AN: It's a new story! I just thought it's been so long since I wrote anything new (don't worry, I'm still working on my other fic 'I Wish') and I must admit, it's nice to work on something new.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Labyrinth. All rights belong to the Jim Henson Company.

"Three hours drive to the same place every summer. When will Dad and Karen become more adventurous?"

It wasn't that Sarah didn't enjoy the yearly vacations with her family at Happy Trees Woodland Park, but they had been visiting here every single year since she had been a little girl. Why couldn't they go abroad instead? It wasn't like they couldn't afford it. Robert was making good money and Karen's interior design company had taken off big time in the last few years so, between them, a trip to Paris or Greece wouldn't cost much.

But, no, Happy Trees Park it was.

Again.

With a sigh, she drove her car up the long gravel road which was lined with tall pine trees.

She did have good memories here and she knew Toby and her Dad loved it. Karen however, always tried to convince Robert to go somewhere new. She, like Sarah, would love to take a vacation abroad, but Robert would always insist that they came back to Happy Trees Park.

She smiled to herself. 'I do understand why Dad loves it. Fishing at the pond, sitting around the campfire with a few beers in the evenings as he tells us his bad 'dad jokes,' the pool on a particularly hot day, bike rides through the trees, I get it…'

Sarah picked up the familiar flyer given to her by the woman at the entry gates. Sarah read through it quickly, turning it over to see the details of which lodge they were in this year. She had to laugh as her eyes skimmed over the familiar words and numbers.

Lodge 1344. The same lodge they'd stayed in last year, and the year before, and the year before that. Why did he always arrange to stay in the same damn lodge?

Shaking her head as she thought about her father and his strange ways, she took a sharp left leading deeper into the forest. After driving a little further down the gravel road she saw the familiar dark log cabin surrounded by tall pines come into view.

Her Dad's silver Jaguar was parked in the small drive but luckily there was still plenty of space for her to park as well.

Before she had even turned off the engine, Toby came running out of the lodge. He was dressed casually in jeans and his favourite striped blue t-shirt. His blonde curls bounced around his face as he yanked open the car door, throwing himself into his sister's arms.

Laughing, she stroked his hair. "You could let me get out of the car first, kiddo?"

The young boy shook his head, his arms still tightly locked around his sister's neck. "Nope!"

She chuckled and hugged him tighter. She knew he'd missed her just as she had missed him. It had been a few weeks since they had seen each other. She had recently moved out and was living alone in an apartment nearer to the city for easier access to her work, and even though it was only twenty minutes away from her childhood home, she hadn't had a spare moment to visit - not with work being so full-on, so she was more than glad to spend some quality time with him after so long.

"I've missed you. Hey, why not help me unload the car? I brought your sun hat with me. Mom phoned and said you'd forgotten it." she sighed, shaking her head. Toby hated wearing his sun hat, so Sarah had no doubt that he had left it at home on purpose.

"Yeah… got excited and forgot it, I guess." He shrugged, finally allowing Sarah to get out of her vehicle.

She opened the trunk of her car, taking out her bags with Toby's help.

"I thought I heard a voice!" came the chirpy voice of her stepmother as she walked down from the balcony and over to the car, pulling Sarah into a tight hug.

"It's good to see you, Karen. Where's Dad?"

Karen sighed. "Guess?"

"Not already making reservations for dinner, surely?"

"Oh, yes. We hadn't been here an hour before he said he wanted to go and sort it." Karen laughed, shaking her head as she watched Toby pull one of Sarah's bags up the stairs to the balcony.

"Every year! It's not like you even have to make reservations at this place, there's normally always a place to sit."

"I know, dear, but he insists he does it. Best to just leave him to it. At least it keeps him out of trouble." She laughed, picking up Sarah's other bag and carrying it into the lodge.

Sarah quickly locked up her car and tried to stifle a laugh as she watched Toby continue to struggle to get her bag over the last step.

"Need help, Toby?" She called as she approached him.

"No, I've got it all under control," he assured her as he wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.

Not wanting to wound his pride, she simply smiled. "Well, as long as you're sure. You're a lot stronger than I am, after all."

"Hell yeah, I am!" he grinned as he finally managed to pull the bag over the step and in through the door.

