AN: Wow, 32 reviews so far. I really am surprised at how well received this story was. Thank you all so much.


Chapter 8
All for the Best

"Well, this hasn't happened in a while," Hoggle grumbled, having suddenly found himself encased in darkness.

Sometimes Jareth told him to already be waiting in some place or another when he foresaw that the wisher would find themselves in a fix, but this time the Goblin King didn't tell him anything; he was just there. He wasn't worried though; he knew how to get out of every oubliette in the Labyrinth. That's why he was the one chosen to get the wishers out when they found themselves trapped in one. And with this Williams lady, he expected her to have gotten stuck much sooner. He could see her, despite the lack of illumination. Her reaction to her current surroundings didn't surprise him; she was just sitting there, as if she didn't even want to attempt to get out. Either she had endured so much that she was too exhausted to go on, or maybe she just didn't care to try any more. He doubted it was the former option. From what he had gathered, the Labyrinth didn't seem to have put up any obstacles against her and it seemed like the Goblin King was leaving her alone too. Hoggle shook his head to himself; none of it made sense, the way she had been allowed to get this far so easily.

Linda stared into the darkness, no longer trying to think of a way to reach the opening far above her. It was so high up that the little light that there was in the forest above didn't reach the pit's floor. The air was stale and dank, as if it hadn't been disturbed in centuries. There was no way to reach Sarah from this hole. Maybe it was for the best. Linda couldn't seem to find her way, wasn't given any hints on how to reach the castle; maybe the book was right after all―she wasn't meant to reach Sarah. If she didn't make it on time, her daughter would still be alive, living in this fantastical land, though in the form of a goblin. Without Sarah to take care of, she could leave Robert freely and return to the stage, maybe even one-day reach the silver screen. She just didn't know if anyone other than her husband would miss the child if their memories weren't automatically erased like Milly said would happen.

Linda drifted back to reality from her thoughts when her eyes glided to a flickering candle that had suddenly lit up, behind which the ancient dwarf who had shown her the entrance of the Labyrinth stared at her with unblinking blue eyes.

She stood up and began to search the walls for an opening with the new light. Cobwebs upon cobwebs clung to the ceiling and sides of the walls. Thick, rusted chains hung from the ceiling and at least three skeletons of unrecognizable creatures scattered the ground. Besides that, there was nothing but solid stone, "Where did you come from?"

"You think too much." The dwarf started, "If you didn't, you would have heard me here the whole time."

Linda looked at him curiously, "Are you stuck too, Hobble?"

"It's Hoggle, and I ain't stuck. I'm to take you back to the beginning."

"Why? Haven't I already lost? We can't get out of here."

Hoggle looked disgusted and flopped his hands down, "I was sent to get you out of this mess. Why do you always take things for granted?"

Linda looked around, still not certain how they could leave, "What is this place anyway?"

"An oubliette."

"Huh." Linda still looked around, not really sure of what the word meant.

"Do you want out or not?" Hoggle asked gruffly, "You still have five hours left."

"What use will it do? I'll just get stuck somewhere else or get lost again. It's just too far." Linda whined.

"Don't you care for your girl?"

Linda should have jumped and said 'yes'-but she knew she felt Sarah more of a burden than anything; always needing her attention, always needing her to play with. She could do without Sarah, she could do without Robert, she could do without anyone who didn't take her seriously as an actress. But a part of her knew she had no right letting Sarah be turned into a goblin and that she had to at least try until her 13 hours were finished, even if the story said Sarah belonged here. She had no certainty that the book was true, but it was hard to fight what she really felt. No matter, she was an actress; she'd just make that Goblin King believe she desperately wanted Sarah back. He was a striking man; so what if he didn't seem to be attracted to her. It wouldn't be such a loss to try to charm him again if that's what it took to get Sarah out of this mess.

With an air of confidence and concern, she turned to the dwarf, "I love Sarah with all my heart."

"Your heart must be made of stone then. No one takes that long to answer if they care."

