Sarah quietly tiptoed into her bedroom; reason one - she didn't want to
wake Toby. Reason two - she was supposed to be home six hours ago. She
held her breath as she shut the door silently, giving a sigh of relief that
she hadn't awaken her parents and tossing herself onto her bed. Xander was
everything she wanted - he was charming, handsome, generous... it was as if
he had just popped out of a dream. She wanted to have him forever and
ever...
Suddenly, a streak of white passed her window, and her heart skipped a beat. She was paralyzed, staring fearfully out the window for any more movement, but she didn't see anything. After a few minutes, she leaned cautiously towards the glass to see if there was something outside..
Oh please, please don't let it be an owl, she thought, scanning the dark sky and the ground for whatever had just passed by.
Maybe I was just imagining it, she thought again, after all - I haven't heard from anybody from that Labyrinthine world for a year now.. they've all forgotten about me by now...
Sarah laughed at herself, breathing again and dressing for bed; because even though she was too excited to be tired, she had to look as if she had been in her room all night. She jumped into bed, pulling the covers over herself and slowly drifting off to sleep. She was asleep before she could spot the snowy owl glance momentarily through her window before disappearing into the night sky.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Good morning Mom," Sarah greeted, hopping down the stairs to join her mother at the table for breakfast.
"Hello, dear," her mother answered, not returning the broad smile Sarah gave.
"What's wrong?" Sarah asked puzzled.
Her mom glared at her. "You know perfectly well what's wrong - I heard you outside - talking at 5:30 in the morning."
Sarah's face fell. "Um, I.."
"No excuses, young lady!" Sarah's mother said sternly. "You came home MUCH too late last night - did you expect to pull the wool over MY eyes?"
"I'm sorry?" Sarah tried.
"No, I'M sorry - but you have to be grounded," Sarah's mom said as she gasped.
"Mom! I have to talk to Xander!" Sarah objected.
"No phone, nothing! To your room!"
"But-"
"Room! Now!"
Sarah grumbled, storming up the stairs to her bedroom. What a wonderful morning this was - Xander was going to think she was avoiding him! She didn't want that!
Huffily, she slammed her door, jumping onto her bed and pounding on her pillow, screaming muted profanities into it.
Curiously, a small figure loomed in her doorway, then bouncing up and down shouted, "Sarah, Sarah!"
Sarah looked up from her pillow to see Toby, propped up against the door to stay standing and calling her name. "What is it, Toby?"
He ran over to her hopped into her lap, kissing her on the cheek. "Better!"
"Thank you, Tob' - but the only way I could feel better is if Xander were here," Sarah muttered.
"Xan - Xan-" Toby tried to say.
"XANDER," Sarah sounded out.
"Xand-XAN-" Toby said happily. Sarah sighed and hugged her brother.
"I think he means to say XANDER," a voice said.
"Yes, that's right," Sarah answered it without even thinking. Then she gasped and peered out her window to a figure standing below. "Xander?!" She said in disbelief. She smiled in amusement. "What are YOU doing here?"
"How come you didn't call?" He asked.
"I was grounded," Sarah said. "How lousy is that?"
Xander grinned. "Want to come to the park with me?"
"You know I have no way of getting past my parents!" Sarah laughed.
"Climb down the tree - don't worry - if you fall, I'll catch you," he said.
"Okay, my handsome prince," Sarah grinned, setting Toby to the ground. "Toby, if I give you a dollar, will you not tell Mom, please?"
"A dollar! A dollar!" Toby cried out.
Sarah grabbed the dollar from her dresser and stuffed it into Toby's hand before climbing silently out the window. She was so glad she wasn't wearing a dress - if she had been she was sure she wouldn't have made it to the tree. With little difficulty, Sarah was able to scramble onto the outstretched tree branch and shimmy down the big oak towards her boyfriend.
"If not more, there's no end to me!" Sarah giggled, throwing out her arms for Xander. He gave her a quick hug - and locking fingers together, the two strolled down the street towards the park.
"I'm sorry I got you grounded," Xander said as they walked.
"That's all right," Sarah answered, "That night was worth it."
They smiled at each other, but their dreamy thoughts were interrupted by an icy voice behind them.
"Sarah, you still surprise me with your child-like ignorance!"
Sarah froze and whipped around to face a tall man - with wild blonde hair and a crystal. He gave her a malicious smile as her eyes widened in fear.
"What are you doing here?!" She demanded of him frightfully.
"You shouldn't yell so, you'll cause a scene," he hissed back, his eyes turned to slits.
"No, you're not welcome here! Go back where you belong!" Sarah growled, closing her hand tighter onto Xander's.
"Who is he?" Xander whispered in his girlfriend's ear.
"He's not supposed to be here!" Sarah huffed, not taking her eyes from Jareth's haunting stare.
"Is that any way to speak to an old acquaintance?" Jareth asked coolly, shaking his head.
"Look, man - if Sarah doesn't want to talk to you, she doesn't have to!" Xander shouted offensively in the Goblin King's direction.
"Sarah WILL talk to me - but maybe in a more familiar environment," Jareth replied, his small grin growing wider.
"No - Xander, we're out of here," Sarah muttered, dragging her boyfriend away.
"What does he mean by a more familiar environment?" Xander wondered as he ran alongside Sarah.
"Nevermind," Sarah said, still jogging at her quick pace.
"You cannot run, Sarah," Jareth called after the two of them, still planted in the spot he had appeared in.
"Go away!" Sarah shouted, breaking into a heavy run with Xander closely following her, her boyfriend yelling behind him at Jareth about oppression and harassment.
Suddenly, the world began to spin, and no matter how much Sarah protested - Xander gasping in extraordinary wonder... the Labyrinth appeared, once again, around them.
