A/N: Just a reminder...

1) Italics are either a flashback (when lots of text is italicized), internal thought (brief bit of italicized text describing a character's thoughts) or mass singing ( italicized words surrounded by closed "parenthesis" --- like that)
2) I don't own the Labyrinth, or the characters there in. Any OC's are mine, and the descriptions in here are purely of my own imagination. I am doing this for fun, not profit. .
3) This is self-beta'd, so if you find any errors in either my plot, spelling or grammar please tell me?

CHAPTER 4

Sarah had heard Toby yelling and what sounded to be Marie screaming. She showed up just in time to see a burst of glitter and a body on the floor that seemed to be that of a young woman lying on her back in a tattered version of one of Marie's night gowns. Alarm flared thorough Sarah, and she flicked on the light. The young woman was slender, perhaps eighteen years old, with cherry red hair covering whatever parts of her body that would otherwise have been exposed by the far-too small garment. She had a slightly angular face, though it's every curve was still soft and feminine. The woman's lips nearly matched to colour of her hair, and slowly her eyes fluttered open.

"Who are you? Where is my daughter? Where is my brother?" She demanded, shock registering in the other woman's face.

"Mom, is that you?" A light alto voice came from the soft lips.

"Look, this isn't funny. Tell me where Marie and Toby are!"

"Mom, it's me! It's Marie!" The woman scrambled up, trying to no real avail to cover her body.

"How could you be my little girl?"

"It just is! Calm down? Please? I'll explain everything, I promise, but you need to calm down. Look into my eyes, Mom. Aren't these you daughter's eyes?" The woman moved towards Sarah, who held her ground. True enough, as the woman stepped closer, the same hazel eyes her daughter had peered back at her, the green more prominent then the soft light brown. A sob of disbelief escaped Sarah's throat.

"No... It can't be! Marie? What ... how... why...?" Sarah looked unseeingly past the woman claiming to be her child to see something small that had a bright sheen. Her eyes widened as if all the ghosts of her past had surged before her as the beheld a single crystal orb on the carpet. "Jareth..." She whispered, and fell to the ground in a faint.

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Marie looked at her Mom, passed out on the floor. Funny, I don't remember her looking so thin, or so tired. She thought as she looked down at her near nakedness. He'd done it. Jareth had turned her into a young woman. She could even feel her mind functioning on a more mature level, the intense surge of self loathing for having wished her dear Uncle away suddenly eating away at her.

"First things first... clothes..." She looked around her room and grabbed one of her blankets to cover herself and made a dash for her Mom's room. Once inside she looked around and saw a trunk she knew her Mom kept her clothes from before her pregnancy, and wondered if she would even fit them. Shrugging off her worries, she set about covering her new body.

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Sarah woke up in Marie's room, her mind still full from the implications of the single crystal, and her apparently grown up daughter. It must be a delusion. That whole episode when I was younger was just a neurotic phase, and there are no such things as goblins. This is just another delusion, created by my over active imagination to cope with my divorce, and raising my daughter alone... my daughter... Jumping up Sarah looked around for Marie, and when she didn't see her she raced out of the room. She darted into the kitchen and nearly collided with the young woman, now dressed in her old clothes. She was wearing boot-cut indigo wash jeans and a black muscle shirt, both of which fit her much better then they had ever fit Sarah.

"I'm sorry, I know these are yours but I didn't think that what I was wearing would work very well for running the Labyrinth," the delusion- Marie laughed, and it was obvious by how her breasts where now sitting that her delusion induced adult daughter had helped herself to a bra, and by the looks of it one of the ones Sarah had just recently purchased, and it was looking almost too small. Oh, that just isn't fair. She mentally pouted, thinking her delusion was being particularly mean to her this time.

"Running the Labyrinth? You should explain this to me, even if you are my mind going on me. Why do you need to run the Labyrinth? I didn't wish you away, and you don't have any siblings to wish away. The only one you have is..." Sarah froze the lack of her brother's presence suddenly a slap in the face.

"I'm so sorry Mom. I was just so upset that neither you or Uncle Toby believe me, and he said he'd do anything to believe me, so I figured that if I called on the Goblin King then he'd have to believe me! I didn't think he'd take Toby, I thought I could talk him into taking you, me and Toby away from here. You're so unhappy here, I thought that maybe if we could go live in the Underground you could smile again, like you used to," Marie whispered, and Sarah looked shocked, "But he declined. He said Toby was his. He said I have to run the Labyrinth without any help from my goblin friends or Toby would stay his. He said I couldn't cheat or Toby would be his. He used his magic to make me this age so that I could even stand a chance, and left that other crystal here so that when I was ready I could start the race. I have thirteen hours, just like you did. I'll get him back. I promise Mom! I promise, I'll-" Marie was cut off by Sarah's arms pulling her into a sobbing hug.

