Chapter 7

And we've reached our end! I'm not going to continue any further with this story, unfortunately, though there is another S/J I've kinda started. A Mess of Magic got a lot of people asking for a continuation, so it'll be added on to.

Anyways, thank you so much for reading! I've missed the Labyrinth fandom. The reviews have been great, thank you.

-XXX-

Later, when she wakes up in her own bed, she will be disgruntled. He's positively certain of this.

-XXX-

Blinking back light, Sarah lies underneath her duvet for nearly an hour before rising, as slowly as a flower unfurls its petals. She is no longer sore, but draws herself a hot extra-bubbly bubble bath anyways. Another hours goes by spent in the tub. Twice she has to refill for hot water.

After she's dried off and dressed Sarah wanders into the kitchen. Blankly, she makes herself a cup of tea, along with a bagel and cream cheese. She eats in the living room, the Today Show playing in the background to her thoughts.

She's stunned. Completely confused. "A dream?" she wonders desperately. "Or something that really happened?" There was no sign, nothing to indicate she'd actually spent a day and a half in the underground. Unless –

Sarah zooms in on the date and time at the bottom right corner of the screen. It's right. The day following…not ahead or behind in the least. "He might've re-ordered things," she reasons. "He's done it before."

But reason isn't so reasonable when one is trying to convince themselves they've spent approximately thirty-six hours in a fantasy world only to have return to "real life" without time passing by more than six hours or so. Biting her lip, Sarah sits back into the couch, allowing herself to sink into the cushions. Supposing it was real – what now? Was she supposed to go on with life until…until what, she "knew?" Live day to day up to the point she figured out what she wanted? How is that supposed to work?

"When you call, I will come."

Yes, but call how? And besides, would call exclusively mean she's decided to move to the Underground? Or could it be a social call, merely to discuss terms and conditions? Was she allowed to do that? She has an awful lot of questions….Such as, will she ever be allowed to come back, to the Aboveground? Will she get magic powers? Do goblins bite? What would her queenly duties? Sarah wants to be an equal, Goblin Queen to Jareth's King, not any subordinate. Not a consort. Should she pack, if she did decide to go? Did they have showers in the underground, or strictly baths? Could Toby visit? Could she introduce the king to her family, for that matter? Besides that, how is she to explain her absence? What about her job? Sarah likes working….

It's dizzying. If she were not already sitting, Sarah would be reaching out for a seat or something steadying.

This was going to require some serious consideration. Days' worth.

She looks to the kitchen. "This will take a few pots of tea," she thinks wryly.

-XXX-

Two days. It took two days of thinking.

Sarah barricaded herself in the apartment. Alone with the cat, she pondered. It was a scientific process, an art, really. Many hot baths were taken. Many cups of tea went lukewarm after great periods of concentration. Pro and con lists were made. Ceilings stared at. Bit of wall bore into with glassy gazes. Hems fiddled with. Pens spun, tapped, tossed. It was quite a campaign.

Eventually she came to something of a conclusion.

Three more days passed under the duress of second thoughts.

Nails were bitten. Strands of hair twisted. More baths and tea follow. Long, elegant speeches of encouragement made before her bedroom mirror served to build up some facet of confidence to pair with uncertainty and dread. She didn't sleep much, in those three days. Nor eat. Mostly, she worried.

On the evening of the fifth day, Sarah feels ready. And perhaps, she really is. But it's far more likely she is not. Not even a little.

Sitting in her living room, nestled into the coffee-coloured couch, clutching a tastefully beaded throw pillow (it was a housewarming gift from Karen and was, therefore, naturally tasteful), the twenty-five-year-old summons strength from deep in her gut. "You won the Labyrinth, Williams," she reminds herself, tilting her chin upwards. "First person in a thousand years to do so. You. Can. Do. This."

Closing her eyes, she mouths the magic word. Barely a sliver of sound comes out. But it's enough.

"Goblin King?"

Silence.

Almost three minutes pass in complete, utter, unadulterated quiet. She bites her lip. Refusing to open her eyes, she thinks, "I've been too long. He's not coming."

Regret wells up in her throat. For a moment, a choking sensation claims her, and she has to swallow, hard, forcing it back down. Silently, she berates herself – first for the crying, then for waiting five days to pluck up the courage. "Time moves differently down there, stupid, stupid Sarah." For him, a century could've passed. Of course he'd stay away, he probably thought…he surely must think….

"I'd prefer Jareth, you know….Goblin King is just so formal…between friends…."

Warm hands cup her cheeks. She inhales the scent of leather, sage, and pine. Leaning into the figure before her, Sarah opens her eyes.

He's crouched, staring at her with a curious, unmasked gaze. One finger moves up to wipe away the tears Sarah wasn't aware of releasing. "Sarah," he whispers in that pronounced way, saying her name like it was a gift. "Crying? We can't have that….."

She then, of course, promptly flings herself at him, wrapping arms 'round his neck, burying her hands in his mane – which, thankfully, was quite a bit less teased and significantly less bushy than it was the first time she entered the Labyrinth. The king bites back a wide grin. For almost five full minutes Sarah squeezes. Then, she pulls back, tears gone and eyes clear. Brightly, she laces fingers with the Goblin King.

"What is the occasion, Ms. Williams?" he inquires, eye glittering madly.

"Well, I was thinking perhaps we might start with a cup of tea," she said, pointedly. "And then move up from there."

"Are you suggesting we…have a non-antagonist discussion? A visit between…."

"Friends," she confirms. "Friends who are seeking to become more then friends."

His eyebrows rose – which, is saying something considering their natural height – and Jareth says slowly, "Ah." Not-quite disappointed, the Goblin King pauses before asking, "Would you be aiming at building some sort of relationship so that we might…build our relationship?"

Sarah nods. "Yes. I don't want to jump into this. 'This' being ruling the Underground, and moving there and quitting my job, and maybe marrying you, or potentially having kids," she take a breath, continues haltingly. "And basically everything that comes attached to making your life part of mine. To sharing a life. Together."

Following a brief pause – which has no interjections from Jareth – she continues. "So, we'll, like, spend time together. Get to know each other properly (because you cannot really argue time spent running away from you or locked in your oubliette really counts towards 'quality time')." A steely edge enters her tone. "And if you're not okay with that…well. You'll either have to deal or I'm not comfortable with 'this' happening."

The Goblin King is reduced to saying, slightly dazed. Though he's wished it, night and day, to hear even a fraction of those phrase from his dear Sarah's mouth, the actual event of listening to her proclaim such bold possibilities – particularly the parts involving life-sharing – is more than a little excitably overwhelming. So, he stares, a little blankly, at her before blossoming into laughter.

"Yes," he says finally. "I think an arrangement of that nature would be quite alright."

-XXX-

Fin.

Thanks for reading. Reviews would be golden!