:D HI.

So I got a job now, but have recently gotten back into the writing groove... May do some in the morning before work tomorrow, or at the very least this weekend. My boyfriend/fiance is going to be in Bakersfield, so I'll pretty much have nothing to do. (Sad, ain't it?)

Soundtrack for this chapter: I Get Knocked Down by Chumbawumba, Golden Years by David Bowie, and Pump Up the Volume by the Tubes.

You're welcome.

Jareth moved swiftly back towards the main hall. He paused as he felt a familiar buzz in the back of his head, and heard a child shout, "I wish the goblins would come and take you away – right now!" He felt his stomach kick, and his eyes widened. He knew that voice, that extra punch of stubborn will and typical childlike disdain for the unfairness of the world. He sent a short message to Nathan before hastening towards the main hall once more.

Sarah waited impatiently for Jareth to return. Tabitha and Ophelia were nice enough, but they were terribly chatty and wouldn't let her get a word in edgewise. She smiled and nodded, added in "Hmm"s and "Oh!"s where necessary. Her manners were impeccable, and she seemed to be completely consumed in the conversation, when in fact she let her ears wander. No one was daft enough to talk about her when she was right there, even if it looked like she wasn't paying attention. However, some made indirect comments, mostly about her style of dress. A few tried to defend her, saying that she hadn't been in court long and that Jareth hadn't been in court for longer, so of course she wouldn't be up on fashion. Giving a small frown, she looked down at her dress. She thought it was gorgeous.

Ophelia paused in her story about a particularly funny suitor and stared at her. "Sarah?" she prompted.

Her eyes snapped back up to Jareth's cousin and she smiled. "I can't imagine being courted like that," she said in good-humor, hoping that her comment was vague enough to be acceptable. Ophelia and Tabitha shared a glance, but then both laughed agreeably. The conversation continued amiably until Jareth came for her, grabbing her by the arm and excusing her shortly from his cousins. She thanked Tabitha and Ophelia for entertaining her over her shoulder, and turned to scold Jareth for being so brash. Her words died in her throat as she saw the grim look on his face.

As soon as Jareth was sure that she wasn't going to argue with him, for once, Jareth loosed his grip on her arm and instead placed a possessive, leading hand on the small of her back. He nudged her lightly with his fingers to direct her into the proper hallways. Finally, he thrust open the doors of a room that Nathan hadn't included on the tour, and Jareth had never brought her. Though her curiosity often got the better of her, she decided that if she hadn't been shown to it yet, she wasn't supposed to go in. Jareth bringing her to this room made her nervous.

"Jareth," she said hesitantly, peering into the pitch black of the room.

The hand on her back became more insistent, almost pushing her forward into the darkness. Jareth's hand left her and she heard his footsteps drawing him away as he pulled the curtains away from a high window, casting moonlight upon a pool in the center of the room. "Look," he said, waving a hand at the pool.

She hadn't looked at it yet because she was still nervous about the deep shadows in the rest of the room. She wished he would light a torch or something. Casting a few more worried glances at him, still prone near the curtain pull, she looked into the pool.

It looked like one of the pictures that only some people could see things in, where all of the colors mesh together until you turn your head just right to see what lie within. The colors danced uneasily like gnats, and at first, Sarah saw nothing. Jareth saw her confused expression, and he told her, "Look harder." She frowned and concentrated on making sense of the colors.

Finally, she gasped and brought a hand to her collar. Sylvie lay in the greeting hall of the castle, where she had long ago glimpsed Toby. She looked up at Jareth, trying to understand why this was happening. With sharp steps, he came to stand alongside her and he touched the water, bringing forth a new image. Now that she was used to the odd pool, it was easier to see this new scene. Toby was stuck babysitting after Sarah's 'death', and Sylvie was wailing in her room about playing with her dolls, saying that Sarah would play with her.

Toby stormed into the room, throwing the doll from Sylvie's hand angrily. He had tears in his eyes, and shouted, "Don't talk about her!" He went back to his room and grabbed one of Sarah's books. She put a hand over her mouth, being able to figure it out from there. He seemed to calm down as he read, and then an idea sprung to his mind. He went back to Sylvie's room, where she had cried herself to sleep. Cautiously, as if unsure it would work, he said, "I wish the goblins would come and take you away..." He looked down at the book. As if he was reminded, he added, "right now." For a moment, he watched her from the doorway, but then he closed the door behind him, disappointed that the magic wouldn't work in front of him.

Stepping away from the pool, Sarah put a hand over her face. "Oh no, Toby, why did you... Damn it." She looked back at the pool. "What are you going to do?" she demanded of Jareth.

"What's said is said," Jareth said darkly. She glared at him. He held his hands up. "I cannot change the magic, Sarah, it is beyond me. My job is to take care of the children who stay here, who are really unwanted. Once he realizes she's gone, he may yet want to tackle the labyrinth, and I will give him that chance – but you may not interfere." At the look on her face, he thought that it may have been a good idea to not tell her about this at all. She was upset.

After slapping him soundly, Sarah shouted at him, "How dare you! Hoggle helped me!"

Jareth shook his head. "No, Hoggle got you into more trouble than he was worth. The consequences far outweigh the help, believe me. Besides, if given the chance, you'd lead him straight here. If he'd accept your help at all, that is." He turned to walk away. "You may not help him." He felt an odd tug at his heartstrings as he left her in the room to cry. He was just doing his job. He could not change the rules, for he had not made them.

Nathan stood outside, his face passive as Jareth emerged. "The goblins have been dispatched, and the girl is safe in the greeting hall. What are we to do with her?" he asked softly.

After a thoughtful pause, Jareth told him, "Once Sarah is done, take her to Sylvie. She'll know what to do." He was confident in that much. "As soon as it becomes apparent in her world that she is gone, notify me, and I will give the boy the chance to enter the labyrinth." Nathan nodded once. "I'm going to do some last-minute retouches, tell Sarah I will see her at lunch tomorrow." Again, Nathan nodded, and they went their separate directions.