DISCLAIMER: Labyrinth, and the characters associated with the film are property of the Jim Henson Company. It's sad, but they aren't mine to keep forever and ever – just to borrow for a bit. ;)
Jareth could feel the wheels of fate turning. He smirked. Who'd have thought that fate would be on his side for once? Sarah was boarding her plane home, to the very place where they had met. It was truly only a matter of time. He figured that with a gentle suggestion to say the words, Sarah would again enter his world. However, he would have four days in which to hear her to say the words. He could be patient, and he would wait to see whether she would say them of her own free will. Having her come to the Underground willingly would more than meet the requirements for his own satisfaction.
Unknown to Jareth, the wheels of fate were indeed turning. Whether or not they turned in his favour was an entirely different matter altogether.
Sarah finally reached her childhood home around 9pm. After many greetings and hugs, Toby was sent off to bed, as it was a school night, and Sarah headed off for some rest, as well. Her family had welcomed her warmly, despite the spontaneous nature of her visit, and Karen had had no more prying questions to ask. Her parents did not appear concerned, which was a good thing. The last thing Sarah wanted was a weekend of explanations and pleas.
She sighed. Her room was as it always was, forever unchanging, a portal to her imagination. She glanced up to the shelf that held all her little stuffed friends, smirking at the empty space where Lancelot had been. She smiled nostalgically, remembering what a fit she had gone into whenever Karen had taken any of her belongings – especially Lancelot. Sarah wondered if Toby still had Lancelot. Still caught in a wave of nostalgia, Sarah plopped down in front of her vanity mirror and opened the top drawer. A tinny lipstick case; newspaper clippings of her mother's performances; and, a little, worn book entitled 'The Labyrinth'. Sarah's pulse quickened as her hand reached for the book, almost on impulse. She flipped through the pages, skimming the passages with the all too familiar dialogue between the Goblin King and the damsel.
"You have no power over me…huh. How is it even possible to not be able to remember that line?" she whispered breathlessly.
Sarah bit her bottom lip. The dreams were coming back in waves. The labyrinth was there, as it had been, completely unchanged - and then there was chaos. Pandemonium. Disaster. The Goblin King's castle was in ruins; the goblins were at war, many of them dead. More specifically upsetting was the deaths of her friends and the Goblin King himself. They played out in her mind as the worst types of deaths imaginable. It felt as though her dreams were trying to hurt her, her mind was trying to hurt her.
A rumble of thunder woke her from her reverie. She looked at herself in the mirror and was shocked. The Sarah in the mirror was a perfectly made up 15-year old version of herself. She recognized the dress and hair; she remembered a perfect ball. Sarah looked more carefully at herself in the mirror and locked eyes with her reflection. To her shock, the reflection spoke, her tone was flat and emotionless:
" There's such a sad love deep in your eyes. You should never have turned him down," the reflection said. She tilted her head softly to one side, Sarah could feel her own head following the action. "This world is upside down now! What will you do? How will you save them? You know it's in your hands! It's fate!" Her reflection was now smiling widely, as though expecting an answer. Sarah was flabbergasted. A loud rumble of thunder and forceful rain hitting her window made Sarah break contact for a split second. When her eyes returned to the mirror all she saw reflected back was her present self: straight hair, white polo shirt, blue jeans.
"I'm going crazy," she said.
Sarah moved shakily from the mirror. She walked towards the window and glanced outside, watching the storm progress. It was then that she noticed a bird in the tree. She squinted to see it better. It was dark and large, but she couldn't make out what it was. It was only when the rain seemed to ease off that she could see it properly. It was a crow-black as midnight. Shivering, Sarah moved away from the window as well. She was thoroughly disturbed by the happenings of this night. Looking around her childhood room, she couldn't help but feel small and helpless. In a quiet and very scared voice she called out.
"Hoggle, I need you."