"Do you still want to look for him?"

"Turn back, Sarah. Turn back before it's too late"

"What a pity"

"It's further than you think. Time is short"

"You have 13 hours in which to solve the labyrinth, before your baby brother becomes one of us, forever"

"Such a pity."

Sarah sat up in bed, heart pounding, gasping for breath. The dream always woke her. That voice, those eyes. She could almost feel the dry wind blowing over her. The shiver of excitement and apprehension that trickled down her spine. It had been nearly ten years since her time in the Labyrinth. Ten years since she had wished her brother away and faced The Goblin Kings challenge to bring them both home. In that time, she had graduated high school and college with honors and early. She had developed a close relationship with Toby and worked to have a more civil relationship with her stepmother, much to her father's delight. She and Karen would never be friends, however, they were no longer enemies fighting over her father's affections.

Sarah looked over at the bedside table, the clock read 4:30. She groaned and contemplated trying to go back to sleep for an hour before her alarm went off. Sighing in resignation, she threw off her blankets and decided sleep would be futile after her dream and stood up to walk to her mirrored vanity table. A quick conversation with Hoggle would calm her nerves, she decided. The friends she had made in the Labyrinth had been true to their word. Coming to her whenever she called. The calls had become less frequent I recent years. Sarah had grown up and had responsibilities of her own. A sometimes heartbreaking career as a child advocate for the district attorney. Having graduated high school and college early, she had set her sights on law school. Taking a heavy load, she had graduated from Cornell in half the time it would have otherwise taken. She was the youngest child advocate in the office. Her fresh youthful looks put the children she spoke for immediately at ease. Her father worried about he career path in New York City but Sarah had assured him that this was her calling. To help the children who nobody else seemed interested in. Least of all their neglectful parents. She would sometimes be called to a police station late at night to see to a child whose parents had been arrested for whatever reason. The most heartbreaking cases, the ones that Sarah was most passionate about, were the abused children of drug addicts. The parents who simply didn't care whether their precious offspring lived or died. These were the children that lingered the longest in Sarah's mind. Thinking she had not only rescued them from their hell at home, but had also prevented The Goblin King from getting his glittery hands on them.

"Hoggle. I need you." She whispered into the mirror, watching as the smooth surface rippled and glowed in response.

"Sarah! S'everythin' allright? It be the middle of the night." Hoggle raised his grey bushy brows in a look of concern.

"I've had that dream again Hoggle. The one where I'm standing with Ja- uh, The King on the hill overlooking the Labyrinth." Sarah replied softly. "I'm getting concerned. That's three times this month already." Sarah shrugged her shoulders and looked wide eyed and earnestly at her friend. "Do you know what could possibly be going on?" She asked.

"Can't says as I do, little lady." Hoggle grumbled. "You would think if the rat were going to make a move against you, he'd a done it long afore now."

"Hoggle," Sarah began, "How was he after, you know?"

"Fit to be tied he was." Hoggle chortled. "Then, he seemed sad." Hoggle looked down at his feet and shuffled about some. "Sarah, there's something ya don't know about Ja…."

"Don't say his name!" She interrupted sharply. Then taking a slow, deep breath said more gently, "We agreed to never speak his name. You told me yourself, names have power. The fact that words have power is a lesson I learned all too well from HIM."

"Do ya still hate him then?" Hoggle asked softly.

"I don't hate him Hoggle. I never hated him. He confused me, sometimes, I think, deliberately. He was frightening and captivating all at the same time. He was my greatest fear and greatest desire all at the same time. I was 15! I didn't understand. I still think I don't sometimes. When I dream of him, I wake up with my heart racing and a tingle in my spine that definitely is NOT hate, although I wouldn't exactly call it fear either." Sarah sighed and gave her friend a confused look. "It doesn't matter though. I'm sure HE would never forgive me for destroying his kingdom. I'm sure HE was upset about not being able to turn Toby into another mindless goblin to rule over." A trace of bitterness laced her voice.

"Sarah, what makes ya think that Toby was gonna be turned into a goblin? Ya can't turn into a goblin. Yer either born one, or not." Hoggle asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"Hoggle…." Sarah started, only to be interrupted by the shrill ring of the telephone. "Hoggle wait right here, I've got to get that." She said as she turned to pick up the receiver. Hoggle heard her murmuring in the background and strained his ears to catch what she was saying. "…..two of them you say? 3 and one? What are the charges against the parents? Has CPS been called? I'll be there as soon as I can. 54th precinct? Yes, I've got it, I'll use a car service." Sarah hung up the phone and turned back to Hoggle, who looked even more worried.

"Sarah, I don't like this job you've chosen. It could put ya in lots o' danger." A frown furrowed his brow and made his two bushy brows look like a giant caterpillar over his bright blue eyes.

