The sun shone through the window the next morning, forcing Sarah's eyes open. A lazy smile formed on her face as she lay in bed naked next to Jareth, who was already awake and peering over at her, his dark gaze gorgeous as ever and his hair rumpled. It was the kind of vision that made a woman wonder if she was dreaming. Speaking of dreaming…Sarah thoughts quickly turned to something else that had seemed so surreal it had to have been a dream. Last night. Shit. Heat encompassed her entire body just then and she suddenly felt very anxious, knowing the color was draining from her face. Sarah's smile-turned-frown did not go unnoticed by Jareth.

"Don't," he proceeded to say before Sarah could muster any ounce of vocal embarrassment. "Don't do that to yourself."

"I…I didn't say anything…" Sarah said in a soft yet worried voice.

Jareth sighed. "You don't have to. I know what you're thinking."

Sarah peered at him. "What am I thinking then, oh great one who knows all?"

He ignored her derision and stated the obvious in a wearied tone. "That last night was a horrible mistake, it wasn't you, you regret it and shouldn't have done it, and now you're degrading yourself. Which you have absolutely no reason to. So don't."

Sarah drew in her breath and stared up at the ceiling fan whirring above them. So it had really happened. She'd fucked two men's brains out last night. Wow.

Placing a hand over her face, she exhaled loudly. "It isn't that simple. A week ago, I wouldn't have done that. It wouldn't have been me." Her hand fell back down to her side and she pulled her gaze back do the handsome man at her side. "What are you turning me into, you sex fiend?"

A slow smile unfurled across his face. "A mutual sex fiend, obviously."

Despite herself, a slightly sheepish giggle leaked free. "You're the worst. And just so you know… you may have ruined all other men for me."

There was no mistaking his arrogant expression. "That wasn't my intention, but…"

"But?"

His grin intensified. "But I enjoy knowing I've given you experiences no other man has."

She chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Congratulations, you have – about a hundred times over. So, what other surprises do you have up your sleeve for me?"

"None at the moment," he responded, leaving Sarah a bit disappointed.

"No shoes?" She raised her eyebrows. "Not that I want them, but you once insisted on my shoe size, so I expected you to haul them out at some point."

He gave his head a matter of fact tilt. "You made it sound like you would throw them out into the snow had I sent you some. I didn't want to waste a perfectly good pair of shoes."

Sarah cast a smirking grin in reply just as his cell phone buzzed across the room on the desk next to his laptop, where she guessed he'd left it yesterday when he'd been catching up on work. She watched as he flipped back the covers and padded across the room to answer, so beautifully naked that her mouth began to water.

"Jareth speaking," he said upon answering the phone.

She could tell it was a business call, not only from the discussion but from the very tone he took – commanding and strong and authoritative – and she understood exactly how he succeeded at being king and toppling corporations. "That is not acceptable," he said, "and you're going to make it right. Today. Within the hour, in fact."

Sarah bit her lip, realizing that watching him give someone hell on the phone while he was peering out the window stark naked was oddly one of the sexiest things she'd ever beheld. She was also forced to realize that what she'd shared with him last night had been no less than profound.

She'd been trying to convince herself all along that this was just sex, just fun, just physical pleasure between the two of them. But…the way he'd shown back up in her life like this, the way he'd encouraged her and excited her and made her feel so safe was nothing short of amazing. She sighed knowing beyond a doubt that she was changed – once again – because of him. A sobering realization. She couldn't help but wonder if they would they keep in contact after this tryst. Would he even want to? The possibility that he wouldn't want to made her…sad.

"Get back to me," she heard him demand. "And meanwhile, I'll call Jason so he can handle from his end." He ended the call and turned to face her, his voice returning to 'normal Jareth.' "I apologize for that."

"Looks like you're the one who has to work today," Sarah teased, propping up on one elbow.

"Unfortunately so. I'll need to make some calls and then we can enjoy our day out like I promised."

Sarah nodded and couldn't help but feel excited at the reminder of their plans for the day out on the town. "No problem. I should probably go over my interview notes anyway."

"I have time for a quick breakfast, though, if you do," he offered.

