by Stormlight

"I hate my life!"

This was muttered under Sarah's breath as she took in the disaster before her. The living room, which had once been impeccably clean, now looked like a cross between a natural disaster area and a nuclear fallout. Toys were strewn everywhere, along with several potted plants, and the black dirt had been scattered all over the pristine white carpet. Well, it isn't so pristine anymore…

Sarah gingerly picked her way around several toy dump-trucks and a giant plastic dinosaur, looking for the culprits of the mess. She found them in the bathroom, calmly filling the toilet with some sort of repulsive green slime, which had also been smeared all over the sinks, the tub, the floor… This last she found out the hard way when she slipped in a puddle of the gunk and landed on her backside, hard. "Dennis! Mikey! Toby! When I get my hands on you three I'm gonna…"

The three five-year-old boys looked up at her through big, innocent eyes. Toby's face puckered slightly, ready to cry at his big sister's tone. Sarah pointed a finger at him. "Don't even think it, Mister!" she growled. Toby blinked at her, then broke into a big smile instead... the one that he always used on Sissy when she was mad at him. "It ain't gonna work this time, kid," she said firmly, but already she could feel her resolve wavering under the grin he beamed at her, and that annoyed her further, so she turned her attention to the other two boys.

Dennis and Mikey were angelic-looking twins with curling, golden hair and big blue eyes that reminded one of a basset hound's eyes. They could be the sweetest children on earth when they chose to be…unfortunately, this wasn't one of those times. They had apparently decided to sprout horns and tails tonight and go on a rampage, dragging innocent Toby along for the ride.

How can three little kids do so much damage in fifteen minutes? Sarah wondered as she scooped them up and stuck them in the tub, turning on the water. She added some bubble bath, stripped the boys from their dirty clothing, and stood up. "You three play in here, and don't make any more messes! I'm going to clean up this one before my parents come home and have a heart attack!"

The boys were too busy trying to eat the bubbles to reply, and Sarah rolled her eyes. If she had known how much trouble she was going to have with Toby and the Johnson twins tonight, she would never have agreed to baby-sit them. "Well, nothing to do about it now except pray that I survive," she muttered as she dragged out the vacuum and began to clean the living room. "I told Karyn not to buy white carpet, but nooo! Nobody ever listens to me! As usual…"

Of course, as usual, her parents hadn't bothered to ask Sarah to come along with them to the dinner theater, either. They'd just assumed that she'd leap for joy at the chance to baby-sit, as if she was fifteen again! She had agreed, not really caring one way or another. She loved her brother, after all, and he was a good kid most of the time. She was usually pretty defensive when it came to protecting him. Heaven help any bully who teased Toby in Sarah's presence. She'd wipe the floor with them! Ever since that whole Labyrinth incident…

No, she thought quickly. I am not going to think about that right now…

It was when the Johnsons had shown up with their kids, dressed for dinner, that things started to go downhill. They had told Karyn some sob story about how their sitter canceled at the last possible moment, and sweetly asked Sarah would she mind terribly if she could watch the twins for a few hours since she was already watching Toby anyway…? Three little boys were three times as hard to watch as one, but she'd agreed, mostly because she didn't have the heart (Or maybe the guts, she thought sourly) to tell them no. As if they didn't already know she was gullible!

She could almost hear them laughing hysterically as they drove away.

"Oh, come on, girl! You're almost twenty years old! You survived the Goblin King's Labyrinth! Three kids shouldn't be all that hard," she told herself firmly. What was baby-sitting compared to the Bog of Eternal Stench? She shuddered, still remembering that horrible smell...of which, nearly five years later, she still couldn't begin to describe!

"I am not going to think about that!" she reminded herself fiercely.

The sound of a loud splash, followed by evil, childish laughter, brought Sarah out of her reverie and scurrying to the bathroom. "What are you doing?" she gasped as she looked in on them.

They looked up at her innocently. "Nuthin’," one of the twins replied. "We were just playin'."

Sarah fixed them with a hard look. Her patience was at the end of its rapidly fraying rope, and she'd had just about enough! Time to break out the big guns!

"You are all going to behave yourselves in here or…or…" She paused, trying to think of a suitable threat. "Or…I'll call the goblins to come take you away!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she clapped her hands over it in horror. What was she thinking?! The twins, however, just laughed at her. But Toby looked at her worriedly, and Sarah had the odd feeling that he was remembering something…

She shot him a weak grin. So much for not thinking about the Labyrinth. "Just be good, okay, guys? I'm almost done cleaning up, and the carpet isn't too horribly stained. Maybe my parents won't notice…"

She ducked out of the bathroom again and took a deep breath. What on earth had possessed her to say that? She knew exactly what had happened the last time she called on the Goblin King… No doubt he was still remembering, too, and nursing his wounds down in that castle of his. If she ever did wish away another kid, well, she highly doubted Jareth would be half as "generous" as he had been last time…

"Get a grip," she muttered tightly. "That was five years ago. I haven't heard a peep out of him since, and if he wasn't some childish hallucination, he probably doesn't even remember who I am. Too busy snatching little brothers from unsuspecting older sisters…" She trailed off as she started the vacuum up again, trying to ignore the tight knot that had formed in her chest at the thought of Jareth. "It was a fantasy. A child's dream, is all, and I put away childish things long ago…"

Besides, if she was supposed to miss anybody in the Labyrinth, it should be the friends she had made there. Hoggle and Ludo and Sir Didymus. Oh, she did miss them, and sometimes wished she could see them again. They hadn't appeared in her mirror again after the night she'd defeated Jareth. But her throat didn't tighten up the way it did when she thought of Jareth, and her eyes didn't sting with unshed tears…

Things had been left unfinished back in the castle. There was something that had been left undone, something left unsaid that, at the time, Sarah had been too young to understand. There had been something, she now realized, that Jareth had been trying to tell her, to make her see...a certain look in those strange, mismatched eyes, the words he'd spoken to her...but in her blind determination to beat the "villain" and get her brother back, she had not understood. Or had made herself not understand… She still didn't understand, not completely, and at any rate, what did it matter? She had defeated Jareth, and she had gotten Toby back…at the cost of her dreams. But it had been worth it! she insisted. It made me a better person! It made me grow up…

There was another splash from the bathroom, followed by more evil laughter, and Sarah groaned aloud. "Yeah, and here I am, baby-sitting the Three Stooges. Hooray for me. I'd rather be in an oubliette!"

She went back to the bathroom in time to see a twin - Dennis, probably - pouring a cup of water onto the floor. "Okay! You guys have had your jollies for tonight! Get out, dry off, and get your pajamas on…now!" The boys hurried to obey, knowing that when Sarah used that tone of voice they had better hop to it, and fast!

Deep in the Underground, in the castle of the Goblin King, Jareth lounged on his throne, as usual, and surveyed the activity around him with a bored sigh. He was surrounded by Goblins, as usual, all talking and yelling and laughing and generally making enough racket to be heard the whole way Above. He sighed and sat up, carelessly kicking the goblin that had been spit-polishing his boots (by actually spitting on them, he noticed with disgust) across the room and out a window that magically appeared, and then vanished again. The other goblins laughed and jeered at their fellow creature, until Jareth's quelling glare made them scurry for cover lest they meet with the same fate.

He pulled a crystal out of the air and gazed into it, and in a moment the image of a young girl with long, sable hair and beautiful dark eyes filled the orb. She was wearily cleaning up a huge mess in a bathroom, obviously made by the three little imps he could see peering around the door frame. One of them looked familiar to him. "My, my," he murmured. "Could that possibly be Sarah's brother? My, how he has grown. He would have made a fine goblin… Maybe he would have even been a smart one."

Jareth turned his attention back to Sarah, kneeling on the tile floor and wiping up some repulsive-looking, slimy mixture. "My, how the mighty have fallen," he said, a wry smile twisting his lips. "Sarah…is this truly what you wanted for your life? To be a mere servant when you could have been a queen?" He paused, and a scowl crossed his proud, handsome features.

"You could have been a QUEEN!"

In a brief spurt of fury, he hurled the orb across the room, following the flight of the goblin he'd kicked. But no window appeared this time, and the crystal shattered soundlessly against the stone wall. He sank back onto his throne as despair swamped him in a sudden rush, but he pushed the despair aside and nonchalantly pulled another crystal from the air and gazed into it. Sarah had by then finished wiping up the mess, and was now helping the three children to put on their pajamas…

"Sarah, read us a story," Dennis pleaded.

"Yeah! Read about Peter Pan!" Mikey added.

"No! We read that last time!" Dennis pointed out. "Read about King Arthur, instead. Tell us about the Sword in the Stone!"

"No! I don't want to hear about that!" Mikey yelled. "Read something else!"

"I'm not gonna read anything if you two don't lower your voices," Sarah threatened. "Now, why not pick something you haven't heard before?"

"I know," Dennis said eagerly. "Tell us again about the Goblin King, and the big maze, and the funny dwarf, and…"

Sarah gulped as Mikey and Toby nodded eagerly in agreement. "Um…not tonight, guys. How about…Cinderella instead?"

