.
"He probably sulks because he has goblins for subjects." She teased.
"Nah he sulks because of you." Gob said without a pause, bringing Sarah back down with a bump.
"Because of me?"
"Yup. Kingy real mad about the Labby. Not happy for a long time. We eat jam when we get to your house? Gob told the uvvers about the sticky stuff an they wanna tell Kingy to get em some but Gob gets it off you faster."
"We'll see." Sarah replied taking the canvas out of the boot of the car and carrying it carefully into the lift with Gob trotting behind her.
"Funny box." He said pressing all the floor buttons making Sarah groan.
"We only need floor six."
"Wots six?"
"One more than five. How many fingers have you got?"
"Got dis many." He said holding out his tiny hands revealing small clawed fingers.
"You have six fingers and 2 thumbs." She said pointing to his fingers and thumbs in turn.
"Six." Gob nodded looking at his hands. "Six enough to get jam out of jar." He said matter-of-factly.

Finally reaching her floor at the top of the building she managed to get both Gob and the painting safely into her apartment without further hindrance. With a sigh she kicked off her high heals by the door and carefully put the painting in her studio out the way. Walking past the phone she hit the message service button when she noticed it flashing. She groaned as she heard Toby's dulcet tones telling her he would be over tomorrow. She'd forgotten she would have to wait for him before going to the gallery to help clean up.
"Shit." The second message was equally as surprising. Ollie saying he was staying with Cassandra because she was so drunk and he wouldn't be back. The surprising thing being that he actually bothered to let her know.
"Gob, if I promise to feed you after, can you go and tell Toby I need to be in the Gallery early, so he will need to go there not here?" The goblin nodded happily and popped off leaving a small flurry of glitter on her dining table. Walking into the kitchen she turned the coffee machine on and started digging in the cupboards to see if she had anything resembling jam. Cracking her head on the countertop she swore, wishing vehemently as she dragged a very dusty jar of blueberry jam from the back of the cupboard that she had never bothered promising the tiny goblin jam.
"Such language. I thought you'd learnt to be more careful of your wishes Sarah." Jareth purred from the doorway making her yelp. She swore at him some more for scaring her which he rose an eyebrow at, his smirk remaining.
"Twice in one day Your Majesty, anybody would think you enjoyed my company." She said rubbing her head.
"Hardly. You are a chore Miss Williams. I came to object about you using my subjects as your personal messaging service."
"Yet its ok for you?" She retorted without thinking.
"Surely you've heard of the concept of kings?" He replied sarcastically looking at her like she was a moron.
"Look it was just a favour. Karen hates it when I call him late." Sarah sighed pouring out two cups off coffee and automatically handing one to him ignoring his look. "Ouch." She winced as her lip stung where Ollie had bitten it as she tried to drink the coffee.
"And where is ..?" Jareth asked nonchalantly, knowing perfectly well where Ollie was.
"Cassandra." Sarah muttered touching her lip gingerly to see if it was bleeding. She didn't even see him move but suddenly he was standing in front of her, his presence surrounding her. She watched in fascinated silence as he removed one of his gloves and ran his thumb along her lip, his fingers sliding along her jawline sending tingles down her spine.
"Please don't…" She whispered as he bent his head to kiss her. He frowned in annoyance before moving away from her and picked his mug of coffee up, walking out into the lounge.
"I get.. confused, when I am with you." She said from the doorway watching him watching the world from the darkened windows.
"There should be no confusion Sarah." He replied, his tone conveying his anger. "Few have ever defied me. Fewer have lived to tell the tale."
"Yet here I am. Living is optional is it?" She walked across the room and stood next to him, pressing her forehead against the cold window watching the glass mist from her hot coffee.
"Your hand. You still have the scar?" She turned and looked up at him, trying to gauge his mood. She held her hand out to him, showing him her palm and the silvery scar, and the reddened skin around it. Frowning in concern he removed both gloves and took hold of her hand, taking his time to examine the scar. A simple touch from him and once again she was feeling light headed.

"How do you do that?" She asked closing her eyes and leaning against the window in case her legs betrayed her.
"Magical beings affect mortals with their auras. Some feel the effect more than others." She could feel him running his fingers over the scar. It seemed to react to his touch as much as the rest of her did.
"Is that why you wear the gloves?" She asked trying to keep her mind straight.
"One reason." He neglected to tell her that he was equally affected by her own aura which unlike him she could not yet control. Letting go of her hand he put his gloves back on, annoyed with himself for finding yet another excuse to touch her.
"So, me winning the Labyrinth. That was defying you?"
"You were never meant to get so far." He groused turning away from her and slumping down into her sofa like it was his throne.
"Surely other people have won their brothers and sisters back before now?" She asked in fascination.
"Never. Children are wished away with intent. Not many use a wish as powerful as that out of unselfish reasons."
"The things you said to me, at the end…"
"I do not wish to discuss that." He cut her off glaring at her as she sat down opposite him.
"I'm just trying to understand."
"You did what should not have been possible. What more is there to understand,"
"If it should have been impossible, there must be a reason why it wasn't."
"As I said. This is not open to discussion."

