The Lost and the Lonely

It was gone midnight by the time Sarah had returned from work, her ears still ringing from the music and her eyes threatening to close permanently any moment. It had been a long shift. Slumping ungracefully onto her threadbare sofa, Sarah slipped her aching feet out of her shoes slowly, wincing as they protested at the change but soon a sigh of relief escaped poor Sarah's lips as she wiggled her toes freely in the cool air of her apartment.

Now twenty two years of age, Sarah Williams had left school, moved out of her parent's home and was now in the process of actually finding something to do with her psychology degree and paying off the crippling student loan debt which was always in the forefront of her mind. She had taken on a job at the nearby bar which meant long hours, little pay and of course – sore feet. But most of the time this did not worry her as she was starting to get friendlier with some of the locals and the atmosphere created by the customers on a Saturday night usually left her in a good mood.

But not tonight.

It had been slow tonight, and whilst most people would generally welcome a chance to take a break or just do nothing, Sarah found she always liked to be busy and have her mind focusing on something. Otherwise it would go straight back to him. Six years ago, Sarah Williams ran the Goblin King's Labyrinth in order to retrieve her baby brother – or so she thought. As the years began to pass and she got on with her life, Sarah began to question whether the events in the Underground had actually happened at all. The voice of reason was telling her no and that what she had thought to have been real was nothing more than an elaborate dream thanks to her over active imagination and of course she had grown out of that by now. But every time she had a minute to herself, Sarah found her mind wandering back to her time in the Labyrinth, almost every detail clear in her mind. Whether it had been real or not Sarah simply wanted a way out of reality, she did not belong there.

Sighing, Sarah rose from her comfy position and made her way to bed pausing only to stop and grab a glass of water, her gaze unwillingly drawn to the picture stuck to her fridge door. A year ago, Sarah had been absentmindedly flicking through a newspaper left behind by a customer when her attention fell on an article about a new and upcoming singer that was slowly becoming a favourite with the critics and all the teenage girls in America. But it wasn't his music that had piqued her interest, no – it was his eyes. The same mismatched, manic eyes from a man she had encountered before. Of course, at first Sarah's mind was flooded with many excuses as to why she was being ridiculous, the main being she wasn't even sure if the memory this man had come from was even real! But yet she still took the article home with her and somehow the picture had ended up on her fridge door. For a year she had looked at that photo, and sometimes found herself staring at it for unnatural amounts of time almost yearning for him to step out of it and be real. But soon reality would kick in and she'd realise she was being childish – again. Yawning, Sarah grabbed her drink and headed for bed, in seven hours she'd need to be up for the breakfast shift and her mundane routine would begin again.

It took a while for the Goblin King to realise he loved her.

Sending this fifteen year old girl back to the Aboveground actually with her baby brother had angered Jareth beyond all reasonable belief. Never in all his years of reigning over the Goblin people had he been defeated, his Labyrinth beat and his pride destroyed. But as his shame subsided he found a new feeling under the anger and the embarrassment was rising, one he thought he'd been able to bury – he loved the girl. At first glance of Sarah Williams, Jareth had seen her for the spoilt teenager she was, complaining about a life that was near enough perfect. She would have never known hardship and he was more than glad to be the one to show her. But something had changed the night she had eaten his enchanted peach and the glee he had first felt at successfully managing to delay her on her quest quelled almost immediately as her tiny hand was enclosed in his. This girl had more than proven herself to be a match to him and would most likely continue to do so. Her defiant nature amused him and her personality was incredibly infectious.

But then she was gone.

He had tried so desperately to keep her. He had all but begged upon his knees to make her stay but of course, she had chosen the baby. Was this what heartbreak felt like? Watching her disappear back into her world whilst his position remained unchanged? The Goblin King could almost feel the ripping in his chest – he would not be whole until he found her again. But soon another voice had entered his mind – why should he wait for her? She did not choose him so why should a King go chasing after some silly schoolgirl that in hindsight meant nothing to him? Jareth pushed Sarah to the deepest depths of his mind, locking her away so she could become nothing more than a distant memory, something he wouldn't think twice about if the thought arose again.

And it worked for some time.

But now Jareth did not like what he saw before him. Gone were the long, platinum blonde locks he once sported and instead was a short crop of dirty blonde hair resting lazily on his head. He did not like it. Glancing down at his attire, Jareth traced his fingers slowly over the soft material of his dark suit, sorely missing the leather jacket and poets shirt that was acceptable in his homeland – but not here. He searched the Aboveground for a long time, eventually making a life for himself but every time there was a knock at his door, Jareth's heart leapt out of his chest in the vain hope it might just be the one he was looking for. It never was.

It was raining the night he finally admitted defeat.

Walking down an empty street, the Goblin King simply stared through the sheeting rain, the only light coming weakly from the streetlamps around him. He could hear laughter and the buzz of chatter coming from a nearby bar and for one fleeting moment he considered partaking in the human past time of drinking but what was the point? He had lost again and did not wish to remain in this hell hole of despair for any longer than necessary. A figure went unnoticed behind him, a young woman running desperately through the falling water, heading home after a long day of work.

Cursing under her breath, Sarah raked her hands through her drenched hair as she entered her apartment, loathing the fact she had forgotten her umbrella that morning. Tonight had been busier than anything she'd ever worked before wither boss and customers that were making her lose whatever faith in humanity she had left. Ringing her soaked hair out in the kitchen sink, Sarah's gaze travelled to the window in front of her, seeing nothing but the empty night. She had always believed there was something more for her out there, that she was meant for bigger and better things and her experience in the Labyrinth as a teenager had proved this to her. But a person can only be strong for so long and the years and reality had eroded her once active imagination. She now understood that there was nothing else in this world beyond what you could see and right now all she could see was darkness. Figures.

Rubbing her tired face, Sarah made her way slowly over to the fridge, trying not to think as she ripped the black and white photo off of it. Holding it tentatively in her hands, she traced over the man's face delicately, taking in every detail as a weak smile grew on her face – she would miss him.

A male voice distracted her from her thoughts.

"I was beginning to think you loved him more than me, Sarah" he joked "Finally gotten over your school girl crush?"

Sarah did not smile, her attention still on the destroyed photo in her hands.

"Yes. Yes I have."

A/N: So, I wrote this at about 2 in the morning after being inspired from the music video 'As the World Falls Down' (the actual release, not just the clip from the movie). For those who are reading Forever You and wondering why it's taking me so freaking long - I AM SO SORRY D: I am totally swamped with work and on top of that I have lost my chapter notes : But I finish uni in two months so hopefully then I will plenty of time to write :D

The video if you haven't seen it - /watch?v=CvLnPO9t4Wg&ob=av2n (put the youtube address in beforehand)