Here we go...the final chapter...at three in themorning. I must say I'm sad to see this one go..

Thank you all so much for your kind words! Stay tuned for other stories!

Muah!

-Nico

Sarah was drunk. It had been three nights since her "dream," yet she could not shake the terrible depressed feeling that consumed her every waking moment.

About four hours ago she had been primping in her apartment, choosing to wear her favorite slinky black dress and four inch heels that made her feel sexy and wild.

It had been her intention to meet some people, to get her mind off of things.

But now, several vodka sours later, she was feeling more miserable than she could ever remember.

Remembering her favorite drink, she moved to take another sip. Her glass was empty.

"Bartender..." she slurred. "Another," she demanded.

The bartender looked at her sympathetically.

"I'm sorry sweetie, you've had enough," he replied apologetically.

She let her heavy head flop down onto the padded bar where she promptly burst into tears.

"Oh, darling, no don't cry!" The bartender said nervously. "Here, I'll top you off but just a little."

"No, it's not that," Sarah bawled. She lifted her head, looking up at the bartender whose bleached blond hair looked bright blue under the garish club lights. He was looking at her empathetically. "Have you ever had something really wonderful and you didn't even realize it?" She asked between hiccuping sobs.

The bartender nodded. "His name was Alex and he was six feet four inches of perfection," he said wistfully, placing a hand over one of hers. "And I dumped him because he hated ABBA." He shook his head. "Hindsight's 20/20 though, right?"

Sarah nodded sadly. The bartender sighed. "Do you want me to call you a cab?"

"No," she sniffed. "I can walk; I'll be fine." She stepped down off her bar stool and waited until the room stopped spinning. She took a fifty out of her purse and handed it to the bartender.

"Thanks, honey," he said, obviously grateful to her large tip. "And just remember, we're all part of the same huge puzzle."

Sarah looked at him for a moment and scoffed. "I guess," she replied, heading towards the exit slowly.

The night air sobered Sarah up slightly as she began to make her way down the sunset strip back to her apartment. She walked slowly, ignoring the groups of happy people she encountered along the way.

It wasn't fair, she mused. She was obviously going crazy if a dream was having this much effect on her.

If only she could stop thinking about him.

He wasn't even real.

Was he?

She shook her head. No. He wasn't real and she wasn't crazy. She had been through worse; she would get through this.

Just then, she realized she had passed her street three blocks ago. Embarrassed even though no one was with her, she blushed and turned on her heel.

There, leaning against a subway entrance, was Jareth.

Sarah jumped slightly. She squinted her eyes.

He was wearing faded, ripped jeans secured to his body with a thick leather belt. A reddish brown leather jacket covered a simple white button down shirt. His hair was parted slightly to the side and was cut into choppy layers that lay normally, rather than spiked about his face.

Her eyes swept over him, stopping at the brown boots covering his feet. "My God," she breathed, causing him to look over at her.

He approached her slowly.

"Hello Sarah," he said softly.

Instantly, Sarah began to panic. "Who are you?"

"You know very well who I am," he said in his clipped accent. Sarah brought her hand to her mouth.

"No, you're not real! It was a dream!" She shrieked, now almost completely sober.

"Sarah," Jareth said lowly. "You're making a scene."

She spun around to look at the people watching their exchange. She leaned in towards him a little.

"You'd better tell me what the fuck is going on right now or I'm gonna yell rape," she said.

Jareth sighed.

"You must come back," he said bluntly. Her mouth dropped.

"Come back where?" She asked. He raised an eyebrow. She sucked in her breath.

"Oh my god," she said rubbing her temples. "I've lost my mind. I've officially gone nuts."

Jareth moved slightly closer to her. "You're doing a wonderful job convincing these people of just that," he said, gesturing to the small crowd gathering around them. "Please, might we go somewhere a bit less public?"

She looked around and began walking quickly away with Jareth following. Once they had walked a distance away from the crowds of bar-goers, Sarah slowed her pace, allowing Jareth to catch up and walk beside her.

They ambled on for some time, neither speaking. Eventually, they were at a long stretch of beach. Sarah led them to an old gazebo she frequently visited, especially after particularly stressful rehearsals. The water lapping the shore created an atmosphere that always managed to soothe her.

Jareth leaned against one of the gazebo posts and lit a cigarette.

"How did you find me?" Sarah asked, steadying her gaze at him. He exhaled slowly.

"Actually, it was Evitt who suggested coming aboveground," Jareth said. "Once I was here it was just a matter of following your magic."

Sarah merely stared at him. "It was real," she said finally in a small voice.

"Yes, it was." Jareth replied.

Sarah sat on one of the benches within the gazebo. Tears were brimming on her eyes as she looked up at him. "He was about to kill me," she said. "Is Rina alright?"

