Christmas Hope
I do not own Labyrinth, although I wish I did.
The twenty year old dark beauty sat on her double bed, alone with her thoughts. Tears slid down her doll like face. Christmas was always the saddest time for her, because she was always alone.
Karen had stopped nagging, her Father had died earlier that year in a car accident and Toby had been missing over two years. She had no one left.
Sarah had been thrown out as soon as she had turned eighteen and luckily for her, her father had left her money in his will. She chose to invest in a small apartment. The money fully covered the cost and some left over for some furniture.
Her best friend Katy asked if she could move in with Sarah, but she had said no preferring the quiet and freedom of living alone.
2 years ago
Sarah was on her way home from college, when she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. Huffing loudly, she pulled it out and swiped it. The message read, ' Sarah, Toby has gone missing and I wont be back home till after 8.'
Sarah ran home in tears. After that night of wishing him away, she became so much more protective and loving. She had created a strong bond with him.
Weeks had went by awaiting Toby's return, but no one could find him. Karen had decided she'd had enough of Sarah and threw her out. Her Father didn't even try to stop her from leaving.
Current events
Yep, the memory always seemed to trigger her, he still hadn't been found.
The event of him going missing had happened a few days before Christmas and every year she would wish he would come back home.
Her apartment was only round the corner from her childhood home, as she preferred to stay in the area, should Toby ever come home.
Her home only had a few decorations scattered around, her medium sized white tree sat in the middle of her living room, a few lights wrapped around the TV and some silver tinsel wrapped around her door frame. She would always light a candle each year and as she blow it out, she made a wish.
One decoration she treasured the most was a store bought tree charm. It was small, smooth to the touch and painted white. She knew it wasn't expensive, but it symbolised love, with its heart shape and the message it read, 'wish you were here'. It was for Toby and it meant a lot to her.
It reminded her of the hope she still held for him to come home.
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Jareth sat on his thrown, surrounded by disorderly goblins and chickens, gazing into a crystal. In the crystal, he saw Sarah. She was sitting alone in her bedroom.
He couldn't help, but let a tear slip at how sad she looked. He felt like he had to do something to improve her state of mind. He wanted to see her, to hold her, to make love to her and hold her heart forever.
After a few hours of thinking, he came up with a plan. He would cross the worlds and pay her a visit.
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" Damn it, only two days till Christmas and I still haven't got Toby anything ", Sarah spoke aloud.
She knew it wasn't likely that Toby would come home, but she still held hope.
She went to the toy shop down the road. Just as she was about to leave, she spotted a big brown teddy in a red and white striped jumper. She took it from the shelf, took out her card and paid.
She knew wherever Toby was, he'd love this teddy. It looked a lot like her favourite teddy, Lancelot, who she still treasured very much. She could imagine the now eight year old, dancing around with it in his arms.
That night she found she just couldn't sleep. The air felt different, nothing felt right. She pulled the covers from her body and slid her feet into her slippers and wrapped her robe around herself.
Sarah walked down the stairs and took a few sips of water. " A few moments outside couldn't hurt ", she said to herself.
She stepped into the moonlight, only to sense the feeling growing stronger. Everything felt out of place and wrong, like she was being watched.
As her eyes scanned the area for possible danger, something caught her eye. It was unmistakably a white barn owl, staring right back at her.
With that, her nerves started to bubble up inside of her, she could smell magic. In a panic she tried to move, but found her feet were glued to the pavement and her eyes were glued to the owl.
The owl flew over to the frightened mortal girl, landing a few feet away from her. It's magnificent wings spread out and it's form started to glow.
Sarah looked away for what seemed like an eternity.
" Sarah, we meet again. "
Upon hearing that voice, she ran to the door and closed it, breathing hard. Why was he here ?, she hadn't called on him or wished anyone away.
She hid in her bed, beneath the covers, shaking and wishing it was all a dream.
" Do I really have that much of an effect on you, precious ? "
Knowing there was no escape, she threw the covers back and climbed out of bed.
" Why are you here ? "
" I wanted to see you ", he shrugged.
