Disclaimer: Labyrinth and all associated characters, places and situations belong to The Jim Henson Company. I grovel at the brilliance that was Henson and the hotness that is Bowie. All I lay claim to is my storyline and any original characters. I am making no money for this.

Summary: A challenge was issued at the jdbfangirlharem: Sarah wakes up and sees Jareth, sitting on the edge of her bed, tapping his booted heel with his riding crop. "Oh, dear, I'm terribly sorry," he apologized with amusement. "Did I wake you?"

Rating: M

Author note: This is my first story although I have been blessed to act as a beta to faeriesmidwife for over the last several months. I cannot thank her enough for all I've learned from her or for the amount of fun I get from her friendship. I also must thank her deeply for her outstanding assistance to me with my umm... adult touching scenes. This wouldn't have been nearly as good without my visit from the smut fairy. I thank her for beta-ing this story for me and for continuing to find the hottest photos and videos of Mr. Bowie on the Internet and providing them to me on a recurrent basis. And to record this for posterity to note, an ellipsis always has THREE DOTS. : ) I also want to thank Rachel Pollack who has inspired me for years. Having actually chatted online with someone who is such and incredible and versatile published author, and finding her to be warm and real was a very inspiring thing for me. I hope she knows what a great author and person she is. Rachel, I still treasure the signed novels you sent me.

The Ice Princess

It was a lovely cool Autumn evening and Sarah had greatly enjoyed herself at the carnival. After all, who wouldn't enjoy a day full of insane rides, happy crowds, junk food and massive amounts of cotton candy? Now, however, she was dreading the evening coming to an end. Brian had just pulled up to her parents' house and they would be soon walking to the front step so he could say 'goodnight.' Sarah took a deep breath and once again reminded herself of the years of acting practice she had to call upon when needed.

"I really had a wonderful time, Brian," she told him honestly. Brian was another in a long line of 'great guys.' Great guys toward whom she could only bring herself to have friendly feelings.

"I'm really glad, Sarah. I did too," Brian replied. "You have a great night and... " As she had expected and somewhat dreaded, Brian then closed the distance between them and pulled her close for a sweet goodnight kiss. He reached toward her face and tucked a strand of loose, dark hair behind her ear, his eyes darkened with desire. "I'll give you a call later this week. Okay, Gorgeous?"

Sarah murmured, "Sure, okay," and forced herself not to rush to enter her house. Once on the other side of the closed door, she let herself relax... the hard part of the evening was finally over.

Brian wasn't a bad guy at all. In fact, he was kind, witty, intelligent and extremely attractive. Tall, muscular and handsome with brunette hair and warm brown eyes, he got appreciative glances from other girls no matter where they went. She'd only been out with him three times now, but she was already trying to figure out how to tell him that she really didn't want to date him anymore. It really wasn't fair to go out with a guy when you felt an awful lot like you were kissing your brother at the end of the night.

Damn. Karen was going to be annoyed with her yet again. Karen really liked Brian. Sarah knew this because she had repeatedly told her so. She often wondered if her step-mother were trying to live vicariously through her, perhaps reliving her own dating years somehow. It was the only reason she could think of for the woman to push so very hard for Sarah to be 'socially active,' as Karen put it, during their frequent disagreements. She sighed in frustration and quietly went up the stairs to her room. Which was worse, she mused, dreading hurting Brian's feelings or the confrontation with Karen later about why she kept dumping 'perfectly wonderful guys'?

"Sarah, honey, is that you? Did you have a nice time?" Karen's concerned voice called out from her parents' bedroom.

I'm never quite quiet enough, Sarah thought, annoyed. Her step-mother must have been waiting to hear the car to pull up as was her habit. "Yes, Karen. I'm home. I'm going to bed now, it's been a long day," Sarah replied, hoping Karen would accept that answer for now and leave her be.

"Oh, of course dear... it was awfully warm today. It just sucks the energy out of you, doesn't it?" she asked rhetorically. "Well, I'm glad you had fun. Good night, dear."

"'Night Karen," Sarah replied. She heard her stepmother close the door and start talking to Sarah's father as she continued into her own room. Shutting the door, she flopped down on her bed after kicking off her shoes. That was better.

