A/N: Thank you all so much for showing your support for this story, I really do appreciate it. As always, any feedback is welcomed!

I hate you.

The words swam through the Goblin King's mind as he stared at the closed door to the chamber of Sarah Williams.

She hates me.

It was a strange feeling, to be the object of someone's hate he concluded. He had always known that she found him irritating, frustrating, stubborn, and arrogant...hell; they were all the things he found in her. So many shared qualities that she refused to acknowledge. He could deal with being disliked, he was used to it in fact. But to be hated by her. It seemed that his heart was being strangled by the very idea of it.

No matter what she had done to him, no matter how hard he had tried to convince himself, he had never truly hated her.

He let out a long breath, resting a palm against the door. He hoped soon she would come to understand all that he had done. But tonight was not the night.

Sarah gazed into the burning fire, trying to discern the path her life had taken. Talking to Jareth was like slamming her head against a brick wall. It filled her with nothing but confusion and pain and seemed to leave her with a blinding headache afterwards.

You're the villain.

That one snippet of conversation echoed around her mind.

She was the villain.

Sarah closed her eyes, her mind dizzying at the notion. It had all been a trick. All of those children she thought she had been saving didn't need her. Had she really hindered their plight? How could you be the one in the wrong if you were trying to help people she pondered? A wayward hope whispered to her that maybe Jareth was lying, that he was just trying to hurt her…but the way his eyes burned at the notion that he was the wrongdoer she knew he wasn't.

Standing from the bed, she wandered over to the window, gazing out at the land she once knew. In all her haste and fury she had forgotten just how beautiful it was. The walls of the labyrinth stretched out for miles, and beyond that were forests and lands beyond the horizon. She took a deep breath, remembering the taste of the air. It glistened with something new, something otherworldly and beautiful. Her teenage self would have wept for it. Yet now she couldn't decide if the tears blooming in her eyes were of despair or some long forgotten regret.

And the Goblin King. He was still as beautiful as the day she first saw him. And he was still as treacherous and snide she deemed. Yet there were moments when he spoke, when his voice softened and his eyes implored hers that troubled her. He had an infatuation; she had always known it on some level. She had fought hard with her own feelings, romanticising him over the years. And those few but tender moments sparked a long lost dream within her. But what sort of man would take it so far? To trap and imprison her...it was like a twisted version of the fairy-tale she had always dreamed of. And now he had her, against her will, locked in some tower in a castle in a far away land. Oh no, she thought, he was the villain in this tale. Not her.

Morning sun streamed through the open window in Sarah's adopted chambers, casting a light onto the girl who had not slept for a moment. She still sat cross legged upon her bed, dark circles smeared under her eyes as she tried to process everything that had happened to her in such short a time. How could life have taken her so high and dropped her so low? It begged belief.

A soft knock on the door echoed around the room and Sarah turned her head in surprise. The door creaked open silently, a small Goblin rushing through. He was small with a white tuft of hair and large brown eyes that so reminded her of Merlin. The goblin continued his journey, clutching at the sheets as he scrabbled up the bed to sit before her.

"Hello" It piped, and Sarah's mouth twitched into a smile at the toothy grin.

"Hello."

"My name is Scrabs, Lady Sarah, and I was sent by his Royal Majesty, the Goblin King, Jareth I, to invite you to join him to break your fast."

The words were hurried, stumbling from the little goblins mouth. Sarah could tell that he'd been rehearsing it all the way to see her. She bowed her head to him.

"Thank you, Master Scrabs." She could not help the giggle that fell from her as his tail started to wag.

"Thank you. But please inform his Majesty that I'd like to decline his offer." Scrabs' tail fell to the bed with a soft thud, his eyes growing large as saucepans.

"Lady Sarah..."

"It's not your fault Scrabs, just tell him Sarah's not hungry."

He started to quiver, clutching at the filthy brown smock he wore.

"He'll be angry." Sarah smiled softly at the shaking creature.

"I can handle it."

"As you wish, Lady Sarah." With a final furtive glance he disappeared with a pop, and Sarah fell back against the duvet with her hands covering her face.

"I think you've rather upset poor Scrabs. He was rehearsing that all night."

Sarah sighed long and hard, pressing her hands harder against her face almost as if that would make him disappear.