" Well, I don't want to see you, you baby stealing freak! ", Sarah shouted.
Jareth felt his heart drop in his chest, but held back his emotion, " you wished Toby away, are you really still talking about this ? "
Sarah got angry, " you...you stole him back...I hate you...I hate you, you pig ", she screamed. Sarah had broke, letting her tears fall.
Jareth took a shaky breath. Sarah ran up to him and pushed him on the ground, holding her hands over his windpipe.
" You don't deserve to breathe, you probably killed Toby ", her rage was over the top now.
Jareth started to feel dizzy from lack of oxygen, " what...are...you...talking...about ? "
" I...never...hurt...Toby! ", he was starting to lose consciousness.
Sarah calmed and got off of him, " oh my...so you had nothing to do with his disappearance ? "
Jareth regained his breath and scattered to a corner, letting his tears fall freely.
Sarah had never seen him like this, she thought he would of got angry, but she had scared him. She took his silence as a, ' No'. She sat down on her bed, unable to contain her emotion. She had forgiven him for the labyrinth and taking Toby , but she didn't know who else to blame for Toby going missing and because Jareth had taken him before, it was so easy to pin the blame on him.
At least if Jareth had of had Toby, he could of given him back with some prompting, but the thought of Toby still out there was a scary thought.
Jareth regained his composure and moved over to Sarah, not sure whether to touch her or not, he climbed in bed beside her, only removing his jacket and boots.
Sarah felt him slip in beside her, but didn't object. They could go over this in the morning after they had, had some sleep.
Sarah woke up to the calming sound of Jareth breathing. She climbed out of bed and went to shower. After that, she went to fix breakfast.
" What would a Goblin King want ? ", she asked herself. She decided on two cups of coffee, buttered toast and two peaches. When she entered the room, Jareth was just putting his shirt over his head.
" I went to shower ", he spoke up.
Sarah nodded and put the tray on the bed, " I've bought breakfast ", she said handing Jareth a cup.
" Thank you ", Jareth replied.
Jareth drank the coffee, ate the toast and the peaches with no complaints. He followed Sarah into her living room and sat across from her.
" Nice place you got here ", he complimented.
Sarah smiled and then remembered their conversation from the night before.
" I'm sorry for strangling you last night, I completely jumped at you, I didn't even let you answer or at least try to explain. "
Jareth shifted uncomfortably, " what's going on ? "
Sarah swallowed, " well...Toby went missing when I was eighteen, just out of nowhere. I thought, because you took him all those years ago, that maybe you took him again. "
Jareth sniffed, fighting back more tears, 'what was wrong with him ?'
" I'm sorry for just turning up, I saw you in one of my crystals. "
Sarah nodded, " you were spying on me...you perv! "
" NO, NO, NO!, I just felt bored and wanted to check up on you, don't worry, my crystals stop me from seeing you at indecent times ", Jareth replied.
" Oh I'm sorry ", Sarah felt bad for making him so upset.
Jareth nodded.
After about half an hour of awkward silence, Sarah spoke up, " like I said, Toby went missing around Christmas and its a really hard time for me. "
Jareth conjured a blanket around his self, it was very cold in the small apartment.
" Oh I'm very sorry, I need to get the heating fixed up ", Sarah stated realising Jareth was cold.
" I never give up hope, I always look out for him, I always go out for a walk a few times a week to clear my head and look out for Toby. "
" I could help...using my crystals. "
" How ? ", Sarah questioned Jareth.
" Well, whenever someone enters my realm, they are coated in magic, that's how I see people with my crystals. "
" So the magic acts as a tracking device ", Sarah pushed on, she wanted as much information as possible.
" A tracking device ? ", Jareth looked puzzled.
Sarah giggled at his confusion, " it's a small device that enables you to track a person or object down to find out where it or they are. Its very small, barely visible and comes in two parts. The actual chip,(tracking device) and the tracker,(often installed on a phone, through an app or a handheld controller). It's quite clever really ", she finished.
Jareth nodded, taking in the new information.
" So...where do we start ? ", Sarah was eager.