She pushed aside the nagging guilt that had begun as she had answered Karen. She hadn't lied...exactly. It had been a long, warm day hanging out at the carnival in the sun, and she was tired. Sighing, Sarah realized the guilt she felt was more toward Brian than Karen. She still felt like a fraud, letting him kiss her and agreeing to let him call her again.

It wasn't like she was trying to pretend to be something she wasn't. She didn't deliberately or maliciously lead guys on! At twenty years of age, Sarah was a friendly, pretty young woman. She was doing well in her classes at the local college and had finally, after a childhood spent primarily as a loner, started to develop some lasting friendships with girls at school. Of course, she had a lot of male friends, too. She grimaced. Most of them were guys she had gone out with and realized how completely platonic the relationship was inevitably going to be. She had never let it go very far in an effort not to hurt anyone's feelings. It was ironic, she thought humorlessly; if she was actively chasing after all these guys they probably wouldn't want anything to do with her!

She dreaded having to try to explain herself to Brian, as she'd done with every guy before him - that he was really quite a catch but she just didn't feel anything for him on a romantic level. It was the classic, always despised, 'let's be friends' speech. She sighed, perturbed. The desire in his eyes as he had kissed her had been disconcerting. She had already let things go too far... damn it. And of course, she had felt nothing but incredible annoyance when they kissed, not to mention an inexplicable sense of guilt for wishing desperately for it to just be over with so she could get away from the uncomfortable situation and retreat to her room. Again.

She was tempted to call Hoggle just to see a friendly face and talk to someone who didn't feel the need to pressure her to fall in love with some perfect college guy and screw like rabbits. Her girlfriends had begun teasing her, calling her the Ice Princess. Hell, maybe that's what she was. She'd probably believe it whole-heartedly if it wasn't for the incredibly, insanely erotic dreams she had on a regular basis... dreams she didn't dare confide to anyone. She laughed, trying to picture her friends' reaction if she told them about the Goblin King she'd met as a fifteen year old brat and the embarrassingly realistic dreams she repeatedly had about him. Of course, if her friends could see Jareth and hear that sexy voice of his, they'd probably understand why she was still dreaming about him after five long years. She sighed, she could still distinctly imagine his voice calling her name as no one else ever had with that lazy, husky drawl of his: Sa-ruh. She shivered.

Then again, for all she knew, he was dead or stuck flying around in owl form somewhere! She hadn't seen him again since that emotional moment after he had pleaded with her to fear him, love him, and do what he said. Her response had been to promptly and unthinkingly vanquish him with her thoughtless words. She could still see his stricken face so clearly. She hadn't ever worked up the nerve to ask Hoggle what exactly had happened to the Goblin King. He'd never understand why she wanted to know, and would more than likely give her hell for asking.

She got up, went over to her dresser and pulled out her favorite oversized Duran Duran tour T-shirt to use as pajamas. She changed quickly and flopped herself onto the bed, sprawling out comfortably, still deep in thought. 'I would know it if he was dead...' she said to herself as she always did when she let herself get maudlin about him.

She reached over and picked up her ceramic Goblin King from the nightstand and admired its wild blonde hair and dramatic attire. She ran her fingertips over its hair and face, marveling yet again at how a toy she'd had since she was really little had turned out to look so very much like the real Goblin King. She murmured conspiratorially to the figurine, "Jareth, did you really mean what you said to me? Or was it all crap? You probably think all of this is funny, don't you? I can just picture you standing there smirking at me. It was probably all one big joke, or you would've shown up again at some point. You must think I'm pathetic to wish you'd come back. Some defiant heroine I turned out to be..." She sighed, contemplating the inadequate yet beloved likeness in her hands. Exhausted, she fell asleep holding the statuette.

It was two in the morning when the unthinkable happened. Sarah awoke suddenly then heard the sound of ceramic crashing against the hardwood floor. Her Goblin King statue had slipped through her fingers and fallen to the floor. Horrified, she crawled out of bed onto her hands and knees, frantically seeking the pieces. "Oh, damn it. I'm such a monumental idiot!" she muttered to herself angrily as her fingers encountered tiny fragments of porcelain. One of them sliced her forefinger and she cursed loudly. She reached up to her desk for a tissue, winding it around her bloody digit, and continued searching for pieces.