Linda disregarded him, "Well, if I have to start all over again, so be it. You said you could get me out, so show me."

The dwarf growled lowly as he walked to the other side of the oubliette, "I'll do it, but YOU are going straight to the beginning."

Linda huffed, crossing her arms, "What ever."

She watched as Hoggle reached to the floor below him and pulled up a plank of wood much taller than his small body. He heaved it to the stone wall with a grunt, placing it as if a door. And it was a door, for a second later he pulled one side of it from the wall and it opened up to show a passageway beyond.

"Follow me."

*

Jareth watched Linda through a crystal as he sat rigidly on his throne, unnerved that this woman had no love for her beautiful little one. She only wanted to start over again to prove herself-nothing more. He dreaded the choice he had made; what would become of little Sarah in her world if left with her mother?

Again the child giggled, and again he could not find her against the grey stones and putrid goblins in the room. But he did notice a group of six goblins crowded together, pushing and shoving at one another to get at something in the middle of them all. From out of them dashed the three-year-old, giggling with pigtails bouncing while she held some stuffed animal tightly to her chest as she escaped. One goblin in particular ran after her, shouting at her to give him back his toy, grabbing the bear's limb and yanking it from her hold.

"No, no!"

Jareth heard Sarah's tiny voice disciplining the goblin for retrieving the teddy bear she had taken. The King rolled his eyes; an hour ago the child had lost herself in a room with no ups or downs and stairs that led to nowhere and been frightened to death. However, once she had found the bear-the object that had been ignored by the goblins earlier for having tripped their king-her spirits lightened and she hadn't cried again.

Yet, now that the bear had been taken back by the goblin, a new emotion emerged from her small form. Sarah did not lash out against the goblin like any other child her age would have immediately done; instead her infant mind tried to find some means to enact revenge. Jareth watched where her big eyes focused-a cloth that lay under a heavy looking chalice, which so happened to be angled just above the goblin's foot.

挿How could such a little thing know such cruelty,' he wondered as he watched her tiny hand reach for the cloth.

"Sarah." He bellowed.

The girl knew she was caught and looked at him with hurt eyes, as if it was his fault she was in trouble.

"Sarah, come here."

At first her little body didn't move. She only looked to the goblins around her, seeing if one of them would help her, but at the king's second call, she jumped and took her first step towards him. The goblins laughed at her as she passed them; they didn't care that she was in trouble. They were glad it was her and not them.

Jareth rose from his throne and descended the steps to the floor, crouching down to her eye level as she toddled to him. When her eyes refused to look at his, he gently took her face in his gloved hand and made her look at him.

"We do not hurt others."

Her eyes began to well with tears; a sight he had seen in many children when he prevented them from harming his subjects. But her sad eyes affected him. Children that young imitate their parents; perhaps she was only portraying what she had seen her mother doing. Linda had told her she would become a goblin; how many other threats had the woman given her? Had words been the woman's only lashes? There was no indication that the child had been physically abused, but he had no way of knowing how far the Williams woman had gone before she had made the wish. Could he give this child back to harmful arms? Jareth frowned at this thought, but he could tell the child mistook the reaction to be towards her, for her face began to turn red and she began to whimper. Her big grey green eyes pleaded with him to forgive her, to make it all better.

'Don't give in. Don't get attached. She is not mine. I do not have to comfort her. I'm giving her back.' part of him said, while another told him, 'Does she get affection at home? Is cruelty all she knows? How can I give her back if that's all she'll receive of life?'

At the first outburst of her strangely loud voice, Jareth gathered her in his arms and carried her to his throne. She still cried as she sat upon his lap, and it began to annoy him.

"Sarah!" He didn't mean to snap her name so harshly but it had the desired effect. She stopped making noise, though her body shook, clearly still upset.

He looked into her eyes wondering what she might want of him. What could he possibly give her? He supposed she at least needed to hear words from him that would make her calm down. It felt sort of strange; he had never let himself bend for anyone before. He never would have guessed the occasion would be given to a three-year-old child.