She couldn't help smiling. She was going to relish the opportunity to be as close to Jareth for just a little longer before she left in a couple of days. She sat up and tossed the covers aside. "I think I could do that."

Over an easy breakfast of fried eggs, bacon, and potatoes, Sarah felt his gaze.

"You look deep in thought, precious."

She switched her glance from the snowscape out the window to the man across from her, caught. "I'm just thinking about last night."

Jareth lowered his chin, his expression chiding her. "Sarah…"

"Don't worry – no regrets," she interrupted. "I just still can't believe it happened."

She couldn't help being surprised when Jareth set down his fork and stood up, walking around behind her chair to bend down and slide his arms around her. He spoke softly in her ear. "What you did – what we did – is okay. It didn't hurt anybody, it felt good, and I believe you even got Derek out of his funk."

"Uh huh," she murmured, as if his words made it all that much easier to swallow. "Look, it's fine. I'm fine. I'm not like…slut-shaming myself, it's just a bit crazy to think it happened and I actually did it."

"And you were amazing," he added, kissing the top of her head. "I'll clean up. You relax."

Sarah lightly smiled, watching Jareth collect their dishes and take them into the kitchen to begin cleaning. She nibbled her thumbnail and contemplated again how she felt about last night. The truth was, she truly didn't view herself negatively; she was simply surprised she'd gone through with it and…liked it. Plus, if she and Jareth were to ever have a future, she knew there wouldn't be any concerns in their relationship over the experience. The real issue, she realized, was how much she feared that last night had bonded her with Jareth in a frightening way. When she took the time to remember and realize all she'd shared with him, she couldn't deny the ugly truth: leaving him behind was going to hurt even more than she'd ever imagined.

"Yes, see to it that it remains fixed. This cannot and will not happen again. Uh – huh. Good. Speak soon, Jason. Thank you for your efforts." Jareth hung up the phone for the fourth time in the span of two hours, stretching in his black office chair. His hands intertwined as they cradled the back of his head, and he shut his eyes for a brief moment. Letting out a long sigh, he wondered why he put himself through double the stress of running two empires, but quickly remembered that he enjoyed keeping himself busy. Though today was proving to be more of a nuisance than enjoyment, for all he wanted to do was spend time with Sarah before she left. His eyes flew open then and he frowned.

The realization that Sarah was to leave in just a few short days hit him hard. He'd hardly had a chance to even recount not only what happened last night, but what had transpired between them over the last several days and how amazing Sarah had been during their time together, especially last night, and how she learned to let herself go completely. How much he loved watching let herself go. He especially loved that it was him who brought it out of her and no other man had, was going to, and probably never could.

His eyebrows furrowing, Jareth's frown deepened at the notion that soon he would no longer be that man in her life. Would he? He hadn't put too much thought into what would happen to their relationship once Sarah went back to Seattle until now. Knowing she would soon be out of his grasp once more. Would they continue to see each other? Did she even want to? When did this even become a relationship, he asked himself. He didn't do relationships.

But this was Sarah he was talking about; wasn't that precisely what he had wanted with her? He'd longed for her so many years after all. Hell, he even convinced his cousin to befriend her just so he could remain close to Sarah somehow. He always hoped for a reunion at some point, but he didn't want to impose on Sarah's life and even if he had, he would have never actually thought it would turn into this.

This. What even was this? And why was he overthinking it? Surely Sarah wasn't interested in pursuing anything once she went back home anyway. Was she? It wasn't as though she had said anything to him. Nor conveyed she particularly wanted anything out of this their together other than sex. In fact, she came here with the sole purpose to escape reality for a bit until he essentially bombarded his way in. So now what? What did she want?

"Damn it all to hell," Jareth muttered to himself, wiping his hands down his face. He wasn't used to these kind of emotions and he hated not knowing what Sarah was thinking.

Just tell her, you fool. Tell her how you feel.

What if she rejects me, though? I couldn't handle it a second time.

Rejects you? How could she? She even said all other men were ruined because of you. How could she ever go back to normalcy now?

She did it once before.

