"You wished yourself away," said Jareth. "You can't just go back. Even if I tried, even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to return you back. You are the wisher, but you're also the wished-away this time."

"No, no there's always a way to make things right. There's always a loophole," insisted Sarah. She couldn't believe that her way home was gone forever. "Last time I ran for Toby; can I run for myself?"

"No one who's ever wished themselves away has actually run the Labyrinth for themselves."

"Aha! So there is a way! And you avoided answering." Now Sarah was the one who crossed her arms. She flashed him a smug and triumphant smirk.

"There is a way, yes—but, no one has ever run the maze twice. Ever. I don't know what you would be stepping into, I don't know how the Labyrinth would orient itself to a second-time runner. You wouldn't be running the same maze you knew."

Sarah's eyebrows were knitted together, her mind deep in thought. She closed her eyes and considered her options. Her life Aboveground was amazing. She was a success. She lived near her family. Her life was perfect.

Her life was lacking. What, she didn't know, but why should she go back to dissatisfaction? Why should she go back to a life so full of success yet so empty?

"Toby," she thought to herself. He was a reason why. He was more than a reason why. She looked up at Jareth, her decision made. "I—"

"Wait." Jareth gestured for her to stop. He looked at her earnestly, his eyes pleading with an unasked question. "What if…you stayed here. In my castle. The thirteen hours don't start to count down until the run begins. Once the countdown begins, it can't be stopped, and if you fail you will truly never be able to leave. Stay here in my castle, and together we can identify the next step that needs to be taken." Jareth's breathing had quickened. Sarah was confused as to why he would be nervous or upset, but the king's agitated manner was the least of her concerns.

"Stay here…with you?" asked Sarah, her tone critical and wary. Jareth nodded, his lips drawn in a terse line and his breath bated. "You kidnapped my brother," she continued, "you tried to kidnap me, and you expect me to stay with you?"

"I—"

"No," cut in Sarah, her voice firm and her stance steady. "You don't get to comment on that. The shallow wish of a child shouldn't invoke a magically binding contract, and I still haven't forgotten the ball."

"I thought you'd like it!"

"It wasn't what I thought it was. What I thought I wanted wasn't what I truly wanted. Your attempt to make me forget my brother and abandon him to the goblins makes me want to put as much distance between us as possible." Sarah took a step back.

"Yes, those were…difficult times," he said, choosing his words carefully. "But I don't make the rules. If you stayed here, there would be no tricks. I don't want to hurt you, I never meant to hurt you." Sarah scoffed at this; Jareth realized he was losing her. He began to pace. "I'm just trying to help—you must remember how I feel—you'd have your own rooms, the goblins wouldn't even bother you—surely you know running the Labyrinth again is madness—I mean—"

Jareth's speech was choppy and his pitch had risen to the rafters.

All feelings of fear or worry paused themselves; Sarah enjoyed seeing the king's reaction to not being the one in power. Sarah held the ace in her hand; maybe she'd run the Labyrinth just to spite him.

"Did you mean it?" she cut into his rambling.

He stopped. "Mean what?"

"Yes, I remember how you feel—how you said you feel; did you mean it?"

"I don't see how that has any bearing on the current situation." The Goblin King once again wore a face of stone; the frantic atmosphere he cast was brought down under its weight. Sarah's intense gaze equaled his own penetrating stare. Her eyes bore into him, demanding an answer.

None came. She sighed. "If I stay here—if—I will have my own room?"

"Naturally," said Jareth, his voice betraying no emotion.

"And you and I…there is no 'you and I,' correct? This isn't some sort of trick or arrangement, is it?"

"No, there's not. And no; I will respect your space. You are a guest in the castle, even if your presence in the Underground is due to less than optimal circumstances."

Sarah stood in uncertain silence. She should feel afraid of sharing a home with the Goblin King, stealer of babes and caster of spells, yet she couldn't help but believe what he said. He seemed truthful enough. The ominous and sly way he conducted himself last time seemed to be a thing of the past… maybe he was such a trickster last time because he had to be. But what could he have possibly gained by stealing Toby?

Sarah didn't have time to ponder questions. "Ok," she said.

Jareth's hard expression cracked. His eyebrows lifted and his mouth parted slightly. A beat of silence passed before he could speak.

"Ok?"

"Ok. I will stay in the castle. I'm sure Hoggle would welcome me in with open arms. Besides, I've never stayed in a castle before—and I remember you said roomsss, not room."

"I will try to make you as comfortable as possible," said Jareth. He caught Sarah off guard as he bent into a sweeping bow.

Sarah shifted uncomfortably, not sure if she should curtsy or not. She skipped ceremony and just said thanks.

"Well, my dear," Jareth began, opening an arm towards the hall, "Welcome to my castle."

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Thank you for all the love! 3