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Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Sarah stood outside her house for a moment as her mother's limousine drove away. "Good riddance," she muttered as it disappeared from view. If the Goblin King did show up at midnight, at least she'd have one less person to miss. Why am I thinking about it like I've already given up? She pondered with alarm. It wasn't as if she'd been waiting six years to be swept off her feet by a wild-haired, man-sized spoilt brat. If she'd fantasized about him from time to time, well, that was down to her hormones and she couldn't be held responsible for those.

There was an icy chill in the air, which was unsurprising as it was late in the fall, and the clear sky was full of stars. Sarah spent a moment appreciating their majesty before turning to go inside the house. She didn't see the hooded figure who was watching her every move from the shadows.

"You're home early," her father greeted her at the door.

"You know mom," Sarah sighed wearily as she hung up her coat.

Robert Williams frowned and then kissed his daughter's cheek.

"We'll have a nice time tomorrow for your birthday, I promise," he said.

Sarah managed a small smile and nodded. "I think I'll go to bed, I'm beat."

"You're beat? I'm the one who has a daughter turning twenty one," he joked.

She laughed.

"Goodnight, old man," she said and raced upstairs before he could take his revenge.

Flicking the light on in her room, she gasped as her eyes fell upon a large square box which was lying on the bed. Sarah cautiously inched closer towards it, half expecting a goblin to leap out, and could see there was a card attached.

I will come for you at midnight. Wear this, Regards, Lord Kobalos.

Again with that name, she pondered. The Goblin King was called Jareth, wasn't he? Hoggle said so, and she had no reason to think he was lying. She thought about calling on her old friends, but knew it would do her no good. They never appeared to her again after that night, when they'd partied in her bedroom celebrating her defeat of the Goblin King. He probably wouldn't let them come back, she thought with bitterness. If she was going to call on anyone, it would have to be him. He was coming anyway, at midnight, wasn't he? If he imagined he could whisk her off to god knows where, let alone marry her without so much as a by your leave, he was sadly mistaken.

Sarah hesitantly eased the lid off the box and hastily pulled back the tissue paper. Her eyes widened with shock as she glimpsed the white dress inside. She grabbed the jewel embroidered bodice and hauled it clear of the wrapping to reveal a floor-length wedding gown. She promptly dropped it on the bed as if was burning her hands, and slumped down in front of the vanity mirror. Her hair was wavy from the way she'd styled it and Sarah reached for her brush to straighten it out. The gravity of the situation hit her full force as she stared at her reflection, and she covered her face with her hands.

"No, I'm not gonna cry," she vowed through gritted teeth.

Her life was good and no one was going to take it away from her. She dreamed of being a playwright, after completing her undergraduate degree in English and American literature. She had already written short plays for student productions and was working on something for the local theatre group. Her stories were a mix of the fantastical and the domestic. Her latest one was a modern day interpretation of Snow White; reimagined as an au pair to seven children and stalked by a crazed serial killer who collected hearts.

"Goblin King, can you hear me?" Sarah spoke into the mirror as if it was a portal between worlds. She glanced at the clock, it was almost eleven. "You've got just over an hour until I kick your butt back to the Underground," she defiantly declared.

She waited for the chimes, but they never came. The wind started to howl outside her window and her bedroom light began to flicker.

"Oh, no you don't," she shrieked as she ran for the door.

As she twisted the handle in vain, her room was plunged into darkness. Silence fell, and the only thing she could hear was her heart hammering in her chest. A dark shadow loomed over her.

"Hello, Sarah," a voice as smooth as velvet greeted her.

She sucked in a sharp breath before turning around to face him. The Goblin King was dressed in much the same way as he had been six years previously. He wore a midnight blue jacket and high-collared cloak with tight black pants. She blushed, vividly remembering how he favoured that particular style. His hair was the big change; it was much shorter at the back with a high quiff at the front. It no longer fanned wildly around his head like a lion's mane, and was a darker golden shade of blond. The change suited him and accentuated his high cheekbones. Then there were his eyes; she never forgot how the right one was a vivid shade of blue while the left was almost black, except for the outer rim. They were mesmerizing, and she dare not look into them for long for fear of losing herself.

"You're early," Sarah finally managed to speak; glad her voice didn't sound as shaky as she felt.

The Goblin King raised an elegant pointed eyebrow as he took a step closer to her. He gave her an appreciative glance, and she could almost feel his eyes burning a trail down her body.

"You called, precious thing, and I came," he said.

Sarah felt the remnants of her confidence draining away, along with the tiniest bit of her resistance. He was every bit as enticing as she remembered, and she wasn't fifteen any more. It wasn't a roll in the sack he'd come back for, though. But he would surely want to claim his conjugal rights, she reasoned. The idea wasn't anywhere near as alarming to her as it should have been. Sarah wanted to slap herself; the Goblin King expected to marry her whether she liked it or not, and all she could think about was the wedding night. He was a baby snatching trickster and she needed to remember that above everything else.

"I don't care what kind of bargain you struck with my mother, I'm not going anywhere with you, so you can take that," she pointed to the gown on the bed. "And you can shove it all the way back to the Underground."

He smirked as he advanced closer to the bed and her.

"What I'm saying is, thanks, but no thanks, Jareth, or should I call you Lord Kobalos?" She sneered.

His face changed instantly from amusement to something much darker. He read the card on the box and eyed the bridal gown with contempt.

"What is the meaning of this?" He snarled.

Sarah was alarmed by the change in his demeanour and tried to step away, but her back was already against the door.

He advanced on her and grabbed her roughly by the arm. "You will explain now, or I will demonstrate just how cruel I can be," the Goblin King warned.

She was more confused than ever, and didn't know what to do. If Jareth wasn't Lord Kobalos, then who was, and what did he want with her? There was less than an hour remaining until she found out the hard way. Sarah decided to take a chance and tell him everything. He might be toying with her for all she knew, but he appeared genuinely mad about something.

He listened intently as she told him about the deal her mother made and what she promised in exchange for her dreams. When she finished he abruptly turned away from her with a swish of his cape.

"What a great pity," he said.

He didn't want her to see his face. Six long years he'd waited and finally, she'd called. He wouldn't tell her how he'd ached to see her again, or how she was more beautiful in the flesh than he'd ever dared to imagine. She could never know of the obsession that had threatened to drive him out of his mind.

Sarah was crestfallen as she realised the mistake she'd made. Hesitantly, she reached out and her hand brushed against the glittery fabric of his cape. He stepped further away from her and she darted round to face him.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I mean, not just for now, but for before. I was only fifteen the last time we met, and I wasn't ready for… well, for you, I guess. Anyway, I hope I didn't do too much damage to your city and your castle, or…"

She stopped babbling and wondered why she'd felt the need to offer any apology at all. He did things to her mind and body, whether intentionally or otherwise and she knew she was playing with fire.

The Goblin King kept his eyes fixed on the floor.

"It is of no consequence now," he said. "I should go."

"No, please, not yet. Do you know who this Lord Kobalos guy is?" Sarah questioned.

He silently shook his head, and she couldn't determine if he was lying or not.

"I just don't understand why he'd want to marry someone he's never met. It doesn't make any sense, I could be as ugly as a troll for all he knows," she said.

The Goblin King couldn't help laughing despite everything.

"The fae sometimes do things that can appear nonsensical to humans, but seldom are they entirely without reason. I can be cruel, but only with good cause. There are some of my kind who find cruelty pleasurable for its own sake. This Lord Kobalos may simply want to enjoy torturing you for all eternity, or perhaps he desires a human wife for procreation and amusement. Fae females aren't generally much use for either, being mostly barren and shallow creatures," he explained.

Sarah shuddered at the thought of the kind of sadist she could end up with. She didn't want to be the plaything of an unknown fae, or anyone else's for that matter. The thought of being used for pain or pleasure, maybe even both, and possibly making babies against her will was repugnant. Even if this fae Lord intended to show her tenderness and be merciful, how could she hope to ever love him, let alone anything else? She wasn't a virgin, but having slept with two men hardly qualified her as an expert. As things stood, she was quite okay with not being in a relationship and concentrating on studying.

"You have to help me, please, there's gotta be some way out of this," she begged.

The Goblin King looked thoughtful for a second, and then his lips slowly spread into a sly grin.

"If you were to wish yourself to another fae, someone powerful who could protect you, perhaps that might work," he said.

Sarah knew very well who he had in mind. However, she didn't see how choosing a known rogue over an unknown one was any better; especially as they probably both wanted the same things.

"Time is short, my sweet," the Goblin King warned. "Once Lord Kobalos comes to claim what's his, I will not be able to help you."

"There has to be another way, I want to stay here with my family and live my own life," she wailed.

"What's said is said, and your mother promised you in exchange for her dreams. If you wish yourself to me, I will be your slave. In return for your obedience, fear and love, of course," the Goblin King vowed.

Sarah risked a look into his hypnotic eyes; she wasn't good at obeying anyone, although she could easily fear what he might be capable of, as for love, she wasn't sure lust counted, but it was a start.

The clock was creeping ever closer to midnight and it was an impossible decision. Maybe this Lord Kobalos guy would be a better choice; she had no way of knowing. Her mother seemed to recall more about what he was wearing than his looks or personality. She reasoned her previous experience of Jareth might at least offer her some advantage with him. He wasn't a complete unknown, and if she was honest there was always a tiny part of her that suspected one day he'd show up in her life again, or at least hoped he would. Sarah knew how these things worked, and she would soon be going somewhere with one of them, that much was certain.

"If I wish myself to you, will you ever let me come back here?" She inquired. Her voice sounded small and shaky, like she'd already surrendered.

The Goblin King pressed his lips tightly together as he contemplated her words.

"Perhaps, if you please me and do my bidding, I can be very generous, as you know," he said.

Sarah closed her eyes and Jareth held his breath. She listened to the ticking of the clock and the pounding of her heart.

"Alright," she almost whispered.

"You have to say the right words," the Goblin King reminded her.

"Can't I at least say goodbye to Toby and my stepmother and father?" She pleaded.

He shook his head.

"They are under an enchantment and are fast asleep; they will not awaken until morning. Now, say the right words, Sarah," he demanded.

She took a deep breath.

"I wish the Goblin King would take me away."

He grinned and his sharp teeth glinted in the moonlight.

"Not exactly right, but close enough," he said.

Sarah realised she was still dressed for dinner and wished she'd changed out of her fancy gown into something more practical. There was no time to dwell on it as the Goblin King grabbed her firmly by the hand. They were encircled by a glittering whirlwind and the sound of chattering goblins filled the air.

"Come, my precious thing, it's time for us to go home."

Chapter Text

When Sarah opened her eyes and looked around, it was as if they hadn't moved at all. She appeared to be still standing in her own bedroom. The situation perplexed her, until closer inspection revealed it was only a replica of the way her room used to look. The real stuffed toys and trinkets from her childhood had long since been packed away or gifted to her brother. Spying her old music box with its familiar fancily dressed doll, she reached out to take it from the shelf. It had never occurred to her before that moment, how much it looked like the mini version of her younger self was trapped inside a gilded cage. The touch of her hand set it off playing its old haunting melody and she recoiled in disgust, quickly returning it back to its place. Sarah recalled the poisoned peach dream and an awful realisation dawned on her; she had made a terrible mistake.

"It looks like you've been expecting me for quite some time," she said, glancing over at the M.C. Escher print.

She felt sickened and couldn't quite make her eyes meet his.

"You lied to me, you tricked me. There never was anyone called Lord Kobalos, was there?"

The Goblin King remained inscrutable. He had carefully watched her reaction to the recreation he'd made of her childhood bedroom and saw how she was putting the pieces of the puzzle together in her mind. She soon arrived at the truth, but it was all too late now, for her.

A slow smile spread across his face.

"The clue was in the name Kobalos, in Greek mythology they were mischievous goblins. I never gave a verbal denial of my alias, it is the words that count," he said.

"You led me to believe he wasn't you, no matter how sneakily you did it," Sarah fumed as she sat forcefully down on the bed.

She collided with the box containing the bridal gown which Jareth had obviously transported there, and she pushed it away with revulsion.

"It's not…" she began.

"Fair?" He finished her sentence with a grin.

Sarah cringed and got even madder.

"Why construct such an elaborate charade?" She questioned. "I just don't understand any of this."

"You were always going to be mine, one way or another. I was merely curious to see if you would wish yourself away to me. The deal I made with your mother was my insurance policy. I could see what a vain creature she was and I knew she wouldn't turn down the chance to live her dreams, even at the cost of her only daughter," Jareth explained.

"You've been planning this since I was a baby? That's sick," Sarah raged her eyes now blazing with anger and hatred.

The Goblin King noted with pleasure how vexation caused a rosy flush to spread from her cheeks down to her ample bosom. A crystal appeared in his hand and he concentrated on it for a moment before letting it drop to the floor. The orb disintegrated sending out a glittering light, and when it faded the room looked different. It was now an exact replica of the one she'd left behind, with all the childish things gone. The bridal gown was hanging on the wardrobe complete with matching cloak, and a box containing diamond encrusted shoes lay beneath it.

"One forgets what a difference six years can make in the human world," he said as his eyes wandered lasciviously over her body. "I see you've grown in all kinds of delightful ways."

Sarah sat despairing with her head in her hands. She wouldn't let him see her cry.

"Why me?' She questioned.

Jareth had certainly gone to an awful lot of trouble, and she needed an explanation. Not that she thought it would make her feel any better about letting herself be taken for a monumental fool.

"I was once shown a vision of the only woman I could ever give my heart to, and that woman, my dear, turned out to be you," he said.

He stepped closer towards her and she shrank away from him. He gave her a devilish grin as he opened his hand to reveal another crystal.

"You should rest, my dear, tomorrow promises to be a very busy day and you will need to be ready for it," the Goblin King toyed playfully with the glass orb.

Sarah felt her heart freeze.

"What's happening tomorrow?" Her voice was shrill with panic, fearing she already knew the reply.

He clasped the crystal in his hands and there was a small popping sound. He grabbed her wrist and dropped something heavy into her open palm. It was an amulet on a twisted leather cord, exactly like the one he wore around his neck.

"Why, tomorrow is our wedding day, of course," Jareth said. "You will wear that as befitting your new status as Goblin Queen."

"No," Sarah squeaked as she tossed it aside.

He laughed and then his features set into a condescending sneer.

"If you ever want to see young Toby again, or your parents, you had better start doing as you're told," he threatened.

She wanted to lash out at him, but knew it would do her no good. Her first encounter with Jareth should have taught her that life wasn't always fair and he didn't play by the rules. Her journey through the labyrinth helped her to mature and she gave up her childish tantrums. It wasn't that she didn't feel entitled to rant and rave under the circumstances, but she thought a more considered approach might yield better results.

"Shouldn't we at least get to know one another better before we get married?" Sarah questioned.

Her only hope was to delay the wedding until she could find some way of getting back home.

"I want you for my wife and queen, and I've waited long enough." Jareth would not relent. "We will have an eternity to become better acquainted with each other." He ominously added. She was almost his and he would not let her slip through his fingers again.

Sarah could feel the anger and fear bubbling up inside her. She wanted to shout, scream and sob, but nothing would come out. She looked into his eyes and was reminded of Toby's dreams about the forlorn Goblin King. There was something that spoke of loneliness and longing in his gaze. It wasn't enough to make her pity him, but it went some way towards explaining his desperation. He closed the gap between them and she feared he was going to try and kiss her. He didn't, and instead he removed one of his gloves before reaching out to stroke her cheek. His fingers were soft on her skin and to her disgust, she felt her body reacting.

"I suppose you'll be expecting me to… I mean if we're husband and wife, you'll want to…" She couldn't bring herself to say the words.

Jareth raised a pointed eyebrow, as he could plainly sense she was attracted to him. He also knew that at present, the idea of doing anything about it repulsed her. It was his fervent hope he would change her mind in time.

"We will share a bed after we are married, but I will not force myself on you. We will only consummate our union when you are ready," he assured her.

It would be mutual torture for them both, in more ways than one. He was determined to keep her close to him though, no matter how frustrating it might prove to be. Confident as he was, she would return his love in time and that it would all be worth the wait. The Goblin King had suffered enough lonely nights, through his own choosing, and only one woman could free him. She would be his prize and his consolation.

"What if I never want to?" Sarah inquired, although she knew sharing a bed with him would likely wear down her resistance eventually, however much she hated herself for even contemplating it.

Jareth took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. He pressed a kiss to it before she pulled away from him.

"A great deal can happen between now and never." His voice was low and seductive.

He moved away as if to leave, but then a thought occurred to him and he paused.

"Before we say goodnight, I should warn you that the world outside that door is quite different from the way you remember it," he cautioned.

Sarah frowned; she'd seen little of his castle the first time around having spent most of her hours there in the labyrinth.

"Can I see my friends again?" She hopefully inquired.

Jareth shook his head.

"The labyrinth is not what it appears to be, beyond the surface at least. The basic structure never changes, but each challenger creates their own obstacles and helpers from their imaginations. All the situations and creatures you encountered, except for the goblins, were constructs of your own mind. Oh, I confess I added a few of my own personal touches here and there, as is my prerogative. And Hoggle is always the guide, but the rest was down to you," he explained.

He watched confusion cloud her pretty green eyes.

"Are you saying Hoggle is real?" Sarah questioned.

"In a way," Jareth said. "He is bound to the labyrinth, but yes, within those constraints he does exist."

"My friends all came through my mirror after I got back home, how was that possible?" She questioned.

"You were still connected to the labyrinth's magic and I allowed you your victory party. I won't deny I wanted to keep you then, but it all played out the way it was foretold. It's much easier to accept defeat when you know it's only a temporary state of affairs," Jareth smirked.

"None of it was real, was it? Not even my victory. I didn't win at all, did I?" Sarah sighed with weary acceptance.

She did sometimes wonder if her experience was all in her head, especially after her friends never reappeared when she called. But her brother's dreams and her own vivid memories made her think otherwise. Somewhere, she heard a clock strike thirteen.

"Happy birthday, Sarah," The Goblin King practically purred with glee.

Falling face down onto the bed with a groan, she closed her eyes. Why couldn't this be a dream? She tried to convince herself there was a chance as she pulled the familiar looking owl comforter over her. Maybe she would wake up in the morning to find Toby launching himself on top of her singing Happy Birthday. Her stepmother would call her to come downstairs for traditional birthday pancakes with blueberries and bananas, and her father would be waiting with a hug. They would laugh together and all of this would be nothing more than a fading nightmare.

