Title: A Way to Hope
Author: Kathea
Pairing: Jareth/Sarah
Rating: Eventually M
AN: Set approximately 18 years after the events of that night. It's the end of the world.
Chapter 1: The End of Things
The world was ending. It has always been a joke before. The world never would actually end but now it was. How things had deteriorated so quickly dominated the news but answers were ever given.
At 32, Sarah Williams should've been looking forward to a full life. After an only marginally misspent youth, college had opened unexpected doors. An up and coming associate at a local law firm and active in the local theater, it was a god life, if a little lonely. Her father, Karen and Toby had moved to California years ago. Friends there were plenty of but romantic relationships were few and far between. Now, with the world falling apart, she didn't even know if they were alive. Paris and Moscow were smoldering ruins. China and Japan lobbed missiles at each other on a daily basis. The Middle East was a wasteland. Martial law was declared two weeks ago. Except for designated hours, everyone was to stay indoors. The news was a sickening soap opera of body counts.
Thus far the United States was an island of safety. Sarah knew, deep in her bones, that this was only the lull before the storm. Sarah had no idea how right she was. The first bomb dropped on Washington, D.C. at 6:47 pm the next day. Then chaos gave birth to madness. Locked up in the family home, Sarah paced and watched the street. Fear would provide safety for only so long then the strong would prey on the weak. She thought about running. Her car had a full tank of gas. She could head out and make it at least 400 miles but then what would she do? At least here was food, shelter and familiarity. She paced a circuit through the house. Front room, kitchen, dining room, den, upstairs bathroom, bedrooms and back and watching outside at each pass.
Her big, mirrored dresser still caught her attention each time she passed by. She didn't deny what happened anymore. It had taken years to come to terms with those hours. IT had been real, so very real. The past few weeks seemed like a Dali painting come to life in comparison.
Flickering orange light through the window caught her eye. Fire? No, but the group coming down the street was surely ready to set something ablaze. She saw the door of neighbors house get kicked in. It was empty and had been for days. The looters seemed disappointed. Sarah backed away from the window and switched off the light. She knew her house was next. She wanted to rush downstairs and shut off the lights but fear paralyzed her feet. The door was locked but it wouldn't hold out long against determined hands. She backed into her old room. If she moved quickly, she cold get the dresser in front of the door but that would only buy time.
She here the crack of shattering glass and time slowed. The memories swam in her head as she ran her hands across the smooth surface and fingered the drawer pulls. The air was almost thick as she spun to take it all in. The stamp of feet up the stairs broke her reverie and the first buffet of the door startled a scream from her throat.
"I wish the Goblin King would come and take me away, right now!" Sarah all but shouted as the door burst in. The intruder was surprised to watch his prey disappear in a swirl of glitter.
The darkness coalesced into the gates of the Labyrinth and she fainted in relief.