Memories Not Forgotten

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Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth. Well, I do, but it's just a DVD, not the whole movie rights. And I don't own Jareth, and that's what's really important to point out. (I don't own Ludo, either. And I certainly haven't kidnapped him and am hiding him in my closet. Why would I want to do something like that?)

Notes: This is my first Labyrinth story, and a true experiment it is. If you could, please let me know what you think of the chapter so I know if I want to bother updating or not.

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She couldn't live the rest of her life paranoid.

But the fact remained: That owl was staring at her.

A shiver went up Sarah Williams' back. She'd only returned to the park once or twice after it happened. It was too painful- whenever she'd gone near the place she'd spent many happy hours roleplaying the Labyrinth, all the old memories resurfaced. So she'd simply avoided the park, with its sprawling lawns and rustic benches and that lovely bridge. She'd avoided it, and concentrated on schoolwork, and gone to college, and gotten a job, and done everything that she was supposed to. And now she was twenty-three and bored out of her mind and left with crystal-clear memories of a journey she could no longer be sure wasn't a product of her twisted teenage mind.

Until this morning, that was.

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"Welcome home, Sarah," her father said, smiling warmly as his daughter emerged from her old bedroom, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"It still feels like home," she admitted blearily. "But I haven't lived here for four years now."

"It'll always be your home," Karan said in a surprisingly earnest tone, turning from the stovetop to lay a plate of steaming hot pancakes on the kitchen table. Unsure of what to say, Sarah took her seat, her head bent, murmuring a flustered "Thank you." Karan, beginning to blush, bustled back to the stove. "Well, we're glad you're visiting anyway," she said brusquely, setting out the heated maple syrup.

"Stay longer than two days," her father urged.

Smiling despite herself, Sarah shook her head. "I should really get back to New York. There's this new play hitting the stage, and I need to interview some of the cast-"

"A top journalist and theatre reviewer," her father broke in, smiling proudly. "That's my talented daughter."

Now it was Sarah's turn to blush. She was saved from mumbling an embarrassed response by the noisy appearance of Toby, clattering down the stairs. He halted for a minute, looking her over, then remembered she was staying with them. With a shout, he jumped over to Sarah, gave her a hug, and slid into his own chair, reaching enthusiastically for the pancakes.

"Morning, Toby," Sarah greeted her little brother, tousling his hair.

"Hi, Sarah," Toby said, his mouth crammed of pancakes already. She laughed, beginning to serve herself.

Breakfast chatter was dominated mostly by her father and Karan. Toby was too busy eating and singing to himself under his breath, and Sarah let herself eat in silence, enjoying her return home. She was starting in on seconds when a lull fell over the table, and Toby's singing was clear for the first time.

"…eyes can be so cruel… Just as I can be so cruel…"

She spilled the maple syrup all over her hand. Karan let out a gasp. "Oh, Sarah! That wasn't still hot, was it? Are you burned?"

She didn't answer, though she did mutely shake her head. Toby, unperturbed by the way she was shaking, was still singing.

"How you turned my world, you precious thing… you starved and near exhausted me…"

"Goodness, Toby," her father said mildly. "That's a little deep. Who's the lucky girl?"

Toby looked up and Sarah's breath caught in her throat. There was something funny about his face. "A princess," he said firmly. "And it's not my song."

Unexpectedly, tears began to well up in her eyes. "Oh, Sarah, it was hot!" Karan said in distress, handing her a sponge soaked in cold water.

"Oh really?" her father asked absently, leaning over to make sure his daughter was okay. "Who's is it?"

Her eyes automatically moved over to Toby, but all he did was shrug casually. "Dunno." Then he leaned back over and dug into the pancakes.

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He'd only been a baby when he was taken. He couldn't have… No. There was no way Toby could remember.

But the song…

NO.

"Go away," she hissed venomously at the owl. It stared at her regally for a few seconds before taking off, spreading its wings majestically and swooping over her head thrice before soaring in the opposite direction. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Show-off.

The owl had been a show-off.

Just like him…

She moaned aloud. Stupid to come back. It had been stupid to return here, to this park, the place she'd last enacted the Labyrinth before Toby was snatched away. It was stupid to be thinking about these things eight years after a dream was lost.

She focused her gaze on Toby, running around in the distance. Karan had mentioned that the park was one of his favorite places, and Sarah had readily agreed to bring him here and keep an eye on the boy. He was her anchor. The older he got, the closer the two of them had become. Whether he'd really been taken to the Labyrinth or not, he was here. Real. Safe.

And singing Jareth's song…

"Shut UP!" she ordered herself, fixing her gaze back on Toby. Even now, at nine- almost ten- he still had the same tow-headed blonde look that he did at one. His hair was curly and just long enough to avoid getting in his eyes- Toby wanted it longer, Karan wanted it shorter, so they'd compromised. Toby's features were round, with just a hint of chubbiness that promised to fade in his teenage years. He favored a casual dress that would survive getting dirty, and was now running back and forth across the bridge, waving a stick around and shouting at imaginary opponents, in mud-stained jeans and sweatshirt.

Toby's own warm clothing made Sarah aware of how the temperature had dropped. Shivering slightly, she clutched her own black blouse closer to her body as a frigid wind swept by. "Toby!" she called. The sound of her voice carrying through the deserted park made her realize the fact for the first time: The park was void of other people. "Toby!"

"Bam, bam!" he cried, thrusting his stick at an invisible being. "Back, goblin!"

Her stomach took a rapid nose-dive and she involuntarily gasped. "TOBY!"

"They're trying to take me away, Sarah!" Toby called, waving the stick faster than ever. "The goblins are coming for me!"