Jareth opened the door.

"After tonight we will never be apart again, and the life that awaits us is in your hands. I can be generous, or I can be cruel, I will leave it up to you to decide which you would prefer," he said as he left her alone to contemplate his words.

Sarah pulled a pillow over her head and wished in vain that morning would never come.

Chapter Text

Sarah opened her eyes and thought for a moment her wish had been granted. She was in her own bed surrounded by old familiar things, and then out of the corner of her eye, she spied the wedding dress. The illusion was shattered along with her hopes. She had lain awake for hours, trying to think of a way out of her predicament. Finally, she'd drifted off to sleep and into fitful twisted dreams of the Goblin King. He stirred up such contradictory feelings within her; she didn't know if she wanted to kiss or slap him. Given her situation, it was more the latter. But despite everything, the former was still frustratingly appealing.

The fabric of her dress had creased terribly during the night and Sarah felt in need of freshening up. She went over to the wardrobe in search of a suitable change of clothes, besides the bridal gown that hung on the door. To her dismay, she found that it was empty, apart from an outfit identical to the one she'd worn six years earlier. Sarah pulled out the hanger and held the clothes up against her body to try and gauge if they would still fit. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she noted with satisfaction, that apart from her much larger bosom, she was no bigger around the hips.

The sound of echoing footsteps outside her door caught her attention and she went over to press her ear to the wood. Sarah listened as the noise faded into the distance. Tentatively twisting the handle, she was surprised to find it unlocked. The corridor appeared to be empty, but the sound of muffled voices from somewhere close by carried down it. She cautiously peered around and decided to investigate. Sarah wasn't sure whereabouts in the castle she was. A glance through the nearest window indicated she was high up, and probably in one of the towers. She crept along the passageway until she reached a spiral staircase which she then slowly began to descend.

"It's not too late; you can still change your mind." The desperate voice of a woman pleaded.

It was faint, but Sarah could just about make out their conversation. She reached the bottom of the stairs and risked a peek around the corner. There was an open door a short way down the hall and she assumed that's where the voices were coming from.

"Go back to where you belong, Lilithea." Jareth sounded irritated.

"I told you at the time, something went wrong when I summoned that prophecy. You weren't supposed to see her," the woman said.

"Of course I wasn't, you meant to trick me into believing you were my only true love. But I was there, remember? I asked the question, and the crystal gave its answer," the Goblin King replied.

"It gave you an answer, it doesn't mean it was the answer," the woman warned.

There was a long pause.

"Even if she is the one, it said nothing of her heart; she could intend to destroy you for all you know. Jareth, I beg you, reconsider before it's too late. You have been living here alone in exile for over a thousand years. I could help you if only you would let me. We could appeal to your brother together, and I'm sure my sister would help us. I'll wager you haven't even informed the high king of your marriage plans, have you?" The woman questioned.

"It's none of his business," Jareth asserted. "He forbade me from ever leaving this place; he did not forbid me from taking a wife."

Sarah strained to catch every word as the woman's voice grew softer.

"He also knows that I'm the only one of our kind who cares enough for you to come and see you in this awful filthy hovel. I'm sure he would look favourably on a union between us, as he likely expects it anyway. You know how I love you, how I've always loved you, and I would do anything to make you happy. Don't bind yourself to a mortal who probably despises you and will bring you nothing but continued misery." The woman was obviously desperate but her voice remained calm and controlled.

"I will have no other," Jareth declared. "Why don't you stay for our wedding, and meet this monster you think I'm marrying. She may hate me now, but in time I have every confidence I can win her love," he said.

Sarah seethed at his conviction and silently vowed she would never succumb to his charms. The stranger was intriguing and she hoped to catch a glimpse of her. It appeared this woman was enamoured of the Goblin King, and she wondered why he didn't want her. Was she unattractive? Sarah imagined Jareth was shallow in that respect; not caring about a person's inner beauty.

"I will stay, for my own peace of mind, and because you obviously aren't able to be objective about this mortal creature. You've been so entranced by the idea of her you can't see anything else," Lilithea cautioned.

"I have my wedding to prepare for, so if you would be so kind as to wait downstairs, I'm sure the goblins can keep you entertained," Jareth's voice was full of amusement as he dismissed his guest.

Sarah lingered behind the wall at the bottom of the staircase until Lilithea emerged from the room. She only caught a brief glimpse of her face, but was shocked at how similar she looked to Jareth. They could have been siblings or at least related in some way. For all Sarah knew, they could well be. The fae might not regard incest as repugnant as humans did. Lilithea was pale skinned with bright blue eyes and platinum blonde hair which framed her angular features. She was strikingly attractive in an ethereal otherworldly kind of way. Maybe this woman might help her, if she didn't want to throttle her on sight for stealing her precious Goblin King away. Sarah pondered over her limited options. She heard Jareth close the door and decided to take a chance, creeping down the corridor in pursuit of the other woman. There was a swish of pale blue satin ahead of her as she rounded the stairs and neared her target.

"Wait, please," she softly called out.

Lilithea stopped and slowly turned to face her. The woman's gaze was intense and critical and Sarah felt suddenly self-conscious. She smoothed her hair down where it was ruffled from sleep and attempted to straighten her dress.

"Well, what do we have here?" The pale-skinned creature began to slowly circle her.

"My name is Sarah Williams, but you already know who I am, or at least you think you do." she intended to hold her own against this supposed rival.

Lilithea was surprised by the girl's tenacity and a small smile crept over her lips. "What can I do for you, Miss Williams?" She inquired.

"Maybe I can do something for you. I know you love Jareth, I heard the two of you talking, and you're welcome to him. I just need your help to get out of here and back to my world." Sarah gave the fae a hopeful smile.

The silence stretched out between them until Lilithea burst into shrill laughter.

"What an amusing creature you are," she said. Her expression turned deadly serious. "Jareth will have none of me, it is you he wants, and it cuts me to the quick to know that what he's offering is wasted on you, you ungrateful wretch. You don't love him and you will make him suffer, when he's already suffered enough." She kept her controlled tone but there was venom and bitterness in her words.

"Then help me," Sarah begged. "Send me back to where I came from and you can both forget all about me."

Her only hope was fading fast, and she couldn't understand why this woman wouldn't jump at the chance to get rid of her.

Lilithea looked contemplative for a moment and her mouth opened as if to speak, until something changed her mind.

"Ah, there you are my precious thing." Jareth's voice startled Sarah and she spun around in horror. "Happy as I am that you've been making friends, I really must insist you return to your room and prepare for our wedding," he said and grabbed her by the hand.

Her eyes continued to plead with Lilithea's until the other woman turned away.

"I don't think I will stay after all," she said.

Jareth didn't seem to care one way or another as he pulled a reluctant Sarah towards the stairs.

"My best wishes to the bride and groom," Lilithea called after them, her voice full of insincerity.

She closed her eyes and let out a whimper of despair before fading from sight.

"I know what you were up to," Jareth hissed.

Sarah dragged her heels on the rough stone floor trying to slow their progress back to her room.

"You wished yourself away to me and no one can undo it, least of all Lilithea," he warned.

They reached the door to her room and he flung it open as he forcefully led her inside.

Jareth was deceptively strong for one with such a lean build and she rubbed her wrist when he released her.

"I have no desire to hurt you," he appeared to be contrite over his strong-arming, but his expression was severe. "I told you, the choice is yours; generosity or cruelty, which is it to be?"

Sarah felt her temper flaring and she had no more appetite for his games.

"How about honesty?" She asked, her green eyes blazing.

Jareth sashayed over to the vanity unit and took a seat.

"Who is Lilithea?" Sarah queried. "I heard the two of you talking, and she obviously cares a lot about you."

"What's the matter, my love, are you jealous? You needn't be, you know," he said as he toyed with the ruffles on his open necked cream poet's shirt.

She threw him a look of contempt.

"Did you just expect me to go ahead and marry you when you're practically a stranger to me?" She stood defiant before him with her hands on her hips.

Jareth felt every fibre of his being flare to life as he gazed into her vibrant green eyes. It was as if he was waking from a deep sleep where all his dreams had been in black and white. Sarah painted everything with rainbow colours and brought sunlight to his shadowy existence.

"What would you like to know about me?" He inquired.

"Everything," she replied.

He grinned.

"That may take some time; I am almost four thousand years old after all."

Sarah gasped. "See, there's something I didn't know. I mean, I knew you were older than me, but… Whoa Nelly!"

Jareth roared with laughter.

"What about your family? I heard Lilithea mention you have a brother, will he be coming to the wedding?" She asked.

His expression immediately darkened. He would tell her everything in time, but not now.

"No, he will not." Jareth jumped up and went to the door. "Now, we have a wedding to prepare for, and I will have one of the servants bring you some breakfast."

"Just answer me one thing before you go, and I want the truth, because if you lie to me I swear I'll find some way to make you pay for it," Sarah warned.

Jareth nodded.

"Swear it," she insisted, remembering what he said about only words counting.

"Alright, I swear, now ask your question," he demanded.

"Why did the high king, whoever he might be, why did he forbid you from ever leaving this place? What did you do?"

Sarah didn't want to be shackled to a monster. In fact, she didn't want to marry him at all. But if there was to be no way out of it, she had to know there was nothing worse to add to her already low opinion of him. What sort of crime was punishable by being made Goblin King anyway?

"The answer is, I did nothing," Jareth enigmatically replied.

She started to protest.

"Enough," he silenced her with the sharpness of his tone. "Our wedding will be at noon sharp, and I will see you then."

Sarah leapt up to chase after him, but found instead of opening onto the outside corridor, the door now led to an en suite bathroom. Letting out a puff of frustration, she growled in anger as the bridal gown caught her eye. Striding purposefully over to it with the intention of ripping it to shreds, she paused to take a good look first. On closer inspection, it was a slinkier version of the dress she'd worn during the peach dream masquerade ball. Jareth was trying to reconstruct a fantasy that never really existed in the first place and Sarah wanted no part of it. She looked down at her own dress, which had been chosen by her mother, and was more to Linda's taste than hers. There was only one other choice of outfit, and at least it was something she'd wanted to wear once upon a time. Sarah opened the wardrobe door and hoped her earlier confidence, that she could squeeze her twenty-one-year-old self into clothes she'd worn at fifteen was not misplaced. Thanking all that was holy for a roomy blouse and stretch jeans, she went over to the window. Sarah could see she was a long way up and it was a long way down to the ground, but there was no other option.

What am I going to do once I get out? She pondered. Run, said the voice in her head. It was the only thing she could do.

Chapter Text

Sarah tied together all the sheets and every other piece of cloth she could find in the room and anchored the end to one of the bedposts. Glancing downwards from the window, she winced at the thought of what would happen if she were to fall. There was a fairly big gap as it was between the end of her makeshift rope and the ground. She gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, and climbed out onto the window ledge. This world had more to offer than the Goblin King and his minions, she reasoned. The high king might be able to help her get back home, if only she could find him. His powers were obviously superior to Jareth's and she hoped the old adage would prove to be true; my enemy's enemy is my friend.

"Here goes nothing," Sarah muttered to herself and began to climb down the castle wall as carefully as she could.

She lost her foothold a few times and ended up dangling precariously, but she soon reached the end of the makeshift rope. The ground still looked an awfully long way off and she braced herself for the fall. Jareth would surely be hot on her heels and she couldn't afford to delay. Sarah closed her eyes and jumped. She landed with a thud, but fortunately managed to avoid anything worse than a bruised posterior. Pulling herself up onto her feet, she ran through the Goblin City and soon arrived at the wall, beyond which was the labyrinth. The place was mercifully deserted, aside from the odd rat, and she managed to find a weak section of stones to break through.

Sarah was expecting to find the sprawling junk pile which was there the last time she passed through the place. The sight that met her was something else altogether, and she thought back to what Jareth said about the Labyrinth being shaped by her imagination. Her fifteen-year-old mind would never have conjured this up. Before her was a sprawling garden which was dotted with decorative fountains and erotic statues. Drawing near to the first one, Sarah gasped as she recognised her own likeness in bronze. It appeared to be a depiction of herself with Jareth in a naked Adam and Eve kind of pose, complete with serpent. She walked forward in astonishment, passing more sculptures of herself and the Goblin King in various eye-boggling poses as she went. It was Freudian dream wish-fulfilment in three-dimensional, blush-inducing form. Her imagination, it appeared, was considerably more depraved than she'd ever realised.

Hurrying onwards for what felt like miles, Sarah slowed as she neared an obscene water feature. The way the water was gushing from a certain part of the stone goblin's anatomy was quite amusing. Sarah paused a moment to catch her breath. Her stomach began to rumble and she wished she'd stayed in the castle long enough to take delivery of her breakfast. Spying what looked like a mulberry tree, she tentatively edged closer to it. There were plentiful clusters of red berries hanging from it that looked very tempting. Her mouth began to water and she reached out to grab a handful. The poisoned peach was uppermost in her thoughts as Sarah eyed the fruit with suspicion. Her stomach growled with hunger and she decided to risk trying one. The mulberries were perhaps a little unripe, but otherwise there didn't seem to be anything strange about them. She ate a few handfuls and stuffed some into her pockets for later.

The sound of fairground music filled the air. In the distance beyond the garden, she spied a Ferris wheel. Unable to resist the pull of it, Sarah set off in that direction. As she drew closer, she could see there were all kinds of rides and stalls with a red and white striped big top tent at the centre. There was an old-fashioned organ grinder complete with monkey at the entrance, and he was playing the same tune as her music box. The nearby carousel was also moving to the same rhythm, and she closed her eyes picturing herself twirling around a shimmering dance floor in Jareth's arms. Her surroundings became hazy for a moment and the voices of the other fairground revellers grew distant as if she were underwater. The sensation didn't last long and Sarah soon came back to her senses with a fit of the giggles. She wasn't sure what was so funny, but suddenly everything was hilarious. Bumper cars shunting into each other, and people spinning on the Tilt-A-Whirl had her in fits. Moving through the fairground, she soaked in the sights and sounds with a childlike glee.

"Step right up, ring the bell and win a prize, lady?"

A moustachioed burly fellow in a strong man suit operating a High Striker thrust a large mallet into her hand.

Sarah peered at the shelf of familiar stuffed animal prizes. There were plush versions of Ludo, Sir Didymus and a Firey creature, along with a cuddly barn owl. Shrugging of the coincidence, she drew back the mallet before whacking the block with all the force she could muster. The puck started to shoot up the pole but stopped short of hitting the bell.

"Oh, what rotten luck," the man said.

Sarah noticed there was a piece of metal stopping the puck from reaching the top.

"Hey, that's not fair," she protested.

"You say that so often…" She jumped at the sound of the voice in her head and scurried away. Why are you running when you know he'll catch you? Maybe because that's what you want. It continued to taunt her.

"Are you in the show?"

The sound of a squeaky voice caused Sarah to spin around. There she discovered an alarming looking short clown and the sight of him made her recoil slightly. He was wearing a stripy blue suit with a large red bow tie and big yellow shoes. The creature underneath the thick makeup looked to be a dwarf like Hoggle, and she thought it was her old friend for a second. Sarah peered intently at his crazy curly red wig and brightly painted face. He showed no sign of recognition, and she wasn't sure.

"What show?" She inquired warily.

Clowns had freaked her out ever since she'd read It by Stephen King, and she wasn't keen to join a performing troupe of them.

"You must hurry and get ready before the curtain goes up." He hustled her through a flap in the tent before she could protest.

Sarah was led to a dressing room in what appeared to be the backstage area.

"The show must go on," the clown said as he honked a bicycle horn.

She watched in bemusement as he rode off on a unicycle.

Glancing around the room, Sarah saw a costume rail with only one outfit hanging from it. The ragged dress resembled something Cinderella might have worn before her encounter with the fairy godmother. It was a tatty thing covered with sewn on patches and there was a nasty stained apron attached to it. Beneath the rail, there was a battered pair of shoes and the items were labelled, for Columbine. A tambourine lay on the table next to the vanity mirror, along with a palette of dark eye shadows. Sarah knew a little about Commedia dell'Arte from her theatre studies. She had heard of some of the characters, such as Pierrot and his wife, Columbine. There was usually also and her lover, Harlequin. Sarah was sure she'd once owned a porcelain-headed Pierrot doll with a frilly outfit and pointed hat.

The costume was a perfect fit and she began to carefully apply the dark makeup around her eyes. It should have struck her as odd, but she felt a strange compulsion to be a part of the performance, almost as if she was under a spell. The feeling was different to when she'd been trapped in the peach dream, but it just as compelling. There was the sound of a bell ringing and a voice announced curtain up in one minute. Sarah hurried outside and was caught amidst a gaggle of sniggering goblins. They hustled her along to the stage and then the spotlight hit her. There was rapturous applause as the red velvet drapes opened and a tall man in the guise of Pierrot appeared from the wings and took her in his arms. They began to dance together as the music played.

Leave me dreaming on the bed,

See you right back here tomorrow for the next round,

Keep this scene inside your head,

As the bruises turn to yellow,

The swelling goes down,

And if you're ever around,

In the city or the suburbs of this town,

Be sure to come around,

I'll be wallowing in sorrow,

Wearing a frown,

Like Pierrot the Clown.

Pierrot the Clown by Placebo.

Sarah somehow knew it was Jareth who was leading her around the stage despite the fogginess of her mind. His white powdered face, black flash above his brow, and bright red lips could not detract from his eyes. She would know them anywhere. Her heart was thumping in her chest and the room started to spin. He sang along to the music and his voice was hypnotic, drawing her under his seductive spell. The song ended and he pulled her closer as his lips met hers in a punishing kiss. His arms were tight around her and she felt like she couldn't breathe.

"Oh, my darling Columbine, is this to be our last dance together?" Jareth in his guise as Pierrot lamented.

Sarah was reeling from the sensation of his hungry mouth on hers and she began to back away from him. Her stomach was churning and everything was in double-vision.

"I have to get out of here," she murmured, as she blinked and scrambled around for something to anchor her.

"If you will not stay for me, perhaps you would prefer Harlequin?" He said mockingly as he gestured with a flamboyant flourish towards the wings.

The orchestra began to play a comedic brass melody as a familiar dwarf, dressed in a brightly coloured costume and black eye mask, shuffled on stage.

