Author's Note: Thank you to all who reviewed and put this on their alerts! I forgot to mention this before, but I own only my idea for this story. None of the characters are my own, because they all belong to the great and genius Jim Henson.
Sarah was driving home from her volunteer work at the library, blasting the Eagles and muttering viciously to herself about coming home for the first time to her new guardian. Today was the day that the Goblin King had moved into her house and officially entered her life once more.
"Stupid, idiotic, arrogant Goblin King," she growled. When she had taken Toby to lunch, Jareth had apparently worked his charm on Mr. Lenton and convinced the lawyer that he was the perfect man for taking custody of Sarah and Toby. He had pulled out a whole bunch of papers, proving that he had a clean, perfect background. "I bet none of those papers mentioned anything about stealing children as a hobby," Sarah said, turning the radio up louder as "Hotel California" played.
Mr. King had even found himself a job in the school district, Mr. Lenton had assured her, so they didn't have to worry about that. Not that it mattered, for Jareth King seemed to come from a long line of successful money makers.
Sarah still wasn't happy about the mighty Goblin King bouncing back into her life again. After she'd conquered the Labyrinth, Sarah had forced herself to never think about it. She'd given most of her toys to Toby, and had told herself that none of it was true. Karen had been pleased, for she believed that her stepdaughter was finally beginning to grow up. She shuddered at the memories of her stepmother and concentrated on the music, waiting for the pain to go away.
What Karen didn't know was that Sarah was terrified that the Goblin King would suddenly show up one night and steal Toby from her once and for all, and it would somehow be her fault. She'd even stopped contacting her friends. Sarah felt a pang of guilt as she thought about sweet Ludo, brave Sir Didymus, and grouchy, loyal Hoggle. And it hadn't mattered anyway. The Goblin King was back.
After she pulled into the garage and cut the ignition, Sarah dropped her head on the steering wheel and rubbed her temples. Today would be the day that she walked into her home and saw the Goblin King watching her baby brother. "This is so messed up," she moaned as she slammed her car door shut. She sighed and decided that it would be best if she only said what was necessary to her new guardian. She didn't want to explode at him on the first day under his custody.
Sarah heaved another sigh as she pushed the door open to her house. She heard Toby chatting away, and she couldn't help but smile when she heard him say, "I'm four!" She set her bag on the kitchen table, and walking into the living room, she saw him sitting on the couch with the mighty King of the Goblins, who was dressed like a normal person.
"Sarah!" Toby jumped down from the couch and ran into her outstretched arms. "You're back!"
"Hey, Tobes," she said, squeezing him tightly. "How's it going?"
He pulled back from her, a large smile on his sweet face. "I was talking with Jareth!"
"I can see that," Sarah muttered, nodding her head curtly at the Goblin King, who watched her curiously. "Hey, why don't you go look in my bag and see what I got you at the library, okay?" She chuckled as Toby immediately ran from her and into the kitchen.
"Sarah," Jareth said, standing up from the couch. Ignoring him, she took off her shoes and made her way up the stairs. "I put my things in the guest room," he called. "I didn't want to take your parent's room."
"Fine," she said curtly, and walked down the hallway to her room. Then, she stopped dead in her tracks and groaned. The guest room was right next to her own room, so she and Jareth would be closer than she wanted. Once again, she cursed the Goblin King.
Entering her room, she tossed her shoes into the closet and collapsed onto her bed, shoving her face in a pillow. This whole situation just pissed her off. "Think of Toby," she muttered into the plush pillow. "This is good for Toby. He doesn't have to grow up in foster care. But, is that any worse than the stupid, malicious Goblin King?"
She rolled over on her back and stared at the ceiling. She desperately wanted a book to read, but then she'd have to go back downstairs and get her bag, where, no doubt, Jareth would have something to say to her. Groaning, she pushed herself off of the bed and decided that she could always ignore him.
When she stepped out of her door, she stopped dead in her tracks. The door to her parent's bedroom was right across from hers, and it was ajar. Slowly, she pushed it open, and for the first time in months, Sarah went into their bedroom.
She was hit by a blast of cold, musty air. The room had been left untouched, so everything was the same. The curtains were closed, casting the room in shadows. Her heart throbbed painfully, and she was suddenly very dizzy, so she sat down on the edge of the large, white bed. The room was cold, and extremely quiet. She stared at the wall, where a family portrait hung.
She must have sat there for at least ten minutes when she heard someone coming up the stairs. Toby usually ran up them, so it must've been him. "Sarah," Jareth called. "Toby's downstairs watching a television show, and I was wondering if you wanted me to cook supper. Sarah?" He stopped outside of the door, peering into the dark room. She didn't move; didn't take her eyes off of the portrait. "Oh, Sarah," he said softly, quietly walking over to her.
She finally looked up at him, all annoyance that she felt towards him gone. Now, she was numb. He hesitated, then carefully sat down beside her and took her hands. She didn't even pull away.
"My parents," she said, her voice cracking. "I haven't been in here since the night they died." She realized dully that he wasn't even wearing gloves, and that his hands were warm.
"Shh," he said quietly. "I understand, love. You don't have to talk."
So, they sat there in silence. No birds sang, they didn't talk, and she didn't even cry. Jareth held Sarah's hands, and she stared at the ground. Everything was silent.