AN: Whoo! I made it to a second chapter! Things are going slow but at least they're going.

Chapter 2

Toby Williams woke to the smells of his favorite breakfast. Scrambling out of bed he rushed to put on his clothes and comb his wild tangled hair. Frowning at a stubborn tuft of hair that would not stay down he shrugged and headed towards the kitchen. His big sister always fussed over his hair never sitting down right, but it didn't bother him, and as long as it was clean Sarah would be satisfied enough.

He stopped at the end of the hall and peered into the cramped kitchen; Sarah was humming a strange tune and flipping a fluffy golden pancake onto a plate of towering flapjacks. Scanning the limited counter-space Toby could make out the fixing for all of his favorites; extra crispy maple flavored bacon strips, scrambled eggs, and hash browns. The sight and smell of it all caused his mouth to start watering and his stomach to grumble.

Turning to the sound of his stomach growling, Sarah smiled at the hungry look on Toby's face, he was practically licking his chops.

"Happy Birthday, Kido!" She sang out, throwing her arms out wide, the spatula still clutched in her right hand.

"Thanks, Sarah," Toby said his eyes never leaving the heaping pile of bacon strips.

"Alright, let's discuss our plans for today. I know you're hungry and I promise you'll get to eat soon so please don't devour the sofa, but," and here she saw his face fall, "we're not eating here. David has invited us over so that's why I am making extras. If you would be so kind to grab that plate of hash browns and we'll start moving this over to his place."

Toby nodded in consent. Waiting for Sarah to grab the pancakes and move out of the kitchen he made his way to the large serving platter of hash browns. It was heavy, but determined to act his age and not complain he gritted his teeth and made to follow Sarah outside.

Luckily their neighbor David was only across the hall. He watched worriedly as Sarah balanced the plate of pancakes on one hip so she could knock on the door, the precious meal tipping at a dangerous angle. He was sure the whole platter would go crashing down but Sarah had more trust in her balancing skills. She knocked three times and secured the pancakes once more.

When the door opened Toby went to immediately barge in, only to come face to back with Sarah. Looking up to see why his sister wasn't moving he saw a tall man with long blonde hair standing in the doorway of David's apartment. Something seemed familiar about the stranger but Toby couldn't seem to remember whether or not he knew them. Toby didn't know a lot of people in New York outside of his classmates and a few of Sarah's friends. He looked to his big sister to see if she knew him.

But Sarah was just standing there, her mouth hanging slightly open. So, if Sarah didn't know him then who was he? He got his answer soon as the familiar voice of David rang from somewhere in the apartment.

"Jared, is that Sarah at the door? She's supposed to be bringing her little brother over for breakfast."

So the stranger's name was Jared. Hearing her neighbor's voice seemed to snap Sarah out of her daze and she began mumbling apologies.

"It's no problem," the man named Jared replied with a weird accent, "No doubt you were expecting David and not some stranger to answer the door."

"Oh, um," Sarah stumbled, Toby had to smile at his sisters awkward communication skills, "Yeah, sorry I didn't know David had company."

The man stood aside and made a sweeping gesture with his hands, something Toby had only seen done by fancy hotel bellhops and in movies. Sarah seemed to take particular interest in watching where she was stepping as she entered the apartment. Toby followed silently still watching the man at the door.

The man seemed to watch Sarah carefully while she moved to put the plates on David's kitchen table. Then when she turned to take the platter from Toby Jared's eyes quickly looked away and down to Toby who was smiling at the pair's obvious attempts to not look each other in the eye.

Keeping his focus on the man who was now looking down curiously at Toby, he stuck out his hand and said, "Hello, my name's Toby Williams."

Something seemed to pass over the man's face as he looked down; it was almost like he was sad for a second, but then it was gone and replaced by a brilliant smile.

"Hullo, Toby it's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard so much about you. I'm Jared, Jared King."

-x-

Sarah sat at the small round kitchen table with the palm of her hands pressing into her eye-lids. She barely registered the shift of a figure looming beside her followed a clunking sound and then the scraping of a chair being pulled out. Only when a cold hand reached out and touched her forehead did she look up. Sitting beside her was the first friend she had made after moving to New York.

"What do you want?" she managed to say through gritted teeth.

David just looked towards the living room where a smiling Toby was watching Jared twirl and balance a small clear orb. Every now and then Jared would make the orb disappear causing Toby to look around the room in amazement trying to figure out where it went. Jared in turn was having a great time laughing as Toby kept exclaiming, "How did you do that?"

