Movie: The Labyrinth
Title: As Your World Falls Down
Rating: R
Summary: 11 years after her adventure, life officially sucked for Sarah. Nothing was going right for the girl that had seemed so full of promises and hope before. It all changed when she saw the hitchhiker during a wild storm.
~*Aight, peeps, this will be my first Labyrinth Fic, so all criticism and preferably ;) encouragement is welcome. Some of you may find this story familiar. I redid the story, and put more direction into it. Sorry 'bout not updating it in forever. Just be patient. I apologize in advance if I cram too much into one sentence and make it confusing, and for leaving undoubtedly horrible cliffhangers. PeAcE!*~
*~*~*
Chapter 1
When Sarah had agreed to work late, she had not foreseen all the goddamn troubles it was going to get her into! Almost as if she'd opened a storage closet not recently opened that was so full of shit that it all came down, each patty trying to be the first to hit her on the head. The 26-year-old girl groaned softly in the quiet, rain-attacked car, thinking of the previous week's events.
The wipers furiously attacked the rain that dared to fall on the Honda's windshield, but to no avail.
First, it had been when her boss had talked her last Friday into agreeing to work overtime (and we're talking 'I-want-that-coffee-black' and 'It- ain't-over-'til-the-fat-lady-sings' late). And it wasn't even talking that Mr. Fred Cougar (or Freddie Crougar, as he was commonly--secretly--called amongst employees) had done to make her so agreeable; it was more along the lines of coaxing, bullying, and finally the good ole threatening of the job to make her stay. Sarah leaned back against the unyielding seat of the car, gripping the wheel with white-knuckled hands in frustration. The goddamn man couldn't seem to get it through his goddamn thick head that she was a goddamn single mother! No, she couldn't have a small raise, even if she was the best secretary in the building. No, she couldn't have this day off; she'd just had that--ah--day off. No, she couldn't have health insurance or at least some benefits; this was only her *third* year here at Cougar & Dell, part legal firm / part real estate. "Oh, Miss Williams, it doesn't matter that you are *my* secretary, or that you often help half of Mr. Dell's secretary," he had said, though not in exactly those words, that horrible day last Friday. "Special treatment toward you would result in jealousy and competition between fellow secretaries."
Then, it had been finding a babysitter. Sarah's usual babysitter had bailed out on her at the last minute, just two days ago, complaining that she didn't pay enough to sit for "the brat." That little bitch didn't seem to remember that Sarah had sweetly looked over the long-distance phone calls, the incident when she had left the door open and Merlin had gotten out and had been run over, and the incident when she had caught her and the bitch's preppy boyfriend on her own bed while her little girl cried in her crib in the next room. So, finally, Sarah had gotten the crabby, rather smelly woman next door to baby-sit for her, promising that she would be home by 11:00 at the latest.
After that, it had been a disturbing surprise visit from her father, Karen, and Toby, now 13. That day had been Sarah's 26th birthday. It had been a strained visit from the start, like Saran wrap over a pot of bubbling spaghetti sauce. Barely restrained. Hardly a half-hour had passed before the old troubles pushed their way to the surface and exploded. Why aren't you married? You don't even have a boyfriend! Do you want Tessika to grow up without a father, without a male figure to look up to? Do you just have men in here all the time? When are you going to get a larger apartment? When are you going to move to a better neighborhood? When are you going to get a better-paying job? When are you going to start acting like we're your family again? When are you-
Needless to say, a woman can only take so many "When are you"s. She had shoved them out with a "Thank you!" and a "Have a nice trip home!"
Then her brand-new Honda Civic (well, almost brand-new) decided to start dripping oil and speed up uncontrollably when she set cruise control.
Then she had to spill some of that nice, straight black coffee on a white silk blouse she had just bought from a Good Will center.
Then Mr. Cougar decided to stay late with her. Then he decided that they should move her work into his office; he needed her right there--in case he had questions, of course. Then he decided to rub her shoulders; then slobber on her neck; then force her down onto the hard leather couch; then to touch her breasts; then made the mistake of assuming her relaxing body meant she was relenting. WRONG! Up came the knee into the man's ample stomach; up went the fist into the man's round nose; up went the other fist into the man's crotch.
Freddie had then wisely relented, rolling off her onto the floor, curling into a ball of pain. "Bitch" and "slut" seemed to be the two most common words that were gasped out of his mouth. She had lain on the couch, rumpled and disshelved, as he coughed these insults at her, unsure of what to do. Before she could really register what was happening, she had grabbed her coat and left, nearly flying.
One question kept radiating through her frantic, frazzled mind: Did she still have a job?
