In the maze of complete and utter boredom, Sebastian was still jumping around with a child on his back. They were going forward, towards the castle but it never seemed any bit closer to them from when they started. Morale was fading quickly, and the time left was also disappearing before them. Sebastian set Ciel down, so they were both standing on the narrow wall. Ciel instinctively grabbed onto Sebastian's arm. As a paranoid child, what else would he do?

"It appears that we are not moving anywhere."

"Stop pointing out the obvious and start fixing it." Ciel commanded, the height was making him feel anxious and the entire Jareth-owns-your-girlfriend-if-you-fail didn't help his nerves either.

"I could use a certain ability of mine, but I do need your permission. As you do have a certain love for collaring my natural capabilities." Ciel ground his teeth together.

"I don't care what you do, I want Lizzie back and I want her now!" he stamped his foot on the wall. It kicked up a layer of dust that made him cough. He could feel the ground crumbling beneath him and he wasn't about to ever try that again.

"As you wish, my lord." Sebastian grabbed him, again. Ciel was about flip out but his eyes were covered by Sebastian's hand.

"Just what are you doing?"

"I am preserving your perfect image of me."

Ciel couldn't care less as to what Sebastian was doing. They didn't feel like they were moving anywhere. That didn't matter, though. Ciel was put down on flat ground and Sebastian lifted his hand from Ciel's face. There they were standing in front of a castle that resembled a gothic church rather than what was thought of a lovely fairy tale castle. It's wasn't surprising.

"Tell me something Sebastian."

"Yes my lord?"

"Why the flying fuck did you not do this before?!" Ciel turned around and smacked him.

"I was hoping my little master would be able to figure this out on his own." Sebastian said, smiling to his freaky-ass self. "I can hear music ringing along in the castle."

Inside the castle, a party of the finest hallucinations the goblin king could imagine were dancing with Lizzie and Jareth. He had her dressed up in a sparkling ball gown and he in an even tighter ensemble. Jereth picked her up by the waist and swung her around. A band was playing a piece of music so fast one could imagine how they were not already dead. In the pale light of crystals streaming lights of pastel rainbows over the guests, this looked like a dream.

She knew it was a dream, a lucid dream, but deep in her heart Lizzie wanted to believe in the Goblin King. He was beautiful, he was kind and gentle and he actually took interest in her interests. He threw parties with her and for her. He even knew how to dance. Jareth didn't try to hit her when Lizzie dropped a glass and broke it by mistake. When they had dinner the table was small and they sat next to each other and had a conversation. Sure he was a little bit older, but she didn't even think that mattered. All the mattered was that he was a gentleman and he treated her the way she had always dreamed of. She wasn't just a noble, she was the queen. His queen.

"See my dear? You don't need anyone else but I." Lizzie wrapped her arm around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. He didn't look away or try to push her off, he held her tight.

"I don't… but I want to. I miss my Ciel." She confessed. The gifts were impressive and she had doubts that even Ciel's vast amount of money (she read the paper and it suddenly dawned on her that probably could've bought his own colony if he wanted to) could buy the things Jareth possessed. He seemed other worldly, but she didn't dare ask why. Maybe it was because he wasn't even real.

"But will he miss you?" Jareth asked her. Lizzie looked up at him. Jareth looked back, and he was sympathetic. The poor girl seemed like she was about pour out a sea of tears. Jareth didn't need to imagine the pain of being so lonely and still being surrounded by others. That was every day to him. Now he had a girl who would love him. Someone he could love back. Lizzie buried her head against his poof of hair and she almost cried but he blotted the fetal tears from the corners of her eyes with a soft piece of cloth before they could smudge her makeup.

"You will never be alone as you are with me." She believed him.

The party was crashed by two dark clothed men. They ruined the pale pink and cream colored atmosphere created by the chandeliers and spirits floating around. The dancers seemed to melt away in Sebastian's presence. Their clothes burned into cinders and their flesh blistered and popped in the heat. It left only twisted and blackened husks writhing around on the floor. The glass chandeliers fell to the floor, turning into ashes. The music halted then was replaced by screams. Ciel walked through the rubble with no problem. This setting was his paradise, he was not home to made up princesses dancing with kings; he was home to rotting buildings of dying children and festering sores.

"Elizabeth!" Ciel shouted out, stomping towards the dancing two. Jareth didn't take his hands off Lizzie's hips, he just smiled and brought her closer. Sebastian followed his angry little child-master, every last bit of the floor he touched with his feet poured darkness onto the polished marble. It stained it black with a hideous ink. It was more like burned glass then it ever was a dance floor. The tips of his shoes made scratches in the soft floor.

