Author's Note: For those of you who are reading and waiting for me to update my other Labyrinth fics or my Prétear fic - please don't hate me for posting this instead! D= I really, really, REALLY wanted to write this. The idea has been rolling around in my head. So . . . I wrote it down. Then I couldn't just leave it sitting in my 'Done' folder for who knows how long! So . . . I posted it. Now, I hope you will read it, like it, and not send me to the Bog of Stench for delaying on my other fics.

So! As I wrote this, I borrowed a few names from real life. (Paul Bettany=Jennifer Connelly's husband, Brian Henson=voice of Hoggle, Toby's college choice=Toby Froud's actual choice of study, Chris=name of the actor who played Sarah's father) Then I wanted to come up with some picture references for who I would pick to 'play' Shaylee and what I kinda picture Liron and Trystan look like. If you're interested in seeing those pics, go to my profile and scroll down to the "Complete" list and look for Nice to Finally Meet You - authorart. (These will be photos found on the internet and not actual drawings of mine - I'm lazy like that.)

I can see Karen Gillen (also known as Amelia Pond from Dr. Who season 6 & 7) as Shaylee. Can't you? =)

Right! Enough of me yammering on. I like that word. Yammering. This is dedicated to the many people who wanted Shaylee and Sarah to meet. =)

Disclaimer: I own nothing from Labyrinth. I only own the OCs. =) Enjoy!

Nice to Finally Meet You

Summer days at playgrounds always mean that there are children running and playing outside. Parents take their kids to meet friends or just to get them away from a television long enough to enjoy the weather before school and colder days return. Parents sit at park benches, watching over the running and screaming youngsters.

Walking hand-in-hand, a woman and a boy step into the park entrance. The tall woman turns her head to take in the scenery. Emerald eyes sparkle with recognition and curiosity. "They certainly have fixed this place up since I was a kid." she muses aloud.

The boy tilts his head back to look at her. "Mom, are you sure we'll be able to find Brian?"

"Mrs. Henson said she would be over at the picnic tables by the river, Chris." The mother chuckled as she glanced down at her son.

"But if it's changed so much - what if we get lost? How will you know where to go?" Chris asked. Worry puckered his eyebrows and he too turned to look around for any sign of a familiar face.

Chris' mom smiled wryly as she shook her head in amusement. "Now, Chris -"

"Sarah!" Both brunette's lifted their heads and looked to their right. A woman with straight, black hair waved to them from underneath a covered picnic area.

"Aubrey." Sarah smiled in relief as she made her way to the other woman. A boy that looked about the same age as Chris stepped away from Aubrey's legs and grinned.

"Brian!" Chris shouted as he ran ahead of his mother. Sarah felt herself jerk forward before her son's hand slipped from hers but she only smiled at his excitement.

Before Sarah reached her friend, the two boys had exchanged a quick 'hello' and were off running toward the wooden playground. Watching the pair, Sarah called after their retreating forms, "Stay where we can see you, Christopher!"

"They'll be fine, Sarah." Aubrey smiled warmly at the brunette. She stepped forward and wrapped Sarah in a hug. "Oh! I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too, Aubrey." Sarah returned the gesture before stepping back. "How have you been? And you cut your hair!"

Laughing, the other mother touched her chin-length hair with a self-conscious hand. "Do you like it? I wasn't sure if it would look good."

"It looks very chic." Sarah agreed with a giggle.

"Good. I've been fine. How about yourself? How's work treating you?"

The mothers turned to walk to a picnic table that was spread out with a checkered blanket. A cooler sat on the picnic bench before Aubrey moved it to make room for Sarah.

Settling down, the brunette shrugged. "I've been doing pretty well. I love my job! Those kids never give me a dull moment. If I'm not watching them, they're trying to get onto my Facebook account to post some ridiculous status."

Aubrey rocked with her laughter. "I saw one of those posts! You really ought to log out when you're done."

"I wouldn't put it past some of those high schoolers to figure out what my password is." Sarah stated dryly.

"And Paul? How is he doing?"

Waving a hand, Sarah said, "Oh, he's absolutely loving the drama department! The school is going to put on a production of Our Town in the near future. I was a little surprised when the students in the drama club voted for it!"

Aubrey shook her head. "I don't understand you two."

"What?"

"You could have done anything with your lives. Anything!" Aubrey exclaimed. "Both of you could have become actors or playwrights or screenwriters - instead you choose to teach high school English and drama clubs."

Sarah smiled and turned to watch the kids playing on the castle shaped playground. Wooden towers reached toward the sky so much like the stone towers she vaguely remembered from a dream. Without looking at her friend, the woman said, "I could have followed my mom's path. If I had - I would have taken so many things for granted."

"Like what?" Aubrey leaned back against the picnic table.

"Paul, Chris, Toby, a good relationship with my dad and with Irene." Sarah listed off without hesitation. "If I'd gone after that - childish dream - I wouldn't have lived the life that was meant for me."

With a quiet chuckle, Aubrey shook her head. "I remember a time when all you wanted was to get out of this town and get on a stage. You were always talking about your mom and what play she had been in."

"I had a real wake-up call." Sarah's eyes searched the park for familiar features. A path that wound down to the river and a stone bridge caught her attention.

"You never did tell me what happened." Aubrey broke through Sarah's sudden concentration.

"Hmm?"