"Hoggle, is that really you?" Sarah questioned with surprise.

He nodded and gave her a sad smile as he took his place next to Pierrot.

The unseen audience were in fits of laughter as Jareth performed a comedic mime and invited comparison between himself and the dwarf.

"The joys of love are fleeting for Pierrot and Columbine," He said with an exaggerated sad face.

Sarah felt a little steadier and she desperately looked around for an escape. But unfortunately, she wasn't in a breakable bubble this time around. Jareth reached out to grab her as she turned and ran. She refused to surrender and let him have his way, as much as she wanted him to kiss her again. The fabric of his costume made a swishing noise as he followed in hot pursuit, and she kept on running.

"You'll never get away from me, my sweet Sarah. Never," he taunted.

Spotting a rope ladder at the side of the stage, she made a dash for it. There was a platform high above with metal hoops hanging from wires. It appeared to be apparatus for trapeze artists and she began scrambling up towards it. Jareth was snapping at her heels as she reached the flat platform. Sarah made a grab for one of the metal rings and launched herself off into the air.

"Great Horn Spoons woman!" The Goblin King exclaimed. "You're not the only one who can fly, and I don't even need wires."

Not daring to stop and look around, she heard the sound of fluttering wings close behind her.

Sarah couldn't see any way out only down, and her stomach began to lurch again. Squeezing her eyes shut, she swung wildly from one side of the tent to the other. She didn't know if it was the motion of the wire that was making her feel so sick and dizzy, or something else. Her arms were beginning to hurt and she didn't think she could hold on for much longer.

You're no match for me, Sarah…

The way forward is sometimes the way back…

And you Sarah, how are you enjoying my Labyrinth?…

Piece of cake…

Faces flashed inside her mind and words echoed around her as her grip on the metal ring began to loosen.

"You are mine, Sarah, forever mine," Jareth was in her head.

She began to fall and strong arms caught her before the world turned to black.

When Sarah opened her eyes again, she was lying face down on the grass.

"Precious thing, can you hear me?" A familiar voice pierced through the fog of her muddled mind.

She eased herself up and the urge to vomit overtook her. Emptying her stomach of partially digested mulberries all over Jareth's previously immaculate suede leather boots, she blushed crimson.

"Oops," Sarah squeaked as she sheepishly wiped her mouth on her sleeve.

The goblin King let out a defeated sigh. "Alas, there will be no wedding today," he said.

Chapter Text

Sarah blushed again as Jareth helped her up onto her feet.

"I'm sorry about your boots," she muttered with embarrassment.

His mouth was set in a thin line and he looked most displeased as he rinsed them off with the assistance of the bawdy goblin water feature.

"As fetching as you look in that quaint little outfit, I was expecting you to be dressed for our wedding and in the castle," Jareth sternly reprimanded her. He would have enjoyed seeing her as she was when they first met at any other time, but not today.

The Goblin King was wearing dark grey pants with a crisp white shirt which was frilly at the neck and wrists. He wore a high collared dark grey tailed jacket over it, with a matching cummerbund. Sarah wasn't unaffected by how handsome he looked, despite the circumstances.

"You clean up real good," she complimented him. "Apart from the…" she regretfully pointed to his boots.

Jareth began tapping his swagger stick against the stone of the fountain in a way she found both menacing and slightly enticing. He was most annoyed and upset at having his plans frustrated. Sarah was beginning to suspect her whole fairground escapade was nothing more than a fevered dream. It seemed she had collapsed by the water feature after eating the mulberries. But her first instinct was to assume foul play by the Goblin King.

"Did you poison me again?" She questioned indignantly as she emptied her pockets of the squished fruit.

Sarah thought she saw a look of hurt cross Jareth's face, but he soon recovered himself and set his features into a sneer.

"Any fool knows that unripe mulberries cause mild hallucinations and upset stomach. Not even the goblins would be so stupid as to eat them," he rebuked her.

"Oh," she said, her cheeks burning red with shame and anger at his condescension.

It appeared her plans to beat the labyrinth for a second time had been well and truly scuppered. Fruit could be a very perilous thing in this world, and for not heeding that lesson, she had only herself to blame. Sarah let out a heavy sigh and put her head in her hands.

"Why did you try to run away? Have I been so cruel to you?" Jareth's stern mask slipped once more.

He was a mass of contradictions and she couldn't make him out at all. Sometimes there was such sadness in his eyes and although she only ever caught a fleeting glimpse, it made her wonder.

"Try and put yourself in my place, just for a second." Sarah appealed to him. "I was tricked away from my home and everyone I love, to be trapped here in this world with someone I barely know. Someone who expects me to marry him, no questions asked. Wouldn't you try and run away?"

He resumed his tapping with the swagger stick.

"Who were you running too, might one inquire?" Jareth sneered, "Lilithea? I've already told you that she won't help you."

"The high king might," she said.

He laughed in a hollow mirthless way.

"Walk with me Sarah, and I will tell you a story." He held out a black gloved hand in invitation.

She declined to take it, but did as he requested and they began to stroll leisurely through the garden. The statues looked different this time around, she noted with relief. They were still of herself and Jareth, but the scenes they depicted were much more tasteful. There was no nudity this time around.

"The high king is my eldest brother, Lucian. He is the one who banished me to this place. Our parents ruled this land wisely and peaceably for over ten thousand years, until one day, they were found poisoned in their bed." The Goblin King remained stoic as he recounted what was obviously a painful memory.

Sarah couldn't help but feel sympathy and had to fight the urge to throw her arms around him to offer comfort.

"Oh, Jareth, that's terrible, I'm so sorry," she said, again contemplating giving him a hug and settling for an awkward pat on his shoulder.

"I am the youngest of three brothers," he informed her. "Our mother was surprisingly fertile for a fae, and we were all doted on by our parents. Lucian, as I mentioned, is the eldest. He never had much time for anyone but himself. My other brother Astaroth is much closer to me in age. We got along as well as siblings can notwithstanding the occasional fight over something inconsequential, as I am sure you can appreciate."

Sarah nodded with understanding as she thought about Toby. They grew pretty close after her first experience in the labyrinth, but he could still be a pain in the butt at times.

"Lucian is a control freak, and if you think I'm spoiled, you should meet him." Jareth wrinkled his nose in distaste at the thought of his elder brother. "He was expected to be an only child, and so he was for almost six hundred years until Astaroth was born. I came along a mere fifty years later."

"I guess it's not always easy for older siblings to be welcoming of baby brothers," Sarah said, feeling a renewed sense of shame over the way she'd resented Toby.

"Sometime before the death of our parents, Astaroth became ill. He started to have hallucinations and became quite disturbed in his mind. The best healers from across the kingdoms were consulted. But alas, no cause or remedy could be found. He would have long periods when all was well, and he would be his old self again. And then just as suddenly, the madness would descend once more. Lucian wanted him to be locked away, but our parents wouldn't hear of it. He and his wife Minaxa, foresaw some dreadful tragedy if Astaroth were allowed to continue wandering free. Lucian urged me in the strongest possible terms to join with him in petitioning our father to incarcerate our brother. I did nothing. I couldn't condemn my own flesh and blood to rot away in what would essentially amount to a prison cell, however luxurious it might have been. Astaroth had not suffered a relapse for some time and all seemed well, until that dreadful day." Jareth flinched, obviously pained by the memory.

Sarah instinctively reached out to him and he gratefully held her hand in his. "Did he mean to poison your parents, I mean if he wasn't in his right mind?" She questioned.

"I don't suppose we'll ever know for sure. Astaroth has refused to speak of it, except to protest his innocence. He was the last person to see them alive when they all took tea together before retiring for the night. It was a nonsensical act which could surely only have been perpetrated by someone not in their right mind. However, in recent times, I have often wondered…" Jareth trailed off for a moment, lost in his own thoughts. Noting her concerned gaze, he continued. "Lilithea was right about one thing, I've been obsessed with you for so long, I haven't given much consideration to anything else." He again drifted into a contemplative state.

"What do you mean?" Sarah's voice snapped him out of his reverie.

He waved his hands about as if to dismiss some foolish notion.

"Never mind," Jareth shrugged as if he was trying to physically shake off some ill feeling. "Anyway, Lucian became high king and imprisoned our brother in the black tower. He blamed me for not supporting him and as punishment he made me Goblin King."

Sarah didn't understand.

"But you're a king, how is that punishment?" She inquired.

He let out a snort of derision.

"I was a prince of the High Kingdom of Pommeland, desired by many and respected by all," Jareth announced as if she should know the distinction.

He saw her puzzled look and impatiently rolled his eyes.

"The fae are a fastidious race, taking great pride in their appearance and surroundings. They love everything to be clean, tidy, well ordered and just so, and despise hate things which are not. You couldn't find a creature more opposed to us in nature than a goblin. And that, precious, is why being made king of them was the ultimate insult. Lucian forbade me to ever leave this place on pain of death. None of our kind would ever set foot here anyway, except for dear Lilithea, of course," he explained.

"So, she's what, your lover?" Sarah didn't know why the idea of that bothered her, but she couldn't deny it did.

Jareth's lips twitched as if he was amused.

"I have known Lilithea for almost two thousand years, she is the high queen's sister," he said, neither confirming nor denying the possible intimate status of their relationship.

"I see, so the plan is to marry me and keep her as your mistress, is it? No wonder she was so bitchy to me. She does all the heavy lifting and I get the promotion," Sarah ranted.

"Are you saying you want to do all the heavy lifting, as you so charmingly put it?" Jareth inquired.

He was secretly thrilled that the thought of him with another woman fired her up so much. If she didn't care she wouldn't get angry, he told himself. Sarah vehemently denied having any interest in who he slept with. Instead, she was at pains to point out it was the unfairness of the situation to Lilithea she was railing against, not her being his lover.

"Why don't you just marry her? It's obviously what she wants, and she seemed to think your brother would be in favour. Maybe he'll even consider letting you leave here if you have a wife he approves of," she speculated, ignoring the pangs it caused within her heart.

"What about what I want?" Jareth asked. There was passion in his voice and sadness in his eyes which he didn't attempt to dispel. "I've been here for over a thousand years, one thousand two hundred and eight years to be exact. I deserve to have some reward for all my suffering, and I want you by my side as we slowly grow old together," he said.

"You're talking about me like I'm some sort of consolation prize or something. I'm human in case you'd forgotten, and I'll be dust long before you grow old," Sarah argued.

"When you become my wife and my queen, you will be granted the lifespan of a fae, if not our magic," Jareth explained.

Her eyes grew wide at the prospect.

"I'm not sure I'd want to live as long as you and I certainly don't want to marry you, or anyone else for that matter. I'm only twenty one. Oh, and by the way, this is the worst birthday ever."

The Goblin King was contemplative for a moment and then he summoned up a crystal.

"Apart from wishing to go home, which is something I will not grant you, what would you like to do to celebrate your birthday?" He inquired.

Sarah was stumped, as he'd already ruled out what she really wanted.

"There should be cake," she mused with a thoughtful frown. "All the best birthday parties have great music, and lots of alcohol," she emphasised the last part.

If she couldn't go home the least she could do was get hammered enough that it didn't matter so much.

"One thing I do know how to do is party," Jareth promised with a suggestive grin.

He threw the crystal into the air and the next thing Sarah knew, they were in his throne room. The place had been hastily redecorated with lots of glittery banners and streamers. There was a big cake, which looked like one of the frosted red velvet kind her stepmother Irene was fond of making. A couple of goblins were mixing up all kinds of different coloured cocktails and there was a big bottle of Champagne on ice. Jareth was dressed in a frilly open-necked white shirt and black leather pants, while Sarah had on a perfect little black dress with killer heels. They drank and danced the night away with their company of revelling goblins, as an invisible jukebox played all her favourite music.

When he carried her to his bed, many hours later, she was too inebriated to object when he got in beside her.

"Did you enjoy yourself, precious thing?" Jareth asked.

"It didn't suck," Sarah slurred into the pillow.

"The rest of our lives could be this much fun, and more besides," he promised, but she was already fast asleep.

Jareth pressed a chaste kiss to her brow and spooned himself around her.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

The goblins were even more wary of their king when he was in good humour. It didn't seem natural as they were so used to him being bad tempered and brooding. All morning, he hummed merrily to himself and wore a secret smile. His subjects were right to beware as his mood was mercurial and soon, he was striding among them wielding his swagger stick with wild abandon.

Jareth had been ecstatic after his night of passion with Sarah. But then misery came crashing down upon him as he remembered he couldn't make her his forever. His original intention had been to take her home and leave her there to get on with the rest of her life. Sarah would remain mortal if she couldn't live in the Underground with him, and he thought it would be better for them both if he stayed away. But after what happened between them, he knew he could never turn his back on her, no matter what it cost him.

The Goblin King stalked over to his throne and sat down to ponder. It wasn't often he allowed himself to dwell on the unhappy circumstances of his parents' death, and when he did, his thoughts were troubled by who stood to gain from it. Astaroth may have been deeply disturbed, but he never suffered delusions of grandeur, unlike Lucian. His eldest brother had been consumed by the prospect of being high king for as long as Jareth could recall. He was often openly critical of their father's choice of settling disputes by diplomacy rather than conflict. Lucian favoured threatening acts of aggression to emphasise the power of their kingdom, even if it was rarely necessary. It was surprising that he hadn't had Astaroth executed, as was his right, whether insanity was the cause of his actions or not. Jareth began to suspect it was because his elder brother's conscience troubled him, but it wasn't anything he could prove.

When Lucian married Lady Minaxa he seemed to become even more obsessed with his destiny. Jareth only started to suspect what ambition might have driven his brother too long after the foul deed of killing their parents had been committed. He discovered through Lilithea that Minaxa was well versed in the use of poisons, particularly those derived from plants and herbs, which were ostensibly for use in healing. There were many things which when taken in small quantities could be quite harmless, and even beneficial. But in larger doses they might produce symptoms of madness and spasms of the body, similar to those suffered by Astaroth. The poison used to kill their parents had been a fairly common kind which was widely available and lethal in relatively small doses. One sort of crushed up plant leaf can look much like another, and Jareth supposed that Astaroth could have unwittingly used it in error when he mixed up the tea suspected of causing their parents deaths. An alternative scenario was that someone else knowingly switched the leaves. Jareth suspected Lucian, or more likely an agent acting on his behalf, but knew he couldn't challenge him without some proof of his involvement. Unfortunately, he could think of no way to gain any evidence. He had suffered banishment while his possibly-innocent-brother was imprisoned in an impenetrable tower. After years of inaction, Jareth could stand it no longer. His love for Sarah and his need to have her forever by his side, spurred him on like nothing before.

Sarah couldn't stop smiling, it was her birthday and she was being treated like a princess. However, that wasn't the reason for her state of euphoria. Damn, Jareth was good in bed,she mused, and not for the first time that day. She always suspected he would be, and by his own admission he'd certainly had plenty of practice. Her limited sexual experiences were nothing in comparison. It made her toes curl with excitement just thinking about the way he made her feel.

"Somebody's in a good mood," Irene broke into her reverie. "And if I didn't know better, I'd say there was a new guy in your life. How long's it been now since you broke up with Todd?"

"What? Uh, I can't remember, eight months, maybe?" Sarah struggled to even picture her last boyfriend. How could she when her thoughts were so consumed by her current one?When did I start thinking of Jareth as my boyfriend? The realisation took her by surprise. Probably at some point during the night when you screamed out his name in ecstasy for the umpteenth time, her libido reminded her and she blushed at the memory of it.

"So, have you met someone new?" Irene was always keen to encourage her step-daughter's love life.

"Not new exactly, but I hadn't seen him in a while, until uh, last night, I guess," Sarah was deliberately vague on the details.

It had been slightly longer for her. But Jareth brought her back to the point when he'd taken her from and so she was getting to celebrate her birthday twice.

"What's he like?" Irene inquired, and then leapt in again before she could reply. "Don't tell me, he's blonde with blue eyes and a unique dress sense, am I right? Her stepmother chuckled.

Sarah blushed, thinking over her past boyfriends, she certainly did seem to have a type. Maybe Jareth wasn't the only one who'd been obsessed.

"The others were just pale imitations, this one is the real deal," she said.

"Well, I'm glad something good came out of the dinner with your mom, because it sounds as if Linda was on her usual form," Irene's tone was full of disdain as there was no love lost between the two women.

Sarah shrugged; it wasn't that her stepmother was wrong. But even after everything, she couldn't bring herself to be disloyal to her own flesh and blood. Her mother had got her dreams and she had got her freedom, even if it was by default. Perhaps it was a case of no harm, no foul.

"So, when do we get to meet this not-exactly-new guy? You could invite him over for dinner," Irene coaxed, and she was already planning the menu in her head.

Her step-daughter began to look flustered and fidgety. Toby would instantly recognise the Goblin King, and how could she ever begin to explain who he was to her father and stepmother?

"I, um, don't know if I'm ready for him to meet the family just yet." Sarah fudged as she got up from the table and began to rinse out the coffee cups.

"Maybe you could invite him over on Friday? He could keep you company while you babysit Toby. Your father and I won't be back until well after midnight, so you'll have the place all to yourselves." Irene fostered hopes of engineering an "accidental" meeting with her beau. Happy as she was to see her step-daughter dating, she always liked to meet the guy early on to make sure he passed muster. Young women in love couldn't always be relied upon to know when a man was bad news.

Sarah thought about the crystal Jareth left for her, she could call him and ask him if he wanted to come over. It would certainly be easier to have him there without her father and stepmother breathing down their necks. Besides, Toby might enjoy seeing the Goblin King again as he always spoke of him fondly.

"Sure, why not? The worst he can do is say no, right?" She was suddenly nervous. What if Jareth never wanted to see her again? But then he wouldn't have left you the present, dummy, she chided herself.

"That's odd," Irene began searching high and low in the kitchen in a state of bewilderment.

"What is it?" Sarah joined in although she wasn't sure what they were looking for.

"I made your favourite red velvet cake for your birthday and I left it right here on the counter and now it's gone." Her stepmother was completely perplexed.

"Never mind, we'll get something at the restaurant." Sarah had to stifle a chuckle, so that's where Jareth got the cake from, she knew it looked and tasted familiar. What a rogue he was, she couldn't help but love him for it.