That wasn't the only thing that was bothering the young woman that was 26- going-on-62-years-old. Oh, no. Not by far. Another thing was something that should have been bothering her long ago but hadn't been. How in the hell did she get hired at Cougar & Dell in the first place? Not really qualified in the first place and knowing it, she had spotted the job in the newspaper and applied for it. At the time, she was desperate for a job. A fresh graduate from a four-year college, she was inexperienced, and had essentially useless degrees, one in business and the other in mythology. Go figure. As she sat with the other applicants, she literally felt her spirits sinking lower and lower. The others that had shown up for an interview were all women, mostly older, with resumes three pages long. They looked grim, determined, experienced, coldly professional, and utterly intimidating. So how had Sarah beaten all of them out for a job that they were obviously better qualified for? Perhaps the way Cougar's eyes had crawled up her legs when she walked in was all the answer she needed. Sarah shivered, disgusted. How could she have been so blind? Desperation? Or just purposefully ignorant?
Sarah gnawed on her bottom lip, trying to go as fast as she could without leaving Tessika motherless. The harsh headlights of her car seemed to highlight each individual raindrop as the road became clear, blurry, clear, blurry, in time with the wipers. Why did she have to live forty-five minutes away, out of Chicago, from work? She had seen no other cars on the road. Ah, it seemed that sane people stayed off the roads in what the news was calling, "The Storm of the Decade." Hmm. How very odd.
What happened to me? she wondered, tapping her nails nervously on the wheel. She had been a glowing high school graduate, full of promises and hope. Even as she entered into Western Illinois University, she was still unscarred by the world. She was going to be an actress, just like her mother. She *knew* it. By her sophomore year, her dreams began to look a little shaky. Just *how* would she become an actress? She didn't know anyone in the business. Oh, well, if *that* didn't work out, she could always write fantasy stories. But it turned out that she didn't have a shred of writing talent, not even for reporting, and that was only facts! Her junior year was scary; she still hadn't declared a major, although she was looking promising in business. Then she met Jasen Jaggar--a movie star's name. He was tall, dark, handsome--and had one green eye and one blue eye, a similarity not lost on Sarah. They were attracted to each other. Result? Why, Tessika, of course! And Jasen had lit off like a moth, in search of bigger and better things--or at least equal college chicks with fewer children. He'd paid child support with no whining; that stopped when he killed himself during Sarah's first year at Cougar & Dell.
So here Sarah was, in the middle of a goddamn tropical storm, praying that the Honda wouldn't quit, praying that the neighbor woman wouldn't notice that it was twenty after one, praying that Mr. Cougar wouldn't decide to eliminate her from the firm.
I wish someone would just save me, she thought idly, her knuckles white on the steering wheel.
And that was when she spotted the hitchhiker.
Title: As Your World Falls Down
Rating: R
Summary: 11 years after her adventure, life officially sucked for Sarah. Nothing was going right for the girl that had seemed so full of promises and hope before. It all changed when she saw the hitchhiker during a wild storm.
~*Aight, peeps, this will be my first Labyrinth Fic, so all criticism and preferably ;) encouragement is welcome. Some of you may find this story familiar. I redid the story, and put more direction into it. Sorry 'bout not updating it in forever. Just be patient. I apologize in advance if I cram too much into one sentence and make it confusing, and for leaving undoubtedly horrible cliffhangers. PeAcE!*~
*~*~*
Chapter 1
When Sarah had agreed to work late, she had not foreseen all the goddamn troubles it was going to get her into! Almost as if she'd opened a storage closet not recently opened that was so full of shit that it all came down, each patty trying to be the first to hit her on the head. The 26-year-old girl groaned softly in the quiet, rain-attacked car, thinking of the previous week's events.
The wipers furiously attacked the rain that dared to fall on the Honda's windshield, but to no avail.
First, it had been when her boss had talked her last Friday into agreeing to work overtime (and we're talking 'I-want-that-coffee-black' and 'It- ain't-over-'til-the-fat-lady-sings' late). And it wasn't even talking that Mr. Fred Cougar (or Freddie Crougar, as he was commonly--secretly--called amongst employees) had done to make her so agreeable; it was more along the lines of coaxing, bullying, and finally the good ole threatening of the job to make her stay. Sarah leaned back against the unyielding seat of the car, gripping the wheel with white-knuckled hands in frustration. The goddamn man couldn't seem to get it through his goddamn thick head that she was a goddamn single mother! No, she couldn't have a small raise, even if she was the best secretary in the building. No, she couldn't have this day off; she'd just had that--ah--day off. No, she couldn't have health insurance or at least some benefits; this was only her *third* year here at Cougar & Dell, part legal firm / part real estate. "Oh, Miss Williams, it doesn't matter that you are *my* secretary, or that you often help half of Mr. Dell's secretary," he had said, though not in exactly those words, that horrible day last Friday. "Special treatment toward you would result in jealousy and competition between fellow secretaries."
