February – The Aboveground

Sara arched her back, practically purring as a large, callused hand ran the length of her body. Those hands seemed to know exactly where to touch her, leaving blazing trails of heat behind in their wake on her skin. A pair of lips followed the hands, stopping at her breast to lick delicately at her nipple. Silken sheets glided underneath the lovers, whispering softly.

Instinctively, her hands reached up and laced fingers into the long hair, holding the man's head to her breast. Pulling slightly, she dragged his head up to her mouth and was immediately assaulted by those same lips again.

Pulling back, she stared into a pair of mismatched eyes.

"Oh, god. Jareth." She gasped.

Sara bolted awake, her heart racing as the memory of her dreams faded into a vague sense of arousal and horror. Her lower body twisted, letting her know that it wanted more. Her waking brain though tried violently to reject the traitorous images it had delighted in only moments before.

Oh god. Not another one.

Sara rolled over to stare at her clock. Five in the morning. She knew from experience that she wouldn't be able to sleep again. And she had to be up for work in an hour anyways. Throwing back the covers, she stalked angrily to her bathroom and into the shower. The cool water hit her, dragging her foggy brain further into reality, further away from him.

She was twenty-five years old, for god's sake. She was too old to be having erotic dreams about Goblin Kings. Right? She was a young, smart, independent woman. She didn't have time to fantasize, even in her sleep, about unobtainable Kings in fantasy worlds from her childhood. She had a life to lead. A life that did not include mystical labyrinths and arrogant kings.

Sighing, she leaned her head against the cool tile wall and closed her eyes. Phantom feeling from her dream washed over her again. This was the third such dream in this month already. She didn't like what her subconscious was trying to tell her. She didn't like it one bit.

She knew the psychological babble. That a powerful male influence in her childhood, during her burgeoning sexuality, caused her to imprint on that image. That even a unhealthy male presence, such as the man who stole her brother, could represent a adolescent crush. That it wasn't anything to be ashamed of. But that was cold comfort when night after night she awoke to sweat stained sheets and the feel of her greatest enemy's skin on hers.

Shutting off the water, she grabbed a towel and violently rubbed her hair dry.

If only…If only it hadn't ended the way it did. If only she could talk about it with someone. But she knew better than to start babbling about goblins and dwarfs and knights. She's be locked up in a nice white room with padded walls before she got to the important bits. The bits about the dancing, and the final room. The final offer. The offer that had included him being her slave.

Feeling heat rush through her again at the thought of Jareth, bound and kneeling before her as her slave made her blush.

Time to think about something else. Baseball. Work. Paperwork. Filing. Yep, time to start a busy day of filing. Yes sir. Filing. Important stuff, filing.

Finishing getting dresses, Sara resolutely shut all thoughts of her dream into the back of her brain and headed to work.

April – The Underground

Jareth was kneeling, naked on the cold stone floor. He could feel the blindfold tied tightly around his head. But instead of feeling worried, his body hummed in anticipation. The lightest touch of silken skin caused him to shudder and his body to jump in response. A small hand brushed across his shoulders. Moments later hot breath poured across the back of his neck.

"What a good slave." A husky voice whispered into his ear.

Jareth came awake with a groan. His hand, of its own accord, slid down his body to cup himself. Trying to wrap the fragments of the dream around himself, his hand slowly slip up and down. He was already slick from his dream and there was little friction. After only a few strokes he came.

Laying there in bed, he panted softly. The silk sheets were thrown off of him, letting the sun caress and warm him as it streamed through his window. Groaning, he stared out the window at his Labyrinth. The dreams were getting worse. And more frequent. He could almost smell her on his skin.

He had been having these dreams for almost two years now. At first they were vague and very rare. But now it was just about one night every week Sara Williams floated through his dreams, haunting him. Gone was the awkward child that had run his labyrinth and won back her brother. Instead there was a full grown woman, full of the same fire and passion as her younger self, but much wiser and mature.

He had been fascinated with her at 15. He feared that if he were to ever see the woman she now was he truly would be her willing slave.