Jareth pretended he wasn't waiting for Sarah to call for him. But he couldn't fool himself, not when he'd passed a few pleasant hours reliving their night together over and over. He needed more of her. The problem of what to do about his eldest brother also plagued him, and he couldn't settle on a plan of action. It wouldn't be wise to try and confront Lucian without first securing some way to prove his guilt. Jareth wondered if Lilithea knew of anything that might help him, but he balked at what he might have to do to ensure her cooperation. He wouldn't betray Sarah, regardless of whether she expected his fidelity or not. There was no way he could have another woman in his bed, not after her.

"Jareth?"

Her voice was like a beacon of hope, calling to him in the darkness.

"Yes, my one true love?" He replied as he hungrily watched her in the crystal.

"How would you like to come over tonight? I mean, you don't have to or anything, but my parents will be out for the evening." Sarah tried not to sound desperate. It was only a few days ago that she was cursing his presumption and trying to flee his grasp. Now all she could think about was getting him back into her bed.

Jareth grinned.

"Missed me have you, my precious thing?"

She knew she should object to being referred to as a thing, precious or not, but the way he said it was so seductive like he was worshipping her. The words practically dripped with sensuality when they came from his lips.

"Are you coming or not?" She asked before realising the unintentional double entendre.

It didn't escape Jareth's notice and he gave a throaty chuckle.

"Oh, I certainly hope so."

Sarah practically shooed her father and stepmother out of the door. Irene was stalling in hope of catching sight of Jareth, but she was onto her scheme. Toby had already been primed to gather information on her beau and report straight back to his mother. Unfortunately for Irene, and maybe for her, her brother didn't know when to keep his mouth shut. He would have to be sworn to secrecy over their guest's true identity, but she hadn't yet told him who they were expecting.

"Tobes, come sit down for a minute, I need to talk to you." Sarah patted the space beside her on the couch and waited for him to join her. He did as he was told and gazed adoringly up at her. "How would you like to see the Goblin King again? I know I said he wasn't real, but we both know he is, right? You said you dreamt he was lonely, so I thought we could keep him company for a while. Would you like that?" She tentatively inquired.

Toby's eyes widened with surprise and he began to jiggle about with anticipation. "Will he sing and dance and do magic stuff?" He asked.

Sarah giggled at the idea.

"He'll be our guest, and he's not a performing seal, so you mustn't expect him too. But then again, he does like to show off, so you never know," she said.

There was a sudden breeze and an explosion of glitter.

"If you've got it, flaunt it, that's what I always say." Jareth stood preening before them looking even more smug than usual.

"Wow," Toby gasped, already in awe.

"Good evening, young man, I always knew you'd grow to be a fine fellow." The Goblin King was genuinely pleased to see the boy again.

Sarah stood back and admired his appearance; he was wearing a black shirt, open at the neck with matching tight pants and boots. The high-necked cloak seemed to be mostly for dramatic effect, as he was otherwise less ostentatious than usual.

"Can I get you anything?" She inquired.

The suggestive look on Jareth's face conveyed his desires, but he wouldn't resort to vulgarity in Toby's presence.

"I'll have what you're having," he drawled.

"Milk and cookies it is then," she grinned and left him to entertain her brother.

His repertoire of parlour tricks amused the boy with colourful displays of harmless magic. The Goblin King's enthusiasm for Toby started to wane when he insisted on sitting between him and Sarah on the couch. After passing more than an hour in frustration, he whispered an aside to his beloved.

"I can always use my powers to make him sleepy, just say the word."

She hated herself for even contemplating it, but there was only so much youthful exuberance Jareth could bear. The clock struck nine and seizing on her brother's attempts to stifle a yawn, she informed him it was past his bedtime. Toby protested but he reluctantly obeyed when the Goblin King promised him a special reward. Producing a crystal, he smilingly handed it to the boy.

"Once you're safely in bed, look into it and it will show you your dreams," he promised.

Sarah suspected it would also ensure he fell asleep and stayed that way until morning. But she wasn't about to argue as her need to be alone with Jareth outweighed her moral objections.

He took her into his arms as soon as Toby was out of sight.

"Oh, my love," he sighed as he kissed her neck.

They fell back onto the couch and any fear they might be discovered in a compromising position was soon forgotten as they surrendered to their passions.

The clock struck twelve and Sarah began to get anxious about the return of her parents. Irene promised they wouldn't be home until the early hours of the morning, but she couldn't rule out a sneaky early return. Ordering Jareth to get dressed, she attempted to make herself look respectable.

"Stolen moments with you are better than nothing, but I want more," he grumbled.

She already knew what he wanted and despite the romantic turn their relationship had taken, she was relieved he couldn't get his way. Marriage might have been an appealing prospect to her if she were a few years older, but at twenty-one it seemed more like a dead end than an exciting new beginning. Her parents married young and that had been a complete disaster.

His mood turned morose and he told Sarah all about his misgivings regarding the circumstances of his parents' death. She was shocked and outraged at the injustice of it all.

"If Astaroth is innocent, my conscience demands I must act upon my suspicions. I've already delayed for far too long, but I don't know how to proceed." Jareth knew Lucian would find some way to get rid of him before he could expose the truth.

Sarah was just as flummoxed and then a thought occurred to her.

"Are you familiar with Shakespeare?" She asked.

He nodded.

"I was just thinking about Hamlet, and the way he worked on his uncle's guilt. If Lucian does feel bad about what he's done, we need to think of a way to exploit that," she explained.

"We?" Jareth questioned with trepidation and surprise.

"Sure, we're in it together, I won't leave you to do this alone," Sarah vowed.

He was moved beyond measure at her declaration, but he would never put her life in danger, not for anything.

"Hamlet didn't meet with a very happy ending though, did he, my sweet?" Jareth lamented. "Nor did those he loved."

Sarah leaned in and brushed her lips against his before deepening the kiss.

"Hamlet had a death wish, I think. Whereas you and I, we've got everything to live for."

Jareth gazed off into the distance as he quoted from Shakespeare.

"So full of artless jealousy is guilt,

It spills itself in fearing to be spilt."

Chapter Text

Jareth fidgeted about in the cramped bed and almost sent Sarah crashing to the floor.

"You could always go home you know," she whispered with annoyance as she tugged forcefully at the quilt.

"If you're not going to let me do anything besides sleep, then I just might," he threatened.

"Hush up, if my father knew I'd got a guy in here he'd be battering the door down," Sarah warned.

"This is intolerable, you are full grown woman and I am a king," Jareth huffed as he pulled the covers back over to his side.

She told him he could stay the night as long as he behaved. Sadly, her bed was only half the size of his and he was restless. He told her all about his parents, and happier times before they died. Also, they pondered over ways to ensnare Lucian. The play was the thing to catch the conscience of a king, Shakespeare said.

"I'll work on something in the morning and we'll have to decide how we're gonna stage it. Meanwhile, you're gonna have to work your charms on Lilithea, just don't be too charming, okay?" Sarah cautioned.

Jareth nuzzled her neck and his hands began to wander.

"I'm not sure my brother will go for anything theatrical, he never was a fan of the arts. I'd love to read your plays though; I am interested in your mind as well as your body."

The latter seemed to be occupying his immediate attention.

"As for Lilithea, next to you, she is nothing."

He swept her hair aside to kiss her bare shoulders.

Sarah slapped his wandering hands away.

"Cut that out." Her protest was half-hearted to say the least.

Jareth didn't obey.

"Just promise you'll keep the volume down, or your brother won't be the only one out for our blood," Sarah warned as she capitulated.

"You're the screamer," he teased.

She delivered a slap to his rear as punishment, which he rather enjoyed.

The Goblin King was determined to play the broken-hearted-romantic card for all it was worth. Lilithea must never know he was still having his piece of cake and eating it. He had to make her believe he'd given Sarah up for good, as Lucian decreed. His magic was strong enough to block any snooping eyes from the castle, but their suspicions would be aroused by him doing so.

Jareth lolled listlessly across his throne, looking suitably pathetic as his weekly visitor swept into the room. The goblins scattered at the sight of her and he refused to raise his head in greeting.

"Oh, my poor darling," she cooed. "You may hate me now, but you'll thank me in time, I know you will."

Lilithea hesitantly approached the dais where the king sat with his head in his hands.

"I've always been here for you Jareth, and I always will be," she vowed as she risked reaching out to touch his arm.

He pointedly turned his icy gaze on her.

"I was forced to give up my precious Sarah because of your meddling. My only true love will never be my wife or my queen, and my heart is shattered. I don't think I can bear this lonely life much longer," he wailed with dramatic exaggeration.

She pulled his hand to her lips and pressed an adoring kiss to it.

"You need never be alone again, my darling. You have only to say the word," Lilithea vowed.

Moving in closer to him, she began to run her fingers through his hair. Jareth forced himself not to shrink from her touch, as hers were not the hands he wanted roaming over his body.

"I think I've only been able to bear this wretched exile for so long because I was waiting for Sarah to come along and save me." He wasn't lying on that score at least. "Now what is to become of me? Will Lucian ever let me return home? I would settle for a brief glimpse, it's been so long since I saw him or your dear sister. I dare say they'd hardly recognise me now, I am but a mere shell of my former self," he lamented.

Lilithea clasped his hands in hers.

"You need only name the day of our wedding, and the high king will gladly receive us both." She implored him. "I know I'm not what you wanted, but I am what you need."

"Would he let me see Astaroth?" Jareth knew he was taking a risk by mentioning his brother's name, but he wanted to see how she'd react.

Lilithea immediately appeared to be on edge as if she was concealing something. "He has no visitors, you know that," she replied.

"I know you once told me Minaxa studied under the dark healer Brigidia, and that she has a wide knowledge of poisons," he said, his eyes boring into hers.

"What are you implying?" Her suspicions were aroused and she stepped away from him.

Jareth decided to gamble on testing her devotion to him.

"I could never marry anyone who kept secrets from me. How can there be love where there is no honesty and trust? But I cannot go on like this, living alone here with no one to share my burden, or my bed." He meant to tempt her with the last part, and judging by the way Lilithea was practically drooling, he'd succeeded.

He could tell she wanted to confide in him, her uncharacteristically flustered behaviour was evidence of that. Jareth knew he was going to have to play dirty to get it out of her and he steeled himself. Springing to his feet, he closed the gap between them taking her forcefully into his arms. His kiss was fierce and bruising causing her to moan against his mouth with unfettered desire.

"Don't condemn me to continue this wretched solitary existence Lilithea, I beg of you." He gave her his best puppy dog eyes and she was already putty in his hands.

"I could never deny you anything, you know that and it is time you knew the truth." She eagerly spilled out what she knew, so lost was she in her craving for more than a kiss from him.

Jareth sat back on his throne and listened intently as Lilithea filled in the gaps in his knowledge.

Sometimes, even he forgot that things weren't always what they seemed to be. The jigsaw picture often did not become clear until all the separate puzzle pieces were correctly slotted together. He realised his own tunnel vision, particularly where his obsession for Sarah was concerned, had caused him to overlook so many other important details. The truth proved to be stranger than the fiction he'd conjured up in his head. But the conclusion was that neither of his brothers were killers, at least not intentionally. What this meant for his future marriage prospects he didn't know, only that Sarah was the only one he could ever imagine spending the rest of his life with.

"Thank you, Lilithea, you've been most… enlightening," Jareth cast off the charade of affection and gave her a dismissive wave of his hand.

She stood crestfallen before him.

"You haven't given up the mortal at all, have you? Why would you keep on seeing her when she begged me to help her get home? She got what she wanted, so why does she still have you?" Lilithea's usually calm facade crumbled to leave something vocally resembling a wailing Banshee in its place.

"Go back to Pommeland and give this to the high king." Jareth handed her a hastily written scroll requesting an audience with his brother.

She took it with a look of disgust as she recovered her usual controlled demeanour.

"You won't win him over you know, his heart has turned to stone. There is a reason he wants us to wed and you'll find out what that is soon enough, I dare say," Lilithea cryptically warned.

"What reason?" Jareth snarled.

It appeared she hadn't told him everything after all.

"I only wish I had a heart of stone, and then maybe you wouldn't be able to break it quite so easily," Lilithea sighed as she faded from his sight.

Sarah felt tears stinging at her eyes as she turned her face away from his.

"What's wrong my darling, did I hurt you?" Jareth feared he might have been too brutal with his desire during their most recent bout of lovemaking.

Shaking her head in denial, she pressed her lips together until her emotions were back under control.

"It's just…when we were, you know, it felt extra intense, didn't you feel it too?" She questioned.

The charade he was forced to enact with Lilithea and her revelations had left Jareth filled with a fiery passion. When Sarah eventually called on him after her parents left with Toby for a day out, he'd thrown her down on the bed and taken her like a thing possessed. Their previous times together had been wonderful, but she was right, this one was different. A thought occurred to him and he smiled in a self-satisfied way. When a fae was fortunate enough to find his or her soul mate, their sexual experiences could be very earth-shattering. He told her he loved her more than life, but she had never acknowledged her feelings for him in words.

"What?" Sarah scowled with suspicion and started to squirm beneath him.

He had that cat that ate the canary look again, and it always made her nervous.

"Do you love me?" Jareth held her gaze with his unique eyes, daring her to try lying to him.

She tried again to get out from under him, but he used his body to pin her down.

"I'll let you go when you answer my question," he said.

Sarah turned her face away from his and he started to kiss her neck. The longer she took to reply the lower his lips travelled.

"YES," she eventually screamed out.

Jareth stilled his tongue and grinned against the soft skin of her thigh.

"Sorry, precious, but was that a yes to loving me, or something else?"

Sarah swatted him on the top of his head. "You are such a rat." She playfully yanked a lock of his wild hair. "Yes, I do love you, and yes to the other thing too," she sighed with exasperation.

Sometime later, they lay temporarily sated in each other's arms while Jareth told her about his visit from Lilithea.

"Well, it might not have played out quite like Hamlet, but it's a tragedy all the same," she said, stroking his chest in a comforting way.

It turned out that Lucian was not involved in the death of their parents and Astaroth did poison them in error. His madness was not the side-effect of foul play, but a genuine and distressing illness. The conventional healers were unable to do anything for him and he had continued to deteriorate, until he received help from an unexpected source. Minaxa, Lucian's wife, was a secret practitioner of darker remedies. As she and Astaroth grew closer, her knowledge helped to ease his suffering. They continued to meet covertly and the potions Minaxa prepared managed to keep the worst of his madness at bay. The special blend of herbs she administered was used in low doses at first, but needed to be increased slightly as Astaroth's tolerance for it increased. His mind would become confused sometimes, and especially if he forgot to take his medication when he should have. It proved to be so when he'd taken tea with his parents on that fateful night. Without the proper supervision Lucian advocated, Astaroth mistook his herbal remedy for tea leaves with tragic consequences. The poisonous herb in the blend was too potent for those who hadn't built up his resistance. Instead of calming his nerves, it stopped their parents' hearts.

"Lucian allows Minaxa to keep visiting Astaroth and administer her healing herbs to him, so no matter what Lilithea says, he can't be that stone hearted. I've requested an audience with the high king to beg permission to take you as my wife," Jareth informed her.

Sarah disentangled herself from his embrace and got out of bed, taking a blanket to cover her nakedness.

"But I don't want to get married," she protested. Seeing the hurt in his eyes she tried to backtrack. "I mean not yet, one day, maybe in a year or two..." she rambled, shaking her head at her weakness. Her previously hard-line position had softened considerably under the weight of his penetrating two-tone gaze.

Jareth rose to his feet and strode towards her in all his naked glory.

"This story only has one ending, my love, and you will be mine in every way," he vowed.

Sarah was forced to do battle with herself under his possessive glare, unsuccessfully fighting the urge to surrender completely to him as his lips covered hers in a searing kiss.

"Maybe we could have a long engagement?" She pondered aloud cursing herself for giving in so easily.

They fell back onto the bed totally oblivious to the sound below of the front door closing. The stairs creaked in protest a short while later, as someone strode purposefully up them. There was a loud knock on her bedroom door and a deep voice boomed out.

"Sarah, are you home?"

Chapter Text

"Dad?"

Sarah squeaked in shock as he began to rattle the door handle.

"Why is your door locked in the middle of the day?" Her father questioned with suspicion.

Jareth flopped back on the bed as she pushed him off of her, grinning and enjoying her mortification.

"Have you got a guy in there? Dammit Sarah, you know the house rules. What are we going to tell Toby?" Her father angrily fretted.

"I'm twenty one for goodness sake," she protested with mounting frustration.

"Does your brother like peaches?" The Goblin King was full of mischief and she shot him a warning look.

"Perhaps when the two of you are done in there, you could join us downstairs," Her father's tone was full of sarcasm as he stomped off.

"Get dressed," Sarah ordered as she grabbed Jareth's pants and threw them at his head.

Bundling on her own clothes on, she grabbed the hair brush to straighten out her sex-tousled tresses. She paused briefly to frown critically at his outlandish outfit.

"Can't you make yourself look a bit less... well, less?" she gesticulated towards his leather and frills. "I mean, we've already got off to a bad start with my dad, and if I introduce you to him looking like the love-child of Meatloaf and Madonna, he'll throw a fit."

Jareth roared with laughter, although he didn't get the pop culture references. With a sprinkle of glitter, he was transformed into a hot-looking geeky professor type with slicked back hair and glasses.

"Well?" He questioned.

Sarah got up and sauntered towards him reaching out to straighten his bowtie.

"Maybe you could save that outfit for later," she said with a suggestive wink. "My family will just have to take you in all your glittery glory."

Irene was trying desperately to maintain her composure as she fumbled around with the coffee pot.

"So, um, Jareth is an unusual name," she observed.

Sarah's father Robert was glaring hard at their guest with open disapproval.

Toby grinned conspiratorially at the Goblin King silently hoping he would do something mischievous and magical.

"I was named after my grandfather and I hope to pass the name on to my own son, one day," Jareth said with an expectant glance in Sarah's direction.

She raised her eyebrows in alarm at the prospect.

Robert turned to his daughter in horror. "Oh my god, don't tell me this dandy has knocked you up?"

"What does knocked up mean?" Toby inquired.

The ladies of the house were mortified while their respective menfolk fiercely glared at each other.

"Sarah, are you going to have a baby? Because when Daryl's mom got knocked up, she had one," her brother speculated.

"No," she shrieked. "I'm not pregnant. Now can we talk about something else, please?"