On cue, all three of them exclaimed at the top of their lungs, "EEEEWWW!!!"

"That's a mushy story," Dennis added with finality.

Sarah just sighed.

Jareth chuckled as he listened to this exchange. "What's the matter, Sarah?" he asked softly. "Are you having bad memories? Perhaps you need some cheering up…" He focused on the little boy—Dennis was his name?—and whispered, "Cinderella is a mushy story, isn't it, little one? The Labyrinth is so much more exciting…especially its king! Wouldn't you like to meet the Goblin King? Don't you wish the goblins would take you away…right now?"

Sarah was trying her darnedest to convince her charges to listen to Cinderella, or Peter Pan, or Arthur…anything but the Labyrinth! "Well…how about the story where Peter Pan rescues Tiger Lily from the rock?" she said desperately, pulling the book from the shelf.

"No!" Dennis yelled. "I want to hear Labyrinth!"

Sarah was thinking on how to convince the three of them that Labyrinth wasn't what they wanted to hear when suddenly, in a clear voice, Dennis stood up and stated, "I wish we could go meet the Goblin King…right now!"

Jareth heard the child's words and smiled. "Well, not exactly the words I had in mind, but it should do," he said cheerfully, standing up. "You, you, and you…" He pointed to three large goblins. "I've a job for you." He tossed them a crystal, and they fumbled with it before one of them finally managed to catch it. Jareth closed his eyes and wished for patience. "You know what to do," he told them. "Go. I have…an engagement…"

The three goblins scurried off with the crystal, cackling gleefully. Jareth swept his arm downward and over his body, and in a moment he had changed from his common garb into a pair of black tights, a black waistcoat, and a cream-colored peasant shirt with silken cuffs, topped off with the black cloak that glittered with starlight…the same one he'd worn when Sarah had first met him. Then he held up the crystal and peered at Sarah's face. "Well, my lovely," he murmured. "You defeated me once…but you defeated yourself, as well. Let's see if anyone wins this time, shall we?" He tossed the crystal into the air, where it vanished.

And then he began to change, to melt away, until a white owl sat in his place. The owl spread its velvet wings and leaped into the air, flying through a window and out over the Labyrinth before vanishing from sight.

Sarah stared at Dennis in horror. "Wh-what did you say?" she gasped. "You didn't…just wish on the Goblin King, did you?"

Dennis grinned. "Uh-huh."

Sarah groaned and closed her eyes. "This is not happening!" she muttered. "This is so not happening. No, it’s okay, it's okay. He didn't actually say the words, so nothing should happen…I hope…" But nothing was as it seemed in the Labyrinth. Normal rules just didn't apply when it came to Jareth…

She opened her eyes to see Dennis and Mikey grinning at her reaction, and Toby looked worried again. She smiled weakly. "Well, you know, it's late. After ten o'clock. You were supposed to be in bed by nine! So how about we skip the story tonight, okay? I'll read you a good one the next time I baby-sit…"

If there is a next time! After tonight, I think I'm ready to retire for good! she added silently. The twins were about to protest, but she held up a hand. "Don't argue. Go to sleep," she commanded. The twins sulked, and Toby pouted, but they slid under the covers in Toby's bunk-bed, Dennis and Mikey on top and Toby on the bottom.

"You're no fun," Dennis sulked. "We never get to do anything! I wish I could go to the Lab-" He was abruptly cut off as Sarah slapped her hand over his mouth.

"Say it, and I promise you will regret it," she growled. Dennis' eyes widened, and he subsided. Sarah felt momentarily guilty at her harsh tone, but she was taking no chances tonight. Something did not feel…right to her. Nerves, she decided, and knelt to tuck Toby in. "You okay, kid?" she asked, noticing her brother's frown.

"Yeah. Sarah? Could you sing me the music box song? Please?" Toby asked pleadingly. Dennis and Mikey's heads appeared over the side of the top bed.

"Yeah. Could you, Sarah? Please?" Mikey added.

Sarah sighed. "If I do, do you promise to go to sleep right away?" she asked. At their nods, she made herself comfortable on the floor. The music box song, as Toby called it, was a lullaby that her mother—her real mother—had sang to her when she was a child. After the incident with the Labyrinth, Toby had had nightmares for awhile and the only way he would sleep was if Sarah would sing him that lullaby. But she'd not needed to sing it to him since he was three. But now, feeling the need to steady her own nerves as well as her brother's, Sarah thought for a moment for the words, and then opened her mouth and let her sweet, clear voice ring out:

Sarah finished the song, feeling the shivers run through her. As usual, she felt as though that song had been written just for her. It was so much like her. She opened her eyes and looked at Toby, who smiled at her sleepily. The twins had already fallen asleep. "Feeling better, kid?" she asked softly.

He nodded, but then his face furrowed in that way it did when he was pondering something. "Sarah, is the goblins gonna take us away like before?" he asked.

Sarah's mouth dropped open, the song forgotten. "Wh-what do you mean?" she whispered. Like before? But…how could he possibly remember? He'd been no older than a year! And, bright though he was, he wasn't that smart! Was he?

"Before, when you wished the goblins would take me away. Remember?" And the look he gave her told her that she was as stupid as a goblin if she didn't remember! Sarah was speechless.

"H-how do you know about that?" she asked. "You were just a baby! You shouldn't be able to remember…"

Toby shrugged…his way of saying he didn't know. "I don't want to go back to the goblins," he said sleepily. "He was gonna make me a goblin, and goblins are dumb. I don't want to be dumb."

"You aren't dumb, Toby, and you never will be, and nobody is going to take you anywhere!" Sarah replied firmly. "Dennis was only teasing when he said he wanted to meet the Goblin King. He didn't mean it. Besides, those weren't the right words. You have to say the right words." Don't you? She smiled reassuringly at Toby, then stood and began to walk from the room. "Go to sleep now, okay? I have to finish cleaning up your mess. Sweet dreams."

She turned out the light.

From the shadows of the bedroom, three shadowy forms crouched waiting, eyes glowing red in the blackness. They didn't move, the memory of Sarah's lullaby still fresh in their dull minds. Never before had they heard such a beautiful song. They wanted to hear it again, for beauty was rare to them…

Just then, the orb of crystal they held caught a ray of moonlight and scattered it into a million shivering beams. The bright slivers lanced toward the bed where Toby still lay awake, catching his eye. He sleepily turned his head to see what was shining so brightly…

He screamed, the way a child screams when all the nightmares in the world are closing in.

Outside, the wind rose with a shriek, and the white owl that had been waiting patiently in the trees now spread its wings in preparation…

Sarah started violently at the sound of Toby's scream, as though a banshee had been set loose in the room. "Toby!" she cried, turning and racing back down the hall. She threw open the door and slapped on the light, and was hardly surprised when the room remained cloaked in unnatural blackness. She hurried to the beds…although she already knew what she'd find. She'd been through this once already, five years ago…

"You know they aren't there. Why bother to look?" an English-accented voice that sounded like honey and velvet all at once said from behind, and the sound of tinkling music filled the air, familiar and alien all at once.

Sarah whirled with a gasp, nearly fainting at the sight of the tall, slender man perched on the window seat, watching her carefully.

"Jareth!"

She breathed the name like a curse, visibly trying to keep herself from launching herself at the man and throttling him. It would do no good if she was to have any chance of getting her brother and the twins back. "What are you doing here?" she asked in a low, controlled voice. "Dennis didn't say the right words. You have no right."

"’The right words’? Oh, come now, Sarah. Any words will do so long as they're heartfelt and so long as the wisher believes in what he's wishing for. That whole ‘right words’ business I made up just for you. The child wished for himself and the others to meet me…so I've taken him to the Goblin City to meet me. It's as simple as that," he replied, that infuriating, self-satisfied grin flashing across his features.

"Then why on earth are you here?" Sarah snapped.

He raised an elegant brow. "Why…to take you, of course," he replied with false surprise. "Dennis said he wished for ‘we’ to meet the Goblin King. I believe you are a part of that ‘we’, are you not?"

Sarah paled. "Y-you can't. I'm not a child. You can't turn me into a goblin…" she stammered.

"Oh, my dear Sarah! I would never dream of turning you into such a thing! Why ruin beauty?" Jareth murmured. "And, I am quite aware that you are not a child. Quite aware…" And he looked into her eyes with an intensity that made her heart race…whether from fear, or something else, she wasn't quite sure. It reminded her, suddenly, of her last visit to the Labyrinth, and of the crystal ball when she had danced with Jareth. She still remembered that feeling, enchanted though it was. The feeling of being held in his arms, of gazing into his eyes until the world around her faded into nonexistence, and there was only Jareth…

She forced her mind away from her memories and concentrated on the problem at hand. "Then why do you want me?" she asked. "For a slave? To get revenge for me defeating you the last time?"

Jareth had the gall to look hurt at those words. "Revenge? Do you think so little of me?" he asked in a wounded tone.

"Well, what am I supposed to think of you?" she snapped. "You kidnapped my brother, sent me into a maze filled with danger to get him back, poisoned me with a peach, made me fall in lo-" Here she stopped, her face going paler as she realized what she had nearly almost said. "Y-you have given me no reason at all to think very much of you," she finished weakly.