Over the years he had occasionally looked in on her. It was not wise to leave mortals with knowledge of the Underground unattended in the world. One could never trust that they wouldn't spread tales. But Sara had kept quiet about her adventure, never bragging of her victory to other mortals.

But he feared her now. These dreams, they were too real. And they seemed to be getting more real. He feared that the wild magic of the Labyrinth had bound their fates together. He was a King, and anything trying to force his hand was something to be fought against. No mere mortal should ever have a hold on him. He was the King of the Goblins, Master of the Labyrinth and no one was a match for him.

But a small voice in the back of his head pointed out that the mortal was a match for him. As a mere strip of a girl she had managed to run his Labyrinth and face him. How much stronger must the full grown version of that girl be?

June – The Aboveground

Sara stood in front of her full length mirror, trying desperately to understand. There on her right breast was a large bruise surrounding a set of teeth marks. Reaching up tentatively, she prodded the marks and winced at the dull ache.

She wished she didn't know where the mark had come from. She wished there was some convenient excuse, some other man in her life. Some man that was actually real.

Sharp teeth grazed her neck making her shiver in anticipation. Those expertly skilled lips and tongue travelled lower to her breast and found a spot that made her writhe with pleasure. Holding her down, those sharp teeth bit into her flesh and she screamed out her pleasure.

Gasping, she begged him to continue, to not stop. To take her and make her his.

Shaking her head to escape the memory of her latest dream, Sara took a step closer to the mirror. The teeth marks were gone. Maybe she had just imagined them. It could be just a bruise. Granted it was large, but it wasn't anything to be scared of.

Right?

Right.

Turning away from her reflection, Sara rummaged around for a bra. Wincing slightly as she maneuvered herself into it, she began to seriously consider trying to get professional help. The dreams were almost every night now. She had tried throwing herself into the dating pool but every guy she went out with fell short and the few she had gone so far as to kiss had bored her. There was no passion in them, no imagination or strength. She couldn't seem to help it.

She had been out on a date just last night. Richard had been a nice guy, kind, considerate. But he had seemed so dull. And when, during the evening, she had found herself on his couch kissing him, she had spent most of the time trying to decide how long to continue without hurting the guys feelings. And when he had asked her to stay the night she had practically run out the door.

She grimaced. It sounded so bad, even in her own head. She shouldn't be doing this. It was like no one could match her dreams. Her real dreams of mismatched eyes and naked skin.

She was starting to sound like some sort of sex fanatic. If anyone could read her thoughts these days, they'd think that that was all she ever thought about. But it was those damned dreams. They left her permanently frustrated. And the only real cure was doing something she had vowed to never do again.

Besides, wouldn't that be a nice meeting.

Hello Jareth. I know it's been ten years and last time I saw you I was kind of a child but would you mind helping me scratch an itch of mine?

Sara laughed softly at her own thoughts. That sounded bad, even in her head.

Throwing on the last of her clothes, she headed out the door. She had to catch the train to work and it was already going to be close.

July – Underground

Jareth walked his Labyrinth. The midnight air was cool and refreshing. Ahead of him, the stone walls twisted and turned, throwing shadows over everything.

Ahead of him, the stone walls opened up into a wide clearing. A woman waited in the middle of the grass field, staring up at the stars above. She wore a dark gown that seemed to glint gold in the moonlight. Without any thought, Jareth strode forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back against his chest. She leaned her head back against his shoulder and continued to stare at the sky.

"Do you ever wonder why?" she whispered softly, as if speaking to the stars.

"Why what?" Jareth asked, his own voice soft in the night.

"Why we are doing this to ourselves? Why we can't seem to stop? Why we can only meet under these stars." She answered, as if the questions meant nothing to her.

But Jareth felt some part of him come awake. For the first time, he recognized he was in a dream and struggled to answer her. Because he had wondered why. Just never before while dreaming.

"Because this is the only place where our worlds meet. In your dreams." The words came out of his mouth, but he had no idea where they came from.

She sighed, "I wish dreams could be real."

"I can make your dreams real."

