Author's Notes: Written for the 50lyricsfanfic community on Livejournal. Thanks to Jeremy for the beta.

Disclaimer: Labyrinth belongs to Jim Henson. Baby, One More Time (prompt lyric) belongs to Britney Spears.

Baby, One More Time – Britney Spears

Time had lost all meaning for the King of the Goblins. The final confrontation had come and gone some years hence, when the girl had said the words that would take her forever from his side.

When she'd unknowingly taken his heart with her.

And so, Jareth sat in his throne room, the chaos created by his unruly subjects going largely unheard and unnoticed, in spite of their best efforts. Unusually enough, it wasn't the clock that had captured his attention today--so strange was that, in fact, that one or two of the smarter goblins marked that change in attitude...though none were brave enough to speak. When the chase of a particularly persistent chicken got out of hand and noise of the throne room got to be too much, Jareth spared precious moments to glare daggers at his subjects. A negligent snap of elegant fingers brought him to his private chambers, and a few of the more unfortunate goblins a one-way trip to the Bog.

Once all was blessedly silent again, he returned to his vigil, ignoring the clock and its endless passage of time, instead focusing all his attention on the vision within the crystal held delicately in his hands.

She was beautiful, his Sarah, resplendent in a white wedding gown, watching absently in the mirror as someone placed flowers in her hair. She looked distracted, he thought, distracted and unhappy--though perhaps that was wishful thinking, emotions that he only hoped she was feeling. The intervening years had only made her more beautiful to his eyes, and time had, indeed, been kind. There were no strands of grey in the luxurious length of her hair, only the faintest hint of laugh lines at the corners of her eyes.

Her lips moved, shaped a murmured word--though the sound didn't carry through to Jareth's crystal--then the hairdresser was gone, leaving Sarah alone. His mismatched eyes drank in the graceful movements of her hands as they smoothed the skirt, straightened her necklace, gently touched one of the roses in her hair.

Suddenly, Jareth felt the weight of the lonely years that had passed him by, and he knew he couldn't watch any longer. It had always been his dearest hope that she'd rejoin him someday, that she'd speak the words and return to his side, that he could make her his queen in truth and not simply in dreams. Now, she stood in front of a mirror in a wedding dress, another man's diamond sparkling on her left hand, and he knew it was time to admit defeat, bitter though was.

Tearing his gaze away, Jareth flung the crystal across the room, watching impassively as it shattered against the stone wall. "Farewell, beloved." Once the whispered words were spoken, he turned and walked away, without looking back.