Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth. If I did, oh my lord…
Sarah Williams was sitting with her back against her favorite tree in her favorite spot in the green, wide open field. Her dad had come and cut the grass for her a couple days before so they could visit without losing Toby's tiny figure in the grass. It was a beautiful day. Small clouds covered the sun with a light breeze. Sarah's long, wavy hair lightly blew with the wind. There wasn't a more enchanting place to be. The sun shone beautifully upon the grass, giving it a nice gleam. Sometimes Sarah didn't pay attention to it, though; as she would always bring a book and find herself lost in them- and of course, losing the time as well.
"Sarah! Sarah!"
Sarah perked her head up out of her book to see the young boy running her way. She placed her bookmark in it before he jumped into her lap and squeezed her neck, "Help! He's gonna get me!"
She laughed, "Who's gonna get you Toby?" She placed her book on the ground beside her and patted his back. He let go of her neck and halfway turned his body.
"Him!" He pointed at the Komondor running their way. Sarah and Toby squealed in laughter as the large dog jumped on top of both of them, knocking them over. He began to go back and forth between the two; giving a few kisses to one and turning to the other.
"Merlin, Merlin! Okay. Merlin!" Sarah cried. Merlin backed up and off of the siblings. Toby didn't hesitate after he sat up- he took off running again.
"Come on Merlin. Chase me!" He laughed and ran back towards the open field as far as his six year old legs would take him, the dog following suit. Sarah brushed her clothes off and picked her book back up, smiling at the figures playing in the field. But her smile faded as she heard a clock chime in the distance. Toby and Merlin noticed it as well.
"Oh man, its seven o'clock! We're gonna be late!" Toby cried. Sarah scrambled off the ground and ran towards Toby.
"Come on, we have to go!" She held her hand out to her brother and smiled. He took her hand and they ran. "Merlin, let's go!" She gave a small whistle and the dog was on their heels. They made it to the trail leading them out of the woods and away from the clearing.
"Mom is gonna flip!" Toby cried. Sarah let out a loud belly laugh.
"I know right!"
"It's not fair!" He cried. Merlin picked up the pace and was now running a few feet ahead of them.
"Oh Toby. I wonder what your basis for comparison is." She couldn't stop the words from escaping past her lips. Her smile faded.
"Huh? What's that mean?" He gasped for breath as they finally hit the paved road- just a block from home.
"N-nothing. Forget I said that."
"If you say so." He was running out of breath. "I gotta start getting in shape." Sarah laughed. Once they finally made it to the porch of the house; both smiles faded when they saw a very angry (step) mother standing outside the door waiting for them. Merlin bounced ahead of the humans and made his way into the house.
"You're late." Karen crossed her arms.
"I'm sorry Mom. We were playing with Merlin and we lost track of time." He still held Sarah's hand within his own.
"Toby, why don't you go inside? Your father is waiting to give you a bath before we leave." She turned to Sarah, "Sarah, I asked you to be home early so we could get him settled and leave on time. It was a simple request."
"Karen, I can bathe him. You don't have to be late." She offered.
She huffed, "We are going to be late. Come on. Get inside. There's supposed to be bad weather soon." She turned and walked back inside. Sarah and Toby shared a look before following behind her.
"Toby!" a voice called from upstairs, "You ready for a bath?" The voice came closer and footsteps were heard coming down the stairs. Sarah closed the door behind them and Toby released her hand to run and greet their father.
"Dad, I'll give him a bath. You'll be late for your reservations. I can handle him."
"Really? That would be great Sarah. Are you sure you want to?" He hugged Toby and turned to face her.
"Yeah, Dad. I like watching Toby." She shrugged her shoulders.
"You've changed so much. I still can't believe my baby girl is almost twenty one years old." He approached her and pulled her into a small hug. Sarah laughed.
"Me either." She hugged him back. They didn't have moments like this much anymore. Her father pulled away once he heard Karen call him. She had been in the door way of the kitchen watching.
