I do not own the Labyrinth or it's occupants, but if they ever pop up on ebay I'll be sure to bid.

nothingnothingtralala - the only line of defence against Sarah 'sitting as suddenly as a burp'. Thanks to her for ALWAYS doing such an excellent job of editing and putting my story in perspective.

Sarah woke in a cold sweat.

It wasn't the nightmare slipping away which had awoken her; it was the remembrance of her own words.

Tonight.

She had wished to win the lottery tonight, well after the time the lottery was drawn. Before the slip of winning numbers had even been returned to Carl to be recognised as an official entry; she had wished an impossible wish.

He had accepted it too.

She had thought she was being so clever, adding on a time frame at the last minute, so that he could not delay the win. The murky memory of the altered scratch cards returned to her again, and she felt sick in her stomach. She had never discussed his duplicity in that incident; she had let the danger be forgotten, due to the harmless outcome.

You idiot.

How thoughtless of her; how little consideration she had actually given to the wish. Blindsided by the cost it would have for others, she had forgotten the cost it might have for her, to the point of foolishness. Now if it came true… could it come true? Biting her lip, Sarah realised the Goblin King had the ability to reorder time; it could definitely be granted as she had wished it. How could she explain this impossible win to Carl? She almost wised she were facing exchanged scratch cards again. Hands shaking, she felt any illusion of sleep drop away entirely. "Goblin King," she whispered. She was breathing heavily, as if air was hard to come by. The room around her was dark and foreboding, but worst of all it was empty. "Goblin King," she croaked again, feeling her voice catch in her throat. Her fingers were trembling so wildly now that she placed her palms against the mattress in an attempt to still them.

"Sarah," came his sigh from across the room, "what is it now?"

Her heart somersaulted a little at his appearance. More than anything, she had feared for a moment that he might not appear. For some reason, the thought had frightened her so badly she had nearly forgotten the danger of Carl and the impossible win.

"The wish I made - please let me take it back." Her voice was wobbly; she wondered if she was about to cry. There had been entirely too much of that lately, and she straightened herself in the bed, trying to find the iron core of strength she knew hid within her somewhere.

Angrily, the Goblin King marched out of the shadows towards her. "Sarah, you know I can't just-" He stopped suddenly, as if transfixed for a moment, and then turned away from her quickly, his face drawn and pale.

"You can't?" she shrilled. "No, you don't understand, I made a mistake. It's all wrong… and the scratch cards… I wasn't thinking… Please…" Appealing to him, she saw that his expression was in shadow. He had brought a gloved hand up to cover his face and it seemed unsteady.

"Please…" he murmured quietly into his hand. She felt fire kindle in her breast; did he plan to mock the sincerity of her appeal? "…Please cover yourself," he finished.

It was not a request, but a command.

Looking down, she felt the blood drain from her face. Obviously she had slept fitfully: her bathrobe had fallen open to expose a slender shoulder, the curve of one breast, and it hung loosely showing her bare stomach and navel.

With difficulty, she moved her quaking fingers to conceal herself again, hugging the robe closed around her tightly to hide her nakedness. The memory of the forced kiss resurfaced again, an unwelcome addition to her shame. Her mouth felt so dry she tried repeatedly to swallow and find her voice. Suddenly she wasn't sure whether she was more afraid of the consequences of the wish, or of facing the Goblin King; she teetered on a sharp edge and wondered which way she would fall.

"Sorry," she rasped awkwardly into the silence. The stillness of the room devoured her words and made no reply. Waiting, she felt her heart beating erratically, as if throwing itself against her rib cage in an effort to destroy itself and escape the uncomfortable atmosphere. "Sorry," she whispered again, and knew she meant it for more than just tonight's folly. His voice was a model of control when he finally replied.

"You can't take back the wish without taking back the payment," he reminded her coolly. "Just like with Toby."

Sarah's heart thudded loudly in her chest. To take back a broken dream, that was a small price to pay, but to kiss him again? No… she couldn't do it; especially not now.

It's just a kiss… But it wasn't, not with him. Nothing was 'just anything' with him, she finally understood that. Her feelings were too entangled to consider this in a business-like manner anymore; maybe they had been from the start. She nodded her understanding."I didn't think it through properly," she explained to him. "I made a thoughtless and impossible wish, but of course it wasn't impossible for you, because you can reorder time."

"I can," he agreed. Sarah nodded again wistfully, wondering how she would explain this to Carl. "But I didn't," expanded the Goblin King, the impression of a raised eyebrow within the shadows across his face.

For a moment Sarah wasn't sure she had heard him right. "What?" she asked.

"I haven't reordered time," he explained, "the consequences of doing that in your realm are… messy."

