Author's note:OOOH! I got some REALLY great reviews for that first chapter! So of course, I must kiss a little ass. ^_^
LydiaLovegood ~ Thank you for your input, I always like specifics when being told what someone liked about my work. (And I promise, No wussy King!)
I'Like'Cheetos~ WOW! You get an A++ for super enthusiasm. Your review made me sooooo happy! (I even liked how you found me on TWO websites.) He he, I've been applauded…WOOT! (P.s, I too, am fond of Cheetos.)
Katie~ You rock 'cuz you noticed my structure. I work hard to create a well rounded story that flows evenly and is easy to follow. So kudos to you Katie.
Ok, enough rump smooching, on with the fic! Enjoy, and as always, read and review, my fellow Labyrinth loving homies!
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After that night, Sarah was not woken up in the middle of the night again, and she quickly forgot about it in her hectic day to day life. Her job took up a great deal of her time and concentration.
Sarah, who had been a theatre major in college, was one of the single most valued employees of the theatre company she worked for. The founder and sole owner Mitch Erikson had actually been a classmate of Sarah's. Both she and Mitch had grown up right here in New York, and at the moment the company was doing very well on Broadway.
Mitch often referred to Sarah as the company's all star. Sarah was a professional hair and make-up stylist, as well as a costume designer. If need be, Sarah also made costume alterations, and assisted in making certain stage props. Sarah also occasionally acted as a stage musician, playing guitar whenever the company's main guitarist was unable to perform.
It was also not unheard of for Sarah to do a bit of acting, herself. She was quite good, and picked things up very quickly. Mitch nearly always offered her the lead female role in a play before approaching anyone else on the off chance she would agree.
Sarah had her suspicions that Mitch was incredibly close to offering Sarah a partnership in the company, if nothing else, to keep her away from being lured away by tempting offers from rival companies who kill to have someone of Sarah's talent. This particular topic was the hot topic of the evening, as the three other hair and make-up artists, Nikki, Amber and Maria, insisted on interrogating her.
"Sarah, are you really thinking this through? I know Mitch thinks the world of you as an employee, but unfortunately, he also thinks that you are smart, talented, sexy, and very single." Nikki, the hair stylist, said as she teased the hair of the young brunette actor in front of her with a hair pick. Amber finished reapplying a smudged mole and quickly joined in the conversation.
"Yeah Sarah, I'm not so sure that Mitch is the kind of guy who can keep business and pleasure separated. What if Mitch thinks that if you accept, it gives him the right to be all over you?"
Sarah Looked up from the face of the woman she was applying a thick layer of foundation to.
"I know that guys, but…I don't know, maybe that's not the worst thing in the world. It's not like he a bad guy or anything, so what's the harm in giving him a chance?"
Just as Sarah finished speaking, a stage hand named Eric came running into the dressing room to give everyone a five minute warning. The girls finished touching up the actors as the intermission came to a close, and the actors ran to stand behind the curtain, waiting for their cues.
Sarah turned to see Maria staring open mouthed at her, with her hands on her hips.
"Are you kidding me? Sarah, honey, if you think that Mitch Erikson is the best that you can do, then you are defiantly coming to the club with us tonight."
"Besides Sarah," Amber piped in. "don't you see what a slippery slope you're about to walk down? I mean, I know it's none of our business, but there are just so many ways that this can end very badly for you. Mitch is not the kind of guy who can just forgive and forget you know what I mean?"
Unfortunately, Sarah did know what Amber meant. There was an actor who worked for the company about three years ago who decided to skip out of the contract he had signed with Mitch to work for a more prestigious company, and Mitch had not responded very well. He had made sure that the actor was not only denied a position in the company he had left them for, but ensured that no other company would hire him either. It wasn't even that difficult for him to do, because not a lot of companies wanted to risk hiring an employee who had a history of breaking contracts.
Sarah was silent for a long moment, carefully considering her friends words. She knew that their main concern was that they didn't want Sarah to get hurt. However, ironically enough, that was the last thing that Sarah was worried about. She knew that no matter what happened that she wouldn't get hurt, because she didn't care for Mitch.
She didn't feel anything for Mitch, just like she hadn't felt anything for Steve, or Paul, or Will. All of the relationships she had been in had ended before they had really began, because no matter how hard she tried she just couldn't seem to warm up to the men she had dated.
Sarah hated to give up on love, and Mitch really was a good guy, and would treat her well. He clearly cared about her a great deal. She could only hope that if things between them, that Mitch wouldn't hold it against her at work.
At that thought Sarah mentally berated herself. Well if you're that worried that he'll hold it against you, then why the hell are you going to risk your job over a guy you know you don't even like? Sarah didn't have an answer to her own question.
Nikki noticed that Sarah had fallen into a thoughtful silence, and took the opportunity to drag Sarah's hand and drag her into the wardrobe department.
"Nikki, what are you doing?" Sarah asked as Nikki began to search the racks of clothing excitedly.