"Robert, if Sarah is going to watch him then we need to get going." She walked to the closet and removed their jackets.
"Yeah, right. Okay. You both know the rules. Doors and windows locked at all times. No one comes in or goes out of the house. Not even-"
"Not even if we hear a baby crying on the porch or someone claims they need help. We got it dad." Toby interrupted. Sarah and her father let out a laugh at the small boy.
"Toby!" Karen hissed.
"It's fine Karen. As long as he's got it down it's alright with me. We've got supper on the stove ready for you both. Mr. Greg, from across the street, is off duty tonight, so if you need anything I put his and Mrs. Greg's number on the fridge. There's some bad weather coming, so I got Mr. Greg to hook up one of his back-up generators to the house just in case. It only lights the hallway upstairs and the living room and kitchen down here though. Oh, and I have flashlights sitting on the counter. They have new batteries so they should be fine." He was talking as Karen was pushing him towards the door.
"Dad, if you're so worried about the storm then why are you going out?" Toby asked.
"Go get the car ready, dear. I'll be out in a minute." Karen said and pushed the father out the door before he could answer. She turned to Toby, "Toby, sweetie, run upstairs and get your pajamas ready for whenever you're done with your bath. I'll see you in the morning, goodbye my sweet prince." She kissed him on the top of his head and Sarah wanted to gag.
"Okay mom. Have fun." He turned and trotted up the stairs. Karen smiled at the boy, and then turned to Sarah- the smile no longer present.
"Sarah, I have something I need to discuss with you."
"Can't it wait? You're going to be late." Sarah was already annoyed.
"No. We never get time alone and you avoid me at all costs on the rare times that we do. I want you to get something clear. We both know that the only reason you've returned home is because of you apartment complex being shut down."
"That's not true! I could have-" Sarah began, but was cut off.
"I wasn't finished." She snapped, "So let's get things straight. If you're going to be staying here for a while, which it seems like you are, then I want you to hear the rules. I've discussed with your father and he doesn't want me to force you to pay rent. So instead, I'm telling you to quit your job at that raggedy theater and get a real job. Well, because face it, your schooling for theater isn't going to lead you anywhere. Your chances of ever becoming an actress are very slim. So get a real job. And secondly, I want you to keep your silly fairy tales out of Toby's head. He tried to tell me about his dream the other night and I wanted to spank him just for the silliness of it."
Sarah gasped, "You would hit him over a dream? It's called an imagination. He's a six year old boy!"
"No Sarah. It's something you've made him believe. I don't want him in that silly phase you were in when you were 15. You grew up around fairy tales and fantasies and it has driven you to having absolutely no future. I refuse to have my son grow up to be like you. He talks about goblins and their King. Ludacris is what it is. No more fairy tales, period." She crossed her arms. Sarah swallowed a lump in her throat.
'Their King? I've never told Toby about him.' Sarah was in disbelief. She quickly let it pass and gained her courage back, "You can't force Toby to be something he's not. If he wants to grow up reading fairy tales in books then he can. If he wants to grow up and be the richest man on earth then he can. If he wants to grow up to be a fucking princess at a kid's birthday party then he damn sight will. You're his mother, his supporter, and you're supposed to be his best friend. But you're obviously not going to be that for him, so I will." Sarah took a deep breath, and felt a pang of joy at Karen's surprised expression. It didn't last long as Sarah saw her features darken and get ready to fire back.
"Goodbye Karen. Dad's waiting." Sarah turned and stormed upstairs. She was walking towards Toby's room when she heard the door slam downstairs. Karen was truly a killjoy for Sarah. She wished her mom was still alive, but then there wouldn't be a Toby in her life. Sarah shuddered at the thought of ever losing him.
"What if I had lost the Labyrinth?" Sarah wondered to herself as she reached Toby's door. She slowly opened it and saw him lying on his bed staring at the ceiling.
"Hey Toby, ready for that bath?" She tried to force a smile.
He shrugged his shoulders, "I guess…"
She sighed, "You heard, huh?" He nodded his head, "It's alright Tobes. It's not the first time we've argued."
