A/N: Sorry for the long wait, life got in the way unfortunately. But updates should be regular once more from now on, hope you enjoy!

You can do this. You can do this.

The affirmation swam through Sarah's head, serving only to highlight just how weak the conviction truly was.

But she didn't want to be weak anymore; she didn't want to be trapped in a world with the responsibility of saving it. All she wanted was her home. She had once branded it mediocre, boring even. But hindsight was indeed a treacherous thing, mediocre and boring were awful words to use when they truly meant safe and familiar.

"Sarah?"

Her breath caught in her throat, any other thoughts dying at the sound of her name.

He was at her door.

It was as if the fates had intervened and brought him to her. A part of her thought it was nothing less than a sign of approval from the deity she had beseeched.

"I find myself tired of talking to closed doors. Open it. Please." The weary voice begged.

Jareth kept his eyes trained on the stone floor before him, counting the cracks and slabs in an effort to still his racing heart. All he wanted was one more chance to prove to her that things could be better. They had spent all of a few days together and he was already exhausted by the tumultuous battle of words and wills the both of them had undertaken. He wanted it to end with every fibre of his being.

It was to his surprise that the door slowly swung open, revealing a bedraggled Sarah Williams.

He carefully met her eyes, watching as she gazed at him standing in her doorway, not as a King, but as a man who looked nothing more than broken.

He barely had time to take the sight of her in before she launched herself upon him. All at once he could feel her small hands scrabbling for purchase against the leather of his armour, her lips desperately seeking his. Almost without conscious volition, he wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her against him.

"What are you doing?" He whispered against her lips, almost blinded by the sheer pleasure of her warmth.

She tore her mouth away, hands grasping both sides of his face.

"What I've always wanted. You were right. I want this."

Jareth gazed at her, his face reading only unadulterated shock.

"You want this?" He repeated slowly.

"More than anything." She whispered, her lips crashing against his once more.

As he felt the delicate touch of her tongue he growled, picking her up off the ground and wrapping her legs around his waist. With a kick to the door behind him it closed, leaving the two of them alone in the moonlight.

He struggled to escape her mouth, his hold on her weakening as he tried to process the sudden turn of events. This was strange. It wasn't right. None of it was. As he managed to free himself, he spoke hurriedly, his heart thudding so loudly he could barely hear himself.

"Are you sure, Sarah? Do not toy with me, I am not the sort of man who will stand for it."

Her lips twitched before offering him a delicate smile.

"I'm not." It seemed that was all the assurance he needed.

He peppered soft kisses across her cheeks, trailing down to her neck and his tongue tasting the skin that he found there. Pressing her back into the wall, his hands gripped her waist, holding her there. A soft hum echoed in his throat as his hand found the skin of her thigh, gripping it roughly. She thought it embarrassing really, the way it left her breathless. But she focused, this was not for her, she would not lose herself in this. She would teach him that he could lose things too, and that this would not go his way. For the first time in his life she would make him feel pain.

Jareth gasped into her mouth as she gripped his shoulders, spinning him so he was the one against the wall. She mirrored his touch, trailing kisses down his neck just as he had done to her. It left him breathless, and yet still, something was not right.

He knew one day he would curse himself for questioning the scene before him. With an almost ungodly amount of willpower, he placed his hands upon her shoulders and pushed her away. Sarah glanced up to him, her eyes worried and her breath shallow.

"Sarah..." He tried and failed to find the right words, closing his eyes as the frustration hit him. He ran a hand over his face and pondered why it was so hard for him to do this. All the years of empty words and threats had left him unable to truly talk when it counted.

She stood, unmoving, her hands fiddling with the ends of her sleeves as she regarded him with a curious expression that he couldn't quite place.

Breathing deeply, he fixed his eyes on the burning fireplace beside them and only managed to utter a few small words.

"I am sorry. Truly and utterly, I am sorry." He bowed his head towards the floor, steadfastly refusing to meet her eye.

Sarah swallowed hard, taking in his stance. He looked nervous, terrified even. Seeing him like that almost struck her dumb. He was the man with all the words and bravado in the world. Witnessing the absence of his defining traits felt wrong, as if she was seeing him laid bare.

She bit her lip, almost breaking the skin as she told herself to be brave. He looked repentant, apologetic, heartbroken even. But this was her chance to turn the tables.

Stepping towards him, she reached out her hand and took hold of his. She could do this.

But when he looked at their entwined hands with such surprise dawning on his face…it almost broke her heart.

"I am a fool." He whispered. She turned her gaze away, trying to steady her heart. Of all the things she was expecting, it was not this. She opened her mouth, planning to quiet his whispered pleas but found her voice stuck in her throat as he shook his head.

