I think this is the longest chapter yet :D

disclaimer: ...seriously? yadda yadda, you know the drill.

Jareth had long since come to the conclusion that logic, or at least logic as he knew it, did not exist in the Labyrinth. He had thought that at his age he would have a firm grasp on the relation of night and day. After all, more often than not he had found himself half blinded by the rising sun on his commute to work and assaulted again by its setting upon his return home. He had always thought that the sun hung low in the horizon for a handful of minutes before sinking fully and giving way to night. This did not seem to be the case in the labyrinth. The pale orange glow of the sun had been half below the horizon when he first entered the forest path, and had yet to budge despite the long passage of time. Jareth had also come to notice that no matter how twisted the path, the sun stayed to his immediate right.

He had tried twice to leave the path, another adventure in failed logic. The forest stretched for as far as he could see to the left, but appeared to end a mere ten yards to his right, where a meadow stretched out to the half-set sun. The first time he left the path, he navigated through the thick under brush and around the trees only to find that what should have been a first step into the meadow was instead a step back onto the path. The second time he tried, no matter how far he ventured, a glance behind him revealed he was never more than a few feet from the path. It was quite difficult to leave a path that did not want to be left behind.

If being held hostage to a possessive forest path wasn't irritating enough, the inability to track the passage of time was enough to drive a sane man mad. Luckily for Jareth, his sanity had left him some time ago. After much more walking, and cursing of current foot wear, he came upon a fork in the path. The path to the left veered deeper into the woods, where the trees appeared even denser, and the path was littered with underbrush before disappearing into almost complete darkness. The path to the right veered off into an opened meadow filled with the warm light of the setting sun. The choice was almost too obvious, and it left Jareth standing with a small frown as he contemplated his options. He turned slightly in either direction, studying the surrounding area for some sort of hint or clue as to which path to choose.

"The path to the right would appear to be the better choice, if only because it might allow me to get a bearing on the direction of the castle. However, the path ends once the meadow begins." Turning glance down the other path, he continued, "This path seems straight out of a horror movie, with the only advantage being that the path continues." Squinting slightly, he peered further down the path. "Is that…is that fog I see? What's next? Some boogie man hiding in the bushes?" Folding his arms across his chest, and giving a glance to both, he moved a step closer to the right and paused. "However…if things are not always what they seem…" He took a step back before closing his eyes and raking a hand through his short hair, mumbling death threats to an absent monarch.

As he opened his eyes, a flash of white caught his attention, and he whirled around to find its source. Fluttering lazily around him, mere inches from his head was a large, white, glowing moth. Jareth could only stare, instantly mesmerized. His left hand rose, seemingly of its own accord, and reached out towards it, before he stopped, just shy of reaching it. The moth seemed to hesitate for the briefest of moments before turning and landing gracefully on Jareth's outstretched fingers. The small creature was so light, that had Jareth not seen its landing, it would have never registered. Slowly, he brought his hand closer to his face, studying the delicate wings with a sense of awe. They were white, and so thin as to be nearly translucent. The veins that criss-crossed its surface in a delicate design glowed brightly, pulsing steadily to an unknown rhythm.

Suddenly the moth lit to a blinding intensity, before the entire creature seemed to cave in on itself, leaving a glowing orb that shot down his hand and wrapped itself around Jareth's middle finger. It happened so fast that it was done before he could even register the shock of what was happening. He stared in horror as the glowing band dimmed to the slightest of glows. A thick metal ring wrapped seamlessly around his finger. A thin band of gold inscribed with minute characters was flanked on either side by wider bands of plain silver. It was at least a half inch in width, with the gold inscriptions emitting a soft light. Grasping the ring with his other hand he tried to pull it off, only to find that the harder he tugged, the tighter it dug into his finger. Giving up with a frustrated sigh, he yelled to the forest "Fine! I'll keep the damned thing on." Turning on his heel, he stalked down the path to the left, storming further into the surrounding darkness.

Sarah smiled as she took another sip of tea. Tabby sat next to her, regaling her goblin friends with exaggerated tales of adventures with her pet rabbit. Org was wide eyed and entranced, moving only to shove the occasional cookie in his mouth. Idgit sat in slack-jawed amazement, hands gripping his long forgotten cupcake. Bleug chewed slowly on a silver tea spoon, petting the chicken that was, amazingly, sitting calmly on his lap. Even Seaf was listening intently. Tabby paused in her tale to sip her drink, more sugar and honey than actual tea. Sarah had a sweet tooth herself, but Tabby's would have put even the sugar plum fairy to shame.

Setting down her cup gently, Sarah cast a glance at Seaf. He turned, reluctantly, catching her slight nod, and returned it with one of his own. She sat back in the chair, hands folded on her lap, and let a piece of her magic reach out past the walled courtyard and out into the labyrinth. With a small smile as the connection was made, she let her mind slip away.

Jareth stood, eyes closed, hands clenched into fists by his side. The path had led him deep into the heart of the forest, plunging him into a darkness that was barely held at bay by the full moon overhead. It had twisted and turned until he completely lost all sense of direction. A glance behind after he had walked some distance showed the path behind him disappearing with each step forward, replaced by towering trees and thorn bushes. His temper seemed to rise with each step forward, and had there been any creature on that darkened path, they stayed well out of his sight. He stood now at the end of the path. It had led him to the edge of a massive lake that seemed to span the entire horizon. The water laid as still as glass, reflecting everything is saw as precise as any mirror ever could.