Irene poured the coffee and tried to change the subject.

"So, how did the two of you meet?"

Sarah spluttered and choked on her drink. It seemed there was no topic which wouldn't cause her to cringe or wish the goblins would come and take her away.

"Wait a minute," her father suddenly interjected. "Jareth? I know that name, wasn't there a character in that play book you used to be obsessed with called Jareth?"

His daughter froze and watched in horror as he put the pieces together in his mind.

"He's the King of the Goblins," Toby blurted out.

Irene laughed, as if it was a ridiculous notion, until the serious expressions on the faces of her family informed her otherwise.

"No, don't be silly," she chided her son. "There's no such thing."

Jareth conjured up a crystal and set it spinning in the palm of his hand.

"How about a little demonstration?" He asked as Irene, Robert and Toby, looked on in awe,

"A tour of my castle, perhaps?"

"Is that wise? I thought you said it wasn't safe for me to go back after Lucian's decree," Sarah whispered in his ear.

"He can't spy on us there, I've seen to that, we can risk a flying visit," Jareth assured her.

She was wary, especially at the mention of flying, but gave him permission to continue.

"Do goblins bite?" Irene questioned with apprehension as she eyed the broom closet.

"Only sometimes," Jareth mischievously replied as he threw the crystal in the air.

"So, Jareth, what acreage you got here?" Robert Williams questioned as he peered out at the view from a third-story castle window. "Does all that belong to you?"

The Goblin King could only respond with a look of bemusement.

"Don't mind my dad, he's in real estate and he reduces everything to measurements," Sarah explained. "He was the same when we took a family vacation in Italy. Imagine viewing the Sistine Chapel only in terms of its square footage," she sighed with exasperation.

"Well, I think it's wonderful," Irene beamed. "It's maybe lacking a woman's touch here and there." She cast a critical eye on the practical but not very decorative furnishings. "I'm sure between us we could soon whip it into shape."

Jareth frowned at the prospect and led them into the Escher room.

Toby grinned with glee.

"How about I run and you try and catch me," he challenged his sister.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Robert fretted.

Irene's eyes were as big as saucers as her son set off sprinting up and down the gravity defying stairs.

The Goblin King chortled as Sarah gave chase and he couldn't resist joining in.

"How you turned my world you precious thing," he crooned to her delight.

"Toby, for goodness sake, be careful," Irene shrieked as her son appeared to be walking upside down.

"He will come to no harm," Jareth assured her. "I would not have allowed him to traverse this place as a baby if he could have been injured," he explained.

"What?" Robert roared. "You let my son loose in here when he was a baby? What the heck?" He was incredulous.

The colour had drained from Irene's face and she looked set to faint.

Sarah tried to catch up to Jareth so she could kick his ass. This wasn't the way she wanted them to find out the truth; in fact she'd hoped they would never discover it.

"I just don't understand any of this," Robert muttered. "I think you'd better explain yourself, your majesty." He squared up to the king.

Jareth wouldn't normally withstand anyone addressing him in such a disrespectful manner. Insubordination was not to be tolerated in his subjects and he always made them sorry they spoke. But as this was his prospective father-in-law, he settled on a withering glare in reply.

"I come home to find you in bed with my daughter and then you whisk us off here to Narnia or whatever the hell this place is, and now you tell me my son's been here before." Robert jabbed his finger at an increasingly irked Goblin King.

Sarah stepped forward, appealing to her father and stepmother to calm down. It was time for her to come clean.

"You remember what a brat I was when Toby was born and how I hated babysitting him, right?" She asked.

Robert considered her words for a moment and then his eyes widened in shock as the only dropped.

"You didn't?" He shook his head in disbelief.

She nodded, her cheeks flaming red with shame.

"You wished Toby away to the Goblin King?" Irene sounded more disappointed than angry.

"I won him back again and I learned some valuable lessons along the way. I changed for the better when I was fifteen, didn't I?" Sarah argued.

Her father and stepmother weren't impressed despite her and Toby's enthusiasm for the castle and its king.

"We trusted you, and all the time this was going on behind our backs." Robert let out a sigh of disappointment. A thought occurred to him and he swung around to face Jareth with a look of fury and horror. "You seduced my daughter when she was only fifteen?"

The Goblin King regretted bringing them to his world on an impulse. He wasn't expecting the Spanish inquisition and he found the situation was becoming intolerable.

"Of course he didn't." Sarah leapt to her lover's defence. "The seduction came much later," she jested, in a poor attempt to lighten the mood.

"If there was any seducing, your daughter was the one doing it," Jareth retorted.

"Hey," she protested. "Like we were ever gonna be sharing that marital bed without any jiggery-pokery going on."

He chuckled.

Robert wasn't to be so easily assuaged.

"Marriage? You can't seriously be thinking about marrying this-this, Popinjay?" He questioned his daughter.

Sarah opened her mouth to speak; trying to figure how she could defend something she wasn't really sold on. But she did love Jareth that much had become crystal clear.

"You would never have wished your daughter away, would you?" The Goblin King cut in. "Unlike your ex-wife; she was only too eager to trade her only child for her selfish dreams."

"Linda? What's she got to do with any of this?" Robert wasn't sure how many more revelations he could take.

Jareth sucked on his bottom lip and released it with a pop.

"You didn't think the first Mrs. Williams became such a celebrated actress by talent alone, did you?" He sneered.

Robert and Irene shrugged with bemusement, it wasn't a matter they'd given much consideration too.

"Linda chose her dreams in exchange for Sarah. The deal was that when your daughter turned twenty-one, she was to be my bride," Jareth explained.

"Whoa, you're gonna be Goblin Queen?" Toby gazed at his sister in awe.

She didn't get chance to reply before her father butted in.

"I think we should go home and talk about this."

Jareth summoned up a crystal and prepared to transport everyone back to the mortal realm.

"Not so fast, buddy," Robert stilled him. "Family only," he specified.

Sarah wrapped her arms possessively around the Goblin King.

"You can go home and talk about it all you want, I'm staying here," she defiantly stated.

"Can I stay too?" Toby pleaded.

Irene grabbed her son's hand. "I don't think so," she said.

Sarah reached out and ruffled her brother's hair. "Hey, I'm coming back, kiddo. I'm, um, just having a sleepover in the castle."

"Are you gonna get knocked up?" Toby questioned remembering their earlier conversation.

"No!" She exclaimed with horror.

"That's quite enough of that, young man," Irene was mortified.

Jareth could barely keep his focus on the crystal for laughing. Winking at his young friend, he bid a cordial farewell to Sarah's parents.

"You wished Toby away and you won him back, can't I do the same for you?" Robert was prepared to make a deal with the Goblin King as he feared losing his daughter.

"Oh, daddy," she sighed, touched by his gesture. "Jareth already released me from mom's wish. I'm here because I realised I'm in love with him and so you don't have to worry," she explained.

Her father gave her a sad smile. "That's like telling me I don't have to breathe or that my heart doesn't have to beat. You are my little girl, and I'll always worry about you," Robert vowed.

Sarah flung her arms around him and hugged him tight like she used to when she was small.

"Mr Williams, I love your daughter with every fibre of my being and I would willingly lay down my life for hers," Jareth pledged.

Robert grudgingly nodded.

Sarah waved to her family as the airborne crystal shattered in a glittering cascade and transported them home.

"You should have gone with them." Jareth was uneasy. "I don't expect Lilithea to come calling again, but I have requested to see Lucian and until I can plead our case to him, I would rest easier knowing you were safe at home with your family," he argued.

"You said they couldn't spy on us here, right?" Sarah questioned.

He nodded.

"Good, because there are a few things I'd like to do with you without worrying about prying eyes." She grabbed his hand and pulled him in the direction of the stairs.

Jareth hesitated for a moment as he was wary of going against his better judgement, but Sarah was very persuasive.

She giggled as they bounded up to his room. "Now, about that geeky outfit and those glasses from earlier…"

High King Lucian sat forward on his throne as Lilithea held aloft a crystal ball. Her blue eyes blinked back tears as his set in a steely gaze.

"Enough," he growled.

"It's happening all over again," Lilithea whimpered as the vision faded and she made the orb vanish.

Lucian didn't have Jareth's fine features; his were more angular and less handsome. Their hair was the same colour, as were their eyes; except for the pupil distortion to the left one, which was unique to the younger brother.

"It changes nothing," the high king waved his hand dismissively.

"Did you see the eyes? No one in your family or mine has eyes that colour," Lilithea fretted her tone shrill and desperate.

Lucian scowled.

"You will go and summon him here immediately, there may yet be time to prevent this," he commanded.

"What if it's meant to be? She was foreseen despite my best efforts to sabotage the vision, so maybe this...event, will also come to pass?" Lilithea knew she was risking his wrath by pressing the issue, but her doubts overcame her fear of him.

"Go now," Lucian hissed menacingly.

She curtsied and swiftly faded from view.

Chapter Text

The rising sun was beginning to bathe the room in golden light when Sarah opened her eyes. Jareth was slumbering peacefully beside her and she lay for a while studying his face. It pleased her how content he looked and truly happy, even in sleep. The dark shading down each side of his nose appeared to natural markings, as he was wearing no makeup. It was something she'd meant to ask him about, but he had other more distracting body parts that usually grabbed her attention first. Easing herself out of bed, she slipped on a fluffy robe he'd provided for her. The castle was quiet and she assumed the goblins were in the same unconscious state as their king.

Sarah walked over to the window and glanced out at the labyrinth. She briefly wondered where Hoggle was, and felt a twinge of guilt for not attempting to visit him. This place could be her home one day, and she couldn't deny the idea was growing on her. Why write twisted fairy tales when you could live in one, she mused. A flash of sky blue in the courtyard below caught her eye, and Sarah peered down to see a woman in a hooded cloak. It was Lilithea; she could see enough of her face to be sure. Without regard for her less than formal attire, she sprinted off to see what the visitor wanted.

The pale fae met her human rival on the stairs and her features were set in an expression of icy disdain.

"How strange that our paths should cross again in this particular place," Lilithea remarked. "I assume you won't be begging for my help this time around," she sneered.

Sarah pulled her robe closed from where it had begun to fall open at the swell of her bosom. It appeared she was fated to always be in a state of disarray whenever they encountered each other.

"I may have been a little hasty when we first met, I'm sorry to have troubled you." She felt obliged to be polite regardless of her true feelings. "Is there something we can do for you?" Sarah inquired.

Lilithea raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Oh, so it's we now, is it? What a fickle creature you are and completely unscrupulous, toying with my darling Jareth when you will never love him even half as much as I do," she ranted.

Sarah shed her pretence of equanimity and squared up to her opponent.

"He doesn't seem to mind me toying with him; in fact I'd say he rather enjoys it," she crowed. "Jareth knows how I feel about him, but I'll tell you something, I believe he'd take me over you any day of the week whether I loved him or not. You know it's true, don't you?"

Their eyes locked and Lilithea was the first to look away.

"He certainly enjoys the physical pleasures, I cannot deny that." She quickly recovered her composure. "And I dare say you are an adequate enough distraction for him. But when two of our kind share a sexual connection, it is beyond anything a mere human could comprehend." Her tone was full of scorn.

Sarah could feel her temper rising and her face was hot with anger.

"I didn't hear Jareth complain last night or most of yesterday when we were in bed together," she scoffed.

Lilithea's eyes glazed over as she replayed a treasured memory.

"I shall never forget when Jareth and I made love in the rose garden of the Royal Palace. The air was thick with the sweet heady scent of fresh blooms and the whole place was buzzing with life. We joined together as one, our bodies, our minds, and our magic, were all connected. Rose petals showered down upon us as we channelled our energy and reached the highest point of ecstasy." She paused to take in Sarah's dismay with satisfaction, and her expression turned to mock pity. "And so you see, my dear, no matter what you share with Jareth, you will never experience that feeling of being completely and utterly in sync with the essence of his very being." Lilithea knew she was gloating, and didn't care.

It seemed she had succeeded in silencing the human. Moving to step around her, she intended to proceed directly to the Goblin King's chamber.

Sarah was pained by her revelation and couldn't deny it was like an arrow through her heart. But was damned if she was going to give in so easily.

"Not so fast, missy," she said, blocking the fae's progress. "I'll go see if Jareth is awake and let him know we have a visitor. In the meantime, you can wait downstairs, I'm sure the goblins will make you most welcome."

Lilithea opened her mouth to argue, but as she was still savouring her victory she acquiesced.

"Very well," she replied. "Be sure to tell him I'm here on urgent business at the high king's command."

Sarah swept off up the stairs without a backwards glance, still smarting from her rival's words. Paying little mind to where she was going, she collided with a concerned looking Jareth. He had woken up alone and immediately set out in search of her.

"There you are, my dearest, I missed you." He pulled her in for a lingering kiss.

She savoured the feeling of his lips on hers and pressed her body as close to his as was possible. Their lovemaking might not be able to conjure up rose petal showers, but there was definitely a deep connection between them and they both felt it. Every time with Jareth was amazing and the previous day, they'd experienced something beyond what Lilithea described. It was a joining of souls so intense it was slightly scary, in a good way.

Her eyes glinted with mischief as she thought about fulfilling one of her fantasies. "I'd like you to chase me through the labyrinth sometime, and maybe instead of setting the cleaners on me, you could find other ways to punish me for my defiance."

The picture her words painted filled him with excitement and he hustled her back into the bedroom.

"Oh, by the way, Lilithea is here." Sarah informed him as he tore off her robe. "I told her to wait downstairs."

He was too far gone to care, and soon the castle was echoing with the sounds of their passion.

Lilithea was seated regally on his throne when Jareth finally made an appearance. The wait had been agony for her, but she blamed the petty mortal not him.

"I hope you have a good explanation ready for the high king as to why you've kept him waiting for so long." She stood up with a swish of her sky blue cloak.

He scowled.

"Didn't your paramour tell you? The high king sent me here to summon you to him. It must have slipped her mind, the poor thing did seem somewhat distracted," she sneered.

Jareth raised his eyebrow with scorn at her pathetic attempts to score points over Sarah.

"I'm so out of step with court fashions, I'm sure I shall look quite last millennium." The Goblin King's words had a bitter edge as he transformed his usual flamboyant clothing into more sober formal attire.

"No one as handsome as you are need worry too much about what he is wearing." Lilithea fawned as she held her hand out to him. "Shall we?"

It had been a long time since he'd seen the Royal Palace, but it was all just as he remembered, on the outside at least. Jareth imagined walking through the heavy wooden doors and being greeted by his parents. They would be all long flowing silver hair and smiles. Their blue eyes would sparkle with affection upon seeing him. Those happy memories were the ones he wanted to hold onto, not the image of their joint ornate caskets lying in state. Lilithea walked at his side as they approached the dais where Lucian sat proudly on his throne.

"Did you mean to insult me by keeping me waiting," The high king glared unforgivingly at his youngest brother, "As I have kept you waiting these last thousand years or more?"

This was to be no happy family reunion.

"I apologise, your supreme majesty, I was not made aware of the urgency of your summons, or I should never have presumed to cause you any inconvenience." Jareth bowed and was willing to prostrate himself at his brother's feet to get what he wanted.

Lilithea fumed over him placing the fault with her, but for his sake she held her tongue.

"Well, you're here now, and we have important matters to discuss," Lucian's tone softened a little.

"Actually, your supreme majesty," Jareth ventured. "I was hoping I might be allowed to personally plead my case in the matter of my marrying the human, Sarah Williams."

The high king boiled with fury.

"No." He bellowed. "Have I not made myself absolutely clear on that subject? You will never take a human wife nor father any half-breeds."

Jareth was crestfallen and opened his mouth to argue, but his brother's fierce glare made him think twice.

"I have summoned you here to remind you that your first and only duty is to your family. We may have been apart for over a millennium, but we are blood and it is of that which we must speak." The high king was earnest in his expression. "The fertility stone has determined that the high queen and I will not be blessed with children. Astaroth will never be a father, he would not risk passing on his madness, which, my dear brother, leaves you. Our royal bloodline must go on undiluted, and you are the only one who can do it."

Jareth took in his words and then he burst out laughing at the absurdity of the situation.

"I warn you, I see nothing humorous in this whatsoever," Lucian hissed.

The Goblin King was in no mood to be conciliatory, not unless he could have Sarah.

The high queen swept into the great hall and greeted their guests with a nod of her head before taking her place on the throne beside her husband.

"Astaroth sends you his regards," she smiled.

"Is he well?" Jareth inquired.

"He has not been in good humour of late, but he seemed much improved today," Minaxa assured him.

She was a pale creature, very like her sister with long silver blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Her beauty exceeded Lilithea's and there was warmth in her countenance that her younger sibling lacked.

Lucian glanced over at his wife and nodded for her to proceed.

"The high king has already informed you of our predicament and that sadly, the fertility stone has confirmed I am barren. My sister, however, is not, and there is a slim chance she could conceive a child," Minaxa explained.

"And that's where I come in, is it?" Jareth didn't attempt to hide his disgust.

He had no intention of ever agreeing to such an arrangement. The children he pictured fathering were a mix of himself and Sarah.

"You will marry Lilithea this very afternoon and do your duty," Lucian commanded.

"And if I refuse?" The Goblin King stood firm.

"If you refuse, I will take your human harlot and imprison her in the deepest darkest oubliette for all eternity," the high king roared.

He manifested a crystal and conjured up Sarah's image, she was scribbling something in a notebook while humming to herself. Jareth recognised the tune; it was the one her sang to her, the one her music box played. She looked so beautiful he could hardly bear it, but if this was to be his last sight of her, he needed to drink in every small detail.

"Can't I at least say goodbye to her?" Jareth's words were little more than an anguished whisper.

He took her home with the promise of returning as soon as he was finished with his daily business. Sarah would think he'd abandoned her without a second thought, not that she would be any happier if she could hear the reason why. He had never known such despair. It couldn't have felt any worse if his brother had actually reached inside his chest and ripped out his heart.

"You will never see or speak to her ever again, or else she will suffer the consequences," Lucian threatened. "Well?" He questioned when his youngest brother fell silent.

Jareth couldn't bear to say the words, but he reluctantly nodded his assent.

"Good." The high king nodded with satisfaction as he severed the connection to Sarah and the crystal vanished. "I shall perform the wedding ceremony immediately and we will have the formal celebrations in the coming days." He beckoned his footman to take a list of instructions.

