Author's Note: Eh, I was bored, and had this random idea while surfing Labyrinth stories.

Why?

With a slight groan, I pushed away from my computer and stretched my arms over my head. Blinking my eyes, I stared down at the silver rings on my fingers, letting my mind wander to the places where I had purchased them. What I wouldn't give to go back there – Ireland, England, Italy. But that was long time ago. Reality hovered over me, just like the paperwork sitting on the desk next to the phone. I couldn't help smirking.

It would have to wait till tomorrow. I was counting down the minutes till I could leave without a glare from my supervisor. I crammed my notes into my bag and picked up my coffee mug. Waving to my friend in the cubicle across from mine, I headed to the woman's restroom to rinse the cup before leaving for the afternoon.

I stared at the image in the mirror, a petite figure with long, straight black hair that shadowed dark brown eyes. Raising an eyebrow, I pondered tying my hair back and then noticed that the black jacket I wore over the new lavender shirt I had bought yesterday had a bit a white on the shoulders. I wrinkled my nose at it. That new shampoo wasn't working. Thankfully no one really noticed if my hair was down, so I left it and took off the jacket. Checking over my appearance, I took a moment to re-apply some lip gloss and wrinkled my nose again. I didn't like my lips – they were too small and 'puckery' in my opinion. Completely not me – miss one-track-mind who worked at an insurance company and took on tasks methodically and professionally. However, I couldn't help but smile to myself thinking, Well, they come in handy when and if I want to go out.

Tonight was not one of those times. All I wanted was to get a nice green tea at the café, go home, watch some television, and go to bed. The elevator rang floor by floor until it reached the lobby. Stepping out, I gave the security guard a nod and pushed open the large glass doors to the high-rise building. The café most of my coworkers and I visited was a block away. The afternoon heat still radiated off of the cement and marble surfaces of the city, but I only pulled my hair back over my shoulders and briskly entered the flow of business suits and mutely colored skirts. The line was long, but I expected that. After rolling my eyes that the complaints of one woman who had gotten foam on her latte, when she had 'specifically' asked for no foam, I gave the worn cashier a smile and asked for my tea.

The nice thing about my job was that I lived just across the park from it. The park was a large one, but full of wide open spaces and large, old oak trees. I stop here every now and then on the way back from work. Today seemed just as good a time as any, since no one else was around to disturb the scenery. My parents had been worried about me walking through the place at night, but I felt completely at peace – taking the convenience as a sign that the job was good for me, as were the living quarters. I'm a nature-girl at heart. City life is great, but nothing beats the wind in the trees.

Too bad I have no one to share it with.

I frowned at that thought. Was that such a bad thing?

All your relationships have ended on the other end. My little internal logic spoke up.

So? They weren't up to my standards.

Or were you too scared to let them meet your standards?

With a sigh, I plopped down on a bench, letting my bag rest against my feet. Taking a pull at the straw, I looked at my rings again, fidgeting. This had been going on more often as of late – my little mental arguments. I couldn't help letting out a little laugh.

"The first sign of insanity…" What would Kay say to that? I was arguing in my head. She would probably laugh with me. At least I wasn't doing it out loud.

I did sigh and ask the leaves dancing overhead, "Why now?"

"I ask myself that question every day." A deep accented voice replied.

I jerked and turned on the bench. The descending sun was behind the figure leaning against the tree a few feet behind me and blinded me for the first few moments.

"Say what?" I asked impulsively and cringed. Great way to sound adult.

"Why. I ask that a lot."

The man moved and I couldn't help blinking at his hair. It stood up every which-way and was the purest blond I had ever seen. He must bleach it. I mused. He was wearing a loose white linen shirt that was unbuttoned halfway down his chest. Black jeans had bits of grass clinging to them. I immediately shifted my foot to step on the strap of my bag in case he was some sort of conversational purse snatcher. I had to admit that he was extremely attractive with a lean build, and sharp cheekbones. I couldn't see his eyes, but he smiled before changing his pose against the tree.

"You ask why for some specific reason, or just to the world in general?" I smiled back.

"Both. Why are you asking?"

