**I do not own Labyrinth**

Chapter three

Road trip?

"What happened?" Both Jareth and Sarah said in unison.

"It's your mirror!" Jareth pointed out.

"How should I know?" Sarah complained, crossing the room to look closely at the shattered mess of her mirror. "It was fine when I was last here."

Jareth stared at the glass, finger tapping his chin.

"What is going on?" Sarah wondered, "Why are you here? What's happening in the underground?" She asked, needing to know.

Jareth pursed his mouth. Seeming to think something over, then shook his head. "No."

Sarah just blinked a few times at his refusal. "What, why?" She stuttered.

"Many reasons." He replied and turned away.

"But wh-"

"No," He repeated.

Fine, be that way... she thought to herself.

"Well, what now?" Sarah asked him, trying a different approach.

Still, he said nothing.

Sarah turned to him "What does this mean, anyway?"

Jareth ran a hand over his face and shook his head. "It means that I must find another way back."

He sat slumped in the chair by her bed and stared at the ceiling.

His tone said more than his words, and Sarah tried to calm her worry. "Jareth, are my friends in danger?" She demanded.

"No," He mumbled, rubbing at his neck, "unless they do something foolish." He added, then grinned up at her, "I doubt it though, Hogwit is very good at protecting his own skin."

Sarah's mouth fell open at the rude remark. "What's that sup-"

"Please, precious thing." Jareth complained, slumping farther into the chair. "I need to think, not answer silly questions about unimportant things!"

"Okay then," she said, watching him for a minute as he looked at the ceiling as though it might hold the answers. Her stomach picked that moment to remind her she had not eaten in a while. "Well, I'm starving. Do you want anything?" He didn't answer, might not have even heard her. Sarah left him and headed downstairs.

As she raided her parents' kitchen, she wondered just what the hell might be happening. He was clearly trapped here, but the reason remained a mystery. Her mirror, now useless, left her wondering how he would get back now? Or better still, how did he get here in the first place?

Sarah started the coffeepot and imagined what it could be. Was there some kind of accident that trapped him here? Was it a fight, and he lost? Her worry for her friends within the Labyrinth spiked, and Sarah wished he would tell her what was going on.

What would he do now? She did not know but guessed this world was not ready for a king of his ego and dramatics. He would need a job and a place to live unless he was going to be homeless. What kind of skills did he have? For a moment she imagined him getting a job at some fast-food joint and giggled.

"What are you laughing at?" Jareth demanded as he stood in the door, making her jump.

"This day," Sarah bluffed. "Coffee?" She offered as she poured her own.

Jareth wrinkled his nose at her. "Where is the nearest Forest, not a park either, I need a deep wooded range." Jareth asked.

"Uh, well, we can look at a map and see, why?" She offered, mixing up her cup with creamer.

"I require another pathway, and that will require magic. Both of which might be found within a forest if it is old enough."

"Okay," she mumbled. It was too early, and she was far too tired for this kind of magic talk. "How many magic pathways out of my world are there, anyway?" She wondered.

"My kingdom is a nexus of power, a point of pull, a..." He trailed off.

"Hard to explain?" she offered, coming closer to him.

Jareth picked up an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter and rolled it around in his hands. "Like describing color to a blind person." He huffed.

Sarah watched him and wondered why she wasn't more worried. Maybe this wasn't really sinking in yet. That's what happened all those years ago when she ran the Labyrinth. She just kind of accepted what was happening and went with it. Back then, it wasn't until the trash heaps that she really felt the panic of what was at stake.

Sarah wondered what would make this more real for her. Probably once he's gone, it will feel real. She decided, watching as he seemed to struggle with his words. "Maybe you can show me?" she offered.

Jareth tossed her a snide glare and shook his head. "There is no magic, and" he began.

Sarah waved her hand, stopping him, and taking a quick sip of her warm coffee, she set the cup down. "No, I mean like, write it out on paper, or use props or something?"

Jareth made a face, but to her surprise, he took the suggestion. "Very well, you stand there." he instructed, hands on her shoulders as he placed her just inside the room. "Imagine for a moment that this room is your world,"

Sarah glanced around her parents' outdated kitchen and giggled. "Okay then." She nodded at his sigh of annoyance.