Her mother had given her that figurine when she was ten years old and it held great sentimental value. However, what broke her heart wasn't the memory of her mother at all; it was that now she'd have nothing to help her remember the Goblin King.

"Oh, dear, I'm terribly sorry," a hauntingly familiar and quite amused voice apologized with mock sincerity. "Did I wake you?"

Sarah froze in shock. Was she going crazy? Sure, she had been thinking about the Goblin King, but had she really just heard his voice or was her imagination taking over? Any hope that she was merely hearing things fled out the window as the honeyed voice continued. "As I may have had some small part in my effigy's demise, do allow me to assist."

How did he know what it was that had broken? She could scarcely see a thing, herself. Of course, she reminded herself, owls had excellent night vision. Perhaps he was able to see in the dark even in his other form.

Wait a minute! If he could see well enough to identify what had broken, he had to be awfully close to her... Her eyes grew wide and she strove desperately to keep her voice low and calm. Alerting her parents to the fact that an otherworldly being was here in her bedroom would not help matters. "Goblin King?" she whispered, more to herself than in response to the voice, which she still suspected – or rather hoped – she might have imagined. When there was no reply, she went on, emboldened. "Are you really here or is this some incredibly bizarre dream?" She was proud at how steady her voice sounded despite her nervousness. She glanced around but couldn't see him in the darkened room. She did, however, see the outline of the figurine sitting in its regular place on her nightstand, unbroken.

Impossible; it had shattered.

A dark, silky chuckle answered her question. "But of course I am really here, dear girl," he replied to her query. "Did you not ask it of me but two hours ago? I admit to my tardiness but I was rather tied up when I first heard your request." His voice sounded like dark satin and sin, and was very close.

'Tied up?' her mind demanded with a shocking infusion of jealously. What was that supposed to mean? And where the hell was he? His voice seemed to resonate all around her.

She climbed back into her bed and pulled the blankets up in an instinctively protective measure. Her foot smacked something solid. The moon outside was behind a cloud and it was so very dark in her room. She blinked rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the night, and finally she could see the outline of him. He was sitting on her bed, quite close to her, and appeared to be tapping something against his booted heel.

What was that? She strained her eyes. A riding crop? What the hell was he doing playing with a riding crop, sitting on her bed like it was the most natural thing in the world?

Sarah pulled her legs up toward her chest. "So, um... in the neighborhood? Out riding, were you?" She indicated the crop he held in his right hand.

He laughed at her again. "Sarah, Sarah... I have told you why I am here, dear girl. And, to answer the second part of your question... no, I have not come here on horseback."

The gibbous moon chose this moment to reappear from behind the cloud that had hidden it and the room brightened significantly. Finally she could see his features clearly. She'd often thought about what she'd want to say or do if she ever saw the Goblin King again, but with him here, real and larger than life, she just stared at him, her mind a blank. He radiated a dangerous yet thoroughly intoxicating power about him. She suddenly realized that she had remembered him as somewhat... less than he really was. A quote from the Chronicles of Narnia suddenly sprang into her mind. "He is not a tame lion, … How should we know what he would do?"

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she said, "So, after five years... all it took was for me to whisper that I was curious about where the hell you'd been, and you suddenly appear?" She licked her lips nervously and twisted at the blankets and her T-shirt with her hands for something to do.

She could see him looking at her, his expression intense. "Precious thing, you had banned me from your presence – do you not remember?"

How could such simple words sound so incredibly sexy?

Sarah was mortified to hear herself stammering as she attempted to reply to him intelligently. "Banned you? I uh… how could I ban you? I'm just... me. And you're... well you're... you."

She saw the sarcastic smirk form on his features. "Oh my dear girl, your memory is a fickle thing. Do you not recall uttering a self-righteous little monologue regarding your power and kingdom being equal to my own, and ending with a declaration of my having no power over you? Perhaps it is merely clearer in my mind than in your own."

