Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Authors Note: This Labyrinth fanfic has the honor of being the first story I have ever finished. Seriously.
First Labyrinth fanfic, leave reviews! :)
"Don't defy me, Sarah." She heard his voice, as clear as if he was standing next to her in her backyard. Even after four years, she hadn't been able to forget him. She sighed, and hugged her arms around herself tight. How stupid she had been back then! How could she have left him, especially when he had begged her not to? Another sigh escaped her lips. She knew how. She had been young and foolish, not understanding. When she had been telling Toby that story, on the night he'd been taken, she hadn't realized that the part about the Goblin King falling in love with her had been true too. I guess what they say about not knowing a good thing till it's gone is true, thought Sarah. As she turned to walk inside, a flurry of movement out the corner of her eye attracted her attention. She spun around to see what it was, but only saw a snowy white owl flying away.
"Sarah, I'm going to have to ask you to babysit for us again," her stepmother called to her. "I don't know what time your father and I will be home, but it'll be late." Nothing unusual about that, Sarah thought.
"Sure, I can do that." Sarah smiled at them. "Have fun you two." She said as they walked out the door. Ever since that night, Sarah had taken a new attitude towards babysitting her little brother Toby. They had become pretty much inseparable, with Sarah now catering to his needs, instead of her stepmother. She ran upstairs to Toby's room, and read him his nightly bedtime story. He always chose a book from the bookshelf, and Sarah would read it to him. Though when they had started this nightly ritual, Sarah had quickly hidden a certain little red book in her room, away from Toby. Tonight it was a story about pirates, but Toby didn't stay awake long enough to hear how it ended. Sarah quietly closed the book, put it away and snuck out of his room, closing the door behind her. She needn't have bothered though, Toby could sleep through anything.
She went back to her room and lay on the bed, cuddling one of her stuffed toys. That owl she had seen earlier… He had been known to take on the form of an owl… No. She was being stupid. There was no way Jareth could possibly be here, she hadn't wished anyone away. And as far as she knew, that was the only way he could show up. Sarah sat up, and kicked her legs over the side of the bed. Get a grip, girl! She mentally slapped herself. The man kidnapped your little brother, and made you go through a deadly labyrinth to get him back! He's the bad guy, for crying out loud! Bad guy or no bad guy, she couldn't help but feel something for him. Even though her head screamed at her that it was ridiculous, that ache in her chest said otherwise. Damn. Trust her to fall for someone who was not only undoubtedly bad, but she was also never going to see again! Unless… She thought.
Oh hell no. Don't even think about it! The smart part of her brain thought.
I've solved it once; I could totally do it again. Heck, I'd have an advantage! I know what's coming this time around! Said dumb Sarah. Of course, that ache in her chest was agreeing with dumb Sarah. But she knew she couldn't. Toby was too young to remember it the first time, but he was five now. Being whisked away by an evil Goblin King at this age may leave an impression. Sarah sighed. She got up and went to her desk. Opening the draw, she saw what she was looking for. She took the little, worn red book and sat down again. She flipped it open to a marked page and read aloud.
"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin city, to take back the child you have stolen…" The words sent shivers down her spine. The memory of him was so clear. She read on.
"For my will is as strong as yours and my kingdom as great…" Did she dare to go on? After all, the next sentence was the one that had banished the man she loved. And she knew that now. She really did love him. And when she read, she felt so close to him. She took a deep breath.
"You- you have no…" She couldn't. Knowing the destruction the words had caused last time she said them prevented her from saying them now, even though she was alone in her room. She stood up and shook her head. I have to get over this. Get over him. She cleared her throat.
"You have no power over me." Her words rang out strong and clear. She had expected to feel some sort of release, but there was nothing. She collapsed to the floor, and sobbed.
"Damn it! I can't have him, so why can't I just forget him?" She sat on the floor for a few moments, just crying, when she felt something hit her leg. She turned to see what it was.
"What the…?" She said as she held up a small crystal ball. A memory suddenly came back to her.
"It's a crystal. Nothing more." A crystal! He had offered her a crystal, identical to the one she held now, the night he took Toby.
"Toby!" Sarah got up and dashed to her little brother's room. Relief washed over her when she found him sleeping soundly. A quick search of the room showed that it was goblin free. She quietly backed out of the room and shut the door again. Then where had that crystal come from? She walked back into her room in a trance and sat on her bed, thinking hard. She was like that for a few moments before she felt a presence in her room. She looked up, and there he was, glitter and all. A small, smug smile danced on his lips, and his eyes were laughing. Sarah stood up quickly, and her knees almost buckled out from under her. She had imagined this so many times, how could she be sure he was real?
"Oh I'm real." He said. Sarah stood there speechless.
"Aren't you going to welcome me, Sarah?" He said in an almost mocking tone, with that incredible smile playing on his lips.
"Wha- How- Wher-" Sarah took a breath. "What are doing here? How are you here?" She asked.
"I had a feeling that you… missed me, so I came to visit. You saying those words allowed me to come." He walked over and picked up the dropped book. "You have no power over me." He looked up at her, his dark eyes smoldering. Sarah had to remind herself to breath.
"I thought those words… defeated you, or whatever." He smiled at her, but not with his usual condescending smile. This one was genuine, and almost loving.
"Silly Sarah. I cannot be defeated. Those words just allowed you to retrieve your brother." Sarah furrowed her brow.
"I'm still confused. How are you here? I didn't wish anyone away… this time." He gave a small laugh.
"Between myself and anyone who defeats my labyrinth, there exists a special bond. I may call you to me, or I to you, at any time. All that needs to be said are those six little words."
"You have no power over me," Sarah breathed.
"Yes." He said simply.
"Well, how come you never called me to you?" Sarah asked, suddenly terrified that this love was one sided, and he didn't care for her at all.
"Sarah, if I had called you to me, to my castle, you would have been enraged. No matter how you felt about me." He added, and Sarah could tell by his expression that he knew exactly how she felt. She groaned and sat on the bed. At his confused look, she said,
"Look, I didn't choose to feel this way, so if you're here to make fun of me, I wish you would just leave." She was on the brink of tears. How could she have been so stupid? Of course he didn't care for her; he was the evil goblin king!
"My dear Sarah, you have completely misunderstood me." He walked over to her and gently pulled her up by her shoulders. "The truth is, I feel exactly the same way about you." He wiped away a few tears that had trickled down her cheeks, and rested his hands on her shoulders again. "Precious thing, I would have come sooner, but for all I knew, you despised me." He gazed into her eyes until she looked away.
"I don't hate you," she mumbled. "I should, but I don't. I have tried to. So hard. But honestly, you're the only man I have thought of for the last four years. And yes, I know how pathetic that is." Sarah said. Jareth chuckled.
"Dearest, I'm just as pathetic. The goblins are truly sick of me moping about you. Though of course they would never say it." Sarah laughed a little at that. "Sarah, you are all I think about since you defeated my labyrinth. I love you." And he pulled her close, leaned in, and kissed her.