"You, Sarah Williams, are going to the club with us tonight whether you want to or not. You need to realize just how much better then Mitch you can do. Sorry Sarah, but as your friend, I just can't let you settle for him."
Sarah let out a long sigh, and noticed out of the corner of her eye that Amber and Maria were now huddled around the doorway, watching intently for her reaction. Sarah was just about to refuse to go, just like she always did, until she saw the looks of their faces. The excited, hopeful looks they were giving her finally broke her resolve.
With a roll of her eyes, Sarah finally gave in. "Aaagh, Fine! Alright, I'll go. Happy now?" she asked rhetorically, but was answered with an ear piercing squeal from Amber and Maria, who ambushed her with an excited, bouncy hug.
Sarah looked back to the clothing rack, where Nikki still stood searching for something for Sarah to where. She hadn't even noticed that Sarah had very nearly refused to accompany them tonight. Then Sarah remembered that this was Nikki she was dealing with, and Nikki would have gotten her to go even if she had to throw her in the trunk of a car to do so. Amber and Nikki followed Sarah's gaze, and suddenly decided that Nikki needed a hand in deciding what Sarah was going to ware.
Sarah sat down, knowing that she wasn't going to have any say in anything about her appearance tonight. With Nikki, Amber and Maria, she often found herself being used as a "my- size" Barbie doll. Thankfully though, her friends were very experienced when it came to fashion, so she always looked great, even if the clothes they dressed her in were a bit out of her comfort zone.
After a few moments, Sarah wondered to the back stage area where she could see the performance from behind the curtain. It had just ended and the actors and actresses were beginning to gather for curtain call. Shortly after that the theatre began to empty out and all of the performers rushed into the dressing room to get ready to go home.
Sarah took a seat by an unoccupied vanity mirror to wait, and was immediately joined by Maria, who began to paint her nails. A few moments later Mitch came
Strolling in, looking very pleased. "Great job everyone! Congratulations on another flawless performance. I want to thank all of the performers for their hard work, and also the crews for making this production run smoothly." he said, his eyes lingering on Sarah, in what you could tell he thought to be a subtle manor. Maria glared meaningfully at Sarah over her hand in an "I told you" so manor.
Everyone in the room cheered loudly, still revved up from the electric energy from the performance. Mitch strolled through the room for a while, watching as the people in from of him melted from high class Victorian dress to an assortment of tee shirts and jeans. The room began to empty quickly, and Nikki was watching Mitch closely out of the corner of her eye. He was far to busy trying to not stare at Sarah to pay her much attention though.
Sarah could tell by Nikki's body language that she was not happy about something. Then her face broke out in a wide smile. "Hey boss," Nikki called a little louder then necessary. "The four of us are going out tonight; you don't mind if Sarah borrows a few things from wardrobe do you?"
You could see Mitch's face practically deflate, and it suddenly all became clear. The reason Mitch was lingering in the dressing room was now obvious, as was the reason Nikki seemed antsy. She didn't like people trying to spoil her fun, and Mitch trying to ask Sarah out would have defiantly done so. The lingering look of disappointment he gave her as he tried to compose his features said it all.
"No, not at all, they finally managed to bully you into going with them huh Sarah?" Mitch said, embarrassed at his lame excuse to talk to her.
"Yeah, they can be pretty persistent."
Nikki signaled the end of the conversation, by grabbing a curling iron with one hand, and a chunk of Sarah's hair in the other. Mitch correctly interpreted that as his cue to leave. "Well, I'm headed home then. I'll see you guys in a couple of days ok?"
"Bye Mitch!" Amber, Nikki and Maria said in a sing-song voice, while Sarah was prevented from speaking due to the tight grip on her hair. As soon as Mitch left Maria burst out laughing, and Amber and Nikki exchanged a high five over Sarah's head. "Nice save Nikki, we almost lost her there." Amber giggled. Sarah simply could not stop the laugh from escaping her lips as she caught a glimpse at the smug look on Nikki's face. She really did have great friends.
Almost an hour later, the girls had deemed Sarah primped and polished enough to go out. Her long dark brown hair had been tightly curled and generously coated with various hair products, and was now almost down to her tailbone, She had been dressed in a black, backless halter top that was tied onto her with only a black cord near her waist.
The girls had also forced her into what had to be the tightest pair of dark blue, low riding jeans she had ever worn. They hugged her every curve shamelessly, with not an inch of spare fabric anywhere to be found. The look was completed with a pair of black leather ankle boots with a three inch stiletto heel.
Her make-up had been done in a darkly mysterious way. One of the perks when working in the theatre business was that you knew how to make people think whatever you wanted them to. Her eyes were done with a smoky look and were rimmed in a heavy amount of eyeliner. The effect was dazzling making her bright green eyes sparkle and pop in contrast.
A faint dash of blush added a bit of color to her pale white cheeks, and crimson lips put a bright red bow on the package. Sarah was, with out a doubt, drop dead gorgeous. Her friends certainly earned their paychecks.
