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Another back-catalogue short for you folks. This was the first Labyrinth fic I ever wrote. You can tell be the crap-ness and the fact that its even more generic than my other stories. ...Damn my lack of originality....

Empty

By Chaimera

A nineteen-year-old Sarah Williams sat on her bed looking around her room, the once colourful walls bare, stacks of boxes in the corner. The house surrounding her was silent as she contemplated her last night in her home.

Not my home any longer. She thought bitterly. It had been four years since her trip to the Labyrinth and since then her life had been steadily going down hill. Recently it had become much worse. Hers and Karen's relationship had finally disintegrated. Toby was no longer a problem. Infact Sarah had taken a prestigious amount of care of him since her return, much to the delight and confusion of her father. Karen however did not appreciate Sarah's attentions to her son. She continually treated Sarah like something dead the cat had dragged in from the rain.

Sarah grimaced as she heard said cat padding around the landing. Her own beloved dog, Merlin, had died shortly after her sixteenth birthday. Her father had bought the loathsome creature in an attempt to replace her loyal companion. A week ago Karen had been giving her a particularly condescending and insulting lecture on...something. Sarah could barely remember. All the girl could recall was seeing red as that woman had mentioned her mother in rather unflattering terms. Sarah had screamed and slapped her full force, warning her not to provoke her again or she'd get more than a slap. It was at this point that her father had taken her aside and told her that it was time she move out.

"Become more independent hun." He had said. She had looked at him with a stony indifference, an almost haughty arrogance.

Jareth would have been proud of me. She thought grimly, as her thoughts turned to the Goblin King and her friends she had left in the underground. She glanced at the few items she had yet to pack. A few of her stuffed toys, the few she had left. Most of them had been given to Toby. A couple of C.D's and a small red book that she knew from cover to cover and didn't have the heart to sell or give away. Not that it mirrored reality much. She had learnt that the hard way and yet it was more real than many of the things Sarah had encountered in her short existence. The book had saved her once but...No. She corrected herself. It had saved Toby once, not her. That book had been her undoing. She had no happy ever after, not yet anyway. Maybe she would find it someday, but someday felt like forever.

And forever was a lot longer than she had been told.

Her eyes fell on her mirror, to big to be packed away. She had cried when her friends had stopped coming but she didn't blame them. He had probably stopped them appearing to her. No doubt he was pissed as hell. She knew she would be. She scowled as she thought about it. She picked up a toy that resembled a firey and tossed it into a box. Sitting on the floor to sort through the remainder of her possessions her expression darkened as she continued to think of him. She often wondered would things be different if she faced him now, not then.

She shook her head as her mind travelled down that treacherous path.

It simply wouldn't have happened now. Sarah had grown up considerably in the past four years, no longer the superficial day-dreamer she was then. Her imagination was still as colourful as ever but reality given her a punch in the gut. Events and situations that had befallen her had hardened her to the harshness of the world around her. Her iron will had only fortified, a quick temper and an unwillingness to trust anyone developing quickly.

Her thoughts once again returned to the Goblin King. The man she had defeated, what seemed like eons ago. He had offered her her every dream, everything she had wanted. He had opened his heart to her, offered himself. She had turned him down, proclaiming ha had no power over her. They both knew that wasn't true. She had seemed like an ungrateful and ignorant brat. If only he knew. He had been generous and she knew it. If she ever saw him again she would try and explain. Of course it was infinitely more probable that she would end up in the Bog of Eternal Stench.

She watched the clock strike one am.

Four years ago to the day she had wished her baby brother away. Four years ago today she had achieved the unachievable and four years ago today she had turned down her ever desire to save a boy she had wished to be rid of. The irony of it all was almost painful.


Sarah stilled as she felt a breeze on the back of her neck. She had not opened the window. All was quiet and she listened intently. The quiet breathing, the rustle of a cape. She could even smell him, identifying the intruder before either had moved or said a word. He smelled of magik and shadows and air, if you know what I mean. She stood up and turned, dragging her weary eyes up to his piercing mismatched ones, a glimmer of hope in her heart.

"Jareth." She acknowledged quietly. "Why are you here?" she asked him coldly, not intending to, but old habits were hard to break.

The Goblin King just stood there, his usual arrogant, almost sadistic smile firmly in place. "I would have thought that was obvious my dear Sarah." He smirked at her, eyes glinting malevolently.

She sighed, tired from lack of sleep and simply weary.

"Get to the point Jareth. I am not in the mood for one of your mind games."

His eyes flashed. Sarah had almost forgotten how quickly he was to anger. Almost. He stepped closer to her, a dangerous edge to his voice.

"Do not presume to know me Sarah. We have gone far beyond a game."

A few years ago Jareth's silent threat would have worried Sarah but four years of loneliness had touched her soul. She no longer cared. She looked straight back at him, indifference painted on her face.

"Oh, have we? Well then, do tell, because the rest of us are dying to know why we are here."

Jareth stepped closer once again and Sarah could see a muscle work in his jaw. I'm really getting to him she realised with a small amount of satisfaction.

"Revenge." He said the word with a quiet malice that caused Sarah's glimmer of hope to flicker out of existence. Sarah lowered herself into a chair and smiled bitterly.

"Ahh so that's it. I knew that would be it eventually." Was she a good actress or what?

