Sarah, Bloody Sarah

Chapter Nine: Linda

Disclaimer: Echo the Insane in no way owns the awesomeness that is Labyrinth. She does (unfortunately) own Travis, Carl, Eli, and Mack. Echo the Insane does not own Sarah, but likes her new nick name. Echo the Insane (unfortunately) does not own the sexiness that is David Bowie, or his Labyrinth alter-ego, Jareth. Basically, I own a gang of imaginary bad guys who are all gonna die painful deaths. Yup. Thass all.

Jareth was true to his word. He sat quietly with her, even going so far as to help brush a tangle from her hair. He held her hand when she offered it, sung a quiet song to her in some unknown language to pass some time (he did have a lovely voice), and even did a couple of tricks with the crystals to keep her mind off things. The moment the doorbell rang, he rose from her bed, kissed her temple, and disappeared into his customary cloud of glitter and fairy dust.

Her Mom was just as she remembered, though there were a few more lines around her mouth and at her eyes, plus a gray hair mixed here and there. Linda was tall, graceful, and for the first time that Sarah could remember, was in tears.

They hugged for what seemed forever, until an unkind blast of wind reminded them they were outside in the chill. Sarah ushered Linda in, taking in the sweet strawberry smell of her. She had always thought her mother was a good, if not slightly selfish and silly person. The "good" smell to her relaxed an unknown fear Sarah had always had; what if he Mom was the sort of Mom that didn't give a care in the world for her child? Wouldn't she smell bad, like Boogey said bad people smelt? So the strawberry was a welcome smell, easing away the last of her doubts she had never allowed herself to acknowledge.

"Baby, oh my sweet Sarah," Linda said, sounding utterly heartbroken and looking it as well. "What on Earth can I do? I cannot imagine...the horror...oh sweetheart!" Tears spilled over her cheeks, and she scrubbed at her face furiously. "I'm not helping," Linda muttered to herself. "I'm here, sweetheart. Whatever you need, I'll do it, or see its done."

Sarah smiled a bit, taking one of Karen's Kleenex and wiping her Mom's face gently. "Just seeing you is...amazing."

Linda smiled a bit, looking abashed. "You will be seeing more of me." She took a deep breath, looked Sarah in the eye. "This has brought so much into focus for me. I got your letter yesterday – getting flights out of Russia is a nightmare! - and was on the plane as soon as possible. I had this dream on the way here – I always sleep on planes, you know – that you were hurting and no one saw it. I saw it clearly. Sweetheart, I've made a decision."

"A decision?" Sarah asked, somewhat bewildered by her mother...as usual.

"I'm going to stop this foolishness. I'm not old," she said defensively. "But I'm too old to act anymore. I'm no Vanessa Redgrave. I want to be near you, honey." She took Sarah's hand, squeezing it. "I'm going to see if I can pick up a job here locally. I'm staying close to you from now on."

Sarah's eyes widened. Her Mom...living nearby. Her Mom being part of her life. Her stomach clenched, her heart raced, and a cold sweat broke out over her body. "Mom this is..."

"I know, I know." She waved her free hand, sighed. "I'm impulsive. I know you think I'm just being impulsive now. I'm not. This is what I want. I want to be your Mom...even if it is a bit late." She met Sarah's eyes, her own so very vulnerable. "Do you think I could be? Your Mom again? Not just Linda Kline, actress? But Linda Kline, Sarah Williams' mother?"

Sarah's mouth was dry. Her mom sounded sincere. She smelt sincere. But Sarah was afraid. Her Mom was so...flighty. Good intentioned, but flighty. "I...of course," she said, deciding at once. She would at least let Linda try to be a Mom. It wasn't like it would hurt her more. Nothing could do that.

Linda's face lit up. She was still crying, still heartbroken for her child, but now she had something she could do. Linda was always a do-er.

"Okay. We'll deal with all that later. Sweetheart, what do you need me to do for you?"

Sarah's throat tightened. She gripped her mom's hand tighter, bit her lip. "Just...hold me, Mama?"

Linda pulled her close, tucking Sarah's head under her chin. "That I can do baby."


Sarah awoke the next morning to the smell of breakfast cooking. Or burning. She sniffed deeply. Yup, burning. She sighed, smiled a bit at the irony of her kitchen-unfriendly mother trying to cook, then went to assist.

Linda looked...overwhelmed. She was stand there, flipping some scrambled eggs (or trying to), poking at them with the spatula like they were going to attack her. There was some half cooked bacon, several pieces of burnt toast, and perfectly poured orange juice. She could pour drinks with the best of them. Cook...not so much.

