Author's Note:

Okay, leading up to the scene I've been itching to write! Some serious Jareth/Sarah romance is promised to show itself before too much longer... be patient!

And, my my my, the TYPOS! This story needs a serious clean-up. I've done several spell-checks and am just about to upload the final drafts of the other parts of this story. I can do no less than perfection, so I'm sure it won't be the FINAL final draft. Haha!

I'm also assigning songs to the chapters. Why? Because I say so. Deal with it. :-P The song for this chapter is "Resolution" by Jacks Mannequin. (It was playing in the background the entire time I wrote this chapter. OO)

- Vampirateloyal

6. THE MORNING AFTER

Rivan had been through hell. Dead end after dead end presented itself to him, despite his magical advantage. He had seen more than anyone’s fair share of monsters, guards and booby-traps, and he bore more scars than Brier Bear in a briar patch. It was clear whom this labyrinth and its inhabitants preferred for their ruler.

Now, standing on a hilltop after his most recent struggle with a pack of rabid rabbits, he glared at the faraway silhouette of Jareth’s castle with a mixture of desire and rage. The towers looked so soft and safe in the light of the setting sun and seemed to mock Rivan as the darkness and cold closed in around him.

He couldn’t help himself any longer. “You will be mine! It will not be long now!” He shouted as loudly as his lungs allowed him.

Quiet sniggers could be heard in the nearby bushes, which made him seethe even more.

A strange, faraway yell made Ludo’s ears perk up and look out the gigantic open window of Jareth’s throne room. He quickly scanned the horizon and sniffed with indifference before turning back to his comrades, who were sitting together in a daze.

Hoggle, with his eyes fixed in a shocked expression, shook his head mechanically. “I don’t believe it… I just don’t believe it.”

They all stared as Toby ran around the castle, shrieking in delight at every detail of his surroundings. He had been an unstoppable blur since they had arrived, and none of the rest could bring it upon themselves to stop him. They watched with warm hearts as Toby explored, his eyes swimming with the same curiosity Sarah had during her first visit to the labyrinth.

“It’s easy to see why Jareth fought so hard for him.” Sir Didymus commented as he smiled crookedly.

Hoggle snapped out of his daze long enough to look at Sir Didymus with amusement. “That’s not all he was fighting for, you know,” he said with a chuckle. “In fact, I think he’s still fighting for her.”

Sir Didymus waved Hoggle off with his paw. “Of course! Any subject worth his or her salt could see that! Anyway, what I’m wondering now is why you didn’t use Toby to get us here earlier!”

Hoggle blinked several times. “I… I didn’t know.”

“Toby.” Ludo called out softly in his rumbling voice to the little boy.

Toby’s head snapped away from the row of gargoyles he had found carved into the far side of the western wall, and bounded towards Ludo. “Come play wif me, Ludo!” Toby begged as he tugged on the fur on Ludo’s arm.

“Just a minute, kiddo.” Hoggle answered for Ludo, then motioned for Toby to sit beside him. When Toby did as he asked, Hoggle continued. “Now, I was wondering if you could tell me how you got us here.”

“The Goblin King said I could come here if I wished it.” Toby answered with a wide grin.

“The Goblin King?” Hoggle repeated as it suddenly dawned on him that Jareth would have given the boy an easy way to get back to the castle, especially if it meant that Sarah would follow.

Toby’s small eyebrows smushed together in confusion as he suddenly looked around, and he asked the question that everyone else had on their minds, “Where is he? And where’s Sawa?”

“Good morning, Jareth.”

Sarah sat cross-legged by a small fire as she spooned portions of omelet onto two flat pieces of stone. She giggled as Jareth stirred, sniffed the air, then sat up in sudden surprise.

“Sarah!” Jareth gasped in alarm, and then his expression went blank.

“What? Surprised I can cook?” Sarah joked, then turned back to cutting up a handful of mushrooms.

Jareth continued to stare blankly as his mind swam with questions. What had happened last night? Why did it feel like he was forgetting something important? Is something... missing? Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by Sarah’s worried voice.

“Hey! You okay? What’s wrong?” Sarah asked as she shook him by the shoulders.

Jareth snapped back to reality, then forced a smile. “Um… nothing, I guess.”

Sarah raised an eyebrow, then shrugged and helped Jareth to his feet. She finished fixing their plates, and they begin wolfing down breakfast.

“Wow.” Jareth managed to grunt between mouthfuls. “You’re awfully resourceful, aren’t you?”

“I can survive.” Sarah responded as a proud smile played on the corners of her lips.

Jareth paused for a minute, then hesitantly spoke. “Do you remember anything from yesterday?”

Sarah gulped down the last bite of her breakfast, then answered. “Well, I went to my prom... which you destroyed.” Sarah stopped to fix Jareth with a teasing glare, then continued, “I came here, got you off of your lazy… uh, then we started towards the castle, almost drowned, was saved by you, and then came here.”

Jareth nodded, then looked away, slightly ashamed at the trouble he had caused. “I made a mess of everything, I’m afraid.”

Sarah sighed. “At least it can’t get worse, right?”

Suddenly, a familiar chuckling made Sarah freeze like a deer in headlights. Out of nowhere, dozens of small flame-like creatures leaped into view and surrounded the two of them. Sarah jumped to her feet, grabbed two flaming branches from the fire, and tossed one at Jareth. They huddled together and gripped their weapons steadily, though they both knew that fire would be no help in this battle.

Jareth glared at Sarah, who gaped in horror at the sea of cackling fiery faces. “Could you, just one time,” He growled slowly, pronouncing each syllable, “keep sentences like that to yourself??"