Author's Note: So how many times have we wanted to just do something terrible to our Muses? A lot. So that's all this is, theorizing about that. Unoriginal, maybe, but I don't care.

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I slumped over my keyboard, utterly devoid of ideas. I was nothing more than an empty husk, a vessel that had once carried creative plot twists and character deaths, and now, now I had writers' block. For once I actually had people reading my story! It was my first Labyrinth fic and I was so excited about it, and now I had writers' block! Damn! And my muse was definitely not any help.

Seth patted my shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry there, you'll think of something soon," he said, smiling at me. I glared at him. Like most of my heroes he had short black hair and blue eyes to which the adjectives 'striking', 'stunning', and 'spectacular' could be applied. Oh yeh, I definitely had a type.

"Oh, go away, you stupid Muse," I muttered, waving a hand in his general direction. A sour look crossed his face just before he disappeared. I'd be paying for that later.

Then, out of the blue - well, really, the rain, because it was pouring outside - my brother bounded into the kitchen, which I could clearly see from the computer room. Unceremoniously he dropped his football on the floor and kicked off his muddy shoes. Why he insisted on playing basketball in the rain, and by himself, I could not understand.

Glaring at me, he marched into the computer room with the air of someone about to do something that would make me want to kill him. "What did you do when you got up this morning?" he demanded.

I twitched. This morning I had gotten on the computer to - the horror - check my email. It didn't matter to him that he had been up for two hours before then, and that I only stayed on for fifteen minutes and then sporadically got throughout the day to check up on, well, email, I am a teenager I'm obsessed with email. He had plenty of time to get on and play his stupid Star Craft game.

"You could've just asked me!" I screamed, and he looked mildly surprised. I rarely scream. "If you wanted to get on I would've let you!" I yelled, furious with him. "But no, since you had to be so rude about it I'm going to stay on!" I resisted the urge to scream 'Fuck off!' as he exited.

How I loathed him sometimes.

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Later the phone rang.

"Is Thomas there?"

I rolled my eyes. It was for my brother, what a surprise! "Just a sec," I said, walking towards Thomas's room. The phone was always for him. It was so annoying that he didn't keep it in his room or even try to answer it. He just assumed that I, his elder sister, his much more intelligent sister, would answer it.

More than anything in the world I hated the sound of the phone ringing. It was just so intrusive - it disturbed my daydreams. No one was to disturb my daydreams, on penalty of death. Unfortunately I couldn't kill a phone, so I just shoved my brother's door open without knocking (surprise surprise he was playing video games) and threw the phone at him.

As I was leaving I heard him say, "Guess how mean my sister was today!"

I bit my lip. It was really hard not to say 'Fuck off!' now.

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I huddled into the covers of my bed, placidly watching Labyrinth for the fifth time since we'd rented it.

Seth appeared at my side with a triumphant look on his face. "Finally!" he exclaimed. He grinned as I moaned and sat down on my bed next to me. "Why the long face, Kar?"

My jaw dropped. "What did you just call me?"

Seth smirked. "I think it's cute."

I glared at him. "I sent you to Prague! I don't even know where that is! How could you have possibly discovered my new nickname?! And how the heck did you get back here? I didn't bring you back here!"

Leaning back against my headboard, Seth stretched lackadaisically. "You have a lot to learn about Muses, my dear Authoress."

"Don't call me that," I spat, scooting away from him. Though I was still convinced that he was a hallucination brought on by stress or something of the like, and therefore logically couldn't do anything to me, I was still scared of him. "And get off my bed!"

Glaring at me, he just settled in more. "And where do you suggest I go? There are not any chairs in your room, and your bed takes up half the floor space."

I shrugged. "Not my fault." I bent forward and hit the play button on the remote, once again immersing myself in the fantastic world that was the Labyrinth. Seth's annoyance was audible, he moaned several times before I grabbed a pillow and hit him on the head. Grabbing the pillow from my hands, he hit me back and in the ensuing scramble for another pillow the remote got knocked off the bed.

"Look what you made me do!" I hissed, leaning over the side of the bed. There was just enough room for my head and my arm in the space between the bed and the wall, but it was difficult to see anything. So I was searching blindly for the remote by just waving my hand over the carpet, when Seth tapped me on the shoulder.

I turned around to find that he had the remote in his hand. "I despise you," I promptly announced, reaching my hand out to grab it. Seth however raised it out of my reach. Fuming, I glared at him. "What do I have to do to get it back?" I asked, dreading the answer.

He nodded at the screen. "Stop watching this stupid movie," he murmured, bending his face close to mine. I shivered and drew back.

"I'll just use the buttons on the VCR, so there, you stupid Muse," I said, scooting towards the end of the bed. One, I wanted to be closer to the VCR, which was in an awkward place in front of my bed, and I had to be on the bed to actually use it, and two, I wanted to get away from Seth, who was staring holes in my back.

As the movie continued playing I basically tuned out Seth's presence. No wonder I couldn't write any more of my Labyrinth fic, my muse hated the movie! I pondered over the question of how to get to like watching David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, and Muppets.

Snorting, Seth said, "Look at that dress! That's the poofiest thing I've ever seen! Who would want to wear a dress like that?"

Okay, so we shared the same opinion on the dress, but like any fangirl faced with a critic of her obsession, I jumped into the defensive. "It's the kind of dress every girl dreams about when she's little!" I hissed. Seth glared at me and I inched further away from him. So much for getting him to like the movie. I sighed and returned my attentions to the screen.

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Ah, the owl outfit. How the scene managed to freak me out. Jareth's proposal was nothing less than well... disturbing, and while part of me loved listening to it, the other half hated every second of it.

"Just let me rule you," Seth whispered in time with the movie. I stiffened and turned around to face him. He was sitting closer than I had realized. My first thought was How the hell does he know these lines?, but that disappeared as he kept talking with the movie, kept coming closer to me. "Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave," he whispered.

Our noses touched. I felt myself shudder, and Seth reached out to slide his arms around me. For a second I was tense, but then I let him hold me. It had been a very, very long day. I was tired and stressed and my brother had made me feel stupid and inadequate. Being in Seth's arms, even if he was just a figment of my imagination, or even if he really was my Muse, was comforting.

"Now," he murmured, turning off the movie. "Kar, my darling," he said, and I didn't even mind him calling me by that stupid nickname, "I still don't see what you like about that thing." What? I pulled back and stared at him. He shook his head. "I really did try watching it, darling, but - "

"I hate you. You're a jerk. You beat me with a pillow, you steal my remote, you insult my favorite movie, you freak me out by quoting along with Jareth, and to top it all off, you're a pathetic excuse for a muse." I wiped a tear from my eye. Seth opened his mouth to say something but I muttered, out of sheer frustration and because I was emotionally drained, "I really wish the goblins would take you away. Right now."