Disclaimer : What? You didn't know I owned Labyrinth? Pshaw. Silly mortals.

Jareth : *Intimidatingly doubtful eyebrow arch*

Moi: Well. Kinda. Not really.

Alright, fine, I don't own anything. There, happy?

Jareth: Quite.

Proper Etiquette

Halloween, 1986

"Sarah, it's been three months! Would you please tell me something?" Karen begged from the other side of my bedroom door. I rolled my eyes.

"I've got three boyfriends and they're taking up a lot of time. Not easy juggling dates, you know. In fact, I'm due in the backseat of John Number One's car in seven minutes for a brief struggle and a make-out sesh, so I kind of have to go," I said, with a perfectly straight face, as I opened the door and brushed past her. She huffed and followed me down the stairs.

"Sorry, I guess I should have clarified that I meant something other than a smart-assed reply," she snapped, so close on my heels I could smell her designer perfume outrunning me.

"What, you don't think I could have three boyfriends?" I demanded in mock offense, snatching my coat out of the closet. She crossed her arms and tapped a stylishly-heeled foot impatiently, leveling an impressively intimidating Mother-Glare at me. I gave her an equally well-practiced I'm-A-Teenager, Therefore-Immune-To-Your-Mother-Glare look of acute blasé, and slipped my coat on, reaching for my favorite scarf.

"I thought you wanted me to go out and do stuff," I reminded her, searching my pockets for the matching gloves and hat.

"I want you to have friends, not to disappear for hours on end every day and never tell me what you're doing," she said, dropping her arms in exasperation. A strand of her artfully-gelled hair fell out of place. She carefully tucked it back.

It seemed Dad had noticed that I was around a lot less often and had questioned Karen about it, making her feel inadequate for not knowing, again. I almost felt a little bad for her, but it was still fantastically annoying.

I stopped and sighed, folding my scarf over my arm and turning to face her.

"Alright, look. I'm not running around defacing public property, I'm not doing drugs, I'm not really juggling three boys and their backseat appointments, and I'm not contemplating the vicious, bloody murder of any old ladies. I'm just… trying to find something that I only just realized I'm missing. It's not harmful to anyone, and I don't think you'd really understand, so it would be easier on the both of us if we just left each other well enough alone. Tell Dad I'm volunteering at the library or something," I said, and tugged my gloves and hat on. "I'll be home by seven like I promised, so you two can go to your Halloween party."

Karen looked at me critically for a moment, before sighing softly to herself and nodding.

"Very well. Don't be late," she consented, and reached forward to help me wrap my scarf. She glanced at me, an odd, vaguely confused look in her eyes. "You've changed a lot, you know. Your father's noticed it, but he doesn't realize why it bothers him. I think I understand, though," she said.

I gave her a small smile. "I hope you don't," I said sincerely, in a tone completely absent of malice or challenge, and turned and left, closing the door securely behind me.

Karen was right, I had changed.

I was fairly certain she had no idea why, however. For her sake, I hoped not, anyways.

Four months ago, I had an interesting and enlightening encounter with the haughty, dangerous (and wickedly sexy, though I was definitely not going to admit that to myself), ruler of a kingdom of goblins.

It hadn't ended so well.

After destroying the capital city and similarly-sized ego of the local monarch, I had returned to my inadequate little life Aboveground - back to a father who was reminded of the wife who left him every time he looked at me, back to a stepmother who was reminded that she was her husband's second choice every time I was mentioned, back to a baby brother who I couldn't help but irrationally blame for possessing the attention I had previously held. It wasn't that I didn't love them, but it was the painful sort of love, not the kind I read about in my fairytales; and the stony, unyielding drabness of reality was soul-sucking and cold after such a heavy dose of my fantasies.

The real world and I had never been on good terms, anyhow.

For a few weeks, I had pretended nothing was wrong. Unfortunately, I was a lot worse at pretending than any self-respecting actress should be, and about a month after my return, I decided to face the fact that I was miserable and do something about it, instead of just covering it up with a really crappy concealer.

So, I hunted for magic.

Pushing open the heavy wooden door of the Hoodoo shop, I puffed out a breath of relief and smiled.

This was my favorite place.

It was a little hole-in-the-wall, cramped with hanging baskets and tall shelves, every inch of space cluttered with books and amulets and spices and figurines, with cobwebs and bone dust filling in the nooks and crannies. It smelled vaguely of earth and cinnamon, with the sharp ozone scent I had come to recognize as magic.

Goblin magic, in particular.

