The smell of pancakes called to Sarah as she slept awkwardly upon the window seat where she had finally drifted off. She stretched luxuriously for a long minute before getting dressed and running downstairs. "Good morning all," she announced.

"Good morning, dear."

"Morning, Sarah."

"Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?" asked Toby smiling smugly.

"I see that you've finally dived into the worlds of Tolkien, very good memory," she laughed, surprised.

"Yeah, it wasn't as stupid as I thought it would be," the boy said while shoving pancakes into his mouth.

"It is brilliant," she assured him.

Once breakfast ended they all retired to the sitting room. Yesterday's afternoon rain had frozen beneath the snowfall of the evening-no one was going out. Instead they played board games and drank hot chocolate. At dusk, after dinner, Robert stoked the fire and poured the adults some wine. "Sarah why don't you finish the story we've been reading? It is sitting on the mantle, we haven't had the pleasure of hearing you read in such a long time," asked her father.

"Of course, how could I say no," she grinned picking up the small red book. Flipping it open to the last few pages where the bookmark rested, she recognized the words immediately. Sarah felt the color drain from her face and her hand trembled. What cruel twist of fate designed for The Labyrinth to be the one book out of hundreds in the house that they were reading.

"Is there anything wrong, Sarah?" asked Irene.

"Ah, I just thought that I had misplaced this book, I thought it was lost," she replied.

"I found it one day when I was going through your stuff," Toby smirked. "It's pretty cool, I think you read it to me when we were little, it seems familiar."

"You have no idea," Sarah sighed.

"Well, finish it," urged Toby.

"The girl stood before the Goblin King at last and beseeched him saying, 'Give me the child. Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child that you have stolen. For my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom is as great. You have no power over me.' The world around the girl darkened and she stood with her child, victorious at last."

Sarah closed her eyes and shut the book. The ending was certainly different from her own. There were no professions of love or last minute bargains. The woman passed the trial of the Labyrinth, secured her child, and went on with her life.

"I think the Goblin King has the best lines of the story," remarked Toby.

"He is very eloquent," agreed Sarah.

"I think the whole thing is a bit morbid," chimed in Irene. "Next time I want to read one of the happier ones."

"I hate when she picks the stories," Toby rolled his eyes. "Last time she made us listen to Pride & Prejudice, yuck."

"That's a great book, Toby," she argued. "It's all about the importance of not judging other people before you get the chance to know them, not everyone is what they seem to be…" she trailed off. "I think I need a little fresh air, would anyone mind if I stepped out a second?"

"Nope, take Albus with you," the white husky stood at attention when Irene mentioned his name.

Sarah pulled on her coat and followed the dog out into the frigid air. She walked with him in the backyard for little while, thinking. She was brave and smart, she would not let her own prejudiced ideas and bad history with Jay...Jareth, color her relationship with him now. As far as she knew, he didn't pick his career as a kidnapper, he seemed very comfortable in the role of bard. He didn't do anything that she didn't ask for fifteen years ago. Maybe he wasn't what he appeared either as Jay or Jareth, perhaps he was a person in between the two. At any rate, he didn't have any power over her. She had wished him back into her life-she had connected those dots-and she wished him back out both times.

She was determined to try again. After all, she did like a challenge.

"Jareth, I wish to speak with you," she whispered, feeling a tiny bit stupid.

Nothing happened. Maybe I am crazy, she thought. I've dreamt the whole thing. She shook her head and turned toward the porch light.

"Well?" came a chilly voice from behind her.

Sarah turned slowly to face him. He looked nearly the same as he had the night she heard him sing in the bar, but something about his face was a little wilder, his eyes were more feral, both blazing blue in the night like Albus'.

"I wanted to apologize for sending you away. I was a little...overwhelmed...which I think you should understand," she crossed her arm. The hardness of his face faltered slightly.

"I don't want to risk...I don't want to lose what we were becoming for the sake of what we once were. I was so happy when we were together, but I want to know that those moments were real, that you weren't deceiving me," she squared her shoulders.

"Sarah, I was not purposely misleading you. I just didn't know how to tell you and you had no memory of me," he extended his hand to her.

"Ok, then I want to invite you to Christmas dinner," she took his hand and pulled him toward her. "I wish that you would be honest with me, always."

Jareth frowned slightly. "You've caught on to those right words haven't you," with a wolfish look he kissed her in the falling snow. "Just try not to abuse them. I will be here for dinner."

"Remember that gifts are not encouraged," Sarah called into the night air as he vanished.

And, now we will divulge into the comedy of manners that accompanies a woman's decision to date a supernatural being. ~~~~~Thank you H. Granger for keeping me straight.

P.S. If you catch typos and such, give me a shout. I get unreasonably embarrassed about typos and would rather you point them out sooner than later since I tend to be a very poor editor on my own.