A/N: I do not own Labyrinth. It belongs to the Jim Henson Company.

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The Lost and the Lonely

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"Sarah..."

"Sarah..?"

"Sarah, sweetheart, wake up..."

Sarah opened her eyes. Two blurry figures loomed above her. She blinked a few times, and the room came into focus. Her father and stepmother stood on either side of her bed, concern on both of their faces.

"Oh, thank god," Robert sighed.

"We were so worried!" Irene said, sitting beside her. She placed a cool hand on her forehead.

Sarah opened her dry mouth, and muttered, "What happened?"

"You passed out on the street this afternoon. Someone brought you home," Robert said.

"Who?" she asked, trying to sit up.

"Lay still, love. A Mr. Lutinroi, I believe," Irene said, gently pushing Sarah back onto the bed.

"Lutinroi?"

Robert nodded. "He said you came into his shop this afternoon, and passed out right after you left."

She thought for a moment. She remembered a small, dark room; a tall, elderly man, and then nothing.

"He was very concerned about you," said Irene, "He offered to stay with you, but we told him it wasn't necasary.

Sarah continued to wrack her brain for memories of the last few hours. She couldn't come up with anything, but something was bothering her a little bit: "Where's Toby? Is he all right?"

Her father looked confused. "He's fine. He's in his room..."

"Check on him! Some thing's not right!"

"Sarah sweetheart, he's fine..."

"CHECK!" she screeched. Irene jumped up, and hurried out of the room. She returned a moment later, the four year old boy tucked under her arm.

"Here he is, Sarah. Safe and sound," she said, setting him down. He jumped up onto the bed, and sat on Sarah's stomach.

"Are you okay now, Sarah?" he asked. Sarah smiled and nodded.

"I'm all right now, Tobes," she said, ruffling his hair. He grinned, and buried his face into her bosom. She embraced him tightly. She was relieved that he was safe, but something still felt off.

"All right, tyke, let's let Sarah rest," Robert said, lifting the boy, and carrying him out of the room, "How about we go out for dinner, just us guys?"

"YAY!!!" Toby squealed, throwing his arms around his father's neck. Irene chuckled, and placed a cold compress on Sarah's forehead.

"I'm glad you're all right, Sarah," she said softly, fluffing her pillows, "Why don't you rest a bit longer?"

Sarah nodded, and started to close her eyes, when something caught her attention. A flash seemed to ripple through the room. She shot back up, and looked around frantically.

"What's wrong now?" Irene asked. Sarah was confused. The sun seemed to be down outside, and she couldn't see anything in the room that would cause a flash like that.

"You didn't see that?" She demanded. Her stepmother looked around the room, looking bewildered.

"See what?"

That... flash... thing..." Sarah stammered, gesturing around the room, tracing the path the flash had taken. Irene looked concerned again. She lay Sarah back down, and pulled the blankets to her chin.

"Sarah sweetheart, I think I know what this is all about."

"You do?" It was Sarah's turn to be confused now.

"I think you're nervous. You're starting all over in a brand new place really soon. You're moving on with your life, and you're scared."

"Well yeah, but I'm not kidding Irene. I really saw something..." she began, until Irene placed a finger to her lips to silence her.

"I believe you, Sarah. I really do," she said, but Sarah could tell she didn't really. "Try to get some rest. You'll feel better in the morning. But you just remember: no matter where you go in life, no matter who you meet, or where you are, you will always be happy if you allow yourself to be." She said as she left the room, shutting off the light behind her.

Sarah rolled over, and removed the compress. She loved her family, really. But sometimes it just felt like they didn't really want to understand her. They seemed content to write off all her worries as growing pains and teen angst.

But still, she wouldn't trade them for anything. For all their annoying traits, they had equal parts endearing ones. Besides, she had learned her lesson about taking things for granted a long time ago...

She smiled, snuggled down into her bed, and drifted off to sleep, Irene's promise of a better day still ringing in her head.

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A/N: Holy Shit, I actually updated! Trust me, I'm as shocked as you are...

I bet you're confused right now, am I right? Well....

GOOD!!! MWAHAHAHA! (Sorry for the short chapter, btw. Next one will be longer, I swear!)

Thank you very much for reading. Please review. I appreciate the feedback.

I'll be updating again soon, I swear to god. In fact, I'm working on my next chapter of Lurking in the Shadows as you read this. Look for it in the next few days. Until then, thank you for reading.