" Well, it's easier outside ", Jareth stated putting his blanket back on the chair.
The pair stood outside on the pavement. Thankfully the area had lots of hedges, not everyone understood Jareth like Sarah did. If the public saw a man with rocker hair, make up and clothed in medieval clothing, he'd be thrown in an institution.
Jareth effortlessly conjured a crystal sphere in his gloved hands and gestured for Sarah to come over, " repeat after me. "
Sarah took a breath and said the words, " show me where Toby is. "
The crystal began to glow and after had cleared, the image of a small, blonde haired boy of about eight appeared. He was the splitting image of Toby. He was dirty, malnourished and covered in bruises, his clothing almost non existent.
Sarah burst into tears, " we need to find him, he's in trouble. "
Jareth placed the crystal on the grass to prevent breakage and took Sarah's hand, " right this may sound silly, but we need to jump onto the crystal. "
" Why ? "
" It's a portal to wherever your Brother is ", Jareth explained.
The pain closed their eyes and took the leap, hand in hand as the portal sucked them in.
Jareth was almost immediately recovered from the ordeal, but Sarah had passed out for a few moments.
" Wakey, wakey Sarah ", he teased.
" Where are we ? ", Sarah asked, feeling confused as she shook herself off.
" I'm not sure, this must be where your Brother is ", Jareth answered.
They both stood up from the ground and took in their surroundings. It was damp, smelly and gloomy. Everything about this situation felt dodgy. Sarah huddled closer to Jareth, she felt scared for herself and especially for Toby.
" Come this way, the magic pull is strong ", Jareth directed, taking Sarah's hand.
They walked for what felt like hours in the middle of nowhere. The skies got gloomier and gloomier, with each passing moment. Just as she was about to ask Jareth to look for a place to sleep, she heard crying in the close distance, a child crying to be more precise.
She held Jareth's hand she walked closer and closer to the source, the sound getting louder. As she got closer, she noticed crisp packets and drink bottles.
Suddenly the crying came to a halt, " who's there ? ", a small, male voice called out.
" Come out, we won't hurt you, we want to help you ", Jareth reached out.
The child crawled out from behind the wall, he was very frail and his clothing in rags, the colour impossible to tell. He moved very slow and with a limp.
" Toby, is that you ? ", Sarah asked with unshed tears forming in her eyes.
" Sarah!", the boy cried running up to her. She embraced the child, finally letting her tears fall.
" Where to ? "
" The Hospital near my home, he needs checking out ", Sarah replied.
This time the teleporting wasn't as bad, probably because she had her concentration on Toby. Sarah carried him into the children's ward, receiving shocked " oo's " and " ah's ", at Toby's state. She ignored it and sat down on a chair, never letting Toby go. At first she thought the shock was for Jareth's otherworldly look, but he'd glamoured himself to look normal.
His hair was in a neat modern cut, his markings were erased and he'd replaced his normal garb, with jeans and a jumper and some trainers replacing his boots.
A nurse walked over to them and introduced herself, " hello, I'm nurse Anna, what can I do with you ? "
" This is my Brother, Toby. He was missing for a couple of years and we found him. We were walking and talking and heard a child's crying ", Sarah answered.
" Who is the man ? "
Annoyed at how nosy the nurse was being, Sarah answered, " My boyfriend ", she knew it was a lie, but she didn't want to go in alone.
The nurse nodded and led them through to a cubicle with all sorts of medical equipment and a bed. She helped Toby undress, so she could examine him. She asked him lots of questions and wrote his answers down on a medical form. He was very nervous, but complied.
It turned out, he'd chipped his knee and lost a few teeth, but that was it.
" Right, I'm gonna need to clean him up to determine any further damage ", the nurse stated.
Ten minutes later, Toby was carried back in a warm, fluffy towel, "I had to bath him."
Once dried and examined, the nurse helped him into a grey tracksuit and white T-shirt.
" Where did you get the clothes ", Sarah asked relived that he had something to wear.
