Sorry for this chapter taking a while and not being as long as previous ones.

Thank you all those who reviewed feel free to do so again.

Hopefully this chapter paves the way to getting the story moving again.

Enjoy and please review.

Chapter 13

That night Sarah dreamed for the first time since her return from the Underground, proper dreams not the nightmares that had plagued her. She found herself lying in the arms of a man, her head cushioned on one arm, the other was round about her waist, holding her to him whoever he was. It was peaceful and restful and surprisingly she didn't feel awkward or scared. Jay had disturbed her rest only once, she had fed him and he'd settled down again immediately, when she awoke the next morning she didn't give the dream a second thought.

Toby had made her keep her promise the day before, she had helped him with his homework. And then he had demanded stories at bed time. When he finally dropped off she said goodnight to Karen and went to her own room. Sarah thought again about calling to her friends in the labyrinth but she still didn't know how to explain what had happened to them.

She found it easier to get up that morning, She washed and dressed quickly, Jay was still half asleep when she changed and dressed him, before going down to breakfast with Toby and Karen.

Titania had returned to Avalon the previous evening, to attend court and explain to her husband what an idiot his son was. He didn't take the news of what Jareth had done very well. It had taken Titania an hour to calm Oberon down again and not to go straight to the Labyrinth to have it out with the Goblin King. Titania assured Oberon that she was handling the situation.

After a nights rest and a refreshing bath, to wash the traces of iron from her skin, the High Queen readied herself for the day. On her agenda that morning was a trip to see her step-son to make sure he was still functioning, well as much as needed to control the Goblins and other denizens of the Labyrinth, and to tell him that Sarah was safe. She applied the finishing touches to her appearance and transported herself to the centre of the Labyrinth.

Breakfast in the Williams house was a very calm affair, choreographed and executed according to a set plan. Toby was sent off to school with his completed homework, books and lunch box. Karen was going to the salon to get her hair done and then she had to go get the weeks groceries leaving Sarah alone in the house for a few hours. Robert Williams was due back that evening from his business trip.

Karen had had reservations about leaving Sarah alone but she'd seemed more herself at breakfast, though the dark circles were still beneath her eyes. She had even smiled when Toby had told a very bad joke. Karen couldn't help thinking that if she ever met Sarah's mystery man he would be given a very big piece of her mind.

When Titania re-materialized in the throne room of the Castle beyond the Goblin city the room was still a pig sty. 'Some things never change,' she thought to herself. After waiting for someone to come fetch her or that she could send to fetch Jareth, for much longer than usual, the High Queen decided to take the initiative and transported herself straight to the King himself.

She found him in his room. From the musty smell of the air he hadn't left it in a while.

"Jareth. Time to wake up." Titania called sweetly to her slumbering Step-son. When that didn't work she opened all the curtains in the bedroom with a magic sweep of her wrist, flooding the room with light. There was an answering groan from the bed.

"I thought you would like to hear about my trip into the mortal realm."

"What?" Was the fuzzy response from the still half asleep Jareth. The Goblin King sat up in bed, his normally wild hair looking decidedly flat today. There were dark purple circles around his eyes.

"You will of course be glad to know that Sarah is safe. I took her to home to her parents and brother."

"She's alright?"

"No, she is not alright. You broke her heart. You almost broke her."

"I never intended to hurt her not nine years ago not when I found out about her son.."

"Yes you did, you wanted revenge, for Sarah to feel pain, perhaps not physical pain but still pain, You got your wish all because you leaped to a conclusion and had a very unrealistic view of the situation. From what I can tell Sarah had no reason to even like you after her run through the Labyrinth. Why wouldn't she move on, court other men?"

"But she didn't..." He started.

"That isn't the point you had no right to expect her to, not after nine years, more than a third of her very mortal life."

"I left her alone for almost a decade, I tried to forget her..."

"And couldn't? You thought she'd forgotten about her trip here, she loved you , she waited nine years for you so she could tell you that, too proud to call for you. She was lonely and so she adopted a baby because she was still saving herself for you, the stupid girl because you don't deserve her."

"I know that she cared now." Jareth snapped.

"But it won't help you now." Titania paused for a minute or two before continuing, "There is no time for you to wallow in guilt, you have a kingdom that needs you, you have an important task. Pull yourself together and don't worry, I will make sure that Sarah recovers."

Sarah, after a less than pleasant phone call to her agent, decided to finally talk to her friends in the Labyrinth. She sat in front of her vanity and called out to them. They didn't take long to appear in the mirror..

Chorus's of "Sarah," "My Lady," and "Sawah." greeted her..

"Hi guys."

"My Lady, are you alright?" Sir Didymus was the first coherent question.

"Yes I'm fine. Sorry I didn't get a chance to find you while I was in the Labyrinth."

"Sawah, sad." Ludo's bass voice rumbled.

"What did that rat Jareth do to you this time?" Hoggle's lined and wrinkled face was concerned.

"It doesn't matter Hoggle, its all over now."

"He's feeling guilty about something, it rained from the time you left till this morning." The Dwarf explained.

"Yea verily, our Kings emotions have always affected the climate of the Labyrinth." The chivalrous fox explained when Sarah looked confused.

"I'm OK now, both little Jay and I are safe, you don't have to worry about us."

"Sawah, sad." Ludo repeated.

"It's alright Ludo, I'll be better soon." She gave a little smile to reassure the gentle beast.

Oberon High King of the Fae sat on his Throne at Avalon, bored with court and fuming about his wife's revelations about his son. He absent mindedly ran his hand through his short dark hair, his blue eyes distant , patrician features pulled into a scowl. Although he wasn't exactly sure what was annoying him the most, that his son had harmed Sarah Williams, champion of the Labyrinth, or that his wife had been the first to know and had told him not to interfere.

He was very curious about the Williams girl, the first woman to grab Jareth's attention, and she was mortal from a realm were magic was disappearing. A Celtic woman, with a half fae child in her care, whose cries had reverberated through Avalon, that he would investigate.