David turned back to Sarah who too was watching with a scowl etched into her otherwise flawless face. "I don't understand why you dislike him so much, you two only just met."

Here Sarah's face smoothed out once more as she looked at David, "I don't understand it either really. He just gets under my skin somehow." And putting on her best British accent proclaimed, "'Oh how delectable.' Who in their right mind talks like that. And! He's hogging all of my Toby-time."

David rolled his eyes at her poor attempt of imitation. "So you're jealous, is that it?"

"No!"

She watched him raise a finely groomed eyebrow.

"Okay, maybe." Sarah really couldn't explain it. From the moment she first laid eyes on Jared King her emotions had confused her. First there was the startle of seeing a stranger standing where her friend should have been. Startle grew to wonder as she stared, mouth agape, at what was hands down the most beautiful man she had ever seen. He was about a foot taller than she was with blonde-almost-white hair tied in a loose band to hang down past his shoulders. Sarah was used to seeing the pale skin of the city-dwellers, but somehow his complexion was different, it seemed almost to glow from the inside out.

She didn't know how long she stared into his clear blue eyes until she heard David's voice coming from somewhere down the hall inside the apartment. Snapping her mouth shut, wonder quickly morphed into mortification at being caught staring at some stranger like he was some sort of god. She stayed in that state for the longest of all the other emotions. She felt herself moving in auto drive, nodding while David introduced everyone, shuffling back and forth between her apartment and David's delivering food, mumbling a decline when Jared offered to help, and slowly chewing each bite as they sat to eat breakfast; hers eyes not once leaving her feet or her plate.

Toby, she was, somewhat, happy to admit had no problem making friends with the strange man. He rattled on about school and their plans for his eighth birthday and how much fun it was to ride the subway with his sister. Jared in turn would comment on how he understood Toby's excitement at being in a new world as he was very far from home himself, but for every sentence Jared spoke Toby had ten to respond with. If she let herself pay close enough attention Sarah would have acknowledged that Toby was much more talkative and open with this stranger than he was with anyone else, including her. The thought that some stranger could spend five minutes with her little brother and earn his confidence was unnerving to Sarah and as the conversation between the two continued to grow so did Sarah's level of agitation.

So when Jared turned to her and said, "Sarah, this breakfast is delectable." Sarah had snapped her head and staring him down replied, "Oh, I'm sure you could have done better." David had turned to Sarah appalled his eyes silently telling her to mind her manners. Ducking her head once more to stare into her eggs Sarah caught the slight upper tilt of Jared's lips, fueling her agitation into full blown anger.

There she remained until David forced a hot cup of coffee into her hands demanding she "drink up."

"It's just not fa-, it's… I just. Damn it David I'm mad and I don't know why?" Sarah pushed the coffee away, knowing all too well that caffeine wouldn't help settle her nerves.

In truth Sarah had some idea because along with the rainbow of emotions was the nagging sense that she knew Jared from somewhere.

I think he pissed me off in a past life.

Sighing Sarah looked into David's eyes. He wore the model expression of concern and care. Taking one of her hands in his he asked the question she had been avoiding since she had pounded on his door a year and a half ago.

"Does this have anything to do with your parent's?"

Sarah looked down at the wood grain of David's kitchen table; for some reason that was still a sore subject for Sarah to discuss. Clarice knew but only because she had been there the night Sarah found out about the accident. She knew David deserved to hear the reason why Sarah asked him not to bring up Robert and Irene Williams around Toby. Respecting Sarah's wishes David kept his curiosity to himself, but she knew he saw the sad look in her eyes when she got letters from Toby's school announcing PTA meetings. He knew something bad had happened, something bad enough that Toby was sent to live with his older sister.

Still unable to give him all of the details she simply stated, "This is his second birthday without his parents. The first year was so hard. Toby was just coming to terms with the whole thing I didn't know how to make him happy. I tried everything. He's really changed a lot since then, he's not as sad anymore, but this," she pointed to the living room where Jared had just pulled a coin from behind Toby's ear, "I have never seen Toby smile and laugh this much since we moved here."

David looked to where Sarah had pointed. It was true; he had never seen the quiet well-mannered boy have this much fun. It was understandable that Sarah would be upset.

"Look Sarah, I have to apologize. Jared's a cousin of sorts and he's just staying for a few weeks. I kind of invited him to go celebrate with us. I didn't want him to be alone in the city his first day here."