"Well, yes but that... those were just words! I took them from that speech in the book. That was how the story went, and I just did what I had to do... I had wished my own brother away. I had to fix that!" she defended herself.

He continued to play with his crop, tapping it against his boots in a thoughtful manner. Sarah idly wondered exactly why he had a riding crop. Her mind ran off on a tangent, helpfully supplying several very interesting images. No! Bad Sarah! She reminded herself exactly how much trouble she could get in if she said something stupid in his presence... one simply could not let their mind flit about with sexy Goblin Kings sitting on one's bed... she had to stay focused.

It was rather nice to see him needing to keep his hands occupied, just like she did. Maybe he was a little nervous, too. She almost laughed out loud at the idea of a nervous Goblin King. Yeah, right... he looked simply terrified, she thought sarcastically.

He seemed to consider the words she had somehow stuttered out and grew serious. "Regardless of your reason, what was said was said. Did I not tell you that words held great meaning in my world?" he reminded her, his tone almost kindly. "And what if, my Sarah... what if you had already won before you reached my hall of stairs? Would this knowledge have changed anything you did on that day?"

Had he just called her his Sarah? 'Focus, Williams,' she commanded herself. "What do you mean what if I had already won?" she paused, bewildered. "Wait a minute...if I'd won... then that whole bit in that crazy room of stairs... I don't understand." She stared at him, completely confused. "Why did you bother trying so hard to distract me? And why try to make me run out of time?"

"Whoever said I was distracting you, little girl? I never said that, did I? No, I am certain I did not. Actually, I remember saying something quite different to you." He busied himself by brushing at his pants legs, causing Sarah to follow the motion with her eyes. He was hypnotic…

Sarah hardly dared look back up at him. Instead, she continued hugging her knees to her chest. Somehow, it helped to keep herself tightly compact, in a nearly fetal position. All of the nights she'd tried to figure out what he'd meant by his words and why he had said them, she had never considered that she could've already won before that final confrontation. Oh god. She felt stunned; this changed everything.

"You really meant it... oh, my god. I never thought..." Sarah murmured in shock. All of this time she had been almost certain that everything he had said to her in the room of stairs had been a ploy to distract her – why would he have been interested in a silly mortal girl. She looked up at him suddenly. "But why?"

He had gradually moved closer as they'd been talking, and now he sat right next to her. Dangerously close. She could smell him – tantalizing spices, leather and magic. She breathed in the scent of him, entranced. Damn, but he smelled good.

"Oh come, now, Sarah. If you're so familiar with the book, you know very well why. 'What no one knew was that the King of the Goblins had fallen in love with the girl,'" he quoted softly. "Why ever else?"

Seemingly without her brain's permission, Sarah's right hand reached up and she traced her fingertips along his jaw. She felt the softness of his hair on the back of her hand. She had always wondered if it was soft or full of some weird otherworldly hair gel. His skin felt so warm and smooth to the touch.

His eyes grew dark.

"Do not make the mistake of toying with me like one of your pathetic human Lotharios, Sarah." He laughed darkly at her shocked expression. His gloved hand encircled hers and removed it from his face. Frowning, he stared at the tissue wrapped around her finger. "I couldn't approach you Sarah, I did not say I had not watched you. Do not start something from which you plan to run away at the first opportunity."

He'd obviously misunderstood what he'd been seeing, Sarah thought ironically. It had all been his damn fault, anyway. "So, you watched me, did you? And you've come to the conclusion that I do what, exactly?" she threw back at him, curious what impression he had come up with.

"I know very well what you do, little girl. And I tell you again, do not think to compare me to those worthless boys who line up for a chance with you." His eyes were black and stormy as he ground out the words, nearly spitting them at her.

Sarah widened her eyes in realization. "Oh my god, you're jealous! I'm such an idiot!" How very ironic his words were, she thought; she'd been comparing those boys to him for years.

He regarded her scornfully. "It is not jealousy I'm speaking of, Sarah. I'm speaking of your unfortunate habit of leading these boys on, kissing them, insinuating they have your favor and then dropping them as rapidly as you would a burning coal!" he threw back at her furiously. "And I say again, if you have summoned me here with the intention of playing with me as though I were one of your besotted human boys, I advise that you think again before you touch me."

