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.

She did not dream, and she did not count days or hours or minutes. She lay, letting the world swim around her, letting the people around her mill and fuss as they would. She floated beyond their reach inside a safety net she had created for herself, a memory of a memory. A sundial that floated in time and space and on it sat a throne made of stone books. It had been 2 weeks since she had woken up, 2 weeks of physical therapy sessions and counseling. They said her swift recovery was a miracle, but she had stopped believing in miracles.

She sat and she waited, doing as she was told, no more no less. In the safety of her mind the pain affected somebody else. She had done this all before, but this time there was no gentle healing touch of a magical being. No scent of long summer days and roses. No peace for her tired, torn body. No surcease from the all too visible reminders of how she had been treated.

They had told her when she woke properly that she had not been violated, but it was all lies. She had been torn asunder, ripped limb from limb and remade, and the pain of that remaking could not be dulled. So she sat in a gown of gold and white of her own making, on a throne on a sundial that could not exist in this world and waited out the storm. Gazing blankly past faces so dear to her it hurt to know they suffered to see her as she was, but there was no going back, no chance of reordering time, no 13th hour. Toby had been distraught when he had first visited her, though she remembered little of those first few days of being lucid. Perhaps it was better that way.

She woke and watched the sky fade from ink black to the colour of a flame, a blue so intense it seemed almost unreal. The feeling of loneliness that swept across her made her entire body ache, a loss that could no longer be endured. So she sat up slowly, urging sore muscles to move despite their twinges of protest. She lay again for some time, watching the sky continue to fade as false dawn tinged the sky with the faintest hint of orange and yellow. She was relieved to note that she was for once alone, and yet not alone as sounds in the hallway beyond the door indicated that nurses were still working.

She could no longer wait, no longer suffer or force herself to suffer. She had to know, to understand and if need be, to accept. She shifted herself into a more comfortable position and sighed, feeling her ribs twinge again in pain.

Now or never. She closed her eyes and spoke.

"Jareth."

"Jareth, are you there?" She held her breath, listening intently for the faintest sound and couldn't help but gasp quietly as she heard a faint sigh.

"I am always here when you call me." He replied.

She opened her eyes slowly, scanning the room until she could make out a darker shadow near the door where he leant against the wall, his arms folded. Her tears came unbidden and she couldn't stop them even though she tried. He didn't move from his spot as she struggled to get out of the bed. He watched her with hooded eyes as she walked slowly around the room, the nightgown she wore doing little to hide the bruises, scars and bandages. She stopped at the bottom of the bed, clinging with her good hand to the rail, afraid to go any further.

"I need to know, was it all just a dream?"

The question hung between them for what seemed hours before he shifted position, sighing again as he stepped forwards towards her.

"You, of all people in this world should know. There is no such thing as "just" a dream Sarah."

She closed her eyes again, sagging against the bed frame as he whispered her name.

"Then, the Labyrinth… I saved it?"

"And its King it would seem." He barely whispered.

His confirmation was all she had been hoping for and she could no longer control her clumsy body. She fell, but never reached the floor, instead held by strong arms which wrapped themselves around her as she sobbed, releasing the pain and agony from where she had hidden it. The faint scent of magic and wild things seemed to intoxicate her, lulling her with its familiarity as he held her so tight.

"I can't, Jareth, I can't breathe." She whimpered eventually as he move to release her, but she clung to him. "I can't do this again. All those months, I healed in the Labyrinth. It made me whole, and now I have to go through this all over again and I can't even bear to look at myself. Is this my punishment? Do I still have debts to pay?"

"Hush Sarah. Any debt which may have been between us is long paid. I will help you, for a price."

"Is that all it ever is with you?" She tried to push herself away in a burst of anger, but lacked the strength to do so. "You didn't need to come back, not on my account. I have nothing left to give you, you have everything you wanted, I gave my life for you."

"And yet, here you still stand. This world still has the one thing I want. My prize. The only thing I have ever asked for." The look she gave him was filled with sudden mistrust, but as she stared into his eyes she realised that there was no maliciousness in his words, they were simple truth.

"This world still holds you. Say the words Sarah. I am exhausted by my years of waiting and hoping."

They stood and stared at each other until finally she reached up to touch his face with her good hand.

"You don't need words to know that I love you." She said pulling him to her so she could kiss him. It was not a kiss filled with lust or desire. It was one filled with all of the words she could not express adequately. When they broke apart she noticed that his eyes were shining.

"This world will always have ties for me that I would not ever want to break, but it can not give me my dreams or heal my heart, both of which belong to you My King." She kissed him again, clinging to him as he did to her.

"Will Anyetta's sisters stop you?"

"They will not. Their meddling is done with." He muttered frowning.

"You know they will all panic if I am not here.." She said as he picked her up and carried her between the veils to his castle.

"I will have you back in time for breakfast." He said as she laughed for the first time in months.

In the semi liquid dark of a different sunrise a King claimed his rightful Queen, not just to restore order in the chaos, but to also heal the soul of an immortal who had almost given up on hope, and a mortal who had almost given up believing in magic.

Fin.

I would like to say a massive massive and very appreciative thank you to everyone who has put up with my somewhat erratic posting and long silences. Your comments and encouragement have been incredible, and these last few chapters have been written purely with you in mind. I wasn't sure originally if I should end this rambling and somewhat complicated story where I left it several months ago, but realised I had to answer the most important question, for the sake of my own muse if not all of yours!

I spent some considerable time going over and over and over these chapters, and I know there are some things that will remain unanswered, and I apologize for that, and any errors in my knowledge of the recovery process of people who are in a coma are purely mine, and I hope its not offensive to anybody who has survived, helped, or lost somebody they love through head injuries etc.

Thank you all again, I hope this has been as good to read as it was to write, but if you have any suggestions for improvement, or you find gaping plot holes, please drop me a note or an email!

Lanny xxx