This is a sequel to my story When the World Falls Down. I would recommend at least reading the last chapter of that story before you read this one.

Rated T for now, but that might change.

Will you really take me there?

Yes… but you have to wish it.

""""

"Ach, if I gotta kill one more fairy today, I'm gonna go tell that spiky-haired bully that I quit, bog be damned," the dwarf mumbles. He doesn't mean a word, of course. His fear of the bog goes far deeper than his annoyance at a swarm of fairies. Truthfully, Hoggle doesn't mind this part of the job. The fairies are still mostly asleep in the dim light of dawn, only one or two venturing out into the dangerous path of the dwarf. Hoggle's warm breath escapes his mouth into the chilly air and he watches as the steam disappears. Dawn is his favorite time of the day, mostly because of the silence. It's so quiet that sometimes Hoggle can hear the distant screech of some Firey out in the forest. He grunts in satisfaction as his stream of poison takes down another winged nuisance. "Sixty-six," he says smugly to himself. He stands for a moment and listens to the silence. Two shadowy silhouettes appear on the hillside, the red sun of the Underground behind them masking their features.

A soft gasp from the hill makes Hoggle turn. He hears a girl's voice say, "Oh, it's just how I pictured it!" Hoggle squints his eyes at the hill, trying to make out who stands there. A runner? No, a runner definitely wouldn't sound excited. At least, one never has before. Plus, no one came to tell him there was a runner coming.

"Nobody tells me nothin'," he grumbles.

As he swats a particularly angry fairy off his ear, he hears Jareth's amused voice. "I had a feeling you might like it."

Just what in the damn red beard of a giant is goin' on here? Hoggle's eyebrows lower so much that his eyes almost disappear. He squints even further in suspicion before he realizes he can't see. He blinks a few times in anger, his fallback emotion for whenever he feels uncertain. Not that he would admit it. As he glares toward the hill, he hears Jareth say, "This is the Southern edge of my kingdom, the Labyrinth being the outer barrier."

"And that's the castle beyond the Goblin City?" He sees the smaller silhouette point.

"Yes. Come, Sarah, there is much more to see."

"Hmph. Good riddance," Hoggle says to himself, once again swatting a fairy away from his ear, catching it with his poison spray as it stumbles backward in midair. He chuckles as it falls. "Now you lot deserve that, yankin' on folk's ears and whatnot."

Hoggle listens for the familiar pop of Jareth disappearing, but it doesn't come. Instead, he hears, "Wait! Who is that down there?"

Oh damn, no no no! Go away! Hoggle glances backward to see the girl scurry down the hill, heading in his direction. Once she notices him looking at her, she raises a hand to wave. "Gah!" he growls. He turns his back on her and whips his head back and forth looking for a place to hide, but it's no good.

The second he lifts his foot to run, she comes to a stop behind him and says, "Hello!"

Hoggle groans. "Listen, I don't know what you want, but I'm just doin' my job here." As he turns, he catches sight of Jareth approaching behind the girl and quickly backpedals so that his back slams against the Labyrinth wall. "Your majesty! I'm tryin' to work so this ain't my fault."

Sarah holds a hand out to the dwarf and says, "Hey, you're not in trouble. I just wanted to talk to you."

Hoggle stays glued to his spot against the wall, his eyes on the Goblin King. Once Jareth reaches Sarah's side, he stops and places a hand on her shoulder. He looks down at the dwarf, the conflict plain in his eyes. He sees Hoggle shudder.

Jareth wonders over his predicament. He loves Sarah, more than he ever thought possible. The Sarah he knew is gone, but she grew from the girl on whose shoulder his hand is resting. This Sarah has a place in her heart for the dwarf, just as the previous Sarah did. He knows Hoggle will love her, too. He thinks how strange it is to feel a sort of kinship with the little creature. He will always be grateful for the love the dwarf showed Sarah when she needed a friend… but she doesn't belong to the dwarf. Losing her has made Jareth realize that he wants her in every way. He wants all of her. He wants her body, her soul, and her heart. All of it. Yes, he lost her, but now he has her again. She changed him forever and now he can keep her. No struggle for power, no enemy fighting to kill them. She's his- completely and forever. Not even this dwarf will get a piece of what belongs to Jareth.

"Oh do pull yourself together, Hogbum," he says with a smirk.

Hoggle's wide eyes dart from Jareth to the girl. "Hoggle," he murmurs.

"Hoggle?" Sarah says with a kind smile. "My name is Sarah."

"Er…" Hoggle looks at Jareth for permission, but his stomach drops at the icy stare he gets from his king.

