Within Your Eyes

( A Labyrinth Fan-Fiction)

Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth or any of its characters. If I did, the ending would have been much different. I do, however, claim full rights to Thanatos. *huggles Thanatos* Yep, this one is all mine! Now, enough of the legal stuff. I hope you enjoy chapter one

...

Sarah sat on her bed staring outside of the bay window adjacent to her. The gentle sprinkling of rain outside was the only sound that could be heard, and she seemed to be hypnotized by it. Her legs were drawn up to her chest with a soft, red throw wrapped around her. Sarah's hair cascaded down her shoulders, still damp from when she had gone out before, and her eyes looked like they had been glistening with tears.

Earlier that day it had happened, a phone call that is. The phone had rang and when answered there was static at first. "Hello? Hello is anyone there?" Sarah had repeated into the phone, and just whenever she was going to hang up, a voice answered.

"Hello, is this Sarah?" came the masculine voice on the other end.

"Yes it is. May I ask who's calling?"

"Excuse me. My name is Derik Cook. I'm Katrina Cook's brother."

"Katrina Cook's brother? So you're the one I heard so much about. I haven't heard from her in almost a year now." Katrina had become one of Sarah's closest friends in college after they had lived on the same floor as freshman. Their friendship only grew throughout the years and, while they didn't meet often, when they did they always celebrated.

"Hello, are you still there?"

"Yes, of course I am."

"I'm sorry, I've just been stressed lately," the voice was obviously straining and she heard weeping on the other side that she could only assume was Derik's. "I was going through her phone book when I found your number. I'm sorry to have to tell this to you over the phone, but she… she died yesterday. It was a," but the voice broke off into tears again.

Sarah's breath caught in her throat for a moment. It was only after several failed attempts to speak that she was finally able to croak out, "She died?" There was a longer pause before she got up the nerve to add the question she knew she'd have to ask, "How?"

After a moment Derik began to speak with a little more composure, "It was an accident. She was hit while walking home from a book store."

The two remained silent for quite some time before they finally managed to exchange all of the necessary information. Immediately after hanging up Sarah broke down into a stream of tears she didn't know was possible. Soon, though, she traded in her Kleenex for the phone and called her editor to explain that her next installment would be late.

Now she simply sat there on her bed. The rain wasn't letting up, but that comforted her to some degree. In her own poetic mind she reasoned that even nature wept at the loss of someone like Katrina. Again a tear began to run down her cheek, but she quickly brushed it away before lying down on her bed. Closing her eyes she tried to assure herself that tomorrow would be better, that Katrina was better off, and that, no matter what, she would get through this. Somewhere in the back of her mind, though, she couldn't help but despise every single cliché that was meant to comfort her in that moment.

Sleep came many tear soaked hours later. Discarded tissues were strewn across the otherwise immaculate room, and occasionally a sigh was made by the sleeping girl. Unbeknownst to her, though, someone was watching her. The short figure who stood in front of a cracked mirror in his room was hurting for his dear friend. The mirrors, they had learned, worked two ways. They could see her when they wished, and she could see them. While they never had understood it, Sir Didymus accredited it to Sarah's having beaten the Labyrinth.

Now Hoggle stood in front of the dilapidated mirror, his face wrought with confusion. He wanted to call out to his friend to have her explain what had happened, but he thought better of it. Somehow it seemed selfish to disturb her in that moment… after all, everyone was entitled to weep now and again without having to answer for it. Still, he couldn't help but feel ill at ease. Turning his back on the mirror it faded back to its simple reflecting form.

The light still shone in the Labyrinth and the sun beamed through the cracks in the dwarf's home. He had long since learned to think little of it as he had grown up there. Grabbing his fairy spray he walked out of the house after opening, then shutting, the door behind him. He had already had plans to see Ludo today, but in light of what he had seen he decided that it was perhaps best to tell Sir Didymus as well. No matter what anyone could call Hoggle, be it coward or even spineless, no one could ever accuse him of not being a good friend.

...

Sarah awoke the next day with a groan. Last night she fell asleep with the curtains open, and now she was paying for that mistake as the sun relentlessly beat upon her closed eyelids. Rolling over she cocooned herself in her blanket as if refusing to face the day. Then that obnoxious sound came again, a sound which she loathed at any time whenever she had just become comfortable again… a knock at the door.