Lilithea reached out to take her intended's hand. The Goblin King looked as if the life force had been sucked out of him and his complexion was ashen.

"We will be happy in time," she said acknowledging he would need to grieve first.

Jareth slowly turned to meet her gaze, his eyes dead and his features blank.

"If you truly believe that, you are even more deluded than I gave you credit for." His words were like shards of ice piercing her heart. He pulled his hand sharply from hers. "From this moment onwards, you will never know true happiness again."

Chapter Text

Three years later…

Lilithea cautiously peered into the throne room and saw her husband draped listlessly across his royal seat. All was quiet and he was lost in sleep. The goblins were no longer allowed in the castle when their queen was present. She silently beckoned her visiting sister to meet her at the foot of the stairs, so as not to disturb the king. They proceeded to the Goblin Queen's chamber where they could speak privately.

"Jareth looks ill, are you sure you're being careful with the dosage?" Minaxa inquired, her brow furrowed with concern.

Lilithea held up a glass bottle half-filled with purple liquid. "Two drops of this in his wine, four times a week just as you instructed," she confirmed.

The high queen let out a heavy sigh. "You've been married for three years now, and if you don't get him to sleep with you soon there will never be an heir. The fertility stone shows your already slim odds are fading fast," she warned.

The Goblin Queen began to softly weep and she dabbed at her eyes with her ever present lace handkerchief. Jareth promised her a married life full of misery and so it was. It hadn't killed her love for him, but it was slowly eroding her spirit.

"You haven't told the high king that our marriage remains unconsummated, have you?"

Minaxa shook her head. "I wouldn't betray your confidence, even to my husband. But if this goes on for much longer he will begin to grow suspicious and he is already impatient. Lucian is no fool, and he won't let you leave this place until there is an heir." She reminded her sister.

Angrily tossing the glass bottle in her hand onto the bed, Lilithea let out a shriek of frustration. "You said this would help, that it would make him desire me, and all it's done is make him dream of her," she wailed. "And it's not as if he needs any help in that department."

The high queen was lost in contemplation for a moment. "There is something else you could try," she said, conjuring up another small vial containing a thick red substance. "He still desires the human and would not refuse her." She shook the bottle to liquefy the contents. "This will make him see what he wants. But you must be very careful with it, any more than one drop a week and it will kill him." Minaxa was at pains to stress the danger of overdose, especially in light of past events.

Lilithea nodded her understanding and gratefully took what was offered. "Jareth is so cold to me, I can't bear it. I would do anything to have him look at me with something other than revulsion, even if it is a lie."

Minaxa repeated her warning about the dosage as she comforted her sister. "Why don't you come back to the Royal Palace with me for the afternoon? Lucian is away hunting, and your husband is in a stupor. Let him sleep it off before you try again. The change of scene will do you good."

She gratefully accepted.

They left the castle to the goblins and their king.

"Sarah, my only true love, I need you."

Jareth mumbled in his sleep as his subjects began to creep back into the throne room. They weren't the brightest of creatures, but even they were wise enough not to want to disturb their slumbering king. Unfortunately, goblins are incapable of doing anything in silence, especially when strong ale has been taken. The clatter of a pewter tankard hitting the floor jolted Jareth awake. Grouchily, he peered out from behind his wispy curtain of long blond hair. His body, lithe as it was, felt as heavy as lead. In recent weeks, he'd felt weary to the bones no matter how much he slept.

"Quiet," he roared as loudly as he could muster.

The rumpus of the goblin rabble died down and the sound of childish giggling caught Jareth's attention. He scanned around until his eyes fell on the small pit in the centre of the room. There he saw a small boy with a shock of blond hair and very familiar looking eyes. The goblins appeared as surprised as he was by their unexpected guest. The child had an impish smile and was wearing pyjamas with what looked like a cat in a red and white striped hat on the front.

"What have we here?" The Goblin King rose unsteadily to his feet and descended the steps on wobbly legs.

"Hi," the boy greeted him. "You Gobbin King?" he asked, although it was more a statement than a question.

Jareth's eyebrows shot up. "Yes, I am the Goblin King, and who might you be?" He bent down to get a better look at the child, using his swagger stick for support.

The creatures in the throne room were also taking a keen interest in their guest. They all scrambled to gather around as the little boy gazed at them in wonderment.

"Whoa, gobbins," he gasped as he studied each one in turn with great curiosity and not a trace of fear.

Jareth was at a loss to explain the presence of the child as he was certain none had been wished to him. "What is your name and where did you come from?" He questioned as he knelt down to the boy's level.

"Me Zane," the boy announced as if he should already know.

"Well, isn't that an interesting name?" He smiled. "And how did you get here, Zane?"

The child cocked his head to the side as if he was mulling over his response. "Momma's ball," he said, but didn't seem sure.

Jareth began to wonder about the boy's mother; those eyes of his were a very familiar colour. Not to mention the way the left pupil was enlarged, exactly like his own. Shaking his head dismissively at the coincidences, he decided he must be hallucinating. He got an odd feeling as if the child was a conjured manifestation of something he'd once wished for. His health had been so poor of late; Jareth feared he was going the way of his brother Astaroth. This was probably just another fevered dream, he reasoned as he stepped back up to his throne. The past three years had been one long nightmare and if slipping into madness brought him an escape from it, Jareth decided he wouldn't try to resist.

"Now, where was I?" He mumbled to himself, trying to recall his dream. "I believe I was dancing with my Sarah."

"Mom, mom, momma, da, da, dada." The boy merrily babbled to himself.

The goblins began to get restless and Zane appeared to have an idea.

"King sing song," he demanded.

"King going back to sleep, if he isn't already," Jareth muttered.

The little boy pouted and began singing a garbled version of 'If I Had Words' from his favourite movie, Babe, which the assembled company seemed to find very entertaining.

"Young man, you are very noisy for a hallucination," the king grumbled.

Zane finished the song and hunted around for something in the pit. One of the goblins handed him the tatty teddy bear he was searching for.

"Fank you." The boy gratefully took the object and toddled over to the throne. "Me go home," he said and climbed up on the king's lap to kiss his cheek.

"Goodbye, Zane," Jareth murmured without opening his eyes.

"Bye bye, Gobbin King." The little boy waved as he vanished with a sprinkle of glitter.

Sarah hated having to work late, but in the run up to Christmas she needed all the extra hours she could get. The bookstore was heaving with customers especially the children's area, which was her section. Her job was to advise people on the best offers and recommended books she hoped kids would love as much as she did. This wasn't the career path she'd wanted to take, but circumstances demanded sacrifices be made. Sarah was forced to side-line her own dreams when life threw her a massive curveball. Things were never the same after Jareth breezed back into her life three years ago, and then just as quickly vanished from it. He left behind more than bittersweet memories.

It was almost eleven when she was done restocking the bookshelves and a male colleague walked her to the door. Rick was a sweet guy with a warm smile. He reminded her of a science teacher she'd once had a crush on before Jareth came crashing into her life. That was the problem, after him everyone else seemed so damn ordinary. From the age of fifteen onwards, she'd been doomed.

"I know I've asked you this like a hundred times before, but how about we grab some dinner Friday night?" Rick inquired, trying to sound as casual as possible.

Sarah hated to disappoint him again, but dating was out of the question as far as she was concerned. "It's not that I don't appreciate you asking, but you know why I can't, I'm sorry." She brushed him off as gently as she could.

He nodded his acceptance. "I guess I'll just keep hoping, and asking," he smiled.

She bid him goodnight and headed for the bus stop.

The house was quiet when she got home which wasn't unexpected, because it was well past everyone else's bedtime. Creeping into the kitchen to get a drink, Sarah almost dropped the milk carton when she heard footsteps behind her.

"Oh, you gave me a fright." She gasped at the sudden appearance of her stepmother.

Irene reached for the hot chocolate powder. "Sorry, I thought I heard you come in, and I couldn't sleep."

"Uh oh, is something wrong?" Sarah's heart sank. "When I called to check in earlier, Toby said everything was fine." She hoped it was nothing serious. It had been a long day and she was too tired to deal with any more calamities. "Please, just tell me nothing's been broken, vanished or changed into a chicken," she sighed.

Irene leaned heavily against the kitchen counter. "We understand Zane is a special boy and we love him very much, but he's a real handful and I'm not sure the babysitter can cope," she fretted.

When Sarah found she was pregnant and alone aged twenty-one, and with two years left before she finished college, she was forced to consider all the options. It was her assumption that Jareth's reordering of time to give her two twenty first birthdays must have screwed up her birth control pills. Unfortunately, by the time she realised her oversight it was already far too late. It wasn't that she didn't want to keep the baby, but being a young single mother was a terrifying prospect and she knew it wouldn't be easy.

"You think I should have gone through with the abortion, don't you?" Sarah was tired and not thinking rationally.

"No, of course I don't." Irene was outraged. "The only reason I went with you to that clinic was because I knew you couldn't go through with it. I know you don't regret keeping him for one second and we wouldn't be without him, but let's not pretend everything in the garden is rosy. Zane is only two years old and he can already do so many things we just don't understand. For goodness sake, his father is a, well, what the heck is he?" She was too weary to make any sense of it.

"Fae, Jareth is fae." Sarah set the record straight as she fought to hold back the tears stinging at the corners of her eyes.

Her stepmother gave her a pitying look. "I know he broke your heart, leaving you in the lurch like that without so much as thank you or goodbye. But you need to concentrate on the future now. Let's face it, that entire episode was too wacky for words and I would never have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. What you and your son need now is someone a little more down to earth. Maybe if you started going out on dates once in a while, it might help. There's that cute guy you work with for starters."

Sarah was all set to launch into an angry tirade, but she bit her lip instead and moved over to the doorway. "It's late and I'm exhausted, maybe we can resume picking over the dead carcass of my love life in the morning," she sighed before trudging up to bed.

The door to Zane's room was slightly ajar and she peered inside. Her heart melted at the sight of her precious little boy. He was snuggled up to her old bear Lancelot, who was gifted to him by his Uncle Toby. She snuck over to his bed as quietly as she could, and softly placed a kiss on his forehead. More than once, Sarah wondered what would happen if she were to wish him away to the Goblin King. Not that she would ever take the risk when she didn't know what had become of Jareth.

Wiping away the tears that spilled down her cheeks, she whispered adoringly to her sleeping son. "You're so like your daddy. I wish he were here and I wish he knew about you, but my wishes don't seem to come true anymore. He would love you so much, I just know he would and he would think you were special too. Not the kind of special grandma and grandpa think you are, like you're trouble or something, because they don't understand the power of your magic. They didn't like your daddy very much either, but I loved so very much him and I still do. Oh, Jareth, I wish you could hear me now and see our darling little boy. I know it's useless, but I feel like if I stop wishing, then I really will have lost you forever."

As Sarah leant over to give Zane one last goodnight kiss, a teardrop fell from her chin and splashed onto her son's face. He stirred in his sleep, but did not awaken. She crept out of the room for fear of disturbing him any further and the round lump under the blankets went unnoticed by her in the darkness. Zane had taken the crystal ball Jareth gave to his mother and it was once again connected to the Goblin King.

Chapter Text

Jareth swished around the red wine in his goblet while eyeing it with suspicion.

Lilithea watched him intently from across the dining table, silently willing him to take a sip. "Something wrong, my love?" She inquired, keeping her tone as neutral as possible so as not to betray her anxiety or duplicity.

He forcefully slammed the goblet down causing most of the contents to spill out.

"Tell the goblins to bring me some ale," the king barked at one of the servants.

Lilithea winced in disgust. "You know I don't like having them inside the castle. They are filthy creatures with no regard for proper hygiene. It's no wonder you've been prone to ill health of late when you spend so much time in their company," she complained.

Her first act as Goblin Queen was to banish her subjects from the castle and replace the servants. No fae would attend them and dwarfs weren't ideal, but at least they were orderly.

Jareth didn't even look in her direction as he left the table. "They are welcome here, you are not," he hissed.

"How long do you plan to go on torturing me?" Lilithea whimpered. "All I've ever done is love you." Her reply was the slamming of the door as her husband sought to be anywhere she was not.

Her broken heart couldn't take much more, but she didn't have the luxury of falling deeper into despair. Not when she was on a mission to seduce him by fair means or foul. If he wouldn't drink the spiked wine, she would have to find another way to administer Minaxa's potion.

Jareth was already on his second flagon of goblin ale when Lilithea passed through the throne room. His judgement would be sufficiently compromised after a few more that she could slip the necessary drop into his drink, she reasoned. The ale would aid her in getting him into her bed and the potion would do the rest.

"I think I shall retire," she announced.

Her plan was to leave him unattended for a short while before reappearing at what she hoped would be an opportune moment.

The Goblin King neither acknowledged her presence nor swift departure. Taking another swig of ale, he pondered the dream that was tormenting him. His mind was clearer and his health much improved, but the vision he'd had of the young boy called Zane continued to haunt him. The same night as that strange encounter in the throne room, he'd dreamt of Sarah. She was whispering to him and telling him about their son. It was only his fevered mind playing out a wish fulfilment fantasy, Jareth knew that, and yet he couldn't help but wonder. Setting down his flagon, he manifested a crystal ball in his gloved palm. Three years of pent up yearning made him want to defy his brother and he certainly would, if only he could be sure there would be no consequences for Sarah. The orb vanished with a flick of his wrist and Jareth resumed his drinking.

He was draining the remnants of his third flagon of ale when he felt a tugging at his cloak. Glancing down in bemusement, he saw the little blond boy staring back at him. The child was barefoot and dressed in pyjamas with some kind of space explorer called Buzz Lightyear on the front.

"Hi, Gobbin King," he smiled and held his arms aloft to indicate he wanted to be picked up.

Jareth hoisted the boy onto his lap with a look of wonderment; he was no figment of his fevered imagination, he was real.

"Zane, you came back?"

He drank in every tiny detail of the child's face. From his proud chin to his green eyes with the enlarged pupil in the left one and his unruly blond hair. Jareth instinctively knew this boy was his son, he could sense the connection between them. A flood of emotions overwhelmed him and it was hard for him to keep focus. For three years he'd been stagnating when all the time a precious part of him had been living and thriving in another world.

"Momma want dada." The boy's eyes filled with tears and his bottom lip began to tremble.

Jareth held Zane tightly in his arms and carried him up to his bedroom, where he kept a secret portrait. He set the child down on his bed and went to retrieve the picture from behind a concealed panel.

"Do you know who that beautiful lady is?" He pointed to an image of Sarah he'd painted from memory.

"Momma," the boy exclaimed, happily clapping his hands together.

Jareth could hardly breathe, as his heart swelled with love for his son and Sarah. "And who am I, Zane?"

"Dada," the boy replied as he held out his arms to his father.

The Goblin King hugged his little prince to his chest, squeezing his eyes shut to prevent his raw emotion from spilling out. This was his own flesh and blood; his son, who he'd been denied knowledge of for three long years. The boy played with his father's fluffy long hair and amulet while humming a happy tune oblivious to everything else. Jareth was lost in his own feelings and then his thoughts turned to Sarah. His anger at being unjustly separated from her and their baby had caused him to temporarily disregard the pain she must have suffered. Momma want dada, that's what Zane said, and dada wanted momma too. His sham of a marriage had gone on long enough and it was time for him to take a stand. Jareth had the son and heir he always wanted, and all he needed now was to be able to make Sarah his wife.

"Let's take you back home, your mother must be worried sick." He lifted the boy from his bed and prepared to transport them.

Lucian be damned, he had wasted too many years doing the high king's bidding. There was nothing Jareth wouldn't do to be with his son and the woman he loved, nothing.

The Goblin Queen chose the worse possible moment to creep into her husband's room, hoping to enact her seduction plan. Her eyes widened in shock and she opened her mouth as if to speak, but no words came out.

"No," she eventually managed in a strangulated gasp.

She recognised the boy instantly and the sight of him was like a sucker punch. Folding over, she tried to catch her breath. "I knew this would come to pass, I warned the high king, but he wouldn't listen." Lilithea kept her eyes averted from the child, as if by doing so he might somehow miraculously cease to exist.

Jareth held Zane safely in his arms as the boy stared warily at the stranger.

"What do you mean?" He questioned, attempting to keep his tone non-threatening so as not to alarm his son, but there was menace in his sharp scowl.

Lilithea backed towards the door. "Lucian wanted to know if there would ever be an heir, and so I summoned forth the prophecy crystal," she explained her face draining of what little colour it held.

Jareth grew incandescent with rage. "You foresaw this? You both knew Sarah was carrying my child and still you bound us in this farce of a marriage?"

Zane was growing anxious and he gripped the ruffles on his father's shirt. "Want momma," he wailed.

"Yes, so do I," Jareth gently rested his chin against his son's soft hair.

He fixed his narrowed eyes on his unwanted wife; they were cruel and cold. "You will not breathe one word of what you've seen here to my brother, or I will snap your neck like a twig," he threatened.

Lilithea felt sick and clutched at her throat with horror before fleeing.

"Not one word." Jareth's fearsome warning rang in her ears.

The Goblin King tenderly kissed his son's cheek. "Now, let's go and find your momma," he said as they disappeared in a whirl of glitter.

Sarah sat on her son's empty bed clutching her old tattered bear Lancelot to her chest. She and Zane had been alone in the house. In the few seconds it took for her to use the bathroom, he had vanished. Tears dripped silently from her cheeks as she sat and pondered over what she should do. Her own son was a mystery to her in many ways, and he could be anywhere. Should she call the police? What would she tell them? Oh, by the way, Zane is half fae, and he can disappear from one place and reappear in another. He can also change things into chickens, mostly babysitters he doesn't like, but he almost always changes them right back again.

Maybe Jareth returned and took him away. After three years without even the merest suggestion of a fleck of glitter, it seemed unlikely. It wasn't as if she'd spent enough time with the Goblin King to know everything about him, despite feeling she did. He was a self-confessed trickster, but Sarah never believed his love for her was a lie. Now, she couldn't be sure. Hadn't he abandoned her as soon as he got the chance? Three years without a word was probably nothing to him. After all, he'd waited almost six to return to her after their first meeting. Perhaps all he ever wanted from her was another baby in place of the one she won back. Lilithea and Jareth could have cooked up this whole plot between them, for all she knew. Sarah recalled he'd once told her that most fae women were barren. Maybe this was the only way he could get a child of his own and now he'd returned to claim his son. Jareth made her feel so special and loved when they were together, but he'd also warned her he could be cruel. This would be his cruellest trick ever. All she wanted was her baby back.

