Sarah took a step back, clutching at her beer bottle until her knuckles turned white. Lizzie saw the quick change that came over Sarah and she turned back, smiling lightly at the man who was now right behind her. He pulled one of his hands out of his pant's pocket and extended it towards Lizzie. She flushed and then grasped his hand gently, slightly curious about the black motorcycle gloves that donned his hands.

"Hello" Lizzie said dreamily, gazing at his face with a far off look in her eyes. Sarah looked horrified and was waiting with baited breath for the man to whisk her friend away, but then Lizzie did something far worse. "I'm Lizzie, and this is my roommate Sarah." His eyes flicked from Lizzie's face as he let her hand go, and moved to Sarah. A feral grin graced his pale lips and Sarah shivered, suddenly feeling very cold.

"Sarah…" Her name sounded like a sinful promise when it fell from his lips. "It's very nice to meet you." His hand wrapped around hers and she held her breath. He brought her hand to his mouth, and kissed the back of it. Sarah winced, and breathed out, for some reason his kiss shocked her. She pulled her hand back, and wrapped her other hand around it, trying to sooth the sting. She glared up at him, but the glare died almost immediately when she saw the look he was giving her. It was dangerous, and wild, and she felt suddenly like she didn't know what she was getting into. He turned his gaze from her back to Lizzie and then a smile broke over his face. "You can call me Jareth." Sarah felt like she was going to throw up, while Lizzie looked completely smitten.

Sarah studied him again, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. If this really was Jareth, than what was he doing here, especially dressed like that? The Jareth she remembered from seven years ago had an affinity for tight pants, and fluffy shirts. He wasn't a heavily pierced, heavily tattooed leather-wearing sort of man. She froze, perhaps this was how Jareth actually was, and she really did just conjure the other image of him out of thin air.

Suddenly Lizzie poked her side, hard, and Sarah was brought out of her stupor. She turned her head away from Jareth and glared at Lizzie. Lizzie shot a quick look over at Jareth and smiled widely.

"Well be right back. Just need to talk to Sarah. I'm not feeling too well." Lizzie then grabbed Sarah's arm and marched her away from Jareth, blending into the crowd seamlessly.

"Lizzie I swear to god if this is your attempt to hook me up you should…"

"Sarah. He's hot, you're hot, and it's just a party. Now go over there and have some fun. I'll be in the next room with Mark." Sarah rolled her eyes. Mark was Lizzie's on again off again boyfriend, who had the intelligence of a kumquat, but was still – surprisingly – going to school.

"Lizzie. No. Liz, get back here!" Sarah watched horrified as Liz walked off and waved her hand over her shoulder. Sarah stomped her foot and sighed, knowing that she must have looked incredibly childish. Suddenly she felt the same chill that had been following her all night, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Sarah turned around quickly and gulped. Jareth had appeared directly behind her once more.

"My, my Sarah mine. Did I scare you?" Sarah glared when the word 'mine' left his lips directly after her name.

"I don't know who you think you are. I'm not yours." He smirked, and Sarah swore that his teeth appeared pointed where they touched his lip.

"Oh but don't you remember Sarah? You are the only mortal that has ever bested my Labyrinth." Sarah felt like she couldn't breathe. The world swam before her eyes and she placed a hand to her skull. She felt like she was on fire, and then suddenly she was falling…falling…falling…

A strong pair of arms wrapped themselves around her, and hoisted her up. She was cradled against a chest that seemed familiar, but the scent of leather threw her off. Sarah came to slowly, and the first thing she realized was that she was sitting outside of the frat house, on a bench in the night air. The second thing she noticed was that she was sitting on someone's lap, and had been nuzzling into their chest. Sarah blinked and looked up, but froze immediately. Jareth had wrapped his leather jacket around her to drive away any chill, and she was propped up in his lap. Sarah pushed against his chest, hard, and almost tumbled down onto the ground. Jareth simply chuckled and wrapped his arms tighter around her, squeezing her to his chest.

Sarah winced as she felt her arms contract closer to her chest, and she was afraid that he wouldn't stop squeezing, that he would continue to squeeze until she turned to dust. Suddenly his arms released her, and he moved her gently to sit on the bench next to him. Sarah moved quickly to stand and her head swam again. She sat back down and Jareth chuckled.

"Be careful Sarah. It appears as though the alcohol had a less than desired effect on you." Sarah glared. She knew her limits by now, she had been legally drinking for six months, and was drinking illegally long before that. She didn't need to be told by some pompous Goblin King that she had had too much to drink.

"Fuck off." Jareth raised one eyebrow.

"Such language Sarah. I must say I am disappointed." Sarah groaned and placed her head in her hands. She didn't need this stress. Not before her final semester started. Sarah took a deep breath and muttered something that sounded like "this isn't real" before she sat up and leaned against the bench. She still felt like things were swimming, and colors danced before her vision. She turned her head and glared at Jareth.

"You drugged me." She pointed a finger at Jareth and he raised his eyebrow again.