His eyes still on Hoggle, Jareth says with a smile, "Sarah, I need to discuss something with the fellow. Would you mind waiting here for a moment?"

Sarah steps from beneath Jareth's hand and stands before him with narrowed eyes, her arms crossed. "You're not going to yell at him, are you? After all, I interrupted him."

Jareth glances at Sarah, but doesn't miss the incredulity on Hoggle's face. The dwarf isn't used to anyone, human or otherwise, sticking up for him. How clever of you, Sarah, Jareth thinks. "No, my sweet," he says, pushing sincerity into his words. "He's the gamekeeper, I merely want to discuss the jump in the fairy population."

Sarah nods at him, her face stern. Jareth chuckles inwardly at her show of concern for Hoggle. He can see how she won over his citizens when she ran the Labyrinth. She believes that he won't "yell" at Hoggle, but the dwarf isn't so easily fooled. He knows his king. As Jareth's hand clamps onto his small shoulder, Hoggle winces. His feet slam into stone and he looks around to see that he and Jareth are within the walls of the Labyrinth.

Before Jareth has a chance to say anything, Hoggle whimpers, "Your majesty, I was doin' just as you told me to, I never meant to stop workin', but she came right up to me!"

Jareth kneels down so that his face is level with Hoggle's. "Listen closely, Hogwart, because I'm only going to tell you once. You are never to talk to Sarah again; do you hear me? She is to be given the same amount of respect and deference that you are supposed to show to me. This means that you are not her equal. Even if she initiates conversation with you, you are not to… get close to her. Understood?"

Hoggle can't remember ever being more confused. Not only has he never seen a human Underground that wasn't running the Labyrinth, but he's never seen Jareth so protective of another person. In fact, he can't remember even seeing Jareth with another person. He gulps at the intense expression on his king's face and nods at him. Not getting close to a human is nothing new for Hoggle. He's never really been close to anyone, for that matter. He isn't about to break his streak now.

Jareth stands and smirks down at Hoggle. "Good," he says before disappearing with a pop, leaving Hoggle to curse at being left in the middle of the Labyrinth.

""""

Jareth took his time the rest of the day showing Sarah around his kingdom. He avoided the Labyrinth; there's enough to see without unnecessarily showing the girl some of the darker aspects of his lands. He sits with her on the edge of the forest and watches her mind try to process everything she's seen. It doesn't take long- Jareth knew it wouldn't. She's always been so open, so accepting of all things fantastic and magical. It's what made her such a great queen. What will make her a great queen. He leans back against a thick tree trunk, bringing one knee up and encircling it with his threaded fingers, the picture of contentment. Sarah sits in front of him and to the right, her legs held up against her chest with her chin resting on her knees.

Content. He never knew he could feel such contentment. Just thinking about the future he'll share with Sarah, it's almost worth the past few months. His past few months, anyway. Without his willing it, Jareth's mind returns to that day on the battlefield when he saw Sarah fall before him. How he held her as her life spilled out of her. He winces and fixes his stare on Sarah's smile. She's here. She's here with me. Nothing would ever make him let her go again. A soft sigh from her lips brings him back to the present.

"Do you like it?" he asks.

She turns her head to fix him with a blinding smile that takes his breath away. "Your majesty, it's incredible. I've always wanted… something to happen. But I never imagined it would be this amazing, or beautiful."

"Jareth."

"…What?"

"My name is Jareth. I'd like you to use it."

He expects her to blush and he hopes that she'll give him that shy smile he loves so much. Instead, she looks at him in confusion. "Can I ask you something?" she says. He nods. "Why are you doing this?"

A surprised laugh escapes him. "Whatever do you mean?"

"I mean, you're not supposed to be nice. You're supposed to be tricky, and mischevious, and self-centered, and temperamental… I'm just surprised."

"Would you like me to be those things?" he asks with a smirk.

She finally smiles again. "I guess not."

He cocks his head at her. "Forgive me, my dear, if I think you a little disappointed in me."

Sarah drops her head to look at the ground. She plays with a blade of grass as she answers, "I think maybe I am. Which doesn't make sense…" She narrows her eyes at him. "You never answered my question."

"I find my questions more interesting."

She giggles. "That's true for everyone, but that's not how conversations work!"

He sighs in mock defeat. "I suppose you're right; what was the question again?"

"Was my book wrong about you, or are you acting differently for me?" She raises her eyes to peer up at him through her lashes. She finds him studying her intently and immediately drops her gaze again.

