I DON'T OWN THESE FOLKS
Leap of Love
He knew immediately that he was, once again, a woman or at least female, if for no other reason than she was still inhabiting her space, right with him.
Sam Beckett was so used to new experiences by now that new was old hat.
But the body's occupant usually would up in the leap chamber, leaving him to fix their lives and leap out again.
Not this time. A very angry young woman had managed in five seconds to ask in language he was sure she had not used around her parents.. or the baby brother she was intent on rescuing what the deleted he was doing in her mind.
Oh boy.
Sarah, the girl in question, felt disoriented, then sensed she was not alone. Had Hoggle come back? Or was it--
him. ?
She looked around, but nothing. There was a weird tingle in the air...
Would Al have appreciated being called a weird tingle? Probably, if she was pretty enough, and - old enough.
Sarah was sure she could hear a man's voice, two men's voices. Was it all a dream? She wasn't really in the Labyrinth? Toby was safe then, and she wasn't evil...
But that meant no Jareth.. and that was just not
What she wanted.
Unaware of her tangled thoughts, Sam and Al began their SOP conversation, with a twist.
"Al, I know, I'm Sarah Williams, but I have no idea what is going on. This is the strangest place I've ever landed in, it tops the coffin even. "
Al's vibrant shirt should have been visible to Sarah, even though he wasn't. But it wasn't either. "Yeah, we knew something was funny when you landed, but no body showed up in the chamber. "
"Well, where are - we? And why are we together." If Sam ever had patience, it was long gone.
"There's a strange field, energy of an unknown type messing with everything. So maybe it kept Sarah with you, " Al guessed. "Ziggy can't pin anything down. But, there is good news. Sarah is a fairly recent person, and we did find records on her." His voice turned down a bit, Sam knew what that meant.
"Go on." He tried to keep an eye on the body he was sharing and listen to Al at the same time. And not be noticed either. He wondered if in any point in his own life he'd learned to juggle.
"Death certificate dated a few years from now, two or three. Not getting a clear lock on the time. Dead by seventeen. Allergic reaction to an anti depressant she'll be prescribed in about a month. The class action suit will make headlines across the country. Have you gotten any idea where she is or why? I'm tellin' ya kid, this aint a normal place."
Sam concentrated. "She's trying to save her brother from a kidnapper by - - solving the labyrinth, this place and reaching the castle at the center - where the - say what? no no - the Goblin King rules. "
Al hit his computer link a couple of times, then realized, the info was coming from Sam not the link to Ziggy. So he punched in what Sam had told him. ''The brother will wind up in juvvie hall by age - zowie, seven. He'll slide into severe anti social behavior after she kicks it."
"Kicks it? Sensitivity is not your forte', Admiral."
"Well, at least we know that she'll rescue him, unless that's what you are supposed to change. "
"I can't believe that fate or whatever would want a baby left - here."
Al could have argued, but Ziggy had just sent him some tabloid articles. Disciplining himself to stick to the relevant pages took more concentration. "Hey, Sam- gotta love the scandal sheets- Sarah's case was big enough to make all the major ones. Industrious little buggers got hold of her diary and all kinds of school records and so on. "
"Yeah?" Sam was trying to keep an eye on this girl he was supposed to be fixing the life of and listen to his shadow at the same time, so he didn't point out that the merits of such "news" and the credibility of same were not to be relied upon.
"There's exerts of her diary reprinted in a couple of them." Al sounded completely fascinated. Times like this made Sam wish that his link to the real world could be touched, not just seen and heard- punching him sounded like a fine plan to cure his morbid interest in this girl's life.
"And listen, Sam, the Underground, that's apparently where you are, is in there."
"Keep talking- hey is she talking to a worm?"
Al looked at the girl. "Yeah. Looks like it, what's weird is the worm is talking back. Are you sure you can't control her body instead of just hitching a ride?"
"I"ve tried. Her will is strong, very strong."
"Okay. Well, where was I? Oh, yeah. Apparently she had a temper tantrum and wished that her brother would vanish, well, in one version. In the other one, she wished for him to be turned into a goblin, for the aliens to take him, and this one is from a fairly reliable one, as these things go, according to Tina anyway, she wished the goblins would take him and they did. But she was given a chance to get him back. Let's see, here's one version- if she sleeps with the goblin king. Artists rendition of him - uh- I don't like any of my relatives that much. Oh, here's a version where Toby is her and the goblin king's love child, and this is a custody battle. Okay, this one seems consistent with circumstances. She's trying to save the baby by getting to the castle in thirteen hours."
