Jareth knelt at the feet of an elderly couple, both seated in velvet red padded thrones. His eyes were glued to the ground, almost afraid to look up into the eyes of his parents, the High King and Queen of the Underground.

"Son," Jareth's father, King Doran, sternly said. "Please raise your eyes to ours."

He hesitated, but slowly obeyed his father. Jareth felt the tension in the room once his eyes met with his father's, and then his mother's. "I know why I am here," Jareth began. "And I can explain my actions in doing so."

"She bested you, Jareth," King Doran interrupted, his voice loud and strict. "You knew the dangers that would ensue if she ever stepped foot in the Underground, but you brought her back regardless. Do you understand the danger you have put her in?"

"Father, she wished to come back," Jareth replied, cautiously. "I did what my duties required me to do."

"And how much of that was influenced by you?" Jareth's mother, Queen Atheena, said quietly. "Jareth, you took control of her dreams. She may have said you had no power over her, but you still had all of the power in the world. You used that to your advantage, and it could very well cause your kingdom a world of problems."

King Doran was right. Mortal blood was practically like gold, especially in Jareth's kingdom. Apparently it had acted as a miracle cure for the terminally ill, and every drop was needed. The few mortal beings that did cross over into the Underground have been kidnapped and killed within a matter of days of arrival. Never has Jareth witnessed it happen, but he knew of the dreadful stories that occurred in the past.

The room was ice cold, and Jareth could only feel the stares of his parents beating down on him. Fear swept over his body as he thought of his Sarah being dragged through the Labyrinth and killed for her blood. He fell to his knees and let out a sob.

"Father, mother… there has to be something I can do to keep this from happening," Jareth's face fell into his hands and tears began to stream through his fingers.

King Doran stood up and walked over to his son. Kneeling down, he placed his hand on Jareth's shoulder. "There is one thing you can do, but once it happens it cannot be reversed." King Doran looked back at his wife who still sat on the throne. Atheena nodded once for him to continue.

"Father, I'll do anything," Jareth said, lifting his head to meet his eyes with his father's.

"She must become your wife, son. And once she becomes your wife, she must transition over to Fae status. Her blood will become as pure and could never be used as it could be now."

My wife, Jareth thought, and a smile spread across his face.

The halls were endless, and Sarah was unsure where to explore or if she should even be exploring the parts of the castle she was. Jareth never told her that any of the castle was off limits to Sarah, so she took advantage to see everything she could. Door after door, she opened and peeked inside with curiosity like a cat snooping around. Most of what she found were hallway closets and empty bedrooms. Why does he have all of these bedrooms, she thought. There must have been almost 10, if not more.

There were two more doors she had not opened. One of which had to be the bed chamber for Jareth by the look of the delicate carvings and detail the door had. The other was not as delicate, but still pulled at Sarah's attention. Her hand reached for the doorknob and turned cautiously. A gasp escaped as she walked into a large room full of what seemed to be floating crystal balls that traveled all around the room. She didn't leave as she thought she should have. Instead, she took another step into the room and reached out to touch one, but was intrigued as the crystal moved away from her hands as if Sarah was pushing it. She was unable to see what the crystals held inside, but still tried with every one she passed. Even then, the crystal would move at the motion of her hand.

How can this be? How is this even possible? Sarah's mind was so bewildered, but her interest and curiosity kept her from leaving.

"I see you have found my crystal chamber," a deep voice said at the door. Sarah turned on her heel to find Jareth standing at the doorway, looking intensely into a crystal ball that sat delicately on his fingertips. His eyes tore away to meet Sarah's as he gently tossed the crystal in the air to let it float around once more. A smile crossed his face as he began to slowly make his way into the room.

"Y-yes," Sarah replied, startled. "I just sort of stumbled upon it. This room, these crystals… It's beautiful. But how…"

"Magic, my dear," Jareth interrupted. "This land is full of magical wonders that not even the Aboveground could imagine in their silly stories and folk tales." He walked around Sarah and pushed his crystals around the room one by one. His eyes never felt Sarah as he continued to create circles around her. Sarah wanted to know what he was thinking. Was he mad because she probably shouldn't have been in here?

He stopped his circling and stood face to face with Sarah. His eyes seemed as if they could see into her heart and soul just through her eyes alone. Sarah's heart felt almost as if it would beat out of her chest just so it was able to get closer to Jareth. She took a couple of deep breaths and began to walk to the door, leaving him standing in the middle of the room.

"I'm sorry," she said as she walked to the door. "I know I shouldn't have been in here, and it won't happen again."

"Sarah…" Jareth said, but she ignored him and walked out the door.

Sitting on her bed, Sarah quietly sobbed. It killed her that she couldn't know what he was thinking. How he felt about her. Did he even want her here in the Underground again? He wanted her once, but did he want her now? All of these questions engulfed her mind, and all she could do was cry. She didn't have the answers, and who knew if she would ever have the answers. For all she knew, he could care less about her return. The thought made Sarah sick to her stomach.

She wiped her tears from her eyes and sat up at the edge of her bed. Her eyes gazed out the window at the beautiful sunset that was over the horizon of the Underground. Her legs met the floor as she stood from the bed and walked over to her wardrobe. Looking through her drawers, she found a pair of pink silky sleep shorts with black lace that lined the bottom. A matching tank top was found, and she quickly changed before walking over to the balcony door.

Once out on the balcony, she stood at the railing and watched as the sun continued to set over the Labyrinth. The light slowly faded throughout, and the sky filled with oranges, reds, and yellows to create a canvas of color. She took it all in and shut her eyes, feeling as the wind calmly blew through her hair.

At the end of the balcony, the same snow white barn owl appeared once more, staring at Sarah. She looked at him with sadness and looked away soon after.

"Sarah," a voice said moments later. But Sarah did not turn to look, for she knew it was Jareth. "I never meant to run you off this afternoon. I don't know what I said or did."

A single tear ran down her eye. "You didn't. You haven't at all."

Jareth stood, confused with what she was saying. "I don't understand, Sarah. Why did you run off like you did earlier?"

Her heart was racing, and the hot tears began to flow down her pale face. She turned to look at Jareth. "Because you haven't said anything at all. You haven't explained to me what you are thinking, how you feel." Her voice became harsh and slightly angry as she went on. "You haven't explained anything!"

His face was like stone. Subtle anger began to build slowly but quietly. "I haven't said anything? Sarah, that's absurd! I haven't explained how I felt? I did long ago! I needed you, wanted you! I offered you eternity with me, and you left!" His eyes began to soften as tears formed. He began to walk slowly over to Sarah. "Five years, I have sat here. I have thought only of you, how I have wished you would return to me. Five long years, and you haven't until now! I couldn't do anything without you wishing yourself away. I had no power over you!" He stopped just inches of her. "But you have a hell of a lot of power over me," he said, almost inaudible.

The tears in Sarah's eyes kept falling and she turned to walk away from Jareth, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. With his other hand, he placed it on the side of Sarah's face and pulled her face to his, their lips meeting for the first time. Sarah lifted her arms and wrapped them around Jareth's neck as he moved his down to her waist, pulling her in closer. The kiss grew eager and fierce, their breathing heavy and their hearts pounding.

Jareth pulled away and looked into Sarah's eyes, trying to catch his breath.

"I love you, Sarah," he said. "I have loved you ever since you stepped foot in my Labyrinth. And now that you are back, I don't want to let you go." He brought her face to his once more.

And for that moment, time stood still.