"TOBY!" She charged forward, sprinting to the bridge, her heart hammering. But while she was in mid-sprint, Toby accidentally snapped the stick in half.

"Aah! –Oops." Toby laughed and dropped his remaining half, bouncing up to a panicky Sarah. "Do we have to go home now?" he asked with a pout.

She closed her eyes, forcing herself to breathe. In and out. In and out. "Yes, Toby," she said, as calmly as possible. "It's getting late." And I'm getting scared.

"Hm," he snorted, kicking at the stone. "I don't wanna."

"We can come back tomorrow," she promised unthinkingly. She was never coming back here again. It was time to shut all lingering memories of the Labyrinth from her mind.

Toby appeared to be thinking it over, gazing longingly at the empty acre of land, just begging to be played in. Then he turned back to Sarah, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Hey Sarah?"

"Yes?" she asked numbly. How had it gotten so dark so fast?

Toby took a step forward, wiggling his fingers playfully. "I wish," he said in a theatrically dark voice, like he was about to pretend to cast a curse on her. "That the goblins would come-"

Her whole body iced over. She tried to open her mouth, to stop him, but the words wouldn't come. She struggled against her paralysis, but she just couldn't move. She could only helplessly watch the scene unfold in front of her, like every nightmare she'd ever had.

"-and take you away!" Toby burst into giggles and spun away, waving his arms and staring at the clouds. "Riiiight nooooow!" he called, before dissolving into laughter again.

Sarah suddenly snapped out of her shock. She started to scream, but something was blocking her mouth. Small, rough hands were clapped over her face, preventing her from making any noise, either to call for help or warn Toby.

Other hands were grabbing onto her arms, her legs, pulling her backwards. Flailing desperately, Sarah sent a few of the goblins flying, but there were too many that kept piling on her body. She whipped her head around, dislodged a few of the hands on her face, and let out one final shriek. Then, with an awful sucking noise, she was pulled backward. The land around her blurred, as if she were flying at a high speed, then disappeared into darkness. Her head hit stone, and everything went black.

Above ground, Toby stopped his dancing to stare at the place his older sister had stood just a second before. She was gone. "Sarah?" he called nervously, his laughter gone. He scanned the ground: nothing. Wait- not nothing. There was an owl.

And suddenly, it was no longer an owl. The wings swept up over the head and the feathers turned to cream-colored cloth draped over two elegant arms. The gloved hands spread wide, reminiscent of the wings, then parted in front of a dangerously calculating face. Thin blonde hair fell in sharp angles over the narrow features, framing icy blue eyes. The Goblin King's arms finally parted, revealing the rest of his body garbed in layers upon layers of the same creamy fabric. It was a sight straight out of any young child's nightmares.

Except, of course, Toby had already lived this nightmare. And, though he couldn't quite remember all the details of his trip- a fact which would have relieved Sarah greatly, several hours ago- he was left with childish content, secure in his subconscious knowledge that this evil-looking Goblin King was really a nice, safe babysitter. And singer.

"Do you know where Sarah went?" he asked cheerfully.

Jareth arched an eyebrow, solemnly, at the beaming child. "You know, Toby," he said in a low, silky voice.

"No-oo…" Toby said slowly, peering around. "I don't know where she is. Maybe she went home. Will you take me home?" He held out a hand.

Jareth regarded him, a flicker of recognition in his eyes. "Toby…" he mused aloud.

"Yes?" the child asked, staring back with solemn eyes.

Jareth stood quietly for a while, thinking. Goblins scurried at his feet, causing Toby to gape in wonder, but the King impatiently waved them away.

"Did you take Sarah?" Toby asked suddenly, his young eyes growing ten years older.

Despite himself, Jareth was startled. "Yes," he responded simply.

"Do I have to… go find her?" Toby's voice dropped, and he asked the question quietly.

"No." Deftly, the Goblin King twisted his wrist, and a golden sphere appeared. He twirled it in his fingers, letting it roll up and down his arms. Toby watched delightedly, and began clapping. Annoyed, Jareth waved his hand, and the bauble disappeared. "You can play all day," he suggested in low, dangerous tones. "You can play all you want, Toby. You don't have to worry about getting dirty and taking a bath… you don't have to worry about not being allowed to run all over the park… you don't have to listen to anyone telling you that climbing on your little jungle gym is too dangerous. You can do anything you want, now."

"Sarah can be pretty bossy," Toby agreed, out of the blue. "But I like her anyway. She's nice. And she gets me ice-cream. I want to find her again."

Jareth raised an eyebrow. Somehow, he sensed that promising Toby all the ice-cream in the world wouldn't distract the child at this stage. Most young ones were stubborn, and Toby was a Williams. He was too much like his older half-sister. "Do you know what you have to do?"

"Yep," Toby agreed, unperturbed by the way the scenery shifted around him until he was standing atop a desolate hill, looking down on miles upon miles of a spread-out, winding maze. "Play hide-and-go-seek!"

'Well, that's one way of putting it.' Jareth carefully hid his smile. He hadn't had such amusing sport since the last time these two had entered his Labyrinth. "You have thirteen hours, Toby," he said, backing up slowly and elaborately gesturing at the clock behind him.

Toby regarded it blankly, his eyes childish again and quizzical. "I learned how to tell time," he announced. "And that clock is wrong."

Jareth made no reply. "Thirteen hours," he repeated, before fading from sight. His gaze lingered on Toby, glancing around happily, before he materialized back in his castle. He shook himself off, and twisted his wrist again, clenching the golden bauble in satisfaction.

Toby would be good sport.

And Sarah was sure to be an interesting captive.