A very unpleasant Sarah dragged herself out of bed and walked toward the door. She had never been a morning person, but this morning was especially awful. Her hair was in knots, her tank top and shorts were askew, and her eyes were still bloodshot from the infinite number of tears that had fallen from them. Not bothering to attempt to fix any of this she unlatched her lock and opened the door. On the other side was her editor, an older woman with two chai green teas in hand, "Well, I see you're as lovely as ever, Dear. Now, care to let an old woman in out of the cold?"

"It isn't cold, and you're only 32. Don't try using that one on me," was Sarah's reply as she stepped out of the doorway to let her annoyingly chipper visitor in.

The woman just let out a small chuckle at this and stepped inside. Compared to Sarah's disheveled appearance, this woman looked immaculate. Her short hair was styled to perfection complimenting her glasses, the button up purple shirt she wore was tailored, and the white slacks, while not being too tight, gave her a flattering silhouette. All of this was complimented most, though, by her smile. The woman seemed to truly be happy and whether Sarah was in the mood or not she even had to admit that it was somewhat catchy.

"I can see you're as lively as ever. It's already 10:30, how can you still be in bed?"

"Kim, not all of us are morning people. Now, do you care to tell me why you came here? I already called you about my next deadline. It will be a little late but…"

Kim just shook her head and thrust the extra tea at Sarah, "It isn't about work and you know it. I came to see how you were. I worry about you after all. I don't even know how I'd feel if I were in your position but I would at least want someone to be there with me. Besides, you live here all alone, so I knew that you could deal with some company." The slight pout that came at the end of this sentence was quite characteristic of the woman. It didn't seem to matter how old she was, Kim knew exactly how to manipulate people, even if she had to resort to a child's defenses.

Taking a drink of her tea Sarah just smiled weakly, "Thank you."

"Don't go thanking me. Sweet, sweet Thomas paid for it," A devilish glint went through Kim's eyes, "He just doesn't know it yet."

Sarah let out a laugh at the thought. Thomas was Kim's husband, and he was constantly complaining about how she got in his spare change jar. She could just imagine him raging on about it later on with the same pattern as usual. It wouldn't last long, though, since Kim would placate him with one of her patented looks that no person was able to be angry with.

"One of these days that man is going to figure out how to resist your trickery."

"Yes, but thankfully that isn't today," laughter filled the room after that.

The two stayed talking for awhile and Sarah cried at moments for no reason. Kim refused to leave until she was sure Sarah would be alright. Finally the two made plans to go order flowers and get clothes for Sarah to wear to the funeral. Kim kept offering to go with her but that favor Sarah refused. In her own mind Sarah was saying goodbye to a dear friend, and even if that friend couldn't hear her, she wanted to see her friend off as she did the last time she saw her months before; by herself.

The day of the funeral was one of the hardest of Sarah's life, and nothing could have prepared her. While the futile tears streamed down her cheeks she watched, with her hazed eyes, as a delicately engraved wooden casket was lowered into the unfeeling ground. Unfeeling... what an inadequate word to describe nature itself at the moment. As one of the most perfect creatures Sarah had ever known was lost forever the blue sky filled with the cheerful sounds of birds perched not far away. It was at that very moment that she realized how selfish her tears were. They were not for her friend whom she knew would find Heaven, but rather herself who would never again feel the warmth of her friend's words and friendship.

...

After the burial Sarah excused herself from any further activities with the others who mourned. Her mind was a blank and she cared not to fill it with the images of another's grief. Yes, it was selfish, but she didn't care.

Staring out the window of the cab she observed the passing scenery. Tree, sign, house, repeat again and again. The rank smell of the interior stung her nose and she wondered if this was a public toilet rather than an automobile. The man driving looked to be in his late fifties, and according to his silence she could tell he was a generous man. Conversation was not something she longed for currently.

It was not long before she arrived at her destination, a small section of buildings and to the far right, a quaint cafe. After paying the driver Sarah stepped out and shut the door behind her. The sound of her heels clicked on the stone road, and her flowing black dress sharply contrasted the more vibrant colors of others passing by. Click, click, click… her shoes kept beating steadily on the ground in a way that her heart couldn't. Her pulse was erratic, and while she was trying to keep her composure she was barely holding it all together. In front of the café she noticed that they had replaced the old sign. It wasn't odd when she thought about it. The last time her and her friend had been here they had joked with the owner about how it looked as though it would fall apart one day. The new sign was marvelous to say the least. The wood was polished with an intricate outline of a rosebush framing it. Inside was the name, "Owl's Nest" and underneath of it was a burnt image of a barn owl. Reaching out she touched it before passing. "It seems everything is changing these days," Sarah said with a sigh.