A dark haired face poked out from the back room, alerted to my arrival by the tinkling string of seashells above the door.

"Chère Sarah," said the face's owner, a golden skinned, sliver-tongued, Creole boy three years my senior, smiling as he recognized me. I suspected he tolerated me mostly because his mother owned the shop and had taken a liking to me.

She said I smelled like magic.

"Afternoon, Beau," I nodded, slowly unwinding my scarf and closing my eyes briefly. If I let my mind wander, I could almost pretend I wasn't here, in a tiny shop straddling the border of the bad side of town, but rather was standing before a stretch of never-ending wall, ensconced in vines and infested with fairies, with large, ornate doors creaking open to admit me, daring me inside…

"Dinn't think you'd be showin, todey. Thought you was smarter than be walkin all dis way in thet bone-chillin cold, ou'side," he chastised, and I listened to the languid, rounded cadence of his speech with pleasure. He had a low, smooth, baritone voice, and in the heavy air of the shop, I could feel the vibrations of it on my skin as much as hear it. It was like a mug of warm, honeyed milk after coming in from a snowstorm.

I grinned at him, showing my teeth. "Never said I was smart, did I?" I teased. He gave me a small smile and shook his head, stretching in a feline manner and exposing a tempting little slice of a smooth, slightly-muscled stomach above his low-slung jeans. I noticed, without any particular interest. He was attractive, I supposed, and comfortable, familiar, and perfectly safe.

Boring, almost.

I fiddled with a complicated little amulet on the counter nearest me, and tried not to think about why the attractive, familiar, safe boy before me wouldn't spark my interest even if he danced around in a sequined gold thong.

Well. Actually, he might spark my interest then. A little.

"Is Maman Delia around?" I asked, trying not to blush at that mental image. My efforts weren't entirely successful.

I thought I caught a little glimpse of a smirk as Beau slid into the chair behind the register counter, propping his feet up, and decided to pretend I hadn't. The idea of him guessing the direction of that stray thought was mortifying.

"Shez in 'de back, tradin. Be out soon, though, iffnn you wanna stick aroun," he said, and I settled down on the edge of the counter, folding one of my legs up under me, leaning forward eagerly.

"Trading? Who with? Someone new?" I asked, knowing I was probably being a little annoying, but that he wouldn't mind. Beau was used to me by now.

He chuckled at me and folded his arms behind his head casually, the picture of nonchalance. "Yeh, some'un new. Odd fellah, him, kina stiff-like," he mused, and I just barely saw the sideways glance he threw me. My heartbeat sped up.

"What do you mean, stiff? Like, arrogant? Obviously used to being in charge? Could crush your skull with a crystal ball if he could be bothered to care that much?" I demanded, palms flat on the table as I hovered excitedly. Beau outright laughed at me, but I couldn't quite bring myself to be embarrassed.

"Dun know 'bout dem crystals, but the res'of it holds up," he agreed, and I couldn't decide if I was short of breath from fear or desperate hopefulness.

I glanced apprehensively at the back room, bending down to whisper conspiratorially at Beau. "What does he look like? Whipcord lean? Poofy blonde hair? Ridiculously tight pants?"

My informant's eyes glittered with obvious amusement. "Can't say I was inpectin' his britches, but yeh, sounds 'bout right."

My gaze bored into the curtain that led to the back room, as though I could see the object of my curiosity if I but concentrated hard enough. I wondered distractedly if Jareth could see through walls. Did he know I was here?

The spaces in my vertebrae filled with ice.

What would Jareth do, if we met again?

I found it hard to imagine him being glad to see me. After all, I had beaten him, hadn't I? The villains usually didn't become buddies with the heroines after having their evil egos stomped all over. I mean, if I were in his position (not that I ever would be, because stealing helpless babies is a really horrible past time, but just hypothetically), I certainly would not be interested in seeing the person who had just totally trampled me at my own game. In fact, I would probably be extremely tempted to lock them in an oubliette for a millennia or so with a couple of angry crabs. Or lobsters, maybe - they had bigger claws.

I scrambled off the counter, fumbling in my pockets for my gloves and hat, and stumbled toward the door on suddenly wobbly legs.