Jareth doesn't want to lie to her, but he doesn't want to scare her either. She doesn't have the kind of love for him that he has for her, at least not yet. He runs a gloved finger back and forth across his lips as he decides how he'll answer her. "I won't lie to you, Sarah. Your book wasn't wrong about me. I rarely do anything that is not in my own best interest. However… you are different."

He can see her breathing quicken and can hear her heart race. His own speeds up in response. "Why?" she whispers, her eyes still on the ground.

"Do you want to hear a story, Sarah?" he says slowly. She stays silent, waiting. "I once fell in love with a girl who ran my Labyrinth. She was strong, beautiful, and loyal. She won the hearts of my goblins and beat my Labyrinth, winning back her baby brother from the evil Goblin King. As she ran through the maze, I fell more and more deeply in love with her. When she reached my castle, I offered her everything I had to offer. What do you think happened?" Sarah shakes her head. "She refused. She took her brother, and most of my citizens, and went back to her home Aboveground. But that wasn't the last time I saw her…" Jareth recounts their whole story to Sarah. The surrealistic notion of recounting their love story to the very woman whom it's about is not lost on Jareth. Sarah listens, enraptured, to the story. Without realizing it, her heart softens even more towards the Goblin King. When Jareth reaches Sarah's death, he has to keep his eyes glued to hers in order to keep himself from sinking into despair. He has to keep her in his sights, or he's lost to the memory of her growing cold in his arms.

Sarah's eyes fill with tears as she hears the pain in Jareth's voice. He's nearing the funeral. He wonders if he'll stop, if he'll keep himself from revealing to her exactly why he treats her so differently. Just as he's about to say it, that he wished to return to the night she wished away her brother, a cold, slender hand touches his face. He freezes and searches her eyes for what she's feeling. He leans toward her and studies her expression. He sees sympathy, sadness, and… warmth? He's wondering what that means when his favorite blush creeps across her face. Her face is nearing his and he can't believe it. No, she's too young; she can't understand what she's doing. Can she? When Sarah's soft lips touch his, all rational thought leaves him. He brings his hand up to cup the side of her face and exhales in a sigh against her mouth. He parts his lips and moves his hand to tangle in the hair at the nape of her neck.

He knows it's wrong, he knows it's too much for her. She's already pulling away, but he can't stop. "Let go, Sarah," he whispers against her lips. He feels her stiffen in his arms, so he holds her tighter, willing her to give in. He knows she feels it, she just doesn't know how to allow those feelings to release. He can help her.

"Jareth," she gasps. Whether in refusal or passion, he doesn't know. He can't bring himself to care. He finally has her in his arms again and he can't let go. He's about to let his lips still on her frozen ones, until she parts them. Young as she is, she acknowledges to herself that she likes this, that she's feeling something wonderful. When he feels Sarah open up to him, Jareth plunges his tongue into her mouth, stroking and coaxing. He's gentle with her, but can't completely hide his need. This kiss is different from that first one in his bedroom after she'd been poisoned by the rose. Then, she had no inhibitions- she was all desire. This time, Sarah is nervous, hesitant. Her mouth follows his instead of dancing with it. The wind shifts and blows Sarah's hair into Jareth's face and he smells the scent of her shampoo. He stiffens. Not right, he thinks. Her hair is supposed to smell like strawberries, not some strange mix of soaps and chemicals. It's this thought that finally brings him back to himself. He pulls his lips away from hers and looks at her in shock. With her wide eyes and swollen lips, she looks so young. Jareth remembers a Sarah overtaken with passion, a woman who wanted nothing more than a man's touch. His touch. This Sarah isn't ready for that.

Jareth clenches his jaw, silently cursing himself for a fool. He knew he would have to wait for her to mature, and he almost took her right here on the edge of the forest, not one day after she arrived. Sarah sits up straighter and nervously runs her fingers through her hair.

Jareth reaches out to brush her cheek with his thumb. "I'm sorry, Precious. I'm afraid I got carried away."

She doesn't say anything, just looks at him with that wide-eyed look. There is lust in there, but there's also trepidation and a hint of fear. Jareth sighs, hating himself a little, which is still an unfamiliar emotion for him. He forces a gentle smile onto his face.

"What would you say to seeing my castle?"

No, that's not a euphemism. Ok, so ends chapter one of my sequel to When the World Falls Down! I have a plot worked out for this story, but I don't think it will be as long as the first one. I just want to get their new lives all sorted out and then I'll leave them to it. Next chapter will bring more of an explanation of Jareth's behavior and motivations, so stay tuned!

I'm finding this story really hard to write because Jareth is now more sensitive and Sarah is now much less mature, and a lot younger as a result. So I have to write them pretty differently than before. How does it feel?

I need your reviews!