Take me back

To

The Labyrinth

Chp 2: Brief home visit

I awoke the next morning to a rather frantic Sir Didymus.
"My Lady!" He squawked. I sat up in bed.
"What is it, Didymus?" I groaned, looking at the fox-goblin with bleary eyes.
"It's your family, my Lady!" Didymus cried. My eyes widened.
"What about my family, Didymus?" I asked. A goblin arrived at the door.
"Ms. Williams" He said. I looked at him.
"Yes?" I asked.
"The King has requested your presence in the throne room" He said. I sighed.
"Tell him I'll be there in 5 minutes" I said, getting out of bed.
"Out, Didymus. You can tell me later" I said, guiding the frantic fox goblin out of my room and slamming the door shut. I turned to my wardrobe and opened it. I picked out a black dress with long deep red sleeves. I then got changed into it. I passed the mirror and stared. Sighing, I picked up a hair brush and pulled a brush through my bed-headed hair. Happy with it, I slipped on a pair of pumps, then opened the door and made my way down to the throne room. Jareth was waiting there for me.
"You wanted to see me?" I asked, curtseying. Jareth stood and walked over to me.
"Sarah, your family have realised that you are missing" He said. I blinked.
"But I've only been gone a day" I said.
"A day here is about a week in the human world" Jareth said.
"Wh-what?" I asked, my eyes wide.
"How do you think we stay so young looking, Sarah?" Jareth asked.
"I suppose…" I murmured.
"As I was saying, they've realised that you're missing. They're awfully worried" Jareth continued.
"What do you expect me to do about it?" I asked, a note of steel in my voice.
"I think you should go back up there and re-assure them" He said.
"And say what? "Oh, don't worry about me. I'm staying with the King of the Goblins in a place known as the Underground and I'm surrounded by Goblins and faeries". Jareth, they'll throw me in a Loony bin quicker than I can say goblin!" I cried. Jareth raised an eyebrow.
"What is a loony bin?" He asked. I sighed.
"It's a place where insane people go. People who claim to be abducted by aliens and claim that they can see Goblins and faeries and stuff" I said.
"Oh. Well, that could pose quite a problem, then. Perhaps you should just tell them that you're safe and sound, that you're being looked after" He said. I glowered up at him.
"Fine, but if they throw me in the loony bin, I'm holding you responsible" I warned. Jareth looked away for a moment. He then looked back at me, and I could almost see the metaphorical light bulb light up above his head. He conjured up a necklace. It was the Goblin monarchy symbol.
"Wear this. It'll allow you to shape shift into your inner creature" He said.
"Inner creature?" I asked. Jareth slipped the pendant over my head, allowing it to rest on my chest.
"Yes, inner creature. Mine is the owl" He said. I mouthed an "oh". He leaned down and caught my lips with his in a gentle kiss. Slowly, almost regretfully, he pulled away.
"Be safe, Sarah" He whispered.
"I will. I promise" I replied.
"Close your eyes, my love" He said. I did. I felt the air change. I opened my eyes. I was standing a few blocks away from my house, in the park where'd I'd spent so long reciting lines from "The Labyrinth". I looked down, I was back in my normal clothing. My peasant shirt, riding trousers and a pair of black leather boots. Over my shirt was my waistcoat.
"Transform into your animal, Sarah. That way you won't be recognised before you reach your home" Said a familiar voice in my mind. I looked around and saw a barn owl sitting in the tree above me. It bobbed it's head at me and I smiled. I closed my eyes and took a hold of the pendant.
"Transform. Let me transform into the animal that resides within my soul" I thought to myself. Then the pain hit me. I fell to my knees as the pain wracked my body. I groaned as I felt my bones bend and change unnaturally. I felt pin pricks all over my skin, rather like pins and needles. It seemed like forever before the pain finally stopped. I opened my eyes. The world looked strange.
"The Hell?" I thought to myself. I looked down and saw that I had paws. Wait, paws?
"Yes, Sarah. Paws. You're a cat, my precious thing" Came Jareths' voice in my mind. I mentally snorted. The Owl and the Cat. How blooming convenient….
"Please tell me I won't be naked when I change back" I said inside my mind, knowing full well that Jareth could hear me.
"Don't worry. Changing back will be more fluid than changing into your animal. And no, you won't be naked when you change back" Jareth said.
I then made my way out the park and towards my house. I reached the house. Taking a quick look around to make sure nobody was looking, I changed back into my human form. I then ran up the stairs of my porch and opened the door. I entered the house.
"Dad? Irene?" I called. I heard the crash of plates and cringed. My dad and Irene ran into the hallway.
"Sarah!" My Dad cried, scooping me into a hug.
"Hi, Dad" I said as he let me go.
"Sarah, where have you been?" Irene asked.
"I've been with a friend, Irene. I just came back to tell you that I'm fine. I'm safe. And that I'm not staying here" I said.
"Well, where is this friend? Sarah, you're-" My Dad began, but I cut him off.
"18 years old, Dad, which means I can leave home and school at any time I wish to, and you can't do anything to stop me" I said, looking straight at my Dad.
"Sawah?" Came a voice. I turned and smiled. It was Toby, holding Lancelot the teddy bear and looking very tired. He was already 2, could you believe it.
"Hey, Squirt" I said, picking him up.
"Where has Sawah been? Has Sawah been wiff the Goblin King?" Toby asked.I smiled softly.
"Yes, Sarah's been with the Goblin King, and pretty soon, he's going to make me his Queen, and then you can come and visit us any time you want" I said. Toby giggled.
"Come on squirt. Off to bed" I said, taking him up the stairs and into his room. I laid him back in his cot. He began to drift off again.
"I promise I'll come and get you, squirt. I won't leave you here. You'll come and live with me and the Goblin King in his castle. I promise" I whispered. I leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead, before standing straight and leaving the room. I went back downstairs.

