Part one:
Sarah Williams sighed heavily and closed the cover of her laptop. It was seven o'clock at night and she'd been stuck at this makeshift workstation since eight that morning breaking only once for lunch. Business trips had never been easy on Sarah, but she'd never been quite this busy before. She was here only for a week before she headed back to her apartment. Right now, she inhabited her old room as she opted for family rather than the company-paid hotel. She seldom saw her family anymore, living now across the country in California so jumped at the chance to stay with them. She sat now at what used to be her old dresser, but had been converted into the desk she'd been stuck at for the last eleven hours. She stood and stretched; she wanted to go spend time with Toby, even if he was now just turned twelve. She may not have been as high in his book as she had been when he was a toddler, but she still had the "big sister charm" and she intended to use that to her advantage. She smiled to herself and looked around her. Most of her toys were gone, just a few precious ones she couldn't part with adorned the shelves. Her eyes landed on her music box and stopped. Her smile turned wistful, then sad before disappearing altogether. Visiting family was nice, but she'd be glad to go home to her apartment and her fiancée. There were too many memories here. She sighed again and tore her eyes away and headed downstairs, calling for Toby.
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The temperature had dropped steadily with the sun and Jareth could now see his breath as he breathed. His eyes could still see perfectly in the dark, but he knew he'd have to stop soon and rest for the night, he wasn't strong enough to go on much longer. Suddenly, something caught his eyes and he strained to see over the top of the hill he was climbing. The rest of his kingdom was just as dead as the Labyrinth, so the glow of a fire surprised him, and gave him a rush of hope. Still, his pace did not quicken as he continued to walk. Sure enough, as he crested the hill, he saw the fire of a small camp with people sitting around and cooking. The king smiled, so there was hope. He walked further towards the fire and stopped only when he'd been noticed. Gasps ran through the motley crowd assembled as well as whispers of his name. Finally, a small dog-like creature stood and rushed over to him, holding a makeshift torch to light the tall stranger's face.
"Your majesty," Sir Didymus bowed deeply, "We thought it was you, but…"
"But you thought I was dead, correct? Well, I am not," Jareth replied, a twist of a smile beginning but dying before it could show too much.
"Yes, we are glad to see you, sire," the little fox said as he began to lead his king towards the warmth of the fire. The entire crowd that had been at the camp was watching, marveling that their king was alive, and dumbstruck by how pale and weak he looked.
"Glad to see me? Why, I didn't know I was so well liked, Didymus," the king replied, slowly returning to himself. It was easier when he wasn't alone. He saw the fox looking for words and chuckled dryly, "It's no matter now. I'm here and I'm going to need your help to rebuild this place."
"The entire kingdom, Sire?" Didymus asked.
Jareth nodded, "Of course. I'm not going to lose my world simply because some air-headed little snot couldn't -" but the king cut himself off here. He'd been dwelling on her for the past decade, he had to move on.
Finally, Hoggle spoke up for the first time, "She's been calling us." Jareth raised an eyebrow,
"Has she?"
The dwarf nodded, "Yeah, wells, not in last years, but for a while she was."
"I see," the king said coldly, "And did you ever answer her?"
"Just that first time, Sire," Didymus answered.
"Just once?" Jareth asked incredulously, a cruel note in his voice, "My loyal subjects have respected my wishes, even when you thought me dead? How thoughtful."
"Sarah sad," Ludo contributed, still feeling kinship to the lost teenager that once cared for him.
"Is she, Ludo? Well, how horrible. She has gone on with her life and left mine in ruins. It is time to forget her and move on. This place must be rebuilt," Jareth said.
Didymus, who had always been friends with the king, even after his "betrayal" by befriending Sarah, could see that this conversation had taken a lot out of the king. "Sire, I heartily concur. The Lady has been gone ten years and there are many more important matters at hand that we will be more than happy to assist you in. But I think it best if we start with the sun tomorrow for all the rest we can get, we will need," he offered.
Jareth looked at him thankfully, "Yes, Didymus, rest now, all of you. Tomorrow we begin anew."