" Well, sometimes people leave stuff and others give unwanted stuff in. Its a good idea, because otherwise we'd have to send him home in a paper gown. "
After a few phone calls, they were free to leave and get back home. Sarah phoned Karen, to let her know that Toby had been found. Karen was overjoyed, but needed to clean up back at home, so she allowed the more than accepting Sarah, to keep him the night.
" Right, you can go now, the police and everyone involved in the case has been informed that Toby is home safe ", the nurse wished them a good Christmas and waved them off.
Sarah thought back to the night Toby had gone missing. He'd gone out shopping with Karen and ran off. He got lost and wondered about.
After a take away, they all sat in Sarah's living room, listening to Christmas music. Christmas could now be a happy time.
" Well ", she took a breath, " it's Christmas Eve and I've got presents! "
Toby cheered happily.
" Well since you're going home tomorrow, you can have the presents from me tonight. "
Toby teared open the wrapping paper to reveal chocolate, craft stuff, clothes and a very special teddy in a striped red and white jumper, " I love everything ", he sang cheerfully.
It was so good to see him happy again, so good that Sarah cried tears of joy.
Once Toby was tucked in, Sarah went to hug Jareth goodbye and thank him for bringing Toby home.
" I love you very much precious and I promise I will come back one day. Should you ever need me, call me. "
Sarah smiled, nodded and gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek.
" You love The Goblin King ", Toby spoke aloud, as Sarah went to turn the lamp off.
" Maybe I do ", she said dreamily as she closed her tired eyes.
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Jareth conjured a crystal, " show me who Santa is ", he commanded. He'd seen and heard about Santa in Christmas books and songs, but didn't know who he was. The crystal displayed the image of a stubby, fat white man with a white beard, moustache and clothed in a red and white suit, bobble hat and black gloves. He was carrying a sack to his big red sleigh, that would be guided by reindeer.
This gave him a cheeky idea. He jumped off his throne and strolled into the seamstress's office, " hello, could you please make me this suit by morning ", he said, passing the crystal to the woman.
She nodded and bowed to The King, before getting straight to work.
He filled the sack with all of the presents he had for Sarah and then climbed into bed.
He got up super early, bathed and got into his newly made Santa costume, " just you wait precious ", Sarah would get a big surprise.
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Sarah woke up at 8:00 in the morning, upon hearing a knock at her front door. It was Karen, ready to pick Toby up. She gave Sarah a big hug and offered for her to come over for Christmas dinner, but Sarah politely declined, she had other plans.
After a long soak in the bath, she got into her cosiest and warmest pyjamas. She made some lunch for herself and than set to work on a special card for Jareth.
She spent most of the day ensuring it was perfect. When happy with the result, she sealed the envelope and went to start a small microwave dinner for herself.
Half way through preparing it, she heard a ruffling noise coming from her front room. Feeling cautious and scared, she grabbed a knife, she didn't want to hurt anyone, but she knew living alone, she had to protect herself.
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Jareth had been waiting in Sarah's living room all day, waiting to surprise her. She had kept him waiting all day and he was getting fed up, so he made a ruffling noise with the tree to try and prompt her in there.
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She carefully opened the door to the living room and peered inside, only to be met by a tall, slim man, dressed as Santa.
She felt her nerves building and her hand rising to stab the stranger. Before she could do anything, she suddenly realised it was Jareth.
" Hello again precious ", he bent down on one knee and presented a small silver box.
Sarah dropped the knife, her hands rising to cover her mouth and her eyes welling up, he was going to propose. She didn't realise it at first, but she loved him.
" Sarah Williams, Champion Of The Labyrinth, will you be my Queen and my love forever ? "
" Yes... ", she burst into tears, as he placed the heart shaped diamond on her finger. Instead of saying anything else, she threw herself into his welcome arms.
Christmas would be great for many more years to come.
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Dear readers, I hope you enjoyed this rather long, Christmas one-shot. I know its not perfect, but I needed to write something.
For anyone who is currently reading my main story 'Mysteries Of The Labyrinth' I have not given up, I've just been extremely busy.
Reviews and follows please x
ilovelabyrinth