"Oh, Zane, my sweet darling boy," she wept.

A sudden gust of wind whipped her hair up around her face. Reaching to sweep it from her eyes, Sarah gasped at the sight before her.

Give me the child…

She sprang to her feet and held out her arms. "Zane, come to mommy," she firmly but gently coaxed him, willing herself to stay strong.

The Goblin King held the boy tightly to his chest as he waited for her to acknowledge him. She was even more beautiful than the last time he saw her, and he'd committed every freckle on her adorable face to memory. "Sarah, my only true love, how I've missed you," his voice was full of yearning.

Risking a glance in Jareth's direction, she was staggered by how much he'd changed. His hair was longer and styled the same way as when they'd first met. He looked even paler than before and older somehow. It wasn't that he'd visibly aged, and he was as beguiling as ever, but his mismatched eyes held such pain and anguish. Sarah forgot her fears about what his true intentions might be and she threw her arms around him, hugging him and their son tightly to her.

"Oh god, I thought I'd never see either of you again," she cried.

"Love momma, love dada." Their son kissed them both in turn and they returned the gesture.

Jareth covered Sarah's lips with his own and they would quickly have got lost in each other were it not for their child reminding them of his presence.

"Dada, down," Zane demanded.

Once his father gently placed him on the ground, he toddled over to his bed.

"Sleepy." The boy yawned.

Sarah couldn't help but smile. "You've had quite an adventure, little man." She tucked her son in bed with Lancelot, the trusty old bear.

Zane closed his eyes as his parents wished him goodnight and sneaked quietly out of the room.

Jareth pulled her back into his arms as soon as they were outside the door. He kissed her with all the passion he'd been storing up since the last time they were together and she returned it with equal intensity.

"Oh, my Sarah, how I've dreamt over and over of this moment, please tell me I'm not dreaming still?" He begged, holding her tightly to his chest and breathing in her scent savouring having her in his arms once again.

Unable to believe he was really there, she struggled to offer him any such assurances. She pressed her body to his, hoping the feel of his warm skin beneath her fingers would convince her he was no illusion. Trying not to shed any tears, she bit down on her lower lip. She had already cried a river when he left her pregnant and alone.

"That must have been some chat with your brother, it took three years." Sarah lifted her head and looked searchingly into his eyes waiting for an explanation.

Jareth knew he'd have to tell her about Lilithea eventually, but he wanted to go on holding her for a little while longer. He wasn't sure she'd let him if she knew the truth.

"If I'd known you were carrying my child…" He tenderly stroked her face with his thumbs and kissed her.

"What happened?" Sarah needed answers.

He let out a heavy sigh. "Lucian threatened to throw you into an oubliette for all eternity unless I vowed never to see or speak to you again." He said, deliberately omitting the entirety of his brother's demands.

Her eyes filled with sorrow as she thought back to those first weeks and months after he failed to return. "You know, it didn't even occur to me that I might be pregnant until I was already through the first trimester. I never once got sick; in fact I don't think I've ever felt better in my life than when I was carrying Zane. Maybe it was the magic?" Sarah mused.

Jareth was struck by how strong the fae ability was in their son. The boy was half-human, and yet he could do things that even his own father was unable to do at his age.

"I told him all about his daddy, the Goblin King. I guess I never thought he'd go looking for you, or that he'd even have the ability to do such a thing. He's so much like you." She didn't know where to begin in telling him all the things he'd missed out on. A painful memory resurfaced and Sarah stifled a sob. "To think, I almost…"

"What?" He questioned.

She couldn't meet his gaze and feared his anger, although he wasn't really in a position to judge. "I called my mom to tell her what happened with you and her wish. She was so relieved when I told her you'd released me from it, and then I broke the news that I was pregnant. She said she was far too young to be a grandmother and told me having a child would ruin my life," she paused and risked a look in his eyes.

He guessed what her selfish mother had suggested.

"I was twenty-one and hadn't even finished college. I didn't want to be a single mother and I was terrified." Sarah still felt guilty for even contemplating having an abortion.

Jareth took pity on her, although the thought of his child almost being terminated filled him with rage. His anger wasn't for her though, it was for Lucian and everyone else who'd conspired to keep them apart. He pulled her back into his arms and planted a soft kiss on her head. "Zane is here and he's amazing," he said.

She clung tightly to him, her face resting against the alabaster skin of his exposed chest. Pressing her lips tenderly against the pale column of his neck, she began kissing her way upwards.

"I named him after you; Zane Jareth Williams," she murmured in his ear.

They traversed the short distance across the landing to her bedroom, never once breaking contact as they fell upon the bed. Their clothes were lying on the floor so fast, it might well have been by magic.

Jareth was determined to worship every inch of Sarah's body. His lips and tongue worked their way from her face to her toes, making all the stops in between.

"If I am dreaming, precious, promise never to wake me up."

Chapter Text

Sarah peeked inside her son's room; just to be sure he was still safely asleep in his bed. The house was quiet and she was grateful for it. Toby was on a sleepover at a friend's house, so that was one less returning family member to worry about. Jareth was under strict orders to keep a low profile in case her parents came home early from their pre-Christmas party.

"He's a handsome little fellow." He was suddenly behind her pulling her back into his arms, "Which is only to be expected, given whom his parents are." He wore a smug smile.

Soon becoming aware he was completely naked, she quickly jostled him back into her bedroom. "If my dad and Irene come home to find you here in that state, Zane won't need to change them into chickens to make them both capable of laying eggs." She let out an exasperated sigh.

Jareth snorted with laughter and then tilted his head in contemplation. "Zane can do such complex transformations already?" He questioned.

Sarah nodded, fearful of the note of concern in his voice. "Is that unusual?" She inquired.

"It is rare for a full-blooded fae to manifest such powerful magic at so tender an age, and it is completely unheard of for one who is half-human to do so." Jareth frowned.

"What does that mean?" She fretted. "Everyone's always saying Zane's special because they don't understand the things he can do, but I hoped if you ever came back you'd tell me he was exactly the way he was supposed to be. Is there something wrong with our son?" Sarah felt bad for even considering such a thing.

Jareth shook his head and pulled her into his arms. "No, of course not, he's perfect," he assured her.

The strength of Zane's abilities did concern him, but he wasn't about to share his fears and alarm her until he could research the matter further. He knew of books in his library he could consult, and then there was the Labyrinth itself. It drew on an ancient source of magic for its metamorphosis powers as it bent and shaped around the imaginations of each individual challenger. Most of the people who passed through it only managed to tap into a small percentage of its potential. Sarah was different; she brought every corner of it to life.

The Goblin King began to get dressed, eager to make a start on the important business which demanded his attention. There was also the not-so-small matter of what to do about his wife and Lucian.

Sarah began to fidget nervously, because there were things she needed to say to him. She wasn't expecting him want to leave so soon. They hadn't even talked about the future or what would happen next for them as a family. "I know I wasn't exactly crazy about the idea of getting married before, but things are different now." She anxiously chewed on her lower lip.

Jareth turned away from her as he pulled on his boots and grimaced. How could he tell her he already had a wife?

"Zane needs his father, and I… Well, it's no fun being twenty-four and still living with your parents, that's for sure. I'm working all the hours I can get at a book chain store for lousy pay and I can't even afford anywhere decent to rent. There hasn't been anyone else; there could never be anyone else. I loved you three years ago and I love you now." Sarah moved in to kiss him but he evaded her embrace.

"Forgive me, I must return to the goblin kingdom this instant." He hated to leave her so soon, but time was of the essence. "There are many urgent matters requiring my attention." Jareth explained as he went for one last look at his son.

"You are coming back, right?" She started to panic.

He nodded. "I have to talk to Lucian, but I promise nothing will keep me from returning."

Sarah got an awful feeling of déjà vu and gripped at the ruffles on his shirt. "If you don't come back this time, I'll wish myself and Zane to you. I'm not waiting another three years," she vowed.

"No, you mustn't do that; it's not safe for either of you there." Jareth was stern in his caution. "You must warn our son not to transport to my castle again, until I say so. I will have to tread very carefully with Lucian, he has the power to destroy us all, and I would rather kill him than see you or our son harmed in any way."

Sarah was more afraid of losing him again than of a king she'd never met. But she would try to be patient.

He leaned in and kissed her. "We will all be together soon, my love, I give you my word."

Lilthea anxiously paced the floor of her bedchamber undecided over what her next move should be. Her mind was full of images of Jareth with Sarah and their child. Letting out an ear-piercing scream of frustration, she sank to her knees weeping. The last three years had been hell for her and she only managed to cling on because of her devotion to her husband. Every harsh word and cold shoulder would have faded to nothing if she could have got him into bed just once. There was never any burning desire within her to be a mother, but she would have done anything to have Jareth's child. The fertility stone had already indicated her slim chance of conceiving was gone. Lilithea didn't even dare to confide that fact to Minaxa, and now all was lost.

She wailed and despairingly put her head in her hands. The only thing she could see when she closed her eyes was the face of Jareth and Sarah's son. He was predicted to be the royal heir all along, whether Lucian liked it or not. Lilithea ceased her crying and allowed a plan to take shape in her mind. There was a way she could still be a mother to Jareth's son, if only the high king would officially recognise him. Her husband could rightfully claim the child and they could raise him together. It was a risk, but circumstances had left her with no other choice. A thin smile ghosted over her lips, she knew she would need to act fast.

Making herself look presentable, she prepared to transport. It was her belief that nothing was insurmountable if you wanted it badly enough. You simply had to be willing to go further than anyone else to achieve it, and she was.

Jareth listened at his wife's door and heard her weeping. His heart wasn't so hardened against Lilithea that he couldn't feel a twinge of pity for her, but he still wanted rid. He made his way to the library in search of answers about his son. There was a book he needed to consult before he sought the wisdom of the Labyrinth. Somehow, he would also have to formulate a plan for approaching his brother about the change in his circumstances. The safety of Sarah and Zane were of paramount importance to him. He wouldn't do anything that might endanger them. It wasn't going to be easy to free himself from Lilithea. Fae marriages could only be undone by death and he knew of no other loopholes. Jareth gave his word to Sarah that they would be together and what was said was said. He had to find a way.

The library hadn't been in use for some time and it was thick with dust and cobwebs. A couple of errant goblins had taken refuge there and the king set them to work. He gave them the titles of a few books he wished to consult and instructed them to clean as they searched. The place had been left to stagnate for too long, and so had he. Sarah and Zane had brought him back to life and he wouldn't rest until they were by his side forever.

The book of the fae high king's royal ancestry was located and Jareth began carefully leafing through the weighty tome. Its pages were yellow from age and fragile to the touch. Many years had passed since he'd sat with his father and got a history lesson on his lineage.

"It is important to know where you come from, my son, in order that you might have some idea where you're going. This is not the end of the story, or even the middle, it's just the beginning. The rest is for you and your brothers to write. Just remember to throw in a plot twist or two."

He smiled at the fond memory. His father would have given him permission to marry Sarah, of that he was sure.

The goblins continued to search for the other book their king required. Sadly, it couldn't be found anywhere. If the Labyrinth would not give its secrets up through the written word, he would have to go to the source. Jareth had channelled its power in the past in order to gift Sarah with certain abilities when she negotiated the Labyrinth to win back her brother. It was an unorthodox move on his part. But his knowledge that she was his only true love induced him to favour her with special treatment. Maybe his son's enhanced magical abilities stemmed from that act, it seemed a strong possibility. Jareth left the library and set out for the heart of the Labyrinth.

Sarah tossed and turned in bed, grateful she didn't have to get up for work the next day. Her mind was full of Jareth and his unexpected return. It was everything she'd longed for and yet there she was, left alone again. His passion for her appeared undiminished and he'd made love to her as if he would die were he to be denied her touch for one more second. Her hunger matched his as they'd joined together. It was only now, in the dark quiet hours of the night that Sarah let her doubts niggle at her. She told him she was ready to be his wife and they already had a child, yet he seemed to have developed cold feet about making a commitment. It seemed very convenient for him to blame their separation on a brother she'd never met.

Her musings were interrupted by the sound of a heavy thud outside her door. Sarah leapt out of bed in time to see the dark silhouette of a hooded figure entering Zane's room. Her heart began to pound with fear as she covered the short distance across the landing. Pausing to grab Toby's baseball bat from inside his doorway, she prepared to defend her family.

"Get away from my son, right now," she demanded, wielding her makeshift weapon.

The hooded figure stilled for a moment, its face hidden in the shadows of the dimly lit room. Zane stirred in his sleep but didn't awaken.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Sarah was trembling but determined to stand her ground and protect her baby.

The intruder took a step closer to the bed. "He is so like Jareth, I wish he didn't have your eyes, but I shall love him as a mother should all the same," a familiar voice said.

"Lilithea?" Sarah gasped. "What the hell are you talking about?"

The pale fae had a crazed look in her bright blue eyes as she swung around to face her rival. "I would do anything to please my darling husband, but alas, I cannot give him a child of our own. This is the next best thing," she turned her possessive gaze back onto the slumbering baby.

"Husband?" Sarah felt sick.

She glared in horror at the smug-faced creature with her luxurious midnight blue cloak and royal finery. Once again, she'd been caught at a disadvantage in her pink heart print pyjamas.

"Did Jareth not tell you? Oh, you poor creature," Lilithea condescendingly purred. "It must have slipped his mind, what with the shock of discovering he had a son and everything."

"Get the hell away from my baby." Sarah hissed as she threateningly brandished the baseball bat.

"Such a pity," the pale fae's words dripped with triumphant glee. "If only there was some way you could stop me."

Sarah lunged at her, but it was too late. "NO," she screamed as Lilithea, and the still slumbering Zane, faded from sight.

Chapter Text

Jareth materialised at the centre of the Labyrinth next to a large sundial. There was a throne like chair nearby which was made from books carved out of stone and he sat down on it to ponder. Concentrating hard, he tried to establish a connection with the old magic source.

"Labyrinth, know thy king, who is both thy servant and thy master, speak to me," he commanded.

It was suddenly as if hundreds of voices were calling out all at once and his mind was overwhelmed for a moment. Closing his eyes to aid in channelling them, he was eventually able to focus in on one.

"What knowledge do you seek, my king?"

The Labyrinth spoke with the voice of a small child, belying its ancient wisdom.

"I once requested of you that a human girl, Sarah Williams, be gifted with certain powers. I ensured a book containing the right words for her to tap into that potential would fall into her possession. You know this girl and what she means to me. Sarah bore me a son and he seems to be capable of very potent magic. I wish to know how this is possible for a child only half-fae," Jareth inquired.

"What is the one thing you get more of the more you give away?"

The Labyrinth answered with a riddle.

The Goblin King blew a stray strand of hair from his face as his impatience and frustration mounted. His fingers drummed against the stone arms of the chair and then he sprang to his feet. "Love, of course. Love is the answer," he declared.

"Exactly so, your love for Sarah intertwined with her love for you and together you made Zane. We looked into her heart when she came here as a young woman; she was brave, pure and true. We have also looked into your heart and Sarah is there in every beat. Your son was created when her love for you equalled yours for her. The combined force of your passion gave Zane his abilities and he will grow stronger still through your nurturing. He has the potential to be the most powerful fae high king there has ever been."

The Labyrinth sounded giddy at the prospect.

Jareth was both proud and slightly alarmed by the prospect. "What if my son's superior powers corrupt him? If no one is his equal, how can we keep him on the right path if it all goes to his head?" He fretted.

"Zane needs both his mother and father to show him the way. He will also have siblings to help keep his feet on the ground. The strength of his abilities will depend on his capacity to love. If he ever turns away or is taken away from the force that created him, his powers may wane. But when his actions are motivated by love for those he holds dear, he will be unstoppable."

The Labyrinth delivered its counsel and warning.

"Trust in your son and in yourself. Don't be so concerned about taking the right path that you end up on the wrong one and lose your way."

Jareth sat back down on the stone chair and was deep in contemplation when a familiar voice broke into his reverie.

"I wish that duplicitous rat of a Goblin King would come and take me away right now."

"Sarah?" He growled with annoyance. Why was she calling him when he'd cautioned her against it, and why did she sound so angry? He had to find out.

She was standing with her back to him when he materialised in Zane's bedroom. He stepped up behind her and was caught off guard when she swung round and delivered a hard slap to his cheek.

"How have I wronged you, my love?" Jareth gasped.

Sarah's face was red and puffy from crying. Gathering together all her strength for Zane's sake, she turned to him. "What's wrong with this picture?" She snarled pointing to the empty bed.

He noted the absence of his son with a stab of fear in his heart.

"Your bitch of a wife has stolen my baby boy and I want him back NOW," she demanded.

Jareth was dumbfounded. "Sarah, I…"

"Don't, just don't," she held her hand up to halt him and turned her head away in an attempt stop the fresh tears that threatened to spill. "Give me my baby back."

The Goblin King was used to such pleas in the line of duty, but this was different. Lilithea had taken his son and he didn't know why or where. He couldn't imagine her harming Zane, broken-hearted though she might be. Surely she would never hurt a child, would she? In her recent frame of mind, he couldn't be sure. He had to find her and more importantly, his son. Even if his wife meant the boy no harm, there was no telling what would happen if Lucian got his hands on Zane.

Jareth reached out to Sarah, but she shrank away from his touch. "I will find our son and I won't let any harm come to him, I swear," he vowed and prepared to transport.

"Oh no you don't," she said, grabbing a fistful of his shiny cloak and holding fast to it. "You're not leaving me here while you and your wife go play happy families with my baby," she raged.

"My marriage to Lilithea is a sham," he protested. "It has never been consummated. I couldn't, I wouldn't, not when my heart belongs to you alone. Lucian forced me to take her as my wife, it was one of his conditions, or else he would have thrown you in an oubliette for all eternity." Jareth wrapped his arms around her. "All I ever wanted was you and then I found out about Zane, my son. Now all I want is for us to be together as a family, I love you both so much." He moved to kiss her but she turned her face away from him.