...

"What troublest thou, Sir Hoggle?" Sir Didymus asked as he dismounted from his trusty steed. Walking toward Hoggle, and the towering figure of Ludo, the brave knight waved his staff, "If it be some menace then we shall beat them off!"

Hoggle rolled his eyes at the display of the fox, secretly wondering why it was that they were friends. The dwarf was calm in comparison, but even he had to admit that his loud friend often said things that he wished he had the courage to voice aloud. Ludo, the friend of the rocks, was also there. The larger creature stood behind the two and let out a groan, "Sarah… trouble." Shaking his head, his long ears flopped at the sides of his face, and one who had known him long enough could tell by the weary look in his eyes that he was upset.

"Trouble? What trouble has befallen M'Lady?" The fox placed a hand on his hip as the other held up his staff, "If it be some foul oppression we are honor bound to protect her. Come now, dear friends, what can be done?"

Here Hoggle stepped in, unwilling to allow the antics to continue further. "Ahh, now just stop with yer' showins'. That isn't what's got the little lady so upset, so just stop that foolishness. I don't know what's wrong, but the other day when I spied her through my mirra she was cryin'." Hoggle turned his head having finished his statement. He knew the look that would be in the eyes of both of his friends at this point. They had kept in as good of touch with Sarah after the Labyrinth as they could, but there was much that made it difficult. Life, obligations, growing up… things simply changed. Be that as it may the three of them felt responsible for their friend's tears, even if all they could do was soothe them away.

"Sarah… sad."

...

"To what do I owe the true honor of your visit, Uncle?" Jareth asked while lounging on his thrown with a grace that only predators seemed to possess. His words, while sweet, lacked sincerity when uttered. Rather, they seemed to be part of a well rehearsed play. That, however, would not be entirely far from the truth.

"Why, Nephew, can I not merely visit for the sake of seeing you?" replied the man almost innocently.

"If it were anyone else I might believe it," Jareth answered as he tapped his riding crop on his boot. "With you, however, it has never been the case. Not in two centuries have you stopped here, so forgive me if I am curious."

"Ahh, correct as always. I do have something to discuss with you." After saying that much the man took a step forward so that he could better address his throwned nephew. Family they may be, but proper respects had to be paid given the situation. "I have come to ask a favor of the Goblin King. I wish for a gift that only you can provide me with."

Jareth's eyebrows rose minutely as he looked over the previously forgotten relative. It appeared that time had changed him, though perhaps that was merely due to the rust of memories. Before him stood his uncle (several times 'great' uncle, though it was considered rude in the underground to address one's age) with all the stature of royal bearing. His raven black hair hung in a thick braid down to his knees, and his striking crimson eyes held a sincerity that few in either realm possessed. His skin was paler than most, though his appearance held a healthy glow all the same. It was all covered, however, in luxurious robes of the darkest green and trimmed in gold. The man looked truly noble, but there was one thing that set him apart from the Goblin King. This man's ears held a point at the end, a sign of fairy blood tainted with something else. True, the sidhe were fairies, but those in the seelie or unseelie court possessed rounded ears to mark them as purebloods if they were so. His Uncle, however, had a slight tainting in his blood from something Jareth could never quite place. Asking, however, would have been too taboo.

"Very well then, Thanatos," answered Jareth using merely one of the names that mankind had bestowed upon him through the years. "What would the Cu Sith ask of me?"

...

"May I get you anything to drink, Miss?"

Sarah looked up at the middle aged woman who had served her so many times in the past. She smiled lightly, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Yes, please. May I have a cappuccino?"

The silver haired woman nodded with a grin, "Of course you can. I'll be right back with that."

Sarah watched as the woman shuffled off toward the counter. It seemed the waitress had an instinct about people. She knew when they wanted to chat, and she knew when they wanted silence. Never did she push either way. It didn't take a genius, however, to figure out which one Sarah would have preferred given both her attire and her pained expression.

While Sarah was lost in her musings the waitress brought back her drink and set it down gently. "There you go, Miss. Anything else?"

"No. Thank you very much." Bringing the cup to her lips she blew gently before taking a drink. As she lowered it she gave an appreciative grin, "It's delicious. Thank you."

