"You have no power over me!"
The words slip through her lips, drawn by the tug of fate. Sarah saw the pain flicker in Jareth's eyes. He flung the crystal into the air before collapsing on the floor. The owl was flying around her, the world was in chaos, and then it was gone. She was alone in the hallway of the large, cold house.
The clock chimed twelve, as if it did not know it was missing a number. Without really knowing why, Sarah sank to the floor, the realisation of her destroyed dreams evident in every tear she cried.
There really had been only one choice for her to make, but deep in her soul she knew that it was not the choice that she wanted, needed, to make. Returned to her regular life with the demanding baby, the evil stepmother, and the father who didn't care, the opportunity for a fairy tale had taken a drastic turn in the wrong direction.
And so she cried, mourning the loss of her dreams, of everything she ever wanted to be. Tiredness threatened to overcome her, tempting her into sleep, but she knew the character that would live still in her dreams. As much as she wanted him she couldn't bear the thought of seeing him, of him knowing how much she loved him.
So she cried, resting her head against the cold tiles of the hall floor, knowing that her family would return eventually, but not caring if they never did. She wanted to just die there and then. Even though her life had been bad before, it had been touched with magic and wonder, and though only for a moment, she couldn't imagine life without it again.
Through the window the white owl watched the girl, her dark hair covering her face as she wept. A cold breeze rustled its feathers, but it didn't move more than blinking its eyes. She was the first to beat the Labyrinth, the first person he had to see her reaction. The magic around the Labyrinth had worked, he knew the pain would only last forever. He knew that his heart was wrenching with every one of her sobs.
So the owl watched, as the world fell down for both of them.