Sarah blinked, hardly understanding what he was saying. "But I wished to win the lottery tonight."

The Goblin King stepped forward, and now she could see the bemused expression he wore in the darkness of the apartment. "No, did you?" he asked. "I don't think that's exactly how you said it."

Sarah took a series of short shallow breaths and wet her lips nervously. "No, I did, I was making the wish and I added that on at the end."

He shrugged. "The end of a wish - how is such a thing decided?" he drawled. "The start is 'I wish,' but there is no phrase to close a wish. There was a pause, just for a moment, between the wish and the addition. That's enough for me to make an executive decision to include, or exclude, what could very well be the start of a new wish." He smiled dangerously. "I will not reorder time here, not for you, not for anyone. I might be compelled by a wish, but as I've said before, I can choose to grant or not grant as I like. Perhaps I took some liberties with this one, but there was a definite pause; it was more than enough." His eyes flashed and he leaned towards her on the bed, as if the discomfort between them was all but forgotten. "Are you too unguarded, Sarah?" he asked. Nervously, she clutched the ends of her robe tightly together.

Sarah, you've been letting me lead this whole time…

"Wouldn't a better wish have been to ask for the winning numbers to the next draw? Not to mention… which draw, which day, which lottery, in which country?" He leaned over her ominously.

"So very careless, precious; I thought you'd try harder after the scratch cards," he whispered into her ear and she shivered. Looking up into his expressionless eyes, she felt even more exposed than she had earlier.

"So, when will the win happen?" she asked guardedly, proud that her voice remained strong as she posed the question. A sharp smile cut his lips as a slip of paper appeared in his hand, much like the one he had taken with him, before she had slept. Automatically she reached for it, brushing her fingertips along his gloved palm as she took it from him. His smile tightened for a moment, and then fell away altogether. She thought she saw a flicker of intensity in his eyes, just before he disappeared into the night, leaving her all alone in the dark. Holding the lottery selection slip in her hand, she stared at it blankly. So he had known about the scratch cards... she had wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt on that. She had thought that, perhaps, he might not have realised, he might have been too unfamiliar with the gambling system in general. Or maybe she had suspected and not wanted it confirmed? Had she really forgotten to ask him about it, or had she been too afraid to shatter the fantasy she was building around him?

He was right; she had been careless with her wishes.

She made herself focus on the lottery selection slip in her hand. It was for tomorrow. Sarah glanced at the backlit digital clock on the bed stand: tonight, she corrected herself, taking note of the earliness of the hour. There would be no sleep now; that much she knew. Easing herself back down in the bed, she raised the ticket above her, she felt perplexed.

This was not a solution.

What had she been playing at? Even the Goblin King had been well aware of it – this wish resolved nothing. He was right to put her on guard, to expect her to put more thought into her wishes. She wouldn't wish for Carl's death, that wasn't the answer either, but her situation was only going to continue indefinitely at this rate. The trap with succeeding with her 'luck,' was that Carl was no fool. Who would let go of a golden goose once they had caught one?

Do you really believe you can find the perfect wish solution to make everyone happy with no cost at all?

Perhaps he was right; she was being naïve. The wishing itself should be easy, but the mechanism behind the wishes made it difficult. It wasn't even the price that must be paid in return for the wish, it was the way in which the wishes were granted.

Giving and taking…

If she wished away her family's debt, then where did it go, to another unfortunate family? Taken from them and given to someone else? Or perhaps the debt would be cleared with Carl, but there were others like him out there? Perhaps it would simply be transferred to another broker? The Goblin King asked for payment, but the ultimate choice in what was given and what was taken in granting the wish was his to make. Did she trust him enough to put their lives in his hands, trust that their situation might not be worsened by the outcome? Ultimately, this was the decision she needed to make. That or to contemplate the perfect wish, if there was such a thing. Idly, she lolled about in the bed, tired, irritated and somewhat eager for the dawn. When the first rays of sunlight spilled across the window sill of the apartment she was still without resolution. Listlessly, she ran one hand across the smooth surface of the expensive sheet set, the lottery slip still scrunched tightly in the other. It might not be a solution to her problem, but it could be used to give her enough time to formulate one. Making a decision, she sat up straight and swung herself from the bed, consciously rearranging her robe for propriety. She had always been a person of action, throwing herself at a problem in search of solutions; she needed that now. Indecisiveness was going to make her crazy. If it came to making a rash decision she would roll the dice, but for now at least she could occupy herself and search for an answer at the same time. She hammered on the front door of her apartment loudly. A few moments later a man she'd never seen before opened the door looking harassed; if he had been left outside to guard her room he'd certainly been sleeping while doing so.

"What is it, princess?" he growled.