Her concern for her friend touched Jareth. "Rina is fine," he replied. Then he added a bit more harshly, "You shouldn't have run away."

She flashed him an angry glance. "You should have been straightforward with me from the beginning."

He nodded. "You're right," he replied simply.

Sarah clapped her mouth shut, having been prepared for an argument. "Damn right I'm right."

Jareth smiled.

Sarah sniffed.

"So now tell me what I need to do," she relented. "And this time tell me everything."

Jareth nodded. "The Labyrinth will never be whole without you," he began as if preparing to tell a story he had memorized long ago. "You have been given an incredible gift, but with it comes incredible consequence. The Labyrinth has continued to disintegrate without you, the worst of the destruction occurring within the past few days. Soon, it will all be gone."

Sarah's breath caught.

'Everything I have told you has been the truth," he continued. "Except that you would be able to leave. I believed that you would fall in love with me and the question of you remaining in the Underground would never become an issue because you would never want to leave, nor did I believe that you had the power to transport yourself back."

Tears were streaming down her face. Jareth moved a bit closer.

"And I had planned to play along, giving you what you desired, keeping you happy. It would be an elaborate game where we could both win," he looked down at her, then moved to his knees, placing his hands over hers in her lap. "But at some point, the lines I had drawn for myself became blurry. And in the end, we both lost."

Sarah wiped at her face. "Yes, you've lost your Labyrinth and I've lost my sanity."

Jareth's brows knitted together. "No, I've lost you and you've lost me," he corrected. Sarah pulled away from him, moving her hands from his grasp.

"Why are you saying these things?" She cried. "We're from two different places. And one of those places may very well be a figment of my imagination!"

Jareth stood. Rain was beginning to pound the roof of the gazebo. It seemed Sarah's mood affected the weather here as well.

"Do you love me, Sarah?" Jareth asked suddenly.

"What?" Sarah asked, incredulous.

"Do you love me?" He repeated loudly over the rain. The water was leaking through the cracks of the gazebo's old wood, drenching them both.

"What kind of a question is that?" She asked, pushing her wet bangs out of her eyes.

"It's a simple yes or no," he replied, waiting for an answer.

Sarah through her hands up in the air, clearly exasperated. Jareth moved over to her, grabbing both of her arms.

"Sarah, I'm in love with you," he said firmly, shaking her a bit. "And I know you're in love with me, so just say it, stubborn thing."

She looked up at him, her eyes red. "Well, of course I do! I've loved you since I was a child. I've loved you since before I knew you were real!" She was screaming over her own sobs and the rain. "I love you even if you're not!"

His lips came crashing down on hers in sync with a flash of lightning. She pulled him closer, locking her arms around his neck. Her body melded against his as he drank in her tears.

He pulled his lips from hers but tightened his embrace, resting his chin on her head with his eyes closed.

"Why me?" Sarah asked, her voice muffled against his chest. He pulled away slightly.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I mean, why did the Labyrinth give me all this power? Surely I'm not the only one to run the maze, surely I'm not the first girl to fall in love with you," she blushed, "what made me so special?"

Jareth touched her hair. "The Labyrinth is it's own entity, with it's own mind. It chose you for the same reasons I love you," he replied. "You're strong, you're smart, you have the makings of a queen. Anyone could see that. Or, in this case, anything."

Sarah smiled, taking the compliment. "So what now," she said. Jareth's face hardened and he pulled away.

"Now the decision is yours," he said in a more authoritative tone. "It seems I have used the last of my energy to bring myself here, so in order for me even to return underground, you would have to come too," he looked at her. "I have no magic," he said with some pain.

Sarah bit her lip. "You gave it up to come here," she realized aloud. Jareth nodded sharply.

She moved to embrace him but he backed away. She bit her lip again.

"If I don't return, not only will you be trapped here, but the underground will disappear, she said. Jareth nodded again. "And if I decide to remain in the underground forever, I will never see my family or the world I grew up in again."

"It depends," Jareth admitted. "If your powers are as strong as I now believe they are a trip back every few years may be possible," he explained. "But I can't promise anything," he added quickly.

"And if I don't return," she continued very slowly. "You'd lose you're home and everything you've worked so hard to protect for centuries. An entire civilization would disappear."

Jareth nodded. "Yes."

"Jareth," she said softly, placing her hand on his cheek. "I love you, and I'm coming back with you." She said simply, having already made her decision somewhere back in the deepest recess of her dreams.

Jareth placed his forehead on her shoulder in relief.

"Are you certain," he asked, sounding weak. Sarah nodded.

"Sarah," Jareth said, lifting his head to look at her. "You are a piece of a puzzle," he said. Sarah's brows furrowed. "You're the missing piece of my puzzle, and now, finally, I am complete."

She kissed him softly, entwining her hand in his.

And as the rain stopped, no one noticed the tornado of glitter that was swirling around an empty gazebo.