Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth, Jareth or Sarah. But I would happily snog Jareth within an inch of his unnaturally long life if ever given the chance. Just sayin!

I also don't own 'Skeep' the gender-confused goblin (he belongs to the most wonderful Lixxle) but he does get an honorable mention in this story.

Warning: This is a silly story. Please do not attempt anything you read here at home. The goblins are not professionals, but they are goblins, which is why they aren't dead from doing what they do.

The S'mores Incident (AKA: Flaming Marshmallows of Love)

An out of sequence chapter for "Life With the Goblin King: What Happened Before – Sarah, age 19)

Written as a gift fic/Halloween chapter for AutumnSwanO'Shea from the jdbfangirlharem. :)

PLEASE REVIEW: Reviews make me happy and help me avoid chocolate binges. They also keep me writing faster.

Prologue

No matter how many times the incident was brought up in later years, Sarah maintained that it was not her fault. Jareth on the other hand, begged to differ. In the end, there was really only one place to lay the blame … Patty.

If Patty hadn't of eaten all of the York Peppermint Patties that Sarah had bought to give out to trick-or-treaters, Sarah would not have resorted to making 'smores to hand out, and the goblins would not have been introduced to the unique sugar high that can only come from charred marshmallow goodness and melted chocolate, and Sarah and Jareth wouldn't have ended up in his bathtub – together.

At least, that is Sarah's version of things… but as with everything regarding the Labyrinth, things are not always as they seem.

Chapter 1: Coming Home

Friday, October 30th – 1:30pm

Getting out of the car, Sarah smiled. It was good to be home. She had been away at college since mid-August and although she only went to Morganton College an hour away, she had not come home since classes started, preferring instead to stay on campus over the weekends, hanging out with friends, far away from the prying eyes and questionable 'helpfulness' of her family.

This year, her small town was having trick-or-treating the day before Halloween and she had promised to take Toby out to collect candy - after what happened when she wished him away, she swore never to break a promise to him. So, here she was, home on a Friday to take care of Toby and hand out candy at home, not that she minded. Since her run through the Labyrinth, she had come to love spending time with Toby.

Sarah grabbed her suitcase, breathing deep as she walked up the footpath, the remarkable scent of fall hung heavily in the air, an intoxicating mixture of petrichor, dry leaves and wood smoke. Looking up at the old Victorian house that had been her childhood home, she felt a swift pang of happiness. It really was good to be back, even if it was just for the weekend.

"Toby, I'm home!" Sarah called as she entered the house, grinning as Ambrosious the sheepdog her father got for Toby when Merlin died, snuffled at her shoes, barking joyfully.

Smiling, Sarah closed the door behind her, pushing Ambrosious along with her foot as she looked at the elaborate Halloween decorations her step-mother had placed throughout the downstairs of the house. There were no gaudy blinking lights and screaming mechanical skeletons for this house – oh no. Karen had a great eye for decorating and the lounge and front hall were hung with lovely garlands of silk flowers in shades of red, burnt orange and brown, strung heavily with small orange twinkle lights.

"Hello? Anyone home?" Sarah called again, dropping her suitcase in the hall as she hung up her coat. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a flash of movement in the lounge, then laughed as a tow-headed five-year old blur rushed at her, throwing his arms around her knees and making the type of squealing noise that can only come from small children – or annoying little yappy dogs.

"Sarah!" he shouted, grinning up at his big sister with pale blue eyes that sparkled happily. "You made it!"

"I wouldn't miss taking you trick-or-treating, lil man," Sarah chuckled, bending over to hug her little brother, then holding him away from her and inspecting what he was wearing.

Looking him over, her lips twitched as she tried to bite back the giggle that threatened to escape her at his outfit. He was wearing an old tea cozy on his head, a pair of Sarah's high heels, a grass skirt from her old Hawaiian outfit, with his arms and face covered in day-glo band-aids. In addition to the strange mishmash of clothing, Toby was carrying a rubber duck and brandishing their father's barbeque fork.

"Um…Tobes….what are you wearing?"

"My Halloween costume," he replied as if it were perfectly obvious and Sarah was merely being obtuse. "I'm gonna be Skeep!"

Waving the barbeque fork enthusiastically in the air, he yelled, "Not Rosalinda!" followed closely by "Kidneeeeeeeys!"

Sarah lost the battle with her laughter, dissolving into a fit of giggles as she knelt down next to the rambunctious five, almost six-year-old. Grinning, she gently plucked the fork from his hand.

"First off, you can't play with this," she said, gesturing with the fork. "You might hurt yourself. And secondly, I am pretty sure this is not the costume Karen has made for you. I thought you wanted to be a knight?"

Toby pouted momentarily at the loss of his kidney fork. "No…I wanted to be a goblin. Mom wanted me to be a knight. She never lets me be what I want to be."

Shaking her head, Sarah hugged her little brother again, keeping the fork well out of his reach. If her step-mother knew that Toby wanted to be a gender-confused goblin for Halloween the woman would probably have kittens!

… And would try to blame it on me. Although, I suppose it is my fault that the goblins hang out here in the first place, she thought with a soft smile.

