A.N. - Alright so since I got such a nice response to my first story, I thought I'd start the new month with the first chapter of my next story. This one probably won't be updated as often since this one is a bit more complicated than the other one, but I'll do my best. As usual, the Labyrinth and its characters belong to Jim Henson.

Green Mist of Morning

She opened her eyes, once again forgetting that they would not open to reveal the creamy walls of her room. Instead she found herself looking at the inside of a tent and feeling the protest of her body at being forced to sleep on the ground once again. She took in the five-year-old boy softly snoring in the sleeping bag next to her and smiled. At least she'd been able to keep him safe so far. A frown graced her pretty face as she recalled the events that had led her and her brother to this point.

It had been a summer day, and Sarah Williams had still been fresh with the excitement of being free from school for a few months. As she walked to her house from the bus, she hummed a familiar tune: I'll paint you mornings of gold, I'll spin you Valentine Evenings... She frowned at the memory of the lyrics. Why did she always have to think of him? It seemed he never left her thoughts alone, though she knew that he in fact had nothing to do with it. And for the past few months, she hadn't been able to reach any of her friends; Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus didn't come to the mirror when she called anymore. At first, she'd been angry, thinking that he must have somehow stopped them. But then there was the logic of the fact that if he'd really wanted to keep her from her friends he could have done so a long time before that. And there was the confusing disappointment that he never showed up when she called on them, even if to make some snide remark to her. Suddenly, a voice broke into her thoughts of the handsome Goblin King. Wait, since when was he handsome... the logical part of her asked, while the other part of her answered, Since always.

"Sarah, come quickly, something's happening!" her friend and neighbor Tessa called. The amount of alarm in Tessa's voice made Sarah hurry more than the words themselves.

"Tess, what is it?" Rather than answer her though, her older friend grabbed her by the hand, and dragged her into the living room where the TV was on loud and clear.

"Initial reports from around the globe say that the creatures seem to be prone to nothing as of yet. Extreme caution is advised. If you see anything out of the ordinary, be sure to call 911, follow your emergency family plan, stay in doors. Shelters are being set up as we speak and your local police station dispatchers will have the information for your particular area." Sarah stared stunned at the images on screen, most of them amateur videos, but what the creatures were was unmistakeable. They were beautiful; thin and willowy, with dark skin and black slanted eyes, and long, pointed ears. And they were clearly using magic, though the reporters were saying that the government was calling it energy-based weaponry.

"We have to go," Sarah found herself saying.

"What? Go where?" Tessa asked.

"The woods, somewhere we can hide more easily. Put some clothes, canned food, and drinking water in a duffel bag and I'll come back for you in twenty minutes. I'm gonna go get my family."

Sarah hadn't been able to convince her parents to leave though, they thought they should stay in doors as had been suggested. So without word, she'd gone upstairs, packed a few things, then had gone into her brother's room. Ever since the Labyrinth, she and Toby had been inseparable, even to the point of knowing what the other was thinking sometimes. It should have been weird, but to them it felt natural. He didn't even look up at her as she entered, but she could tell he was crying. "We have to leave, don't we?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm sorry Tobes. Dad and Mom don't see it, they're not coming with us."

"I know." Sometimes she wondered at the fact that he was too smart for a two-year-old. Then again, sometimes she felt too smart to be sixteen. She briefly considered the Labyrinth's influence towards that, then brushed it away as the more pressing matter came back full force. She shoved some of her brother's clothes and a few of his favorite toys into a bag. Suddenly, at a strange urging, she grabbed the thin red leather book that had become so much a part of her off of the shelf. She'd lent it to her brother and read it to him whenever he asked. Shaking her head, she slipped it into her duffel.

"Will we be going back to see our friends?" Toby asked. Before she'd stopped being able to call on them, her friends from the Labyrinth had shown themselves to her brother and he'd instantly loved them just as much as she.

The thought of going back gave Sarah pause. Did she want to go back? Yes! Her subconscious supplied. The better question was did she want to go back and risk running into him again. Absolutely! This time, her eyes widened in surprise. Since when did you want to see him again so badly? She scolded herself. Since I first laid eyes on him. She gasped, mentally telling her subconscious to shove it. She turned to Toby and answered, "I don't know, kiddo. Hoggle and the others haven't come through the mirror in a few months and I think what's going on now has something to do with that. We'll just have to keep an eye out for goblins." She and Toby had slipped out of their house without Karen or their dad noticing, but neither of the siblings looked back.

Sarah's memory of that day faded as Toby stirred. "Is it time to get up?" he asked sleepily.

"Yeah, we should get going. I'll go wake Tess while you wash your face." Sarah went into her friend's tent, nudging her gently, and the older woman grumbled about wanting coffee again. The rest of the small camp was waking up as well. There were seven people in the camp, including Sarah and Toby. Tess, Sarah's friend, was older than Sarah by four years. There was Karo, an elderly Japanese man whom everyone viewed as a grandfather. Allison and Jacob, and their two children Vanessa and Bradley. And finally, there was the self-proclaimed leader of the group, Daniel, who was around Sarah's age. Sarah also knew that Daniel had a crush on her, but though she was polite to him, she never flirted. It was Daniel whose voice carried now, from the middle of the camp.

"Alright, everyone, we need to eat then get moving." And though the others felt that he was too young to be telling them what to do, they listened anyway for despite his arrogance, he really did have the best interests at heart.

It was in those quiet moments of packing up the camp that it happened. A flash of light burst through the meadow, causing everyone to look towards the source. Out of thin air stepped a short, brownish creature with long ears and a crooked nose. It had scruffy black hair, and it was wearing what appeared to be armor.

"A goblin!" Toby exclaimed. Sarah froze, for her emotions were mixed. On the one hand, she was thrilled to see a goblin, for that meant she could finally find out what was going on with her friends. On the other hand, she wasn't sure she was ready to face Jareth. Would he hate her for what she'd done three years ago? It looked like she was about to find out...