"Didn't I already tell you that?"
"Yeah, but - oh well. You know Sam, it's hard to deal with just hearing your thoughts."
"You think it's easy on this end?"
"Nah. Okay. So, what's going on now?"
"She's at a door, two doors."
"I'd take the right one," Al suggested. "See if you can nudge her into it. "
"Shut up, I need to hear what those two dogs are saying, " Sam hissed. "Oh no. One of them always lies and one tells the truth. Behind one door is the right way, one is certain doom. I know this puzzle. I've heard it before."
Al tried to get a reading on Ziggy about which was which, but she couldn't see behind the doors, and there was no real info on the Underground in a science lab.
"Got it," Sam yelped. "Sarah," he concentrated hard as he could. "Ask one if the other would tell you that door leads to certain doom."
"What?" Al asked, only to be ignored; Sam had to focus to get the idea into Sarah's mind.
Yes, she accepted it.
However, as she plunged past the helping hands, Al asked Sam if he really knew what he was doing.
Now in the oubliette, Al tried to find a way out. He wasn't having much luck when Hoggle arrived. He'd just begun making a few sarcastic observations about the dwarf when Jareth arrived, scaring him back out of the chamber.
Sam lost control of Sarah again, unable to prevent her from saying "It's a piece of cake." He was too busy observing her reactions to the goblin king from an internal standpoint. Interesting. If Al ever came back, he'd run what he'd just learned past him.
Sometime after Hoggle and Sarah escaped from the Cleaners, Al returned. Sam still couldn't get Sarah to obey his control, which lead to Ludo being rescued when his advice was run the other way.
"Al, I can barely influence her- and her own ideas seem to be working, except for that piece of cake line. I can't see why it'd be better if she left the kid down here, so why am I here?" Sam griped.
"This case is almost impossible to figure out. I've been reading over all the tabloid accounts I could find- the doctors allege that Sarah was obviously delusional and therefore the medication that killed her was the proper course of action, plus she had taken a medication previously that belonged to that drug family, following her mother's abandonment, and suffered no ill effects. "
"Obviously, she's not delusional."
"Nancy, new girl in research, suggested some files on ancient folklore. So I read them. According to them, no one can come into fairyland unchanged when they leave. So, somehow, Sarah's chemical make up must be altered by being down here. "
"Well, it's too late to prevent that," Sam snapped. "Anymore bright ideas? Chemical- Al, after you left to do more research," Al missed the irony in that statement, "I noticed some changes in Sarah."
"Yeah? Tell me- maybe we can run some lab work or something and find an antidote that you can make her take."
"Not those kind of changes. It was when the king showed up. I thought that it might just be fear but listen..."
Al didn't need his computer link to understand what Sam was saying, but he did say, "That is insane, Sam. More of your brain has gone Swiss cheese on us."
''Al,"
Suddenly, the hologram noticed what Sarah was about to do. "Stop her Sam. I was roaming around and - don't let her kiss the dwarf. Do you hear me, stop her. Oh damn."
Too late.
"Where are we?" Sam and Sarah said together.
Hoggle replied before Al could. "The Bog of Eternal Stench."
"As I was saying, Sam, phew, I can smell it even here. While I was looking around the Labyrinth, I saw Hogwart and Jareth talking. He promised to make Hoggle a prince if Sarah kissed him- of the land of stench. "
"Can't say he's not good to his word," Sam agreed. "But doesn't that back up what I told you?"
"Maybe, but it's still nuts- what- they're talking to a dog now?"
"Al, there's been a dwarf, a talking worm, whatever Ludo is, helping hands, - something that made sense would be out of place here."
"Yah. Guess so. Listen, if Pigbrain tries to give her any-"
"Later, Al, I'm trying to keep from both of us drowning!" Sam yelled as Sarah found herself dangling over the bog.
"Uh- oh boy. Where- there's gotta be somethin' around here I can push over- oh I can't push anything over to you. What's the orange guy doing?"
As Ludo called the rocks, Al had to look impressed. "If we can bring him to the real world, just think what we could save on construction costs."
Crisis averted, they resumed the walk, and Al began telling Sam what not to do next. "Based on what the tabloids said, what Nancy found out and what I saw, I think we're almost to a critical point.."
"Near the castle?" Sam asked, then added, "I'm hungry, " just as Ludo introduced the idea to Sarah.