Despite the mischief they caused, Sarah actually enjoyed the fact that the goblins seemed to watch over she and Toby. When she went to college, two goblins even went with her, taking up residence in her dorm room closet. Thank goodness I don't have a roommate!

"Well, a knight is a much better costume, Toby. But I'll tell you what. If you wear the knight costume your mother made for you and don't complain, when I come home next time we'll play goblin all weekend and you can be Skeep. Deal?" she asked, taking his hand and picking up her suitcase with her other hand as she led him up the stairs.

"Okay," he grinned, jumping up the stairs as they went, his disappointment now forgotten. "But, can I be the Goblin King instead of a knight?"

Shocked, Sarah stopped cold, her emerald eyes dropping down to look at her little brother as he hopped up one step, then back to the one below, lost in his own little world. He shouldn't even know anything about the goblin king, Sarah thought. Toby has never been around when Jareth visited. I made him swear to that.

She didn't answer the question immediately, instead leading him up the stairs and into her room. Shutting the door, Sarah dropped her suitcase on the floor and pulled Toby into her lap as she sat on her bed.

"Um…Toby… what do you know about the Goblin King?" she asked gently, trying to smile as she felt a wave of guilt wash over her.

"I dunno. Just what the goblins tell me. They say I look like him. So if he doesn't look like a goblin, I thought I could be him for Halloween instead. You could do that? Right, Sarah?" he asked innocently, because in Toby's world, his big sister, the teller of terrific fairy tales, queen of playing pretend and creator of the best games imaginable, could indeed do anything and everything.

Plucking the tea cozy from Toby's head, Sarah stood him in front of her and looked at him critically. He did have the pale, almost white hair Jareth had. She pursed her lips as she ran her fingers through her little brother's hair.

"Well, with a bit of hair spray, I suppose we could make your hair look like wispy little feathers," she mused aloud. "It would be a bit short, but do-able."

... Are you seriously considering dressing your baby brother up like the Goblin King for Halloween? Demanded her inner-self, outraged at the very idea of creating Toby in the image of her childhood villain.

What is the harm in it? He wants to be a goblin, why not the Goblin King? She thought ruefully. Besides, he does kind of look like Jareth and Jareth isn't really my villain….

… Not anymore, purred her libido with a smug grin, and Sarah had to agree. Jareth hadn't been seen as her villain for nearly four years. She wasn't sure just what he was to her, but he certainly wasn't a villain.

Besides, Jareth hasn't shown up unexpectedly in months, I've done all the visiting at the castle. What would he care if I dress Toby like him for Halloween? Sarah insisted, effectively ending the argument as her inner-self huffed indignantly and her libido sat in a corner drooling on itself while picturing Jareth as he looked when he taunted her in the tunnels under the garden maze – her libido having a thing for Jareth in leather anything.

Nodding, Sarah ruffled her brother's hair. "Okay squirt. I'll do it. But, don't tell your mother and we won't get you dressed until after they have gone out to dinner. Got it?"

"Yup!" Toby yelled gleefully, racing from her room yelling, "Kidneeeeeeys!"

I have to get that kid out to meet others more often, she thought, laughing at his antics. It can't be good for him to have so many goblins as friends.

Thinking about what she would need for Toby's costume, Sarah wandered into his room and began to go through his closet.

"Oh hi Sarah. I thought I heard your car pull up?" said Karen, laying Toby's knight costume on his bed. "Your father and I will be leaving around four to drive to the city. We won't be back until after midnight," she sighed, shaking her head. "I really hate these long dinner parties for the partners. But…well… we have to go and schmooze so that your father looks good. Are you sure you are okay taking Toby out and babysitting?"

Laughing, Sarah nodded in sympathy, "Toby and I will have a terrific time. You just worry about making Dad look good in front of his colleagues. I'm sure you will be fine."

Karen patted Sarah's shoulder before heading from the room. Pausing at the door she added, "Oh…I almost forgot, Angela called and wanted to know if you would help her with her costume party tomorrow night. She says that she hardly gets to see you when you are home."

Sarah grinned, thinking fondly of her best friend from high school. Sadly, they went to colleges three hours apart and were rarely home on the same weekends. This in fact, was the first.

"I'll call her and let her know I'll be there. Guess I'll have to find a costume," she said, nibbling her lip as she tried to think of what she could wear.

"Well, your father and I put all of the costumes your mother gave you into trunks in the attic. I'm sure you could find something appropriate up there," Karen replied, running a hand through her shoulder-length red hair. "Now, I have to go start getting ready for tonight. Are you sure you're okay with Toby?"

"Go, Karen. We'll be fine," Sarah laughed, waving her step-mother down the hall. "I'm going to take him to the store with me to get the candy for handing out. We won't be back before you leave, so have fun and don't worry about us. It is a small town. Nothing ever happens here."

…Nothing…nothing…tra-la-la, snarked her inner-voice darkly.

Seriously, you are not helping, Sarah grumbled inwardly. There is nothing wrong with dressing Toby like the Jareth, if that will make him happy. I mean what is the worst that could happen?

Her inner-voice stayed silent, refusing to even consider that question, as to do so would only invite trouble, which it was sure was already on the way.