Sarah could scarcely believe the night's events. She had started out desperately looking for a kind way to let sweet, boring Brian down gently. It wasn't his fault that he left her as cold as a stone, after all. However now, just a few hours later, she was sitting in the dark with the jealous King of the Goblins, wondering how to go about seducing him.

She lifted her hand once again and lightly caressed the side of his face. His eyes flashed with desire despite his obvious attempt to maintain a stoic expression.

"Jareth, if you were watching me a little more closely you would have noticed a distinct lack of interest on my part toward these 'pathetic human boys' that you're throwing in my face. Did you ever stop to consider why I didn't keep any of them around for very long?"

"I suppose you will tell me, whether I wish to hear it or not," he replied dryly. "And what of it? I do not speak of this but to warn you that you are playing with fire, little girl." His eyes were wary and she saw that deep within them he was keeping his desire for her carefully in check.

Sarah found she was having a similar problem, herself. All she wanted to do was throw herself into his arms. But first, she had to make him understand.

For over four years Sarah had been listening to her friends' lurid and often detailed tales of their latest 'hot flings,' while she had privately lamented her complete lack of desire for the opposite sex. Now, she suddenly had the overwhelming desire to taste and scratch and feel Jareth in every possible way she could. So, she mused, I'm not broken... just picky.

Watching him closely, she lightly raked her nails down his arm and felt a purely feminine thrill at the response she saw in his eyes. He was wearing a black silk shirt that was open, as usual, to show off his smooth muscular chest and the unusual pendant he always wore, and what she had come to think of in her fantasies as 'Jareth pants'... sinfully tight leather breeches. They definitely must be put on with magic; she couldn't figure out how else he could get into the things!

She laughed at him, the sound low in her throat. She could see him respond to the husky sound as his eyes darkened considerably. She'd definitely had it all wrong five years ago; they both held a great deal of power over one another. Although jumping Jareth and tearing his clothes off at fifteen would have been a bit awkward... it must have been meant for it to work out this way. She suddenly felt like a cat who'd had the cream and was about to nab the canary.

Moving closer to him, she ran her fingers down his neck and onto his chest, watching with delight as he shuddered. "You keep calling me a silly girl. You obviously weren't paying close enough attention, or you would know why I kept getting rid of those boys over the last four years, Jareth."

He quirked an eyebrow at her and his breath hitched as he said, "Well, then, Precious, why not enlighten me?"

"I felt guilty, you idiot!" She wound her hands into his hair before he could object and gently pulled him toward her, forcing him to look into her eyes. "Karen wanted me to date, my friends wanted me to date... everyone kept telling me to get a boyfriend, but whenever I went out with a guy I felt like I was kissing my brother." She shuddered with distaste. "So I stopped seeing them. I felt horribly ashamed for leading any of them to believe I'd be able to reciprocate their feelings. Still, I tried to be what everyone expected of me - even though I was fairly certain I'd never return their interest. My friends started to call me the Ice Princess..." She saw the flash of recognition in his eyes at her mention of the nickname. "But what I couldn't tell my friends, was that while the guys I went out with left me cold, I did have the most incredible dreams nearly every night..." She chuckled self-deprecatingly when he gave her a look of startled surprise. "I'm guessing you couldn't see that. The thing is, I couldn't tell anyone about the one man I did dream of..." Her voice trailed off as she watched, fascinated, as expressions of confusion, desire and arrogance warred for control of his perfect features.

"What happened to your finger?" he asked suddenly.

She shrugged. "I cut it on a sharp edge of the broken statue when I was feeling around for the pieces in the dark."

"Allow me," he replied, taking her hand in his. Removing the tissue from around it, he slowly lifted her hand and put her finger inside his mouth. She shuddered involuntarily as she felt his tongue swirl around it. With painstaking deliberateness, he removed her finger again, and when she looked at it, the cut was healed.

"Uh, th-thanks," she stammered, knowing it was obvious how much that he had affected her. She hardly cared.

His eyes shining with desire, he leaned over, took her face between his hands, and kissed her as though he'd never have another opportunity.