"Please, I know what you will say. And it is true, I don't deserve your time or your thoughts...but grant me one request."

"What?"

"Forgive me."

Her stomach seemed to lurch as he finally looked at her, and for all the dishonesty he had displayed in the past she knew he was being sincere. But it was too late, all she could think of was her home, her family, her stupid little life that seemed more perfect and simple than ever before. She needed it back.

Before the nerve left her she placed her hands on his shoulders, reaching up to gently capture his lips. She could almost feel the doubt flooding through him, making his limbs stiff and his mouth unmoving. With a deep breath she tried again, pressing herself more forcefully against him, her heart aching when he did nothing. He pulled away, grasping her hand and staring into her eyes with a burning gaze.

"I am sorry, forgive me, please. I fear I will not be able to forgive myself if you don't."

Sarah shook her head, clasping a hand over her mouth.

Why was he doing this? Why was he being decent?

"Jareth, just stop talking-"

"I can't."

Sarah gazed at him for a moment, her eyes closing in pain before she shook her head. She peppered soft kisses across his cheek as her heart begged him to play his part.

A gentle hand came up to cup Sarah's face, pushing her away. With wide disbelieving eyes she stared at him.

"I just do not think that this is the best course of action. Do you?" His brow was furrowed in a confused stupor, her actions throwing him off course.

"Don't you want me?" She whispered, her mind screaming at him to do as she needed, be the monster he portrayed himself as. He gave her a half smile, confused and hopeful.

"More than anything, I do. But now...now is not right. It's not the time."

She remembered what he said when she first arrived. He didn't take her because it wasn't right. These flashes of moral niceties were driving her insane. He tilted his head, gazing at her with an emotion she didn't care to decipher.

"Why do you want to do this?" He asked, watching as she bowed her head.

To ruin your life?

"I don't know." She lied. His gaze was becoming almost torturous, she was an awful liar and he knew it. After a few moments he looked away, motioning to the bed.

"Come. Sit with me." When she did not move, Jareth took it upon himself to settle uneasily on the silk sheets.

She eyed him warily as he sat on the edge, patting the space beside him.

"I won't bite." He promised gently, and it was almost painful for Sarah to suppress the surrender that wanted to break through her resolve. The wine was still numbing her body, and it was becoming all too easy for her anger to fade away. The fight to hold onto it was slowly exhausting her. The only problem she had foreseen with her grand plan was her ability to follow through with it. She had never even contemplated that he would be decent. And although she was loathe to admit it, it made her happy that he was.

She sat gingerly beside him, her hands twisting into the soft sheets and wondering just how she had failed so spectacularly.

"What transpired between us, Sarah…it was regrettable." They both trained their eyes forwards, each of them uncomfortable with the silent emotion that was transpiring in the room.

"You can say that, yeah." She offered back gently.

"I promised you that I would never harm nor humiliate you. And tonight I did."

At her silence he continued.

"I am sorry for that. More so than anything I've done. I do not wish for you to think I am that sort of a man."

"Then why would you say those things? Why would you be that way?" The words passed her lips before she could stop them. She heard Jareth give a small laugh that was devoid of humour beside her.

"Because...I'm a fool. You frustrate me. You anger me. And sometimes I forget that you are no longer the girl who ran my Labyrinth all those years ago. I forget that you are a woman now. And from this day on I will treat you as such."

"Jareth..." She protested weakly, but he had found his voice and refused to stop.

"Please, believe me that I will endeavour to show you a change."

"You don't have to-"

"But I do. Lukin was right, in a sense. You have become involved in a war that has transpired over centuries, one that regardless of your species, you have nothing to do with."

With a great deal of strength it seemed, she turned to look at him, surprised to see him looking right back at her. The more he talked the more she lost her nerve. This was the Jareth she had always dreamed of, all of those silly little fantasies of a misunderstood man were slowly becoming a reality, and a part of her long buried away was resurfacing. She couldn't tell if it was pain or elation that bubbled within her.

'I've done wrong too, I guess. My book." She sighed, pressing a hand against her forehead, massaging her racing mind. Jareth gave a small shake of his head.

"Your book. How strange that such a small inconsequential thing should bring you back to me."

"I didn't know." She nearly jumped as his gloved hand was placed over her own and she stared at it, the small comfort shook her.

"How could you have known? I have spent many years being angry with you, and many years beyond that trying to hate you. You seem to wander through life not knowing the consequences of your actions, and when I have to be so careful, watching your freedom infuriated me. I suppose it poses a strange question. How can you be at fault when you did not know the consequences?"

"Are we pondering philosophy now?" She couldn't help but tease, watching a little light in his eyes wake up at the question.

"Perhaps. You are one of life's greatest mysteries Sarah. I do not think that I will ever understand you."

