At the edge of time and space

Cold.

Cold cold cold.

That was the only thing that was going through Sarah’s mind at the moment as she curled into a ball and
shivered.

Wait, why was she so cold?

Raising her head and opening her eyes, she looked at her dimly lit surroundings. She was in the
dungeons, naked on the cold floor. Panic set in and she scurried to the bars, looking for anything or
anyone in sight.

“Jareth!” she called, her voice growing panicked. “Jareth!”

Yet there was no answer. Only the echoes of her shrill voice. And then silence.

What was happening? Why was she here? Questions bludgeoned her and she refused to feel the
sickening feeling of betrayal set in. No, he would not do this to her. He loved her!

After a few hours of shivering and wracking her mind on what had happened , the sound of her teeth
chattering were suddenly replaced with soft footsteps. Someone was coming.

A hooded figure walked towards her cell and then stopped right in front of her. Sarah covered herself
as best as she could, looking up at the figure in a mixture of hope and fear.

“Sarah, oh poor dear girl,” the hood came off to reveal the beautiful face of the woman who had been
so rude to her at their meeting. Helen was her name, if Sarah remembered correctly. Yet the once cruel
eyes now looked at her in pity and sadness as she knelt beside Sarah on the other side of the cell.

“What’s going on?” Sarah asked in a shuddering whisper. “What’s happening?”

“Oh I knew this would happen,” Helen said, biting her lip. “He was just so hellbent on getting his
revenge. Oh poor sweet girl.”

“H-his revenge?” Sarah’s eyes widened.

“Alas, my dear,” the beauty sighed. “He planned all of this. Even made me be so cruel to you and I
apologize for that but I swear I was forced! He has been keeping me as his whore for thousands of
years now and....oh, my poor dear girl, I know not what he will do with you.”

“But....why?” Sarah looked at her with confusion. This was all too much. His whore? Revenge? It
didn’t make any sense. “I just don’t understand. He said he loved me....he...I don’t understand.” Tears
welled up in her eyes and her hope sank. She was a fool. A damned fool!

“He wanted to make you fall in love with him,” Helen said softly, looking at Sarah very carefully. “That
was his plan all along. And last night, when you consummated that supposed love, he knew he had you.
Don’t you wonder why it all seemed so fast? Like a dream almost?”

“No!” Sarah cried, flushing at the fact that Helen knew what they had done. “No!” Soft sobs shook her
form as she buried her face in her hands. This was not happening. It did not seem real.

“My poor girl, I know not what to say to you, but know this,” Helen said, “if he tries to tell you any
different, do not believe him. It is he, afterall, who put you here and he who wants to keep you as a
loyal slave. You will see for yourself. Do not trust him. He will hurt you far worse. His main goal is the
destruction of your spirit, but do not let him have that victory! Defeat him! Reject him!”

Helen suddenly looked around wildly and then looked back at Sarah. “Heed my warning,” she
whispered suddenly and took off down the hall. Sarah watched her disappear through a dark doorway
and then heard a door slam shut.

Leaning back, she shivered with cold and fear. She wondered how long he would keep her down here.
Still covering herself, she leaned her head back against the wall and thought of him.

“Oh Jareth,” she whispered hoarsely, “What have you done?”

“Oh Sarah,” a cold voice retaliated. “You’re so dramatic.”

Her eyes shot open and settled on him. The cell seemed much brighter and she saw that he was sitting
on the opposite wall, across from her. His expression was unreadable, as usual, but she only expected
that much.

“Why?” she asked in a hoarse whisper. “I don’t understand this.”

“I believe you understand this all too well,” he said, the cruelty in his tone making her squirm slightly. It
hurt her terribly that he was talking to her like this.

After all that had happened.

After all they had shared.

It was nothing.

It meant nothing.

To him at least.

“You’re upset with me?” she looked up at him as a sudden laugh escaped from his throat, but that too
was cold and cruel. He gave no sign of warmth or compassion towards her. It was different than
before. It almost seemed as if...as if......he no longer cared. And this contradicted Helen’s story of him
wanting to win her over. She didn’t understand any of it!

