Author's Name; JediK1
Rating; G
Disclaimer; They aren't mine, sadly enough
Author's Note; This is only the first part…don't worry, there's more coming!! Also, thanks to SkItZoFrEaK for helping me out with names and ages! Oh, and Jareth WILL be in later, don't worry folks!
Make Her Happy
By JediK1
Toby sat at his desk, intently staring at the computer screen before him. He had finally convinced his parents to buy him the newest computer game, and the thirteen-year-old boy had been unable to tear himself away from it.
The game was interrupted, however, when the incessant knocking on his door grew loud enough to rise over the explosions.
"Toby? Toby! Turn that thing down!"
With a sigh, Toby Williams lowered the game's volume. When the noise level had reached a bearable level, the door swung open to reveal his mother.
"What is it mom?"
"Toby, turn off your computer and come downstairs. Sarah's home."
Karen Williams laughed softly as she watched her son leap from his chair and run out into the hall. As she listened to him fly down the stairs, she walked over to Toby's computer and shut down his game. The only time she could ever get him to move that fast was when Sarah came to visit.
Sarah watched as her brother ran down the steps, and moved forward to envelop him in a tight hug once he reached the bottom.
"Hey kiddo," she said, ruffling his wild blonde hair, "how's it going?"
Needing no further prompting, Sarah listened as Toby launched into a detailed description of everything he had been doing since his sister's visit last month.
"Whoa, Toby, slow down! I'll be here for a few weeks while I look for a place, so you don't have to tell me everything yet!" She smiled at the disappointment on her little brother's face, and leaned down to whisper in his ear.
"Help me get settled in, and I'll give you the present I brought for you."
This brought the light back into his eyes, and Toby hurriedly began taking some of Sarah's bags up to her old room. Thoughts of what his sister had in mind danced in his head as he slowly dragged the bags up the stairs.
"Hey mom, Sarah brought me a present! Isn't that cool?" The boy grinned up at his mother as he passed her, and his excitement made the older woman smile.
After helping her son deposit the bags in his sister's old room, Karen turned to help Sarah with the bags she carried. Once the last bag was settled, Sarah turned to her step- mother.
"Karen, thank you so much for letting me stay here while I look for a house."
"Don't mention it, honey. I'm only sorry that your father couldn't be here to greet you. He was called into work this morning. But he said to tell you that he has a special surprise for tonight."
One black eyebrow rose questioningly, as Sarah wondered what her father had in mind. He probably wanted to take her out to dinner tonight, in honor of the family being under the same roof again.
"Thanks, Karen. Hopefully by then I'll have some of this stuff unpacked," she sighed, motioning toward her bags.
Toby, who had been listening from the hallway, poked his head in eagerly. "I'll help!"
Both women laughed at him, but were suddenly interrupted when Karen's watch beeped.
"Oh no! I completely forgot! I have to run a few errands before your father gets home. You don't mind if I leave you two alone for awhile, do you?"
Sarah smiled. "Karen, I'm twenty-seven; Toby's thirteen. I think we can handle it."
The woman looked at the two siblings then shook her head. "Yes, I suppose so. Well, I guess I'll see you two later then!" As she turned toward the door, she gave Sarah a light kiss on the cheek. "Welcome home, dear."
An hour later, Sarah and Toby were buried beneath piles of clothing and other articles that Sarah hadn't the heart to put in storage. Toby anxiously dug through every suitcase, searching for the present that his sister had promised him. He had been through everything, except for one final bag.
Sarah, meanwhile, had been watching her brother's search in quiet amusement. He reminded her so much of the way she had been at that age; smart, creative, and naive. And just like his sister, he was introverted, and instead of playing basketball in the park like other boys his age, he chose to remain in solitude. Toby mostly liked to read his sister's old books, but, as he was still a boy, he made a show of snubbing the romantic titles. Sarah knew, however, that every once in awhile, she would catch him reading something involving romance. She smiled as she remembered that last time. He had simply told her that he liked the action in it the best.
Sarah, meanwhile, had changed a little from the headstrong girl she once was. While she was still a dreamer at heart, her experiences in the Labyrinth had taught her how to control her imagination. She had learned to wield it in a different way, and began writing stories based on her time in the labyrinth. While the world saw her works as pure fiction, Sarah knew them to be bittersweet memories.
She shook herself from her reverie when she realized she was being watched. "Yes, Toby?"
"Can I have my present now?"
Sarah laughed, and it was a rich, beautiful sound. "Yeah, sure. Just let me find it."
"Ok." Toby paused for a moment, as though remembering something. "Oh, yeah! I have something for you, too!" He stood, and carefully making his way through the crowded room with a promise to come right back, he crossed the hall into his own room.
For the second time that day, Sarah's face reflected the question in her brown eyes. She wondered what her little brother had up his sleeve as she removed the package she had hidden in the last unopened bag.
Moments later, the blonde headed popped through her door. He began to slowly wind his way back into the room towards Sarah, all the while keeping his hands behind his back.
"Ok, I got it."
Sarah smiled at her brother's antics, then held the brightly wrapped gift out to him. "Well, I'll go first. Go on, open it!"
Toby reached one small, eager hand out and grabbed the present. However, Sarah noticed that the other arm was still hidden behind his back.
Within moments, he had somehow managed to rip off the wrapping paper. His blues eyes grew to an amazing size as he gazed at the contents of the package.
"Wow! Sarah, it's a…it's a…"
"It's a Gameboy, slick. I thought you'd like that, since you guys are going on that long bus trip next month to see grandma. Look, I even bought you a few games to go with it."
"Aw, thanks Sarah! You're the best!" He ran toward her and threw his arms around her. That's when Sarah noticed something red in the hand he had been trying to hide.
"Toby, what's that?"
The boy drew back shyly, and held the book out to his sister. "I was digging around in the attic with Dad the other day, and I found this. He said it was your favorite book when you were a teenager, but that for some reason you packed it away. I thought you might want it back."
Sarah gently took the book from the boy's hands. "Toby…did you read it? Any of it?"
"Well, no. I was hoping you would read it to me. You tell the best stories, sis!"
Toby watched as his sister's expression changed. He didn't know why, but she wasn't happy anymore. "Sarah? Why are you sad?"
Brown eyes rose to meet blue, as Sarah tore her gaze from the small red book. The gold lettering on the front gleamed in the room's light, but Sarah didn't need to read the title to know what it said. She knew all too well that Toby, of all people, had just placed The Labyrinth back in her hands.