Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth or any of it's characters, I just like to borrow them from time to time ; )

Ch.1) Home, home again

It was a perfect autumn day. There was a warm glow to the air, but the wind was cool and crisp. Sarah hardly noticed, as her old green Taurus whipped around the curves of the highway. She was speeding with the windows down and the music loud. She mentally scolded herself, but continued to speed. She hadn't been home since the beginning of school, and was anxious to see her family.

Sarah's excitement continued to grow the closer she got to home. Nostalgically breathing in the heavy scent of fall, she thought about her plans for the weekend. Halloween was on Saturday, which meant she would be taking Toby out trick or treating. She looked forward to spending time with her little brother, but she also wanted to make time for Karen, whom she had grown very close to over the last few years.

After the labyrinth, Sarah gained a lot of perspective, and even though she hated to admit it, she had been very unfair to Karen. When she finally managed to let go of her fantasies, particularly the ones where her mother Linda rescued her from her 'horrible life', she saw the difference between the two women; Karen was caring and thoughtful, while Linda rarely remembered Sarah's birthday and was unreachable most of the time. These realizations helped Sarah to grow up and value the people who were in her life. Things at home were finally good, even if she didn't return so often anymore.

Thinking on all of this, Sarah couldn't help but sigh. She was ridiculously busy most of the time, but this weekend she desperately needed a break from school. It was her senior year of college, and as a creative writing student at the University, she was exhausted from trying to finish up her degree. After Sarah had moved away from her dream of acting, she found that she had a talent for writing. The labyrinth inspired her, but she would never actually write about him or his domain; all she wanted to do was forget him. She turned her thoughts as far away from that place as she could, and even farther from him.

Sadly, that also meant that Sarah's connection to her friends from the labyrinth had dwindled. She hadn't talked to Hoggle, Sir Didymus, or Ludo for nearly three years. As a young teenager, she had really needed them for support, but now she was older and so much more independent. Being that she was so busy, and privacy was scarce, Sarah rarely even thought of them anymore. It made her feel guilty, but she knew they would understand.

Sighing once again, Sarah thought of the other reason she needed to get away from school. Her relationship of two years had just ended, and it was hitting her a little harder than she cared to admit. She and Chris had been very close. She wasn't sure if she had ever loved him or not, but it felt like she was losing her best friend. Out of seemingly nowhere he started acting weird and distant, and then just a week ago he had broken it off saying they had grown apart. Although Sarah was upset, she couldn't bring herself to cry about it. She supposed it was because in a way, they really were more like friends than a couple.

Brushing these thoughts off, Sarah tried not to focus on the negative. She turned all her attention to the road and her music, and soon enough a smile began to form at the corners of her mouth. Putting her turn signal on, Sarah moved over a lane and got off at her exit. Chris was now far from her mind and soon to be forgotten. Thinking over her plans once more, Sarah realized that she still didn't have a Halloween costume. She was sure Toby would nag her until she found one; that made her smile spread even further.

Once Sarah turned down her street, the familiarity of home began to sweep over her, and she felt at peace. Sadly enough, this feeling would not last much longer. When her house came into view, she immediately spotted a figure playing in the yard, 'Toby,' she thought eagerly. She was only a short distance away when movement near the road caught her eye. There was definitely something peeking out at her in the nearby bush. Slowing down as she neared it, she thought with apprehension that the last thing she needed was to run over someone's cat or dog. As her car neared the bush, the creature stepped out and revealed itself. It wasn't a cat at all, but Hoggle!