Jareth was watching her, a knowing expression appearing on his face, dancing in his eyes. "I see…" he whispered, and there was something in his tone that Sarah did not like. "Very well," he said. "But if you don't come with me now, how are you to see how the children fare?"

"Please, Jareth. Can't you just give them back to me? Must we go through this entire ordeal again? Does salvaging your wounded pride mean that much to you? I beat you once, and heaven knows that I can do it again if I have to."

She was pleading, her dark eyes shining with tears, and for a moment Jareth felt guilty at the pain he caused her. But he also felt annoyance at her assumption that she could beat his Labyrinth again, and it was the annoyance that won out.

"That sounds very much like a challenge to me," he told her abruptly. "Are you saying that you wish to attempt my Labyrinth again? Beware…" He held up a black-gloved hand when she tried to answer. "It will not be half so easy this time as I made it for you the last time," he warned.

Sarah looked indignant at the implication that she'd won only by his good will. "I don't care, Jareth," she told him. "I have to get those kids back. They're my responsibility, and I'll do whatever it takes to defeat you again!"

"Listen to me, Sarah," he tried again. "I'll say this only once. If you come with me now and stay with me, your heart's desires will be yours…and you have desires in you that you don't even realize exist! But if you insist on defying me and going through the Labyrinth then I will be forced to make things as difficult as possible for you."

"Then why let me go through at all? After all, I was wished away. Apparently that gives you some power over me this time," Sarah snapped.

Jareth smiled a sad, slow smile. "Because I have found that it is near impossible to deny you anything," he replied. "Time is growing short. Do you accept the challenge? You know what will happen if you fail. And this time, you will fail."

"That's your opinion!" she replied, tossing her hair. "Well, if I'm supposed to do this then let’s get it over with, shall we?"

"Sarah, beware. My Labyrinth is filled with dangers that you have not yet seen. It will not be the same. It is never the same. You could very well die. Who will save the children then?"

Sarah gave him an impatient look. He sighed and pulled a crystal out of the air, tossing it to her. She caught it and held it uncertainly, and in the next moment they were standing outside the gates of the Labyrinth, a huge clock on the wall showing thirteen hours. Jareth looked at it, then at Sarah. "Well, you know what to do. Such a pity…" he murmured, and vanished with a swirl of his cloak.

Sarah stood outside the Labyrinth, looking at it uncertainly. "Well…now what?" she asked herself. She was wearing a watch—which was unusual for her—and she adjusted it so that it said twelve o'clock. "When this says one o'clock twice then I'll know that time's run out," she said. "Unless it changes like everything else around here…"

She half expected to see Hoggle come hobbling along, spraying the fairies—of which she gave wide girth, remembering her last meeting with one—and was disappointed when she didn't. "Guess maybe I won't see him this time. Jareth probably made good and sure of that. I hope he didn't hurt him or the others…" She frowned worriedly, but pushed her concern when the huge wooden doors before her suddenly swung open with loud groans. "Well, guess this is it!" She grinned suddenly. "Come on, feet!"

Jareth sat in his throne room, gazing into a crystal. He saw Sarah determinedly enter the Labyrinth, and sighed. "Well, here we go again. This time I hope there are better results." He looked down at his feet, where the twins and Toby were seated, looking about the room with abject fascination. Well, the twins were fascinated. Toby looked more annoyed than anything else. He leaned down to the boy, smiling at him. "What's the matter, Toby? Don't you care for my castle?" he asked kindly.

Toby glanced up at him with a frown. "You already took me here," he said. "How come I had to come back?"

Jareth was surprised. "My, you are a bright little thing, aren't you?" he replied carefully. "So you remember your last visit, do you?"

Toby didn't reply. Merely turned away to watch the room again, having no answer to give.

Sarah stood inside the doors, looking down the passageway that was the outer rim of the Labyrinth. "Talk about deja vu," she murmured. "Let's see…last time I went right. Guess I'll try something new and go left instead." She turned and started down the long, narrow, weed-covered path, jumping only slightly as the huge doors suddenly swung shut with a loud bang. She walked for a little way, and then began to feel along the slimy walls for a hidden passageway. Soon enough, she half stumbled into a wide opening that looked just like another part of the wall. "Bingo!" she exclaimed as she found herself standing in the inner maze.

She could see the castle in the distance, rising high above everything and seemingly far, far away. But nothing was what it seemed in this place. In reality—if one could call it that—she might have already been standing at the gates of the Goblin City. She just had to find them first. "Hang on, guys. I'm coming!" she muttered.

It was strange being back in the Labyrinth. She had never expected to be there again, and part of her was dreading what lay ahead of her. But there was another part—a very large one, she admitted reluctantly—that was glad to be back again. "Life was pretty dull anyway," she muttered. "Leave it to Jareth to spice things up!"

High school had been no fun since she'd not had many friends, and she'd been relieved to graduate; a year ago now. All of her classes had been pathetically easy. After all, what was math or history or science after you'd solved life-or-death riddles in the Labyrinth? She knew that people thought of her as anti-social. She hadn't attended her senior prom, having no date to go with. It wasn't that she hadn't been asked, but after dancing in the arms of a Goblin King, where was the thrill of dancing with a normal high-school boy? It just didn't compare.

And she had no taste for standing in a corner gossiping about what everyone else was wearing…or being gossiped about, herself. She wasn't stupid. She knew what her classmates had said about her, that she was stuck-up. And those who didn't think she was a snob thought she was crazy or retarded, just because they couldn't understand her.

Well, who cares what those people think, anyway? I bet I could whip 'em all in a physics test, and in the Labyrinth, too! she thought proudly.

At that moment, a root caught her by the foot and tripped her so that she pitched forward and landed on her hands and knees, scraping her palms roughly against the moldy rock. "Ouch!" she cried, getting up and brushing herself off. She glared at the offending root…which seemed to be glaring back at her, and then she suddenly laughed. "Well, pride does go before a fall and all that," she told the root humorously. "Serves me right anyway for not thinking where I'm going!"

The root just looked at her.

Jareth rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he watched Sarah in a crystal. He was puzzled by the girl's lack of fear. Once before she had shown a brave face in the Labyrinth, especially in his presence, but he had seen the fear in her eyes. Now, as he watched her, it seemed to him that she was…well…glad to be in the Labyrinth again, despite all its dangers. She was confident, as well. Too confident, despite his warning. His defeat was obviously still fresh in her mind. He didn't know whether to be amused or annoyed by that. "Be careful, Sarah. Overconfidence is a dangerous companion in my world," he murmured to himself, banishing the crystal with a flick of his wrist.

Checking on the boys, he realized that the twins were no longer seated at his feet. Toby was still there, watching the mayhem before him attentively. Jareth followed the boy's gaze until he found the source of Toby's interest. The twins were in the middle of the throne room, playing a game of keep-away with a goblin's shoe, and they had amazingly dexterous eye-hand coordination for their age. They were tossing the shoe high in the air to each other—and catching it—as the owner scrambled back and forth between them. It was great fun, and the twins were laughing fit to bust a gut as they taunted the whining goblin. It was even better when three more goblins joined in to help their comrade.

Back and forth went the shoe, followed by a quartet of panting, grumbling goblins. Never mind that the goblins were almost twice the twins' height. Never mind that they were probably twice as strong, too. They had less intelligence than a rotten cantaloupe, and that was more than enough of an advantage for the boys.

Jareth smiled, half in amusement and half in exasperation, before turning back to the quiet, serious boy sitting below him. "Why don't you join them?" he asked. "Give those goblins a real run for their money."

Toby shrugged.

"Do you ever speak? Or has a goblin got your tongue?"

In response, Toby turned around and stuck out his tongue as far as it would go at the Goblin King, who snorted in surprised amusement. "Well, I can certainly see where you take after your sister. You’ve even grown to look like her now." He flashed a wicked grin. "But you've still got my eyes."

Toby turned around again and faced the room.

Sarah was in a familiar part of the Labyrinth. Well, familiar as in she was certain she'd been in the area before, if not at that exact spot. This was where, once before, she'd tried to mark her trail with a lipstick, only to have her marks changed or rubbed out completely (and she knew from experience that lipstick stains are very hard to get out no matter what they are made on!).

"How did they do that, anyway?" she wondered. Curiously, she picked up a sharp-edged rock and scraped a thin arrow onto the path, then ducked around a corner and peered out to see what happened. Sure enough, a moment later the stone lifted and a little head popped out, muttering to itself, followed by a skinny body about the length of a squirrel. Shaking a fist in Sarah's general direction, the goblin turned the stone upside down, then vanished back into his dark home, still muttering.

Huh! Sarah half smiled, half scowled. How d'ya like that?

On an impulse, she knelt and spitefully scraped out half a dozen more arrows on the stone, all in different places, and watched with satisfaction as the skinny goblin huffed and puffed to fix them again. "That'll teach you to go messing up other peoples marks!"

The goblin saw her grinning from around the corner as he replaced the last stone and waved his fist at her. "Your mama is a fraggin' aardvark!" he exclaimed before vanishing from sight.

