I do not own anything from this story…. So don't sue me.
This is my first piece of fanfiction…..so if it sucks don't sue me….. Please review and let me know what you liked and didn't like so I may improve my writing.
And of course if you stub your toe…..don't sue me it wasn't my fault. ;)

-1-

Sarah had just ate the peach, and as the crystals moved in front of her vision she felt them and remembered them as if they had actually been happening to her as if they were happening at that very moment. One crystal shown her and the Goblin king riding horses along a sandy beach at sunset laughing at jokes they shared and sighing at tender childhood stories. Another shown them strolling hand in hand through a garden full of beautiful flowers. They stopped as he plucked a flower from it's stem and placed it in her hair. Letting his fingers linger on her hair and trail down her cheek. She rewarded him with a slight kiss on his cheek. Another crystal shown them in a room in front of a fire. They were held in a lovers embrace while wrapped in a large blanket on a plush couch. The last crystal was the most real of all. In this crystal she was walking through a room full of dancing people looking for the one who had captured her heart…

Although she now knew that the images inside those crystal were in fact only figments of her imagination devised by the Goblin King to distract her. She still felt them in her heart as if they had truly happened, and she felt the loss greatly. She knew that she had feelings for the Goblin King but nothing had prepared her for the sadness she felt remembering his heart felt words, his smoldering looks, and his heated touch. Still she had said the fated words and she had been returned back into the real world along with her little brother. The party last night had been pretty wild but for some reason no one else in the house had heard it. She loved having that last moment to wrap up her loose ends with her friends and give them all a sense of closure at the whole adventure. Today she sat in front of her mirror. She had begun to take her mementos of her mother and other fantasies off of it last night, but she sat there realizing that they were a special part of her and she began to replace them again. Yes she had gained more than a newfound devotion to her little brother in only one day. She had matured, and had known friendships greater than any she had ever formed with another human, and she had felt a greater love than she was sure could exist on the mortal plane. But with all those great things she also had felt a great loss with the completion of it all. This experience had aged her beyond her young years. She was wiser now, and she was more grateful for all that she had.

Toby was her new favorite person, instead of going to the parks alone she took him with her. It was odd that she would see a white snow owl perched in the tree by the bridge, but she shook it off as it was probably where his nest was. They were right when they said that owls were wise. She had heard a poem once about that. Something about living in an oak, the more he saw the less he spoke. the less he spoke the more he heard, that old owl was a wise old bird. Which explained why this owl always watched them without ever making a sound. A few times she even swore she seen it out her window. But it must have been another one right?

Jareth was furious that Sarah had rejected his offer to stay and be with him forever. He knew the moment he had laid eyes on her in the mortal world that she was special. He had left that book in an area where she would read it and hopefully say the words he knew would bring them together. He had seen the way her step mother treated her. The nasty looks she would give Sarah when she played in her fantasy world. He knew Karen adored Toby and hated Sarah's existence. He had hoped that Sarah would wish herself away and then she would be his forever. But things didn't play out exactly to his plans and she was back again in the mortal world. But there was something else that had come about with Sarah's new found love for her brother. A new hatred for Sarah had formed from her jealous step mother. Jareth had sensed this the first morning when he checked on Sarah to make sure she had gotten enough sleep after the wild party the night before.

Sarah had already had Toby in his high chair and was feeding him a mushy breakfast when Karen had come in to the kitchen"Sarah why are you up so early. You are never up before noon. And why are you feeding Toby?" she asked. Suspicious at her step daughter taking a new and sudden interest in the infant. She watched as Sarah wiped the goo from Toby's chin and responded. "I just thought that he and I could spend a little more time together is all" she said with a genuine smile. Karen's eyes narrowed at the girl. Something had changed in her. She still looked the same but somehow her eyes were a brighter green, her lips had a strange happy smile she had never seen Sarah use. And her hair even had a bit more bounce to it. Yes something was not the same with this girl. And it made Karen furious. Karen loved berating the girl when she was in one of her moods. It was an easy thing to do since Sarah acted like a selfish brat most of the time and Karen could pull her authority over the girl making her life a living hell legitly. Her husband didn't see anything wrong with Karen's attention. He seen his emotional selfish daughter be disciplined correctly by her new mother. To him things were as they should be.

He knew Karen wanted another child and she kept asking him to send Sarah off to her mother so they could be happy with their own family again. She argued that Sarah was all grown up but Karen had to spend all her time mothering her as if she was still a small child. If Sarah were gone then she could actually mother her own new small child who she said truly would need her unlike that brat Sarah. But he argued that Sarah would better off with them and get the love and discipline she truly needed instead of being encouraged further into the fantasy world her mother loved so much.

Three weeks went by in which Sarah grew more beautiful and happier. She truly was changing. Karen didn't fail to notice this. And it only fueled her hatred towards the girl. Sarah had been stealing Toby away from the house more and more. And lately her own son was wanting the attentions of his sister over the ones from his mother. With Sara being the perfect daughter Karen didn't even get to yell at her or punish her anymore. The anger she felt for Sarah was building up with no escape. Jareth could see this anger pulsing off of Karen in red waves, this unsettled him. He didn't want any harm to come to Sarah because of him. Soon Karen would snap from the pressure building up and it wouldn't be good for the girl it was directed towards. Un be known to him this was the day that would begin all the events that would cause Karen to cause the world to come crashing down for Sarah.

