DISCLAIMER: I don't own Labyrinth or any of the characters associated with the film. They are the property of the Jim Henson Company. (yadda yadda)

Jareth stood on the precipice of life and death, and on the edge of reason. What he was about to do would be considered foolish by his equals, at best. He did not heed the warnings of the High Queen, and she had looked upon him with a sadness he hoped to forget. He was not the first to do this, and he likely wouldn't be the last.

Sarah. Right now, at this moment, her name was being cursed by some in Faerie realm, and praised by most in the Goblin Kingdom. She had given the cold King a heart, she had made him feel in a way that he had not in a very long time. He was ancient, withering, and bored before he'd found her. Now he felt youthful, alive, and always entertained. The High Queen had wondered what it was about the mortal girl, for she was just a girl, that had captured Jareth so completely. She was certainly beautiful, but her mannerisms and ideals were so childish. Perhaps if she were more refined in mind, the High Queen would not have objected so vehemently to Jareth's request. It was absurd that he should even ask, he clearly was not in his right mind, perhaps she had better contact his father.

Jareth's father had very little success at reasoning with his son. In the end he had called him a "half-wit, looney with little chance of survival in or out of the realm" and stormed out of the castle promptly. He could be heard cursing throughout the streets of the Goblin City and beyond the boundaries of the Labyrinth. He could also be heard cursing for days within the confines of the Labyrinth, but that is a story for another time. Although he appeared angry to those who did not know him, he was, in fact, devastated. He had reported what little success he had with Jareth to the High Queen, who had sighed and decided that there was nothing they could do to stop him. Jareth was an unstoppable force, and she knew that if she held him back he'd find a way to get around her consent and follow through anyway.

Sarah. What was it about her? What did she command that had entranced an ancient, revered Faerie King? She had been fifteen when he'd met her, and he had approached her as he had all the others. He was not in love with her then: she was a foolish human child who needed to learn certain lessons in life. Jareth had given her options as to what the lessons would be. A lesson in temptation? She'd passed the test. A lesson in fear? She'd past that as well, but not without a scathing remembrance that stayed with her forever. A lesson in perseverance? She'd aced that one brilliantly. A lesson in trust and forgiveness? She'd thwarted his exam with ease. A lesson in seduction? Ah, she'd almost failed that one, but of course slipped from his grasp at precisely the moment he realized that he'd like to hold her back an eternity or so, just to make sure she had a full grasp on the subject. But, the Labyrinth had passed her because she remembered the words at the last minute. Oh, how Jareth had inwardly cursed her avid studying skills then.

Jareth looked out, examining with perfect clarity the gravity of the situation. He would feel pain, hunger, weakness when it was said and done. He would need to purge his body of toxins on a regular basis, succumbing to base instincts that he was never meant to have. He would need to find work, he scowled at this – what a distasteful thought. He would need to win her with cunning and charm, not magic and dreams. He would have to prove that she needed him regardless of what he could offer her – and if he made this choice, he could offer her nothing. Inhaling deeply and sighing dramatically, he stepped into the void, feeling the change take over him, unpleasantly stripping him of all he'd ever known. Everything he did, starting with the moment he had spoken with her in the oubliette, he had done for her just as he was doing this now for her. If she refused to believe in the love of a Faerie King, perhaps she would believe in the love of a human man.

AN: I wrote this with the intention of a longer story developing from it, however my beta (oh darling Cliché co-Queen) has suggested that I could just leave it as a one shot. I hadn't thought about it that way when I wrote it, and upon reading it I suppose I could. So, here's the dilemna: would you, esteemed reader and colleague, suggest that I continue this story as a longer fic, or stop here and become the queen of oneshots forever? (ps – I never, ever intended to write as many, if any, oneshots as I have. It all started with The Path Between the Stars and it seems my puny brain won't stop!) I will leave it as an in-progress and see where it goes from there…