"Yeah. But what she said was really mean. I like your stories." He murmured.
She smiled at him, "I know, that's why I'm not gonna stop telling you them. Now come on. Let's get you a bath." She turned to go towards the bathroom but was turned back around at the small voice.
"Hey, Sarah? Was what mom said about you true? You know… what she said about you only being here because your apartment is gone?" He had sat up on the bed and was looking at her. She walked into his room and knelt on the floor in front of him.
"No, no, no Toby. I could have any apartment I wanted to. I'm here for you Toby. I don't want you having to have to deal with her alone. I got it a lot when I was younger, I may have deserved it sometimes but I don't want to let her take your childhood from you. I love you and dad very much. I'm in no rush to leave right now. You understand?" She looked at him.
"Yeah, I understand." He nodded his head and put his arms around her. She hugged the small boy back.
"Alright, it's bath time." She stood up and picked his towel and clothes off the foot of his bed and led him to the bathroom.
"You know, sometimes I feel like I'm too big to have people give me a bath."
Sarah laughed, "Well at the rate Karen is trying to take you, you'll be taking baths like this for a long time."
"Man I hope not." Sarah smiled at the boy and began to run his bath water. Running her fingers through the water, she decided it was warm enough and put the plug in the drain. She grabbed some bubble soap Karen usually gave him and poured it in. She thought for a minute, and then added extra bubbles to his water. She helped Toby undress and put him in the tub. She gave him a few minutes and walked to her room to change into her pajamas; a gray long sleeve sweater with white shorts. When she returned, she watched him play with his toys for a little bit and laughed at all of his corny jokes. She may have been a spoiled brat who was mean to him when he was younger, but Sarah realized now just how much she loved her little brother. Their fun was cut short when a crash of thunder sounded outside and the lights flickered. They quickly ran through the rest of his bath and got him dressed. They went downstairs and walked into the kitchen. There were three different colored flashlights on the counter next to the dish covered in tin foil on the stove. She picked up the blue flashlight and handed it to Toby.
"Here you go, big guy. It's your favorite color."
"Thanks. I just hope we don't have to use it." They jumped when the thunder crashed again. He quickly reached up and took it from her hand. Sarah picked up the green and yellow flashlights and walked towards the living room. She set the yellow one on the table by the front door, just in case. She turned and walked back to the kitchen with the green one still in hand. She swung the door open and saw Toby setting two dinner plates next to the stove.
"Let me help you with that." She grabbed two forks and filled each plate with spaghetti. They ate in almost silence as they listened to the storm getting worse outside. When Sarah stood up to take their dishes to the sink, Toby cleared his throat.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, go ahead." She scraped the leftover food in the trash in front of the sink.
"Are goblins scary?" Sarah froze for a second, then turned to face Toby- the dishes still in her hand.
"What?"
"Are goblins scary?" He repeated.
"Well, no. I don't believe so."
"But you said they kidnap children."
"They take children who are wished away. You know, as a matter of fact, goblins are pretty funny." She smiled as she thought of all the chickens they loved to play with in the city.
"They are?" He looked up at her.
"Well yeah, I mean… Don't underestimate them by any means. But they're pretty silly. And can be fun to be around."
"How do you know that?" He questioned.
"Uh, just from some stories." She mumbled.
"Oh. I guess I'm not really worried about them. It's the Goblin King I'm worried about."
"Toby, where did you hear about the Goblin King from?" Sarah gripped the dishes in her hand; worry was creeping through her body.
"I don't want you to get mad like mom did." He put his head down.
"You know I wouldn't do that."
He picked his head back up, "Well… I had a dream once that I was lying in bed like I had been when I fell asleep, when all of a sudden I started hearing noises. It was like little creatures all over my room; in my toy box, under my bed, in my closet, everywhere. And once they stopped I looked up and there was this guy standing in front of me. I asked him who he was and he said he was the Goblin King, and that he wanted a favor from me. He laughed when I told him I wasn't supposed to make deals with strangers. He said he wasn't a stranger- he said he was your friend. Well, actually he said "I'm a friend of your sister," so I said "Who, Sarah?" and the whole dream fell apart. It was weird. I wanted to tell you but you had been moved out then."