"Why would I do that? Just because you're terrified of me doesn't mean that I would drug you. I am offended Sarah mine." Sarah made to stand up again, but her legs had turned to jelly and she slammed back down into the seat. Suddenly she wished that she hadn't agreed to come to this party at all. Jareth snickered, as though he had read her mind.

"Now, now, Sarah. Wishing won't do you any good here. I'm afraid." Sarah moaned and finally decided that her head be damned, she was getting up, and getting the hell out of there. Sarah stood and shakily walked towards the frat house on shaky legs. She could head Jareth chuckle darkly behind her and he called out before she disappeared into the frat house. "I will find you again Sarah mine. You belong to me, you just haven't realized it yet." Sarah shivered and threw herself into the house, desperately trying to find Lizzie so that they could leave.

Finally, after looking for about ten minutes Sarah found Lizzie tangled up in Mark's lap. Sarah tapped her on the shoulder and Lizzie smiled up at her. Sarah sighed. Lizzie was obviously stoned, or drunk, or both.

"I want to get out of here. Come on." Lizzie smacked Sarah's hand away and snuggled closer to Mark.

"No. Go find Jay, or Jeremy or whoever. I'm staying here for a bit longer." Sarah sighed loudly and moved out of the frat house and sat outside, staring at Lizzie's car. Sarah almost had the mind to hot wire it and drive off, leaving her roommate behind. The only problem with that fantasy was that she had no idea how to hot wire a car. Sarah sighed, and looked back at the house, hoping that Liz would walk out and they could go. But she knew that nothing like that was going to happen.

Sarah jumped and turned to look behind her. She could have sworn that she heard something rustle the bush behind her. She took a deep breath and shut her eyes. Sarah exhaled and steeled herself, half expecting Jareth to be standing in front of her. Instead there was a drunken frat boy, swaying slightly, and staring at her lecherously. Sarah flushed and crossed her arms in front of her chest, hoping that by breaking his line of sight he would toddle off and leave her be. Sadly that was not the case. The boy swayed over to Sarah and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Hey." Sarah scowled at the smell of alcohol that was apparent on his breath.

"Not interested." Sarah grabbed his arm and removed it from her shoulder. His face darkened, but it was almost comical due to the alcohol in his system.

"No need to be like that baby." His arm was around her shoulder once more, and he hiccupped slightly. His side pressed firmly into hers, and his lips went to her neck where he placed a slobbering wet kiss. A huge crash resounded before them, one that was reminiscent of a lightning strike. The boy jumped, and looked horrified at what stood before them. There was Jareth, fury written clearly in his eyes, the sidewalk around his feet was scorched, and Sarah swore that a small cloud of glitter hung in the air. Jareth moved swiftly and grabbed the boy by the front of his jacket. Sarah supposed that they were lucky that the boy hadn't been grabbed by his neck.

"I do believe that she said she was not interested." Jareth snarled as he held the boy aloft by his jacket, his feet barely skimming the ground. Sarah jumped to her feet, anger flashing in her eyes.

"I don't need you to stand up for me." He cocked one eyebrow.

"Oh yes, because you were doing just fine on your own." Jareth turned his attention back to the boy, malice glinting in his eyes. "You will be going back inside, and you will not be touching nor looking at anyone in any lecherous manner. Understood?" The boy nodded, his eyes wide. Jareth released his hands and the boy sprawled on the ground. He picked himself up and ran back inside, never looking back.

"What the hell was that? I told you I didn't need your help." Sarah's hands were curled into fists at her sides. "I don't know who you think you are to just…"

"I think Sarah, that you know exactly who I think I am, you're just too afraid to utter it." Sarah scowled and bit the inside of her cheek, refusing to play this man's games.

"Look. You're obviously delusional. You seem to think that you're some made up character out of a children's fairy tale. It's not real!" Jareth scowled and then started talking, not listening to what Sarah was saying at all.

"It happened on Midsummer's Eve, seven years ago. You had been charged with the duty of caring for your baby brother Toby, but you were unhappy. You wished that the child be taken, and I appeared and took him. Then you ran my Labyrinth. You bested every obstacle I threw at you." Jareth took a step closer and brushed Sarah's cheek with the back of his hand. "Including the ball I made specifically for you." His ice blue eyes flicked to Sarah's green ones, and he smirked when he saw the horror in her eyes. "You fought your way to my castle and won the child back. You bested me." Jareth scowled and dropped his gloved hand from her cheek. "Seven is a powerful number Sarah mine." Jareth fiddled with one of his gloves, and then suddenly he was holding a crystal.

Sarah felt her blood run cold as the crystal moved over the man's hand. She could tell that something was wrong with it. She remembered crystals like that, and they looked like they were made of pure glass. This one on the other hand was opaque, and it seemed to be barely there as it glided over Jareth's knuckles.

"Seven is a very powerful number for my people Sarah mine. Thanks to you and your foolish words you effectively imprisoned me, and destroyed my kingdom." His eyes turned to Sarah's and they were cold. "You freed me tonight, when you touched the figure of me." Sarah shivered and took a step back.

"W. What are you?" Jareth smirked, and then suddenly, faster than a breath. He changed.