Sarah giggled as she checked her watch. It read quarter past four, if it was still on the correct time, and her smile vanished as she hurried on her way. Better not waste any more time getting revenge on those that had thwarted her the last time. She couldn't afford to lose this one. Besides, she thought with a wry smile. Getting revenge is so…Jareth-like!

She wandered the stone maze for the better part of an hour before coming to a wide square of about ten feet in diameter. A dead end. Frowning, she turned to go back the way she came, only to find that the exit had been sealed off by another stone wall. Remembering what had happened the last time, she turned again, fully expecting to see Alph and Ralph standing guard at their doors. But the wall was a blank.

She was boxed in.

Jareth frowned as he watched Sarah's predicament. He knew where she was and knew also the trouble she was about to get into. Few had ever survived the Puzzle Box. They had not had enough courage, or had not kept their wits about them, and that was crucial to solving it. Jareth had little doubt about Sarah's wits, but she was too easily excitable when it came to confronting her fears, even if she did put on a brave face, and that did not bode well.

"It doesn't matter," he mumbled. "She wished to transverse the Labyrinth, and she is! It isn't my fault she's stubborn. She could be enjoying my company right now, but no! She had to play super hero and rescue the children. Again." He sighed, then looked down at Toby. To his surprise, the boy was looking back at him, and there was an expression of pleading in his eyes, as if he knew exactly what was going on. Changeling eyes met dark, serious ones, a battle of wills was fought and quickly ended, and Jareth sighed, defeated once again. "You are most definitely your sister’s brother," he muttered.

Summoning a guard, he commanded, "Watch the children. Do not let them out of your sight, or I'll toss you into the Bog of Eternal Stench head-first!" Before the guard finished stammering a reply, Jareth changed into an owl and flew away.

Sarah wandered around her prison, poking at the walls, testing ledges and loose rocks, looking for some way—any way—out of it. She attempted to climb the walls. The edge seemed so close. All she had to do was take a short hop…

But it did no good. No matter how hard or how high she jumped, the top of the wall was always just out of reach, and she was beginning to get frustrated. "Okay, think, Sarah! Things are not what they seem. You can't take anything for granted. Let's see…you came in here, the wall closed…" She paused suddenly, realization dawning. "The wall closed…or did it? Maybe the exit is still there, and I'm just taking for granted that it closed up. Maybe it's just another illusion?" She eyed the wall critically. It looked solid enough. Well, only one way to find out…

Closing her eyes, she walked forward toward the wall…and ended up running head-long into it, bumping her nose for her trouble. "Owww…" She rubbed her nose and glared at the wall irritably. "Right. So now I know that doesn't work. But there has to be a way out of here!" She sat down to think, and to rest her sore feet. Presently, she became aware that something was changing in her box. Alerted, she looked around. "Is this thing getting smaller?"

It was! Two of the walls had closed in several feet, and were getting closer, though they showed no sign that they had moved. There was no sound of stone scraping against stone. Sarah leaped up, slightly alarmed, although she wasn't about to admit it. "A shrinking box?! Give me a break! Can't you be a little more original than that?!" she shouted. The walls shifted slightly, like water rippling, and two-foot-long spikes shot out of the stone.

Sarah gulped. "That'll work."

The white owl glided over the Labyrinth, dark eyes searching for a certain girl. Upon spying her, it banked downward, settling lightly atop the walls of the Puzzle Box.

A moment later Jareth stood there. He gazed down at Sarah, who was frantically looking for a way out of her deadly prison as the walls drew steadily closer. "I wish Ludo would show up," he heard her mutter, and smiled amusedly.

"Run into a bit of trouble, have we?"

At the sound of the velvet-and-honey voice behind and above her, Sarah started violently and whirled, causing a spike to graze her arm. She yelped and jumped further into the shrinking center before glaring up at the Goblin King accusingly. "What are you doing here?" she snapped. "Come to gloat and watch me get impaled with spikes?"

"Calm down," Jareth snapped. Sarah was near tears and half hysterical, more than he'd ever seen her, and he felt a flash of pity for her. This wasn't good. She had to calm down, or she'd never escape alive. At that thought, he felt his heart constrict almost painfully, but he forced himself to ignore the implication of that.

Sarah was about to protest, but he held up a hand in a manner that she could not ignore, and she fell silent. "That's better," he said pleasantly. "Now. You seem to have gotten yourself into a bit of a fix, haven't you? How do you intend to get yourself out of it?"

Her patience snapped. "If I knew that, would I still be here?!" she yelled.

"Face your fear, Sarah. That is the key to solving the Puzzle Box. You must keep your wits about you, and you must stay calm."

"Wonderful. I'm about to be turned into the world's largest pincushion, and he's giving me yoga lessons!" she muttered. "All right, all right! I'm calm!" she added, seeing his impatient glare. "Now what?"

"Now…you wait."

"Excuse me? I'm sorry, I must be going deaf. I thought you just said I'm supposed to wait."

"Exactly."

"I see. And…just what am I waiting for? Besides my death, I mean."

Jareth smiled. "You know, sarcasm is quite becoming on you. Whatever happened to the frightened little girl I knew?"

"She took a vacation. Get lost."

Jareth tsked. "Really, Sarah. This impudence of yours is becoming quite tiresome. If you continue, I may have to reintroduce you to the Bog of Stench." He noted with satisfaction that her already pale face went a little whiter. "Now. Do you or do you not wish to get out of here before you're—now how did you put it?—turned into a pincushion?"

Sarah nodded silently.

"Good girl. Then I suggest that you do as I say. Stay in the center of the Box and stay calm. The spikes won't hurt you if you keep still. Do you see that square there, over a few feet from your left? The one that is white whereas all the others are gray? Good. Stand there, and whatever you do, don't move."

Sarah moved to obey. There was little more than four feet left in the Box, and both walls were bristling with the spikes. It was a tight squeeze to reach the center of the narrow square, but she made it, and looked up at Jareth inquiringly. "Now what?"

"You must wait for the wall to completely close," he instructed.

"But…but I'll be impaled!"

"No, you won't."

"Who says?"

"I do."

"Ohhh…you do! Well, that makes me feel so much better!"

Jareth lost patience. "Sarah! Just do as I say! Haven't you learned by now never to take things at face value? Really, even the goblins know that much!"

She flushed at the insult and turned away, her lips pinched in a thin, angry line. Suddenly, she cried out. "Jareth! There's a door! Down at the end! I see it!" she cried, starting to step off the white square.

"Don't move!" His voice cracked like thunder, making her flinch back. "If you move from that square, you will die," he continued in a softer tone.

"But…I see the door! I can make it! It isn't that far," she whispered uncertainly.

"It's further than you think, Sarah. You would never make it. It's a trick. You must trust me. Stay on the square."

"Why?" she cried. "Why should I trust you? What have you ever done to make me want to trust you?! How do I know this isn't some trick to keep me from winning? You'd stoop as low as that! I know you!"

"You know nothing about me! If you did, you wouldn't be in this mess! Trust me. What other choice have you got?" he snapped. There was little room left in the box, and he could see that she was visibly laboring to keep herself from bolting. "Trust me," he repeated softly, tenderly. Sarah swallowed hard and closed her eyes, then opened them again, before turning to face the spike-laden wall before her. In doing so, she missed seeing the "door" vanish back into the wall, the illusion fading as her determination overpowered her fear.

"Good girl," Jareth whispered with a touch of pride. Sarah looked at him in surprise at his gentle words, but before she could question him, time ran out, and the walls closed in.

Sarah shrieked and threw up her arms as the spikes drove into her.

There was a moment's silence.

Sarah slowly opened eyes that had squeezed shut at the last moment. She peeked through the fingers that had reached to cover her face, looking around cautiously. A wall of spikes surrounded her, some close enough that they'd caught on the loose sleeves of her shirt, but none had harmed her in any way. Where she stood, the spikes had vanished; another illusion.

"I-I'm still alive!" she exclaimed, her tone stating that she was very surprised to be so.

"Of course you are," Jareth replied, exasperated. "I told you that you would be, did I not?"

Sarah didn't answer as she accepted the hand he reached down to help her out of the Box. As soon as she was pulled free, she looked down and saw that everything had reverted back to its former appearance, ready for the next unlucky victim. The relief she felt made her knees buckle, and she sank to the ground, holding herself to ease her shivering. "That was too close…"

She was astonished when she felt arms encircling her, holding her close, a gentle hand smoothing her hair. "It's all right," Jareth murmured. "You're safe. You'll be fine. Just rest for a moment to gain your strength." His voice was soothing, and Sarah was reminded again of the scene in the crystal ball, when she'd danced with him and he had sang to her. His voice had been so hypnotic and gentle, and the way he'd held her had made her feel so cherished…

"Oh, no you don't!" she suddenly exclaimed, shoving him away and trying to still the pounding of her heart. "I'm not falling for your spell this time!" She forced herself to stand on rubbery legs and glared at him. "You made me fall in love with you in a spell before! I'm not about to fall for the same trick twice!"