"Now, this room," He said, standing parallel to her just inside the dining room, "Imagine that this room is my world. There is a way to cross from your world into mine and back again, this door."

"A door, just like this, linking the two worlds?" She wondered aloud, understanding somewhat, but doubting it could be so simple. She was right.

"No, not exactly!" He huffed. "Magically speaking it is far more complicated and also dangerous. Also, this door, I am attempting to explain, while not the only way is by far the easiest."

That made sense. Sarah nodded. "Like I can get to the kitchen if I go outside around the house and through the glass door." She said, pointing behind Jareth at the door.

He turned and grinned "Yes, in fact, that is quite a good way of putting it. Other paths lead to my world but most are more difficult as well as long. My kingdom, the Labyrinth to be precise, would in essence be the door in the frame."

"That sounds impressive." She agreed.

"You have no idea." He mumbled. "One cannot use the door unless they have the key and even then, one must be powerful."

"What's the Key?" she wondered.

Jareth just glared, his hand moving to rub at his neck. And then Sarah remembered that something should be there.

The talisman he wore in the past always hung around his neck... He's lost the key, she thought. And doesn't want to talk about it.

Sarah let the key question drop "And my mirror," she wondered, picking another topic.

"It was just a scrying mirror, only an image of the person talking. But with the link already established..." He paused, tapping his foot in agitation.

"A secret passageway?" Sarah offered.

Jareth shrugged, "Close enough." He agreed. "I had hoped it would remain unnoticed, but it would seem not." He mumbled, once again ignoring her as he began pacing again.

"I don't suppose there are any other, secret passageways, like my mirror?" Sarah wondered.

Jareth huffed, "Your mirror was an exception that, honestly, I should not have let happen to begin with." He complained and then, looking down his nose at her, he added a cruel smirk, "It's entertainment value had all but run its course."

Ass... She thought as he paced again. Sarah watched him for a while, her own feelings in an odd contradiction to themselves. On the one hand, he was making her feel bad; he was obviously having some trouble, and she was who he sought, granted, just for her mirror, but still. On the other hand, Jareth, king of the goblins, was NOT a good guy. He wasn't even all that nice. He played dirty and was ruthless in his goals. A momentary shutter took her as she recalled the cleaners...

Still, she couldn't bring herself to turn away a plea for help, even if he had yet to actually ask. "Okay, so you need some trees to commune with." She latched onto his demand for a forest and went in search of any maps.

"I do not," Jareth began, looking offended, "commune with them its-"

Sarah laughed it off. "Something to do with magic, whatever." She decided she needed to be rid of him. She had classes and a weekend with zero plans other than lounging in her room with a good book or two.

o0o

About an hour later, Jareth sat at her father's desk, browsing the only map she could find. He at first insisted that the redwoods in California were the best option, but Sarah talked him out of that idea, seeing as they were literally across the continent from them.

In the end he settled on a small, but well-preserved local forest that spanned across the middle of the state, Sarah did a quick search and found that it was mostly a preserve with a few trails and only one campsite, so it was most likely untouched as well.

Now she watched him as he studied the map and chewed on her cuticle. Though not near as far away as the redwood forest, the one he chose was still almost two hours away, and that was if you drove.

If he intended to walk...

"I will require a few provisions." Jareth interrupted her thoughts.

"Like what?" She wondered.

Jareth gave a long-suffering sigh and looked up at her. "Food, water, bedding, the usual supplies." He sounded so condescending, like she was a moron for needing to ask.

Sarah huffed and wondered what she might find in the camping supplies in the garage. She loved camping herself and had a lot of supplies, but they were back in her car at college.

"I suspect it will take me a week to get there, and a few more days just to locate the heart..." he mumbled, and Sarah felt her heart sink.

He was planning on walking.

Sarah turned back to him again "Can't you just, you know, magic yourself to the woods?" She wondered.

"No." He snorted.

"But" She began feeling that annoying pull of pity again. He couldn't just walk all the way there!

"No." He said again, then stood and rolled up the map. "If you would be so kind as to get what I requested I will return you as promised." He said, brushing past her.

Her college town was even farther away from the woods than they were now...