Then, it had been finding a babysitter. Sarah's usual babysitter had bailed out on her at the last minute, just two days ago, complaining that she didn't pay enough to sit for "the brat." That little bitch didn't seem to remember that Sarah had sweetly looked over the long-distance phone calls, the incident when she had left the door open and Merlin had gotten out and had been run over, and the incident when she had caught her and the bitch's preppy boyfriend on her own bed while her little girl cried in her crib in the next room. So, finally, Sarah had gotten the crabby, rather smelly woman next door to baby-sit for her, promising that she would be home by 11:00 at the latest.
After that, it had been a disturbing surprise visit from her father, Karen, and Toby, now 13. That day had been Sarah's 26th birthday. It had been a strained visit from the start, like Saran wrap over a pot of bubbling spaghetti sauce. Barely restrained. Hardly a half-hour had passed before the old troubles pushed their way to the surface and exploded. Why aren't you married? You don't even have a boyfriend! Do you want Tessika to grow up without a father, without a male figure to look up to? Do you just have men in here all the time? When are you going to get a larger apartment? When are you going to move to a better neighborhood? When are you going to get a better-paying job? When are you going to start acting like we're your family again? When are you-
Needless to say, a woman can only take so many "When are you"s. She had shoved them out with a "Thank you!" and a "Have a nice trip home!"
Then her brand-new Honda Civic (well, almost brand-new) decided to start dripping oil and speed up uncontrollably when she set cruise control.
Then she had to spill some of that nice, straight black coffee on a white silk blouse she had just bought from a Good Will center.
Then Mr. Cougar decided to stay late with her. Then he decided that they should move her work into his office; he needed her right there--in case he had questions, of course. Then he decided to rub her shoulders; then slobber on her neck; then force her down onto the hard leather couch; then to touch her breasts; then made the mistake of assuming her relaxing body meant she was relenting. WRONG! Up came the knee into the man's ample stomach; up went the fist into the man's round nose; up went the other fist into the man's crotch.
Freddie had then wisely relented, rolling off her onto the floor, curling into a ball of pain. "Bitch" and "slut" seemed to be the two most common words that were gasped out of his mouth. She had lain on the couch, rumpled and disshelved, as he coughed these insults at her, unsure of what to do. Before she could really register what was happening, she had grabbed her coat and left, nearly flying.
One question kept radiating through her frantic, frazzled mind: Did she still have a job?
That wasn't the only thing that was bothering the young woman that was 26- going-on-62-years-old. Oh, no. Not by far. Another thing was something that should have been bothering her long ago but hadn't been. How in the hell did she get hired at Cougar & Dell in the first place? Not really qualified in the first place and knowing it, she had spotted the job in the newspaper and applied for it. At the time, she was desperate for a job. A fresh graduate from a four-year college, she was inexperienced, and had essentially useless degrees, one in business and the other in mythology. Go figure. As she sat with the other applicants, she literally felt her spirits sinking lower and lower. The others that had shown up for an interview were all women, mostly older, with resumes three pages long. They looked grim, determined, experienced, coldly professional, and utterly intimidating. So how had Sarah beaten all of them out for a job that they were obviously better qualified for? Perhaps the way Cougar's eyes had crawled up her legs when she walked in was all the answer she needed. Sarah shivered, disgusted. How could she have been so blind? Desperation? Or just purposefully ignorant?
Sarah gnawed on her bottom lip, trying to go as fast as she could without leaving Tessika motherless. The harsh headlights of her car seemed to highlight each individual raindrop as the road became clear, blurry, clear, blurry, in time with the wipers. Why did she have to live forty-five minutes away, out of Chicago, from work? She had seen no other cars on the road. Ah, it seemed that sane people stayed off the roads in what the news was calling, "The Storm of the Decade." Hmm. How very odd.
What happened to me? she wondered, tapping her nails nervously on the wheel. She had been a glowing high school graduate, full of promises and hope. Even as she entered into Western Illinois University, she was still unscarred by the world. She was going to be an actress, just like her mother. She *knew* it. By her sophomore year, her dreams began to look a little shaky. Just *how* would she become an actress? She didn't know anyone in the business. Oh, well, if *that* didn't work out, she could always write fantasy stories. But it turned out that she didn't have a shred of writing talent, not even for reporting, and that was only facts! Her junior year was scary; she still hadn't declared a major, although she was looking promising in business. Then she met Jasen Jaggar--a movie star's name. He was tall, dark, handsome--and had one green eye and one blue eye, a similarity not lost on Sarah. They were attracted to each other. Result? Why, Tessika, of course! And Jasen had lit off like a moth, in search of bigger and better things--or at least equal college chicks with fewer children. He'd paid child support with no whining; that stopped when he killed himself during Sarah's first year at Cougar & Dell.
So here Sarah was, in the middle of a goddamn tropical storm, praying that the Honda wouldn't quit, praying that the neighbor woman wouldn't notice that it was twenty after one, praying that Mr. Cougar wouldn't decide to eliminate her from the firm.
I wish someone would just save me, she thought idly, her knuckles white on the steering wheel.
And that was when she spotted the hitchhiker.