Jareth looked surprised, and slightly hurt, before a certain knowing came into his eyes. "A trick, you say?" he whispered. He leaned close to her, not touching her, and gazed deeply into her eyes, a hint of that mocking smile playing about his lips. "And what makes you so sure it's a trick this time?"

Sarah stared back at him, eyes wide. "How am I supposed to believe it isn't?" she replied, her voice little more than a breath.

Jareth sighed and shook his head. "If you would only take the time to look into your own heart, I think you would know."

Sarah was too stunned to reply. She opened her mouth to give a sharp retort, but found that, for once, she had none to give, so she closed it again and looked stubbornly away from Jareth's hypnotic gaze.

"Thanks for the help," she told him grudgingly. He said nothing, just gave her a sweeping bow and prepared to leave. "Wait!" she called, and he turned back. She studied him, her expression still puzzled. Finally, she asked simply, "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you help me, Jareth? You had me! I was defeated! The kids were yours. Why did you help me?"

Jareth favored her with a tender smile. "Sarah, I did not go to the trouble to bring you into the Labyrinth again just to have you killed. I would much rather keep you here alive," he replied. "Besides, your brother would probably never forgive me if anything happened to you."

Then he flashed her his usual arrogant smile. "But don't think that I'll come to your rescue every time you get into trouble. How will you learn anything that way?" He turned and walked away, vanishing into the light, leaving a befuddled Sarah to stare after him, more confused than ever.

Jareth arrived back in his throne room feeling quite pleased with himself. The look on Sarah's face as she attempted to figure him out had been priceless! No doubt she was reconsidering some of her earlier opinions of him, he thought smugly as he settled himself onto his stone chair. Toby looked quietly up at him, eyes serious. "Sarah is fine," Jareth told him in answer to his unspoken question. Toby turned away again, and Jareth frowned. The boy was unnaturally mature for one so young. Not like the twins…

Speaking of which, where were those two?

He saw the guard sleeping in a corner, snoring loudly, and with a gesture the guard was heaved up in mid-air and floated over, upside down, in front of a sweetly smiling Jareth. "Pike, might I ask where the twins have gotten themselves off to?"

The goblin gulped at the King's tone. It was too sugar-coated, and he knew he was in trouble. "Well…er…I's not sure, yer Highness," he stammered. "They's went and gave me the slip when I weren't watchin' 'em."

"Gave you the slip, you say?" Jareth repeated, a dangerous glint coming into his eyes. Shaking, the guard nodded his head, which is difficult to do when one is hanging upside-down.

"Yessir. They's went off to the stairway room. I wents to look for 'em, but they was too quick, like mice they was! So I comes back here and takes a nap."

The goblin guard had barely finished speaking when he found himself being whisked away to the Bog, and barely was able to get in a good shriek before he found himself submerged headfirst in the middle of it. Luckily, he knew how to swim.

Jareth rubbed his temples, attempting to restore his calm. His good mood was ruined now. He had to chase after those boys before they got themselves into trouble, and there was a lot of trouble that they could get into in this place. With a sigh, he sent the goblins out of the room to begin searching for them, while he himself sat back to watch Sarah's progress. She was coming along rather quickly, and he frowned. He had saved her life, yes, but that didn't mean he wanted her to win.

"I've lost you once, dear Sarah. It will be over my dead body if I lose you again. This time you're here to stay. One way or another…"

Sarah yawned as she walked through the hedge maze. This was where she had found Ludo, but she had not seen him or any of her friends so far. Jareth had probably made sure they were all otherwise occupied so she wouldn't have any help. "If he's hurt them I'll kill him," she muttered.

She had been walking forever and a day it seemed, and the thought made her scowl. "It's only forever. It's not long at all," she mimicked. It was one of Jareth's sayings, as she recalled, although she didn't know how she knew that. It just seemed like something he would say. But to an immortal like Jareth, forever wasn't a very long time.

Her feet were screaming for relief. "I knew I shouldn't have worn my brand new tennis shoes." She was hungry, too, but remembering what had happened the last time, she didn't feel safe mentioning it in case Jareth decided to send her some enchanted berries or something. Not that she wouldn't mind another dance with the Goblin King…

"Okay, enough of that!" she scolded herself. "You have five hours left, and the clock's ticking, and you aren't any closer to reaching the Goblin City then you were at the beginning! Where's the Wise Man when I need him? I could sure use his advice!" She sighed again. "And I could use someone else to talk to besides myself for a change…"

She turned a corner…and suddenly found herself face-to-face with a wide, deep pit. She stopped short, her feet mere inches from the steep ledge. She couldn't even see the bottom of the pit, it was so deep, and she experienced a moment's vertigo. "Whoa!" she gasped, backing up and gripping the hedge. "Where did that come from?" She turned to go back, but found that her way was once again blocked. "Gee. Why am I not surprised?"

"Okay. Time to think again." She examined the pit carefully. She couldn't go around it; the shrubs grew right up to the edge, leaving no room for even Sarah's slight form to pass by, and the branches didn't look strong enough to support her weight if she tried to pass by gripping them and pulling herself along. Well, maybe they were, but she wasn't willing to find out the hard way if she was wrong. Jareth wouldn't be there to save her this time…"

It looked like there was an opening on the far side of the pit, directly across from where she stood, where the shrubs formed a kind of arch or doorway. The problem was, how was she supposed to reach the other side? It really wasn't all that far over, but she knew that it was undoubtedly further than she could jump. Hmmm…another puzzle. Well, she had to give Jareth credit for this one. It was pretty good.

"But I'm still not giving up," she said determinedly. She examined the pit and the shrubs around her again, looking for a rope or a lever that would lower a hidden bridge or something. Of course, she knew it wouldn't be that easy. Still, she felt she had to try, for trying's sake.

During her shuffling—she couldn't move very far with the shrubs pressing behind her or she risked falling off the ledge—her feet kicked some loose gravel over the edge of the pit. There came a resulting pattering, as though the stones had struck ground.

"What the…?"

She leaned carefully over the ledge and was astonished to see the gravel hanging in mid-air just below her. "What in the world…!" She got down on her hands and knees and reached down, attempting to scoop the floating gravel up. She ended up scraping her knuckles sharply on something, instead.

"Ouch!"

She sucked on the bleeding scratches, but she was grinning with delight. "Well, whaddya know! Jareth, you are a sneak!" she exclaimed with a chuckle. There was a bridge there. A stone bridge that was camouflaged so expertly that it blended in perfectly with its surroundings, creating the illusion that nothing was there at all. That was why the gravel had appeared to float there. It was sheer luck that she'd discovered it. "Never would've thought it," she muttered.

She lowered herself carefully onto the bridge, keeping in mind another stone bridge that she'd crossed once before…one that had collapsed on her. She'd saved herself by grabbing a branch that time. There was nothing to grab hold of this time if it gave way, and if it did, she was dead.

The thought terrified her.

"There's nothing to fear but fear itself," she reminded herself firmly. So, feeling a little braver, she replaced her terror with determination, took a deep, steadying breath, and, slowly, walked out onto the bridge.

Jareth was watching Sarah in the crystal. When she discovered the hidden bridge he frowned. This was no good. The Bottomless Pit was supposed to have kept her occupied for much longer than that. Normally his goblins kept the pit clear of stones and loose gravel that might give the secret away, but apparently they had been slacking off in their duties. He would have to rectify that…when he was through with this more pressing matter. At the rate she was going, Sarah would be at the Goblin City in no time. He'd better do something to stop her, and fast. He stood in preparation to fly, but a sudden loud, childish scream made him pause in surprise.

The twins had been found, apparently. They came barreling at break-neck speed into the throne room, shrieking like a pair of banshees, and each of them was armed with a huge, sticky, chocolate covered concoction that Jareth had often seen the goblins devouring. That they'd already downed much of it was apparent by the chocolate smeared all over their hands and faces. One of them ran up to Toby and handed him part of his sweet roll, which Toby gladly accepted. After all, no little boy, no matter how well behaved, can resist the lure of sugar. It's the law of nature.

Meanwhile, the other twin had gotten hold of the paint-filled, goblin-version of a water gun. A very large gun…that held a lot of paint.

Dennis (It had to be him, Jareth thought. He was the designated leader of the little terrors) looked around for a suitable target, and his eyes fell on Jareth himself, who was clothed in a pair of white tights and a creme peasant shirt under a gray waistcoat. He grinned.

"Dennis. Do nothing rash," Jareth warned.

Unfazed, the child took aim.

Jareth gulped and discreetly attempted to hide himself behind several goblins. But it didn't help much when most of them came no higher than his knees. Dennis was still aiming, and Jareth favored the boy with his fiercest scowl. "Dennis, don't…even…think…about it," he growled.

Dennis merely giggled. And then he pulled the trigger.

His aim was uncannily accurate.

The goblins, seeing that they were in the line of fire, were smart enough, at least, to hurriedly scramble out of the way, and the next thing Jareth knew, he was covered head to toe with red dye. He stood there in stunned amazement that someone actually had the gall to defy him!

"Dennis! What did I just tell you!" he roared.

The little boy blinked at him innocently. "You said, ‘Dennis, don't even think about it’," he replied.