Dad and Irene were waiting for me.
"Why did you tell Toby that?" Irene asked rather stiffly.
"Because the kid has to believe in something, Irene" I said, looking straight at her. I saw her eyes narrow. There was no denying that we hated each other.
"Sarah, I don't think you should be filling Toby's head with nonsense. We don't want him to end up…." My Dad began, but I cut him off.
"End up like what? End up like me?" I asked bitterly.
"Yes. Believing in faeries and goblins and dwarfs. Nonsense" Irene said. I felt my temper flaring.
"Be careful, precious. Don't say anything you'll regret" I heard Jareth warn me. I took a couple of deep breaths.
"I'm leaving now, and don't expect me to come back" I said. With that, I turned on my heel and left the house. I didn't break down into tears until I reached the park. I leaned against the bridge, trying to calm myself down as the tears cascaded down my cheeks. I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder and new straight away who it was.
"Are you okay, Precious?" Came Jareths' gentle voice. I turned to face him and he pulled me into his arms.
"I gotta get Toby out of there" I whispered.
"We will, Precious. But now, we have to return home" Jareth said. I nodded, then closed my eyes.

Once again, I felt the air changing around me. When I opened my eyes, I noticed we were in Jareths' chambers. I looked up at Jareth. Without warning, he leaned down and slanted his mouth across mine. His tongue ran across my lips, and I opened them. His tongue slid in and began to explore my mouth. I moaned, and Jareth held me closer to him, kissing me hungrily. After what seemed an age, we slowly broke apart.
"I've been wanting to do that for a long time" Jareth whispered, his voice hoarse. I smiled up at him.
"Sarah, do you trust me?" He asked. I knew what he was talking about.
"Yes" I replied. He smiled.
He lifted me up into a bridal carry, then carried me over to the bed. He laid me down on it, and I stretched out like a cat.
Jareth grinned down at me.
"You keep that up, Miss Kitty, and this old owl won't be able to control himself" He said.
"Hmm, you may be forgetting that this kitty has claws, too, Mr. Owl" I countered. Jareth smiled and climbed on top of me.
"Then Miss Kitty may have to retract them so that Mr. Owl can play" He said, his voice hoarse.
"Bring it on then, Mr. Owl" I challenged playfully. Jareth leaned down and slanted his mouth across mine. I felt his fingers fumble with the buttons of my waistcoat, as my fingers unbuttoned his.
The tradition of slowly undressing one another was practically non-existent.
"Jareth" I said once we were undressed. He looked at me.
"Yes, Precious?" He asked.
"Please be gentle" I said. Jareth planted butterfly kisses on my lips.
"Of course, Precious" He whispered. He kissed me again.

I sure as Hell was never going to forget this night, because it was this very night that I would become a woman…

A/N: *clears throat* Well. Of course I could have gone so much farther with that, but then, it wouldn't be rated a T and I'd have to scare off the younger readers.
*Jareth appears behind me, looking over my shoulder at the screen*
OwlAndCat: You do realise that reading over someone's shoulder is extremly rude, right?
*Jareth grins at the content*
Jareth: You do realise that you could have gone so much farther with this, right.
OwlAndCat: *Glares at Jareth* Yes, I do. But I wanted it to be kept to a T rating so that people under the age of 17 could read it. I also left it there so that I coudl leave the rest up to the audiences imaginations.
Jareth: Very well, story teller. *Dissapears in a poof of smoke and glitter.
OwlAndCat: Ruddy Faeries..... *Looks at audience* There will be an update soon. Once I've gotten rid of writers block..... *Glares at the Goblin named Writers Block*