Ok so I had these ideas stuck in my head and needed to get them out so I could write the next chapter for my story 'Where Are You?'. I couldn't add these ideas in that but I just couldn't get them out of my head, so this is just a little one-shot. It is a song fic, based on Emmy Rossum's song Its Been Too Long. I was listening to it all day today, and as you will know if you've read my stories before, I get most (if not all!) my ideas from songs. I didn't think this song would fit with that story however.
In my head (dangerous place to go!) I tried to picture each part of this song to something that happened in the Labyrinth, and I have added a few moments that didn't happen too, as you would expect of a fanfic. So anyway, enough of me yapping! Ill let you read the story now! XD
Ooooh, and DEDICATION!! To Garnet Wings for being a big help with this! I had a lot of questions, she must have been so annoyed by me!
--
Prom night. It seemed to come so soon. A few years ago I would have longed for this, to be able to dress up and not be considered weird. I should be getting excited now. I should be getting my hair done now, 4 hours early. But, for some unknown reason, it doesn't feel right.
Instead I wait as late as I possibly can to slip into my dress. Its nothing fancy, just a simple white dress. It reaches all the way down to my feet with short white gossamer sleeves. I put on my white pumps, going for comfort rather than style. If Im going to be forced to dance, Id rather not be in pain the whole way through. I run a brush through my hair quickly and run downstairs, only to be greeted by Karen at the bottom. She practically drags me back up the stairs to do my hair and, Im sure, my makeup. I told her I didn't want to fuss but she insisted, trying to bond with me I suppose. It wont work. It never does.
She drags out her curlers and I inwardly sigh, wishing I had waiting till even later to get ready, then she wouldn't have had time for this. She curls it all, clipping parts of it back with small white slides that I know she's bought specially - Karen doesn't wear white hair slides, Karen doesn't have enough hair for her to use hair slides.
Looking into my vanity mirror before she had the chance to attack me with makeup, I had to admit that I liked it. I thought it would look horrible, that it would look so not like me. But it reminded me of…
No. I wont think about that. Its in the past, forgotten.
Never meant to last.
Before I can stop her, Karen is powdering my face and sweeping over my eyes with some sort of blue glittered madness that I never knew she had. She waves a stick of mascara in front of my face and tells me to blink. Blink. Switch. Blink. Blink. Eyeliner next, a thin black line of it over the top and bottom of my eyes. All the while she talks of endless nonsense about her prom. Was she even alive when they invented prom?
The doorbell rings and Karen jumps up, squealing. At least someone is happy about this.
I didn't exactly want to go to the prom, and I didn't think Id have a reason too either. So it came as a surprise to be asked. Tom Hasting. You could say it was a surprise also to be asked by him, he was a jock, one of the best. When he asked me he said he's been watching me for a while. Told me Id changed, that I wasn't the girl everyone knew before. He said he wanted to show off the person Id become.
I hadn't noticed any change. I felt the same, so did I look any different?
Karen pushes me out of the room and down the stairs, not before grabbing a faux fur shawl and practically strangling me with it in an effort to get it on me. She manages to calm down enough to not push me down the stairs, even orders me not to move until she calls for me. Getting the camera, no doubt. I quickly dash into my room and grab some face wipes, planning to get rid of my face paint as soon as I get to the prom. I hear Karen giggle and she shouts to me from the bottom of the stairs. Time for the show.
I put on a smile and start walking down the stairs, being ladylike as Karen always tells me to every time she finds me a boyfriend. If she had her way, I would have been married by now.
"You look amazing." Tom smiles as I reach the bottom of the stairs. I smile back, fake of course, and try to think of something to say back. Im not very good with compliments.
"Thanks Tom." I manage. "You look great too." Its not exactly a lie, but its not really true either. Tom always looks good, as a jock I guess he has to. His suit looks expensive but its not unique to him, there will be so many other guys at the prom wearing that same suit.
Tom smiles again, obviously he thinks he looks great too. Bigheaded git. Why the hell did I agree to this? I didn't even want to go to the bloody prom, why did I let myself be forced into it.
"Sawah. Sawah!" Toby says, trying to get my attention. "Sawah Pwincess!" He claps his hands together and smiles, his cute little smile that I love.
That's why Im going. Because Toby said I should, he said dancing sounded like fun.
I smile back at him and bend to reach his level. "And Toby Pwince!" I say, coping his way of speaking. He loves it when I do that.
Tom slips his arm through mine and pulls me up. "Sarah we should go, we don't wanna be late." He drawls smoothly, knowing that charm is everything to Karen and my Father. He's been around before a few times, he knows the way they work. "I got you this Sarah." He holds out a tacky looking blue corsage. It matches his suit, but with my dress it will look horrible. It stands out, that's why he picked it.
I smile and take it off him, handing him the white one I got for him. It matches my dress, like it should do. I don't dwell on it though. There's not much point.