He must be from England with that accent. I love accents. But the way he was dressed and his demeanor suggested he was a man of extreme leisure. Some sort of model perhaps? I shrugged and took another sip from my tea. "You know this is a completely pointless conversation. Like kids asking why just to bug the daylights out of you."

"Alright then, let me ask why you were asking why?"

And why was I having this odd conversation with a complete stranger? Why not? I sighed. "Bad day at work."

"You work around here?"

Nuh-uh buddy – not getting personal information from me. I answered, "I stop through here once in a while."

He smirked at my evasion but didn't pursue it. He finally moved away from the tree, to the relief of my neck, and moved to stand in front of me on the pathway. The first thing that I noticed was the flash of metal against his chest. The second was that his eyes were mis-matched, blue, and some sort of green. To cover my stare, I took another sip. He asked,

"But you said 'why now'. Something bad happen?"

"It's been a hard week. Lots of dull paperwork, all day sitting in a cubicle with no light except those fluorescent tubes, and a chair with one missing wheel make for a lot of stress." It wasn't much of an explanation, but this stranger seemed to understand. Turn about was fair play. "So what about you?"

"A hard year – and mine is a little more, emotional."

I couldn't help smiling as the man began toying with the pendant around his neck. "Girlfriend?"

He gave me a sharp look with his strange eyes. "Not quite."

"Boyfriend?"

This time he frowned. "No… it's a woman, but we never had a very – substantial relationship."

"Here's the repeating question – why?"

He sighed and sat down next to me on the bench. His figure was long-limbed but not an imposing physical presence, yet something about him made my end of the seat feel very small. I felt a small blush start working up my face, but deliberately ignored it. His smooth voice sounded rather wistful.

"We started out as opponents in a game. I wanted to win, but at the same time, I wanted her to win. The prize was worth everything – or so I thought at first. But I had never met anyone with as much, energy and drive as her. And she won, but she hated me for causing so much trouble."

"What game?"

"I'm afraid I can't reveal that to you, we only just met after all."

I shrugged, "True. But did she know that you… liked her?"

"I thought so. But she only wanted the prize."

With a frown, I played with the straw in my cup. "But the game is over now. Can't you just go back and tell her? Start over, perhaps?"

He shook his head. "No, she has to call me first, and I doubt I am at the top of her favorite person list."

"Why does she have to call you first?"

"It's one of the rules."

"But the game is over. So what?"

"It isn't over. It will never be over."

The way he said it made me shiver in the early evening light. It suddenly occurred to me that I could be sitting next to some crazy stalker. Handsome or not, I didn't want to find out. Reaching down to pick up my bag, I gave him a last smile. "Well, I have to get going. I hope everything turns out alright."

"Wait!" His eyes were pleading.

"Sir, I don't think I can help you and I need to get home. My advice is to talk to whoever it is and be honest."

He blinked. "Honest?"

I paused in surprise. "Yes, honest! That's how all relationships should be. Even when someone messes up, they should be honest about it and try their best not to do it again. At least, that's what I believe." I added with a dry grin. "Not that it's really worked for me – but it might for you."

He stood and I mentally cursed my height for the millionth time. He smiled down at me. "Honesty is a hard thing for people raised with trickery as a way of life."

So was he some sort of performer then? I smiled in return. "If you tell her that – then she'd probably appreciate it better." I extended my hand. "I hope it works."

To my surprise he took my hand by the fingertips and gently kissed the back of it with a bow. The blush kicked up in full force as he released me with an overly-confident smirk.

"I thank you for your wisdom, Mai."

I froze. How did he know my name? Before I could recover, he tossed what looked like a glass sphere the size of a small apple towards my face. I reached out reflexively to catch it, but the instant it touched my fingers it exploded into a swirl of silver sparkles. When the air cleared, he was gone.

Shaken, I snatched up my bag and briskly walked through the park towards my apartment. Kay will definitely think I'm insane now.

Author's note: So, there's my little, 'what if' idea. What if someone from now, met Jareth and managed to give him a little moral support. I do have an idea for a continuation. If anyone is interested, please let me know.