Sarah smiled at her friend and spoke gently yet firmly to him, "I know you worry. I appreciate that. But Hoggle, I work for the District Attorney of New York City. I advocate for children; no one is out to get me. I promise. Please, tell Sir Didymus and Ludo hello for me and that I'm sorry I didn't get to talk to them this time."

"Sarah…" Hoggle started.

"Hoggle I have to go, I promise I'll contact you when I get home tonight. Is that ok?"

"I guess." He mumbled. "Just be careful. Yer comin' up on yer tenth anniversary, it seems things are a startin' to happen. Remember, if you need us, any of us….."

"I'll call," she smiled softly. "Good bye Hoggle"

Once it was only her reflection she saw I the mirror, Sarah threw off her nightgown and headed for the shower. Two children needed her. Their parents had been involved in a drug bust when they had taken their children and gone to a late night buy. Getting involved in drugs was bad enough, taking your two innocent and very young children along? Unforgivable. Sarah hoped the judge threw the book at them. She would fight for the children to remain together. Given their ages, it shouldn't be too difficult.

In her hurry to get dressed and out of her apartment to meet the car service, Sarah missed the ripple and glow of her vanity mirror. She certainly didn't see the icy blue eyes staring at her from said mirror. If she had she would have seen such a look sorrow and longing, it may have stopped her in her tracks. With getting to the children the only thought in her mind, Sarah slammed the door and hurried away. Ignoring the prickles running down her spine and telling herself that she hadn't heard the faint, sad sigh from behind her.

Sarah arrived at the 54th precinct and checked in with the desk Sergeant. After getting her pass and directions to where the children were, Sarah began to navigate he busy hive that was the precinct station. Going up 4 flights of stairs (the elevator was broken) Sarah found herself standing outside of the drug enforcement unit. Taking a deep calming breath, Sarah pushed open the doors and schooled her features into a somber and serious mask.

"Excuse me." She said to the uniformed officer rushing past. "I'm looking for Detective McKinney."

The uniform paused and looked over his shoulder at her. Taking in the straight knee length business skirt and matching navy blazer and the sensible low healed shoes.

"Mac!" He yelled, "lawyer!"

Sarah caught a movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to see a mountain of a man standing up from a battered metal desk. "Mac" was easily 6'4" and built like a linebacker. He looked like he had seen better days and his rough uneven features made Sarah give a startled gasp. There was a scare running down from his left eye to the corner of his mouth and his nose looked like it had been broken and set many times in his life. His almost orange hair as cut in a severe military cut and matched the fuzzy stubble that shadowed his jaw. Making his pale as ice blue eyes almost seem to float in front of his face. This was a face meant to intimidate.

Sarah swallowed nervously and held out her hand, "Detective McKinney? I'm Sarah Williams. The youth advocate from the District Attorney's office."

Detective McKinney enveloped her small hand in his very large ones. Surprising Sarah with the gentleness in them. He slowly took in her appearance, long wavy hair the color of melted chocolate, shimmering green eyes that were serious yet exuded kindness and grace.

"Ms. Williams," he said, his gravely voice low and gentle. "Call me Mac. I'm guessing you're here about the kids we found at the drug bust last night."

"Yes, my office said both of their parents had been arrested and there is no one to take the children. I've been called in to stand as their guardian ad litem for the CPS hearing." She responded warmly. Delighted that this gentle giants appearance seemed to be in complete contrast to his nature.

"Don't take nuthin' fer granted" She heard Hoggles voice say in her head.

"My partner, Detective Cooper, is speaking with CPS now. These kids have had a rough time of it. The older one says the parents hit them all the time and didn't feed them everyday." He shook his head sadly. "Some people don't even deserve to live."

Sarah looked at him shocked. "Wow! That's quite a statement for a 3 year old."

"3? No, the boy is 6 or 7 and the girl is 4"

"I was told that there were 2 boys aged 3 and 1. Their parents had taken them along to a drug buy." Sarah let out an irritated huff and squared her shoulders. "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter. I'll need to speak with the children and the parents."

"That's strange." He said, looking puzzled. "Coop, Detective Cooper should be about finished up now, let's go see if he knows what's up." Gently he placed her hand in the crook of his arm and led her toward the interrogation rooms. " Unfortunately we don't have a conference room, so those poor little kids had a choice between a holding cell or interrogation." He said apologetically.

"No matter." Sarah responded. "But I will have to talk to them alone. When I speak to the parents, they can have their lawyer but no police." When he started to protest, Sarah broke in firmly. "You're case is not my concern. The welfare of those children are. I won't discuss anything but the children with them."

As they walked down the hallway, a man stepped out of a door and headed to them. The hair on the back of Sarah's neck prickled and stood at attention. Goosebumps raised all over her body. This thin wiry man with the slicked back jet black hair and dark piercing eyes screamed run away. His face was handsome and thin but something seemed wrong with him. Sarah thought at first that a red haze seemed to surround him. When she looked closer, she could see nothing, she chalked it up to her restless night but decided right then and there that Detective Cooper was a man she wanted to stay away from.