Months
Disclaimer : I don't own them. They are not mine. Please don't sue me. It's all just good, clean fun.
Summary : A little piece that I have had in my head for a while. The first chapter is based on Sarah's POV. As for future chapters, I'll have to read the reviews that you post
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
I am sitting in my apartment. It's very late and I am very tired. But I can't sleep. He will arrive soon and I have to be awake when he shows up. Every year on this day, he comes. He comes to see me and to celebrate our anniversary.
It is not what you think. It is an anniversary of me beating his Labyrinth. Of course, for the first couple of years, I didn't want to see him or be around him. But as the next couple of years rolled by, I began to become more comfortable around him and we became good friends.
All right, I won't deny it. I developed a crush on him. I realized it about four years ago, but I couldn't bring myself to tell him because I was almost positive that he didn't have similar feelings for me. And in the last two years, I feel as though I have fallen in love with him.
Sure, I have had plenty of boyfriends in past years. Some of them were very serious relationships. But my mind always came back to him, and I always found myself ending the relationship. Or else, they would assume that I was having an affair with another man, and they would end it. I don't really blame them, though because it is true, to a certain extent.
It's just that it seems that as the time went by, we have made a connection that was beyond friends, in my belief. It's more like we are soulmates. And ever since my dad was relocated about a year ago to California and my family just packed up and moved there three weeks later, he has been my touchstone. My constant. He is the reason that I still have my sanity today.
As I sit here, my mind wandering, I realize that there is a white owl sitting outside my window. I don't know how long he has been watching me, but I figure I have let him wait long enough and get up to open the window. As soon as I unlatch and open it, he is inside and has already morphed into his human form.
As soon as I look at him, I have to look away. I can feel that my cheeks are beginning to burn. The sight of him standing there, his outfit consisting of a black shirt ( open to the chest, I might add), black tights, black leather boots and gloves, and a long black cloak was just too much for my eyes. He notices my reaction and chuckles under his breath.
" Well, it is very nice to see you to, Sarah. May I ask why it is that you are blushing?" he asks me.
" Well, it is really hot in here. Aren't you feeling hot?" I say, mentally slapping myself as I realize how idiotic that sounded.
"Actually, I feel fine. It's much nicer in here compared to outside. What took so long for you to let me in? It looked like you were thinking pretty deeply a few minutes ago." He replied.
" Oh, just thinking about lov..er, I mean life," I say, mentally slapping myself again.
" Listen, why don't you sit down here while I go and turn down the heat. I'll be right back." Already heading down the hall to the thermostat.
After I turn the nozzle down, I lean against the wall and close my eyes, picturing him when he flew into my apartment tonight. How incredibly sexy he looked compared to previous years. There seemed to be something different about him this year, though. I cannot quite place my finger on it. It isn't in his appearance, but in his attitude. He is cheerful. It almost seems as though he is.happy, which is quite unusual for him.
As I stand there thinking, he calls out, " Is modern technology so advanced that it takes you five minutes to figure out how to turn down the heat?"
I am torn from my daydream, and I enter the room again, my cheeks flaming from embarassment. I try to cover it up by saying," I am just happy that I can use my computer."
I see that he has made himself comfortable on my couch and I sit down on the opposite side, turning to face him. I look over at him to see that he is staring back at me. I smile at him and he smiles back. We sit in silence for a few minutes before he decides to start a conversation.
" So, how have things been in the past year, with you and your family?"
" It's has been okay, I guess. If you consider having you entire family leave you as being okay. How about you?" I ask, looking up at him to find him staring at me, his mouth open in a look of shock.
" What do you mean, leave you'?" he asks me, leaning closer to me.
" Well, my dad got offered a job around Thanksgiving across the country and my step-mom, Karen, decided that she thought that it would be a good idea to raise their family there, so they packed up and moved about a week before Christmas, leaving me here all by myself." I answer, forcing myself to hold back tears.
"I cannot cry in front of him, I won't cry in front of him. I can't let him see how alone I am feeling right now." I think to myself, closing my eyes to hold back the tears that were threatening to flow down my cheeks.
Sure it was practically a year ago, but what I heard my stepmother say to my dad a year ago, ( "I just think that it would be better for Toby and Sarah to spend some time apart." "Those stories that she is always telling him are just totally insane." " I don't like the idea of him going to school and telling these stories to his teachers." " We've already gotten two phonecalls from his school, telling us about his wild imagination." " I just don't want them to be around each other for a while and spend some time apart.")
I stand up and move over to the window so that I can watch the rain fall, (and to hide my face so he won't see me cry), and I am surprised to find that he has moved to stand behind me. I close my eyes again as I feel his arms wrap around my body. I can't hold back any longer and turn into his embrace. I wrap my arms around him and bury my head in his chest.
"Don' be afraid to let your feelings go," he whispered as he brought a gloved hand up to stroke my hair. And with those words, I broke down and began to sob into his chest. We stand like that for a long time, I really don't know how long. He is very patient as I cry and cling to him. He strokes my hair and soothes me, until I calm down and my cries cease.
When I am through, I break apart from him and step back to grab a tissue. Once I find one and I clean myself up, I lead him towards the couch and we sit down again. Once I regain my composure, I thank him and he nods in return.
I ask him, " Well, how are things with you? How are things in the Underground?"
" Well, besides the fact that there are no teenagers wishing their siblings or babysitters wishing their children away, things couldn't be better." He answered sarcastically.
" I am sorry to hear that." I reply." I wish that I could help, but I already had my turn." I smile at that last comment.
" Well, I guess that's just life. Everyone has decided to love and to feel love in exchange. It makes me wonder how long I want to rule the Goblins." He says.