Karen forces me to pose for what seems like a million pictures. She starts crying too, which to me is completely alien! Karen never cries, Karen shouts.
Finally she lets us leave, but I wish she hadn't. if she had kept us just a little bit longer, she would have made us late, so there would have been no point in going. Right?
--
We get to the hotel where prom is being held and Tom walks me in. as soon as we're inside though, he wanders off to stand with his friends, leaving me to wonder what the hell Im meant to do now. I knew I shouldn't have come.
I see Tom dancing with Casey, the head cheerleader. Why did he ask me if he's gonna spend the night dancing with her?
I grab a drink and head outside, into the garden of the hotel. Its small but its quiet too, there's no one out here. There's a bench in the middle so I sit down, taking small sips of my drink. Someone has obviously spiked it, I can taste vodka clearly. How long should I stay before it is acceptable for me to leave? An hour? Two?
"Why isn't a pretty girl like you inside enjoying herself." Some chuckles behind me. I turn my head slightly, catching a glimpse of him. Tall, long blonde hair, bright eyes and a strange tight-fitting suit. He looks gorgeous, but what the hell is he doing here? He doesn't look like a high school student at all. "Surely there must be a queue of boys wanting to dance with you." He sits next to me on the bench and smiles, waiting for an answer.
"I don't dance." I say briefly, not wanting to explain further. Im not the kind of girl who unloads my problems on everyone else, especially someone I have just met. For some reason I want to though. Something about him, this stranger, feels comforting.
"Why?"
Should I say it? "I cant. I don't know how to dance." I shouldn't have said it!
There is a silence, a pregnant pause as Karen would say. Then He stands up and holds out his hand. "Would you like to dance?" He takes a step towards me and I step back.
"I don't even know you."
"Its just a dance Sarah. What's so scary about one dance?" He slips an arm around my waist, pulling me close against him. He takes one of my hands in his free one and starts waltzing me slowly around the small garden.
"There's no music." I mumble, stating the obvious just to have something to say. He just smirks as a soft tune drifts across towards us.
"Better?"
I don't want to argue with him. Something about this seems right.
September
The leaves areFalling red and gold
And I rememberThe way you pulled me closer
An image flashes through my mind. Dramatic masks, flamboyant dresses. What is this? Where is this? It looks familiar. Have I been there before? The image fades and I see Him smirking down at me. I feel a blush starting to spread across my face and I have to close my eyes, if I look into his I know I'll blush more.
Nothing else existed
In the world we lived in
Hidden
We didn't
See the storm was coming closer
That was then
But the time has come and gone
Nothing left but a broken story
We can't change
Can't erase
Nothing that we can say now
Can get back what we gave up
That was then
This is now
It's been too long
He spins me away before pulling my back, but I still don't open my eyes. I know he's staring at me, I can sense it. Why?
December
When we were
Drifting like the falling snow
Around us
Another image flashes through my mind. Im on the park as usual. Its snowing, I love the snow. I see myself on the bridge. I look sad, why? The snow stars swirling around behind me. Its shinning, glittering in the light. A figure appears out of the snow, he wraps his arm around me and I lean against him, smiling.
I snap my eyes open and see his mismatches eyes staring into mine, a smirk playing across his lips. How did I not notice his eyes before?! I pull away from him and take a step back, trying to clear my head. But I cant.
Jareth!
But then a
Winters chill blew through your heart
Mistakes that we made
Didn't know what they change
The silence
Was so hard
But I'm stronger for it
Jareth smiles, a proper smile this time, and pulls me back to him gently. I don't pull away this time.
That was then
But the time has come and gone
Nothing left but a broken story
We can't change
Can't erase
Nothing that we can say now
Can get back what we gave up
That was then
This is now
It's been too long
September
The leaves are
Falling gold again
And I
Remember
The way we were
Its been two years. Two years today since I wished Toby away, since I met Jareth. Is that why he's here? I close my eyes again and try to remember more, concentrating
That was then
But the time has come and gone
Nothing left but a broken story
We can't change
Can't erase
Nothing that we can say now
Can get back what we gave up
That was then
This is now
It's been too long
When I open my eyes Jareth is still staring at me, still smiling softly. "Why did you leave me?" I whisper, so quietly he might not have heard me at all. He did thought, I can tell from the look on his face.
It's been too long
"I thought that's what you wanted Sarah."
"All my life I had built up a fantasy of the perfect man.. Countless romance stories and fables helped make that fantasy a reality in my mind. Searching for that fantasy lead to many disappointments. Reality made it clear that there was no such man - until I met you. Why would I want you to leave me Jareth? Why did you make me forget you?"
"It was for the best." Oh come on! He doesn't really believe that does he?
--
Well I don't know what else to write, so let me know how you want this to end. Happy or sad? Hope you liked this even though I havent quite finished it yet!
I think this is only half finished, so its gonna be at least 4000 words!