"No problem." The elder woman started to turn, but then redirected her gaze back to Sarah. It seemed that the normal rule didn't apply today, "Forgive me for asking, but why that drink? You always order tea, but your friend..."

"Couldn't make it today I'm afraid. I thought I'd have one for her," came the shy reply as the brunette gave the waitress a grin once again. "A little strange of me, but I thought it a nice gesture."

"I see. Sorry for asking," answered the waitress as she shuffled back toward the counter. Sadly, she understood very quickly what Sarah had meant by 'couldn't make it.' It pained her in a small way, but if the look on that woman's face was any indication as to how she felt then the waitress would leave it at that.

...

Several hours later Sarah sat at home in front of her mirror staring at her reflection. Why her? Why had Katrina died, and why had she lived? Why hadn't the driver been five minutes late or early that day so they could have missed one another entirely? Why, what if, if only… they all began to bleed together. These thoughts receded, however, once the mirror began to shift. The reflective surface began to ripple, radiating from the center outward. Finally it became clear allowing Sarah to see the other side.

Rather than the ones Sarah had been expecting, she saw a stranger. It seemed that he couldn't see her as he sat on a bed in an elaborate room. What caught her most were his gorgeous scarlet eyes as he stared at the fireplace in front of him. He seemed so… lost. Just as she began to consider calling out to him she saw his shadow cast upon the wall and noticed an irregularity. That was no human shadow, but one that more closely resembled a hound. What had… but the mirror shifted back to its usual state as a deep, heart rending howl ripped through the room.

...

Jareth sat on the windowsill of his thrown room and stared out at his kingdom. All was silent, which was unusual. He had needed to think, however, and goblins tended to be rambunctious creatures by nature. He had only gotten complete compliance after sending two straight to the bog of eternal stench.

Mismatched eyes scanned the kingdom below, though he truly saw nothing. His mind was too busy to even process the scene before him. No, he was much too busy thinking of all he had learned from Thanatos. He still couldn't figure out why his uncle had contacted him over the matter. Why even bother?

Despite his childish denial, Jareth knew. Thanatos could go to no other. Part of being a Cu Sith was fulfilling the role of what humans so crudely referred to as "The Grim Reaper." That element of death gave him a lowly bearing that led him to be an untouchable even among the Unseelie Court.

Jareth relaxed his head back against the stone of the windowsill and closed his eyes as he remembered all that he had learned from his relative. What he asked for… was it really too much? In exchange for what he could gain in return it seemed small, but things were never so simple. He already knew his answer, however, and that irritated him more than anything. That he still made decisions based off of emotions rather than rationality annoyed him. Kings were never meant to be so foolish, but even kings were men, and men had hearts that loved.

...

Ludo sat before the mirror in the room tapping it with his large fingers as a curious child would have. As he did this, Hoggle paced the floor and Sir Didymus sat in a chair staring hard at the wooden table. "What be the problem? We ain't never been unable ta contact Sarah before!" Hoggle cried in frustration as he kicked at the ground only to stub his foot on the table leg in the process.

"Perhaps the lady has covered her mirrors, Hoggle. I once heard a tale of humans doing such strange things to help keep the souls of those lost from being trapped inside mirrors. Or… was it to keep them there. Blast, it has been so long since I heard that story. It was when I was still posted with the…"

"Oh, shut it!" Hoggle yelled bringing Sir Didymus' musings to an end. "Even if she had covered it we'd a still been able ta see the sheet!" Sitting down on a trunk by the wall Hoggle rubbed his now sore foot to try to soothe the pain away. "Face it, ain't no way ta explain it 'cept magic."

Sir Didymus stuttered in anger for a minute before finally collecting himself, "Surely, Hoggle, you do not mean to suggest that King Jareth has anything to do with this? Why, the mere idea of it is preposterous! His Majesty has been nothing but forgiving. Even after we sided with Lady Sarah to oppose him he did not punish us for our treason."

Hoggle hated to admit it, but Sir Didymus was right. It only made sense, though, that it had to be Jareth. "Well, ya know anyone else in the kingdom who gots magic enough to do it? Hmmm?"

The fox made a move to reply, but thought better of it. Truthfully, he knew of no one. Still, there had to be some explanation. This had never happened before, but he still clung to the innocence of his king.

Ludo, who had been stuck in his own world until that very moment, turned to the other two and thumbed toward the mirror. "Mirra busy."