Opening his eyes, he stared at his reflection. A faint flare of light caught the corner of his eye, and he watched as a woman dressed in white appeared, seated in the low slung branch of a tree behind him. Turning from the reflection, he face the tree only to find nothing there. Turning back to the lake, he saw that the figure remained in the reflection.

"Who are you?" He demanded, watching as the reflected image of the woman tilted her head, as if studying him. After a moment, it replied with a throaty chuckle "And here I thought you had missed me."

His eyes narrowed in recognition, and he turned to face her, letting out a growl as the realization dawned that her reflection was the closest he would be getting to her. Turning back to the lake, he willed his jaw to unclench. "What do you want?" He snarled.

She stared back at him, a soft smile tilting her lips as she replied, "I was merely checking on your progress. I am somewhat honor bound to do so, you realize. Can't have mortals running about unchecked, now can I?" At his continued silence, she grinned and made a show of smoothing out her full skirt, adjusting how it fell over her legs and from the branch she was sitting. "Ah, yes, my new dress. Do you like it? My dear little Tabitha created it for me. Such an imagination, that one. Her new friends are most eager to have her join them…permanently." Giving a dramatic sigh, and a final brush to her dress, she continued, "Honestly Jareth, you look so tired…as if you could fall asleep where you stand. You have such a busy day tomorrow, so many meetings, and those new clients. Go home. Get some sleep. Tabitha will be fine here. You have your whole life in front of you, no need to have some child tie you down," she finished, feigning interest in the gems strung about her wrist.

"Give her back." He spoke so softly she almost hadn't heard him. "She's mine. I refuse to allow you to take her from me," he continued, each word gaining more strength and volume until he was practically shouting.

"Well," Sarah responded calmly, "I'm afraid I've already taken her, and it was your words that allowed me to. Complete the labyrinth if you wish to win her back" Frowning at his murderous glare, her reflection wavered in the tree a moment only to solidify standing next to his. "For one who demands fairness from others, you seem incapable of reciprocation. There are forces at work here far greater than your insignificant mind could ever begin to fathom. The rules exists for a reason, even if they make no sense to you or your misguided notions of fair play."

"There is no rule in existence that can't be broken. End this now and return Tabby to me," he ground out, eyes filling with anger and hatred as they focused on her. She closed her eyes and gave a sad shake of her head. "The rules were broken once before Jareth…I don't think I'd survive should I break them again."

"Do you actually think I give a damn what happens to you?" he asked with a sneer. "You bring me here, force me to run this overgrown maze, where I've been accosted by birds and statues threatening bodily harm, and forced down this path that leads nowhere –"

Sarah looked at him sharply, interrupting his tirade. "I have done everything that you have asked of me with only one exception. I have forced you nowhere. The path you have chosen was chosen by you alone. Perhaps someday you will come to realize just how generous I have been." Looking at him intently, she added quietly "Not everything here is as it seems…but sometimes a meadow is just that. A meadow."

Thrusting his left hand up to the reflection he retorted "And other times it's wise to be cautious of feigned innocence. What the hell is this ring, and why won't it come off?"

Turning away, she replied, "It has no need to at the moment." She glanced at him over her shoulder. "A gift, to ease your mind…just say her name. By the way, you have nine hours left. Call for me when you wish to declare your defeat." She raised a hand and a burst of light shot through the sky. Jareth turned his startled gaze upon it. It lit the darkness, revealing the edge of the lake. The other side of the shore, while distant, showed a break in the trees and what looked to be a continued path. If he kept to the edge of the water and hurried, he hazard to guess that he might reach it within the half hour.

Glancing around, he saw no sign of the Goblin Queen. Fuming, he set off in search of the path he'd seen when a weight in his front shirt pocket slowed him to a halt. Reaching in he pulled out a small circular mirror, backed in gold, covered in the now familiar markings he'd seen throughout his time in the labyrinth. Cupping it gently between both hands, he thought a moment, then whispered Tabby's name.

A light swirled from beneath the glass, revealing the image as if it were emerging from a fog. Tabby sat at a large table filled with sweets, surrounded by four seated goblins who appeared to be chatting quite animatedly with her. She looked over at someone excitedly before jumping down from her chair, three of the goblins following closely behind. Jareth's brow rose as he recognized the one as helping him find the entrance to the labyrinth. His eyes narrowed as he watched Tabby throw her arms around the Queen's neck, her eyes filled with excitement as she spoke, then paused as the Queen replied, before planting a kiss upon the lady's cheek and running off to play with the goblins.

Jareth stood still, staring at the mirror in his hands long after the images had faded away. Mechanically, he placed it back within his pocket, and forced his legs to carry him around the lake.

Don't worry, I didn't forget about this story. I can't say how regular the updates will be, but it won't be abandoned.

Thanks to all my reviewers once again, as well as those of you that faved it during it's long hiatus. Thanks for sticking around, I appreciate it!

Midu: nope, you're canon crazy. but fear not, for there will be a twist of most epic proportions...unless it leaks...therefore there shall be no guessing of said epic twist allowed!

Cassie MM: It will be made clearer later on, but basically, the level of inner evilness determines the level of labyrinth challenge...ness? The path Jareth is taking is supposedly a bit skewed from what Sarah had thought it would be.

Lightning Eterna: Huh, hadn't thought of that, but it does seem to mirror it quite nicely :-) I was honestly just trying to keep poor Tabby entertained lol

To everyone else: Yay! glad you liked it, and hope this update doesn't disappoint.