Not only that, but she felt very vulnerable in her nudity around him and his eyes shamelessly sought her
body as his hands did the night before. 

“That my dear, is an understatement,” he smirked as his eyes roamed her form which she tried so
desperately to conceal. “But oh, how I love seeing you like this. Cold, afraid, vulnerable, naked.”

“I am not afraid,” Sarah countered almost too quickly. “And as for everything else, well, I can’t really
help that at the moment.”

“Not afraid?” the Goblin King mocked, “You are far too easy to read. But you are afraid.” His voice
dropped as he added. “You should be afraid.”

‘No no no,’ thought Sarah as she closed her eyes, ‘this is getting out of control. Must keep this fair and
civilized. Must keep this in control. No irrational anger from either side. Must keep this...’

Her thoughts trailed off as she opened her eyes to find him staring at her with an amused expression.

“Thinking about what you’ve done?” he asked.

“What I’ve done?” Sarah looked at him questioningly. “Jareth, what are you talking about?”

Yet he was gone.

Just like that.

With a blink of the eye.

It was quiet again, but not for long.

He suddenly reappeared, grabbing her wrist and pulling her to her feet. The wind knocked out of her as
her back hit the wall hard with his body pressed into hers.

Leather and velvet against flesh.

He laughed softly in her ear, sending hot breaths that sent shivers down her spine.

“This is not the time to play dumb, Sarah,” Jareth said in a less than playful tone.

Yet she could only stand there helplessly, her body supported by his weight and the wall.

“Please just tell me,” she pleaded, her hands grabbing at his arms, “Just tell me what’s happening. Just.
Tell. Me.” He only responded by pinning her wrists above her head with one hand and kissing her so
passionately that she whimpered when he pulled back.

“Betrayal tastes horrible,” he said through gritted teeth. “I could never forgive you for what you have
done to me.”

“Jareth please!” Sarah cried out, tears forming in her eyes and then a realization dawned. Helen was
right. This was his revenge. “You could never forget, could you?” Her voice turned cold suddenly.

“I’m afraid not,” he glared. “But tell me, were you happy? Did you like it?”

“Yes,” she whispered hoarsely. “I did.”

She could not justify his reaction to that as he pressed her harder into the wall, his fingers digging into
her flesh painfully. It took all her will to look him in the eye yet she did not understand what she saw
there. Was he....was he hurt?

Confusion reigned once more.

And once more again as they were suddenly transported into his bedroom and she found herself
trapped beneath the Goblin King.

“Was it worth it, my pet?” he whispered as he traced gentle kisses down her throat. “To anger me so?
To face my fury?”

“I-“ she had started but he interrupted.

“Was I truly that inadequate?” he suddenly pulled back and gripped a fist full of her hair in his hand.
“Was he better than me?”

“What?” she stared at him. “Jareth, what are you talking about?”

“Was he better than me?” he repeated. Cold anger flashed through his eyes.

“He?” she asked with one eyebrow raised. “Who is he? Jareth, what the hell?”

Suddenly it was Jareth’s turn to look confused.

“The man I found you in bed with....,” he said it in a clipped tone.

“You mean....yourself?” it was now Sarah’s turn to be angry.

“Well the evidence goes against your word,” he said, but his tone was warming up.

“What’s the evidence?” Sarah inquired.

“Me finding you in bed naked next to an equally naked man,” he smirked.

“I see,” she nodded. “And who was this man?”

“This is getting nowhere,” he said suddenly and lifted himself off of her. With a snap of the fingers, she
was wearing a white frilly nightgown.

“You have a horrible taste in clothes,” she frowned looking down at herself, “My grandmother wears
this type of thing.”

With another snap of the fingers, she was naked again and then was quick to say “Nevermind, I love
granny gowns.” The gown reappeared but he looked very much annoyed.

“How did you get into his bed then?” Jareth asked, walking to a chair across the room and sitting
down.

“What bed?!” Sarah asked, almost falling off the bed as she stormed towards him. “And what man?!
Who is this man!?”

“The man!” Jareth suddenly stood up, towering over her and angry as ever.

“WHAT MAN?!” Sarah screamed as loud as she could and then all was silent. “Jesus Christ, Jareth
you’re making me so angry right now!” She calmed down and then took one of his hands in hers.
“Let’s be honest with each other now. I’ll tell you my side of the story and you tell me yours.”

Jareth seemed a bit put off at that but he grumbled a ‘fine’ and slumped against the chair once more.
Sarah took a seat and recounted everything that happened since the night of their love-making,
including the mysterious woman named Helen. At the very mention of her name, Jareth gave an angry
hiss and disappeared from the room.

When he reappeared, he had with him the woman who had spoken to Sarah earlier and he pushed her
to the floor angrily. She got up, her face flushed from anger.

“Jareth, what is the meaning of this!” she cried. Then she turned and saw Sarah and her demeanor
changed. She calmed down and took a deep breath, giving Sarah her warmest smile. Sarah glared
back at her.

“When did you learn about your powers, Helen?” Jareth asked, pacing the room.

“W-what?” Helen sputtered. “Powers....I don’t have any powers.”

“Everyone who even so much as enters the Labyrinth has a certain amount of power,” he said, crossing
his arms over and his chest and looking particularly displeased. “ I knew you had some all along but I
never thought they would as powerful as they have become. Out with it, now. Don’t make me kill you.”

“Jareth!” Sarah cried incredulously. He put a silencing charm on her and motioned for Helen to speak,
ignoring Sarah’s silent tantrum.

“A decade ago,” grumbled Helen, looking away. Sarah was now banging a table trying to make noise
to get Jareth’s attention.

Jareth appeared stunned for a second and then regained his composure. “Very well, go on.” At the
same time, he had to keep Sarah distanced with one hand as she tried to attack him, still silent even
though her mouth formed the shape of obscenities.

“I learned that I could morph into anything I wanted to,” Helen said.

“You were the man and you were one of the fairies as well,” Jareth said outright. “You were watching
us.” At this, Sarah calmed down and stepped away, blushing.

“Yes,” Helen said bitterly. “Happy now?”

“Happy and slightly aroused,” he quickly caught Sarah’s fist as it threatened to collide with his face.
“I’m only joking, love. But as for you Helen, you will bear my wrath. Make no mistake about that. You
will pay.”

And so it was that Jareth cursed Helen to the land of no mirrors (the land where there are no mirrors
because the second one of the natives even so much as bears his/her/its reflection in a mirror, the mirror
commits suicide and shatters into a million little pieces. This thus has caused problems and many wars
between this land and the land of mirrors. Diplomatic tactics are now being employed to fix problems
between the two even though the leaders can’t quite look at each other).

Jareth turned to look at Sarah as soon as Helen disappeared from their sight.

“Sarah, I will not lie to you,” he said, looking her straight in the eye. “I did strive for revenge at first.”

“I know,:” Sarah said softly and his eye brow arched up in question. “I knew it when I saw the
exchange between you and Helen. I saw it in your eyes. There was guilt.”

“I fought with myself constantly about it and Helen was a major factor that lead me to the revenge plot,”
he admitted. “That first night together with you changed all of that when our spirits were one.” His eyes
narrowed. “But then I found you with that...well we know it was Helen now, but at the moment it did
not look like her. I do not know how she got you out of my bed, but you slept through everything so I
assume she put a relatively good sleeping spell on you. And on me as well because I usually wake up at
the slightest noise during the night.”

“So what you’re saying is,” Sarah smiled eagerly, “that you were wrong and that you are sorry.”

Jareth smirked, pulling her closer, “Don’t push your luck.”

                                                THE END

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to finish. I had bad writers block (that and my comp was broken). So
here it is. I hope you all enjoyed the story.

Check out my new twisted Charlie and Chocolate Factory fic. If you’re as twisted as me, you’ll enjoy
it. If not, you’ll vomit and flame but oh well, 1^st amendment bitchezzz!! :-P