"What happened when we were sixteen, Sarah?" The woman pressed, her brown eyes searched her friend's face. "What 'woke' you?"

Sarah's eyebrows dipped down as she thought over the question. Memories - or dreams - fluttered across her mind's eye but every time they began to solidify something made them disappear like a dissipating mist. The only thing she was certain of was that Toby had been involved. She had a feeling deep in her heart that shuddered at the thought of almost losing him.

With a noncommittal shrug, Sarah shook her head. "I don't remember."

"Come on!" Aubrey gave Sarah a gentle shove. "You can't cop out like that."

"I'm serious, Aubrey." The brunette asserted. "All I can really remember is that it had to do with Toby. Something - something happened while I was babysitting him one night."

A frown creased the other woman's face. "Like what?"

Heaving a heavy sigh, Sarah turned her attention back to the playground. "I don't know."

Humming in thought, Aubrey's hazel eyes searched Sarah's profile. "Maybe you're subconscious is trying to suppress the memory because it was so traumatic."

Laughing, Sarah shook her head. "Don't go all shrink on me, Aubrey. You're not working today."

"True." Aubrey flashed a smile. "So how are your folks and Toby?"

"Oh, Dad and Irene were only too happy to have Paul, Chris, and me down for the Fourth of July." Sarah answered. "Dad and Paul are out having their 'male bonding' time. Irene went to pick up Toby from the airport."

"How does Toby like school?"

"Oh, Toby is having a wonderful time at college." Sarah smiled warmly.

"What's he studying?" Aubrey reached for the cooler and lifted the lid.

Sarah accepted the plastic water bottle her friend offered before saying, "Filmmaking and special effects. Irene nearly had a fit. Not sure what she expected by letting Toby watch all those movies and play those video games."

"Don't tell me you didn't influence him in any way." Aubrey teased.

"Okay, maybe a little." The brunette conceded as she sipped her water. "Dad was worried too. He doesn't want Toby to be like Mom."

"You wouldn't let him."

Shaking her head, Sarah said, "No. I wouldn't. And he won't."

"How did you convince Chris to come to the park?" Aubrey lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the sun that was just peeking out from behind the clouds. "He adores his uncle. I'd imagine he would have gone to the airport with Irene."

Sarah laughed. "We didn't tell him that Toby was coming. It's going to be part of his birthday surprise."

"That's special." Aubrey nodded. "Is Chris' birthday still scheduled for Wednesday, six p.m?"

"It certainly is." Sarah assured, her attention swinging over to the river where swans floated lazily. Standing and stretching, her gaze shifted from the river and the bridge back to the playground. She could see Chris and Brian with their hands wrapped around a rope and pretending that they were scaling a mountain.

A smile flitted across her face before her eyes returned to the river. Reminiscing her childhood and teenage years, Sarah found herself yearning to run across that bridge.

Aubrey followed Sarah's longing gaze and smiled. "You can take a walk if you want."

Looking guiltily at her friend, Sarah shook her head. "I couldn't leave you by yourself. I'm here to see you too, you know."

"We have four hours, Sarah." Aubrey chuckled. "Besides, the boys will probably be hungry soon. When it's time for lunch I'll send Chris after you." Tilting her head in the direction of the bridge, she asked, "You'll just be over the next three bridges, right?"

"Yeah." Sarah returned her attention back to the bridge. After thinking the idea over, she shook her head. "No. I'll stay here. Maybe another day Paul and I can take a walk."

~*~/*\~*~

The afternoon passed by. Some families stayed in the park for lunch while others left. Sarah and Aubrey talked about their lives and what they had been doing since they'd gone their separate ways after high school.

They laughed over the antics of their boys and husbands. Aubrey told of how her girls insisted on taking ballet and how the youngest daughter sprained her ankle trying to outdo another girl in her class. Sarah related a similar situation that had happened to one of her high school students. Teenage boys will be boys.

Chris and Brian spent much of their afternoon running up and down the playground equipment or playing soccer with the ball Brian had brought. Some other kids joined them, and a game began. Eventually it dissolved because one team insisted on changing where the goal was. Chris almost hit the older boy, but Sarah and Aubrey intervened. The ball put away, Chris and Brian ran down to the river's edge and began skipping stone or trying to drop rocks on the heads of minnows.

Once again, boys will be boys.

Sarah glanced lazily over at her friend. Aubrey had pulled out a medical magazine a couple minutes after their conversation lagged. She was now writing notes in the margins with a pen.

The brunette woman returned her attention to the beat-up copy of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables and slipped a piece of paper in the fold to mark her place. Her attention diverted to a silver wrist watch and she sighed.

Looking up from her magazine, Aubrey asked, "Time to go?"

"Well if you want to be on time to pick up Chelsea, Grace, and Leila from that slumber party - then yes."

Aubrey shifted in order to grab her shoulder bag and slipped the magazine and pen back into the cavernous bag. Straightening again with a groan, Aubrey rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hand. "I probably should not have tried reading that article without my glasses."

"Probably not." Sarah agreed with a sympathetic smile. "I'll help you get everything together." Standing, the brunette turned to call to the boys. "Chris! Brian!"

The two heads turned. Beckoning the pair over, Sarah said, "Time to go!" She turned to help Aubrey, knowing that the boys would meander up to the picnic area eventually.

By the time both mothers had the checkered blanket folded, Brian and Chris came thumping onto the concrete floor of the covered picnic area. Chris slumped onto the picnic bench hot and sweaty. Brian leaned against his mother in the same breathless condition.