He thought back to the object that had caused this problem in the first place; a teddy bear. A warn out, tan bear with a red bow tie. Why would she have wanted it in the first place? What had he seen the goblin she took it from use it for? Comfort. Children had stuffed animals because they gave a since of comfort.

He looked for the toy again, taking note that he would have a nice talk with its goblin owner on where to keep personal belongings in his throne room. He saw that the goblin no longer paid attention to the bear which again lay in the middle of the room. Jareth summoned the toy to him and handed it to Sarah. But she didn't touch it.

The child looked at him confusedly. She knew she had gotten in trouble for trying to take it before. Was he trying to punish her?

He handed it to her again, "Here, it's yours now."

Sarah's tiny hand questionably reached for it and she only stared at it as she held it.

Jareth was confused. She had gotten what she wanted, so why didn't it make her happy? "What's wrong now?"

She took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes, "Are you mad?"

Why would she care about what he thought? He smiled reassuringly, "No, I'm not."

Her eyes immediately brightened and she hugged the teddy, then she stood on his lap and hugged Jareth's neck, "Thank you."

Jareth didn't expect this, didn't know how to react. Few had shown him affection before. No, that is not true. Many women had tried to charm their way out of traversing the Labyrinth-including Linda Williams-but it had been false attention. Sarah hugged him out of the goodness of her heart with the affection only a joyful, unblemished soul could give.

"Can we play?" Sarah asked into his ear.

Jareth grinned yet placed her on the stone floor, "Unfortunately, little one, I have to meet with your mother."

Sarah's eyes lit up with love for her mother, "Mommy! Can I see her?"

Jareth saw a bit of desperation in the child's desire. "Sarah, how long has it been since you have seen her?"

"Looong."

Long to a child could be a few hours, but he had the feeling it could actually have been days. Jareth closed his eyes as a heart wrenching thought entered his mind. Would her mother still abandon her Above? Would it just be better to keep her in his own care, let her become a goblin? He tried to envision this child as such a creature-perhaps an intelligent one, but revolting nonetheless. The more he thought on it, the more he felt he could not let it happen; she had to return to her world. It was for the best.

Jareth crouched to her eye level again, "You will see your mother soon. But first I must see her."

"Where is she?"

He picked the girl up, teddy bear in hand, and carried her to a window that overlooked a large portion of his kingdom. Holding her in one arm, he produced a crystal ball in his free hand.

"Look into this."

Sarah saw her mother following a strange short person down a gray path enclosed by brick walls. She said triumphantly, as if she found her mother herself, "Mommy! …and a funny man."

Jareth grinned, and pointed into the distance, "She is there, at the farthest edge of my kingdom."

The child looked a moment out across the vastness of the maze, her eyes stretching to find her mother, "I don't see mommy."

"She's right here in the crystal." Jareth raised it again to her.

Sarah grabbed a hold of the ball, pressing her nose against it to see, believing her mother was actually inside, "Mommy?"

When Jareth saw the woman's figure inside abruptly stop and search the air around her for the voice she had heard, he snatched the orb from the child's hands and looked at her almost wildly. How was it possible? But she didn't know she had done something wrong, for she hardly noticed his gaze as she focused on the bear in her arms. He quickly but carefully placed her back on the ground and she wandered off, talking nonsense to the teddy bear.

Jareth didn't know how the child was able to speak through the crystal. Perhaps it was a side effect of the way his magic had invaded her before; he had no way of telling. It was another reason to send her away; the sooner the better.

Jareth left the goblins with strict instructions to watch Sarah and make sure she didn't leave that room. She had the bear to play with, so he hoped that would be enough to keep her stationary while he went to meet Linda as she returned to the entrance of the maze.

*

Linda looked around distraught as she followed the dwarf out the door with which she had entered the Labyrinth. He led her across the sandy ground to stand at the top of the hill that overlooked the maze and then turned to face it. It sort of amazed her how calm the Labyrinth looked from here, but she knew better than to believe her eyes. Within those walls she had never found her bearings. She didn't even know if she'd ever been heading in the direction of the castle.

