A/N: The second installment in this lovely story. Hope you like it. So, without further ado, on to Chapter 2. (Hey, that rhymes.)

A Blast from the Past

Sarah could feel the warmth of the sunshine upon her face as it streamed through the window. She looked to her right, spotting the sleeping Jessica. She smiled. She was everything Sarah had and she could not believe how lucky she was.

They had met during one of Sarah's self defense classes and they hit it off immediately. It had been the class's first meeting, the instructor going around the room and everyone introducing themselves. When the instructor got to Jessica, Sarah could remember wondering who the cute, well defined blonde was. She had expected her to be like any other blonde she had met – a little naïve and not the strongest common sense. But Jessica surprised her when she was smart, funny and really down to earth. Sarah introduced herself and they immediately became friends.

But soon friendship grew into something more, and before Sarah realized it, they were in a full blown relationship. They were approaching three years, the longest relationship Sarah had ever been in and they were still discovering new things about each other everyday. Jessica lived for Sarah's ambition and Sarah was fully taken with Jessica's thirst for life. They complimented each other well and all their friends were envious of the relationship they had.

As she watched the sleeping woman, her eyes roamed over her naked body. Jessica was built well. Years of working out and sensible eating had done her body good. She had a six pack any woman would be jealous of and her skin was tan, the product of a childhood growing up in California. Sarah also attributed it to their adventurous lifestyle. They were always out among nature. REI was their second home, especially when they lived in the Pacific Northwest where one could be in the desert in the morning and at the beach in the afternoon. They had just gotten back from a week long river rafting expedition down the Deschutes River and were just looking forward to getting back into the grind of regular life.

Jessica worked for a publishing company and traveled frequently to New York, London, L.A. and Chicago. Sarah, on the other hand, had become a writer, penning her fantasies of youth into classic children's tales. She had also dabbled in writing for the stage, but that was another story. It seemed all the more fitting that Sarah and Jessica were partners, if not in spirit, but in the sense of their jobs. Jessica was always able to get Sarah's stories published and Sarah brought in a lot of income for the two of them. One could say it was a symbiotic relationship.

Sarah didn't know when she had become so adventurous. She figured it had been after she had returned from the Labyrinth. Defeating the Goblin King and winning back her brother had made her look at her life differently. She no longer wanted to be the spoiled little brat she was. Instead she wanted to be independent, live her life for herself. She took up sports, knowing she would be able to get her anger out in a more accepted way than reciting poems and stories in the park. She played soccer and basketball then took up track in the spring. All her commitment paid off when she got a full paid scholarship to a college on the West Coast. She hadn't been happier than she was when she left her dreary, small, mid west town for an urban, new age city.

College flew by before she knew it and soon she was writing full time, trying to get something published. Seven years passed quickly and then she met Jessica and her life took on a whole new meaning. Their three year anniversary was coming up and Sarah wanted to do something special for her. She was, after all, the only person she had ever loved. Well, maybe not the only person, but he had gone long ago and she knew she would never see him again. After he had left, Sarah gave up on men, knowing that if she could never be with him, then she could never be with another man. But she had not given up hope, and when she realized she loved Jessica, she knew her heart had been healed.

Sarah reached out, running a finger down Jessica's cheek. She was startled when Jessica opened her eyes, a smile spreading across her face.

"Hey there beautiful, how long have you been awake?"

"Just a couple of minutes. You know you look so peaceful when you sleep."

Jessica reached for Sarah, kissing her softly. The two women looked at each other, relishing in the silence around them.

"How did I get so lucky as to find a woman like you?" Jessica asked, pulling Sarah into a loving embrace.

"I don't know. How did I ever get so lucky as to get someone like you?"

"I guess it was just luck. I don't usually go for the striking brunette with piercing green eyes and a body any woman would kill for. No, don't go for that at all."

Sarah laughed, wrapping her arms around Jessica. She nuzzled her head into the crevice of her arm and body, finding safety there.

"What should we do today?" she asked Sarah.

"I don't know. I need to get some work done with the story, my publisher wants chapter 13 done by Friday. Other than that, I noticed the yard needs to be mowed and I was going to do some gardening and what not."

"Don't forget we have that dinner tonight for my company. It's black tie, so we'll need to get dressed up. But right now I think I'm going to go to the gym."