"Tell him it's not his fault." She murmured, voice muffled from the protection of her hands.

"He's a goblin, I'm sure he'll forget in only a few minutes."

"What do you want, Jareth?"

She heard the heels of his boots and the creak of leather come closer, until she was sure he was standing at the edge of the bed gazing down at her.

"You need to eat something." He said firmly, and Sarah sat up glaring at him.

"No, I don't." Jareth leaned against one of the wooden posts surrounding her bed, regarding her with a lazy eyebrow

"You think this self imposed hunger strike will help you?"

At her silence he gave a lazy wave of his hand. A soft weight fell upon the bed and as she glanced down she saw an ornate golden tray laden with platters of all sizes before her.

"Usually I don't condone taking ones meals in bed, I find it rather vulgar. But it seems you were always the exception don't you think?" Sarah shook her head at the backhanded compliment.

"Leave me alone, Jareth. Please."

Steadfastly ignoring her, he settled more comfortably against the post.

'I will not leave until you finish your meal. You are here under my protection and I will have no harm come to you. Self imposed or otherwise."

With a glare, Sarah took one of the cloches away, revealing slabs of meat that looked much like bacon. She maintained Jareth's eye as she grabbed the golden fork and shoved a piece into her mouth.

"Satisfied?" She said through a mouthful of food. The beginnings of a smile played about his mouth and she lowered her gaze to her plate, unwilling to see it.

"It's a start."

"Well, I'm glad you're happy." She bit back, digging her fork forcefully into something that looked rather like an egg. For a few minutes the only sounds that filled the room were the scrape of a fork against a plate and the chiming of a glass. She could see out of the corner of her eye that Jareth was shifting uncomfortably. After what seemed like an immense battle in his mind, he forced out the words.

"Sarah...I...I apologise. If you feel that I tricked you." She laughed incredulously through her chewing.

"You know you tricked me." Jareth pushed himself from the post, walking away from her, pacing out his frustration.

"For the love of the Gods, Sarah, I am trying to make amends." She threw down her fork, eyes wide in hysterical amusement.

"It's been what, a day? You think you can make amends after a day? You're insane!" Jareth gave a bitter laugh, throwing himself into an armchair that she was sure had not been there seconds ago.

"More than you know."

He sunk deeply into the chair, hands steepled in front of his face and eyes closed, trying to maintain some semblance of calm. Sarah observed him for a moment, chest rising and falling softly, his face at rest with uneasy peace. A little stutter in her heart echoed through her and she quietened it at once. It was just seeing him without the whirlwind of motion and harsh words made him…well, it was almost beautiful.

"Is there any reason you're gawping at me?" And just like that, the illusion was shattered.

"Not really, no. I'm just trying to figure out what kind of a man tricks a girl away and locks her in a room in his castle. It's a bit cliché don't you think?" Jareth's brow furrowed, his eyes opening.

"You're not locked in here, Sarah. If you would have cared to check, the door is not locked, you can leave this room whenever you please." She stopped, breath caught in her throat as she bit back the snappy retort she had planned.

"I can go outside?"

"You may venture into the Labyrinth, yes. But beyond that…I think it's best not for now. The news of your arrival is spreading quickly, and I don't want there to be any…complications."

"What kind of complications?" Jareth rested his head against the back of the armchair, eyes gazing at the ceiling.

"Dear God, you are full of questions today." She could not help the smirk that crossed her face at his exasperation.

"And rightly so. I think I deserve as many answers as I need." He gave a deep sigh, lifting his head to look at her once more.

"I suppose I am forced to agree with you. Tonight, after dinner, we may talk and you can ask all the questions you want. Does that sit well with you?" Sarah gave a non-committal shrug.

"Fine." And so she resumed her eating and he resumed his watching. Although now he seemed more interested in toying with a loose thread in the armrest. She peered at him from over her glass, trying to take joy in how dejected and tired he seemed. Yet trying to find pleasure in his pain was difficult. She supposed that was where they differed.

"You want me to marry you." Sarah's voice was quiet as she tried not to look to him for a reaction.

"It's not just a wish on my behalf, for your own safety you must." She did look at him then, angry to see he was still focusing on the armchair.

"What does that mean?"