Sarah ruffled Chris' limp, brown curls. "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah." he sighed as he rubbed his arm over his glistening forehead.

"Do you think you'd want to play with Brian again?" She picked up the bag of paper plates and set them in one of the baskets Aubrey had brought.

Chris looked over at Brian - each sporting a tired smile. "Yeah." the curly-haired boy answered.

"Well, Brian will just have to come to you birthday party." Aubrey smiled.

"Really, Mom?" Brian tilted his head back to give Aubrey an excited grin.

"Really, really." she chuckled as she smoothed back the hair plastered to his forehead.

"Sweet!"

"Awesome!"

Both boys chorused.

Turning back to the boys, Sarah said, "Right! Now, Chris, why don't you take this basket and follow Mrs. Henson to her car." Sarah lifted one end of the cooler while Aubrey took the other handle.

"Brian, do you have the blanket?" Aubrey shook her head to get the hair out of her eye.

"Yup!" he answered, picking up the blanket. "Come on, Chris!" The boys hurried ahead of the mothers.

"Don't run into the street!" Sarah called to the pair. Turning her attention to Aubrey, she asked, "Where did you park?"

"Just across the street from the entrance." The woman answered with a huff as she tried to get a comfortable hold on the cooler's handle. "I didn't want to park too far away because I knew I'd have a lot of stuff to lug to and from the car." Flashing a grateful smile at the brunette, Aubrey said, "Thanks for helping like this."

Shrugging a shoulder, Sarah shook her head. "Don't think anything of it."

Sarah and Aubrey found the boys standing on the edge of the sidewalk just outside of the park. Praising the pair for waiting, the mothers looked down the street until they were satisfied that there wasn't any traffic coming from either direction. The procession quickly crossed and walked up to a maroon van.

Sarah and Aubrey set the cooler down which freed Aubrey to dig through her shoulder bag for her keys. After stuffing everything in the back of the van, Aubrey turned to her friend.

"Well, I'll see you Wednesday." She smiled cheerfully.

"See you then." Sarah agreed before stepping into a hug. "Say hello to Jeff."

"Will do." Aubrey promised. Looking over at her son, she said, "Brian, say goodbye."

"Bye, Chris! I'll show you some of my games if Dad will let me bring them." Brian promised.

Chris looked up at his mom before turning back to Brian. "I'll call Uncle Toby and see if it's okay for us to use his XBox."

The mothers exchanged amused, knowing looks. They waved to each other as they pulled their sons away. Sarah and Chris stepped up onto the sidewalk and watched as the Henson's car pulled away from the curb.

Once the van was out of sight, Sarah took Chris' hand and looked down at him. "So, video games?"

"Yeah. Brian has some really cool ones." He looked up at her, a grin splitting across his face.

"Well, we'll have to wait and see. You might not have time to play any games when he comes over for your birthday." Sarah teased. Jumping a bit, she reached a hand down to her jean pants' pocket. Her phone was vibrating. "Wonder who could be calling me." she mumbled to herself.

"Maybe it's Grandma Irene." Chris giggled. "She's probably wondering where we are and if we're ever coming back."

Trying to suppress her laughter and smile - and failing miserably - Sarah said, "Hush, Chris. Oh! It is your grandmother." Holding the phone to her face she greeted, "Hello."

"Hello. Sarah?"

"Yup. What's up, Irene?" Sarah gave her son a stern glare when he laughed and said, 'I told you so.'

"Well, I've picked up Toby from the airport. {Hi, Sis!} And we're on our way back," Irene's sigh over the phone made Sarah wince but her stepmother continued, "but the traffic is so heavy right now because it's the rush hour. Why anyone would be working the week of the Fourth of July I'll never know!"

Sarah did laugh at this but tried to control her outburst. Irene wouldn't appreciate it. "That's all right. Chris and I can go back to the house still."

"No!" Irene exclaimed. Sarah heard Toby's voice, but couldn't make out what he was saying. "She wants to go back to the house with Chris." Irene explained. "Oh. All right. Sarah?"

"Yes?"

"Toby wants to talk to you. Here you go." There was a moment's pause before a masculine voice cheerfully asked, "Sarah?"

Grinning from ear to ear, Sarah said, "Hey!"

Chris, who had sat down on the curb, looked up questioningly. "Who's that?"

Covering the mouthpiece, Sarah answered, "Your dad. He got back early and snatched the phone from Grandma." Relieved that her son bought the white lie and was laughing, she returned her attention back to the phone. "Yes, Chris is with me."

"What?" Toby sounded confused before he said, "Oh! Got it. So Mom told me that you were going to go back to the house even though we're not there yet."

"Yeah?" her brows furrowed, wondering why this was an issue.

"I need to set up the munchkin's present but I can't do that with you or him at the house." Toby explained.

Eyes narrowing she shifted her weight. Sarah was now in her defiant or distrusting stance - which ever she was feeling and right now it was both. "Why?" she questioned.

A laugh echoed over the phone. "You'll see. Please, Sarah? Distract him for a little longer. I'll owe you a big favor!"

"Will this - project - result in another big favor after it's finished?" Sarah demanded.

"What project? What's Dad doing?" Chris tilted his head.

Sarah held up a finger to communicate to her son to wait. "Well? Waiting for an answer, Mister."