After the girls had finished hurriedly dressing themselves, the cab pulled up to the club about forty five minutes later. Sarah was already beginning to regret agreeing to come along. However, she knew that that now that they had her here, there was absolutely no escaping until he girls decided it was time to leave. Due to the fact that New York was the city that never slept, chances were good that they could be here for an obscenely long time.
The girls got waved through by the doorman with no problem, while several not so lucky people behind them loudly voiced their displeasure. As soon as they sat down at the bar, Sarah remembered why she had always refused to come along when ever she had been invited. A group of guys on the other side of the bar were eying her with appreciative grins. They began the old elbowing, head nodding, and leering routine. One man with oily black hair leaned closer to his buddies and began speaking animatedly.
The other men in the group broke out in wide grins and nodded their heads, undoubted giving the man encouragement to go over and speak to her. Without giving it much thought, Sarah quickly got the bartenders attention, and ordered a soda with a lemon wedge. A moment later, the bartender handed Sarah her drink. Just as Sarah took a sip, the man with oily black hair appeared at her side.
"Hey beautiful," he began cleverly. "Can I buy you a drink?" Sarah arranged her features in, what she hoped, was an apologetic expression. However, she actually felt slightly victorious as she raised her glass. "Thanks, but I've got one right here. Sorry." The man nodded his head, realizing that he had just been rejected and returned to his friends at the bar.
Sarah turned back to her drink with a smile, and out of the corner of her eye, noticed Amber, Nikki, and Maria all staring at her. "What?" She asked defensively. Nikki looked exasperatedly at the man Sarah had just shot down. "What the hell was wrong with him?" She asked, nearly whining.
Sarah followed Nikki's gaze back to the oily haired man, who was now ordering another round of liquid courage. Sarah made a face and wrinkled her nose as though she smelled something unpleasant.
"I don't know Nick, he was just so… blagh!" The girls were silent for so long, that Sarah had to turn and look to make sure that they were still there. They hadn't left, but they were now looking at her as though they thought she was psychotic.
"Sarah, do you have any idea how insane you sound? I mean, you can't use random noises as a reason for rejecting a guy." Sarah was distracted from her lecture when a guy with spiky, chocolate brown hair asked her to dance. Sarah thanked the man, but gestured to her boots and claimed that they were killing her.
As the man disappeared back onto the dance floor, Sarah heard Amber sigh loudly. "You're going to do this all night, aren't you? It doesn't even matter who it is, you're not even gong to give a guy a chance."
Sarah turned back to her drink. What was she supposed to say? There was usually nothing truly wrong with any of the men who approached her, but her first instinct was always to push them away. No matter who she met, there was jut never anything that peak her interest, no pull, no attraction.
It was then that Maria decided to join in. "C'mon guys, ease up on her will ya? Maybe…" she paused awkwardly, searching for the right words. "Maybe guys just aren't Sarah's style." Now it was Maria's turn to be stared at by everyone as though she were insane. Sarah broke out laughing. "Thank you for trying to keep an open mind Maria, but I'm really not gay."
Everyone started laughing then, and Nikki ordered another round of drinks for everyone. The girls then left Sarah alone about guys, and just decided to enjoy her company. A little over an hour later, they lost Nikki to the presence of a tall, Hispanic male. Chances were good, that they wouldn't see her for the rest of the night.
After a few drinks, Sarah began to loosen up a bit. The club was one of her favorites because they played good music. Hard rock was her favorite, and this club played some of her favorite bands. For a while Sarah was even able to forget that half the Guys in the club were staring at her, and made her way to the dance floor. She let the music control her movements, and even danced with a few guys.
When Sarah returned to the bar, Amber "helpfully" pointed out that all the men she had danced with were tall, blue-eyed blondes and that maybe that was her 'type'. Sarah refused to dance with anyone else for the rest of the night, utterly disgusted with herself.
By the time four am rolled around, Maria had disappeared in the company of a tall dark someone, and Sarah had accumulated large confetti like mass of men's phone numbers. Amber finally called a cab and she and Sarah headed home.
When Sarah finally crawled into bed she had a hard time falling asleep, even though she was completely exhausted. Sarah had been having nightmares again, and they only seemed to be getting worse. She didn't know why she was having them now when she hadn't had any at all in over five years.
Her dreams usually revolved around the tall, blue eyed blonde who had started it all, as well as the other friends she had left behind in the Labyrinth. She couldn't usually remember any details, just thoughts and feelings. Mostly there was the feeling of being pulled. Someone calling her, and the feeling that someone she cared for was hurting and needed her help. She always woke up with the heart wrenching feeling of utter helplessness and frustration at not being able to get to the people who needed her.
Her mind kept going over the memories of her youth, her struggle to save her brother, and the greatest adventure of her whole life. Finally, as the sun began to peek over the horizon, flooding her bedroom with sunlight, sleep took her.