After just standing there for a minute in the bright sunlight, she was going to ask Hoggle what she needed to do now, but he had lowered his eyes, folding his hands in front of him as if waiting. She spotted the cause of his suddenly meek disposition for the Goblin King stood before her, staring at her coldly with his mismatched eyes. Her demeanor changed to boldness and she placed her hands to her hips, showing him she couldn't be intimidated.

Jareth sneered at her attitude. "Do you still want to reach your daughter, Mrs. Williams?"

"It's Linda."

"Oh, is it? As I recall, you are married, are you not?"

"I still am," She said with regret.

"Ah, then I must address you accordingly, Mrs. Williams." He grinned as he emphasized her title.

Linda was insulted by this, "Fine. Where do I start now?"

"In a hurry are we? Care for your Sarah that much, do you?" He scoffed, walking around her. But then he stopped abruptly in front of her. "No, it is merely an inconvenience to you, isn't it? The sooner you're done the sooner you can get back to your career."

Linda could not look at him, "I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to," Jareth said matter-of-factually. With a little more passion, he hissed, "That child waits for you now as she has waited for days. Did you banish her love when you banished her to me?"

This did hit Linda's heart; she hadn't thought of Sarah's feelings before, "No, I just…the book said she would be happy here. Loved here. I know I couldn't give her that. I…thought…maybe you could."

Jareth felt that might be true. He found he did have feelings for this child. But little Sarah as a goblin, he could not allow. He closed his eyes as he said, "I will not keep her."

Linda suddenly saw her daughter in the king's arms. The child immediately smiled at seeing her and extended her arm, the one not holding a tattered teddy bear, to reach for her. Linda remained frozen.

"I don't understand, I haven't finished." She stuttered.

"Take her." Jareth demanded. He noticed Sarah look at him with trepidation at his forceful remark and he softened his expression for her sake.

Linda took the few steps forward with her head bowed. She took Sarah from the king, holding her lightly on her hip. She could look neither of them in the eye.

"Linda," the king said with authority yet also regret, "Sarah was given to you to be loved in your world, not mine. Care for her well."

Linda only nodded her head, noticing she was no longer outside the Labyrinth but in the nursery, where she had made the wish for the goblins to take Sarah away. She looked around her; there was no Goblin King or dwarf, only Sarah playing with the bear in her arms. In the distance she could hear her husband typing on the typewriter, just as she had left him. It was as if nothing had ever happened.

*

Hoggle stood on the hill, bewildered by the lost expression on his king's face. He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. The Goblin King had never given back a child to someone unworthy before. "Cor, you didn't have to give her the girl. She don't care 'bout her."

'But I do.' Jareth thought to himself, yet he snapped to Hoggle, "Are you questioning my judgment?"

The dwarf stood up straight and in self defense, took a step back, "Well, I…uh...No, your majesty. I just thought the little one would have a better life here than with her."

Jareth nodded, "Perhaps. The child is still mine."

"Then why did ya let 'er go?" Hoggle interrupted.

The dwarf's worry amused the King, "Why the concern? Is it your affair whether I choose to forgo adding a goblin to my minions?"

Though trembling, Hoggle still voiced his opinion, "The goblins are happy where they are, and she would have been too. Linda ain't gotta mind for no one but herself, and you were supposed to change that."

"Was I?" Jareth challenged, but he knew the dwarf was right. Linda had learned nothing from her experience there, and had it not been for the damnable maze, he could have done something more about that.

"All I knows is that its been done before, and you've never been THAT generous. You didn't even let her rot in the oubliette, just sent me straight to her…"

"I did not send you. It must have been the Labyrinth." He said it more for his own ears than the dwarf's. He quickly retorted, "No matter, what's done is done. I will watch the child's progress on Earth. If I find she is abused, be assured, she'll be a goblin faster than her mother can blink."