"Thanks, Tobes. You're the best." She said as she placed a kiss on his forehead which he quickly wiped away with his arm. "Hey! No more kisses!" He pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm too old for that now."

"Oh? But nobody is too old for a kiss, Toby." She said softly just as she heard her father approaching.

"That's very true," She heard him say behind her and she turned around, giving him a tight hug. "Hey, Dad! Made reservations for 6:00 yet?"

Karen snorted behind her.

Robert smiled as he hugged his daughter back just as tightly. "Well, of course, I did, honey. What kind of a Father would I be if I didn't make sure we had a table reserved for dinner tonight?"

Every year without fail, they would start their vacation with a meal at the park's restaurant. It was nice to dine out after the long drive here. Both Robert and Karen wanted to relax, and Sarah wasn't the best cook, so eating out was the best option for all of them. For the rest of the coming weeks, though, they would have barbeques and picnics or Karen would cook.

"Thanks for getting everything sorted." She smiled. "I'm gonna take my things to my room and get freshened up."

"You're in the double room next to Toby's," Karen told her as she began to fill up the coffee machine with coffee beans.

Nodding, Sarah picked up her bags and started up the stairs.

The rest of the day was spent unpacking her things, having a quick lunch of sandwiches and lemonade with her family out on the balcony, all four of them simply enjoying their view of the forest and the sound of the birds as they sang along with the warm breeze.

Then, as the evening drew near, Sarah began to get ready for their dinner at the restaurant.

Karen had knocked on her bedroom door while she was getting ready, asking her to dress as nicely as she could because there was going to be some entertainment at the restaurant later tonight, and perhaps she and Sarah could stay after dinner if Robert and Toby didn't want to.

Sarah had smiled and agreed. It would be nice to enjoy the entertainment and relax with her stepmother, especially as they didn't often get the chance to do much together.

Re-planning her outfit, she decided on a simple dark blue summer dress and a thin cardigan, just in case it got chillier as the evening drew nearer. She finished the outfit by pairing it with her favourite sneakers.

Sarah didn't miss how Karen had sighed upon seeing her wearing sneakers, and she had gently asked her to reconsider her choice of shoes. To which Sarah had replied; "I'd rather just wear these. We're not exactly going to a fancy restaurant. And besides, these are comfortable."

Sarah wasn't a child anymore, so Karen left the conversation there even though she would have liked to push her stepdaughter further and make her wear the pale pink designer heels she had brought her for Christmas last year.

Sarah descended the dark wood stairs. Peering into the lounge she saw her father pulling his tie straight in the mirror.

"Dad, you're wearing a full suit? Wouldn't a nice shirt do? " She smirked as he turned to her, now adjusting his cufflinks.

"Sarah, you know I always wear a suit when we go out to dinner." He looked over at the clock and sighed. "We're almost five minutes late. Karen!" he called up the stairs.

"Coming!" Came Karen's reply from upstairs.

"Dad, don't fret. It's only a short walk."

Her father shook his head. "It's a ten-minute walk, at least. It'll be better to take the car. Karen said you two might hang out and enjoy the entertainment after dinner?"

"I guess that means you won't be joining us?"

"It's not really my thing, anymore. I'll probably bring Toby back here and try to get in a game of football before it gets dark. Tire him out or something."

Karen came rushing down the stairs and Sarah sighed when she noticed the designer skirt and blazer she wore. Complete with shoulder pads and a busy design of big orange, yellow, and pink roses.

"Honey, we're ten minutes late," Robert warned her.

"I know, I'm ready to leave, I was just helping Toby."

Sarah watched in amusement as Toby suddenly came sliding down the bannister. "Wheeee!"

Karen gasped. "Toby, stop that! You'll get yourself all dirty!" she pulled her handkerchief out of her pocket and used it to brush away the nonexistent dust from her son's trousers.

"Karen, Toby, Sarah, come on," Robert called again, opening the door and waiting impatiently, tapping his foot against the polished wooden floors. Before another word was said, they all jumped into the car and Robert drove them to the restaurant which was right next to the reception area.

"Hmm… I'll take the steak." Robert passed the menu back to the waitress once she had finished writing down their orders in her notebook.

Sarah glanced around the restaurant that she was all too familiar with and sighed.