Sarah laid her head on the table, the cool wood on her forehead stifling more agitated emotions.

A whole day with this guy? Can I survive it?

You could always refuse to let him come along.

And look like a bitch, I think not.

You were doing a good job at that already during breakfast.

Oh shove it.

Shaking the conversation with herself from her head she looked back up. Toby was now showing Jared a card trick one of his classmates had shown to him. She watched as Toby fanned out the deck of cards, this was a trick Sarah had become very familiar with over the last month as it was the only real trick Toby knew. Jared pointed to the card he wanted and Sarah watched as Toby's face scrunched up in concentration as he started to shuffle the deck. Shuffling was difficult for him but she had been practicing with him and he was getting much better. While be busied himself getting the trick set up Jared looked up and caught Sarah's eye. The feeling that she knew him came back with a vengeance. His didn't smile or say anything, simply looked back at her as she was looking at him. Sarah looked away first her concentration broken by a subtle cough from David. She turned to look back at Jared but his attention was once again turned to Toby.

"So, you don't hate me right?" sounded David's soft voice.

"No, David I don't hate you, just ask me first next time."

"So he can come with us?"

Sarah laughed at his excited tone, since meeting David she felt she was taking care of two boys instead of one. "Yes, he can come with us."

-x-

The man in the living room smiled down at the shaggy blonde hair that wouldn't be tamed. Toby was absorbing the "magic" tricks Jared had been showing him like a sponge. He wanted nothing more than to take the young boy by the hand and show him what real magic was, but it was too soon for that.

With the boy distracted by the deck of cards he looked up to find the enchanting hazel-green gaze of Sarah staring at him, but it wasn't the same glare she had been sending his way earlier. Now she concentrated on him as if trying to figure out a mathematical equation. He saw now that she truly did not remember him, consciously at least. He had hoped that first moment in the hall would spark her memory. He would even admit that when he saw that she would not respond to him he thought she was acting and had a spark of hope when she lashed out at him over breakfast. But looking back into her curious eyes he could see the confusion and the wonder. His Sarah Williams would not act this way.

When she looked away he continued to study her. Closer now that he was last night he could really see the beautiful woman she had grown to be. She appeared more comfortable in her skin than she had nearly seven years ago. In the Underground time strolled on lazily and leisurely. One year there was four years Aboveground, so while seven years had come and for Sarah, he had only experience a year and a half. And yet it amazed him so little time could have passed. She had barely been more than a child when he had first held her in his arms, their lips inches apart. Could she have matured in so little of time?

Yes, he thought to himself, knowing the hardships she has faced in the last two years. And he knew also, that if he could not somehow take her back, she would not survive the hardships to come.

He brought his attention back to the card trick Toby was showing him, smiling down at the boy's smug look of satisfaction. Yet while he kept his eyes on the cards he kept his ears on the conversation between Sarah and his "cousin."

"Clarice will be coming with us won't she? I've been looking forward to her meeting Jared."

"Yes, she will in fact. She's meeting us at the park with the cake. Why would you want them to meet Clarice isn't exactly-"

"I know, but it will do the girl some good to know more people, plus I know for a fact she and J will hit it off. And if she's making that cake herself they will definitely be friends if not 'more than friends.'"

The man they were discussing looked up when Sarah began laughing. There was obviously some inside joke about cake, but he was more interested in this Clarice his "cousin" was referring to. If she was the same girl from the night before he hardly had any interest in her. David knew Sarah was the only woman he was interested in.

He was slightly rewarded when Sarah began to look jealous once more, he could ignore than she was probably more worried about him stealing her best-friend and that opposite. But either way it meant she was reacting towards him. He began to see the perfect opportunity to give Sarah the extra pushes she needed towards remembering her time in the Labyrinth. He would give his "cousin" credit for this scheme when they were alone.

He noticed Toby was beginning to fidget. They had moved on from card tricks to card games but the young boy wasn't committed to the game. He understood why when Sarah stood up and walked over to them.

"It's time to go, Kido. Ready to celebrate your birthday for real?"

Toby in answer shot from the floor and smiled up at his sister. Sarah wrapped a protective arm around him and led him to the front door, David in tow. Stopping to look over her shoulder at him she gave him a small smile and asked, "Well Jared? Are you coming or not?"

Keeping the Cheshire-like grin from his face he simply nodded and headed to the door. Now the fun began.

AN: So you've met "Jared." The mysteries start building. How exactly is David related to "Jared" and what is so wonderful about Clarice's cake?