"... Maybe a little - big - favor." Toby's answer did not boost any confidence.

"Wait till I get my hands on you." Sarah threatened. "So - we can't go back to the house yet."

"Nope."

"How long do you need?"
"Hold on." Toby answered. "Mom? How long should Sarah wait? 'kay. Sarah, Mom says another hour or so. I'll text you when I'm done."

Sarah sighed and looked up and down the street. What was she going to do in this small town with a sweaty, tired ten-year-old? "Any suggestions?"

"You still at the park?" Her brother asked.

"Yes." her green eyes swept over the sign arching over the park entrance.

"Take him for a walk. Explore the places you used to hang out. Tell him some stories - like the ones you told me." Toby suggested. "I bet that ice cream guy still pushes his dinky cart around." He laughed before his voice took on a distracted tone like when he was talking about his school projects. "Speaking of those stories - wait until I tell you the idea I got just last week. {Oh, Toby! Not now!} Mom isn't as excited about it as I am." Toby sounded hurt and disappointed.

Sarah felt her irritation with her brother abate a little. Toby still had a hard time with the fact that his parents weren't a hundred percent supportive of his life choice to study film-making. "I'm sure it's amazing. I'll be all ears when I see you." As an afterthought she emphasized, "In an hour."

Toby laughed, proving that Sarah still had the ability to pull him out of his doldrums. "I'll be sure to time Mom. {Toby Williams!} See you soon, Sis! Bye!"

"See you soon. Love you. Bye." Sarah shook her head before stuffing her phone back into her pants' pocket.

"So what's Dad doing? And what did Grandma want?" Chris stood as his mom ran a hand through her wind-blown hair.

"Grandma was asking where we were - are." Sarah answered. "Dad is putting something together at the house and is kicking people out until he's finished. You know how he gets when he's fixing something."

Chris laughed. "Yeah. So we gotta wait an hour?"

"Yup."

"What're we gonna do?"

Sarah took his hand and crossed the street - back to the park. "We're going to get some ice cream and sit underneath my favorite tree."

~*~/*\~*~

"Mom, are we there yet?" Chris whined as the crossed the next bridge. "My feet hurt and my ice cream is gonna fall off my cone."

Sarah bit back a sigh. It had been a long day. Toby owed her a very big favor. "It's just over this bridge, Christopher." She craned her neck to see around the bushes that were still overgrown - like they were when she was a teen.

She could see the top of the oak tree. The river rippled and sparkled below the bridge. A gentle summer breeze pushed and pulled strands of her hands around her face. A smile graced her features as she remembered running over this bridge in a white dress she once wore to a Renaissance fair.

"We'll sit on the bench and finish our ice cream." Sarah stated. "Then I'll tell you some stories that I used to tell your uncle -" she stopped abruptly, staring in mild shock.

Chris, mouth open and tongue out licking his ice cream cone, looked up at his mother. When she didn't say anything but continued staring, his own attention followed her gaze. His green eyes - so like his mother's - watched the red-haired woman sitting on the stone bench beneath the tree. Two boys that appeared to be the same age were whacking sticks together like they were having a sword fight.

Sensing eyes, the woman sitting on the bench turned her head to look at the mother and son. She smiled kindly and lifted a hand in greeting. "Hello."

The boys stopped playing swords and looked over at Chris and Sarah. The boy with blonde hair ran over and stopped in front of Chris. "Hi! I'm Liron. That's Trystan. And that's my Mum over there. Who are you? What's that you've got there?"

Chris blinked in surprise at the boy with the funny accent and blonde hair sticking up in every which direction. "I - I'm Chris."

The other boy - Trystan - walked up and pointed at the ice cream cone. "What's that?"

Looking from the cone in his hand to the younger boys in front of him, Chris' answer wasn't the most eloquent. "Huh?"

"That. In your hand. What is it?" Trystan clarified, his gray eyes glancing from the ice cream then back to Chris' face.

"Ice cream cone." Chris answered. His face puckered in puzzlement. "You - you don't know what ice cream is?"

Both boys shook their heads. Liron asked, "Is it good?"

Chris' eyes widened to epic proportions. "Is it good? Of course! It's the best dessert ever made! You've never had it?"

Trystan tilted his head. "Better than peach cobbler?"

"No. We've never had it." Liron folded his arms over his chest, scowling at Chris' outburst.

Chris looked up at his mother and tugged on her hand. "Mom! They've never had ice cream! We have to get them ice cream!"

Sarah shook herself out of her confusion. That woman - she had looked oddly familiar. Sarah couldn't figure out for the life of her why. Returning her attention to her son, Sarah said, "Chris, there might be a very good reason they've never had ice cream. Besides, it's up to their mom." Sarah looked up at the woman who had stood from the bench and was now making her way over to the group.

"No need to buy them anything." She said.

"But, Mum!" Liron whirled around to look up at her imploringly. "Chris said it was the best desert!"

Trystan tilted his head and asked Chris, "Is it better than peach cobbler?"

Chris nodded. "Yup! But there is peach ice cream - so if you really like peaches you could get that."

Trystan looked up at his mother. "Mum, can we get some?"

"Please!" Liron plead.

The mother laughed and Sarah was surprised at how pleasant the sound was. "Very well." she paused then looked up at Sarah sheepishly. "I'm afraid I don't know where to go to get it though."