"And what do you suppose that means?" Jareth asked with infinitely more patience than he felt. The boy smiled sweetly.

"It means Dennis ain't supposed to shoot you. But I ain't Dennis. I'm Mikey!"

With that, the boy squealed with glee at his deception and scampered away, aiming the paint gun at everything that moved, including Toby and his brother, and soon the throne room was coated in red paint.

Jareth was seriously considering taking the spiteful little brat for a dip in the Bog when the doors of the throne room slammed open with a loud crash, and an extremely annoyed voice called loudly, "What in blazes is going on in here?!"

Everyone froze in their tracks, including Jareth. In the chaos, he had forgotten all about his former worry, and now he was seriously regretting his lack.

Because Sarah had just arrived…

Sarah had crossed the bridge with little mishap, although she had proceeded very cautiously, feeling her way along one step at a time. She had tried her hardest not to look down, but once she had and the vertigo that caught her was enough to nearly send her toppling from the slender bridge. It was as though she was walking in mid-air!

After that, she was forced to sit, with her legs dangling over either side of the bridge, and pull herself forward by grasping the sides of the bridge. She knew that she would have looked pretty silly to the chance observer, scooting along and grasping nothing but air, but quite frankly she didn't give a fig for the opinions of others right then. She just wanted to make it to the other side in one piece!

As it was, when she'd made it halfway across, the bridge had abruptly ended, and when she reached to grab the stone, she found that she really was grasping at nothing but air! With a little yelp she scooted back a little, panting. Then she cautiously felt about the stone ahead of her.

Yup. Definitely air.

Well, now what do I do? She stood up, carefully, and studied the ledge ahead of her. She could see the castle, framed perfectly within that doorway, and it was closer than ever. He wouldn't just leave me stranded, would he?

Stupid question. This was Jareth!

"But this is the only way across! It has to be! Okay, think, Sarah. The ledge isn't all that far away. Maybe the bridge doesn't really end. Maybe it just stops for a little, just to fool me into thinking it does?" It was a good idea, but a hair barrette thrown carefully toward the ledge put an end to it when it met with nothing but empty air. It tumbled away into the pit and was lost. Sarah scowled. That had been her favorite barrette, too.

She sighed. "I sure could use some help about now…even Jareth's!"

Giving herself a shake, she glanced at her watch and noted with shock that there was only an hour left. She felt momentarily panicked. "Okay, stay calm. Keep your wits. You obviously can't go back. So the only way is forward, across that gap. If I jump, I should be able to reach the other side…I hope."

She gazed into the pit again and swallowed. "If I'm wrong, I'm gonna have a long way down to kick myself about it…"

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, staring at the ledge intently. "Okay. I can do this. For Toby and the twins, I will do this!" Closing her eyes, she gathered her strength, crouched, and launched herself from the bridge as hard as she could.

"Jareth! I will not let you beat me!"

It felt like she fell forever. But she did not even have enough time to get in a good scream before she landed and tumbled head-over-heels on what felt like a very hard surface. Gasping, her eyes flew open, and she noted with a mix of surprise and relief that she was laying just under the arch leading from the pit. "I made it!" she gasped. "I'm still alive!" She laughed almost hysterically. "Harrison Ford, eat your heart out!"

Getting up carefully, lest she had sustained any injuries, she brushed herself off and turned to look behind her. Not surprisingly, the pit had vanished, blocked off by a stone wall. When she turned back again, she was surprised to see that a set of huge, wooden doors had appeared in her path. But they weren't just any doors.

These were the outer gates of the Goblin City.

Cautiously she slipped through the open gates, and then through the inner gates, which also stood open. The city was deserted. Nothing moved. Even the chickens and cats had vanished. The giant, ax-swinging monstrosity she'd battled before was nowhere to be found. Hoggle must have really given it the once-over! She grinned, and said without thinking, "It's a piece of cake!"

She clapped both hands over her mouth and groaned aloud. She remembered what happened when she'd said those words the last time! But it was too late now, they were already out. She cringed, expecting to fall into an oubliette or be confronted with Jareth's army at any moment. But nothing happened. Relieved, and more than a little curious, she nevertheless sprinted through the city and to the castle, from which there rose an uproar such as she'd never heard before.

Well, now what? she thought, frowning. Something's happened. Jareth wouldn't have let me get this close without confronting me if he wasn't distracted. Guess I'd better make sure he's okay.

Then, realizing what she'd just thought, she hastily amended, Guess I'd better make sure the kids are okay. Not Jareth. The kids…

Inside the throne room it was still enough to hear a cockroach scuttle across the floor. Of course, it would have been a Labyrinth-sized cockroach, which was roughly twice the size of your average Above kind, but still…

The silence was broken a moment later when Toby and the twins screamed, all at once, "SARAH!"

They threw themselves at her; three paint-coated, chocolate covered little creatures, and Sarah didn't even think about it. She just held out both hands and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Freeze!"

Magically, they obeyed, stopping dead in their tracks inches away from her. Sarah glared down at them, hands on hips, fire in her eyes. "And just what do you three think you're doing?" she snapped.

"We was playing war!" Dennis replied excitedly, his eyes sparkling. "An’ me an’ Mikey saw a neat room with lots of stairs, an’ the goblins gave us BIG doughnuts, an’ Mikey was playin’ with a water gun…only it shoots paint…and…"

Sarah raised an eyebrow and looked at Jareth. "You fed three five-year-olds sugar? What, do you have a death wish or something?" she asked humorously.

Jareth sniffed at her. "I didn't feed them. The goblins did. I've been too busy to…" He trailed off when he saw that Sarah was giving him an odd look. "What?" he asked. Sarah shook her head, biting her lower lip, and he realized suddenly that it was because she was trying not to laugh at him. Offended, he looked down at himself, at the red streaks that covered his clothes and his hair…

"Do you find me amusing?" he asked haughtily.

"No, of course not," Sarah replied innocently. "I mean…I'm sure it isn't your fault that you look sort of like a demented candy cane right now…" Her lips twitched with a suppressed smile, and Jareth glared at her.

"If you even think of laughing, I'll toss you into the Bog of Stench," he growled. But the threat didn't work this time. Sarah, clutching her sides, was nearly doubled over in her mirth as Jareth looked on in pained indignation. "Very well," he sniffed, waving a hand over his body, and the paint vanished from his clothes, leaving him as impeccably clean as usual. Sarah saw the change and slowly managed to calm herself down, clearing her throat and wiping tears from her eyes.

"Well, anyway," she said. "Back to business. As you can see, I've passed through your Labyrinth, and I'm here, and there is still a half hour left on your clock. I win. Again. So, if you will kindly clean up the children, and send us all home, I'd be much obliged."

Jareth gazed at her for a long moment, and then suddenly smiled. It was a smile that sent a spiral of alarm through Sarah, and she had the unsettling feeling that her ordeal wasn't over yet. Her suspicion was proven right as, once again, she abruptly found herself in the Stairway Room, with Jareth sitting on the ceiling above her.

She sighed. Of course, there was still time, and she should have known that he wouldn't give up that easily. "Really, Jareth, must we go through this again?" she asked wearily. "This is getting tiring."

"Indeed. This is getting tiring," he replied abruptly, his voice sounding far away. She looked up and saw that he had moved, and she looked around until she saw him standing on a ledge horizontally and below her. He had changed his outfit again. He was wearing the cloak of feathers and light that he'd worn during their last confrontation, and his pale skin seemed to glow from within. Now he truly looked like a Goblin King.

She gulped. I'd forgotten how gorgeous he is…

"Wh-what do you intend to do?" she asked, and cursed herself when she heard her voice tremble. She wasn't afraid of him. Or rather, she wasn't afraid of him the way she had been when she was fifteen. She was afraid of him in another way entirely now, and she was honest enough to admit to herself that she was seriously attracted to Jareth. Even though he was an arrogant, spoiled, child-snatching ego-maniac…

But he's the villain! I can't be attracted! she thought uneasily. Last time she'd been attracted, as well, but that had been due to the peach, and Jareth had known exactly how to seduce a fifteen-year-old dreamer. Wasn't that it? She'd made herself believe that it was… At any rate, she was grown up now. And she was under no spell…well, none that she was aware of. But whatever she felt for Jareth had to be made up in her head. It was…illogical to think that she might actually care about him!

"Sarah, there is one final riddle that you must solve before you can truly defeat me," Jareth was saying, dragging her back to the present, and suddenly he was behind her. She turned with a gasp, staring straight into those alluring eyes.

"Wh-what is it?" she stammered.

"Me."

She blinked. "I…I don't understand…"

He sighed and shook his head, golden hair floating about his shoulders. "Oh, Sarah…" His voice was infinitely sad. "You understand so little. That was the mistake I made the last time. I let you go too quickly. I should have tried harder to open your eyes. I am so much more than a child-snatching villain. That is what I do. I need you to understand me for who I am."

Sarah swallowed, feeling herself being swayed by his words. She stubbornly fought it. "What more is there to understand?" she asked harshly. "You are the Goblin King. You take children. You are arrogant and self-centered. Everything you do benefits you in some way. You bring hurt to others, and you enjoy it! You are…evil!"