Sarah stood wide eyed at the boy and his dream, "Is that the only dream you've had about him?"
"Sort of. I see him sometimes. But that's the only time he's ever spoken to me."
Sarah was in shock. There was no way the Goblin King was looking for Toby again, was he? It had to be a crazy dream because of his time in the Labyrinth, right? Sarah's mind was spinning.
"Sarah? Hello?"
She closed her mouth, and then opened it again. "Uh, wow. That's some crazy dream."
"You're not mad, are you?" He looked up at her.
"Of course not, Toby. I'm just-" She was interrupted by another crash of thunder. She looked and saw that her father had left his watch on the counter and picked it up. 8:43. "We better get you in bed. This storm will pass eventually."
Sarah was putting their plates in the sink when lightning flashed, followed by a crash of thunder, and the power went out. After a few seconds, the back-up generator kicked in. It dimly lit the kitchen and living room, it wasn't much but it was good enough. The two grabbed the flashlights and headed up the stairs. Once they reached the top, they hit the barely lit hallway. Their directions were being split to go to their bedrooms. Toby grabbed a hold of Sarah's shirt.
"Sarah, I'm scared. Can I sleep with you tonight?"
"Of course, Toby. I'll walk with you to get Lancelot from your room." They turned to the left and walked towards Toby's room. Sarah turned her flashlight on and opened his door. Toby quickly turned on his flashlight at the sight of the darkness. "He's on your bed, right?" She shined the light around and spotted him on the bed. Toby followed her light and grabbed the bear from the bed before bolting back to Sarah. "It's alright Toby; just a little storm is all."
"But there could be goblins in there!" He quickly shut the door to block them from the darkness.
"Toby, there's no goblins in there. I've told you before. Goblins only come after wished away children. No one's gonna wish you away, I promise." She felt his hand grab hers as they headed towards Sarah's room. Her door was already open and when she shined the light around she found Merlin asleep on her bed. They entered the room and Sarah walked to the nightstand beside her bed. She set both flashlights on their side to shine a light towards the bed. She then helped Toby climb into one side and tucked him in.
"Sarah?" He called out as she turned to walk towards her side.
"Yes Toby?" He was on a roll today with his questions.
"Can you double check the windows to make sure they're locked?"
"Sure." She walked to her large windows and grabbed ahold of the knobs and pulled. "Yep, they're locked." She said when they didn't budge.
"Thank you." He said. Sarah finally climbed into bed. Toby reached over and cut the flashlights off, instantly filling the room with darkness; the only light coming from the flashes of lightning outside. Merlin stood up and laid himself in between Sarah and Toby. Toby rolled onto his side and put his face against Merlin, using him as a pillow for himself and Lancelot. It only took Sarah a moment to begin to drift off to sleep; the thunder wasn't a problem for her at all- even if it was louder than it already was.
"Sarah?" Toby whispered.
"Yes Toby?" Sarah mumbled, now struggling to stay awake.
"What's the Goblin King's name?"
Sarah was done with questions for today, so instead of asking why, she whispered, "Jareth... His name is Jareth."
"Oh. Goodnight Sarah."
"Goodnight Toby." That was all she was able to get out before sleep consumed her. It felt like centuries just staring into the black, there were no dreams coming her way tonight. She heard a faint voice calling her from the distance.
"Sarah… Sarah… Sarah, wake up."
She groaned as she was pulled from the blackness, just to be enveloped into more dark. She rubbed her eyes to get them adjusted to the dark.
"Sarah…" Toby's voice was shaking. A flash of lightning illuminated his face for a split second and she could see the horror written across it.
"Toby, what's wrong?" She sat up, still on her side facing him. The rain was pouring outside and thunder crashed.
In a shaky breath he answered, "I thought you said the windows were locked."