She kissed Sarah on the forehead then slid out of bed making her way to the closet. Sarah watched as she walked away, her naked form glowing in the light from the window. Not wanting to lose another minute of outside time, Sarah sprang from the bed, heading to the bathroom.

When she got into the shower she knew she wasn't going to make it as soon as she had hoped; the warm water just felt too good. Jessica came into the bathroom.

"Hey babe, I'm going to stop at Trader Joe's on my way home. Do we need anything?"

Peeking out from behind the shower curtain she could see Jessica was in her gym clothes, her iPod strapped to her arm, ready to leave.

"Umm, I can't think of anything. Maybe get some bottled water and some veggies, but other than that I think we're okay."

Jessica blew a kiss and then walked out of the bathroom, heading downstairs to the garage.

……………………………………………………………….

Having gotten ready and put on some old clothes she didn't care got dirty, Sarah made her way outside to the backyard. She loved the house she and Jessica bought together. It was from the 50's, but they had redone everything inside. Beautiful crown molding could be found throughout the house while the kitchen had been redone with mahogany cabinets and granite countertops. They had spent a lot of time and money on the house and they were not going to leave it for a while.

The garden was a whole other story. The people who had lived there before had let it become a waste land of dead grass, flowers and trees. It looked like they had lit it on fire and just let it burn. But Sarah had a passion for gardening and within a couple of months she had transformed it into the Garden of Eden. She could remember saying in college that if she didn't get an English degree she would have gone for a botany one.

Stepping into the garden she found herself peaceful. She had spent many days in the garden this summer and it showed. The flowers were in full bloom, the grass looked exquisitely green and no weeds could be found penetrating the handsome garden. Grabbing the lawn mower, Sarah pushed her way into the yard, ready for the day ahead of her.

……………………………………………………………….

The day had gone by quickly, her time occupied by the grass and flowers around her. She even got the opportunity to work on her book. Having showered and dressed, Sarah was silently waiting for Jessica to come downstairs. She liked the dinners Jessica's company had; they reminded her of a ball she had attended when she was a teenager. But of course, that had been an enchanted ball and the only man she had ever loved was the one who was throwing it.

Glancing at her reflection in the mirror above the fireplace, she looked to the clock. 8:00 pm. If Jessica didn't hurry up then they were going to be late. Dressed in a long black dress that hugged her body and had a plunging v- neck, she looked good. She had curled her hair and arranged it on her head to make it look like it was cascading down her neck. She had a pearl necklace on that matched the earrings in her ears. She smiled, making sure nothing was stuck in her teeth.

She glanced to the staircase just as Jessica came down. She too looked great. Instead of the full length dress Sarah chose, Jessica chose a short, strapless, red dress that also clung to her every curve. Her blonde hair had been piled into a messy bun on her head and her makeup was done so well it looked like she was going without it. Her ears were draped with diamonds and a silver necklace from Tiffany's was around her neck. Jessica was always willing to show off a little leg, and she definitely accomplished it in the dress she wore. Sarah smiled at her.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Excuse me? What about a "you look good" or a "have you lost some weight because you are looking smoking hot"?"

Sarah laughed, walking to Jessica and kissing her.

"Jess, you look good. But I wasn't about to boost your ego by saying so. You know I always find you attractive, no matter what you're wearing."

Sarah gave her a wink and kissed her again. She pulled away.

"Well, at least I will say it. You look damn fine."

Sarah laughed. She looked at Jessica.

"I'll get the car keys. You can drive."

Jessica walked to the door while Sarah ran to the kitchen to grab the keys. As she came out of the door, she noticed Jessica standing in the doorway, apparently talking to someone. Anxious to leave, Sarah stormed up to the door.

"Jess, we really need to leave, we're going to be…"

Just as she got to the door, Jessica stepped back. As Sarah's eyes stopped on the person who was talking to Jessica, her eyes widened and she stopped in her tracks, her heart stopping within her chest.

"Hello Sarah," said a distinct, accented voice.

"Jareth," she whispered, barely able to let out a sound. Then, before she knew what was happening, the room around her went black and her body fell to the floor.

A/N: Just want to give a heads up. Sarah lives on the West Coast. Portland, Oregon just to be exact. It's a great city full of cool things to do.