Rereading this, it comes off as very corny. Then again I wrote it at two in the morning when I was supposed to be asleep. oo Oh well.

Prompt: "Memories"

Moppet's surprising flight from the crystal room left Toby baffled. Carefully putting back the dream crystal he was holding, he set his clipboard and notes aside and hurried after her. Or at least he tried to. By the time he left the room, she was turning the corner; when he turned the corner, she was already on the other end of the hall and pulling away fast.

Whatever drove her out of the room like a bat out of hell kept her going so fast, he never had a chance of catching up. Panting, he paused to catch his breath.

"Now, where'd she go?" he mumbled to himself. A loitering goblin mistook the comment as being aimed at itself and shrugged before wandering off. Toby watched the retreating goblin with mixed amusement. Shaking his head, his thoughts turned back to his fleeing friend. He could ask Hana, Skub, or Stank for help if they were around, but then he slapped his hand to his forehead.

He was the Goblin King now. But more importantly, he was the Lord of the Labyrinth. Amused by his own forgetfulness, he mentally reached out to the magic of the Labyrinth. It grasped back, warm and loving as a cat, all encompassing. He allowed himself a moment to bask in its warmth but then shook himself free to pose a question of it. In short order he had its answer and its offer to help. Smiling, he took it up on its offer. He closed his eyes and felt the surroundings around him shift. When he next opened his eyes, he saw he was in a large arid meadow, between the Goblin City and the great river that flowed through the Labyrinth. He was atop on hill and from his vantage point he could see Moppet racing up one not too far from his only to flop down upon it.

Worried that she might have hurt herself in her wild run, he hurried over, only slowing when he had to climb up the hill. When he reached the top, he huffed as he watched her panting harshly. "Moppet…you okay?"

It took her a few moments before she caught enough air to speak. She nodded however, before speaking. "Just a … little tired … s'all."

He rolled his eyes at her although the effect was lost on her since she didn't see it. "I can see that," he retorted.

She didn't reply, instead she curled unto her side, her breath finally evening out.

He frowned and sank down on the grass next to her. "Moppet, what happened in there? What's wrong?"

He watched her bit her lip before she finally sighed. "Toby…what do you remember from when you were a child?" she asked quietly, digging her index finger deeper into the dead grass, making a small hole.

He let both eyebrows go up. "Um…a bit. About as much as anyone else, I guess," he answered. "You naturally forget, but what does this have to do with whatever it was that spooked you?"

She was quiet for a long moment, but he wanted to know, so he waited for her to speak. "I…I realized why I don't remember being a child."

He stared blankly at her arched back. "And…why's that?"

She turned over to look at him before she finally sat up. "I think I'm a Dream Child."

"What's that?"

"It means I…am a creation…" she tried to explain.

"…like a magic creation?"

"Yes. Yes, exactly. But I was created from dreams and memories of someone else…" she turned to look at his face. Although he tried to contain his confusion and unease, she read it from his stiff posture. "I know it sounds crazy, but it makes sense, I swear! Look, I look like your sister, right?"

He twitched in spite of himself. "Yeah, it was really kinda creepy at first."

She frowned and he knew she wasn't going to let him get away with that one later. "And I was abandoned in Junk Yard. The only memories are vague; the only really clear is one of Jareth-"

Toby frowned suspiciously. "And just what was he doing with you in it?"

She paused to look torn between amusement and annoyance. "Never you mind that. Anyway, I think, Jareth might have created me!"

He looked at her quietly with wide eyes. "…and…why do you think that?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Honestly! I think he tried to make a replacement for your sister."

His jaw dropped. "You're kidding me."

"Oh, for- You must know he was mooning after your sister, don't you?"

Now he felt torn; torn between the need to retch (because Jareth? And SARAH? That was…it was…Bleh!) and the need to say yes just on the principle of how exasperated and expecting she sounded, like he was a blind moron if he didn't say yes. "Well…yeah, he did go see her after he left…I think."

"Right, now think! After she left, he was in power for a while before he started to weaken. See?"

Well, no, he didn't. "But how do you … realize all this from looking in that crystal?"

She sat primly. "I saw a dream that he sent her. When she was running the Labyrinth for you, he must have sent it as a distraction."

Again he twitched; being reminded of the fact Sarah wished him away as a baby wasn't pleasant. It seemed so…out of character. She grew up, he reminded himself. And thank god for that. "So…what does that mean for you? Is Jareth like your dad?"

Moppet paused to think about it. "I…don't think so. Or at least, not in any biological sense. And we weren't close, so he wasn't a father even in an emotional sense so…no?"

"No," he repeated. "…Okay then."

She sighed with relief and shifted so she was more comfortable. "You know…I had kinda expected as much."

"Really?" he asked, leaning back on his elbows.

"Mmmhmm."

"Huh," was all he could think to say.

For a long time, they sat there, each thinking their own thoughts. Toby let the idea of his friend, maybe his best friend, being the creation of Jareth. He couldn't really understand it, but Moppet seemed sure. He was half tempted to ask her if they should ask someone else, maybe even Jareth, but then she'd probably snap at him so he didn't bother. As it was, his mind was falling blissfully blank when he suddenly realized Moppet was making a funny noise. He blinked and looked over to see her. She was sniffling and rubbing her eyes vigorously, like she had dirt in them. "You okay?"

"What if…" she began, sniffing loudly. "What if I don't get any older? I haven't aged in years, and this explains why but what if it means I stay like this…forever? What if I outlast everyone because I'm a Dream Child?"

Now where did that come from? I'll never get girls. Toby mused on it for a moment before sitting up. "Well, you know, didn't Jareth say he ran this place, what, 1300 years?" he started, drawing her attention. "I am human, but I can do magic, and I control the Labyrinth…I wouldn't be surprised if I stopped aging too, you know? What's the point of picking me if I die so soon?"

"Toby…?"

He blinked and tried to smile brightly at her. "What I'm trying to say is, don't worry about it! You won't be alone, cause I'll be in the same boat, got it?"

Moppet frowned. "Same boat?"

"Um, I mean, I'll be right here with you," he laughed nervously. God, that sounded corny.

She looked at him quietly before finally smiling. "Promise?"

He grinned, reaching out his hand to shake on it. "Call it a Goblin King promise."

A few tears slipped past and before he could understand, she tossed her arms around his neck. "I'll hold you to it," she whispered, gripping him tightly.

Awkward but not unpleased, he patted her back. "Uh, heh, you got it," he answered. After a moment, she pulled away and they settled on the grass, side by side, watching the clouds pass by. "What do you say we just stay out here for the rest of the day?" he suggested.

She raised her brows at him. "Don't you have a full schedule?"

"Nothing I can't get to later."

She giggled but turned her gaze back to the sky. "If this is how eternity shapes out to be, I don't think it'll be too bad."

He grinned at her. "Me neither."