"They are. What're you-" Sarah turned around to face the window. A flash of lightning revealed the very open windows. Sarah jumped when Merlin begin to growl.
"What is it boy?" She asked the dog, silently praying this was a dream. She looked towards the back of the room. Another flash of lightning and Sarah's heart stopped. In the corner of the room was a dark figure, just standing still; watching them.
Toby screamed at the sight of the man and Sarah cried, "Toby, run!" Merlin began his vicious barking as Sarah sprung from the bed and grabbed Toby. She picked him up and ran out of the room and down the stairs. She ran to the front door and tried to turn the lock.
"Shit!" She cried. The lock was stuck. She set Toby down beside her and used both hands to grasp the lock. "It's jammed!" She cried. She heard Merlin run down the stairs, still growling and barking. Sarah was tugging on the lock desperately.
"Sarah…" Toby squeaked. She froze in place as she heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
"Oh fuck!" She cried. "Toby, the garage door!" As she turned, lightning flashed and Sarah's eyes caught ahold of the flashlight she had placed on the table earlier. She grabbed Toby's hand with one of her own and snatched the flashlight with the other. 'Shit, shit, shit!' She thought. 'Get Toby out!' was all she could think. They flew through the living room, then the kitchen, and made it to the garage door. Sarah swung it open, not caring to close it back since it only locked from the inside anyways. Switching on the flashlight, she herd Merlin following behind them and she stopped to pick Toby up in her arms once more. She could hear his crying and her adrenaline sped up. I have to save Toby! She flew down the stairs and ran across the garage, thankful for the car not being there. They made it to the door leading outside the garage. Sarah put the flashlight in her mouth so she could hold Toby in one arm and pressed the button to the garage door with the other. 'The power's out, idiot!' her mind screamed at her. She set Toby down and looked back towards the door leading inside as Merlin began barking again. 'He's getting closer. Shit!' She cried. She put the flashlight back in her hand and, shakily, looked for a handle at the bottom of the garage door. She quickly grabbed a hold of it and lifted with all her might. It began to give way and pull up. She felt two small hands cover hers and try to help her lift it up. Once the crack was small enough to get Toby to crawl out of it, Sarah quickly let go and began to nudge him under it. He got on his hands and knees and crawled out. Merlin's barking intensified and she could hear footsteps walking down the garage stairs. Sarah rolled the flashlight out of the garage and dropped on her belly. She rolled herself out and jumped back up into the pouring rain. She grabbed the flashlight and saw Toby standing there waiting on her. She turned back to the door, "Merlin! Come on boy, get out of there! Merlin!" She cried. She gasped in relief as Merlin crawled out under the garage door. She picked Toby back up and took off towards the street and hurriedly crossed it. She set Toby down onto the porch and began beating the door with her fists. Too bad the damned porch didn't have a roof over it.
"Officer Greg! Mrs. Greg! Help us! It's Sarah and Toby! Please wake up, we need you!" She beat the door and called until she saw a light come on inside the house. Toby was shaking in the rain and his sobs were getting louder. Sarah pulled him into her arms. Damn. Why did it have to be so cold in October? She thought.
"Shhh. It's okay Toby. He's gone." Sarah took one last look at the house, and gave a shriek. Lightning was flashing and the rain had them soaked to the bone, but Sarah wasn't worried about it. She was worried about the man staring at them from her bedroom window. Sarah felt Toby try to turn his head back to the house and Sarah immediately covered his eyes. "D-d-d-on't look back." was all she managed to stutter in the cold. The door to the Greg's finally swung open and Officer Greg came out in just his pants with a gun in his hand.
"Sarah, Toby? What the hell's going on?"
"There's a m-man in the h-house." She stuttered.
"A man? You saw him? For sure?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, I for s-sure saw the asshole." She gritted her teeth.
"Shit." He turned as his wife came out behind him in a robe and pajama pants. "Leslie, take them inside and call Dave. I'm going over there."