Sara turned in his arms and stared up at him, her dark eyes pools of darkness. He stared down at her from inches away. Her lips parted and he became riveted on them. They glistened, begging for his kiss, but the part of him that was awake needed to hear her answer. Needed to know if she needed him.

The sound of a rooster crowing threw Jareth into wakefulness with a start. With a curse and an almost involuntary gesture, the sound cut off with a deafening silence as somewhere a rooster met it's fate. Throwing back the covers, he began to stood. Stalking to his window, he threw back the curtains and let the night air into his room. Staring up at the moon, he practically growled in frustration.

What was going on? Were these true visions, or only the sad, pitiful fantasies of his mind? He needed to know if Sara had these dreams. If she shared them with him or if the Goblin King had fallen so far as to pine for a mortal ten long years gone from his grasp. Summoning a crystal to his hand, he peered in it to see if he could see he in her world.

And there she lay, sleeping soundly. But as the crystal's perspective changed, Jareth felt his stomach clench. There, in her bed, holding her tightly, was another man. In his sleep, the man's arms tightened around Sara, as if sensing someone looking in on them.

The crystal shattered in Jareth's hand as he sqeezed it too hard. The broken pieces cut deeply into his skin but he barely noticed the blood dripping onto the floor. The dreams were just dreams. Sara was not calling to him, did not need him.

He was just a pathetic, infatuated man.

July – Aboveground

Sara awoke to the unfamiliar feel of someone at her back, an arm thrown around her waist and a definitely happy male body pressed up against her.

Scooting a little away she turned to look at the sleeping image of Alex. If he only knew what his traitorous body was doing, she thought with an evil smile, he would be disgusted with himself.

Alex had called her last night after a fight with his boyfriend. They had been together for almost three years now and the fight had shaken him up a lot. She had offered to let him crash at her place. They had been friends since collage and this wasn't the first time they had shared a bed. Though it was the first time he had ever been quite so happy to wake up with her.

Stretching a little, she managed to wiggle out of bed without waking Alex. It was the start of the weekend and she wanted him to get some more sleep. She had been really worried about him last night. She had held him as he told her all about the fight, as he finally lost it and cried, telling her how much he was in love and how scared he was that it was all over.

Her own sleep had been strange. She had had another of those dreams. But it had been more like she and Jareth had been talking, though the harder she tried to remember, the more the words floated away. It was frustrating, like having something right on the tip of your tongue.

Padding over, she opened the fridge and pulled out juice. Pouring herself a glass, she sat and stared out her kitchen window, thinking about Jareth and her dreams. Once again, she had to wonder if they meant anything more or if it was all just wishful thinking on her part. Sometimes she wished that she could just see him again, if only for a couple minutes. Just to find out if he ever thought of her, if she had ever meant more to him than a challenger and silly girl.

August – Underground

Jareth stared into the remains of his wine, trying not to think. He had found that a little wine kept the dreams at bay and he was determined to not have anything to do with her. Finishing off the last of the glass, he finally lay down. It was extremely late. He had been working late tonight and, truth be told, had been avoiding sleep as much as possible since that night he learned the truth.

He was a fool. And hadn't realized how much of a fool he was until the truth had been shoved right under his nose. Even now, his anger at himself was nearly overwhelming.

He had thrown himself into the working of his kingdom with a fevor, trying to drown out the dreams and forget. But late at night, when all were sleeping, he was left alone with memories. That was where the wine had come in. It helped to blur the edges, helped him to sleep and not focus on her.

Damn her.

But this time, as sleep claimed him, he felt the dream forming again.

He knew he was dreaming and he he trembled in fear. It had been almost a month since he had this dream. He thought he was done with them.

Running towards him was Sara, her dark hair flowing out behind her like a banner. Her low cut tunic clearly showed the tops of her white breasts, making his mouth water. She fell into his arms and clung to him like some long lost lover but he could not return her embrace. He knew now. He knew she had chosen another and these dreams were nothing.

"I've missed you." Sara whispered into his neck, before brazenly licking a hot line along his collar bone.