"As you wish Your Majesty." Sarah sighed putting her mug on the table and picking her sketchpad and pencil up instead began to draw him as he brooded.
"There were many thing said. Some which should not have been, others which should and weren't. The consequences are what concern me now." He said after several minutes listening to her pencil scribbling away on the paper. The pencil stopped as Sarah looked up at him, catching a look of deep anxiety in his eyes.
"The debt between us. The price." She said. "Seems we both paid heavily." She watched him as his frown deepened.
"Why didn't you reorder time to before I wished Toby away?"
"Impossible. Reordering time even a few moments is hard enough. Despite what you might think, I am not a god with unlimited powers." He glared at her as she smiled ruefully and shrugged her shoulders.
"Sometimes its hard to imagine that you are just a mere fae." She rolled her eyes at him.
"What makes you think I am Fae?" He looked up at her laughing as she blushed.
"I just presumed…"
"You presume a lot."
"Female prerogative. So if you aren't Fae, and you're not mortal, what are you?"
"A mystery that will remain unsolved." He smirked looking back out of the windows. He heard her snort before the pencil resumed its soothing strokes across the paper.
"One day soon we will have to discuss our debt Jareth. Its not something I can leave be. You understand this right? I can't keep living like this, and clearly something is wrong with the Labyrinth. Whether that was my doing or not my life is entwined with it."
"You are mistaken if you think I do not want this resolving. There is a time and a place for everything. Debts will be repaid in full."
"As long as you don't bring Toby into this." She warned him.
"Your brother is ever safe Sarah, you need not worry for him." Jareth frowned again, drawing a crystal from nothingness to shine on the palm of his hand.
"Even in the above ground?"
"Wherever he is, his companions will protect him. You have my word."
"Thank you." She whispered as he rose fluidly from the couch, surprising her as he reached over and took the sketchpad from her hands to inspect her work.
"You are gifted." He mused flicking through the pages.
"You flatter me."
"If the truth is considered flattery Sarah you are in sore need of more truth." He scolded her.
"If only." He watched her as she sighed. "Ollie tore one of my oils today. I probably won't be able to repair it. His comment; well I don't need to repeat it." She said getting up and walking to the study, bringing the torn oil back out as Gob reappeared on the dining table.

"Done!" he grinned. "Jam now!" Sarah nodded and disappeared into the kitchen, bringing the jar of blueberry jam back out for him.
"You need to feed them more." She told Jareth leaving Gob on the table delving into the jam.
"Jam." He rose an eyebrow and shook his head taking the oil from her to inspect the damage. It was a particularly fine piece of himself, lounging on his balcony overlooking the vast backdrop of his Labyrinth. Greens and golds and a subtle hint of fading summer gave the painting an otherworldy feel. Though he was at a loss to know how she knew what his balcony looked like, or what the view was like in high summer. The Labyrinth almost shimmered in the warmth making him smile in remembrance of the old days.
"I will repair this."
"If…" Sarah said expecting a bargain.
"I get to keep it." He smiled as she nodded and passed his hand over the L shaped tear in the lower left corner. He held the painting up to the light to inspect the repair and nodded, satisfied it was perfect. Snapping his fingers the painting disappeared leaving him stood in front of her expectantly.
"I guess I should thank you, but I think you got the better part of that one." She sulked.
"Come come, I saved your painting and already it is hung in all its glory in my private gallery. Surely there is no greater desire for an artist than to have their work admired?"
"I guess." Sarah looked away from him, suddenly feeling awkward again as he stood so close to her. She distracted herself by trying to imagine what his private gallery looked like.
"More of that truth Sarah?"
"Just not used to people saying nice things about my stuff." She shrugged, suddenly looking sad.
"The Labyrinths Champion, yet so modest and shy." He whispered in her ear as she gasped.
"Champion? What do you mean?"
"An explanation for another time. I must go."
"No wait, what is this Champion?" She turned and gasped hold of his arm to stop his leaving. She blushed again as she watched his eyes darken and dropped her hand from his arm.
"A kiss for an explanation." She said, for once being the instigator in their bargaining. He laughed and shook his head.
"Kisses only get you so much Precious." He swooped down and captured her in his arms, kissing her breath away all over again before slowly releasing her, caressing her cheek as he did so.
"My explanation?"
"Another time."
"Hey that's not fair!" She shouted as he laughed again and disappeared leaving her standing in a draught of freezing air and glitter that made her shiver. Turning back to her chair she cursed as she realised he had taken her sketchbook as well.
"That's the last kiss I'll give you like that Goblin King." She muttered heading to bed feeling drunk and happy and scared all at the same time.