A heart-felt hello to all readers of this, and any, of my stories. This work is a companion to my story Deepest Dreams. They each take place within a different timespan though they are within the same 'Universe'. I am also working on a third, and final, piece which actually explains all the questions no one has asked.

A big Thank You to Phantomoftheoperalover, who Beta'd this for me – though there were some aspects I chose not to alter, for which I hope she forgives me.

::Disclaimer – Labyrinth and its characters do not belong to me. However, additional characters and the plot are the product of my imagination.::

Enjoy

Dreams Lost

Sarah Williams sat beneath a large oak to enjoy the last few minutes of freedom before the beginning of another school day. It had been months since her adventure in the goblin kingdom; yet the air still felt just a little heavy and the colors of the world somehow less vivid than it had been before her experience.

Somehow, for all that she had learned so very much during her time in the Labyrinth, she had not thought of just how unbelievable her tale would be to tell. Certainly, her stepmother had been incredulous, but luckily chose to believe her daughter to be imaginative in her efforts to not be required to babysit her half-brother again. Her mother had even said it was a lovely plot for a children's story and that she should write it down before she forgot.

As though Sarah could forget.

Still, things had changed. She supposed growing up, gaining maturity, could be the cause. That, and the magic was somehow fading.

Now, Sarah had always known she was special, if only because she knew she was destined for great things – like an acting career like her mother, and the love of a prince-like man who would never leave her. One whom would never let her go. A man who was not at all like the Goblin King. Even if he still made the occasional appearance in her dreams.

She had replayed each interaction with him in her head many, many, times; trying her best to see the scenes objectively – like a director instead of a main character. Each time she reached the same conclusion. Each time she felt angry, embarrassed, and vindicated in turn. The dark-haired teen remained convinced the Goblin King had been trying to use her youth and naivety to trick her into being a more than 13 hour amusement.

She often imaged Jareth slouched in his throne, bemoaning the lack of excitement involved in actively managing (terrorizing) a kingdom.

"I ask for so little…"

She shook away the memory which threatened, again, and gathered her things. For all that it was just another Monday, Sarah could feel something was different. She hoped, truly hoped, it had something to do with the play, Our Town, she would be auditioning for after school ; something she had been wanting to do but had not been able due to the frequent Toby obligation.

The day passed in a blur of homework, lectures Sarah neither listened to nor cared about, and peer conversation she rarely attempted to join in. The dark haired beauty was not an outcast in truth – she was much too attractive, if considered to be a bit odd and flighty, to be purposely excluded. It was well known that Sarah Williams lived in a world of her own and did not much want to invite others to visit.

She had paid the lack of peer relations no mind, she had not been lonely. She was destined for much – she had always known so, and now… Now, she had friends. Real friends. Friends who had endured with her, helped her, and continued to stay with her though they had to be very careful as to when they could visit. It seemed her continued association with her friends from the Goblin Kingdom was either by the grace and allowance of their king, which she found unlikely, or by the secret of their association. She worried if she were to call them when anyone who had not been invited to their realm was there something horrible would happen and she would never see any of them again.

As they were her only friends, she did not want to risk it. Not for anyone or anything.

Still, in the time since her return to her own reality, Sarah had noticed something. Or more specifically, had noticed someone noticing her. A by-product, she was sure, of the Goblin King's feigned interest.

He was tall. Well, taller than her; though she had no real way of knowing for sure, she believed the top of her head would reach his nose. He was slender, as Jareth had been, with lovely alabaster skin, striking green eyes and wavy auburn hair she had found herself day-dreaming of running her fingers through – just to discover if it was as silky as it looked.

His name was Patrick Brennan and if he so much as looked her way her stomach would be assaulted by a multitude of butterflies only experienced once before while in the arms of an exotic blonde fae.

"Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave."

Her stomach clenched as his voice and words flowed through her mind once more. She pushed open the heavy door to the auditorium and all thought, musings, and unspoken recriminations of the Goblin King disappeared as striking green eyes met hers and sent the butterflies aflutter.

