I'd like to note that this was really fun to do, and that I'll probably look into more challenges later. Also, keep in mind that each story has nothing to do with the next one. They're just little excerpts from stories that might be, could be. Maybe. I hope you have as much fun reading as I did writing it. It was definitely a nice break from my fic. Ickle

Jethro Tull – My God

The way Jareth's eyes had burned into hers in their final meeting had never left Sarah, even in these long years. His eyes, bright, painfully aware of everything, stripped her emotions bare and raw and leaving her with only with a basic grasp on herself even now, when she slept. It wasn't enough that he had almost taken away her brother's entire life, but that he had offered her so much and asked for so little in return. In her desire to return home she neglected those raw desires and it was slowly driving her mad.

Someone, that someone being a therapist months after the Labyrinth, had said that her dreams were manifestations of her budding sexuality and that she needed to explore not only the dreams but herself so that she could discover the deeper meanings. Even though she had taken the advice and tried, she still dreamed of his burning eyes, his voice still haunted her, and she awoke in a sweat on a regular basis. It was torture to not know if the outcome could have been different.

Life had never been too grand for Sarah, at least, from her vantage point, and it was taunting that this was something else to add to her misery. Haunted by the feelings in her dreams, unsure if he was real or just in her head, Sarah knew that the only way to find out through the maddening torture was to revisit that whole night once more, to dig into her mind and go over what had happened once more.

She recalled the anger, the frustration, how it felt so unfair, but the words… she forgot the words, as she always did. Jareth had come when she had spoken something, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to find out if he was real unless she remembered those words. There they were, on the tip of her tongue… and months passed like this, as they had since that night, her mind not being able to recall exactly what she had said to make Toby disappear.

Then her dreams delivered again, and little did Sarah know that she spoke in her sleep, even if but a murmur; it was enough. So, it was not entirely incomprehensible to her when she awoke in a bed not her own, wearing silks that were not hers, and feeling more at peace than she had felt for a very long time. Budding sexuality my ass, screw that! It was all she could think to close her eyes and just enjoy the sensations around her, on her. The King of the Goblins, man of her dreams, epitome of sensuality, possibly even a God the way he was carved as if from living marble, lay beside her, looking her face over fondly, grinning coyly like he knew a secret that she did not.

"I waited so long for you to say those words my dear," he purred, and Sarah didn't even flinch as he leaned and softly kissed her.

Madonna – Voices

Jareth growled deeply as he watched Sarah from his crystal, playing with her new puppy as though she hadn't a care in the world. He couldn't wrap his mind around the concept that maybe there had been more to her than the initial pull of desire. Her innocence was certainly very attractive, as were several other factors about her person, and the strength that she had over him almost brought him to his knees. What was maddening was that he couldn't just say he was sorry, because she would think it all to be an illusion. He would never be able to grow closer to her to figure out exactly what it was about her that was driving him mad.

He had certainly tried, to be sure, but each time she had thrown it back in his face. He heard her voice more often in his dreams than he had heard in his waking hours, coaxing him and teasing him, and he, who wanted nothing more than for her to bend to his will, found himself in a role reversal, begging her, pleading with her, only for her to scorn him further. He was not safe from her blistering beauty anywhere, and it was all he could do from just being simply honest and confront her, proclaim his affection and whisk her away.

But alas, as he sat and watched her with her puppy, he knew that it couldn't be so; he had no power over her, and not even his love would sway her.

Josie and the Pussycats – Wild One

Toby was six – he had just completed his first day of the first grade and he was riding his bike home through the crisp autumn air. The wind was blowing around him and he was enjoying the sunshine filtering down to him, dancing as he went to some song playing in his mind from long ago. It was going to be a fun evening, doing his homework and then playing with Sarah and Merlin.

As he rounded the corner, he noticed that Sarah was in the yard, blushing furiously, and clutching a bouquet of flowers. The man before her had bright blond hair and wore tight-fitting jeans and boots like the bikers from TV and even had the gloves and everything. Toby scanned for a motorcycle, and saw a beautiful black Harley sitting in the drive, with two helmets. Toby peddled past with enough decency to eavesdrop on what the man was saying to his sister.

"Sarah, you know I've always loved you – just come with me on this one ride. Please, don't defy me again. You won't regret it, I promise."

"Jar – you… what? Really? Well, I guess one ride couldn't hurt…"

Justin Timberlake – Cry me a River

It was pouring the rain, and Sarah stalked through the castle beyond the Goblin City. Her rage was electric, almost as though the lightening that was shattering the sky outside was really coming from the tips of her hair. Her lower lip quivered, her hands were shaking, and tears almost clouded over her eyes. She had been really happy for once, had gotten those dreams that Jareth had promised her, and it had lasted for a time. And now this, she thought to herself.

Jareth wasn't anywhere to be found, and his little… wench was turned out into that pouring rain to complete her run. Good riddance! I hope he's dead or dying, she had thought when she had walked in on him in a less-than-noble position. 'Cause when I find him, I am going to kill him. Now she was in her gentle room, so flowing with grace and peace, and threw the crystals he had given her against the walls, shattering them into shards of glitter. It didn't require much effort for her to gather the one thing she even really wanted to take away with her, the necklace that Hoggle had given her.

To Sarah, her relationship with Jareth had been more than the incredibly fantastic sex; it had been love, or what she had thought was love. He had led her to believe that it had been more than that for him too, but she knew that a leopard could never change its spots, and she detested him for betraying her feelings so much for his stupid games. It would have been alright if he had come out and said that he was granting the wishes of those girls who ran the Labyrinth and wanted to sleep with him, but he hid it, and it cut her deeper than anything else he could have done, and now, she was finished with him. Through!

His voice was there, his presence taking up the room. She didn't need to see his eyes to know that he knew she felt betrayed. But she did feel his hands on her shoulders and she fought against him as he held her to him, bursting into angry tears and dropping the fists that had beaten against him to allow him to pull her close, feeling the comfort of his arms around her. Why she gave him more than one chance she didn't understand, but maybe there was something more there after all.

Daft Punk – One More Time

Hoggle counted… anyone near the beginning of the Labyrinth could hear his sadistic count. The faeries dropped slowly, but they wouldn't fly around his quarter, no. The magical spray he used effectively cut out their magic and made them just tiny little things that wandered about underfoot. It was the Sand Crawlers that would then take care of the rest, gobbling up whatever little bits of faery were left. Not surprisingly, this little bit of information didn't bother the little goblin.

"Ha! One hundred twenty," he ticked off, kicking his shoe over a pile of dirt, covering the faery properly. He would go home when he reached 200 and then have a nice tea, then maybe pull the See Weeds that had started to grow around his little cottage. It would be a very productive day and he felt like that before dark he would have a significantly less amount of work to worry about the next day. Of course, this was a daily occurrence, but that didn't bother Hoggle at all. It was the path of his life and he enjoyed it.

Of course, he was more or less afraid of what would happen to him if he didn't tend the gardens on the outer wall, but he didn't care to be in Jareth's presence enough to know. He was terrified of the king, and wouldn't take his chances in saying something that would infuriate him. Hoggle had smelled the Stench before, and he wasn't ready to be tipped down head-first anywhere, thankyouverymuch. So, he was content to garden, content to count, and very pleased with maintaining the beginning of the Labyrinth as best he could. Granted, he would enjoy more helpers, but the dwarves had gone up into the mountains long ago and Hoggle couldn't blame them.

Damn that Jareth, and his cruelty!

Now go forth and leave your love! If you want to check out the challenge see Kore of Myth's profile.