"God, what have I done? I'm so sorry Marie. I'm very happy with just you and Toby, and I never intended-"

"Don't lie to me. Not now. I don't have time! I know you're miserable. I can tell more now then ever. And Uncle Toby knows. He tries to make it better, but he can only delude me so much."

"Let me come with you," Sarah pulled back from her daughter, now convinced this was a delusion but deciding it wasn't a bad one. Marie looked at her stunned.

"I can't! It'd be cheating and then we'd lose Uncle-"

"Jareth never said you weren't aloud human help, did he? I can't fully remember the Labyrinth, so it's not really cheating. Together we'll get Toby back, and together we'll come home and fix this jumbled mess I've made of things," Tears stung Sarah's eyes, and she was shocked to see Marie tearing up as well. The redhead nodded sharply, and headed towards the bedroom. While she was gone Sarah grabbed some light food they could carry and some water bottles, throwing them into a mini backpack that she sometimes used as a purse. Marie came back carrying the crystal in a piece of the tattered night gown, a pair of Sarah's leather boots on her feet. Sarah when and got dressed into a pair of jeans, t-shirt and comfortable shoes, then returned. Gravely, they held each other's hands and nodded, Marie shifting the cloth so just the crystal was in her hand and with a whirl of wind and glitter, Sarah saw the gates to a place she was sure she'd only ever dreamed of.

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Jareth stopped walking with Tobias, the lad having taken to just wandering around behind the Goblin King after realizing who he was.

"Marie is at the gates, and she's not alone," He stated, a small frown creasing his lips. Sarah, why did you come as well?

"Who's with her?"

"It would appear you sister wants to try her luck at my little Labyrinth again. I wonder if she'll see it as a piece of cake this time," He sneered. Toby looked at him sideways, still trying to figure out how to escape from the castle. As far as he could tell he would be lost before he ever made it out the door. He now realized how much of a curse to Marie's chances it was for him to forbid her goblin friends from helping her. Jareth caught the pensive look on the young man's face and quirked an eyebrow.

"Escaping won't do either you or Marie any good. I know everything that happens here. Come, let's go to my study. I wonder if you have any questions you might wish to ask me," Jareth lead the way, sensing a new peak of interest from the young man behind him. Smiling to himself he wondered if things couldn't just work out the best for him

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Marie stared in awe as her Mom walked ahead as though in a daze. They reached massive gates that appeared to be sealed shut, when Sarah walked forward.

"Open please," She asked them, and the heavy doors swung open of their own accord.

"That's so awesome Mom! If the whole thing is like that then-" Marie was cut of by a funny look on Sarah's face.

"I wouldn't suggest saying things like that. The Goblin King has quite the ego and things are never what they seem here," Sarah smiled, walking through the doors. Marie kept close after her, looking down the corridors.

"There aren't any turns or bends... how do we go anywhere if it all just travels in straight lines?" Marie scowled, and Sarah chuckled.

"There are many turns along the paths; you just have to look for them. Come on, I think I went this way last time, but who knows if it's anything like it used to be. For all we know the Goblin King has made this more difficult since I was here," Sarah started to walk; Marie stunned by what her Mom said jogging to catch up a few minutes later.

"You know Mom, I can't help but feel we where destined to do this. Seeing as I was forbidden goblin help to save someone who's been wished here before, it seems fitting that I'm the daughter of the only woman to ever defeat this Labyrinth. Together we can't fail, I just know it! This was all meant to happen, you'll see. Everything is going to turn out just perfect," Marie smiled, looking hard at the walls for any openings.

I hope you're right Marie. I have a weird feeling about this, but even if this is a delusion I can't let Toby or you suffer for me being so miserable. I'll make it up to you both, I swear it. Just hold on Toby, we're coming. Just you wait, Jareth, I'm going to defeat you one more time...

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"You're being very kind to a prisoner," Toby let his tone come out honey sweet, but the venom behind the words was still there.

"Come, come, come, Tobias! Are you really going to just sit and brood?" Jareth teased; sipping some of the wine he'd poured himself and Toby.

"Fine, your Majesty, perhaps you could regale me with the story of how it was you came to take children to this place and change them into goblins. Perhaps you would grace me with the story of where you're from, and why you make it your mission to steal away children from their families-" Jareth had stood up sharply which stopped Toby's tirade.

"I do not steal children. I will tell you what you want to know, and while I do keep this in mind. If I'm so horrible for taking children that are willingly wished away, then what does that make those who wish the children away, and what kind of life would they be living if I hadn't saved them?"

"Saved them?"

"Yes. Listen to what I have to say and then you'll see that I saved every last one."