:: AtW ::

Sarah was lying under the large oak tree, head resting in her boyfriend's lap, as she day dreamed their lunch break away.

She was 16, had won the role of Titania in the community theater's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and had a boyfriend who still gave her butterflies every time their eyes met.

She and Patrick had had a shaky beginning; being casts as leads in the school's production of Our Town. Sarah had been frustrated and embarrassed by the way she would suddenly be struck speechless and so horribly shy when she looked into his eyes. Many an early read-through was spent with her eyes on her script or attempting to look in his general direction without meeting his eyes. There was just something about the green…

It had taken little over a month for Patrick to corner her just after the end of rehearsal and strike up their very first actual conversation. It had amazed her, in the night while she was attempting to sleep and repeating the words, expressions, and tone over and over again, just how easy it was for people to never actually speak to one another. Aside from the 10 agonizing minutes she had spent staring into his beautiful and striking green eyes, she did not think she had had a single other true conversation with another human being.

Even her interaction with her stepmother and father was superficial at best, and though Toby was jabbering away much of the time, it was still mostly confusing non-sense.

It had made for an interesting beginning, and Patrick still teased her mercilessly about it. Having been more and more amused as they grew closer and he realized her response to him was completely without equal or precedent.

He had watched her face down a would be bully in the halls, a look in her eyes seeming to quell any further thought the other youth had had on continuing the chosen course. He had been witness to an argument with a teacher about syntax, of all things, that had resulted in detention and a blanket warning that subsequent questioning of his teachings would result in the same; Sarah had been in detention a lot that semester. He had somehow been present when Sarah rebuffed obviously unwanted male attention from their senior high school quarterback.

Sarah had blushed and stammered, pushing her long black hair back and tucking it behind her ear, when he had approached her about each incident. Even with the ease they had developed, if he were to seem to pay just a bit more attention than normal to her, she would lose her train of thought. She had begun to wonder if it was what love felt like. Then she decided if it were it was much too uncomfortable and distracting for an intelligent person to pursue.

Yet when he had asked her on an actual date, she hadn't hesitated. When he had begun to hold her hand and walk to her class, she hadn't pulled away or attempted to dissuade him. She wore his ring around her neck after he asked her to go steady, rarely taking it off.

And so, lying under the large oak with her head in Patrick's lap, she felt the words rise up inside her and spill from her lips.

"I love you."

His striking green eyes met hers and the butterflies grew frenzied. Her breath caught and her heart raced, losing her thoughts. He smiled and stroked a thumb down her cheek.

"I love you too."

She did not notice the barn owl high above her launch itself into the air and fly away.

:: AtW ::

"You'll be graduating in a few months." She said, heart racing as she finally addressed what she considered to be the elephant in the room. They had both become quieter, had been seeking each other out less, and had been becoming steadily more superficial in their conversations – from her perspective anyway.

It was their anniversary – marking that a year had passed since he had given her his class ring and asked her to go steady with him. He had been working more hours, adding weekday evenings to his already full schedule. She had asked him about it, when he had picked up the additional hours, and had received only vague answers. She had supposed there were a lot of things a senior would need to save up for – a car, college application fees, and a little breathing room. Patrick was the sort who always looked to the future – who had a plan in place and a goal to reach; it was one of the many things she loved about him.

Still, it had been months in the time between and she worried. She worried even though she knew they were going somewhere nice (Patrick has spoken with her stepmother about what Sarah should wear in order to 'add to the surprise' – Sarah's surprise at the tears in her Irene's eyes when Patrick had picked her up would likely be hard to beat). She didn't think he would go through all this effort just to break up with her, but she did not have much to use as a comparison.

Her own father had given her mother a beautiful pearl and diamond bracelet before he had left for good.

They were at a very nice Italian restaurant, seated in a quiet corner with muted overhead lighting and two votive candles softly illuminating their table. It was all terribly romantic, and were she not so worried and upset over the turn their relationship had seemed to take, she would be enjoying it to no end. This was how she had always thought a lady should be treated.