Obviously he hadn't been sending the dreams she'd been having because this was so much better... He licked at her lip and bit it gently. When she moaned, he used the opportunity to expertly taste her with his tongue. She returned the favor, licking at his teeth and tasting his mouth greedily. Gods, he tasted wonderful.

She licked and nipped at his neck, ran her tongue around the edge of his ear and whispered seductively, "Now think back, know-it-all Goblin King... in all your years of spying on me, do you even vaguely remember me kissing anyone like this?"

Startled, he gazed into her eyes as though seeking an ulterior reason for her behavior. His jealousy over the number of boys she had been dating and the fact that she was dating at all had clearly blinded him to her complete lack of interest in them.

Sarah could see awareness dawning in his eyes as he stared into hers. She ran her fingers through his incredible hair and drew tiny circles on the skin of his chest with her left hand. She leaned in to huskily whisper in his ear again. "I see you're finally catching on. I broke up with them and kept them as friends, Jareth, nothing more. I'd spent ten hours in the Underground matching wits with the Goblin King... I'd stared into your eyes and danced with you. I guess it's probably okay to tell you now how badly I wanted you to kiss me when you trapped me against the wall when we were in the tunnels..."

And then his fingers were in her hair and he was kissing her again and she couldn't remember if she'd had anything else she wanted to say. She heard him moan deeply and it was gratifying to know she had such an affect upon him. He certainly did on her. In one fluid motion, she swung one leg over him so that she was both sitting in his lap and straddling him. His arms went around her as though he was afraid she would change her mind and move.

Partially to reassure him that she didn't plan on going anywhere, and partially because she had dreamt of it for five long years, she slowly kissed his face all over, starting with his forehead, moving down to his nose, then each closed eye, followed by his cheeks, then his jaw line, and finally his mouth. She let her finger trail along the markings around his hungry eyes, marveling at his unreal beauty and the softness of his skin. Then she leaned over and kissed him again.

She felt his hands wander lower on her back and come into contact with bare skin. His right hand slide up under her shirt while his left moved lower still to cup her rear. White-hot desire shot through her and she gasped aloud. How was it that he was able to make her feel this way almost effortlessly, when years of clumsy kisses and inexpert groping had done nothing for her? 'Stupid question, Williams,' she chided herself.

Jareth leaned backward on her bed, taking her with him. "My Sarah," he murmured, his hands roaming her bare back. She leaned down and kissed his neck, letting her tongue dart out to taste him. He sucked a breath through his teeth and shifted against her, his message clear. She pressed herself to him, stretching like a cat... nearly purring with pleasure at his reaction to her.

In a moment of inspiration while catching her breath she whispered, "So... are you ever going to ask me if I want to go to the Underground with you?" She kissed his jaw and lightly bit his earlobe. "Because somehow I just bet you have a bigger bedroom than this... One that doesn't feature thin walls and nosy parents just down the hall."

"Oh precious thing, you should know by now I do not bet when the outcome is obvious," he said in a teasing manner. Smoothly sitting up, he stood from the bed and brought her with him, wrapping his arms around her securely. "Shall we go?"

She looked into his beautiful mismatched eyes and saw a happiness shining beneath the raw desire that pulled at her heart. How could she have ever thought she could make do with one of those boys when she'd been exposed to this man?

"I thought you'd never ask, my king." She smiled at him and she was sure it was the sappiest, goofiest smile ever before seen in the Above or Underground.

She could feel herself... dissolve was really the only word for it, and then reassemble in a room that she would have known was Jareth's in an instant. It was sumptuous, yet simple. The fabrics were silks and velvets, of course, in dark and rich royal purples and jet black. The wood was carved mahogany, the pulls on the dressers and wardrobes looked to be made of pure gold.

"Now, where were we?" She pushed at his chest without warning, causing Jareth to fall backwards onto the luxurious four-poster bed, and then she promptly allowed herself to fall forward and land on top of him.

"Perfect!" she announced before she placed her palms to either side of his head. Again she wound her fingers through his silky blonde hair, unable to stop touching it. "You smell so good, Jareth... just delicious." It was ironic; she found that she was less nervous while erotically assaulting her Goblin King than she had been in all of the chaste kisses she had suffered through over the last couple years. Holding Jareth just felt absolutely right.