"I'll show them!" Chris offered. He looked up at Sarah. "I remember where the ice cream man is. I'll take them there and bring them right back."

Sarah hesitated, "Chris -"

"That would be greatly appreciated!" The woman agreed cheerfully. She reached into her suit pants' pocket and pulled out a few dollar bills. "Here - that should be enough. Don't run off and stay with Chris."

"Yes, Mum." the boys chorused.

Chris let go of Sarah's hand and hurried across the bridge. "Come on, guys!"

Sarah turned but the boys were already gone. She sighed wearily before turning to face the still smiling woman. "I'm sorry."

The red head waved a hand as if to dismiss the apology. "No need to worry about it. I had every intention of letting them get some. I was not about to let you pay for it though. That was why I was protesting in the first place. It's so rare that the boys meet boys near their age."

"How old are they?" Sarah asked politely.

"Six years old."

Quirking an eye brow in confusion, the brunette asked, "Which one?"

The other woman laughed. "Why, both of them! They're twins."

"Oh!" Sarah blinked in surprise.

"Yes, I get that response frequently." she chuckled. Turning slightly and motioning to the bench, the woman asked, "Care to join me and sit while we wait?"

"Sure." Sarah answered as she still digested the information of the two very different boys being twins. It was hard enough to believe they were brothers - let alone twins.

They walked over to the bench and sat down in comfortable silence. Sarah glanced back at the bridge, wondering how long it would take until her son returned. Looking sideways at the woman beside her, Sarah scrutinized her.

The woman's red hair curled and frizzed in a display of defiance to the silver-rose-shaped hair barrette that was attempting to keep the mass pulled back and away from the pale, heart-shaped face. Sarah guessed that the woman was a business woman of some sort based on the suit pants and pale, mint-green button-up shirt she wore. Perhaps even a successful business woman if the gems in the jewelry were real.

The gray eyes that had been staring pleasantly at the clouds passing lazily over head, met Sarah's emerald eyes. A shy smile and a blush that matched her hair broke out over the woman's face. "I'm sorry. I hadn't the sense to introduce myself. I'm Shaylee Banríon." Shaylee held out her hand anticipating a hand shake.

"Sarah Bettany." The brunette accepted the offered hand. "Nice to meet you Mrs. Ban - Bon -"

Shaylee smiled. "Banríon. You may call me Shaylee. I'm sure that is much easier."

"Shaylee. Pleased to meet you."

The woman's smile widened until it was a grin. "The pleasure is all mine." Her head lifted and Shaylee nodded toward the bridge. "Here come the boys now."

Sarah turned but didn't see anyone. "I don't see -"

Chris stepped onto the bridge with the twins walking on either side of him. They were all licking their ice cream cones in contented silence. The trio made their way over to the bench. Chris and Liron sat cross-legged on the grass but Trystan stepped up to his mother's side.

"Mum, I didn't lick this side if you'd like to try some." He held it out to her.

Shaylee smiled and shook her head. "No, thank you, Trys."

Chris looked up at Shaylee in curiosity that matched his mother's. "Why do you talk funny?"

"Chris!" Sarah admonished, her cheeks reddening at her son's bold question.

Shaylee smiled kindly and appeared to be un-offended. "We're from England. Everyone there talks like we do. I'm sure it sounds strange."

"What are you doing here?" Chris questioned.

"My husband is working and I decided it would make for a nice outing to take the boys to the park." Shaylee answered.

Sarah knew her son would ask question after question if she didn't put a stop to his incessant chattering. "Chris, eat your ice cream before it melts."

Shaylee tilted her head and looked at Sarah. "It's all right. I don't mind the questions. I work with children of all ages so I've heard them all."

Sarah blinked in surprise. "You work with children? What do you do?" She mentally kicked herself. Hadn't she just hinted to her son that he stop asking questions?

"I work with an adoption agency." Shaylee answered.

"Is that what your husband does?"

The red haired woman waffled her hand in a 'so-so' gesture. "He helps with the legal issues. He's more into law."

Sarah nodded slowly. "I see. So you volunteer?"

Shaylee smiled. "Yes. I'm more of the hands on. I look after children until they're placed in a new home."

"Foster care?"

"Yes." Shaylee's smile brightened. "And you? What do you do, Sarah?"

"I'm a teacher."

"Really! What subject?" The woman leaned forward slightly, interested in the answer.

"High school English." Sarah answered a smile of her own gracing her features.

Shaylee clasped her hands together. "Fascinating! If you don't mind my asking - what does your husband do?"

"He's the drama teacher at the same school." Sarah answered with a chuckle. "So we work together as well."

"What all do you teach?" Shaylee asked. Motioning to her sons she said, "Obviously, I don't know much about the curriculum for that age group yet."

Sarah found a very attentive audience in Shaylee. She spent several minutes explaining what she taught during each semester and how she helped her husband with the school plays. While the mothers conversed, the boys finished their ice cream and began a three way sword fight.

Through the course of the conversation, Sarah learned that Shaylee had a third child - a daughter - that was home with a nanny. The park trip was a mother-son expedition since she had been so busy in the last couple of weeks. Sarah questioned why Shaylee brought her sons to this particular park - it wasn't exactly a place Sarah thought someone like Shaylee would voluntarily chose to come to.

Shaylee shrugged and simply answered, "My husband spent a great deal of time in this town. This park was his favorite place to come to when he was tired of working. I've never been here so I thought it would be an adventure to visit." Glancing over at the boys her demeanor dimmed a bit. "Of course - he doesn't know we've visited it."