"Be careful sweetheart." She turned and grabbed his Police Force jacket off the coat hanger and handed it to him. He zipped it up before taking off in the pouring rain with his gun in hand. Leslie grabbed Sarah's hand and brought them inside. She took them to the bathroom. "Are you two alright?" She was genuinely concerned. Sarah shook her head yes while still clutching Toby in her arms. "I'll be right back, stay here." She hurriedly walked out of the room. A few seconds later Sarah could hear her on the phone with Dave- Greg's best friend and partner in the Police Department. A few minutes passed and Leslie came back into the room. "Okay, let me get you guys fixed up."
"Toby first." Sarah muttered, she could still feel him shaking. Leslie nodded her head and took Toby from Sarah's arms.
"Caleb!" She called. A moment passed and her seventeen year old son came walking into the large bathroom.
"Yeah, mom?"
"Take Toby into your room and dry him off with a towel. Get out your old box of clothes from your closet that you've kept from when you were younger. Put some warm clothes on him and wrap him up in a blanket. Set him in the chair by the fire place and make sure he gets warmed up." Leslie instructed. Caleb nodded his head and took Toby from the room. Leslie turned to Sarah. "Alright, let's get these clothes off you and put you in some warm water while I get you something to wear." She walked to the large tub and cut the water on. She turned to Sarah and helped her undress. She put Sarah into the hot water and grabbed her wet clothes off the floor. "I'm gonna wash and dry these for you. I'll be right back to check on you."
Sarah slid her body farther into the large tub, the water line reaching her chin. She didn't know what to think. She kept playing the figure standing in the corner of her room over and over again. The lightning had revealed characteristics that made her heart sink. The black cape and long blonde wisps of hair had been burned into her brain forever. Sarah squeezed her eyes shut and tried to rid the image from her mind. "You were imagining. That wasn't him. It was some fucked up asshole that broke in. It wasn't him." She was trying to tell herself that, but Sarah knew. She just knew that it couldn't have been anyone else. Could it? "You were tired. You couldn't have gotten a good look." Her conscience was making an effort to try. Sarah reached her hands up and rubbed her eyes. Even if it was him, why the hell was he in her house? She never summoned him. She hasn't even told anyone he existed.
Sarah let out an exasperated sigh and pushed her head underwater. She sat underneath the surface until her lungs hurt before coming back up for air. That was when Sarah realized just how tired she was. At that moment, Leslie returned to with a bath towel and a small pile of clothes. She set the clothes onto the counter and handed the towel to Sarah. She had on a large jacket and an umbrella in her hand.
"Thomas is still over there. His squad just pulled up. I'm gonna go outside and see what they have to say. I called your parents and they're on their way. Toby is in the living room next to the fire drinking some hot chocolate. I have your clothes in the washer, so I brought you some of mine." She gave Sarah a small comforting smile. "Don't worry Sarah; they're gonna get him." Sarah gave a small thank you before Leslie turned and walked out of the room. Sarah dried herself off and began to put the clothes on. Leslie had a small figure as Sarah did, but Sarah had a little more curve than the older woman. The tank top fit a little tight and the shorts were a little shorter than they would have been on Leslie. Sarah walked out of the room and found her way to the living room while drying her hair with the towel. She found Toby next to the fire wrapped in a blanket with a mug in his hand. Sarah walked and sat down next to him.
The young boy jumped as he didn't expect Sarah to come up behind him and he almost spilt his hot drink everywhere. He looked at Sarah. She was just staring at the fire.
"Here…" He held out his mug as an offer to Sarah. She gave him a forced smile and slowly took it from his hand. She took a large swallow and it burned her throat. She turned and handed it back to Toby. She watched the flames in the fire dance before her eyes as she found herself lost in thought. She imagined the Fireys running in circles around the fire, throwing their limbs and laughing. She was entranced in the small flames before her eyes. The figures immediately disappeared at the small voice that whispered her name. She turned her head to Toby.
"Yeah Toby?"
He met her gaze.
"Why was Jareth trying to kill us?"