"Busy? Busy? The mirras ain't never busy. Besides, who'd be talkin' to her from here? Ohhhhh, I'm done tryin' to figure it out. Let's try again later."

...

The first thing Sarah felt when she woke up was pain. Her lower back was killing her. Her neck responded by throbbing with the slightest movement, and there was already the onset of a headache that demanded a Tylenol immediately. As she opened her eyes to figure out why this was it all became clear when all she saw was wood. "Dammit," she muttered to herself realizing that she had fallen asleep at her vanity table.

Sitting up took effort, but it had to be done. She had the sudden need to move, to be active. Sarah couldn't keep sitting around waiting for a mirror to give her answers. No, if she wanted answers she would have to look where she always had. With that thought in mind Sarah got up and walked to her kitchen. Opening one of her cupboards she felt around until her hand clasped cool glass. Satisfied she pulled it down and put the cup under the now running water. After shutting it off she had one thought in mind, "Tylenol… Tylenol… where did I put it?" After placing her cup on the counter Sarah began rummaging around. One of the downfalls of living alone was that you could never blame someone else when you lost your stuff.

Thirty minutes later Sarah had taken her pills (which she found in the medicine cabinet, the last place she'd thought to look) and sat down with a cream cheese covered bagel. Her laptop was lying across her legs as her fingers flew trying to keep up with her mind. This was her coping mechanism. Finding words to hide behind and then ripping them apart to find what was really going on. She doubted her readers could ever tell the difference, but Kim always could. Somehow her stories were always colored by her life in one way or another. Pain, happiness and even boredom were all muses in their own right. One merely needed to listen to them to find out how to mold their craft.

Sarah continued "coping" for several days. She'd wake up, shower, eat whatever she had in the fridge or order out, write, and repeat. On the third day of seclusion Kim came to check on her in person after several ignored phone calls. What she saw, though, was an oddly comforting sight. Sarah, like many of her authors, would lock themselves away while they wrote. It was much better to see that the silence on Sarah's end those last few days had been due to inspiration rather than crippling depression. After a week and a half, though, Kim finally had enough.

"Sarah! Close that bloody laptop so we can go do something fun. I'm sick of this house. You haven't even decorated it since you moved in."

Sarah ignored the whining woman as she continued typing. She was close to a break through. She was almost there… "Sarrrrraaaaaahhhhh," the woman continued to moan until finally she couldn't take it any longer.

"What is it, Kim? Aren't you supposed to be glad that I'm writing so much? At this rate you'll have it done well before the deadline."

Kim was beaming at this. Sure, Sarah wasn't being pleasant, but talking was an improvement. "Yes, but I would prefer an author on my watch to not become a hermit. I've heard dreadful stories from Darcy about some of the kooks he has had to work with throughout the years. Did you know once he had to climb into a window because he thought one of his authors had died?"

Sarah paused and looked up. She hated that Kim knew just how to bait her in order to make her snap back into reality. Sadly, imagining Mr. Darcy crawling into a window was distracting. Of course, Sarah was imaging dear Mr. Darcy from Austin's books as opposed to the now bedraggled, balding, perverted Darcy at the agency. "Foul play," she mumbled as she saved her work and closed her computer.

For her part, Kim merely clapped her hands and stood up with a smile. "It isn't my fault you've read that book too many times, Sarah. Maybe if you ever went out into the real world you'd meet your own Mr. Darcy." Without missing a beat Kim slipped on her jacket and grabbed one of Sarah's from the coat rack. "Now, come on. We're going to go do something that just might help with that."

Sarah let out a huff of air as the trench coat hit her dead in the face. It had really been her fault for not paying attention. Still, she couldn't help but glare at Kim as if she were entirely to blame. "I don't like the sounds of this, Kim. I'm mourning. I'm writing. I'm…"

"Wasting away and losing any hint of having ever seen the light of day judging by that complexion," Kim interrupted as she walked over to the door. "Now, are you coming or shall I have to drag you?"

Grumbling Sarah placed her laptop aside, slipped on her jacket and walked out the door still in her 'lazy clothes'. "Just for the record, Kim, I like being pale."

"Yes, well so did Casper, but at least he had a social life," Kim quipped before she shut Sarah's door and locked it.

...

End of Chapter 1! Thank you for reading chapter one of my story. I hope that you enjoyed it. Please post any comments, critiques, questions, etc. Below.