Shorter than average chapter, but with A LOT going on! Don't worry, Wednesday's chapter will be longer!

Sarah, Jareth, Inara, and Toby spent the evening chatting, dining, and laughing with Rhihart. It was a more enjoyable evening than they'd had in a long time. Eventually, everyone retired for the night and slept soundly. Palath had bowed out after dinner in order to check in with General Ardal and debrief.

When morning came, everyone was well rested and happily joined Rhihart for breakfast before getting ready to go back to the Aboveground. Palath was still absent. He had sent a note up to the palace to explain that he had to take care of some problems. Toby told them all that Palath had a younger brother who frequently caused trouble, according to the palomino centaur. "I will let you know when he is ready to come through to the Aboveground again," Rhihart promised.

With that, they created the portal to get back to the Williams' backyard. However as soon as all four had walked through the portal, they saw that something wasn't right. There was an acrid smell of burnt plastic in the air and thick black smoke was coming from the upstairs windows of the house. "No!" Toby rushed for the house, but Jareth caught him and pulled him back.

"There's nothing worth your life, Tobias," he said as he struggled to keep a hold of him.

Sarah, on the other hand, acted quickly and ran towards the fence connecting their house to the neighbors. She launched over it and landed on her feet then ran to their door. "I need to use your phone! Quickly!" she yelled as she pounded on the door. "Mr. and Mrs. Raymond! Please!"

The couple in question quickly opened the door and allowed her in. "Here, use my cell," Mr. Raymond handed the device to her.

"Oh my word! Where's your brother?" Mrs. Raymond asked after catching sight of the black smoke billowing from the house next door.

Sarah pointed towards the back yard from where she'd just come and quickly placed the call to emergency services and a 911 operator told her they would be there shortly. "He's with my fiance right now," she answered Mrs. Raymond after hanging up. "They're outside."

Mrs. Raymond nodded and bustled out the door to look for them. She returned with Jareth, Toby, an Inara in tow just as they could hear sirens roaring down the street. Two fire trucks, a police car, and an ambulance came rushing down the street! The firefighters pulled up close to the hydrant on the corner and worked efficiently to get the hose hooked up and quickly aimed at the flames now belching from the kitchen and livingroom windows. Sarah absently handed the cell phone back to Mr. Raymond as she watched her family's home go up in flames. "Sarah," Toby's small voice called out to her. She turned away from the flames to see her brother with tears in his eyes, trembling.

She reached out and pulled him close to her. "I know, Toby. I know."

"I'm so sorry, dears," Mrs. Raymond said laying a hand gently on Toby's shoulder. "And after everything you've gone through already."

At this Sarah stiffened. Was it possible that this wasn't a coincidence? Could it have been the same individual who had killed their parents and threatened Toby? She couldn't say anything now, but she would definitely be discussing it with Jareth later. "Thank you, Mrs. Raymond," she said instead.

They watched helplessly as firefighters worked to put out the flames. A police officer came over to talk to them at one point, asking if there was anyone in the house still and to make sure they were okay. Sarah confirmed they were fine and that no one else was in the house. The police officer went back to helping keep people far away from the house. "What are we going to do now?" Sarah mumbled, more to herself.

However Jareth heard her and answered. "We continue onward. You still have your apartment. All four of us can squeeze in there. But we just have to keep moving forward, Cariad. It's the only direction we can go."

Sarah reached back and grabbed his hand. They watched the firefighters do their job for several long minutes. Sarah held Toby around his shoulders with one hand and Jareth's hand with the other. Inara stood beside them, frowning in thought. They were so focused on the house that they didn't notice the two police detectives pull up until they were in front of them. It was Detective Valenti and Detective Brennan. "Ms. Williams," Detective Valenti nodded towards her. "We're sorry about your loss."

"Thanks," she mumbled cautiously.

"Can we ask you a couple of questions?" Detective Brennan asked.

Sarah focused on the two detectives. It was hard to bring up the defences she usually did around them. Her chest felt hollow and her mind was curiously blank. She must have hesitated longer than she thought at the question though, because suddenly Jareth was answering for her. "I don't think this is the best time, detectives," he said in a stern voice.

"Just a couple of simple questions, honestly," Detective Brennan placated. "We just wanted to know what you were doing when the fire started. Do you know how it started?"

Sarah shook her head, and found that her voice wasn't working. What if they had been here? Could they have stopped it? Or would they have all burned? Was it really an accident?

Once again, Jareth answered for her. "We were out to breakfast at the time," he replied. "When we left, everything was fine. Then we came back to smoke billowing out of the top floor."

Detective Valenti nodded as he jotted the answer down in his notebook. He looked up then and focused on Inara. "And who are you?" he asked.

"I-" she started, but Jareth interrupted. "She's my little sister, Inara. She's in town for a few days visiting."

Detective Valenti hummed and jotted that down in his notebook as well. Inara, to her credit, did well holding a neutral face. "Right, well we just wanted to check in to make sure you were okay," he commented as he put his notepad away. "We also wanted to offer our condolences."

"Thank you, Detective," Jareth said.

Sarah, still quiet, thought that the detective could have at least tried to sound a bit more sincere. And what did they really expect to find out? That they burned down their own house to garner sympathy? She frowned, but stayed silent.

