They had only been married for six months before her world changed…again.
"Concentrate," Jareth intoned standing behind Sarah with one gloved hand wrapped around her waist; the other supporting her outstretched hand. "Close your eyes and feel the crystal forming in your hand."
Sarah closed her eyes and concentrated. Imagining the cool roundness of the crystal sitting in her palm. She decided this one would be light as a feather and filled with music- a piece familiar to both of them.
'Just a bit more. Come on- exist' she thought. Suddenly, with a 'pop' as soft as a butterfly's flight she summoned the crystal into existence. Letting out a breath she sagged against his chest. Opening her eyes, she surveyed her work. It was flawless, and a bit larger than the ones before. A few weeks after gaining her powers, Sarah was only able to summon crystals the size of peas, but this one… this one was comparable to the ones that Jareth could pull with almost no effort.
But would it do as she intended? Craning her head back she looked at him. He had a pleased look on his face. "How do I activate it again?"
Jareth looked down at her with a besotted smile on his lips. Guiding her hand closer to her face he said "blow on it. It should float and whatever spell you embedded will start automatically."
Turning her concentration back to the crystal, Sarah blew at it, and it did take flight. Strains of a haunting song filled the air and images of a long ago masquerade flitted through their minds. Jareth pulled away bowing low to his wife. "May I have this dance," he asked, politely offering his hand for her to take.
Curtsying in response, Sarah took it and they began to waltz around the empty throne room with the crystal following in their wake.
Letting her feet guide her into the dance, Sarah's mind started to drift back. She didn't believe- didn't truly believe when she wished for the goblins to take Toby away 15 years ago. Of course not, it was just a story from a flea market book that her teenage self was obsessed with. Going so far as to act parts of it out in the nearby park.
But she was frustrated and angry at her stepmother; angry at her father for remarrying. And Toby… Toby wouldn't stop crying. Karen had said that he was getting over an ear infection but he had been crying for what seemed like forever… so she said the words. She said them in effort to make herself feel better, feel less hopeless- like she had control over something in her life.
She didn't believe until He showed up and Toby was gone.
She fought her way gallantly to the Castle beyond the Goblin City acquiring friends and learning lessons along the way. Lessons such as not taking things for granted, and that things are not always as they seem. But in the end she took back the child that was stolen and her life went back to normal.
After that night she never saw Him again.
Sarah didn't stop believing in him though. She had proof that the Labyrinth and all of its citizens existed. Her friends Hoggle, Sir Didymus, and Ludo visited her regularly at first. But as Sarah grew older and went off to college- their visits became less and less, until eventually they just stopped.
Then the owl showed up. Sarah was never certain if it was a regular barn owl or just Him keeping an eye on her. One fall day, as Sarah was walking back to her dorm she spotted the owl sitting in a maple tree. It wasn't hard to see as it was soft white feathers against a backdrop of red and yellow maple leaves. Slowing to a stop she stood there for a bit staring at the owl and the owl starred right back. She cocked her head to the right with the owl mirroring her movements.
It has to be Him. Normal owls don't do that. And she came so close to saying his name that she could feel it on her tongue, but held back at the last second. If it really was Him what did He want with her? What if it wasn't? What if it was just a normal barn owl and Sarah had let her imagination run wild? She sighed and continued on her way.
The owl righted its head, hooted once, and took off after her on silent wings.
Later that night Sarah got the call that her real mother, Linda, had died in an unfortunate house fire.
The funeral fell (ironically) on Halloween. Ironic only because it was her mother's favorite holiday. "The only day you can dress up in the real world and not be considered odd," Sarah remembered being told when she was 8, as her and Linda were dressing as matching cats. It was only a year after that, that Linda had packed up to live her dream- performing on Broadway. Leaving Sarah and her father, Robert on their own.
"Her choice has nothing to do with her love for you, Sweetheart. She just wanted the world to love her too" Robert explained as he dressed 9-year-old Sarah as a princess.
Sarah's college and part-time job were nice enough to give her bereavement time to deal with Linda's death. All she had to do really was show up as Robert and Karen took care of all the other arrangements. She knew she should feel devastated, but she didn't. Linda had been absent from her life for so long that Sarah felt more of a distant sadness. Like one would if a great aunt or a hardly seen cousin had passed. She felt sad for the loss of life, not because she'd never see Linda again.
Still, Sarah was exhausted by the time it was all over and she returned to her dorm room. Heading straight to her closet, Sarah stripped off her uncomfortable funeral clothes and pulled on her favorite pair of flannel pajamas. Settling into her favorite chair with a mug of hot chocolate she stared blankly out the living room window. So deep in her thoughts, she didn't notice the barn owl perched in the tree outside, or that it turned and looked directly towards her.
A flash of lightning made Sarah jump and spill half of the chocolate onto the rug at her feet. "Aww damn," she cursed, "that'll never come out." She padded over to the kitchen to gather cleaning supplies. Returning with an armful of paper towels and rug cleaner, Sarah's slippered foot collided with something smooth and cool. Looking down she saw a crystal sitting in the spot where her chocolate had spilt. Rug cleaned as though the accident never happened.
Directly next to the crystal was a black leather boot. Slowly allowing her eyes to travel up she took in the form of one very familiar Goblin King. Sarah gasped dropping her supplies. "Jareth!"