"Sarah, please, give me a moment's peace."

"How is this going to work?" She pressed on, setting down her cutlery and placing the cloche over the remains of her food. And still Jareth did not look at her, his fingers only tugging more forcefully at the thread.

"Well…I suppose it won't be easy. You'll keep on being stubborn and playing the poor little lost girl and I'll have to keep observing you like some kind of jailer."

"I'm not playing at it, Jareth. Why don't you understand, you took me-"

"Yes, Sarah. I know." He snapped at her, his eyes burning into hers. He stood slowly from the chair, walking towards her. She found herself subconsciously shifting herself up the bed, trying to move away from his anger.

"And why did I take you? To save my realm? Oh yes, what a terribly wicked person I am. I'm a King, Sarah. I have lands and people to protect and you were destroying them. A lesser man would have killed you where you stood." Sarah swallowed at the dark rumble of his voice.

"It wasn't just that. You wanted me here."

"I do not deny it. And I admit it, I took advantage and perhaps it was foolish. But I did not force your hand in writing that book. I did not force your fingers to ink the wrong words onto the page and throw it out into the world." Sarah fisted her hands into her hair, trying to block out his words and salvage her argument.

"But you didn't tell me the whole truth. You let me think I was saving them. That's the only reason I came!"

"Sarah, even if you knew the truth…you came close to knowing the pain of losing a child in your brother. Sometimes…not every child is abused or lonely. Sometimes it is the person who wishes them away who are the fools. You would not allow other fools such as yourself to banish a child, you would never have told them their right words and let them repeat your mistake." Sarah shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, the memory of her frustration and pain she felt towards Toby that night haunted her like a distant nightmare.

"This was the only choice. And it is your own fault. It is time you take responsibility for your actions and your words."

"I do-"

"No, you don't. You banish your brother and I take him, protecting him from a selfish sister and a childhood of being tormented by her. You were so arrogant as to mock my Labyrinth so I challenged you right back and stole a few precious hours away. I offered the world at your feet and you rejected it, then you go forward to lament how unfair your life was in the Above, even though you could have had it all."

There it was.

Jareth breathed heavily, his thin veneer of patience snapping thread by thread. Sarah was almost stunned into submission. Was that the way he saw things? Was that the truth? Her mind reeled as she tried to piece together her version of events and came up short. She had no answer.

"I was 15 years old. I didn't understand, Jareth. " There was a deep sadness underlying the anger in her voice that seemed to make him deflate. He regarded her with a tortured gaze before turning away.

"You still don't." Silence overtook them, and a little thought whispered to Sarah that it was becoming a habit.

"This is hard for me. It's just hard." She pressed a hand against her mouth, trying to steady her voice. Jareth remained with his back to her, unwilling to break.

"As it is for me." He heard her sniff hard, trying to quell tears that were threatening to fall and clenched his jaw. Those damn tears again. He hated them. He hated being the cause of them.

"We should try, Sarah…at least to be friends. This is the path the fates have chosen for us and whether you like it or not we must journey on." Sarah ran her hands over her face, taking a shuddering breath.

Whether she liked it or not, she knew he was right. It hurt like hell, but he was right.

"I agree. But it'll take time." Jareth offered her a half smile.

"We have all the time in the world it seems." She did not return his smile, but she didn't give him a cruel gaze or sneer, which he thought was a start.

"Scrabs...so he wasn't a kid once?"

"Goblins are born. Not made."

Sarah nodded, biting her lip forcefully.

"Do you really help those children?" Jareth gave her a surprised look, blinking at the question.

"I do the best that I can." Sarah shook her head, turning her gaze to the silk sheets.

"What must you have thought of me? Wishing away my brother like that."

"I thought you were too young to understand. I thought you were of good heart yet lost in your world." He sat carefully on the edge of the bed; revelling in the quiet truce they had granted one another. Sarah looked to him, her emerald eyes imploring his.

"I want to see them, Toby, my father…even Karen. I want to see them." There was a moment when he could see the hope in her eyes and he loathed breaking it.

"It's not that simple…maybe someday, we could find a way. But for now the situation is too complex." He said quietly. Sarah nodded, and he was surprised to see her take the news so peacefully. He supposed she was expecting it. But then she turned to him again, a new light in her eyes.