Jareth shoved her away like she had burned him. His traitorous body was already hard and ready for the girl. She looked at him in surprise.

"Please. I've missed you. I've been so lonely." She whispered, pleading, her voice pulling at him, each word like a hook in his very flesh, pulling him towards her.

Jareth stood there, fighting the pull of her as she stepped towards him again.

"Please. Don't leave me."

With an anguished cry, the Goblin King grabbed the girl in front of him and crushed her to his chest, claiming her lips in a fiercely possessive kiss. She returned his kiss until, gasping for air, he pulled away. She stood in his arms, panting for air, her lips bruised from his kiss.

Giving in to his anger and frustration, Jareth picked her up and threw her against one of the walls of the labyrinth. He pressed himself against her, pinning her to the wall. With a flicker of magic, they were both naked. She wrapped her long legs around his waist as he buried his face in her breasts, nipping and licking a path across them. Sara threw her head back, surrendering her body to him in a way she had never done in reality. Growling, he thrust himself into her.

"You are mine." He snarled into her ear.

Thrusting harder, Sara's mewling noises only encouraged him.

"Say it." He demanded.

He pounded himself into Sara live some wild animal, pouring all of his anger and frustration out on her helpless body.

"Say it." He said, biting down on her neck and causing her to scream out in pleasure.

"I'm yours!" she screamed as they both came.

August – Aboveground

Sara lay there, trembling from the dream. She hadn't had one of the dreams in almost a month. But tonights had left her heart pounding and her body ached as if the dream had been real.

Curling into a ball, a tear fell down her face.

She wanted it to have been real.

She wished she really were his.

October – Samhain

Jareth felt the difference in the dream tonight and feared it. It was more real than ever before as he stepped forward. He was dressed in tight leather pants and an elaborate jacket. One his face, he could feel a mask. The colors of the season were everywhere. Deep reds, golden yellows and dark purples. Looking out over the throng of people, he immediately saw her. She was dancing with another in a dress of amber and a mask of gold. He felt his gut clench at the sight of her in another's arms. He had kept trying to drown her out of his dreams but she kept finding her way back. And now, even in his dreams she was with another man.

But here, at least, he could do something about it.

Stalking down towards the revelers, he glided among them like some ancient predator. His eyes never wavered from his prey. Sara twirled among the dancers, graceful as a young doe. As she spun, Jareth moved in and grabbed her wrists. She gasped in surprise, staring up at him and for a moment, he wondered what horror his mask showed him as.

Switching his grip slightly, he began to dance, leading her. She relaxed, getting over his sudden appearance and leaning in to him.

"Why do you haunt me?" He asked, staring into her eyes as they dance.

"Me? You are the one who has stalked my dreams." She replied with a sigh. " You are the one thing I still dream of."

Jareth looked at her, startled, "You dream of me?"

"Of course. My dreams are all that I have left of you."

Jareth trembled. This wasn't right. In all the other dreams, they had never acknowledged that it was a dream. This no longer felt like a dream. It felt real. Coming to an abrupt stop, he held he by the arms and stared down into her eyes.

"Sara, if I told you the dream is real, what would you say."

She blinked up at him, "I wish they were real. I wish that you would come and take me away. I wish that I could hold you in the flesh and hear your voice for real."

The magic built up around them and he crushed her to him, kissing her fiercely.

"I love you." She whispered against his mouth.

October – Underground

Jareth woke with the sun streaming in through his window. His bed was so warm and the dream was still there, so real. He could still feel Sara in his arms, hear her soft words.

Blearily he opened his eyes and stared in confusion at the golden brown hair in front of him. Sara's sleeping face was resting beside him. Shifting slightly in her sleep, the silk sheets slid lower revealing a glimpse of very naked flesh.

For a moment Jareth was convinced he still was in the dream, still in that perfect place where Sara was his and his alone. He lifted a trembling hand and lightly stroked her face. Her skin was like the softest petal of a flower.

Sara murmured sleepily, snuggling into his chest and trapping him in the bed.

"I love you." She murmured, burrowing into his warmth.