But that was then. This is now.

That seems a bit arrogant to assume anything.

Arrogance is in your nature.

Jareth scoffed and battled internally with himself on how to deal with the inevitably that Sarah was leaving. And he wasn't ready for that.

What to do, what to do…

"You're doing great, precious."

The ski lift gradually took them skyward up the mountain, and Sarah smiled over at Jareth, replying with a kiss. She thought she'd never shared a more romantic moment with a man – with pristine snow falling all around them, the solitude of a lift ride made her feel much more as if they were alone than at a busy ski resort.

Soon after Jareth finished his phone calls, he found Sarah reading a book in the living room cozied up by the fire. She'd reviewed her interview notes more than enough times and felt she was prepared for when she returned home, so they decided it was a good time to finally leave the house to head to Breckenridge. Upon arrival, they walked around town, had a light lunch, and then Jareth decided to take Sarah skiing – something she hadn't done in quite some time.

"I don't think I'm going to be very good, Jareth…it's been forever since I've been skiing," she told him worriedly.

Grabbing her hand, he kissed her knuckles. "Nonsense. You'll do just fine. Let's get you some clothes, for starters."

He'd helped select a suitable winter ensemble from a local clothing store, though it didn't go down without a fight; Sarah tried her hardest to forbid Jareth from buying her anything and insisted they just skip skiing altogether, but he refused and bought her the clothes anyway. She grumbled the whole time as she changed, but was nonetheless appreciative for the gesture.

Upon taking to the Vail slopes, they'd stayed on only the easier blue and green runs, and so far, she hadn't fallen yet.

"Alright I admit it. I'm glad you forced me into doing this," she said, beaming. "I forgot how fun it is."

"Good," Jareth responded. "How long has it been since you've been exactly?"

Pursing her lips, Sarah thought about it for a second before answering. "Jeeze, I think the last time I went skiing was when I was 16, shortly after…"

She stopped herself mid-sentence wishing she hadn't said anything.

"After?" he urged.

"After I…ran the Labyrinth..." She bit her lip nervously. Why did it always feel so uncomfortable to bring that up?

Jareth merely nodded. He didn't exactly like the memory of it either for it didn't have the outcome he had hoped for. "I see. Well, I would have never been able to guess that you lost your touch or anything of the sorts – you're a natural." He cast a soft grin and kissed her cheek.

A few short moments flew by, as the twosome looked around their surroundings. Sarah could feel the awkward tension lingering between them after she brought up the Labyrinth – they'd only discussed it briefly the first morning Jareth arrived and she couldn't help but feel their past wasn't fully settled. She hadn't pushed the issue and neither had he, for they both agreed to start over. Still, it hovered over her and it was now suffocating.

"Can I ask you something?" Sarah finally asked.

"Anything, precious."

She contemplated how she wanted to phrase this. "How…how did you feel? After I ran the Labyrinth?"

"You mean when you left me?" he specified rather harshly.

Sarah's eyebrows furrowed. "I didn't leave you, Jareth. It wasn't like I had much of a choice, I had Toby to think about. Selfish, much?"

He rolled his eyes. "You would have gotten him back regardless."

Turning her body in the chairlift so she could face him better, Sarah scoffed. "How was I supposed to know that? I was fifteen, and you basically gave me an ultimatum. Sorry if I didn't read between the fine lines. You could have come back and explained yourself better but you didn't, you know."

"And you didn't call upon me to explain," he refuted.

Sarah's eyes scrunched together and she scoffed. "Seriously? That was my job? Usually the person who causes pain does the apologizing."

"Need I remind you that it was you who put yourself in the position in the first place," Jareth recapped. "I merely taught you a lesson." Albeit a rough one, he thought.

Hmph. "Fine," she compromised. "But you still haven't answered my question."

Jareth sighed. "I was angry, alright? My ego got the better of me and rather than face you again I stayed away. As I mentioned to you before, I thought that was what you wanted. How did you feel?"