Sarah tilted her head. "Why? Would he not want you here?"

"There are some - bad memories he has associated to this park." Shaylee sighed, looking at Sarah before looking away again. "I am certain he would not be happy if he knew I was here with the boys." With a short laugh she continued, "Or he would be very shocked at my being here."

"I'm very sorry to hear that." Sarah apologized, trying to recall if she had ever heard the name Banríon growing up. "How long ago did your husband live here?"

Shaylee shook her head. "Oh, he never lived here. Visited. But never lived here." Her eyes followed the boys' game and a frown creased her features. "Liron! Watch your language!"

Sarah glanced in their direction, puzzled at what Liron said since she hadn't heard anything.

"Sorry, Mum." Liron called over before returning to their game.

The mothers watched in silence for a few minutes before Sarah asked, "So why is he here on business if he doesn't like it here?"

Shaylee's lips quirked up in a small smile. "He isn't in town. He's working elsewhere. I just came into town to see the park."

"Why come here if you know he won't like it?"

Gray eyes met green ones and Sarah almost flinched from the silently searching gaze. She felt like Shaylee was searching her very soul for - something. Slowly, Shaylee answered, "I wanted to see the person that broke my husband's heart and cast him under a spell that took years for him to break away from."

Sarah held her breath. After a few more silent moments she asked, "Did you? Meet her - I mean."

A smile rose on Shaylee's face, and Sarah felt like she could breathe again. "No." Shaylee answered freely. "She isn't here anymore. Moved on and grown up into a much better person."

"Oh. That's good." Sarah returned the smile. From her jean pants' pocket, her phone buzzed. "Just a moment." she muttered as she reached for the device. The call screen read Txt Message: Toby. Selecting to read it, Sarah's eyes glanced over the message.

"Looks like it's time for us to go." Sarah announced before sending a quick reply back to her brother. Looking up at her son, she called, "Chris! Time to go!"

Instead of Chris' voice complaining, Trystan and Liron protested loudly. "Really?"

Shaylee stood and beckoned the boys over. "It's about time for us to leave as well, boys. Your father will be done any moment and will no doubt wonder where we've been."

"Mom, can I invite Trystan and Liron to my party?" Chris asked as he came to stand beside her.

Sarah turned to look at Shaylee. "If you'll still be in town, would you like to bring the boys to Chris' birthday party? It's this Wednesday at six in the evening."

Trystan and Liron looked up at the mother hopefully. She smiled sadly and shook her head. "I'm afraid not."

"If it's because your husband -"

"Oh, it's not that." Shaylee shook her head. "We're - heading back to England."

"Ah." Sarah nodded.

Liron grabbed onto his mother's gloved hand. "But, Mum!"

"Liron." Shaylee's expression and tone held a warning that she would not accept an argument. Liron instantly quieted but he did not look particularly happy.

Chris smiled at the twins. "That's okay. Maybe if you're in the States next summer?"

"We'll see." Shaylee smiled at Chris before taking Trystan's hand. "We must be off now." Looking up at Sarah, Shaylee said, "Thank you for letting me share your bench."

"Anytime." Sarah nodded.

"Good day to you." Shaylee turned with her sons in tow and walked away.

~*~/*\~*~

Sarah opened the front door to her parents' house and moved to the side just as Chris came running in. "Grandma! Grandpa! Dad! We're back! Dad! What was the project you were -?"

Sarah shut the door, a smile spreading on her face. Chris had just run into the kitchen and most likely discovered –

"Uncle Toby!" Chris shouted for joy. A man's laughter mixed with Chris' overjoyed laughter.

"Hey there, Munchkin-man!"

"Put me down, Uncle Toby!" Sarah followed the sound of her son's laughter into the kitchen.

"Better do as he says, Toby." Sarah said as she leaned against the open casement's frame. "You're an old man now, Tob-ster. You'll pull your back out."

"Ha, ha, Sarah. Good to see you too." Toby winked at his sister before setting his nephew on the ground again. Holding the wriggling boy in place he asked, "So! Ready to see your present?"

"You bet!" Chris exclaimed.

"Right this way!" Toby set off on a run out the kitchen and toward the stairs.

~*~/*\~*~

Later that evening, after Chris had gone to bed, Sarah sat on the sofa in the den with her brother. Her dad and Irene were cleaning in the kitchen while Paul sat watching a program on the television. Sarah sighed and lay her head on her brother's shoulder.

"When did you get so big?" She complained.

Toby chuckled. "When did you get so old?" A punch in the arm was his reward. "I'm kidding! Ouch."

"Serves you right, brat." Sarah grumbled.

"Going to wish me away to the goblins as punishment?" He smirked at her.

Going very still, Sarah asked, "What?"

Not noticing her reaction, Toby continued in an excited manner. "Remember over the phone how I said I was working on a project that had to do with those stories you told me as a kid? Well, you remember that one story you told me about a girl who wished away her little brother and she had to get him back from the king of the goblins? I had this great idea for a movie! You'd love it, Sarah. The title would be - oh, what was the maze the girl ran through?"

"Labyrinth?" Sarah whispered.

"Yeah! That's it!" Toby exclaimed. "Any way -"

"Toby!" Irene stepped into the room, drying her wrinkled hands on a hand towel. "Are you going on about that nonsense?"

