DISCLAIMER: I do not own Jareth (wish I did sometimes), Sarah, or any of the characters from Labyrinth. They belong to Jim Henson and those responsible for the making of the wonderful masterpiece that is Labyrinth. I also do not own Jack, Sally and the characters from Nightmare before Christmas. They belong to Tim Burton and those responsible for that classic film as well. This was written for fun and I make no profit from it.
Chapter 13
Once safely back in Jareth's Kingdom, the Goblin King ordered his troops to go back to the castle while he and Sarah's friends escorted the 3 young ladies home. Jareth used his magic to make Ambrosius larger to accommodate more riders. Hoggle and Ludo rode with Didymus on the now gigantic sheep dog. Beckie and Whit paired up on Luna, while Jareth and Sarah took Thunder. As they rode, Sarah told her friends how she met Jareth and all of her friends in the Underground. Jareth had to smile at the fact that she left a few details of her adventure out of her telling of it. Mainly the ballroom dream. She told them his peach made her forget everything. He wondered her reasons for not telling them about the dream.
Beckie and Whit were quiet during most of her tale, only interrupting to ask a question here or there. Beckie wanted to know more about the fairies and the creatures she met along the way. Whit was interested in the Labyrinth itself, how it moved, how large was it, and what it looked like.
"You'll get a glimpse of it before you return home," Jareth assured her.
When Sarah got to the end of her adventure, Jareth got very quiet and she noticed his muscles tensed. She knew he probably didn't want to think about their final confrontation, much less hear her retell it. So she did her best to keep it short. "So I confronted Jareth in the castle and got Toby back," she said quickly.
"Wait, all that and he let you leave?" Whit asked.
"Sarah defeated my Labyrinth fairly. So by the laws of my Kingdom she became our Champion. All she had to do was make it to the castle within 13 hours. The moment she entered my throne room, she had won."
"What?" Sarah turned to look at Jareth. "Then the Escher room?"
"My final desperate attempt. I had hoped to keep you here." Jareth grinned. "Besides, you wanted to face your villain alone because that's how it's done isn't it?" Sarah remembered telling her friends that when they wanted to go with her. "And you know I did my best to live up to all your expectations."
Sarah nodded. "Yes you did." She turned back to face forward.
Beckie and Whit looked at one another and smirked. "I've got an idea," Whit whispered.
"So do I," Beckie whispered back, practically giggling with delight. The two continued to whisper and plot until they arrived back at the Labyrinth. The remainder of the journey, Jareth and Sarah both had been silent and deep in thought. Their thoughts were interrupted by Beckie's shout. "Wow! Is that your home?"
Jareth looked up and smiled. "Yes. Beyond the Labyrinth is the Goblin city and in the center is my castle."
"Can we go see it?" Beckie asked.
"No!"
"Yes." Sarah and Jareth replied at the same time.
"We should get home," Sarah said quickly. Part of her still worried that Jareth wouldn't let her go home.
"Sarah is correct. Perhaps you three can visit again sometime," Jareth stated. He dismounted and helped Sarah down. "I'll show you the doorway, once you know it you can come and go as you please." He led them to the old tree and turned to them. "Pressing the knot activates the portal. I'll travel with you this time and reorder time so you won't be missed. I'll give you a moment to say goodbye to your friends Sarah." Jareth turned his back to her and gave a heavy sigh.
Sarah turned to Hoggle, Ludo, and Didymus. "Thank you for helping me once again."
"For you, anything my Lady." Didymus bowed to her.
"Ludo and Sawah friends. Ludo help friends." He hugged Sarah and turned to Beckie and Whit. "Friends?"
"I'd love to be your friend." Beckie hugged Ludo and Whit nodded and did the same.
Hoggle tugged on Sarah's shirt. "Now you watch out. Don't you be letting that rat trick you. And should you need us..."
"I'll call." Sarah grinned. "It feels good to be able to share this with friends. Now you guys don't have to leave when Beckie and Whit come over."
They said their goodbyes and Sarah placed her hand on Jareth's shoulder. "We're ready to go home."
Nodding, Jareth took her hand. "Hold on to one another and close your eyes. This may be a little disorienting." Beckie hugged Sarah. Whit hugged Beckie, and Sarah clung to Jareth's arm. He pressed the knot on the old tree and activated the portal. As they traveled through, he worked his magic to turn back time. He wanted to go back to the beginning of the night, but he knew he couldn't. There were limits to his magic after all. Once through, they found themselves outside the house the Halloween party had been at.
"We're back," Whit said as she looked around.
Glancing at her watch, Beckie's mouth dropped open. "Is it really 10 pm?"
"Yes," Jareth said sadly. "That should give you plenty of time to get home without question."
"I'm not expected home until midnight. Dad and Irene won't be home til then or later," Sarah explained.
"I told mom I'd be at Sarah's tonight," Beckie said with a grin.