"Confused," she said matter of fact. "Empty. Hopeful, even. I knew you had to be angry so that's why I didn't reach out, but... I was hopeful maybe you would. I mean I was just a kid, Jareth I didn't really think that way. And…over time, I guess I had just convinced myself that you didn't matter. That the whole thing didn't matter. To be honest… I tried blocking you out for so long that it wasn't until recently and when I came here that I thought about you again."

He smiled softly. "That wasn't an accident. Your first night here."

Sarah lightly shoved him. "Yeah, well. I know that now."

Wrapping his arms around her, Jareth let out a heap of air. "I am sorry, Sarah. It seems…we both assumed the worst. Had I known you were even keenly interested in having me involved in your life I would have been there with the rest of your friends, like I said before. Especially during the hard moments."

"We can't be too hard on ourselves, I guess," she told him. "Aren't heroines and villains supposed to go their separate ways anyway?" She let out a light chuckle to ease the tension and cuddled into his embrace.

"I suppose so," he said despondently.

After another few awkward silent seconds, Jareth spoke again. "Are…are you looking forward to going back home?"

Sarah's heart sank and stomach lurched when he asked her that. No. Of course not. Was he serious? Did he not know in the slightest?! "In some ways," she answered instead, staring ahead, still in his arms. "I'm looking forward to hitting the reset button. You know, new job. Hopefully. Getting back up on my feet. I just want things turn out the way I want them to."

Jareth couldn't help but feel sullen at her words. Or lack thereof. What was he hoping for? For her to say 'no' since they'd just had a heart-to-heart? He was about to say that things will turn out great, when Sarah starting talking once more.

"But…"

Jareth perked up. "But?"

"But. I'm going to miss you. Us."

Breaking away from his hold, she turned towards Jareth again, and within seconds he had leaned in for another soft kiss, his tongue pressing lightly between her parted lips. They stayed that way for a minute, and Jareth let his helmet rest against hers. "I'm going to miss you, too, precious. More than you know."

Sarah's heart contracted even more then, and before either could say another word, the unloading ramp came into sight. As they lifted the tips of their skis, ready to go down the hill, she couldn't help regretting that the ride was officially over.

By the time the pair had returned to the house, Sarah went upstairs to change only to find several missed calls on her phone. All of which came from the company she planned on meeting with for an interview. Fuck. She'd already found herself to be melancholy for the duration of she and Jareth's afternoon, and this wasn't helping with her anxiety. Why had they called so many times? She immediately called back hoping they would pick up.

"Bridgett Green," the woman on the other line answered.

Relief washed over Sarah. "Hi, Bridgett, it's me. Sarah. Sarah Williams. I'm so sorry I missed your calls. Is everything okay?"

"Hi, Sarah! Not a problem at all, I'm glad you called back. Everything is okay. Actually." She paused and sighed. "Look, I'll get right to it. We had something come up. A crisis, of sorts. And it needs to be handled during the time in which you were intially going to be here for your interview. I hate to do this to you on such short notice, as I'm not sure what your plans are, but… do you think you could come in tomorrow for your interview instead? Say three o'clock in the afternoon?"

You've gotta be kidding me. Sarah sat down in the lounge chair that occupied Jareth's room, and felt absolutely gutted. She'd barely been prepared to leave in two days, now she was being forced to come home one day sooner? If she'd suffered any lingering hopes that Jareth would suddenly announce his unending love for her, all optimism was now crushed. She was being put in a position where she had no choice but to be torn away from – again. The thought was excruciating.

"Sarah?" she heard Bridgett say.

"Um, yeah. Sorry," Sarah said, wiping her forehead with her hand. "That should be no problem."

It was a huge problem, actually. Not only was she going to have to find an early flight home tomorrow morning and figure out what to do with her car, she was in no way ready to say goodbye to Jareth this abruptly! But what was she supposed to say? That she needed to hash out unsaid feelings with the man of her dreams? That they'd have to wait until she figured those feelings out? She simply couldn't…this was her future on the line. And surely Jareth could assist with the transportation, right?

"Great!" Bridgett exclaimed. "And again, so sorry to do this at the last minute. You know how bureaucrats are."

Sarah actually didn't, but she could only imagine. "Yeah, I know how that one goes. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow then."