"That's what I need to tell you- oh no." Al made a Late Year's resolution then; use fewer words to get a point across, as Sarah bit the poisoned peach.
"What's wrong- Al, I'm losing her."
"She's just passed out, not dead," Al tiredly assured him. "That peach is drugged. See if you can tap into her vision. Not her eyesight. She's getting a vision about- yeah, there's the crystals, now. "
"I'll try. I'm in, but I can't do anything but watch."
"Whatcha see?" Al had read the pirated diaries, but wanted to check the accuracy. Besides, he was a peeping tom at heart.
"Dancing. Sarah's in some kind of Disney princess gown. There's music playing, don't see a band. She's looking for someone. Only one not in a mask."
"Just to check on how true the Tattler is, what's the music, are there words?"
Softly singing, Sam sang along with the disembodied voice. "There's such a sad love deep in your eyes a kind of pale jewel opened and closed within your eyes, I'll place the sky in your eyes. There's such a fooled heart beating so fast in search of new dreams of a love that will last, I'll place the moon in your heart. As the pain sweeps through makes no sense to you every thrill is gone wasn't too much fun at all, but I'll be there for you as the world falls down." He stopped, choosing to report instead. "She's found the goblin king, they're dancing. Did you ever see the old movie Picnic? Bill Holden, Kim Novak? The look in their eyes at the dance scene- just like this. I can see the clock. Sarah's running out of time, fast. Al, I've got to distract her."
"Maybe she's supposed to stay in the bubble?" Al suggested.
"Somehow, I doubt that. Great, the clock is chiming. She's pulling away, she's running... she's outta there. Wait it looks like she's back home..."
"Sam, it's an illusion. Another one. Tell her. I'll go try and yell loud enough at the circus to come find her." Al blinked out.
"Sarah, this isn't home. You have to find what's his name."
Sarah seemed to hear, or maybe she got it on her own, by the time Al had hearded Hoggle, Didymus, and Ludo back to the junkyard, Sarah was free.
Onward and upward.
"Al, this is wearing me out, " Sam gasped. "She - Sarah has an iron will. This better be almost over. I can't take much more."
"We still haven't figured out what to do to save her life. She rescues Toby, we know that much, but there's no happily ever after. Try to keep her from being raped, killing anyone, or getting divorced or going through a natural diseaster, or losing her job."
"Al? Where'd you get that?"
"Leading causes of depression. "
"Find something else, I don't think that's relevant."
"I'm trying, but nothing is normal."
"I had't noticed. What - she's telling her friends to leave her to deal with Jareth alone? Sarah, change your mind. You can't do it alone."
Sam sighed. Oh boy, she just wouldn't listen. Why was he hear again? The powers that be must be on a coffee break, he decided. He'd been routed to the wrong scenario.
"Is that dude walking on a wall?" Al whispered, half scared Jareth could hear him.
"Uh, yeah."
"Singing again? Is he in some kind of barbershop quartet?" Al wondered.
"I feel like we're getting down to the wire, Al. Find me something to change or I might be stuck here, and it's not a happy idea."
Just then, Jareth began his "fear me, love me, etc. " speech.
"What's she thinking?" Al asked.
"She wants to say okay, but she's trying to remember the words. Do those tabloids have anything about this scene?"
"Uh, good idea, Sam. Sorry about the Swiss cheese remark... yeah. Here it is.. she will remember the words.. no worries. But she feels so sad leaving him as the world falls down... that's a quote."
"Like the song."
"Uh huh. Think fast, Sam, she's about to say You have no power over me, and I have a gut feeling that ain't good."
"STOP" Sam yelled. "Make a deal, Sarah. Make a deal. Follow your heart." Desperately, he began singing again.
Sarah could hear it, far away. The voice was better than Jareth's or his had improved.
"Your dreams Sarah. I ask so little.."
"as the world falls down, fallin' in love..." Sam whispered, praying to every saint his mama had ever taught him that he was right.
"I don't want a slave," Sarah mumbled, confused, "I- can Toby go home?" even at this dire moment, she did have duty that Sam couldn't override.
Jareth's eyes lit with hope. Al had to admit it did something to lessen the scary effect. "Anything, Sarah. Just say .." he trailed off. The words had to come from her, and Sam knew this as well. He didn't say a word, and shushed Al.
"I - love you."
"Oh boy."
Sam was most grateful he leaped before the kiss