"So did I," Whit smirked.
"Sleepover at Sarah's!" they cried together.
Sarah laughed. "Alright, but we have to be quiet once dad and Irene get home."
"Of course," Whit answered.
They started walking towards her house, but Sarah noticed someone wasn't with them. She turned back and saw Jareth headed back for the portal. "Jareth!" she called as she ran back.
Beckie and Whit stopped and grinned. "Let's give them a few minutes," Whit suggested.
"Sounds good to me," Beckie said as she hugged her girlfriend.
Jareth stopped and turned when he heard Sarah call him. "Where do you think you're going?" she asked once she reached him.
"Home. I reordered time for you Precious, but for me Samhain is over. I can't go far from the portal and I can't be here long." He cupped her chin and made her look him in the eyes. "If you ever need me all you need do is call. I will always answer your call dearest Sarah."
"So...if I just wanted to see you or talk..."
"All you need do is call for me. No strings, no tricks. I shall come and go as you wish, and fear not, I shall stay away from young Toby," Jareth said with a smile.
"Alright, well, take care Goblin King. Don't kick the goblins too hard." She held her hand out to him and he frowned.
Sighing, he took her hand and placed a kiss on it. As she started to pull away, Jareth pulled her into his arms and embraced her. He had a feeling that she wasn't going to call for him. Once again he had failed to win her heart.
"Goodbye my Precious Sarah," he whispered before placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. He let her go and turned to the tree. Before she could reply, he was gone.
Sarah stared at the place he had been standing. His goodbye had seemed a little too final for her liking. Did he think she wouldn't call for him? Would she call on him? Sarah honestly didn't know herself. Sighing, she turned and headed home. Beckie and Whit were waiting a short distance away. "Where's your King?" Whit asked.
"He went home. He can't be here unless I wish for him," Sarah said as she walked with her head down.
"Then wish for him," Beckie said.
"I'm not sure I should. He's dangerous."
"Dangerous can be fun," Whit said with a grin.
"And it's obvious he's nuts about you," Beckie added.
"You really think so?" Sarah asked.
"Oh no, I don't believe the fairy tale King is head over heels in love with his Precious Sarah," Beckie teased, her voice full of sarcasm.
"She's right. He constantly called you his Sarah or Precious. Sounded like love to me," Whit agreed.
"What am I supposed to do? Run off to the Underground and be the Goblin Queen" Sarah laughed.
"Why not?" Whit asked.
"Seems like the goblins already love you," Beckie added.
"He's basically immortal. He's already over a 1000 years old," Sarah protested. "My life will pass in a blink of an eye to him, so even if he does love me he'll watch me grow old. He won't want to be with me when I'm old and ugly."
"Sarah, the guy can reorder time and move stars," Beckie argued. "How do you know he can't make you immortal like him?"
"She has a point and even if he can't, don't you think he deserves a chance?" Whit asked.
Sarah thought on it and sighed. "I guess it can't hurt to talk to him and get to know him better. He did say he'd like to be friends."
"Good. Now you go home and call him. We're going to my place," Beckie smiled.
"Thought we were doing a sleepover at my place?"
"Nope. You need to figure things out with your King," Whit grinned.
"Just don't forget to invite us to the wedding," Beckie teased.
"Ha ha. Very funny Beckie." Sarah glared at her.
"Good night Sarah," Whit called as they walked off.
"I want all the details tomorrow!" Beckie called.
"If you're still here that is," Whit said with a smirk.
Sarah shook her head and started for home. Once inside she locked the door and headed to her room. She found her goblins sitting on the floor playing cards. "Lady!" they all cried out.
"Hi gang." She smiled. "Please return to the castle tonight. I'd like to be alone for a while."
"Lady okay?" Cam asked as he hugged her leg.
"Lady sick?" asked Flower.
"No, no. I just need some time alone to think. You can come back in the morning."
The goblins nodded and said goodnight before disappearing. Sarah sat in front of her vanity and sighed. Noticing she was still wearing the medallion, Sarah took it off and studied it. She could still feel the warmth of the Labyrinth's magic. Smiling she thought back on all that had happened. Making up her mind, she closed her eyes and made her wish. "I wish to see the Goblin King right now."
The window opened and in flew a white barn owl. When she opened her eyes, there stood Jareth with a huge grin on his face. "Miss me already Sarah?"
The End
A/N: Yes I know horrible place to end it, but as promised I do have a sequel coming and it literally picks up right where this leaves off. Still trying to come up with a title for the second story. Once the first chapter is edited, and I have a title, I'll post it. So keep an eye out for it. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed this story. I hope you all enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun to write, even if Jareth wouldn't shut up the whole time I was working on it. If you enjoy my writing be sure to look for my actual novels too. The first one is already out and for sale on Amazon. You can find all the information on my profile. Thanks again everyone!