"Sounds good, Sarah. See you soon!"

She hung up the phone, and bit her lip, trying to hold back tears. If she didn't know before, she now had a gnawing realization that she had indeed fallen in love with Jareth, but it didn't matter. Now she had to leave even earlier and tried telling herself she could handle parting with him like the adult she kept telling herself she was. What they'd shared had been amazing, mind-boggling, and life-altering – but she understood that life was directing them in separate ways. And perhaps Jareth just wasn't the type of man who got attached to women anyway. She tried harboring no delusions that a week of hot, naughty sex was going to change that.

Yet, no matter how hard she tried convincing herself all of this, it didn't make it any easier and she eventually gave into the tears.

That evening, after Jareth found Sarah upstairs seemingly upset and she explained everything to him, they prepared an easy meal of burgers and fries, exhausted from skiing and the elephant in the room neither wanted to bring up. The mood was somber, yet relaxed, as they sat down at the table, but Sarah couldn't help remembering she was leaving in the morning. Jareth had been kind enough to offer to arrange a private flight for her, but she didn't want something so fancy, so they compromised on a commercial flight instead.

"What time is your flight again?" Jareth asked.

She swirled a fry in ketch up. "Eight fifteen."

"It's a small airport. If you get there an hour early, you'll be fine. I'll drive you down."

She drew in her breath at the offer, at the chance to spend one more little chunk of time with him. But then she imagined the anguish of kisses in the airport, the stretching-out of it, the painful finality of it all. She'd do better if she left on her own.

"No," she said. "It's okay. It'll be early, so I can just arrange for a taxi."

"Sarah, don't argue with me on this," Jareth told her. "I'll take you. And I'll have your car back to you by the time you get home, so don't worry about that either."

But she held firm. "It's really not necessary," she argued, peering down at her plate, then taking a big bite of her burger to distract her from the slight awkwardness of the refusal.

He sounded reluctant, but could sense her discomfort. "Alright. If you're sure."

She tried to speak lightly. "When will you head out?"

He sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Probably in a few days. I think I'll unwind a bit longer, watch the snow." Then he grinned, teasing her. "You've worn me out."

She flashed a sexy smile, thinking she hoped to wear him out one last time before the sun rose.

After dinner, she announced she was going to pack and scurried up the stairs before she started looking too depressed. She knew she'd be okay without him, but saying good-bye would be torturous. Each piece of clothing she wadded into her suitcase, each little item, even hair clips and dirty socks, drove it home more. Worst were the items Jareth had given her – the kimono, the lingerie. In a way, it seemed weird to take them – it wasn't like she'd wear them for another guy. Yet it would feel just as odd to leave them behind; they were gifts from the man she'd grown to care for, and even if they sat in her drawer forever, when she saw them they would bring her back here in her mind, back to the most glorious days of her life.

Once she finished packing, she took quick shower and told herself she wanted to look pretty and sexy on their last night together, so she donned a red bra and matching panties and slipped a cami and joggers over them, thinking she'd surprise him a little later.

Yet when she headed back downstairs, she was the one who got a hot surprise.

Jareth lay on a thin quilt stretched out next to the star-filled window, beautifully naked, his cock erect and ready for her. Two full wine glasses rested nearby and an array of candles dotted the floor around him, like more twinkling stars in the low-lit room.

But her eyes stayed on the gorgeous man, his darkened eyes, and his commanding expression. He didn't smile. "Take your clothes off, Sarah."

Hiiii guys! After a VERY long hiatus I'm back. For now. I won't go into excuses as to why I've been gone, I just have been. But I was thinking of a Labyrinth story the other day and was re-reading it and got inspired to get to back to this story and hopefully my others. I know I left it at a cruel part here but I PROMISE I am going to finish this in the next week or less. I am feeling super inspired and am eager to continue writing and finishing this one.

I hope you liked the chapter. I know you'll like the next one because... LEMONS. So stay tuned for that. I hope you're all still with me! Can you guys believe we're in September of 2019? Like...this year is almost over. 0_0

Please review! Thanks, everyone!