"Mom, Sarah doesn't think it's nonsense." Toby stated, stiffening as if he was ready to fight in his defense.

Irene glanced at Sarah. "Look at her, Toby! She's had a long day and she's obviously tired. She doesn't need to hear you yammering on about school." Touching Sarah's shoulder gently, Irene asked, "Sarah, are you all right? You look a little pale."

"I'm - fine." Sarah lied, looking up at her stepmother and then back at her brother. "I'm just tired."

Paul muted the television and turned to look at his wife. "Sarah, maybe you should get some rest."

She smiled brightly. "Maybe. Been out in the Sun too long." Standing, she kissed Toby on the cheek. "Tell me more about school tomorrow, Toby. G'night." Sarah bade goodnight to everyone before heading up the stairs.

Sarah checked on Chris, who now slept in Toby's old room, before retreating to the guest room that was once her old bedroom. Slipping into the room, she walked right over to the window seat and sat down. Looking up at the clear night sky, Sarah spied a crescent moon.

Things she had noticed about Shaylee but hadn't really noticed came to mind. Gloves in the summer. Her sons - Liron especially - looked vaguely familiar. Like much younger versions of a person she thought she had dreamed up. Peaches. Liron's smile. His eyes. Their voices - not quite British but close enough. The jewelry. Something very familiar about the jewelry.

"The necklace." Sarah whispered. "His necklace. The Goblin King. Jareth." Leaning back in shock, Sarah said aloud, "I just met the Goblin Queen!"

~*~/*\~*~

Jareth looked up from the last form he had signed his name on. A frown creased his features as he tried to catch the words he thought he had heard. Someone had said his name.

The Labyrinth seemed amused.

"Well, perhaps you'd like to share your little joke." the king chastised the sentient being. An image of a young Sarah flashed through his mind, placed there by the Labyrinth.

"What?" Jareth's frown deepened into a scowl. "What do you mean she said my name? She's forgotten all about me." The Labyrinth offered a picture of Shaylee, Liron, and Trystan standing on their favorite hillside.

Collapsing back into the desk chair, Jareth lifted a leather-clad hand to his face. "What has she done now?" After a few minutes of rubbing his tired eyes, he shouted, "Widget!"

A yelp from outside of his office answered him. Something scurried up to his door. The large wooden portal swung silently open and the head of a goblin wearing a comical outfit that was a size or two too big looked into the room. "Majesty called?"

"Where is my wife?"

"Returned from the outing she took with Goblin Princes." Widget answered dutifully. "She is seeing to the Goblin Princess right now."

Jareth nodded and with his other hand shooed the goblin away. Widget bowed and backed out the door, shutting the hem of his robe in the door as he closed it.

Standing, Jareth thought of the nursery. One moment he was standing in his office, the next he was standing in the middle of his daughter's nursery.

The laughter of his daughter greeted him. Jareth smiled tightly at Ella's clapping and reaching hands. However, his mood toward the woman holding his daughter was not happy.

Shaylee turned when she noticed Ella's gestures and she grinned. "Jareth! I did not think you knew we had returned yet." Bouncing Ella on her hip, Shaylee walked up to her husband. "Ella has become quite the intelligent little girl! I do believe she can sense incoming magic as a person is teleporting to a location near her. That can be the only logical conclusion as to why she knew you were here."

Shaylee looked up at him, a wide smile on her face. Seeing the tight expression on his face, her own smile faded. "Love? What's wrong?"

"Why did you go see her?" He asked in a quiet, level tone.

Shaylee turned and walked over to a rug that was covered with toys. Setting Ella down, she answered, "See whom?"

"You know who."

Shaking her head, Shaylee drawled, "No. I don't believe I do. There are so many 'she's in the kingdom and outside of the kingdom. How am I to know which one you are speaking of? I've seen quite a few ladies since I became your wife."

Jareth took a step forward, keeping his hands tightly clasped behind his back. "Shaylee. Don't toy with me."

Turning, a frown on her face to match his, Shaylee demanded, "Well? You've asked a vague question! Ask it again and clarify."

"You know who I am speaking of!"

"And I say I do not!" Shaylee retorted. Ella began to cry at the suddenly loud, angry voices. Glaring at her husband, the Sprite bent down to retrieve her daughter. "We agreed," she said in a clipped voice, "that we would never raise our voices in the children's presence." Shushing her distraught daughter, Shaylee continued, "You will call Blythe back and wait in the hallway until she comes. We can continue this 'discussion' in your office or in our room. Which is it?"

Jareth glared back at his wife but replied anyway. "My office."

"Very well."

"But I will not wait for you in the hallway." Jareth stated. "You will meet me there once you have finished." He did not wait for a reply before storming out of the nursery and headed for his sons' room where Blythe was sure to be.

He opened the door and stood in its frame, watching and listening as his sons recounted their day to the Fay woman who was trying to get them to settle down.

"And then we taught Chris how to fence like Da has been showing us!" Liron declared. "But he wasn't very good at first. He hit my hand something awful."

"Then Liron said a bad word." Trystan supplied in his quiet, reserved way.

"But Mum heard it and scolded me." Liron assured the maid when he received a stern glare. "And -"

"Da!" Trystan exclaimed.

Liron looked up and grinned. "Da! Guess what!"

"No need to tell me, Liron. I know." Jareth grumbled. "Or at least I will know shortly."

