The Labyrinth on Bourbon Street 2

*Choking Back Tears* Wanna Fight

Sebastian and Allie could only watch in silence as they saw Jareth slowly coax a weakened Lapis into biting into his poisoned peach. They tried, above all else, to avoid being seen. 

"Seb, grab my purse." Allie whispered, reaching for her bag. Sebastian grabbed the strap and pulled it in. While Allie busied herself rummaging through her bag for the set of matches, Sebastian listened in while Jareth spoke to Lapis.

"I say, my darling..." Jareth whispered to her ear. "Your father was much more agreeable than you. But I'm glad you've come back home."

Sebastian clenched his fist and swallowed his screams of anger. The part of him that was scared of Jareth's tyranny was smothered by his rage. 

"Don't worry, sweetheart." He hummed into her hair, stroking her electric red hair down her back, but then forcing her to her knees on the pile of bricks and jagged mortar. "I tried this out on one of your friends before you. But I would never hurt you... in that way. I'm just going to shackle you here to make sure you never try to run away from me again."

Sebastian clenched his fists at the memory of what Jareth did to him. And to know that he would see Lapis, chained up against her will with blackened eyes and muzzled? He couldn't bear to even think it.

Sebastian looked over at Allie, who had finally found the box of matches. "Are you sure that we should use them?" Allie's eyebrows knitted together in worry.

"More and more by the second." Sebastian snatched the box from her hand. He broke off a dry vine from the wall and set it ablaze, not really certain of what he would do, but certain that he would do it.

"Get your filthy hands off of her." Sebastian demanded, appearing from behind the corner. He did not look the slightest bit threatening; he still wore his blackened eyes, his face was slashed and he looked to be struggling to stand up, but his will to swallow his pain to defend his friend was admirable, even for Jareth to see.

Jareth had Lapis already shackled to the wall by her hands, her mouth was muzzled and the crest was placed back around her neck, so she was dressed like utter fantasy royalty. Jareth slid a boot down her back and then gave it a swift kick, making sure it was arched to his liking. It was then when he noticed Sebastian in all of his pathetic-but-strong-willed glory.

"How did you escape the oubliette?" Jareth asked. But Sebastian wasn't paying attention. What he was paying attention to was Lapis, whose eyes shot open when she saw him. She started to yell something through her muzzle, triggering Allie to spring in to action. She stood behind Sebastian, and her appearance seemed to make Lapis stir in discomfort even more.

"You heard him," Allie said, having had brought out her Swiss Army knife and was pointing the rope-cutter in his direction. "give me back my Lappy."

Lapis started to fight. She pulled at her hands until the metal started to creak. Her yells of anguish started to become clearer. 

"Get out of my head, get out of my head..." Sebastian could make out. "Through trials untold and... fuck, that's not it"

"What do you two think you'll be doing with those?" He scoffed, blissfully unaware of Lapis's struggling. He took both of their weapons and, with a flick of his wrists, smothered the flame and tossed the knife into the night. 

Sebastian reached for his pocket and struck another match. Jareth chuckled and clenched his fist in front of him, making the match crumble into ash.

"Play fair!" Allie demanded, trying to dash to Lapis's side.

"Oh, if you insist." Jareth rolled his eyes. "Maybe it will be fair to tell you that everything you throw at me, lovely Lapis here will catch." 

Sebastian held the next match. The threat was real. Sebastian and Allie exchanged one look and they knew just what to do. Allie would tend to getting Lapis free and Sebastian would keep Jareth busy.

"Nah." Sebastian shook his head. "Take it like we do in Romania. You and me, right here."

Sebastian knew for a fact that Jareth could (and did once before) completely obliterate him. But as long as he kept on loosing, the girls were safe. He started to take a steps back, luring him farther away from Lapis and giving Allie a window to cross. 

Jareth jumped right in and smacked Sebastian across the face a few times with his crop and kicked him down to the ground. After what felt like an eternity of being (literally) royally beaten down and occasionally getting a hit or two in, all taken like a champ thanks to some extremely Romanian perseverance, Jareth seemed to start to retract.

"I can do this all day." Sebastian muttered, trying to steady his bleeding jaw back in to place. He got back to his feet to face a very impatient looking Jareth. Sebastian didn't seem to have much strength left in him, but he kept on soldiering through. 

"You won't have to." Jareth snickered, a malicious grin growing on his face. 

"Damn straight." agreed a voice behind him. Before he could turn around, he was whacked in the back of the head with a lose chain. Jareth fell to his knees and then flat on his face, out cold. 

Lapis and Allie were standing behind him, Lapis wielding the chain in question, her wrists all bruised up, but her face safe and her body freed. Allie was hovering close behind, eyeing Jareth's unconscious body up and down to make sure he was out. She was sure to clutch Lapis's suitcase, for some reason, with a two-handed death grip on the handle.

"Sebby..." Lapis looked on his face and her expression dropped. "your face!"

"It shouldn't stay like this forever." Sebastian assured them. "A crop isn't a whip, and god knows I've seen worse."

"We need to get the hell out before he comes through." Lapis took Sebastian's hand and pulled him to his feet. "That should keep him out, but not forever. Since he's not available to fuck with us, we can do some cheating of our own."

Lapis put one foot on a stray vine and gestured to her friends with a smile. They knew what to do.

The remainder of the Labyrinth was ridiculously easy -- it only took three misfits jumping from narrow wall to narrow wall with only the light of the full moon. Allie had her bag, Lapis had her suitcase and Sebastian had his legs back.