He smirked. "Hello, Sarah." In his hands sat not a crystal, but Sarah's half-filled mug of cocoa. He was swirling the contents of the mug in his hands slowly letting it fill and warming the liquid. Holding it out to her he asked "miss me?"
Ignoring the proffered mug Sarah's eyes grew wide, "it was you all along, wasn't it? The barn owl. It wasn't just an owl… it was you."
Setting the mug on to the end table Jareth reclined regally "yes," he said simply.
"But… but why? Why have you been following me after all this time? I beat you fair and square."
Deciding to make her wait Jareth changed topics. "Did you know that at Halloween or as we call it Samhain, the barrier between our worlds weakens? It becomes nothing more than a thin membrane. People and creatures can pass quite easily through."
Sarah sat on the couch opposite Jareth. "No, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"It's much easier to pass through the barrier as an owl than in my natural Fae form. Except for nights like this." Jareth turned to look out her window. "I've kept an eye on you because you intrigue me, Sarah. You are the only person to beat my Labyrinth ever, and in beating it you stole something from me and I've come to collect."
"But I don't have anything," she protested.
Jareth's eyes flashed with pain as he looked at her. "My heart. Part of it became yours as soon as you stepped within the center of the Labyrinth."
"What?" Sarah's voice was slightly shrill with surprise. She stood up crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, I don't want it. You can have it back. Why not come for it years ago?"
Jareth pulled a crystal and started rolling it along his hands and forearms. "I had to wait for you to grow up. To mature- in order for you to understand what I'm offering you." The crystal stopped rolling and Jareth held it out to her. Echoing words said years ago "I've brought you a gift."
Sarah eyed the crystal suspiciously. Looking straight into his mismatched eyes, she said calmly "But you're the villain. Villains don't lose their hearts to the heroine. So, no- I will not accept."
"No," Jareth raised an eyebrow. "I may have been the villain years ago but I was living up to your expectations of me. I was only playing a part Sarah," he breathed, "I know I'm in your mind." He twisted the crystal and it displayed a dance from a peach induced dream. "I know you remember what it felt like to be held by me, and I know that you wonder what it would be like to be touched by me, kissed by me, possessed …. loved. You've thought of that often."
Sarah turned away so that he couldn't see her blush. "I have not. Just a few hormone related dreams."
Jareth smirked knowingly. "Liar." He stood and on silent feet stalked over to slide his arms around her flannel clad waist. Resting his cheek against hers he whispered "I've wondered too."
Not giving into the urge to turn and face him she asked, "you have?"
"Yes. Open your heart to me and you can have everything."
And Sarah did. Slowly.
Like the many bricks and passageways that built the Labyrinth their relationship grew bit by bit; brick by brick until two years later they were wed.
Jareth squeezed his wife's hand and slowed them to a stop. "Darling, you're miles away. What are you thinking about?"
"Hmmm…?" Sarah's green eyes focused on him. Same wild hair and fine cheekbones as he had when she first met him at 15. "Oh, us. I was remembering us."
He pulled her into a warm embrace. "Why remember when you could have the real thing?" He kissed her chastely, but with little effort on his part the kiss grew deeper and more passionate- tongues tangled, teeth clashed, and without parting he gathered her up with the intent to transport them to their bedchamber when the gongs sounded indicating that someone was approaching the castle gates.
Jareth released Sarah who walked over to a 'portal' as she called it, that contained a view of the castle gates. Peering into it she asked, "we didn't have any visitors schedule for today, did we?" She could almost make out a dark figure walking up the path.
They didn't but Jareth recognized the figure. The Labyrinth was his primary defense against any attackers. However, whenever they expected visits he would open a path through the Labyrinth to allow them safe passage. He smiled, Sarah was in for a shock. "We do not, but I know who he is."
Sarah turned to look at him. "Who? One of the kings from nearby?" Turning back to the portal, she squinted, trying to make the figure clearer. "It doesn't look familiar at all," she murmured.
Jareth reached out and turned Sarah to face him. His eyes were full of amusement. "There's something I've neglected to tell you. Are you familiar with the Aboveground stories of Harry Potter?"
Sarah snorted a very unladylike snort. "Of course, who hasn't. What you're not going to tell me that it's all true, are you?"
Jareth blinked but said nothing. Sarah's eyes grew wide with understanding. "Harry Potter… the famous book character is real?!"
"Yes, Sweetheart, it's all real."
Sarah smacked his arm in mock anger. "Why didn't you tell me? Oh, we could have visited… I've always wanted to see Hogwarts, and Gringotts… she rambled."
"Yes, we can do that. But there's more." He gestured back to the portal. "That man walking towards the gates is my half-brother." Sarah looked back at the man whose features were becoming clearer with every step- it almost looked like… but no, it couldn't be. "Jareth, that looks like Severus Snape."
Jareth smiled. "Indeed."
Twisting back to look at him she cried, "But he's dead!" Sarah's breathing quickened as her disbelief rose. She was having a hard time controlling it, as the goblin who laced her corset this morning did so too tightly. Fortunately, Jareth was there to catch her as her world turned dark.
AN: Hi! I do not own any of these characters (they are property of their respective owners), and all grammatical errors are mine.