Nothing ever seemed to change here.

She watched as families sat and talked around their tables, eating and laughing. Boyfriends and girlfriends sat at the bar on the other side of the room, whispering what she only imagined to be sweet or flirtatious words.

Every now and again, they would hear a happy laugh or the scream from a delighted child as their parents allowed them to have another candy bar or fizzy drink since they were on vacation and couldn't be denied the privilege.

Despite her earlier embarrassment with her parent's choice of clothing, she noticed that many other families here tonight were also dressed smartly. Perhaps tonight's entertainment was a little fancier than the usual karaoke that took place every year?

Toby began fidgeting in his seat beside her, uncomfortably. She leaned close to him. "What's up, kiddo?"

"I'm so booored!" He grumbled. His arms folded over his chest as he pouted.

"You and me both, kid." She laughed "But I thought you loved it here?"

"I do. But I hate it in here. Why couldn't we have a barbeque?"

She shrugged. "Dad always likes to just chill out here on the first night. You know that."

"But it's so boring!" He moaned again, swinging his legs as he started to play with his knife and fork, pretending that his cutlery were two silver men having sword fights.
Karen immediately scolded him for playing with them, and then she returned to her conversation with Robert.

"No fun," he mumbled under his breath as his arms returned to their previous place across his chest.

"While we wait for dinner, why don't we take a quick look around? I saw a fish tank out by the reception." Sarah whispered, smiling as her suggestion seemed to lighten up his face.

"Yeah! Let's explore." He grinned, getting up from his chair.

"Where are you two going?" Robert asked, reaching over and grabbing Toby before he could rush off.

Sarah got up from her seat. "I'm just going to show Toby the fish tank at reception."

Robert nodded. "Alright, just be back for when the food arrives. Oh, and be sure to hold Toby's hand, he's gotten into the habit of running off recently." He said, narrowing his eyes in Toby's direction.

"I will. Hold my hand, Tobes." She said, holding her hand out to her brother. Toby took it without hesitation.

Together they walked around hand in hand. Sarah showed him all the interesting things in the room, such as the mounted deer heads and old shotguns on the wooden walls.

"Can we see the fish now?" Toby asked once he tired of asking her questions about why people hunt deer and that he wanted to do it one day, too.

Sarah hadn't been happy to hear that. She loved animals and considered hunting them very cruel, especially when they were hunted for sport.

After she had explained that to him, Toby hadn't been quite so eager to hunt deer.

"Okay, sure." She led him through one of the heavy doors, walking only a few short steps down a hall till they made it to the reception.

Toby's eyes grew large when he saw the enormous fish tank built into the wall behind the desk.

"Wow!" he cried, rushing to get a closer look at the various tropical fish that swam round in the huge tank.

"This is so cool!" He whispered as he brushed the glass gently with the back of his little fingers. "I wish Mom and Dad would let me get a fish..."

Sarah smiled sadly as she crouched down to her brother's height and stroked his hair - much to his annoyance. "I know… but they aren't super easy to care for. You have to clean their tanks out regularly or the water turns green and gross. I can't imagine she or Dad have the time to look after them, and you have school." She explained, softly.

"I know" he sighed, admiring the fish with disappointment in his eyes. "I miss having a pet."

Sarah swallowed hard. "I know. I do too...at least we can enjoy these fish while we're on vacation." She said, trying to move their conversation away from the subject of Merlin, their beloved dog who'd sadly had passed away only last summer.

Toby's mood lightened again and he nodded, walking over to the other side of the tank to get a better look at them.

Sarah sighed as she rose and walked over to the window, gazing out at the forest that surrounded them. It was getting dark already, and it was only 8:00. A sure sign that Fall was on its way. Not that Sarah minded, of course. Sarah loved the colder months of the year; Fall and Winter were the seasons that made her want to cosy up with a good book and a hot drink. And Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas were the best holidays, after all, and the lead up to them was always quite exciting, even when you didn't live at home with your family.

Something white flew through the trees suddenly; shaking her from her previous thoughts.

Was that an owl?

Pressing her face up against the glass of the window, she just managed to catch sight of it briefly before it vanished into the trees.

Yes, that was a barn owl - she was sure of it!