"If that is all, detectives?" Jareth said. "I think we're going to check in with the Fire Chief then go to Sarah's apartment for the evening."

"Yes, yes, of course," Detective Brennan nodded. "And once again, sorry for your loss."

The two detectives walked back to their car, got in, and drove off. "Do they always speak to you like that?" Inara asked.

"Pretty much," Sarah finally found her voice.

"That's distasteful," she commented. "I certainly hope they do not continue to suspect you after this."

"Me too," Sarah murmured. She looked back up at the house. The fire was out by now and the firefighters were starting to inspect the area to make sure that there wasn't anyplace that might start up again. One firefighter broke off from the group and came over to them. "Curt Donahue, Fire Chief," he introduced himself by tipping his hat slightly. "Looks like we've got the fire out now. Any ideas on how it may have started? Any candles left lit? Cooking accidents? Curling irons left on?"

Sarah shook her head and went with Jareth's story. "No, we went out for breakfast and came back to this."

Curt sighed and looked back up at the blackened house. "We'll be doing a formal investigation to find out the cause of the fire. Could have been something like faulty wiring or an appliance malfunction. We'll let you know the results. In the meantime, do you folks have somewhere to stay?"

Sarah nodded. "I have an apartment a few miles away. We can all stay there."

"Mind if I get your name, address, and phone number so we can contact you again?" Curt asked, pulling a small notepad out of his pocket. Sarah gave him the requested information. "Right, you folks go get some rest. You look like you need it. We'll call if we find anything."

Sarah nodded and Jareth thanked the man before leading them to Sarah's dad's sedan. He ushered the two siblings into the backseat together before he and Inara took the front seat. "Can you even drive?" Sarah asked, after he had already started the car.

"Probably better than you at the moment, my dear. You may not have noticed, but you're shaking right now." He pulled away from the house and started towards the apartment farther into the city.

Sarah looked down at her hand to see there was fine tremor running through her digits. She hadn't realized just how badly the situation had affected her. "Just don't get pulled over," she grumbled.

Jareth smiled at her in the rearview mirror. "Would I do that?" Sarah only gave him a look before turning to look out the window.

They made it to Sarah's apartment in short time and everyone walked up the stairs to the small one bedroom apartment. Toby and Inara would have to sleep on air mattresses out in the living room, while she and Jareth shared the bed. It would be tight living, but it was all they had at the moment. Well… technically there was a whole castle waiting for them in the Underground, but they needed to prove their innocence before gallivanting off again.

They all trooped into the small apartment and Jareth ushered them into the kitchen to sit around the table before busying himself with making tea. "Jareth," Sarah addressed him quietly as he pulled out several tea bags from her cupboard. "Do you think there's any possibility that the fire was an accident?"

He stopped what he was doing and looked over at her. Toby and Inara looked up at her too. He was quiet for a moment before he sighed and said, "No. I think it is highly likely that it may have been set by the person who visited Inara last night."

"I had suspected as much as well," Inara commented. "However I did not wish to give it voice."

"You think it's the same person then?" Toby asked. "The same person who killed mom and dad and threatened me?" His voice had changed. It wasn't low and fearful anymore. Now it was cautious with a thread of anger running through it.

"I'm afraid so, Tobias," Jareth nodded as he brought over four mugs with steaming tea, a bowl of sugar, and a package of chocolate chip cookies he'd found in the cupboard all balanced on a tray.

"I'm gonna kill them," Toby muttered darkly.

"Toby!" Sarah admonished.

"What?! They would deserve it, Sarah! Try to tell me they wouldn't!" he shouted, pounding a fist on the table.

Sarah could feel tears in her eyes again and she angrily wiped them away. "That's not what matters! Killing them would only put us on their level. It wouldn't solve anything."

Toby harrumphed and settled back in his chair, a chocolate chip cookie in one hand. Jareth sighed and sipped at his tea. "She's right, you know," he said quietly. "It is our choices, Toby, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."* Toby didn't say anything, but his shoulders slumped a bit in defeat as he acknowledged Jareth's words. "Besides, we still don't even know who they are yet."

"But we're getting closer," Inara commented.

All three glanced up at her. "Did you sense something at the house?" Jareth asked.

Inara nodded as she chewed a bite of cookie. "When we were standing by your neighbors, the woman brushed against me. I sensed in that moment that she and her husband had been influenced by magic."

"Wait…" Toby deadpanned. "Were they the ones who set fire to our house?"

Inara nodded. "I believe so. And I was also able to see the memory of when they were influenced. There was a slim face covered in shadows, but I could see pale skin and long dark curly hair. And they were dressed as a human."

"Why didn't you say something before?" Toby almost shouted.

"Because it would've done nothing," she replied calmly. "Your neighbors were controlled by magic to set the fire and likely do not remember their actions. Saying something would have only accused them of something they did not actually decide to do."

"But this face you saw," Jareth said. "Do you think you could describe it to someone who could draw it?"

Inara sipped her tea while she thought. "I think so."

"Then I know our next move," he grinned.

"And I know my next move," Sarah commented.

"Oh? Do share," he looked at her in interest.

"Research the origins of the Labyrinth," she replied before reaching for a chocolate chip cookie. "I need to understand the history of my role as Lady of the Labyrinth, those who have held it before me, and why someone might be trying to push me out of it."

*This is a quote from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling