Okay, I usually don't like one-shots. But, I thought this was a nice glimpse into Sarah's mind and a nice look at her growing up a little after she ran the Labyrinth, so I took a break from my Charmed fic. The idea came to me when I saw a small child stepping on her shadow, and how I thought something so pure shouldn't try to catch something so dark.
It was three weeks to the day since Sarah had run the Labyrinth. Three weeks to the day that she had won her brother back. Three weeks to the day she had beaten the Goblin King.
Jareth. Three weeks since she had refused Jareth.
It almost seemed a dream, but her friends Hoggle, Didymus and Ambrosias, and Ludo kept the experience real. They still visited and were there whenever she had called. Their "after party" had helped bring closure to her triumph.
She now sat in the park watching her dog Merlin chase his shadow. It was the same park in which she had played dress-up and recited her lines. The same park where she had been watched by a seemingly unimportant barn owl.
Returning to the park that morning had been difficult. She had set out from her house with a pit in her stomach and a dry mouth. Three weeks ago she had noticed the owl and thought it cute, and pretended it was her audience.
"Aw, Mister Owl, how good of you to come to my dress rehearsal," she had said. The owl had cocked his head and examined her head to toe. "You are looking quite handsome in white," she had told him. The "owl" had puffed up with pride and Sarah giggled, not knowing that the bird was a creature of intelligence. She had thought its action was a happy coincidence.
Now she sat without a script, without a dress, and-as far as she could see-without an owl. The weather was the same as it had been three weeks ago: a brewing storm. It could very well have been the same exact day, but much had changed-so much.
Sarah's dog leapt and pawed at his own shadow.
"Oh, Merlin," she addressed her beloved sheep dog, "don't you know? Don't chase the dark; light can never posses the dark." Sarah was well aware of the double meaning to her words, and she began to speak more to herself than to Merlin.
"Yes, there are dark parts to light, and maybe the dark and the light are two separate parts of the same thing. Dark will always be there, because you realize it is a part of you. Perhaps one cannot survive without the other, just like the light and the shadow. You can chase all you want, you will enjoy the pursuit. You can even enjoy being in the dark for a while," her thoughts drifted to the beautiful ball she had attended in her dream that had been brought on by the peach.
"But, you must return to the light. Do not chase the dark, one must be where one belongs. You are separate worlds, and no matter how much you wish to posses it-or even love it-the dark cannot capture the light." She finished her speech with a hint of triumph.
But, then she added a little sadly, "And the light cannot capture the dark."
Sarah still felt as if she did not belong in this world; she had truly found a home in the Labyrinth. And, she did feel love towards Jareth; she finally admitted it to herself and accepted that she felt these feelings. He was her shadow; he was a part of her. He had shown her the labyrinth and left something in her heart. But, he was darkness. He had a dark side to him that Sarah could not accept. Though he was generous he was cruel, and she was a human who didn't belong in the Labyrinth.
But, she would always have her friends from the Underground. Maybe she would even visit someday. After all, the Goblin King had no power after her. Still, she had realized and now knew that she had to live her life in her own world and do her growing up. She would never forget her friends and she would keep them a part of her life. But, she could not be with the Goblin King. She could not abandon her family.
"C'mon, Merlin, time to go home," she called to the dog. Merlin heeled and they both started a homeward trot.
Unbeknownst to Sarah, across the meadow and sitting hidden in a tree was a barn owl-the same barn owl that had watched her from a closer distance three weeks earlier.
Jareth.
The Goblin King heard her words and believed in them. Perhaps she was right. But he would watch and wait for her. He would always be there. He would spend many a night at her windowsill. He would spend many a day flying over her as she journeyed to school.
Just like Hoggle had said, "Should you need us..."
Jareth would wait for her to be ready. No, the dark and the light do not mix, but maybe someday they could be together. Until then, a barn owl would always haunt that park, lurking in the shadows, waiting for the day that light and dark could unite.