Sarah hesitated for a moment; she trusted Bruno to give the lottery slip to Carl, but this man… not so much. Biting her lip, she held it out to him. "This is for Carl," she told him, "and I want clothes brought up for me right away." It was impossible to convey just how much she wanted clothes, but she tried to sound firm. He wanted a princess, she'd give him one. The new man grinned horridly. His teeth were irrevocably stained from cigarettes, or coffee, Sarah couldn't tell which. He snatched the ticket from her hand and leered at her, running his other hand across his bald scalp. Bushy caterpillar eyebrows knotted together on his forehead as the disgusting teeth re-emerged.

"Sees a'what I can do," he told her, and without ceremony he shut the door square in her face. Pacing nervously, she tried to come up with a plan of attack. Could she learn more about Carl's operation in hope of finding a weakness? She could, but could she do it without seeming too eager? A total change in her demeanour would be noticed – or would it? She reasoned she hadn't actually spent much time with Carl so far, so his impression of her couldn't be very firm; she could use that to her advantage.

She didn't have to wait long for her new clothes.

The shady man with the revolting teeth opened the door without knocking, interrupting her reverie, and dropped a bundle of clothes onto the edge of her bed. Shooting her a suggestive look and wiggling his eyebrows together, he made his way slowly back towards the door, glancing back over his shoulder one last time, as if hoping to catch her changing. He left a disappointed man; Sarah watched him intently with her arms crossed firmly in front of her. After he had finally vacated the room, she pulled one of the plush armchairs across from the seating area and jammed it under the doorhandle as best she could. Privacy was hard to come by when everyone but you had the key to your room. Not to mention Goblin Kings popping in and out at will. Sarah flushed as she realised that he had already seen a fair selection of the goods anyway, turning to the clothes to try and replace that thought with something less embarrassing. There was a fair selection before her, including lingerie, all new with tags. Glancing around her surreptitiously, she quickly removed her robe and changed into a comfortable pair of jeans and a loose t-shirt. There were no socks or shoes in the pile, but she eventually located the sneaker that the Goblin King had kicked in his anger and squeezed her bare feet into the pair; it was nice to wear at least one thing that was familiar. She didn't really want to know where the clothes had come from, but she was grateful for them. Stepping into the bathroom, she washed her face vigorously with cold water, her fingers still unable to cope with any form of heat, and brushed her teeth. Placing both hands on either side of the bathroom sink, she looked into the vanity mirror and took a deep breath.

Stop procrastinating. Steeling herself, she left the bathroom.

As she skirted the apartment, making her way to the front door again, something on the bed caught her eye. Turning, she frowned as she spied a small pair of leather gloves laid out on the coverlet – they had certainly not been in the pile of clothes she had investigated only moments before. Approaching them cautiously, she glanced around, looking for a hidden Goblin King, but he was nowhere to be found. The supple leather was like soft butter in her hands; it smelt clean and earthy. Indulgently, she slipped her fingers inside one of the gloves and felt a cool ripple of relief slip through her pulsing fingers, still tender from the burns she had inflicted on them. Smiling, she eagerly pulled the other glove on, admiring the perfect fit.

"Thank you, Goblin King," she whispered to the quiet room, a grateful smile gracing her lips. She wore them like a shield against Carl's thoughtless body contact; it made her feel confident enough to face him. As she started tugging the armchair out from where she had wedged it under the door handle, there was a sudden knocking sound. Hurrying, she yanked the chair aside and opened the door. Bruno stood before her with his usual blank expression; she did note that he leaned forward slightly to glance into the room behind her, possibly relieved to find that the tension he had perceived in the room yesterday had all but dissipated.

"Boss says if you're up you should accompany him for breakfast," he told her.

"I'd be delighted." Sarah feigned a smile. A small frown creased Bruno's brow, and she realised she'd laid it on a little thick already. Of course she didn't like Carl, she didn't need to pretend that she did, that would be too ridiculous. Right after I told myself not to be obvious… "Lead me to my gracious host," she added dryly, sure to let a long suffering look replace the smile. He nodded once and she followed him down the hallway and into the elevator.

Bruno led her to the rather pleasant balcony bar where Carl sat, largely obscured by an open newspaper, something which was no small feat for a man of his size. As she sat down he glanced up, directed a watery smile at her around the paper, and then continued to ignore her. A short, voluptuous woman with a tray approached Sarah and asked her if she was ready to order.

Sarah, who hadn't seen a menu yet, simply gave the woman a blank look. "Uh coffee, and… bacon and eggs or something?" she suggested.

"Sure hun," smiled the woman, and wandered off without writing anything down. Carl folded the newspaper and placed it on the corner of the table; Sarah noticed that he already had a cup of coffee set before him.

