A/N: This was my first fanfic, and looking back now, there are many things I would like to change. Perhaps someday I will, but for now, I'm just going to leave it as it is. I would also like to say that during the time when I was writing this story, I was reading a LOT of Labyrinth fan fiction, and I know that some ideas from other authors, such as Clever Lass, have influenced my own ideas. So I just want to thank all of the wonderful authors out there who have come up with so many interesting, unique ideas.

Happy Reading!

Ch. 1 Regrets and Understanding

Sarah lay back against her pillows. She was exhausted but there was no hope of sleep anytime soon. Her friends had gone back to the Underground only a few minutes before. The party in her room had been wonderful; she was thankful she had made so many loyal friends during the short time she had been in the Labyrinth.

She sighed as she thought of them. They had told her all she had to do was call when she needed them, but she wasn't sure if she could. Not if the one she really wanted wouldn't come.

She sighed again as she thought of the choice she had made. Young as she was, she wasn't stupid, and she knew exactly what Jareth the Goblin King had been offering her. Her dreams had been dangled right before her eyes, and she had let them go.

"You have no power over me," she repeated softly to herself. "I don't know if that will ever be completely true."

Part of her was overjoyed at what she'd accomplished. She had made a terrible mistake when she had wished Toby away; it was a choice she had regretted almost instantly. Although it was a frustrating and sometimes terrifying journey, she was glad she had conquered the Labyrinth. She had righted her wrong.

She only wished there had been another way to do it. Although in some ways he terrified her, she had hated the look of anguish in the Goblin King's eyes as she had defeated him. She knew that he had only been doing what she asked him to do. His words rang in her ears, "I've turned the world upside down, and I've done it all for you."

"He probably thinks I'm nothing but an immature brat, too young and naïve to understand what was really happening," she thought to herself.

Reflecting her journey in her mind, she cringed at how she had behaved towards him. She could clearly hear herself saying, "It's not fair!" as though it were her motto. Well, maybe everything that happened wasn't fair, but she couldn't blame that all on Jareth. It was true that he had only done as she asked.

And then there was the ballroom. Sarah smiled just thinking about the dance she shared with Jareth, and how close she had come to not completing her mission. She was enchanted by him, and although she partially hated that he used the ballroom to distract her, she didn't care. That was when she thought she started to fall in love with him.

God, it was so hard to have to leave him. She would have given anything to stay with him-except her innocent baby brother. She smiled as she thought of Toby, sleeping safely in his crib. She already felt closer to him, and she knew she would be the kind of sister he deserved to have.

She could only hope that Jareth understood why she had made the choice to leave. He had to know that she really wanted to stay…didn't he? She frowned as she realized she hadn't given him a single reason to know how she felt. She had been nothing but cruel to him, and then when he was trying to give her everything she ever wanted, including his heart, she had thrown it in his face.

No, she thought, Jareth wouldn't be having any good thoughts about her at all. It was best to try to forget about him. Why suffer for no reason? It didn't seem likely to her that the Goblin King would be pining away for her.

She only hoped that one day he would understand why she did what she did.

The Goblin King lounged on his throne, brooding about his loss. Really nothing was hurt but his pride. The Labyrinth would suffer no long-term effects from his loss, but he was afraid he would.

Damn it, he had loved her. He shook his head, thinking, why had he been foolish enough to fall in love with the girl?

Yes, his pride-and heart-was definitely wounded, but he was also angry. He had offered more to her than he had ever offered any other, and she had refused. SHE refused HIM! Arrogant as he was, it was unthinkable that she had turned him down. Didn't she realize he could give her everything she ever wanted, that he could make her happier than any other man?

"Obviously not," he sighed. He supposed he couldn't really blame her. After all, she had made her way through every single trial the Labyrinth had presented her, so how could she be expected to back down at the very end? Not Sarah, she had too much strength and determination to back down.

He wasn't conceited enough to think she should pick him over her little baby brother. If anything, he should be glad that the woman he loved wasn't the kind of girl that would willingly turn her baby brother over to the goblins just so she could be happy. In the end, she proved to be selfless, and he grudgingly admired that.

His emotions were rather conflicted. He knew he loved her, and he knew he understood why she had to leave him. He wasn't completely cold-hearted. On the other hand, he was the fierce Goblin King! He had a reputation of being cold and cruel, and he couldn't let his subjects see him mourning the loss of a mortal girl, especially one that defeated him. They would lose respect for him, and how could he be a good king if his subjects ridiculed him?

No, that wouldn't do. He would do his best to go on as if nothing had happened. Hard as it may be, he would do his best to forget the one who captured his heart.