Sarah didn't know why, but seeing the barn owl as it swooped through the trees, its speckled white feathers bright against the darkening sky, it had given her a strange sort of nostalgic feeling in her heart. Like a memory, she didn't know she had. A rather uneasy one at that. But what was the memory?

"Wow, Sarah, look at the pufferfish!" Toby's voice shook her away from her thoughts and uneasy feelings.

Shaking her head, she walked back over to him. "That's cool, Tobes, but I think we should get back to our table now. Dad won't be happy if we miss dinner."

Dinner went by painfully slow for Sarah.

She found herself unable to hold a proper conversation with her family or even finish the food she had ordered. Instead, the memory of white wings swooping through the trees clouded her mind. What made it worse was that she couldn't figure out why seeing the owl had had such a profound effect on her.

Karen, noticing her stepdaughter's discomfort, had gently placed a hand over her knee."You seem a million miles away, dear. Are you feeling alright?"

Sarah managed a weak smile "I'm fine… just feeling a little spaced out for some reason." She admitted as she pushed her now cold food around on her plate with her fork.

"Maybe a drink will help? I know you don't often drink but let's make this an exception and have a glass of wine. Your Father and Toby have left to play ball before it gets too dark. Then they'll just go back and watch movies so there isn't anything to rush back for."

She nodded in agreement, not wanting to disappoint her stepmother. In the last few years, their relationship had improved a considerable amount and she didn't want anything to jeopardize it now.

"Okay, sure."

Karen smiled sweetly and picked up her purse. "Great. I'll go order us a glass at the bar. You wait here and keep our table." Sarah agreed and Karen left and got in line at the bar.

She watched as the entertainment for the evening arrived and began setting up their amps and various instruments. Normally, a live band would have excited Sarah. She loved music and had always wished she had learned to play the piano when she was younger. But right now, all she could think of was that damn owl!

'Sarah, you need to get a life! It was an owl! You need to stop thinking about it!' she raged at herself, frustrated. But what she still didn't understand was why. Why had that barn owl opened a box of feelings and memories she didn't know she had? Why did seeing that one barn owl for less than a minute excite her and terrify her at the same time? Why did it make her feel like she had forgotten something… something important?

Karen passed Sarah the glass of wine. "You'll like this one. It's French."

Sarah smiled and took a sip. "Oh, that's pretty nice."

"Isn't it? I may have to buy a bottle for your father and take it back to the lodge." She chuckled, the wine making her a little gigglier than she usually let herself get. "I was thinking...what if we went to the spa tomorrow? We haven't ever done that together while we've been here before. Your Father and Toby are going fishing so it's the perfect time." Karen said as she sipped on her sparkling white wine.

"That sounds nice." She tried to sound enthusiastic but Karen knew her well enough by now to detect that she wasn't as enthusiastic as she tried to sound.

Karen sighed as she placed her glass on the table. "What is it, Sarah? You don't seem yourself… man trouble?"

"What? No! I-"

"I know you still miss him... it is normal to feel sad sometimes."

Sarah groaned.

"Karen, I've been single for over a year now. I've gotten over Liam." She said bitterly as she drained her glass of wine.

Karen blinked in surprise at seeing Sarah drink so fast. "I didn't mean to pry. I just want to help."

"Really, Karen, I'm fine. I'm just tired. Long drive here, ya know… plus, I was working all week and I haven't really had the chance to rest."

"That's why I thought a spa day would do you good. I know I could use one."

Sarah smiled weakly. "You're right… it would be nice. I'd love a massage."

"Great! Then it's settled. I'll make us an appointment for tomorrow morning." Karen said with a smile.

The band began playing and both Sarah and Karen watched in silence for a while.

The music was lively and it lightened the atmosphere. And it wasn't long before Sarah's spirits were lifted again.

They ordered more wine, laughed about Robert and his set ways, laughed some more, and before Sarah even finished consuming her fourth glass of wine, she was up and dancing.

She didn't drink often, and the wine she'd shared with her stepmother had gone straight to her head. It didn't help that she had barely touched her food at dinner time.

Karen stayed at their table with her purse, drinking and munching on a selection of olives and cheeses. Every now and again she would get up to snap a couple of photographs of her stepdaughter on the dance floor and would grin mischievously to herself at the thought of Sarah's embarrassment when the pictures were developed a few weeks after their vacation ended.

