Option #9: Sarah/Jareth eventually, Alpha/Beta/Omega AU, Sarah becomes an omega and goes into heat after visiting the Labyrinth.
It had been three long months since Sarah's return to the Aboveground. In that time, she'd gone through the five stages of grief. At first it had been denial that the entire trip to the Underground had ever happened. Her friends hadn't contacted her since that night and Toby was fine, and aside from the lingering memories, there was not definitive proof that it had indeed happened.
Next had been anger. Sarah had been inexplicably angry at pretty much anything that moved and some things that didn't. She'd wanted to know why this had happened to her and what was she supposed to do now? She couldn't talk to anyone about it; they'd all think she was crazy! How could she be introduced to a world with magic and creatures beyond imagination only to be sent back and expected to live a normal life?
Bargaining had followed shortly after. The teenager had pleaded with the Goblin King to let her back in. She'd tried contacting her friends through the mirror in her bedroom with no success. She'd tried wishing for Jareth to appear. She'd tried wishing herself to the Underground. The only thing she didn't try (and wouldn't no matter what) was wishing Toby away again.
The depression phase had lasted a surprisingly long time, nearly one whole month out of the three. Sarah had given up on getting back to the Underground and contacting her friends. She'd decided that they didn't want to see her. She stopped eating for a while during her depression, resulting in nearly a fifty-pound drop in weight. Before, she'd been a healthy girl, but now she was skeletal. Her father and step-mother put her into counseling, afraid that she was bulimic. However the counselor had come back with a report that she was grieving over something. The man never did find out what.
Eventually, nearly three months to the day, Sarah entered the phase of acceptance. It wasn't an epiphany or magical moment. It simply happened one day when she was staring blankly at her ceiling and she decided that this was it. This was her life and she would have to live it. Her parents were beyond happy that she came down to eat dinner with them that evening, even if she didn't eat all of her plate.
Sarah only had a week of living in acceptance before it happened. She was coming home from school. It was the beginning of spring break and she found herself smiling for the first time in months. The walk home was a bit long, especially in the cold wind that was threatening snow, but she was enjoying it. Looking down at her feet, she didn't notice the man coming towards her until it was too late and she ran full on into him. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" she said as she looked up from her new position on the frozen sidewalk.
"No, no! It's my fault!" he said reaching down to help her up. He gripped her firmly and pulled. Sarah took notice of his shoulder length brown hair half pulled back in a tie. He was wearing a long wool coat and black boots over dark pants. "Are you alright?" he asked.
Her gaze rose to meet his blue eyes and she inhaled deeply. The smell of warm spices and wool met her. "Yeah," she answered weakly.
"Are you sure? You look a bit out of it." At that moment, he took in a deep breath as well. His eyes widened and he looked at her more carefully, taking in her hazel eyes, dark brown hair, and fair features. "Are you…?" he trailed off. "I should walk you home. You shouldn't be out in your condition."
"Condition?" Sarah asked after a moment.
"Come on," he said, linking arms with her and pulling her along back the way he had come. "Where do you live?"
"Um…" she tried to focus, but the inviting smell of the stranger was leaving her hazy and confused. " 628 Cherry Lane," she finally managed.
The stranger nodded and started to lead the way. It took only ten minutes, but in that time, Sarah had gone from feeling fuzzy to feeling achy. Shivers stole over her and no amount of pulling her coat tighter was helping. "Here we are," the stranger finally said.
Sarah looked up to see her house, warm and inviting. "Thank you," she said.
"I hope you feel better soon," he said sympathetically eyeing her shivering.
Sarah nodded and entered the old Victorian house. She turned before closing the door though. Despite how crumby she was starting to feel, she felt she owed the stranger something and was going to invite him in for a drink. However when she turned, he was already down the drive and walking along the sidewalk. The teen shrugged and closed the door. "Sarah? Is that you?" her stepmother, Karen, called out.
"Yeah," Sarah answered taking off her coat and boots.
"Oh good, I just put Toby down for a nap and I've got to run to the market for a moment. I won't be gone longer than twenty minutes," the strawberry blond woman had been rushing to put her coat and shoes on, but paused when she actually took in Sarah's appearance. "You don't look well, sweety. Are you coming down with something?" she pressed the back of her hand against Sarah's forehead. Sarah leaned into the touch and closed her eyes. She was starting to feel like she had a head cold and menstrual cramps at the same time. "Hmm, bit warm. I want you to go right up to bed, okay? I'll call Robert and have him pick up my shopping on the way home."
"I'm fine," Sarah tried to protest.
"Go lay down, Sarah," she interrupted giving the teen a stern look.
Sarah sighed and turned to go upstairs. When she finally made it, she collapsed onto her bed. She was starting to feel that warmth that Karen was talking about. Heat was coursing through her and she got up again to shed her clothing. When she was left in only her underwear and a tank top, she laid down the bed again. A strange sensation was prickling at her and she couldn't quite place it. It was low in her abdomen and felt warm and needy.
Rubbing her arms with her hands caused her to gasp. Just the gentle touch was enough to send electric shocks down her body. Her skin was becoming sensitive to touch and the squirming on the bed that she'd taken up wasn't helping. She let out a needy whine and rolled onto her side.