"Cheri?" Beau called, confused, and I glanced at the curtain, suddenly absolutely positive that Jareth was going to sense my presence any second now and come after me, all fury and magic and danger -

"I have to go," I said quickly, and struggled with the door for a moment before I remembered I had to pull not push - were those footsteps I heard?-

I wrenched hard at the door, wondering how far away I could get before he caught up with me - did I dare go home? -

And felt it being obstructed by the large, golden-skinned hands holding it to the doorframe. I whipped my head around, panicking, and fixed Beau with a terrified stare. I was sure I looked like a deer in the proverbial headlights, but couldn't work up the vanity or pride to care.

"Beau, let me out!" I hissed. He was close, way too close, and his arms barred any easy escape. I felt my already shallow breathing quicken even more.

"Sarah, what d'you think you're doin?" he demanded, not moving an inch. "You come round here ev'ry dey, lookin for thet magic you tasted, an now it's here, you gonna run?"

I shook my head frantically. "No, Beau, you don't understand, he'll be furious if he sees me, please, I can't stay-"

"Cher, what you been needin for dese las' three months is righ' back dere, an if you gon' run an hide from it, den you don' deserve it," he said, his voice low and sharp, and I jerked like he'd slapped me.

He was right, though.

I'd been craving any sort of magic, not only haunting this shop but the Wicca store two blocks over, and the occult shop down the street, and the mythology professors at the college, and anyone I met who had that look in their eyes - anything at all that bore even the faintest whisper of what this world was so utterly lacking, I had devoured.

And now, the embodiment of it all was right in the next room, and I was going to flee like the worst sort of coward imaginable, and I'd probably lose it forever.

I felt my breathing slow, and I looked back up at Beau. He watched my face for a moment, then nodded to me with approval in his dark eyes.

"Dis is more like my Cher Sarah," he said quietly, and removed his hands from the door, crossing them over his chest. "For a minute, dere, I though' that fire wen out. But I see it now," he said, tapping two fingers over his heart. "Still hungry an stupid," he smirked.

I grinned. "I feel like I ought to be offended by that," I said, and ambled back over to my previous spot on the counter, reclaiming my seat and comfortably folding a leg back under me, as Beau returned to reclining in his chair.

I wasn't going to show Jareth I was even the least little bit afraid of him. Even if I did want to run, throw myself down the nearest hole, and pull it in after me. Without the knowledge that Toby needed me, was depending on me to save him, would be the one to suffer if I failed, the idea of going toe-to-toe with an angry king was positively bone-chilling.

I wondered vaguely how Hoggle had ever found the courage to stand up to him.

It was a good thing it didn't take long for Maman Delia to conclude her business, because I was starting to get antsy again when she finally burst in the room, with her colorful wrap-dress and head-scarf and various beaded necklaces clinking merrily.

"I been thought I smell'd you in here, Ma Cheri," she boomed, her voice strong and warm. She immediately came over and wrapped me up in a hug, kissing my cheek.

"Well, I totally showered today," I joked, and she smiled at me.

"Ma fille, you don never gonna be rid of thet smell. I'd know you from a mile away," she said, and I laughed.

"Geez, you sure know how to flatter a girl," I teased, and felt my grin falter as a tall, blonde figure emerged from behind the curtain.

It wasn't Jareth.

A veritable legion of conflicting emotions assaulted me, relief and chagrin at the forefront. It was a little cocky of me to really think that The Goblin King would actually be hovering around Aboveground, dealing with shopkeepers, in my hometown, wasn't it? In retrospect, it was probably pretty dumb of me to have gotten all worked up like that. It was just some other blonde guy.

However, The Other Blonde Guy was definitely not human.

Cool, slate grey eyes regarded me with mild amusement, his nostrils flaring, and I wondered if he could smell the magic on me, too. I studied his features. They were less severe, though still defined, and though his hair was rather ruffled, it was quite a bit shorter and tamer than Jareth's. Also, his pants were of a more reasonable cut. I had no idea what size his package was.

"So, you're Her, are you?" he said, disrupting my ponderings on his level of endowment in comparison to a certain monarch's. I tried really hard not to blush.

"Depends on which 'her' you're talking about," I replied evenly, far less jittery now that I knew I wasn't in danger of a stray crystal being flung with malicious intent at my skull.

The Other Blonde Guy smirked. "Oh, yes. Definitely Her." He gave me a once over, and my skin prickled slightly. "I can see him on you." His lips twitched in dry amusement, and he reached out, taking my wrist and turning it over. "He left marks all over you, didn't he?" he murmured, inspecting my palm - the palm Jareth had held, when we danced.

I bristled. His detached tone irked me, like he was telling a particularly smart cow that it had been branded.