At 11:30 Karen grabbed her purse and walked through the crowds of people that were now flooding the dance floor. At length, she found Sarah in the middle of the dance floor, dancing her heart out.

Reaching over, Karen touched her shoulder. "Sarah? I'm heading back to the Lodge now. Will you be okay?"

Sarah nodded, shouting over the top of the loud music "Yeah, I'll be fine! See you in the morning!"

Karen nodded with a smile and then quickly left. She'd had fun with Sarah this evening, but her bed was calling to her now.

Sarah loved this.

The music was great, and it'd been such a long time since she'd danced...

Her body swayed perfectly in time with the tunes that were played considerably well by the band – either that or she was drunker than she thought she was.
Sarah was a good dancer. Many people had told her she had the gift of movement, and for once, she wasn't showing it off. But again, perhaps the alcohol had a part to play in her sudden confidence.

Her carefree dancing was brought to an unfortunate end when she suddenly felt the closeness of someone behind her, but it was the firm hand that landed on the small of her back that caused her to swirl around on her heal.

She almost fell when she found herself face to face with her douche-bag of an ex-boyfriend. "Liam?!"

His response, to her surprise, was a conceited smirk, then he leaned in to whisper in her ear, seductively. "Babe, you look incredible..."

She jerked away and glared up at him, furiously. "Excuse me?! You have no right to touch me or call me babe! I'm not your ''babe!"

God, she hated Liam now. Once they'd been really close. They had dated for two years and he had even joined her and her family on vacation a few times. But their relationship came to an abrupt end one night when Sarah discovered that he'd been cheating on her with her 'best friend.' After that, Sarah had dumped him without a second thought and ever since then, Liam had been trying to get her back.

He hated that Sarah had just straight-up dumped him – he had not been expecting that - he'd cheated on her with one of her friends after all, but Sarah hadn't even shed a tear in front of him. Nor did she ever let him know that she was sad to be breaking up with him. It just all sort of ended... very anti-climatically for Liam.

And he wasn't happy about that, because her dumping him that way, so fearlessly, and so confidently as if the last two years meant nothing to her at all, even though he knew that on some level, they had meant something to her, it had stirred something within him. Something that he hated, because it made him want her again.
And that wanting had led him to stalk her. He would wait outside of the coffee shop she worked at, and sometimes he would even wait outside the flat she lived in, just to pester her into going out with him again. And now had come on vacation to the very place he knew he'd find her...

Sarah felt sick to her stomach. Being stalked like this was more than a little concerning.

"Sarah, you need to chill out, babe," he said, trying to get her from making a scene.

"What the hell are you doing here, Liam? I've told you over and over that you blew your chance with me after fucking around with my best friend"! she shouted, purposefully causing a scene. It was safer if people looked at them - they'd see that he was harassing her.

"Oh, c'mon! I never actually did it! And you never let me explain!" he pleaded over the top of the loud music, somewhat desperately.

"There was nothing for you to explain! You were naked in bed with my best friend, Liam!" she screamed at him. "This conversation is over."

How dare he come and ruin this. She'd actually been enjoying herself for the first time in ages and he had had to show up and ruin it, hadn't he? Fucking prick.

Sarah turned and moved briskly away from him before he could say anything else. She would not entertain him for a moment longer. Hopefully, now, enough people could see that he was harassing her and that she was trying to get away.

She sighed heavily, swallowing hard as she tried to focus on the band again. She thought she'd succeeded in getting away from him until she felt his hands sliding over her hips, and she went rigid when she felt him grinding himself against her ass.

"You have to admit it - you miss this. You miss getting this..." he whispered, and to her absolute horror, he was hard against her backside.

"Get off me, you freak!" she shouted, turning and pushing him away with all her strength, and Liam went tumbling to the floor.

Several people on the dance floor gasped and rushed to his side, others tried to stop her from leaving, but Sarah fled the restaurant before anyone could see the angry tears shine in her eyes.

Sarah ran into the trees, not caring that it was now past midnight and the forest was getting darker by the second.

Man, she was so glad she hadn't listened to Karen and worn heels – flats were most definitely always the better choice.