Sarah hoped her eyes could be as cruel as he once said they were. Her anger and hurt burned in them as she met his gaze. "All I want is my baby back, I don't want you. Zane and I were doing just fine on our own, we don't need you. I carried him for nine months and laboured for thirteen hours to give birth to him. I breastfed him and changed his diapers. I was here for his first smile and his first word, which, by the way, was chicken. I saw him take his first steps and I've been there for him whenever he needed a hug or a boo boo kissed better. I love him more than life itself."

Jareth was filled with sorrow for all the precious moments of his son's life he'd missed out on, but now wasn't the time to dwell on it. He cupped her face in his hands despite her attempts to push him away. "Let us go and find Zane together, he needs his mother and his father," he pleaded as he tenderly wiped away her tears.

Sarah couldn't hate him no matter how hard she tried and she took his outstretched hand. A strong gust of wind caused their hair to flap around and the strands intertwined as they disappeared together in a glittery haze.

"I WANT MOMMA."

Zane was grouchy from being rudely awoken and finding himself in strange surroundings. He started to scream and wail.

Lilithea didn't know how to comfort him; the whole concept of mothering was alien to her. The realisation soon dawned on her that babies were as grating on the nerves as goblins and could be just as messy. "Hush now child," she commanded. "I'm going to take you to meet your uncle and he's an extremely important person, so you must be on your very best behaviour." She struggled to make herself heard over the boy's grizzling.

Clutching Lancelot to him, Zane tried to think his way back home; it had always worked for him in the past. Usually, he pictured his mother or the place he wanted to go and he was transported there. But he was too emotional to focus and his magic was unpredictable. He grew red in the face and screamed with frustration as everything in the room began to shake. Ornaments tumbled to the floor smashing into pieces and books jumped off of shelves. The Goblin Queen was aghast at his demonstration and wondered if she'd bitten off more than she could chew.

"WANT MOMMA, WANT DADA, NOW," he demanded.

"Well, come on then," Lilithea held out her hand to the pouting child. "Let's go and find them."

Lucian would not be at all happy to have his morning disturbed by a screaming brat, but it couldn't be avoided. She couldn't provide the heir he wanted by any other means and this was Jareth's son, after all.

Zane eyed her warily and refused to hold her hand. He didn't like the strange lady; she looked at him the way his babysitters often did, right before he changed them into chickens. That thought gave him an idea.

Lilithea sensed his mischievous intent and grabbed him before he could enact his plan. "Uncle Lucian is going to love you," she trilled with sarcasm.

They arrived at the Royal Palace with a commotion that sent the guards scurrying over to surround them.

"Please inform his supreme majesty, high king Lucian, that I am here and I request an urgent audience with him," Lilithea barked at the alarmed looking footman.

Zane was screeching and thrashing around as he tried to free himself from her tight grasp.

"What in the world is all this noise about?" Minaxa appeared at the top of the grand staircase.

She spied the pyjama clad child and let out a gasp of shock. "What have you done?" She questioned as the boy continued to cry for his parents.

Lilithea was unapologetic. "Lucian wanted an heir and I've brought him one. This might not be what he had in mind, but life is full of disappointments, isn't it?" There was more than a hint of mania about her as she ranted.

Minaxa slowly advanced towards her sister and the distressed child, her concern for them both was growing by the second.

"I WANT MOMMA NOW," Zane bawled, and then all hell broke loose.

Jareth and Sarah materialised in his throne room among the snoozing goblins. They awoke with a start and pandemonium ensued.

"Where is the Goblin Queen?" Jareth roared.

His subjects began shrugging and shaking their heads. She wasn't exactly their favourite person and they usually avoided her at all costs.

Sarah smarted at his use of Lilithea's title, and suddenly became aware she was clad in only her pink heart patterned pyjamas. There was no time to dwell on such matters; her only concern was getting Zane back. She pulled her hand free from Jareth's and turned to the goblins. "Please, I need your help, all of you," she begged. "The queen has stolen my baby and we need to find him."

Her plea was met by a sea of blank faces. After all, they were in the baby stealing business. But they liked her and they didn't like their queen. Preparing to scatter and search around the castle, their king instructed them.

"You remember Zane, the handsome little boy who sang for you? He is your prince and you will return him unharmed to his mother," Jareth commanded.

Firstly, they checked out Lilithea's bed chamber only to find it empty.

"Where would she take him?" Sarah was growing ever more frantic the longer her son was missing.

Jareth suspected she might have taken Zane to Lucian, although for what purpose he didn't know. She wanted to hurt him, he supposed, and what better way than by delivering his son to the high king. He had done his brother's bidding for most of his life from becoming Goblin King to taking a wife he didn't want. Lucian would not get to determine Zane's fate too.

Flitting around the room in a burst of nervous energy, Sarah noted all the finery without taking in much of the details. The splendour of the Goblin Queen's furnishings weren't exactly her main focus but they were certainly luxurious, that much she did observe. "She's certainly made herself comfortable here, your wife," she cattily remarked.

Jareth's thoughts were elsewhere. "I'm going to the Royal Palace and I want you to stay here," he said. His attention needed to be concentrated on getting Zane back. If Sarah were there too, he would be split between trying to keep them both safe.

She firmly shook her head. "No way are you leaving me behind again. I'll die before I let anyone hurt my baby," she swore.

This was exactly what he wanted to avoid. It was a risk he wasn't prepared to take and to that end, he made a move to leave.

Sarah threw her arms around him and held on tight.

"I swear if you go without me, you and me are done forever." They were almost nose to nose.

"My own true love, I would never deny you anything, but it is best if I go alone." His breath ghosted across her lips as he spoke.

"I'm done waiting and I meant what I said, now let's go get our boy back." Sarah was determined.

Jareth groaned with exasperation as he enveloped them both in a glittering whirlwind.

"Perhaps you should have changed into something a little more formal." He could feel every part of her pressed against him in her flimsy nightwear.

"I've got no other clothes here and your wife and I aren't exactly the same size, especially around the top half," Sarah sniped.

"Oh, believe me, precious thing, I have noticed." Jareth took the opportunity to kiss her as they transported.

The Royal Palace was in uproar when they landed. In the midst of clucking chickens and flying feathers, Zane sat holding onto Lancelot as he cried out for his mother.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Jareth stood at the threshold of Lilithea's bed chamber and toyed with the crystal in his hands. Even though she was dead, he could not bear to step inside. After a cursory glance over the decorative furnishings, he threw the orb into the centre of the room. When the glitter settled the place was left empty and he closed the door. It was the end of a dark chapter in his life and he was eager to begin a new happier one.

The Goblin King was finally getting the queen he always wanted, with the welcome bonus of their little prince. He made his way to the throne room and took his seat. Holding up a crystal ball, he stared into it and became engrossed. This was no ordinary crystal ball, it was one he'd asked Sarah to pour all her memories of Zane into. She was reluctant at first, fearing she would lose them forever. But he explained it was only making a copy, like a recording device. There was so much he'd missed out on, and although it couldn't make up for not being there, it was better than nothing.

There were many preparations required to make the castle ready for its new inhabitants. Jareth set the goblins to work and magic took care of the rest. The high king had given him the option of relinquishing his title of Goblin King and moving back to the Royal Palace, or leaving things as they were for the time being. Sarah was more comfortable with the prospect of becoming Goblin Queen than a Princess of Pommeland and Jareth wanted to make her happy. It pleased him too as he decided he much preferred to be king of his own corner of the land, rather than bowing and scraping to Lucian every day. But he was pleased to have the restrictions on his movements lifted so he could visit Astaroth.

It was the first time they'd set eyes on each other since the death of their parents and it wasn't easy for either of them. Jareth was glad to see his older brother looking well and in good spirits. He left with a promise of bringing his family to visit him as soon as they got settled in. The healing had to begin somewhere and they'd all wasted too many years in bitter regret.

Everything in the Goblin Kingdom was finally in place for its soon-to-be new occupants. All that remained was for Jareth to await Sarah's call. At her request, he had given her time alone to say proper farewells to her family and friends, as well as to pack up her and Zane's belongings. The Goblin King was impatient to make her his queen, but as it was only two weeks after Lilithea's funeral, he understood the need for propriety. Their wedding was to take place on the next full moon, which was three weeks away.

"Dada?"

Jareth was napping on his throne, fatigued after the exertions of all the redecorating.

"DADA," Zane roared making his father jump up with a start.

"Whatisit?" He came back to his senses and quickly regained his composure. Tapping his lips contemplatively with a gloved finger at the sight of his son, he scowled with displeasure. The boy was dressed in a green jacket with a matching pointed hat and red striped leggings. "Why are you wearing that ridiculous outfit?" Jareth questioned.

"I'm an elf," Zane proudly declared to his puzzled father.

"You, my finest fellow, are a fae prince," he informed his son.

"Jareth, where the heck are you?"

Sarah was calling out to him and it didn't sound like she wanted to be kept waiting. With strict instructions to the goblins to watch over their prince, he went to answer her summons. His soon-to-be-queen was stood surrounded by suitcases and boxes as he made his usual glittering entrance.

"The Christmas Elf was meant to tell you I was ready, but I guess he forgot," she rolled her eyes, imagining her son was already embroiled in mischief.

Jareth surveyed the copious amount of baggage with alarm. "I should have added another wing to the castle," he jested.

Sarah stuck her tongue out at him and quickly found herself wrapped in his embrace.

"Oh, precious thing, how delicious you look." His eyes raked over her figure hugging red dress.

The colour choice was deliberate as she'd been wearing it when he came to claim her on her twenty-first birthday. This time around, the dress was of her choosing and not an afterthought of her mother's.

"It's almost Christmas," Sarah purred. "And I've got a very special present for you underneath this wrapping."

They celebrated Yuletide in the Underground which wasn't quite the same thing, but Jareth was open to adopting new traditions.

"You know me so well, my love," he grinned. "There is nothing I like more than gifts that keep on giving." His hands headed for places where he hoped to get a sneak preview.

Sarah gave him a playful slap and then relented, letting him continue to feel for clues. "Oh, by the way, I promised my family we would have them for Christmas dinner." She frowned at the prospect.

"I thought a turkey was customary on such occasions," Jareth quipped.

"You know what I mean," she rolled her eyes. "I must be mad, but I thought it might help them get used to the idea that we can still do family stuff together, even if things won't ever be quite the same." Sarah was worried her father might never accept her new life. His obstinacy over her leaving was one of the reasons she'd delayed her departure.

"I will make sure we have a plentiful supply of goblin ale. Isn't excessive alcohol consumption also customary on these occasions?" Jareth reasoned Aboveground celebrations were probably not too dissimilar from Underground ones in that respect.

"Oh God, yes," Sarah exclaimed, imagining they would need more than a few stiff drinks to get through the day. "Now, I wish the Goblin King would take me away and this time make it for keeps." Her hands travelled over his shirt ruffles and smooth chest as she pressed her lips to his.

Jareth flashed his sharp teeth as he grinned. "What's said is said."

He transported them both and all the baggage to the castle, just in time to find Zane sat on his throne teaching the goblins a Christmas song.

"Pa rum pa pum pum," they chanted in unison.

Jareth frowned. "I seem to have forgotten to make one important alteration to the furnishings," he said as he manifested a crystal and send it spinning into the air.

The glittery haze cleared to reveal three thrones, one was slightly elevated above the other two and Zane was still sat atop it. "Better," he said, gesturing for Sarah to take her place.

"What about the unpacking?" She protested.

He sent another crystal spiralling over his shoulder and the baggage promptly vanished. "There, done," he grinned.

Zane and the goblins resumed their singing as Jareth and Sarah looked on with pride.

The rose garden at the Royal Palace was always in bloom as they enjoyed eternal summer. In her favourite spot, there was a newly dedicated memorial to Lilithea. Sarah paused in a moment of contemplation. She thought about her predecessor as Goblin Queen and the story she'd once told her about this place.

"There you are, my darling wife, I've been looking all over for you." Jareth possessively wrapped his arm around her waist.

She sighed wearily, feeling in desperate need of rest. "I wanted to give you some time alone with your brothers, and Minaxa was eager to show Zane the royal portrait gallery. I needed some fresh air and so I came out here. It's such a beautiful place; no wonder Lilithea loved it so much." Sarah knew that wasn't the only reason her predecessor was so fond of it. Glancing down with pride at the amulet she wore that matched her husband's, it wasn't as if she felt insecure any longer. In fact, in her two months as Goblin Queen, she'd never been happier, but a recent discovery had put her in a reflective mood.

Jareth began to kiss her neck and she abruptly pulled away from him.

"What is it, precious one?" He was alarmed as she never usually spurned his advances.

"It wouldn't be right, or respectful." Sarah objected, tears pricking at her eyes as she glanced at the memorial.

"I never loved Lilithea, you know that," Jareth protested. "You are my one and only."

"I know," she said, realising it would probably be best to let the matter go, but for some reason she couldn't. "It's just, she had a special memory of you in this place and she once told me all about it."

Her husband appeared bemused, as if he could recall nothing of significance happening there.

"You and Lilithea were once intimate here," Sarah elaborated, feeling a stab of jealousy, however unwarranted.

"We were?" Jareth shrugged; he'd had a few sexual encounters in the rose garden, but none that were particularly memorable.

A wave of outrage on her deceased-former-rival's behalf overtook her. "It meant everything to her, and you're saying you don't even remember anything about it? She told me you both shared a deep connection and made rose petals rain down upon you, is that ringing any bells? It certainly rang Lilithea's."

Her husband was confused by her behaviour; she could see the concern in his eyes. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm down. Bloody hormones, she inwardly cursed, they had to be the reason she was feeling so highly strung.

"I do recall all the times you rang my bell and vice versa, if that is any consolation," Jareth huffed.

Sarah couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm sorry I'm being such a grouch," she said, reaching for his hand. "I never got this moody the first time around, though goodness knows I had plenty of cause to be."

"The first time around?" He questioned with a quizzical look, unsure as to what she was referring too.

Smiling enigmatically, Sarah pressed his hand to her stomach. "I'm pregnant," she declared, "Only just, but most definitely."

Taking a moment to recover from the shock, Jareth broke into a wide grin. "We will have a beautiful princess to add to our happy little family, if the prophecy crystal is to be believed. What shall we name her?"

"How about Amaranthea, after your mother?" Sarah could see her husband was touched by her forethought.

His eyes took on a faraway look for a second and then he leaned in and kissed her. "I think it's perfect."

They strolled around the remainder of the rose garden before returning to the palace.

Sarah had been mulling something over and before they went inside, she unburdened herself. "I'd like to go see my mom and tell her the baby in person. She'll probably be about as pleased this time around as she was the last, but I want her to know how happy we are together. After all, she once wished me to you and in spite of her selfishness, she's still my mother," she explained.

Jareth nodded his understanding. His reconciliation with his own family had been a long time coming, and he wanted to help his wife in any way he could. "We can go anytime you wish, my love."

Linda Williams dusted her face with powder, critically examining the frown lines that were getting harder to cover up. It was only a few days until her next Botox injection and the thought of it managed to slightly calm her anxieties. A tranquilliser and a shot of whisky would do the rest. She wanted to be in tolerably good humour in case her young lover called. It wasn't easy keeping up with a man when you were old enough to be his mother, Linda mused with a weary sigh. These days, she was feeling distinctly jaded.

There was a loud knock at the door and she hastily applied the finishing touches to her make up.

"Just a moment, darling," her sing-song voice rang down the hallway as she clip clopped on her highest heels to the door.

"Oh," Linda exclaimed with surprise and the slightest hint of horror, as she set eyes on her daughter.

"I knew you'd be happy to see us," Sarah sarcastically remarked, hugging her mother tightly to purposely annoy her further. "This is your grandson, Zane." The little boy charged into his grandmother's apartment without any regard for her fine furnishings. "He was a new born when you last saw him. And this is my darling husband, Jareth, the Goblin King, although you might remember him as Lord Kobalos," she made the introductions as he stepped forward and took his mother-in-law's hand, planting a kiss on it.

Linda was aghast and stood frozen to the spot as her grandson perilously examined her expensive art collection. Not waiting to be invited in, her daughter and son-in-law swept past her and made themselves at home. "I, I, well, this is such a surprise," she gasped. "You could have called first and let me know you were coming, I've got plans this evening." It didn't take long for her to recover her usual haughty demeanour.

Sarah rolled her eyes; her mother never changed. "Don't worry, we're not stopping," she said. "I just came to tell you that you're going to be a grandmother again, even though you've barely acknowledged your first grandchild. Zane is two and a half, and this is only the second time you've seen him."

"And you couldn't simply have called to tell me the news, like you did before?" Linda huffed impatiently.

"We don't have telephones in the Underground," Sarah reminded her.

Her mother's eyebrows twitched ever so slightly at the mention of her daughter's new home. "It is a while since we last spoke, I suppose," she admitted. "I was sorry not to be able to make it to your wedding. But imagine how it would have looked if I'd failed to turn up to receive my award for outstanding contribution to the theatre." Linda got up to pour some drinks.

"Never mind, you only missed your only daughter's wedding instead." Sarah didn't disguise her hurt as she waved away the alcoholic beverage offered to her.

"I do think they could've waited a few more years before recognising me with a lifetime achievement award, I'm only forty eight for goodness sake," Linda complained, as self-absorbed as ever.

Her daughter sighed inwardly and was grateful to have Jareth there, supportively clutching her hand in his. Zane was making a magic mid-air tower with his grandmother's Tony awards, much to her horror. Sarah nudged her husband to retrieve their errant son before he gave his gran a heart attack. "I guess we should get going, Goblin Kingdoms don't run themselves, you know." She got up to join her family before turning to her mother to say what she came to say. "I'm glad you wished me away, even if you did it for selfish reasons, and I really do hope your dreams have made you happy."

Linda drained her glass of whisky and hastily poured a refill as she let out a bitter laugh. It was an empty shallow life she led and rarely did she allow herself the luxury of wondering if it could have been something more. "You know, my assistant, Nancy, reads the most dreadful and trite self-help books. I flicked through one of them the other day and there was a chapter that caught my eye entitled, Forget What You Want, Look At What You've Got."

Sarah saw a flash of genuine emotion in her mother's eyes and she moved to embrace her.

"I should have looked," Linda murmured as she tenderly stroked her daughter's hair.

The moment soon passed and the actor's mask was firmly back in place.

"You helped me find my happily ever after and I'll always be grateful for that," Sarah smiled as she disappeared in a swirl of glitter with Jareth and Zane.

THE END.