The boys looked confused and worried at their father's words. Blythe stood from her seat and said, "Boys, Hoggle is out in the gardens now. Why don't you go see if he could use some help."

Slowly, the boys trailed out of the room, casting worried glances over their shoulders.

Once they were gone, Blythe stepped past Jareth. "I'm assuming I'm needed in the nursery again." Her brown eyes looked up at her king with a wary glance. "You shouldn't have been so cross in front of the twins."

"She took them with her to see her." Jareth hissed.

Huffing and rolling her eyes, Blythe said, "I'm beginning to understand why she went in the first place!"

"What?"

Blythe continued down the hallway. "Meet with Shaylee. Ask her your bloody questions. Try - and I do mean try - to listen to her and for pity's sake don't give me that scowl!"

~*~/*\~*~

Jareth did not turn away from staring out the large window in his office when he heard Shaylee enter. He listened to her movements as she swept past furniture. Once she was settled, he cleared his throat.

"Let me rephrase my question so that it suits your demands." He announced. Jareth listened to her irritated sigh. Still refusing to turn and look at her, he asked, "Why did you go to see - Sarah."

"Every year around the same time you become insufferable." Shaylee answered without hesitation. "I talked to Blythe once to try to understand why."

Jareth's eyes darted to the reflection he could just make out in the window pane's surface of his wife. He waited for her to continue. When she didn't, he grudgingly said, "She most likely told you that it was around this time - Aboveground time - that I first began watching Sarah."

Shaylee's reflection nodded. "Yes. The first few years we were married, I thought nothing of it. I assumed you maybe had some remnants of that spell hanging on. I assumed that after time, you would forget." Sighing and moving about, she said, "That was not the case. Not after the boys were born. Not after Ella came into our lives."

She stopped moving. Jareth waited. Shaylee's voice, when she spoke again, held the distinct sound of tears. "I - I thought that maybe time would never be enough. That our family would not be enough. That - I - would not be enough."

Jareth turned sharply to stare in shock at his wife. Her head was bowed and her hands clasped tightly together until the knuckles were white. Moving quickly away from the window and catching her up in his arms, Jareth hushed her much like she had silenced Ella.

"Shaylee, I -" he began then sighed. Pulling back so he could tilt her chin up. "Look at me, Love." Jareth took in her red eyes and quivering lip and fumed at himself for making her cry.

"Shaylee, you and our children are the sun, moon, and stars to me." He pressed a comforting kiss to her forehead. "I am irritable around this time - yes, because I am remembering Sarah. More because I am remembering my own foolishness then any lingering sentiments I may have had. Willing or otherwise." Cupping his hands around her face, he kissed her lips. "Never think that I would take you - or our children - for granted."

Sniffing back the tears, she smiled. "I know that - or I should have listened to my own common sense. Blythe tried to reason with me, but you know how I get." Her nose wrinkled at his knowing chuckle. "So, I went."

"Why take the boys?"

"We did spend our mother-son day together." Shaylee pointed out. "I didn't lie when I said I was going to do so."

Jareth rolled his eyes at the statement and let it rest. "What did you expect to find when you met her?"

Wrapping her arms around her husband's torso, Shaylee answered, "Not what I found." After a few moments of standing silently in each other's embrace, she said, "At first she was stunned to see me - not as I am of course. The boys and I put a glamour spell in place. Although I would not be surprised if she suspected something was amiss.

"As we began talking, I was the one surprised instead." Shaylee continued. "Did you know she is a teacher now?"

"I try to let her live her life without having my constant supervision now." Jareth teased. Truth was he hadn't looked into Sarah's life since he shattered so many of his crystals all those years ago.

"She's very passionate about her job." Shaylee's explanation continued as if she had not been interrupted. "She loves each and every one of the students. She's nothing like she the girl you told me about. And Toby!"

Jareth tensed ever so slightly at the mention of the boy's name. Shaylee's embrace tightened, sensing he needed the reassurance. "He's grown up and gone off to college. They are as close as Liron and Trystan."

Her head lifted from resting against his chest and she looked up at him with a smile. "Sarah has grown up and become a much better person - having known and met you."

"I did nothing." Jareth corrected.

"Believe what you will." Shaylee shrugged.

Jareth stepped back and let his gloved hand slid into her's. "Let's go see what torment our sons are putting Higgle through. I'm sure they are bursting with information on how their day out with their mum was."

Shaylee giggled. "His name is Hoggle, dear."

"Whatever."

~*~/*\~*~

Shaylee watched from her seat as Jareth lounged on the grass with his sons. Liron was busy recounting all the wonderful qualities of ice cream and was advocating the need for the 'wonderful desert' in the Underground. If the indulging smile and nod meant anything, Shaylee was certain a goblin was going to be sent to 'borrow' the recipe from some unsuspecting Abovegrounder.

In hopes that no one would notice, Shaylee waved her hand in a motion Jareth had taught her. A crystal materialized in her hand and she whispered, "Show me Sarah."

Lights danced inside the crystal before settling. Sarah was in a room, sitting on the a window seat. The brunette was gazing up at the sky in utter astonishment. Shaylee could only wonder as to what had brought that shocked expression onto the other woman's face.

A smile played at the corners of the Sprite's lips. Before banishing the crystal she whispered, "It was nice to finally meet you."

As Shaylee stood to join her men, she thought she heard, "Likewise, Goblin Queen."

The End