He let her have her way at first, patient and understanding of her need to taste him and nibble at him to her heart's content. After a while, however, his forbearance came to an end. One moment Sarah was wriggling atop him, nibbling his earlobe and the next she found herself pinned beneath him, after which he began to firmly take control of the situation. He tasted her skin, her lips, her breasts... and Sarah noticed that there were clothes miraculously disappearing to lie discarded in a pile at the foot of the bed – folded, of course. She found that amusing for about three seconds, until Jareth's ministrations drove all thought from her mind.

His hands were eliciting feelings out of her that she never expected to have. Wherever he touched her, his magic lingered long after his hands traveled on to explore new territory. He teased and tormented, bring her to the edge several times, only to wander away and start all over again. The buildup was making her frantic. She didn't even care that he was smugly satisfied with her wanton reactions. Let him enjoy his moment; no one else had come close to making her feel this way.

Then suddenly he raised himself up and looked deeply into Sarah's eyes. Mesmerized by his beauty, she stared at him. Finally she became aware that words were coming out of his mouth.

"Oh Jareth... I'm so sorry, I was a bit... distracted for a moment." She giggled, feeling self-conscious and a little nervous. "What did you say?"

He gently tucked her hair behind her ear and ran his fingertips gently down the side of her face, caressing her jaw and neck. "I said, precious thing, that I love you. I want you to know this beyond a shadow of a doubt before we bond."

Sarah could see his love for her reflected deeply within his eyes and her heart almost hurt at the emotion he pulled from her. She felt tears well up and she blinked them away. She softly ran her right hand along the side of Jareth's face as he had done to her. "I know, Jareth... it took me a while to see it." She sighed. "I love you, too. I think I've loved you from nearly the beginning. I was just slow to realize it and I was so terrified you'd never come back. You really know how to make a lasting impression on a girl..." she joked lightly, her breath hitching as his hand moved lower to cup a breast.

Jareth chuckled at her words, clearly pleased.

He continued to torture her, adding to his physical ministrations softly whispered fantasies. He shared tales of all he'd dreamed of doing with and to her over five years of being denied. Silk scarves and riding crops played their respective roles in the erotic fantasies he spun for her. All the while, his hands moved over her body, knowing instinctively what would make her gasp and sigh. She vowed to let him know some of her dreams later, as well... as soon as she was capable of thought or coherent speech.

"Mmm... that all sounds wonderful to me, Your Majesty, but... what do I have to do to convince you to finish what you've started? " she whispered tightly, moving beneath him desperately. "Please, Jareth..."

He groaned and chuckled simultaneously, pressing into her. "Impatient minx. Merely say your right words, Sarah mine..."

She looked into his storm-ridden eyes, deep blue with passion, and huskily recited her right words. "I wish the Goblin King would take me... right now."

And so he did.

After a moment of discomfort Sarah lost herself in a world that was only Jareth, sensation, and intense pleasure. When, at last, she found herself returning to sanity, she kept her arm around Jareth's shoulders holding him close as he lay on his side looking at her. She ran her fingers lightly over his face, tracing his features in wonder. "Jareth, this almost feels like a dream, finally being here with you. You can't possibly know how much I've wished for this."

"My love," he said into her ear, his breath hot against her skin. "It has always been my duty to grant your heartfelt wishes," he said. "But I must admit that in this case by granting your wishes, I am also granting my own."

Sarah sighed happily. "Good," she replied, still a little breathless. She looked into the face of the man she'd dreamt of for so very long and knew she could gaze upon him forever and it wouldn't be long enough. "It's about time you got your wishes fulfilled, after granting the wishes of others for so long." She giggled, running her finger along his nose. "One might even call that... fair!"

He grinned hearing her ironic reference to the past, then ran his fingers through her thick hair and placed his forehead to hers. "It seems at last, my dear, that we have a basis for comparison." He smirked. Then, looking into her eyes, his expression changed to one of extreme tenderness. He leaned over her, kissed her lips and buried his face in the crook of her neck. "You are all I ever wished for, Sarah mine. All I ever wished for."