Sarah had been told a few times in the recent years that she had a soft heart, at this moment she hated it as she gave into her own feeling of pity for the displaced king. "I could give you a ride, you know, to the edge of the woods."

Jareth stopped short and glanced over his shoulder at her with a look of extreme confusion on his face. "A ride?"

"Well yea, I do have a car, at my place that is, and it's not that long of a trip." Sarah tried to sound flippant, like it really wasn't that big of a deal. Not that she would be going way over her budget for gas doing this, that she really didn't relish the thought of a four-hour road trip. Not to mention the classes she was missing today. Thank god it was at least Friday, so she could recover when this was all done.

Jareth just stared at her for so long she began to fidget. When she couldn't stand it anymore, she turned away, "Or not I guess if you don't need, er, want a ride." She mumbled and with a nervous giggle, she went in search of another cup of coffee.

Sarah poured the cup and shook her head. This was all just so, so...?

She was tired. Yes, that's what it was. She dozed for what, two hours last night. The last thing she needed to do was take a road trip with a cranky king from another world. Besides, he didn't need her, and there was absolutely no way he wanted her company. He probably just enjoyed walking.

"Sarah," he said, startling her somewhat, and she turned a smile his way.

"Yeah?" she asked, hoping she looked more composed than she felt.

What met her eyes was odd, and it took her a moment to place what it was. Jareth looked grateful. His eyes met hers in what could only be called a self-conscious way as he tapped at his thigh. "A ride would be," he paused, swallowing like the words were hard to say, "Greatly appreciated."

Sarah, for her part, felt that stab of guilty pity again. But his admittance helped. She wanted to help him, probably would have even if he said nothing, but hearing him ask meant more than she thought it would. "Yea, well I could use a trip I guess." She nodded, "So, take me back home and we will go from there."

"Yes." Jareth coughed, then nodded, and turned to leave the home.

Removing the evidence of their visit only took a minute and after locking up the home again, they walked back to the park. Sarah followed his lead into the shrubberies again and couldn't help the stifled giggle that crawled up her throat as she watched him remove his shoes and again place an ungloved hand against the tree.

The return trip went about the same with the odd sizzle pop. This time there was an odd sharp pain deep inside her, like something was pulling on her insides, and then they were back where they had started. Jareth's face was scrunched up too, like the trip hurt somehow. Sarah shrugged off the pain as part of the process and looked around.

Before the light difference was the most notable, this time it was the sound shift that struck her most as the quiet tranquility of the park changed to the sudden sounds of the city. Car engines, people's voices and even a distant siren.

"Where is your transportation?" He asked.

Sarah stifled a yawn and waved toward the house. "I park on the street, blue four-door." She said, heading indoors. I am gonna need way more coffee at this rate... She complained to herself. "I need to at least change Jareth," she complained at his expectant look.

"Very well." He nodded, changing course and heading around the outside of the house.

Sarah ignored him and wandered inside. In her room she changed, stuffed some things into her duffel bag, grabbed her purse and was in the process of tying her shoes when she stopped. Sarah stared out the window at the man by her car. He stood, arms folded, foot tapping as he waited for her. While he looked severely out of place in her world, he still struck her as a force to be reckoned with.

I guess this is when it hits me... She thought to herself; He is really here. He is still powerful and somehow, I've gotten myself mixed up in a mess again... Sarah finished tying her laces and slung the bag over her shoulder, catching her reflection in the mirror.

"I look like death warmed over." She complained to herself. "What am I even doing?" She wondered next. Was she really about to take a road trip for a villain of her past who, by all rights, shouldn't even be here? For the second time she wished she could talk to her friends in the underground and find out what he was doing here in the first place.

He is their king. IF he is stuck here, any number of things could be going wrong there... Sarah shook her head, wandering down the hall only to pause at the small white board near the door. Half erased messages all over it.

Quickly Sarah lifted the marker and popped the lid before writing a hasty message to her roommates. "Guess I really am doing this." She decided, putting the marker down, grabbing her keys and heading out the door.

Still, she consoled herself. At least it's just me, no brother to save. Besides, it's just a road trip, right?

**End Chapter**

***Up next, Sarah and Jareth travel to the forest edge and her involvement with the goblin King's plight is at an end. Or is it?! Stay tuned and please review.***