Sarah Williams looked at herself in the hotel room's huge mirror, carefully putting the finishing touches on her makeup. Tonight was the premiere of her movie--a movie she had no only written but acted in as well, playing the female lead. She had begun work on the script not long after her adventure in the Labyrinth, drawing on the people and places she had seen there to provide a basis for the story. From there on, the script had almost seemed to write itself, with the occasional nudge in a different direction or an editorial comment from the future director. Sine her director was the only other person who knew that the script was based in reality (for a given value of real), she trusted this gentle steering.
"Sarah, you look lovely this evening," a crisp English-accented voice said from behind her. Sarah turned to face her director, a mischievous grin on her lips.
"You still haven't learned to knock, have you Jareth? And here I was thinking you were a gentleman, too." The grin softened, becoming a friendly smile as Jareth bowed with an elaborate flourish.
Jareth had shown up along with all of her friends from the Labyrinth when she called them. Her own careless choice of words had allowed him entrance and it had turned out that unlike his subjects, the Goblin King only needed one invitation to have the freedom to enter her home and her life whenever he pleased. The first time he had shown up, she had been furious, and the ensuing argument had frightened away all of her friends. Jareth, however, took delight in antagonizing Sarah and came Aboveground often to argue with her and taunt her. As time went on, though, the arguments became less serious. Jokes crept in, and eventually the arguments became discussions. Then, one day a few years after that first violent row, the friendship which had been growing between them was cemented. It was just a few days after Sarah's high school graduation when Jareth had appeared only to find Sarah on her tiny bed with her arms wrapped around her legs and her head on her knees, shaking.
"Sarah, what's wrong?" Jareth sounded honestly concerned, and with a muffled sob Sarah threw herself into his arms. It took almost an hour of Jareth holding her, stroking her hair, and letting her cry into his immaculate white shirt for her to calm down. When she finally stopped crying, she sat back and made an obvious effort to pull herself together before beginning to explain.
I guess this has really been coming for a while now. I should have expected it. You know that my father's wife and I have never really gotten along, but recently it seems like she's really started to detest me. She's been talking about how all this 'art nonsense' is a waste of time and money, that all my time spent daydreaming has made me--made me unstable." Sarah's voice quavered a little as she said it. "She's convinced my father that I'm a bad influence on Toby, and that since I'm out of high school and an adult, I ought to move out and live on my own. Dad wanted to at least help me by paying my tuition or my rent, but she said that making me pay my own way would help me grow out of my silly fantasies and make me deal with the real world--and of course he ended up giving in. So now I've got to move out by the end of the summer. It would have been sooner, but even she had to admit that I might have a hard time getting a lease right now." Sarah flung herself backwards on the bed. "What am I going to do? I barely make enough at work to cover an efficiency, and that's if I work full time and then some. I won't have time to act or write, and going to college--much less any kind of conservatory--is definitely out.
Jareth was quiet for a long time. When he finally spoke, though, he sounded very sure about what he was saying. "What about the script? It's done now, and if you could get studio backing for it your pay would certainly go up. I don't think you'd have any trouble with that--it's quite good, if I may say so.
Sarah sat up, hope glimmering in her eyes. By the end of the month, she'd found a small studio willing to take a chance on such a complete unknown, and was making arrangements to fly out to LA. "Will you go with me?" she asked Jareth. "I mean, on the plane and everything? I know you could just…" and here she wiggled her fingers, "be there, but I can't just show up out of nowhere, and they know enough about me that it's obvious I can't afford to cost of the trip myself." Jareth agreed, and then spent the whole white-knuckled flight envying a peacefully napping Sarah. "How does that work, anyway?" she asked as they disembarked. "I mean, you fly all the time as an owl and that doesn't seem to bother you."
"As an owl I'm used to having rather more control over my flight," he grumbled. "I don't see how you can stand flying closed up in a tin box like that, much less trusting the pilot enough to fall asleep." He slanted a sideways look at her. "Sometime you'll have to try flying the other way with me. It really is quite exhilarating."
And then they were through the gates and making a beeline for the sign reading "Williams" that was being waved enthusiastically from the front of the waiting crowd. The two people holding it introduced themselves as Samuel and Samantha, the co-heads of Starlight Studios. In a few short minutes, they were pulling up at the hotel. "We only booked one room," Samantha said, looking sheepish. "My fault, I just wasn't thinking. Is that going to be ok? I'm sure we can get you set up with a connecting room tomorrow."
Sarah was quick to reassure her. "As long as there are two beds, we'll be fine," she said, and Jareth's nod of agreement sealed it.
"Great!" Samantha said. "All right, then. We'll pick you up tomorrow to discuss things over lunch."
The next day, once they were all comfortably settled, Sarah laid out some of her ideas about the script. Samuel and Samantha were very enthusiastic about the project. Than came the question.
"You definitely have some good things going on here, but have you thought about who you might like to direct this? You don't seem to be planning on directing it yourself, which begs the question of who you feel can direct this according to your vision."
Sarah sank back in her chair, brow furrowed in thought. Samuel and Samantha exchanged glances, and Samantha leaned forward earnestly.
"If you like, we can go looking for directors, but I do have one suggestion. That is, if you don't mind," she added hastily.
Sarah shook her head. "Not at all. I'd love some suggestions. Frankly, I haven't given it any real thought. My only caveat is that it has to be someone I can get along with reasonably well.
Samantha grinned. "I don't think that will be a problem, since I was going to suggest Jareth here. He clearly knows almost as much about the world you've written as you do." As she spoke, she watched Sarah and Jareth. Sarah was obviously happy with the idea, and even Jareth's emotionless mask cracked enough for a surprised smile, but the burst of laughter from both of them when she complimented Jareth's knowledge confused her.
"Yes," Sarah replied, still laughing a little, "You could certainly say that. You might even say that he knows more about some parts of it."
"Well then, I think we've definitely got a deal," said Samuel, and leaned over to shake on it.
That was how this had all gotten started. The Sams, as Sarah and Jareth soon took to calling them, took special interest in the movie, even encouraging Sarah to take the lead when it became obvious that she was far better suited to the role than any of the actresses auditioning. Now, after two years of work, the premier of Goblin Dreams was at hand.
"Sarah?" She blinked, returned to the present by the sound of Jareth's voice. "Come now, this is no time to get in touch with your inner blonde. Your soon-to-be adoring fans are waiting." Sarah stuck her tongue out at him.
"So speaketh His High Majesty Peroxide-Head," she said, tugging at a dangling lock of his platinum blonde hair, which was just as wild as ever.
"My hair is that color naturally!" he protested.
"Next you'll be telling me that you don't use gel or hairspray," Sarah teased.
"I don't!" came the reply, and the pair went out arm in arm, laughing all the way, into the premiere of Goblin Dreams, and into a new world.