Jareth staggered back as if he'd been struck, and his eyes were filled with such pain that Sarah felt tears rise to her own at the thought that it had been her words that caused it. But in the next moment, his face was expressionless. As beautiful and cold as a marble statue.

"Evil, am I?" he asked coldly. "What is evil? Everyone is evil in one way or another. Even you. I told you before that you were cruel. We are both cruel. That has not changed. And cruelty is a form of evil."

He walked forward a step or two, and Sarah nervously stepped back. Her foot slipped from the edge of the balcony, and she gasped, her eyes going wide as she felt herself start to fall. But Jareth was there, catching her and pulling her to safety. He held her as she caught her breath, and she clutched his shoulders for dear life, fingers burying into soft, light-filled feathers that caressed her skin like velvet.

The sensation made her realize what she was doing, and she abruptly pulled away. "Thanks," she said shortly, trying to ignore the blush that she knew was coloring her cheeks.

He cocked his head to one side. "That's twice now that I've saved you from harm," he said. "Why would I have done that if I was so evil?"

"If it benefits you in any way you'll do whatever your heart desires," she replied uncertainly.

He raised an eyebrow. "And just how does my saving you benefit me?" he asked. "Letting you fall would have helped me much more. We are playing a game here, and it is one that I mean to win…but not at the cost of your life." He gazed at her earnestly. "Think, Sarah. Every fairy tale you've ever been told ends with the villain being vanquished and cast out…as you've done with me. But this…" He gestured to their surroundings. "…is all real. I am real. Has it ever occurred to you that there may be other ways to ‘vanquish’ a villain? Has it ever occurred to you that maybe, just maybe, the ‘villain’ may have a lesson to teach the heroine… if only she would put aside her self-righteousness long enough to listen?"

Sarah looked stricken, and he knew the thought never had occurred before. But she was listening now, and he took her hands into his. Sarah looked down at her hands that lay nestled in his long, slender fingers. He wasn't wearing gloves, she suddenly realized with surprise. He has beautiful hands…

"Sarah, listen to me," Jareth was saying, and then he started to sing, and she had no choice but to obey as his haunting voice reached out and captured her heart in its embrace.

Sarah was nearly crying by the time the song was through. It was so sad and beautiful and haunting all at once…and yet so familiar…

Then she realized what it was. The tune was very much like the tune of the music box song, and also like the faint music she heard whenever Jareth was near. Why had she never made the connection between them before…? It was as clear as day to her now.

Jareth was watching her. "Tell me, Sarah," he commanded softly, reaching out to wipe the tears from her eyes. They glittered like diamonds from his fingertips for a moment before fading away. "Tell me what power it is I speak of. What is it that will break this curse, this ‘evil’ that binds us? You know what it is, for it lies hidden in you, as well, if only you have the courage to find it…"

Sarah's eyes shot up to meet his, then lowered again. "I don't understand," she stammered. But it was a lie. She knew exactly what he was talking about. Finally, it had been made clear to her. He was in love with her. For the first time, she realized that he loved her, and for the first time, she realized that she loved him, as well. A single phrase of her song began to play itself in her head…

She had not realized that she'd repeated the words out loud until Jareth tilted her chin up with gentle fingers so she would meet his eyes. "Perhaps you understand better than you admit…" he murmured. He was gazing at her, pleading with her with his eyes. "Say it, Sarah," he pleaded softly. "Please say it…"

She swallowed, feeling something akin to terror take hold of her. If she said the words, she would be giving him the ultimate power over her, and that was something she was not certain she was willing to risk. He had not proven himself trustworthy. He could crush her, in the same way she'd crushed him five years ago. It would be the ultimate revenge.

And yet…

What would she lose if she didn't say the words? Her very dreams were before her, and he was offering them to her on a crystal platter. She'd been too self-righteous before in her quest to save her brother. Was this time any different? Was she willing to sacrifice everything…his heart…her heart…to get the children back? How could she go back to living a normal life after this?

The answer was simple. She couldn't.

Slowly, she drew herself up and made herself meet Jareth's eyes. She knew what she had to do. It was the only way. She had to break down the wall she'd built around her heart, and let him in…

It was time to say her right words.

"I…I love you."

Everything went still.

Somewhere, a clock began to strike the thirteenth hour…

"Oh no…" she moaned, hiding her face in her hands. "It's too late! I've lost…"

"On the contrary…"

Jareth's voice, spoken close to her ear, startled her so that she jerked her gaze up… right into his own. "Congratulations," he whispered. "It seems you've won, after all." He paused and leaned closer to her. "I was beginning to worry…"

"But…but I don't understand!" she cried. "How did I win? And where are the boys?"

He smiled at her, and there was not the slightest trace of mockery in his smile. Rather, he seemed proud of her. "They're fine," he assured her. "Your parents are home, and everyone is asleep in their beds, and thank goodness, I might add. The goblins will be scrubbing the throne room for weeks to rid it of that paint!" He scowled, and Sarah smiled weakly in response.

"Well, it serves you right," she replied. "Maybe you'll think twice about snatching children from now on." She accepted the crystal Jareth handed her and peered into it, and sure enough, there were three clean little boys there, sleeping peacefully. She sighed in relief. "Wonder what Dad and Karyn will say when Toby starts telling wild stories about his night with the Goblin King. They'll probably never ask me to baby-sit again!"

"Is that a bad thing?" Jareth suddenly murmured in her ear, causing her to jump.

She shrugged. "After tonight, I'm beginning to think not. I'm too old for this kind of trouble!"

"They look so angelic when they're asleep, don't they?" he said with a grimace, waving away the crystal. It vanished in Sarah's hand.

She smirked. "They remind me of you, actually," she replied innocently, and couldn't help but laugh at his expression.

"Well, if that's the case, I should pity their parents," he muttered, though not without some good humor.

They stood facing each other for a long moment. Sarah shifted uncomfortably. "Well," she said. "Now what?"

He folded his arms and gave her a searching look. "I was wondering that myself," he replied.

Sarah hesitated. "Are…you going to keep me here?" she asked hesitantly.

He shook his head. "I can't. You've beaten my Labyrinth…again." He pulled a sour face. "I can keep you now only if you wish to stay," he replied gently. "Do you want to go back?"

She hesitated. "I-I'm not sure. I mean…my family. I can't really…how would they understand? What would I tell them? We don't always get along, but I know they'll worry if I just disappear."

"That is a problem, isn't it?"

"What should I do?" she whispered.

Jareth hesitated. "That is entirely up to you," he replied slowly. He knew that she was torn between her desire to stay with him and the need to stay with her family. Despite her age, compared to his, she was still very much a child. He knew what he had to do, though it pained him to do so. But true love meant making sacrifices, and he loved Sarah with all of his soul. If she wanted to go back, then how could he deny her? He sighed and pulled her into his arms. "I want you to stay with me more than anything," he said against her hair, "but it must be by your will, and only yours."

He cut her off as she tried to speak. "Think carefully of what you will be giving up," he cautioned. "Your family. Your life. You may never see them again. Are you willing to give all of that up? You may even begin to hate me for taking you away from it all."

"I wouldn't…" she began, but he cut her off firmly.

"How do you know, Sarah?" He regarded her steadily. "There are things about me that you no doubt find…disagreeable. But do you also understand that to love me is to love all of me?" he asked seriously.

She returned his gaze, and her eyes were sad. "Even the part of you that steals children?" she replied.

He sighed. "Sarah, I am the Goblin King. Taking children who are wished away is what I do. But if it makes you feel better, the children I take are usually sent home again… after I've taught the ones who wished them away to me a lesson first. I am not completely heartless, and rarely is a child wished away to me a second time." He grimaced. "Besides, with all the goblins I already have to rule, why in heaven's name would I want to create more?"

Sarah frowned. "So…if I hadn't beat the Labyrinth the first time, you would've just sent me and Toby home?" she asked unbelievingly.

Jareth smiled; his usual, self-assured grin. "Maybe…and maybe not. But I guess we'll never find out, now will we?" he replied teasingly.

Sarah was outraged. "Why, of all the sneaky…underhanded…rotten tricks! You put me through all that trouble for nothing?!" she yelled.

"Shhh…" he hushed her. "It wasn't all for nothing," he added softly. "You've found your dreams, haven't you?"

Sarah's annoyance deflated like a balloon. "I suppose so," she admitted grudgingly, then gave him a wounded glare. "But it was still a dirty trick!"

He laughed. "Dirty tricks is what I do, also," he replied as he drew her back into his arms. He sighed. "I must go back to the throne room. The goblins are probably going crazy without me there. Who knows what they've gotten themselves into by now?"

"Jareth, if the goblins’ lack of brains bothers you so much then why not use all that magic of yours to give them some smarts?" she suggested logically.

He snorted. "Come now, Sarah. You've seen how I treat them. If I actually gave them the ability to think for themselves they'd have a lynching mob formed in no time, to say nothing of establishing a democracy of their own…" He shuddered. "No, as much as I long for a decent conversation of more than three words at a time, it is much safer this way, believe me."

He sighed and stepped back. "Well, duty calls."