She raised an eyebrow, trying her best to look disdainful.

"You think you're an open book?"

"Touche." A small smile played about his mouth, and still he had yet to remove his hand from hers. If the truth were to be told she was almost becoming accustomed to the warmth it gave her.

They were silent for a few moments, and as Sarah observed him she let her battle die a quiet death. It had been a grand plan, maybe one day she would look back on it and think it a good plan. But viewing the Goblin King sitting at the edge of her bed like some wounded animal only made her see that she could not do it anymore. She was as defeated as he was in the end. She let out a long breath, cursing him, cursing herself, cursing the world around them and the circumstances of their lives.

"I meant what I said…I want to help. I just can't do this if you're…." Her voice trailed away, unsure of the right word to use. A monster? A tyrant? Cruel? She thought if she said the word out loud then it would break him even further. But in his eyes she could see it, he knew exactly what she meant and it seemed to haunt him more than it would ever haunt her.

"I know." His hand slipped away from hers, and Sarah felt her heart ache just a little for him.

"I just felt like...there's been no choice for me. I wanted so many things and now my life's changed completely. And you say it's my fault but accepting it is...something completely different."

"I know."

"And you don't make it easy." She nudged him awkwardly, trying to scratch through his resolve to find the all powerful Goblin King below the surface. Truthfully, it was unsettling for her to see him this way. It was even more unsettling for her to know that it was because of her.

"Neither do you." He said not unkindly. Sarah at least had the decency to blush, looking away to the stone floor as the weight of her guilt pressed upon her.

"We're both as difficult as each other I suppose." She whispered.

"I would agree. But there was a moment…the night we dined together, when we were amicable. It surprised even myself that we could talk without a fight. It was pleasant."

"It was. And I was drunk." She heard a soft chuckle beside her.

"You seem to be doing that a lot recently. You could almost rival me."

Sarah quirked a half hearted smile at his words.

"Why did you kiss me? Why did you want me?" The smile on her face died at the sound of his voice and her eyes slid closed.

"I just...I…" Her mouth worked wordlessly, trying to find the right thing to say. Did she tell the truth? Did she admit that she could be as cold hearted and malicious as he could? Or did she lie and pretend that she did want him? She thought that lying would be even crueller than telling the truth.

"The truth. Please. If I am to be honest then I wish for you to be too." Jareth pressed gently, his eyes scanning over her hunched body, her hand slowly fisting itself in her hair.

"Tell me, Precious. I know it was not because you wanted it. You are not a talented liar."

With a deep breath she regained her posture, fixing her eyes on the wall before her.

"I thought...if we did this...then you couldn't marry me. And you'd have to let me go."

The weight of the silence seemed to deafen her. She wasn't even sure what she was waiting for. Maybe he'd unleash his righteous fury on her for daring to defy him in such a manner, or maybe he'd make true on his promise and make her life a living hell. Her heart seemed to still however, when none of these things happened.

"You'd sacrifice your virtue for this? To avoid marrying me? Truly, you resent me that much?"

The quiet hurt of his words seemed to wound her more than his anger did. Despite all he had done, she couldn't help but feel like the truly awful person.

"I just want to go home." She whispered, her eyes burning with tears that she did not want to fall.

"I suppose it is no less than what I deserved." Jareth placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort the shaking girl as her declaration of treachery swam through his mind. Is that how far things had gone? Did she truly hate him so? By the Gods above and below…he truly was cursed.

"I'm sorry...I tried to ruin everything-"

"But you didn't. You couldn't do it. I've told you before Sarah, you are the one pure thing I know in this world. And the fact that you couldn't...it just proves that further. I don't think I deserve you."

He turned to face her, taking in her wide eyes that shimmered with the gleam of unshed tears and the flush of embarrassment in her face. It was at times like this when he realised just how truly young she was.

What an awful creature he'd been.

"Come now. No tears, no more apologies, the night is over and we shall say no more on it." Sarah almost jumped as the moment of serene calm was broken by the authoritative voice of the Goblin King she had always known.

"No more screaming at each other?" She supplied with a small smirk, pleased when he raised an eyebrow in good humour.

"Most certainly no more screaming, that would be appreciated." He stood from her bed, straightening his tunic and glancing around with a harsh sigh.

"I do think, Sarah Williams, that you will be the death of me."

"I'd be honoured." She grinned, following his lead and standing before him. He gazed at her with a somewhat wary eye as she held out her hand to him.

"I want to be your friend. I think we could be friends…don't you?" Sarah said, her voice still shaking and yet it sounded hopeful. Her eyes widened as he took her hand and bowed, grazing the soft skin with his lips.

"That, Sarah, is my greatest ambition."