"Morning sweetie!" she said, smiling brightly. She held up the pan with the eggs proudly. "I cooked us some breakfast!"

"Wow," Sarah said, smiling best she could. She sat down, watching her mom clumsily try to make plates of food. The eggs were a bit runny and running under the toast. The bacon was limp on one end, cremated on the other. The love in the food made it edible though, and seeing her Mom's proud face, she wouldn't complain. She ate every bite with a healthy gulp of O.J. to kill some of the funkiness, smiling between each bite.

"So what to do today?" Linda asked as they finished up. "Do you have school?"

Sarah shook her head, swallowing the last bite of burnt toast. "Not til Tuesday. Today's Sunday."

"Right. No school on Sundays," Linda said, looking sheepish. "Keep think its Monday. My brain's all boggled from the flight, I guess."

Sarah smiled into her O.J. Her Mom's brain was always boggled, flight or not.

"I saw that," Linda grumbled good naturally, smiling. "We should probably call your Dad and let him know I'm here. Don't want them to come home and just – Ta-DA! Here's Linda!"

Sarah dialed the number for Grandma Louise's that hung next to the old kitchen phone. It rang three times, before Karen's familiar voice answered.

"Hey Karen, it's Sarah."

"Honey, are you okay?" Karen asked, sounding panicked. It seemed lately that panicked was Karen's normal state.

"I'm fine. I just needed to call and tell you and Dad something. Mom's here. She got my letter and flew into town."

Karen was silent a moment, then to Sarah's surprise, she replied with clear relief in her voice; "Oh thank goodness. Honey!" she called, her voice away from the phone. "Linda's in town with Sarah. She isn't alone."

Sarah felt touched, amazed even at Karen's concern. She had always hated Linda, been intimidated by her. "Karen, I..." Sarah wasn't sure what to say.

"I'm just glad you aren't alone, sweetheart," Karen said, sounding so sincerely relieved. "I've been worried sick about you being by yourself. I know you're strong, but sweetie, you know you don't always have to be strong for your Dad and I. I...I wish you would let us – let me know what we can do for you. I love you."

Sarah's throat closed once again. The emotions of the past few days, few months were catching up so quickly. "I love you," she managed, biting her lip. "Karen you're an awesome step-Mom."

Karen's breath caught audibly. She laughed a bit, brittle. "Sarah. Oh Sarah. I can't wait to come home and give you a hug. Tell Linda thank you for coming. We'll be glad to see her."

They spoke a few more words, mostly nonsense about this and that, before hanging up. Sarah hung up the receiver with a sense of family and well being. Linda came and gave her a hug and encouraging smile.

Sarah smiled back, when something caught her eye. It was one of Toby's drawings, hanging on the fridge. Her smile slipped. She had her Mom, her Dad, her Step-Mom. But the hole in her heart grew bigger all of a sudden, looking at the sunny drawing of a clover field Toby had seen on a school field trip. She let go of her Mom, went over to the drawing. Karen hadn't been able to put it away. She touched the corner of it, where Toby had proudly autographed it.

"Would it help if you told me about him?" Linda asked quietly, joining Sarah to look at the drawing. "I wish I had come around to meet him."

"You would have loved him. Jack too," Sarah said, her voice tight. "Toby had the best imagination. He wanted to be an actor, you know."

Linda made a small, sad sound in the back of her throat. "Oh my," she said quietly, choked.

"He had the most amazing ideas. Come see his room?"

"Of course," Linda said, taking Sarah's hand. They went upstairs, pausing at Toby's door. Sarah opened it slowly, overwhelmed once again by the beautiful smell of her brother, now heightened by her senses.

Linda went from drawing to drawing hanging on the walls. She picked up his books with reverence, straightened a few of his toys with care. She picked up a photo on his bedside table, her eyes filled with tears. It was Sarah, dressed in her silver Princess outfit, with five year old Toby dressed as a Knight beside her, holding his toy sword proudly as if protecting her.

"What a beautiful boy he was," Linda said, her voice thick. "He looks so much like your father did at that age. Oh my goodness. What I missed out on..."

Sarah sat down on Toby's bed, stirring up the scent of him. It was so pleasant, yet there was an undertone of smelly socks. Sarah rolled her eyes. All boys must have the smelly sock undertone, she decided, smiling a bit. Or perhaps Toby had been hoarding old socks under his bed...nothing would surprise her.

Linda sat down beside her, gingerly picking up Lancelot, hugging him to her. "I gave you this bear," Linda said fondly, looking down at the toy.