"Wait. What am I to do?" Sarah asked.

He regarded her. "I can send you back right now, if you wish…" The words were torn from him, as if it caused him great pain to say them. It caused Sarah pain to hear them, and she lowered her head to hide the tears that sprang to her eyes.

"D-do I have to go back right now? Can't I stay here a little longer? There's no law against that, is there?" she nearly pleaded. "Besides…I was hoping that…I mean, I haven't seen Hoggle or Ludo or Sir Didymus the entire time, and…"

"You would like to see them," he finished for her.

She nodded, holding her breath. "May I? I miss them, too, you know. Or...have you done something to them?"

"Sarah!" Jareth spoke sharply. "They're fine. They've just been otherwise occupied for the time being. I couldn't have them running around helping you as they did before, now could I?" He grimaced. "Not that it made any difference…"

Sarah laughed. "You're just a sore loser," she teased. "You're used to being the smartest person in the kingdom, but now you have me to deal with!"

"Indeed." He gazed at her with eyes that were filled with tenderness. "And I hope to be dealing with you for a very long time. Toby would have made a fine heir, even as a goblin, but I know that you would make an even better…companion." He grinned wickedly, and Sarah flushed at the hidden meaning of his words.

He ran a slender hand over her hair. "Your friends are in the Goblin City, in the center square, and probably wondering how in the Underground they got there!" He laughed. "Best you go calm them down before they decide to storm my castle. I'll be in the throne room…supervising cleanup." He sighed. "A king's work is never done…"

"Oh, sure," Sarah snorted. "It's a tough job, bossing everyone around, but hey… somebody has to do it!"

He pointed a finger at her. "It is a tough job when your subjects have the attention span of a knat," he replied haughtily. "Go find your friends. I'd hate to have them barging in on me, which they're liable to do. There's enough chaos around here as it is. You know, Sarah, ever since they've met you they seem to have forgotten the meaning of respect for their king. You're a rather bad influence on them."

She grinned. "I'd say I'm more of a good influence, if they've learned to make up their own minds."

Jareth laughed. "Well, I would love to argue the point, but I must go now." He smiled wickedly. "But here's a little something to remember me by…"

He kissed her.

It was as though she'd been embraced by fire. His kiss was like his voice; like honey and velvet and music all at once, and Sarah felt herself floating…soaring like a white owl upon it…

When she finally opened her eyes, he had long since vanished, but the memory of his kiss had been permanently seared into her heart and soul.

"Wow…" she breathed.

Sarah wandered the city, looking for her friends. She found them in the square, just as Jareth had promised, looking slightly confused and more than a little ticked off. "Hoggle!" she cried. "Sir Didymus! Ludo!"

The dwarf, the terrier that was dressed as a knight—and who rode a shaggy sheepdog named Ambrosias—and the huge, ginger-colored beast all turned in surprise at the sound of her voice. "Sarah!" Hoggle exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

She grinned wryly. "It's nice to see you, too. I'm fine. Thanks for asking," she teased gently.

Hoggle flushed at his lack of manners, but before he could utter an apology Sarah laughed and threw her arms around him in a warm hug, and then hugged Ludo and Didymus as well. "I missed you all so much!" she exclaimed.

"Ludo…miss…Sawah," Ludo replied with his endearing smile.

"How hast thou come amongst us again, fair maiden?" Didymus asked curiously.

"It's a very long story!" Sarah replied with a wry smile. "Have you got time? I'll be happy to tell you about it."

"Well…" Hoggle looked around. "Since we're here, we may's well stay for awhile," he replied. "How'd we git here, anyhows? Did you wish us here?"

Sarah shook her head. "Jareth brought you here," she replied. "He knew I'd want to see you again. He brought me here, too. Dennis wished us all here."

"Dennis? I thought thine brother's name was Tobias," Didymus said.

"It is. I was baby-sitting at home. My brother and two other boys. Dennis and Mikey. They're twins, see. Anyway, Dennis suddenly got it into his head that he wanted to meet the Goblin King, and…well…you know." She wrinkled her nose and smiled.

"You mean you're trapped here for good?" Hoggle exclaimed.

"No, no. I went through the Labyrinth again…and I beat it!" Sarah explained with a touch of pride. "Here, let's sit down, and I'll tell you the whole story."

It was a good hour later by the time Sarah had finished telling her story. She'd left nothing out, including the fact that Jareth had rescued her in the Puzzle Box, and that she'd discovered that he loved her, and that she loved him. She hid a smile at her friends' expressions when she'd related that part. She could hardly blame them, after all. After everything Jareth had done to them, she wasn't expecting them to get up and dance for joy. She still wasn't too sure about the idea herself.

"So," she finished. "Now I'm here, and I need to decide what to do. I know that Jareth has done bad things, and that he probably will still do bad things. But I know that he loves me for real. Why else would he have gone to so much trouble for me? He could have let me die. It would have been easier for him to do that then let me beat him at his own game." She smiled weakly. "What should I do?"

They hesitated, looking at each other uncertainly. "Are…you sure he hasn't witched ya again like he did with that peach?" Hoggle asked.

She shrugged. "Who can say for sure? Maybe he did, but as far as I can tell I feel normal. Well, as normal as one can feel in a place like the Underground, anyway." She sighed. "If there's one thing I've discovered, it's that when I'm here in the Labyrinth I feel more alive than I ever felt Above. I feel like I belong here, and Jareth is the one who makes me feel that way. He's done me a favor, bringing me down here again. Even if his method was a little…unorthodox."

She grinned briefly before sobering again. "Still, I can't just abandon my family. They'll be worried sick about me. I know Jareth has the power to make them forget me, but I can't bear the thought of that, either. I feel so torn. I want to go back, but there's a part of me that just…dies at the thought of leaving the Labyrinth again!"

The trio was silent as they pondered this. Sarah waited patiently for them to drop pearls of wisdom into her lap, to give her the answer she sought, but none was forthcoming. "Guess you can't help me, huh?" she asked softly.

Hoggle shifted. "Well, now, it ain't that. I mean, this is a big choice, an' it's really your decision to make. You gots to be sure you know what you wants."

"I know that!" Sarah replied. "But I'm not sure what I want! That's the whole problem!"

"Well, now, think of this," Didymus suggested. "Think of thine family and think of Jareth. Which of these wouldst you rather spend your life with? Which would be missed more?"

Sarah thought for a moment. "Do you mean…kind of like who can't I live without?"

"Nay," Didymus replied. "Thou hast not seen Jareth for five years and yet you lived without him. Shouldst you stay here, no doubt you could live without thine family, as well. You would miss them, but you could live without them." He paused for a moment. "I believe the real question is…whom dost thou not want to live without?"

Sarah's brow wrinkled as she pondered this. "Who don't I want to live without?" she repeated. Suddenly, her face cleared, and she looked up with a brilliant smile on her face. "Of course!" she cried. "Sir Didymus, thank you so much! I understand! I know that I can live without Jareth, but I don't want to! I want to stay here with him. It's where I belong. It's where I've always belonged!"

She leaned over and kissed the fox on his snout, causing him to blush and straighten proudly. Then she turned and sprinted toward the castle, leaving her confused companions to follow her as best they could. Even Ambrosias couldn't keep up with the girl.

As Sarah headed for the castle, her thoughts were filled with memories. Memories of her life at home, memories of her experiences in the Labyrinth. She pictured the music box her mother had given her, the tiny dancer twirling forever to the tune of "Greensleeves". It played in Sarah's head, blending softly into the sad song that Jareth had sang to her at the crystal ball.

Quite suddenly, another tune took its place, and she stopped in her tracks in surprise. Where had that come from? She had reached the castle, and she slowly walked up the steps to the front door, humming the tune to herself. It was another lullaby, she remembered. Where had she heard it before? She thought for a moment, pausing in front of the doors until it came to her. Her mother. It had been her mother's song, had been written by her especially for Sarah. Why had she never remembered until now? It had been her favorite song when she was a child. But her mother had left, and Sarah had grown up, and the song had apparently faded into her dreams. But now it came rushing back to her, and she felt the words dancing on her tongue, begging for release.

It's fitting, though, she thought joyfully. It's a perfect song for a perfect ending. How had she known?

She took a breath and pushed open the doors into the castle, walking into the throne room as proudly as the queen she was meant to be, and as she entered the chaotic room she began to sing…

All noise in the room stopped, and Jareth rose from his throne with a look of astonishment on his face. He gazed at Sarah, a question in his eyes. She faced him proudly, and continued to sing...

Jareth was standing at attention now, hope and caution warring in his eyes. Sarah's own eyes were filled with tears as she approached him, her hands outstretched, the final verse springing from her lips…

The final words faded softly into the silence as Sarah and Jareth stood facing each other, oblivious to everything but themselves. After a moment's hesitation, he spoke softly. "I thought you would never ask," he whispered. Was it her imagination, or was there a tear glimmering in the corner of his eye…?

Sarah's hands were still outstretched, waiting, and Jareth slowly reached out and took them into his own, pulling her into his arms and lowering his head for her kiss, which she gave wholeheartedly.

Finally, her dreams had come true.