"Yeah…" He said, fidgeting slightly. "It isn't too far off." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Sarah…"

Her heartbeat slowed, and the butterflies in her stomach, for the first time, stilled.

"I need you to give me my ring back."

Suddenly, she was numb. Her face seemed frozen and she woodenly reached behind her neck and unclasped the chain – for the first time since it had been given to her. Suddenly, her heart sped up, causing blood to roar in her ears. Her hands were cold, so cold, and she could barely make out his voice over the torrent raging in her head. This is it, she thought, this is the end.

Then his hand was on hers, their eyes met, and everything went quiet. She did not see any remorse or guilt, or any emotion she could name that would come with a break up. She saw love and nerves, which brought the butterflies back with a vengeance.

"Sarah Williams," he began, twining their fingers together. "You are the strangest, most honest, strong and clever, most beautiful woman I have met and could ever hope to know." He slid their hands off the table, turning her body as he moved to kneel before her. "Would you do me the honor and grant me the privilege of spending the rest of my life with you." He drew a ring from his pocket – a simple diamond surrounded by a rainbow of semi-precious stones.

"Will you marry me?" He asked, his strong voice tense with nerves.

Tears threatened as she attempted to regulate her breathing. So many thoughts flew through her head, so many memories of them sharing dreams of a future they could have together – if the world were to grant them their every wish. Through the storm of emotions, memories, thoughts, and bodily responses a single word escaped.

"Yes."

:: AtW ::

Sarah stood in front of her mirror, having spent as much time as she dared speaking with her Fae friends. She had spent less and less time with them, a product of growing up she was sure, but had still managed to keep them up to date with the goings on in her life as they had her with theirs. Still, they hadn't quite believed her, she supposed, when she had told them well over a year before that she would be getting married.

Then, as now, they had asked her 'what about the Goblin King?'

She was angry and not sure why. What about the Goblin King? Their association had been a brief contest of sorts – a distraction from the monotony of his existence. She had not seen or heard from him since her and her brother's return. Why should she spare him any further thought?

Had she had a moment or two where she questioned herself in her relationship due to the memory of something he had said in those 13 hours? Yes, of course. Did she still sometimes relive their dance and her adventure? Yes. He had changed her, the Labyrinth had changed her, and she gave him and her friends the credit for helping her become the woman she had become. Why should she give Him any more than that?

She took three calming breaths and put her thoughts in order. In just under two hours, she would be Mrs. Patrick Brennan. She had graduated from high school, had somehow – likely with the help of her mother's name and renown – been cast in an off-Broadway production of The King and I, and had maintained an amazing and fulfilling relationship with the love of her life. It was as though things were finally as they should be.

She looked herself over critically, having been helped into her gown before asking for a moment of privacy which she had used to contact her friends. It was almost exactly as she had remembered. Every recollected detail of her dress, hair, and makeup from her dream waltz with Jareth recreated as closely as possible for her wedding to another, completely different man.

What about the Goblin King? Sarah brought herself to her full height, tilting her chin defiantly. Would that he could see me this day, she thought. Then he would see the woman he helped create meet her destiny.

She turned as the door opened slowly. Meeting her father's eyes and returned his smile.

"It is about time to head to the church." He said before taking a moment to look her over. His smile was sad, though genuine as he offered her his arm. "You are a vision and Patrick is so lucky to have won you."

Sarah smiled in return, feeling awkward and unsettled by the depth of emotion in her father's eyes. Still, she put her arm through his and allowed his escort to the church about a block away. Irene and Toby, she knew, were already there, assisting in the final preparations for the ceremony. When they stood in front of the doors, nerves finally found a hold on the butterflies fluttering through her.

Seemingly, to Sarah, moments later, the doors opened and she began the progression down the aisle – to her future.

A lone figure stood in a shadowy corner, watching the display. That his eyes were cold and cruel was of no real surprise, but the storm of sadness and mourning that somehow permeated the air around him was. He watched in silent misery as the woman he had pursued pledged herself to another. This, he thought, is the basis for comparison she had been lacking.

He took just one long, lingering, look before passing through realities; leaving behind untold dreams lost.