"And what about my friends? Hoggle?" Jareth's jaw steeled, and at his hesitance a fire burned in the pit of her stomach.

"What did you do with them?" Her voice was low and cold, her fury only sparking further as he remained stoic.

"I did nothing." He said, his voice careful to mask any emotion. It wounded his pride to think that Sarah had come to care more for the troll than him. The light in her eyes at the mention of the creature's name burned him more than the sun. Why couldn't she brighten for him?

"Then why did he stop answering my calls? Where is he?"

"That was my punishment to them. Why should they have the pleasure of seeing you while I suffer in silence." He said bitterly, willing the anger in her to fade. But alas, it only seemed to be stoked further.

"They were the only friends I had, and you stopped them." She leapt from the bed, racing to the door. At a wave of Jareth's hand a resounding clang sounded through the room as it was locked. Sarah pounded her fist against it before turning to him.

"Let me out. I want to see them."

"And you may go. After you answer one question." Her face was sight to behold, the incredulity of his request taking hold of her.

"You never called for me. Why?" He said, taking great interest in the way her face flushed.

"Because I never wanted you." Her words seemed to strike him like a dagger. Yet he found a sneer had worked its way onto his face.

"Well, we both know that's a lie." Sarah spluttered, outraged. Before she could speak, Jareth pulled a copy of her now all too familiar book out of the air, flicking the pages to a well-remembered section.

Sarah's body froze. To see him hold her book in his hands was akin to seeing a stranger pawing over her diary. The book was meant for everyone but him. He made a show of looking through the pages, smiling as he found the correct passage.

"Ah, this…this is the most damning evidence. 'It would be her darkest secret for years to come. In that moment the trembling of her heart told her that she desired him above all else. In that moment he stole away her dreams, replacing them with ones of him'…How very interesting."

As the words hit her she closed her eyes, trying to bring back the calm they had had only moments before. No matter how good an act he played, it all came down to this. It all came down to how cruel he truly was.

"It's called artistic licence Jareth. Now let me out." He threw the book into the air; not watching it disappear while he advanced upon her.

"I think you meant it, Precious." He was a hair's breadth away from her now, his eyes boring into hers, searching for any kind of truth.

"I can assure you-"

"You can assure yourself all you want, but I can see it in your eyes. Your body doesn't lie, Sarah." He saw her swallow hard, pressing herself further into the door. Jareth held up a gloved finger, pressing it lightly against her lips, silencing her words. He'd tried playing nice and all he'd received were withering looks and petulant scowls. Now they'd do things his way.

"If you could see yourself now, Sarah. The way your pupils have dilated, the flush of your cheeks." Her murmured, taking in the wide eyed girl before him who was obviously stuck for words. He trailed the finger downwards, stopping to flatten his hand against her chest, the leather of his gloves rasping against the wool of her jumper. He could feel her heart, pounding away, the force of it vibrating through him.

"Between that and this heaving bosom I'd go so far as to say that you want me." For a moment Sarah was transfixed at the way his lips could form a smile so enticing and scornful at once. As his smile grew she caught a glimpse of pointed teeth and something in her shuddered.

"The sooner you admit it, the more pleasurable, your stay can be." At his words Sarah slapped his hand away, scowling at him.

"I'd rather kiss Hoggle than you." She hissed.

"Well, it's a pity you don't have a choice." He returned with as much force.

"Is this it, Jareth? Are you going to force me? Are you going to make me?" She jutted her chin defiantly, struggling to hold the ferocity of his gaze. She watched him swallow hard, his eyes flickering to her lips for just a second. In that moment she felt a deep heat flood through her, wondering if he really would do it. She had barely noticed how close their bodies were until then, not even half a step forward and she would fall into his arms like the many adolescent dreams she had had. She would never admit it, she would never show it for as long as she lived she swore, but a small part of her would always want him. Conquering him would be akin to conquering her own demons. Her mind whispered back that that was a very Jareth thought to have.

But then he stepped away, a mocking smile on his face.

"I don't think I'll allow you the satisfaction." Another clang filled the air as the door unlocked, and Sarah grasped the handle behind her, running from the room without a backwards glance.

As she fled the room Jareth sighed. And it had all seemed to be going so well.