She ran and ran until she couldn't run anymore. Her lungs were on fire, and she gasped for breath as she leaned up against a tree. The live music was very faint from here, she noticed, and then allowed herself to cry.

She hated him.

She hated that she'd ever allowed him into her heart. He had betrayed her in the worst kind of why and she would be lying if she said he hadn't broken her heart.

And now, here he was again. Stalking her and ruining her vacation with her family.

She scrubbed at her eyes angrily as the tears continued to fall. She would not let him get to her.

She hadn't been lying when she told Karen she had gotten over him. She had. She was over him the moment he'd betrayed her. She had been sad for a while, that was true. Two years in a relationship with someone was a long time, and once when she'd been young, and very naive, she had thought they had something special.

So she knew it wasn't sorrow or the pain of 'missing him' that made her cry. No, it was her anger. She was so fucking angry with him.

How dare he come here! How dare he wait for her outside of work, outside her apartment! How fucking dare he!

She suddenly wanted to scream at the top of her lungs in this forest, just to get it all out of her system, but she knew she couldn't. It was late and she wasn't selfish enough to wake up everyone while they were on vacation.

Feeling helpless, she slid down the tree until her bottom found the ground.

'It's not fair!'

No, it's not. But that's the way it is…

Suddenly, the wind picked up and Sarah shivered.

It hadn't been windy at all earlier - in fact, today had been hot and Sarah had been wishing for the breeze that September normally promised.

Sniffing, she hugged her knees and tried to stop the tears. This wasn't how she wanted this vacation to go. She hadn't seen her family in weeks, and she didn't want anything to ruin the time they had together before she went back home to her horrid apartment and unfulfilling job...

No. Liam would not have this much power over her.

You have no power over me...

Those words… why did she get the feeling she'd said them before? Had she dreamt it once? ... was she going mad?

Suddenly the wind that had picked up out of nowhere began dancing around her, sending little tingling sensations through her body. And then those tingling sensations changed to the feeling of soft leather gently caressing her arms.

Sarah gasped. "Who is there?"

When she heard no answer, she swallowed hard. Perhaps running into the forest after midnight wasn't the best idea she'd had.

The feeling of leather continued to caress her and Sarah went deadly still.

What in the world was this sensation? It was comforting, yet frightening, yet... it was almost familiar?

She slowly reached forward, trying to feel the air in front of her. Somebody had to be there...

It was dark, and although her eyes were adjusting to the darkness, she still couldn't quite see clearly.

Sarah tensed when her hands were met with the cool emptiness of the air in front of her. Nobody was there. Sarah's brows furrowed as her confusion intensified. But then a feeling swept over her, a feeling of comfort, of safety, like somebody was lovingly embracing her.

Sarah closed her eyes, then, allowing herself to enjoy the feeling. It had been so long since she'd been comforted like this...

Nobody ever comforted her...

She felt the soft touch of leather caress her cheek, wiping away the tears that now fell for an entirely different reason.
She found herself fully giving into this feeling.

The moment she let herself go –no longer wondering or worrying what the feeling was - it began to intensify, and suddenly it wasn't just the gentle touch of leather against her skin, but lips, pressing the gentlest kisses all over her face and neck.

She shivered and tilted her head back against the tree as she savoured the sensation.

And then, just as soon as it had begun, it vanished. The comforting feeling of lips and arms were gone again, and Sarah found herself missing the feelings that had encased her only seconds ago.

"What on earth… was that?" she whispered aloud after finally managing to open her eyes and calm down her pounding heart.

Only the gentle chirp of crickets and the distant sound of music met her ears now. nothing had changed, and yet, everything felt...oddly different.

"Well… whatever it was or whoever it was… thank you..."

She had never believed in ghosts, but after that experience, she would have to reconsider the possibility.

Or maybe it had all been her head... she had always had an active imagination, and she'd often been scolded for having her 'head in the clouds,' especially at school.

Deciding she had spent long enough hiding in the forest, she got up and made her way back to the lodge. She was tired, but she felt... different. Huh?

Perhaps if it hadn't been so dark, she would have noticed the barn owl that flew above her, making sure she got back to her lodge safely…

AN: So... what do you think so far? I've never written a story where Sarah and Karen get along and I have to admit, it's a refreshing change. Don't worry, our beloved Goblin King will show up soon!