"Hmm. I don't recall leaving any marks on him. How careless," I said, and met his eyes with a cold, steely confidence. "Perhaps you could deliver a message for me?" I said with a smile to match my sharp look, and flicked my long, manicured fingernails in a catlike gesture.

His eyes clouded for a moment, and I thought with a little jolt that I may have gone just a step too far. I was contemplating a quick retreat when he suddenly smiled, and I was sure the feisty little grin I'd given him looked positively cuddly next to his.

"I'm afraid I'll have to pass, kitten. I fear your impression would be slightly more… permanent. I'll leave it for you to take care of when next you meet," he said, clearly finding me quite entertaining. He released me, standing up and cocking his head, as though I might make more sense from a different angle. "I see why, now," he said under his breath, and I leaned forward, unsure I'd heard him right. He tilted his head back and winked at me.

"Perhaps we will meet again, kitten," he said, and bowed, as though we were in some sort of royal court, then turned back to Maman Delia. I frowned at him, a rather unpleasantly sharp remark on my tongue, but I felt Beau pinch my side discreetly. I glanced at him, a little surprised to find him tensed and standing behind me, an arm braced defensively on either side of me. He briefly looked down at me and almost imperceptibly shook his head. I frowned at him, too. Like I really needed Beau to protect me from some fairy jerk?

Maman Delia escorted The Other Blonde Guy out, and came back to Beau and me, fire sparking in her eyes.

"Girl, are you dam stupid?" she demanded, and I started, leaning back a little into Beau. He didn't back away from me, but he didn't keep his arms defensively braced, either.

"What?"

"Thet was not a man, jus' come through here. Thet was a snake wrapped up ina nice face, an you done fenced wiv'em. Don' you know a threat wen it's gotta knife at your neck?" she growled, and I blinked.

"He was nothing, compared to Jareth," I said, shrugging. It was Maman Delia's turn to blink. I glanced up at Beau when he laughed behind me.

"Shez gotta point, Maman," he chuckled. "What threat's a snake, wen you done kill't the lion?"

Maman Delia glowered at him for a moment, before stalking off to the back room again, muttering about how a snake can kill you just as dead as a lion, without the mess. I leaned around, trying to see her, and propped an elbow on my knee, resting my head in my hand.

"Do you think she'll stay mad at me?" I asked Beau quietly as he went back to his chair. He snorted.

"You are her ange petit, Chère. She ain'ever mad at you," he said, and I cast him a doubtful glance. He smirked and nodded at the back room, where Maman Delia was still rummaging around, grumbling darkly in what sounded like very angry French. A loud crash resounded through the shop, followed by even angrier French.

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "Was that supposed to make me feel better?

He laughed. "You'll see. Jus' wait."

I sighed and brought my other leg up, sitting Indian style, and fiddling with an intricate looking knot I plucked from a basket. I had almost traced the entire length of it, occasionally wincing when something noisy happened in the back room, when Beau leaned forward, looking at me oddly.

"So, dis Jareth," he said, and my stomach fluttered a little. I tried not to think about him too often - it seemed like daring him to come toss another death-contraption at me or something - and therefore had only outlined my trip through the Labyrinth in sketchy detail. I suspected Maman Delia knew more than I had told her, but Beau only knew vaguely of Jareth. I had mostly talked to him about my friends and the goblins. I'd hoped Beau wouldn't get curious about him.

I arched an eyebrow in acknowledgement, not moving my gaze from the knot in my hands.

"He mus'a been real wickid, if jus' maybe meetin'em be gettin you all flighty like thet," he said, and I blushed a little.

"He was… pretty terrifying," I consented, remembering what he had told me, as his castle disintegrated around us. You cowered before me; I was frightening. "He threw a lot of dangers and hardships my way. It was scary, sometimes."

I saw Beau cock his head, out of the corner of my eye. "But… you don' hate'em," he said, and I whipped my head up.

"He stole my brother," I said sharply. "Of course I hate him. He would have turned Toby into a goblin. We were enemies."

Beau gave me a steady look. "Yeh. You was enemies."

I blinked, and narrowed my eyes. "We are enemies. I beat him, but he's evil. He'd probably suspend me over a pond of starving leeches as soon as look at me," I said, and went back to my knot, deciding that the unpleasant feeling in my stomach was solely related to the fact that I had skipped lunch.

Beau said nothing, leaning back in his chair again and popping his feet up next to me. I refused to look and see what expression he was wearing.

Maman Delia stormed out from the back room, clutching a small bag tied to a string necklace in her hand, and gave me a hard look.

"You is gonna wear dis from now on, and keep thet fool tongue in your fool hed," she told me, draping the bag around my neck and tucking it under my sweater. I nodded meekly. She gave me a satisfied nod before turning to Beau. "An you is gonna take her home, an make sure don' no snakes creep up'un her while shez busy killin' lions," she said firmly, to which he grinned and nodded as well. She gave me a fierce hug and promptly stomped back off behind the curtain, presumably to go make some more loud crashes and swear in angry French.

Beau grinned fondly in her direction, hauling himself up and donning his coat.

"C'mon, Cheri, bes' be gone home 'fore the spiders ketch wind and join the fun," he teased, and I gave him a sarcastic smile as I wrapped my scarf securely around my neck. Looked like I'd be home early, for once - Karen would be ecstatic.

I rolled my eyes at the tall blonde king standing uncertainly before me, and made a 'shoo'-ing gesture at him.

"Go, already! You're gonna be late," I told him, and looked pointedly at his queen, standing several feet behind him, impatiently consulting her watch.

Dad adjusted his plastic crown, and cast one last glance at his children, hovering by the candy bowl near the door, before sighing and donning his cape.

"We're still going to have a talk about this when I get home," he said sternly, and Karen sighed.

"Robert, she has a boyfriend, he walked her home, and then he left. It's not the end of the world. However, if I am late to this party, it is going to be the end of someone's world. One guess who's," she threatened, and Dad smiled indulgently at her. I decided not to bother fixing her ideas.

"Sorry, darling. Let's go," he relented, and leaned over to kiss Toby and I on the forehead, careful not to smudge my face paint. "Be safe, you two," he warned. I forced a smile and nodded like a good daughter.

"Happy Halloween. Have fun," I replied, and closed the door behind them. Toby gurgled in my arms, and leaned toward the candy, waving his hands. I grinned at him.

"Alright, Tobes. But only a couple. Don't want you getting sick," I said, and unwrapped a lollipop for him. He waved it around happily before sucking on it as though it were the most delicious thing he'd ever eaten. Though, judging by the faces he makes when Karen feeds him her special homemade baby food, it very well may be.

I walked him back up to my room and set him on the floor, laying my bear Lancelot next to him, and sat down at my vanity.

"Guys, I need you," I said, and but a few seconds later, there was a dwarf, a knight, and a yeti crowded onto my bed.

"Baga!" Toby said excitedly around his lollipop, clapping his hands. Hoggle rolled his eyes.

"For the last time, it's Hoggle," he snapped. Toby just giggled and drooled a little.

"Sawah scary," Ludo commented, and I grinned at him, baring a set of cheap plastic fangs.

"I'm a vampire, tonight," I told him, and cackled evilly as I swooped down, snatching Toby up and whirling him around as he shrieked in delight. "And this is my victim!"

"Worry not, Young Master, I shall champion you! Upon my honor, your blood shall not be spilt this night!" Didymus cried, leaping to my brother's defense, waving his sword about impressively.

"Your petty weapons are no match for me, Sir Knight! Abandon your hopeless quest, before I smite you!" I crowed, stalking around him in the creepiest fashion I could manage with a drooling baby on my hip.

"Never! Have at thee!" he declared, and sprung at me with a battle cry. I defended myself with a hastily grabbed coat hanger, while Hoggle and Ludo cheered and catcalled from the sidelines.

Dad and Karen usually went out on the weekends, because Karen was a social butterfly and Dad was a hopeless pushover, and I was generally left to baby sit. I didn't mind anymore, however; babysitting was really just an excuse to have my friends over. We would romp around and play until Toby got tired, and after we put him to bed we usually played a few games of Scrabble and chatted. They would leave when the Old Folks came home, with a promise to always be there whenever I needed them as they disappeared back through my mirror, and I would sit on my bed and wave.

Not tonight, though.

They had no idea what I was planning, and I didn't let anything on while we played. I wasn't sure my Ingenious Plan would work, and I wanted to surprise them with my resourcefulness and knowledge if it did. I was pretty sure it would. After all, there was no reason for it not to. Not that I could see, anyways. And I had done it before, hadn't I? Sure, it had been with the help of the Goblin King, but still… it should totally work.

I hoped.

It was quarter to midnight when my parents finally came home, and after pleading exhaustion to my father's attempts at discussing Beau's escort earlier today, I retreated back to my room to say goodbye to my friends.

"Happy Halloween, Sarah! And remember, should you need us…" Hoggle said as he faded, the last to leave, and I smiled at him.

"I'll call," I said, and waited until the last possible instant to implement my Ingenious Plan.

Just as my little dwarf was only barely visible, I flung the root-and-bone dust I had gotten from Maman Delia's shop over us, and latched onto his now tangible arm. There was a sudden suffocating sensation, like being pushed through a wall of thin rubber that molded around you, and then a sharp sting as I felt it part, and then I was standing in a tiny hut holding onto a very irritated dwarf.

"You stupid girl!" Hoggle all but shouted, wrenching his arm out of my grasp and taking a swing at me. I laughed and easily avoided it, holding him at bay with one of my long arms braced on his forehead.

"It worked! Holy cow, it totally worked!" I giggled, and briefly let go of him to spin in place. My black cape billowed about me, and I raced outside, clutching onto the ends as I danced and twirled, grinning like a madwoman, as I felt the magic and impish nature of the Labyrinth seeping back into me.

This was where I belonged.

"Sarah, you don't belong here!" Hoggle hissed at me as I ran past him, and I laughed at him.

"You have no idea how wrong you are, friend!" I replied, giddier than I had ever felt. I stopped, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. The faint, underlying odor of ozone at Maman Delia's shop was overwhelming here - it permeated everything, and I was suddenly sure that no matter how many showers I took, she was right, I would never be rid of this smell -

"No, you're wrong!" he growled, stomping over to me. I rolled my eyes.

"Take a chill pill, Hoggle. I'm not staying permanently. I just wanted to come visit for a couple of hours. Quit being such a killjoy," I told him, standing still and propping my hands on my hips. "I miss it here. I figured, if I could come visit every now and then, maybe I wouldn't be so miserable Aboveground. I'm not planning on, like, moving here or anything, though."

"You don't understand! When you're here, in his Labyrinth, he has power over you!" Hoggle pleaded, and I felt my bones turn to ice again.

"What? No, I'm just hanging out, I never -"

"He rules this place, Sarah, and you are in it. Six little words can't change that," he said, and I looked around in a panic.

"Does he know I'm here?" I whispered, suddenly expecting him to pop up and demolish me in a particularly unpleasant fashion. I was really worried about stray crystals again.

"How should I know? Look, let's just get you back before he comes and dumps us both in the bog."

I shivered - I was worried about way worse things than the bog.

I followed Hoggle inside again, sitting obediently as he tried several spells or incantations or whatever, and started getting antsy when the fifth one hadn't worked.

"Why isn't anything happening?" I asked quietly, as Hoggle paced in a worried manner, after the seventh try had failed.

"Why? You want to know why? Because humans aren't supposed to leave the Labyrinth, that's why! I have no clue how to get rid of a human! Only Jareth ever does that!" he ranted, and the mass of icy serpents in the pit of my stomach writhed uncomfortably. It took me a moment, but I finally put voice to the fear I'd been hosting ever since our first try didn't work.

"Do you think he's blocking me?" I whispered, my eyes on the floor. I saw Hoggle's feet stop, and didn't want to look at his face.

"Come on. We've got to get you out of here," he said after a moment, and grabbed my hand to lead me outside.

"Wasn't that what we've been trying to do?" I asked, confused, as I followed him. He shook his head.

"We were trying to get you out of the Underground. Now, I'm getting you out of his Labyrinth, until we can figure something out," he said.

I sighed. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. I was just coming down for a little while. I wasn't staying… I had a home, Aboveground…

A home you hate, a little voice whispered, and I frowned. I didn't hate it, it was just…

Cold. Barren, the voice supplied. Lonely.

Lonely.

Yes, it was lonely.

Sure, I had Karen and Dad and Toby, but I wasn't really there with them. I interacted with them when necessary, but I hid the most fundamental parts of myself from them. Was that really how a family acted?

And then there was Maman Delia, but… she conversed with Underground inhabitants all the time. I could probably still get messages to her and stuff. And really, the only reason I had become so close to her was because she reminded me of the Underground.

Where I was, right now.

Suddenly, I wasn't worried about going home anymore. Really, it hadn't been my home for four months.

This was home.

I was home.

The lost and the lonely, that's Underground…

AN: Yay! Just a little blip that took hold during the Halloween Candy Shopping Extravaganza, and refused to let go. And to my Mayhem Abounding readers! I am still writing on it, fear not, but you know how Jareth gets. All about him... New story? Why not. Right now? Sure thing. Blasted faerie...

Reviews are always appreciated!