"Toby loves it," Sarah said, aware of the present tense the moment she used it. "He always snuck in my room when he was a toddler and stole it. I gave it to him. He loved Lancelot more than me by then." She touched the old bear, her heart stinging at the sight of it. "He slept with it every night. He would tell Lancelot stories about Goblins and Kings when he was scared. I used to walk in on him telling Lancelot stories all the time, to keep the monster in the closet at bay. He said stories about Goblins scared the monster."

"Goblins, Kings, and Monsters," Linda said, her voice faraway. "He did have a good imagination."

"Like you wouldn't believe," Sarah sighed, hugging herself. "One of the men raped him, you know." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Sarah wished she could take them back. To speak of Toby's death in this room was almost...sacrilegious. Linda's face had gone sheet white. Her eyes were wide, red lips parted. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said it like that. Not here."

Linda shook her head, looking again to the picture. "How...how could someone..."

"They're the monsters," Sarah said with conviction, her voice almost a snarl. She bared her teeth on instinct, feeling the poison glands swelling and pulse. She pulled her lips down with some effort, almost frightened of the animal intensity of the feeling.

"Yes," Linda agreed, looking down at the bear. "Monsters."

They sat in silence, Linda taking Sarah's hand. The sunlight fell in through the window, warming Sarah's socked feet. Here in Toby's room, the world and time stood still.


"You look very much like her," Jareth said as soon as Sarah closed her bedroom door. She'd come up to change out of her pj's into some jeans and a tee shirt. She started, rolling her eyes at him a bit. He was sitting on her bed, quiet and calm, having been waiting for her for however long.

"Whatever happened with your runner?" she asked, going into her closet and rummaging around. Having the Goblin King in her room was becoming a routine.

"She lost," he said, sounding bored. "She wasn't nearly as imaginative or brave as you."

"What happened to the baby?" Sarah asked, sticking her head out of the closet door as she pulled a tee over her head.

Jareth smiled a bit. "Do you really believe I turn children into Goblins, Sarah?"

"I've wondered about that," she admitted, throwing her bottoms into the laundry basket at the back of her closet. She pulled one leg of her jeans up, then the other. "I didn't think you would, not once I really gave it some time to think on."

"I don't," he assured her, his voice suddenly roaming as if he were moving around her room. "I give the child to someone else. Someone who won't wish them away. Sometimes to human couples who suddenly have memories of going through an adoption process. Sometimes to fay couples who are unable to conceive."

"Is that what you are? Fay?" she asked, coming out of her closet. He was at her vanity, holding up her little music box. He was smiling fondly at the little frill covered figure. He sat it down gently, smiled at her.

"Indeed I am, my dear. What else would someone handsome as me be?"

Sarah smiled, shaking her head. She grabbed a scrunchie from the vanity, pulling her hair up. Jareth was behind her, watching her movements with apparent interest.

"Sarah?" came her mother's muffled voice from the other side of her door. Jareth smiled at her, went striding into her closet, and disappeared.

"Yes?" she called back. "You can come in."

Linda opened the door, looking curiously around her room. "Thought I heard you talking to someone."

"Myself," Sarah replied naturally, shrugging. "Got that from you."

Linda smiled sheepishly, walking into the room. She looked at the large shadowbox on the wall, where once Sarah's toys had been held. Now it was full of pretty nicknacks, notebooks, and photos. "Oh my," she said, reaching up and taking down one of the photos of Sarah and Jack. "Was this your young man?"

Sarah looked at the photo, swallowing hard. She walked over, put her arm around her mom. "Yeah. That's my Jack."

"He was beautiful," Linda said softly, getting teary-eyed again.

Sarah nodded, staring at the photo. It was the day Jack asked her to marry him. They were out on the coast on a summer day the year before, out with their friend Kathleen and her boyfriend, Kevin. After a picnic, a bit of fishing, and some wine, Jack had slipped something in Sarah's hand. It had been a box, with a delicate diamond ring in it. She had never been happier, never felt more right.

Sarah looked down at her hand, where Jack's ring should have been. It was hiding in her jewelry box, buried below bracelets, necklaces, and other nicknack jewelry she never wore.

Sarah smiled a bit, took the photo, and put it back where it belonged. "He was very beautiful, inside and out."

"Sweetheart...do you want to talk about it?" Linda asked, looking at Sarah with concern.

"Not now," Sarah replied, setting her shoulders back. "I can't face it right now."

Linda nodded, hugging Sarah's arm. "I love you."

"I love you too," Sarah replied.