"Ciel…" Elizabeth pushed Jareth to the side, prancing towards Ciel only to tackle him to the ground. There were no words Jareth could say. That horrible, fickle little boy. How dare this little brat ruin his relationship?! That fucking demon! The vile things poisoned everything, the vile children they spawned and controlled and violated were no more honorable in his eyes. And here Jareth was thinking that he had banished them and made an impossible trap.

"You really do love me!" she shouted. Jareth glared at the smiling demon, looking more than a little miffed. The floor around the impact site seemed to crack… and then break. The floor no longer existed, it was shards of glass. Shining like a mirror but reflecting nothing but charcoal glitter. Jareth peered into the hole in which the two lovers fell. He waved at them in friendly gesture. Bye-bye.

How long did they float through eternal blackness until they came to M.C. Escher's thinking place? It should not have been long, yet Ciel could distinctly remember trying to grab her hand only to have her slip away yet again. He would not lose her. Stair cases everywhere. Upside down, diagonal, all of them seemed like separate doorways and dimensions interconnected. There she was just with his horizon of view. Lizzie sat on the stairs, crying. Jareth sitting next to her with his arm around her, whispering thing into her ear that Ciel could somehow hear.

"Why did he leave with Sebastian like that? He came back to just leave me again."

"I am sorry, darling. Boys can be fickle and impure at that age. Perhaps he was trying to purposefully crush you. I hope you never think you weren't good enough. You are better than he." Jareth tucked her hair behind her ear.

"The way he left you only shows that he never did love you." Jareth rubbed her back as Lizzie continued to cry into his handkerchief.

"I'm right here, Lizzie!" he shouted. She couldn't hear him so Ciel started running towards her, going up and down stairs cases, but never getting closer. Each step he took he felt he was moving but the only thing that changed was his perspective.

"Lizzie!" he shouted. Dashing up another stair case, the entire room turned around him.

"Elizabeth, stop listening to him!" Another flight of stairs and he was standing above her. His view of her was clear. He couldn't have been more the fifteen feet away. Jareth looked up at him and pressed a finger to his lips, telling Ciel to shut up. Where was Sebastian?

"Elizabeth!" he screamed. "Stop this, you foul creature!" he kicked a brick at Jareth's head but it disappeared from thin air before it even got close to him. Lizzie continued to cry until Jareth turn her around to face him.

"Don't you fucking dare!" Ciel threatened. Jareth pulled her closer, flicking back his hair.

"No!" Ciel was shrieking. Lizzie couldn't hear him, could she even see him? Jareth pulled her in for the gold medal. The shining tongue kiss of victory. He'd made to first base.

This was his last-ditch effort. It was going to break his legs, Ciel was sure. He stepped back and took the leap off the edge and straight into the two. This was something he'd be feeling in the morning, if he even made back in time for sunrise. Jareth looked shocked as Ciel landed in front of them on his own two feet, which was a miracle. His legs pounded his pain he swore he would never feel again, a ripple from the ground to his spine. Someone needed to explain to him how his ankles weren't just automatically shattered by that kind of landing. He kicked Jareth in the teeth with the tough wooden platform of his foot wear. It felt so satisfying. Ciel was never able to do that to anyone before! Lizzie looked up at him, completely floored and half-angered.

"Why don't you just stop torturing me and make up your mind?" she sobbed. Ciel knelt by her side while Jareth inspected his face in the mirror. Lizzie blinked away her tears as Ciel took both of her hands and kissed them. Lizzie dropped the orb and it shattered against the masonry.

"This goblin… he is lying to you. He created a trap to keep me from you. I feel as though I could never run again so never say that I do not love you. I do."

"Lizzie! He will hurt you again! You have to believe me! You have to love me!" Jareth shouted. He tried to pull her away from Ciel, but she slapped him away and practically jumped on Ciel.

"Nobody has to love you." She responded.

"If you do not kiss me right now, I will sacrifice your soul to the devil." She threatened. Ha! If she only knew, if only, if only. Ciel hit first base, and quite honestly, he probably wasn't nearly as good at it as Jareth. Lizzie didn't care if he was a horrible kisser. She didn't care if he was a rude shut in who only took interest in the morbid and stepped on her feet every time they danced. Or if he slapped one of her friends in the face for calling him a girly boy. He was willing to fight a king to death for her and that redeemed almost everything he did wrong. That outfit just was not cute enough for him.

After their very short, very lipstick smudging kiss, Sebastian prodded Ciel's shoulder.

"Are we finished here, little master?" Ciel stood up and knocked Sebastian a hard one. Today was just an awesome day to hit people in the face.

"What took you so damn long?!" Sebastian looked down at his boots.

"You try walking up and down stairs in eight inch stilettos and tell me."

"Don't back sass me." Ciel ordered, looking Jareth who was inspecting his face in case of bruising. Sebastian walked over to Jareth, cracking his knuckles. There was one more task to do.

The two preteens enjoyed another kiss to ignore the screams and death moans coming from the defeated goblin king.