Jareth was shocked. He didn't let it register on his handsome face but he barely recognised the girl before him. He had refrained on looking on her since it usually ended his temper being directed at some unsuspecting subject, but occasionally he would get an irrepressible urge to see her face. The last time had been nearly two years previous. The Sarah who sat before him seemed almost resigned to her fate whereas the girl who had defeated him would have died before showing him weakness.

"Well?" Sarah's voice shook him from his reverie.

"Have you decided what it is you are to do to me? Take me back to the Underground to be your slave? Drop me in an oubliette for the rest of my days perhaps? Kill me?" Her sculpted eyebrow rose in question. "Well, tell me, am I getting warm?"

The response was more stony silence.

After awhile she stood, getting tired of his lack of cooperation. "Well, if you'd like to know, I've made myself a nice little hell-on-earth of my very own right here. So, if you'd be so kind as to flap along..."

She moved to push him towards the window but her caught her in a painful grip. She whimpered slightly in pain as he led her to the bed and pushed her to sit. He released her wrist and she let it fall to her lap. "Why?" he asked her harshly.

"Why what Jareth? I'm going to need a little more than your vague self to answer that question."

He looked irate. He was much more irritable than usual, she noted absently.

"If you are so unhappy here, why didn't you accept my offer? The last time I came into contact with you, you were an ungrateful and spoilt brat. What hardships have you endured that has changed you so much? Why did you reject me?" His tone was mocking as he gazed down at her.

Pains flashed through her heart as she listened to him describe her former self. He obviously didn't know her as well as either of them thought.

She shrugged at his question.

"Answer me!" he bellowed, making Sarah flinch. She could have sworn the house shook.

Fine. She thought. He wanted answers, then gods be damned he was going to have them. She looked at him eyes blazing.

There's the Sarah I know. He thought

"I rejected you because I had too Jareth."

He raised an eyebrow, contempt etched on his features but he waved a gloved hand.

"Do continue."

"You were right, partly. I was spoilt and superficial and selfish and a number of other things, but I was anything but ungrateful. I knew...know what you did. How you helped me. And that you were generous." She practically spat out the word.

"...But how could I condemn Toby for the actions of one stupid, ignorant girl. You offered me my dreams and as much as I wanted to, I couldn't accept them. I loved you then and I still do and I regret that decision every day and I hate myself for regretting it, because it proves I'm just as selfish as ever."

She was shouting, biting back angry floods of tears. "So, if you would just leave me here between my loneliness and my self-loathing, I would be much obliged." She finished her rant quietly, her breathing ragged, surprised that she had just told the Goblin King, of all people, that she loved him. And still loved him for that matter. She at back down on her bed, facing away from him. Things couldn't be any worse. She moaned to herself, contemplating jumping off a bridge. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and the bed shifted as it adjusted to his weight. The hand turned her gently around so the she was facing Jareth, but she was staring at her lap. The hand moved from her shoulder to her chin, guiding her face up towards his. She met his eyes reluctantly, knowing that she couldn't avoid them forever. He looked intently at her and she knew he was trying to pick her mind and decipher her thoughts. Any other time she would have been outraged, but she was just so tired. Besides, she had already told him everything. What was the point in fighting against his intrusion? It might give her a nice sense of closure when he left.

She was jolted form her thoughts by his crushing kiss. His lips plunderd hers and she opened her mouth under his, granting him access as lightning ran down her spine. She was doing what she'd fantasised about for four years. They both fell back I on the bed as tongues battled for control she wrapped her legs around his waist and pleasant chills raced through her as she felt his arousal pressed against her inner thigh.

Suddenly a thought struck her and she pushed him off her roughly, scooting away.

"Wait, hold on, what are we doing?"

He looked angry, confused and hurt all at once.

Gods he's hot...no Williams, concentrate!

He stood up smoothing out his clothes and looked at her coldly. "I thought that would have been obvious my dear."

He moved away form the door. "I love you. You say you love me and yet you reject me again. You try my patients Sarah."

She held up her hand, stopping him from continuing. "You're immortal Jareth. Remember?" She sighed. It looked as if she was going to have to spell this out for him. "I'm nothing but a passing interest to you. One of these days you're going to become bored of me and send me back here or stick me in an oubliette when I piss you off too much. And even if you do love me..." her expression was pained as she continued. "I would grow old and die before you and I wouldn't...I couldn't do that to you. Do you understand? Forget me."

She looked down again and hearing nothing for along time, assumed he'd left. She jumped when she felt a hand caress her cheek. She looked up into Jareth's face, which now had a soft expression of love and longing. "How could I ever call you selfish? I could never forget you Sarah, or grow tired of you, even if I wanted to. I love you. As for your other problem..." he whispered softly "...I can make you immortal." He held up a crystal, holding it out to her.

She smiled. "I don't want that Jareth."

He looked hurt and pulled back but she grabbed his free hand and pulled him back. "All I want is you." She kissed him passionately. "...But if it happens to come as part of the package, I wont say no." She grinned at him and he kissed her again. When they broke apart he leaned in close to her.

"Come home." He asked quietly.

She nodded, silent tears and a smile on her face, he wiped the tears away with and un-gloved hand as they faded away leaving but an empty room.

Fini.

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