She had been sick in the middle of the night. Throwing up off and on since before dawn. Karen had heard Sarah throwing up and went to give her a puke bucket. Telling her that if she missed the bucket that she would be the one to clean up her own mess. Karen hated even being near Sarah when she was sick so Sarah had adapted over the years and knew how to take care of herself. But it was now about three in the afternoon and Sarah was still throwing up. She didn't come to dinner and Karen was fine with that. "Dear where is Sarah at" her dad had asked when they all sat down to dinner. " She has the flu or something and she is stuck in her bed. Honestly I think she is just faking it so she doesn't have to eat this dinner I made. I know that Meat loaf isn't her favorite food but she doesn't have to fake an illness to get out of eating it." Karen replied while trying to force a smile from her words. She loved putting those little hints in that Sara was still a spoiled brat and she was the poor step mother who had to deal with such an insolent little child. "Well then let her stay in her room with no dinner" he said. Karen smiled knowing that she had won but it did nothing to the anger that was still building up towards Sarah.

Three days passed and Sarah was still very sick. She was having stomach pains and she was barely able to keep enough food down to keep her energy up. She knew that her father was away on one of his trips and that Karen wouldn't take her to the doctor so she gathered up what strength she had left and took the bus to the downtown clinic. Jareth had been watching Sarah through her window for the past few days. She was so sick that she had visibly lost a lot of weight. Her skin was an ashy gray and she was constantly in pain. He worried about her, but being stuck in his animal form he could do nothing to help her. While he was in the mortal realm the only way he could transform was when he was stuck doing Goblin King official duties. He had never felt this helpless than when he watched Sarah suffer.

He felt as if something were wrong with her and it was all his fault. Although he didn't know how that could even be. Mortals couldn't get sicknesses from the underground. The magic there prevented any real harm befalling them as they ran the labyrinth. He seen Sarah stagger out her house and onto a city bus down her street. He followed the bus till it stopped at another bus stop in town. She then walked a few streets over to a small building. He was glad she had gotten there when she did because he seen the toll the short walk had put on her diminished strength. He couldn't go into the building so he just waited till she left a few hours later. She looked even worse for the wear. There was a bandage on her arm and her gray pallor looked almost green. She took the bus back to her street where she began her walk home. Just before she reached her house she collapsed. Jareth who didn't know how to help her began beating frantically on her front door hoping someone was home to help her. Unfortunately Karen was the one who opened the door just as Jareth flew away from it and out of sight. She looked around wondering who had been knocking on the door when she seen Sarah on the grass. She was half tempted to leave her there but she knew there would be questions later from the neighbors so she just lifted up the girls arms and dragged her into the house and left her on the living room rug.

Jareth was appalled at the way Sarah had been dragged into her home. Didn't the evil woman care about her at all? In the house he could hear Karen ask Sarah where she went but the only answer Sarah could get out was clinic. Karen called the clinic worried that Sarah may be carrying a disease that could infect the whole family, only to be placed on hold while the receptionist went to get the doctor. Apparently one of the tests they had taken that day was returned as a Urgent follow up. The doctor came on to the phone. Although being Fae gave Jareth super hearing he could still only hear Karen's side of the conversation though the walls of the house. "WHAT" screamed Karen "I can't believe it" she said again. "Are you sure" she wailed again. "Oh I can't have this," she said "she will just have to go" and she hung up the phone. Jareth was worried. What sickness could Sarah have that would force Karen to want to get rid of her?

Karen walked over to Sarah's still form on the rug. Giving her a little kick to wake her up she smiled when it didn't work and she kicked her again. This time a lot more harder. "Ow" said Sarah weakly opening her eyes. "Well you little brat" spat Karen "I called that doctor and he said that you are pregnant." Sara's eyes widened as if this was just as a shock to her as it had been to Karen. Jareth outside was completely frozen to the spot. There would be a baby. His baby. "Well there is more" said Karen "apparently you aren't even be a good mother because your body is rejecting the little bastard, you have preeclampsia. And if you want to live especially under this roof you will have an abortion." Karen was completely out of patience. She was now thriving off the built up hate and anger she felt for Sara. "But" said Sarah "I haven't ever…." She didn't finish her sentence as a vision of a glowing fire and a loving Goblin King under a cozy blanket filled her mind. That scene had felt so real that she didn't realize it HAD been real. Jareth and she had made love just as her fantasy had shown her. "Well you little slut I will not stand for you to stay here any longer I want you out of this house right this instant." Karen said as she roughly pulled Sarah up to her feet. "Don't even worry about your things since I will be setting them to the trash tonight. You can get them then" she said as she pushed Sarah to the front door. The next words Sarah barely heard as she began to lose consciousness. "I wish someone would take you away from me right now, so I never have to see your ugly face again." The fluttering of wings were the last things Sarah heard as everything around her went black.