A/N: Ooh... this sounds fun! I wanna go back to the Labyrinth! YAY! :) Thanks to my first five reviewers, you made my day!
Suddenly, a streak of white passed her window, and her heart skipped a beat. She was paralyzed, staring fearfully out the window for any more movement, but she didn't see anything. After a few minutes, she leaned cautiously towards the glass to see if there was something outside..
Oh please, please don't let it be an owl, she thought, scanning the dark sky and the ground for whatever had just passed by.
Maybe I was just imagining it, she thought again, after all - I haven't heard from anybody from that Labyrinthine world for a year now.. they've all forgotten about me by now...
Sarah laughed at herself, breathing again and dressing for bed; because even though she was too excited to be tired, she had to look as if she had been in her room all night. She jumped into bed, pulling the covers over herself and slowly drifting off to sleep. She was asleep before she could spot the snowy owl glance momentarily through her window before disappearing into the night sky.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Good morning Mom," Sarah greeted, hopping down the stairs to join her mother at the table for breakfast.
"Hello, dear," her mother answered, not returning the broad smile Sarah gave.
"What's wrong?" Sarah asked puzzled.
Her mom glared at her. "You know perfectly well what's wrong - I heard you outside - talking at 5:30 in the morning."
Sarah's face fell. "Um, I.."
"No excuses, young lady!" Sarah's mother said sternly. "You came home MUCH too late last night - did you expect to pull the wool over MY eyes?"
"I'm sorry?" Sarah tried.
"No, I'M sorry - but you have to be grounded," Sarah's mom said as she gasped.
"Mom! I have to talk to Xander!" Sarah objected.
"No phone, nothing! To your room!"
"But-"
"Room! Now!"
Sarah grumbled, storming up the stairs to her bedroom. What a wonderful morning this was - Xander was going to think she was avoiding him! She didn't want that!
Huffily, she slammed her door, jumping onto her bed and pounding on her pillow, screaming muted profanities into it.
Curiously, a small figure loomed in her doorway, then bouncing up and down shouted, "Sarah, Sarah!"
Sarah looked up from her pillow to see Toby, propped up against the door to stay standing and calling her name. "What is it, Toby?"
He ran over to her hopped into her lap, kissing her on the cheek. "Better!"
"Thank you, Tob' - but the only way I could feel better is if Xander were here," Sarah muttered.
"Xan - Xan-" Toby tried to say.
"XANDER," Sarah sounded out.
"Xand-XAN-" Toby said happily. Sarah sighed and hugged her brother.
"I think he means to say XANDER," a voice said.
"Yes, that's right," Sarah answered it without even thinking. Then she gasped and peered out her window to a figure standing below. "Xander?!" She said in disbelief. She smiled in amusement. "What are YOU doing here?"
"How come you didn't call?" He asked.
"I was grounded," Sarah said. "How lousy is that?"
Xander grinned. "Want to come to the park with me?"
"You know I have no way of getting past my parents!" Sarah laughed.
"Climb down the tree - don't worry - if you fall, I'll catch you," he said.
"Okay, my handsome prince," Sarah grinned, setting Toby to the ground. "Toby, if I give you a dollar, will you not tell Mom, please?"
"A dollar! A dollar!" Toby cried out.
Sarah grabbed the dollar from her dresser and stuffed it into Toby's hand before climbing silently out the window. She was so glad she wasn't wearing a dress - if she had been she was sure she wouldn't have made it to the tree. With little difficulty, Sarah was able to scramble onto the outstretched tree branch and shimmy down the big oak towards her boyfriend.
"If not more, there's no end to me!" Sarah giggled, throwing out her arms for Xander. He gave her a quick hug - and locking fingers together, the two strolled down the street towards the park.
"I'm sorry I got you grounded," Xander said as they walked.
"That's all right," Sarah answered, "That night was worth it."
They smiled at each other, but their dreamy thoughts were interrupted by an icy voice behind them.
"Sarah, you still surprise me with your child-like ignorance!"
Sarah froze and whipped around to face a tall man - with wild blonde hair and a crystal. He gave her a malicious smile as her eyes widened in fear.
"What are you doing here?!" She demanded of him frightfully.
"You shouldn't yell so, you'll cause a scene," he hissed back, his eyes turned to slits.
"No, you're not welcome here! Go back where you belong!" Sarah growled, closing her hand tighter onto Xander's.
"Who is he?" Xander whispered in his girlfriend's ear.
"He's not supposed to be here!" Sarah huffed, not taking her eyes from Jareth's haunting stare.
"Is that any way to speak to an old acquaintance?" Jareth asked coolly, shaking his head.
"Look, man - if Sarah doesn't want to talk to you, she doesn't have to!" Xander shouted offensively in the Goblin King's direction.
"Sarah WILL talk to me - but maybe in a more familiar environment," Jareth replied, his small grin growing wider.
"No - Xander, we're out of here," Sarah muttered, dragging her boyfriend away.
"What does he mean by a more familiar environment?" Xander wondered as he ran alongside Sarah.
"Nevermind," Sarah said, still jogging at her quick pace.
"You cannot run, Sarah," Jareth called after the two of them, still planted in the spot he had appeared in.
"Go away!" Sarah shouted, breaking into a heavy run with Xander closely following her, her boyfriend yelling behind him at Jareth about oppression and harassment.
Suddenly, the world began to spin, and no matter how much Sarah protested - Xander gasping in extraordinary wonder... the Labyrinth appeared, once again, around them.
A/N: Ooh... this sounds fun! I wanna go back to the Labyrinth! YAY! :) Thanks to my first five reviewers, you made my day!