"Don't say that!!" I shriek. " You of all people should love what you do. You told me yourself that the children you end up keeping in your kingdom were from broken homes and that you keep them in order to give them a better life."
" Yes, that's very true." He says. " But the problem is that I really don't have anyone to talk to. The only time I ever truly have a decent conversation is when I am with you."
" I find that hard to believe," I say.
" Do you really think that I would travel from the Underground to visit with everyone who has gone through my Labyrinth. That takes so much magic and it wears me out. Not to mention that I only go and visit the ones who have actually beaten me."
" And I'm assuming that the number is very small?" I ask him, jokingly.
He nods," Small enough to count on one hand." He says as he holds up one finger.
I just stare at him, my mouth shaped in a an "O" . "You have got to be kidding me." I say, even though I feel some sense of dignity for being the only one to defeat him.
He smiles at me and shakes his head. I continue to stare at him. " Do you really think that anyone as smart as you has wandered through my Labyrinth and actually been able to solve it? I have told you about some of the teenagers who have wandered through there." He says to me.
I think about those stories and realize that it was probably true. Some of the other people that went through and played his game were pretty hopeless. He probably gave the child back to some of them out of pity.
I look over at him and notice that he is looking out the window. He looks towards me and says," Part of it is that I help people realize how much they love their family, while at the same time, I know very little on the subject," he says, his eyes finally meeting mine. I have to look away. I can barely stand to hold his gaze, his piercing eyes looking into mine. I still can feel him looking at me.
He finally stands up and walks to the other side of the room and leans against my desk. He finally says to me," What's it like?"
"What's what like?" I ask him, not understanding his question.
"Loving someone," he says," I don't remember what it's like to truly love a person. It has been so long since I have loved someone."
"Well," I begin. " There are two different kinds of love. The kind where you love someone, or the kind where you are in love with someone."
" That one. Being in love with someone." He says as he moves back towards the couch and sits down very close to me." What's that one like?" he asks.
" Well, it is hard to explain." I say. " I guess it is when you will do anything for the person that you love in order to make them happy, no matter how much of a sacrifice it is to your own life."
" It sounds so wonderful." He says, closing his eyes, a smile forming on his face." He opens his eyes and looks at me. I look back at him, and smile.
He reaches a gloved hand up to my face and gently strokes my hair and says," Would you mind if I asked you a very personal question?"
"What?" I say, closing my eyes at the touch of his hand to my scalp.
He stops the motion, but keeps his hand on my head. I immediately open my eyes to look at him.
" What would make you happy?" he says. I completely go into shock and can't do anything but stare at him.
" Excuse me?" I ask him, not sure if I really heard those words come out of his mouth.
" What would make you happy?" he repeats his question, gazing into my eyes.
" Well, there are two things." I say. " The first would be to be able to see Toby. I miss him so much."
" Is that all?" he says standing up. " Well come then. We shall go to him."
I cannot really believe that this is happening to me. He is about to wisk me away to see my brother, who I have not had any contact with in a year. Shocked, I stand up and move next to him. He waves his hand and before I know it, I am in a dark room, looking down at my sleeping brother.
" Is it really him?" I ask.
" Yes." He replies.
I kneel down next to him and reach out a hand to brush his blond hair out of his eyes. He stirs, but doesn't wake up. I blow out a breath, happy that he didn't wake up to see me in his room. I notice that Lancelot is on the floor next to his bed, and I pick it up and place it next to him, just like I did so many years ago.
I lean over and kiss his forehead, hoping that he won't wake up again, and whisper," I love you, Toby." into his ear.
Then I turn around and say," Let's go back. I am afriaid that I will wake him up." He nods his head in agreement and before I know it, were are back in my apartment.
As soon as we are back in my apartment, I walk over to him and I give him a hug. I feel my heart bursting and close my eyes when he wraps his arms around me and I say," Thank You."
He replies," You're welcome."
We stand like that for what feels like forever. I never want this moment to end, and it feels like he doesn't either. And as I stand there, questioning his emothions, he begins to place feather-light kisses along my hairline.
I swear I am on cloud nine!! He is actually kissing me!! Well, he is kissing my head, but that still is a good thing. I open my eyes and look up at him. I stare into those beautiful mismatched eyes, and he stares back into mine. When I look into his eyes this time, I look into his soul and I see many things I have never seen before. He is probably seeing the same things in my eyes, and begings a slow decent to my lips.
Just before our lips meet I freeze and then pull away, leaving him standing there, in a state of shock. I move over to the window and stare at the raindrops that have hit the pane and are working there way down the glass.
" I'm sorry," I hear myself say. " I think that this is going a little too quickly, and I need time to think."
" What is there to think aboout?" he says moving over to the window to look at me.
" I have to let all of this sink in before I can go on with anything." I say looking at him, hoping that he will understand. He looks into my eyes and is silent for a few moments, then turns and says,
" Very well. I will give you all the time that you need" He pauses for a moment and then says," Just remember, you've had ten years to let everything sink in. Don't keep me waiting forever." And with that, he vanishes and leaves me in my apartment all alone.
I watch the rain for a few more minutes, then climb into bed and lay there thinking, not knowing what I want and what I should do. I stay up for half of the night, replaying the events of tonight in my head over and over.
Finally, everything clicks into place and I know what I have to do. I come up with a plan and decide that I will put it to action tomarrow. Sighing, I close my eyes and drift off into a deep sleep, excited and scared about the events that will take place in a few hours.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Well, What do you think? I still am deciding what I am going to have her do, so suggestions or ideas are welcome. Please review!! I don't know how I am going to continue this one!!