"So your appetite has returned," he simpered, a smug look on his face.

Sarah frowned, not looking up at him: "Just making the best of a bad thing," she shrugged. He sipped his coffee, his hooded eyes reading her over the cup.

"I've sent someone off to put your numbers in for tonight's lottery," he told her. Sarah bobbed her head non-committedly.

"If I win division one, it should be more than enough to pay you back what my father owes you," she suggested.

He smirked. "So you can choose the amount you will win?"

"No," she answered immediately, hoping to rid him of that notion once and for all. "I was simply saying that if I'm lucky enough, if I should happen to win division one tonight, it should be enough." Carl continued to grin at her, his eyes hooded and unreadable. "So if I win tonight, you can let me and my family go," she pressed.

"Don't worry, Sarah, I'm taking good care of your family," he assured her, or threatened her, she wasn't sure which. She tried to stay calm, ignoring the lump that had risen in her throat. "I'll have some of my men take you out today," he told her, "it's a reward for your good behaviour so far. Tonight you'll dine with me and we can watch the results come in together, and then we can decide what to do with you." Sarah forced a smile and swallowed the bile in the back of her throat.

"Decide whether I get to go home or not," she proposed. Carl's eyes remained fixed on her, as dull and lifeless as those she had seen on her father when he was lost to a mad gamble. One corner of his mouth quirked slightly, as if half drawn into laughter but unable to express the emotion. As if joy had been forever locked away.

She knew then, no matter what the outcome of tonight's draw was, this man would never let her go home. She had always known it if she was honest with herself: deep down she had never expected otherwise. Yet inside of her some wild flicker of hope guttered out as she stared across the table at him.

Her false smile was a reflection of his as the waitress placed an unpalatable breakfast in front of her.

Merry (post) Christmas (if it's a holiday you celebrate) and early Happy New Year (in the Gregorian calendar).

Thank you followers, favouriters, reviewers and lurkers, I hope you're enjoying the journey.

I have to admit that Sarah slipping about the wishing for a win 'tonight' was really my mistake, it was quite late when I posted the last chapter and I must not have been thinking straight, but Sarah and I are both human and prone to mistakes - hopefully I managed to iron that one out quite nicely. Admittedly it's not the only flaw/plot hole of the piece so far, but if you haven't noticed yet - lucky! If you're turning a blind eye to them... thanks!

I recently discovered I had no end game for Carl in my outline, pretty serious oversight! Amended now, but seriously... my bad. On that note I'm curious, what are people hoping for? Can anyone guess Sarah's last wish? :)

The next chapter is the story climax, the end of the bread crumb trail as it were, the big reveal! It is also the chapter I have been the most excited to write since I first conceived of the idea for this fanfiction, on that note I'm going to start writing it straight away so I suspect the update will be prompt.

Wudelfin: Thanks for the 'golden goose' line, I'm sure you've noticed I've snuck it in to this chapter as it was too good to leave out - you saw right through the abominable Carl. I think that kiss has knocked them both off kelter for the time being, as to Irene and Toby's take on issues at home - it remains to be seen, I'll make sure we have closure on that one.

Honoria Granger: Yes I'm beginning to think that Sarah is the one who can be rather cruel, poor Jareth - all work and no play... watch this space.

arynwy: Jareth... sidestepping? Surely you're mistaken, he's a beacon of honesty! Well in truth he hasn't told a single lie during this fanfiction - lies of omission however... that's another matter ;D Glad you picked up on my 'what's my name' nudge, we all know where this is going after all.

TheRealEatsShootsAndLeaves: Glad you liked it, I thought it suited him rather nicely.

Nanenna: I hope this chapter at least partially explained your question, it's the mechanism of the wish which gives it consequences so there are downfalls to directly trying to target the debt. I specifically included your suggestion so you could see why Sarah hadn't taken this path, but she's also been a little bit flippant with her wishes so far to be honest!

Aleta Wolff: Oh dear it's gone a bit cold again, not much Jareth this chapter. Next chapter should be quite fiery though!

Kaytori: Hmmm a breakdown where Jareth will be unable to comfort her... yes future seer you're not too far from the mark but I'll surprise you yet! Indirect touching - definitely, he can stab her, drive a car into her, push a book shelf on top of her, let's hope he won't though, please be nice Jareth. Yes there is definitely more to the bond, and the powers she was 'given'.

Moia Starchild: Thanks for your review, trying to keep it fresh and not trip myself up as I make the rules!

LingeringSentiments: Poor Jareth, the Sarah punches just keep coming! He's going to need therapy before this is all over, perhaps she'll kiss it all better before the story is done? Yes Sarah's dreams, foreshadowing or paranoia?