Disclaimer: Of course, once again, everything in the Labyrinth does not belong to me. It all belongs to Jim Henson. Caution: There are some gory bits and some minor sexual content in this chapter, so all you kiddies beware! Mwahahahahaha. Otherwise, have fun reading!

I would like to thank my Beta, Eruesse. Thank you so much for helping me and offering your services to me. All the rest of you who have reviewed my first fanfic, thank you so much! You all rock! Enjoy reading! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 7 Running From Life

Sarah busied herself in the kitchen making tea and coffee. She looked at Jareth who was close on her heels.

"Do you mind? I can't have you breathing down my neck while I'm fixing lunch." She glared angrily at him.

"Ah, but you have such a beautiful neck. But very well." He gave a slight bow. "As you wish." Sarah watched him sit at the kitchen table.

She finished cooking and brought him his food and tea. She went back and fixed her plate and poured herself a cup of coffee and added some real cream and sugar, just enough for comfort. Sarah looked back at Jareth and he was staring at his food.

He sniffed. "What is this? It smells . . . I do not know what it smells like."

She laughed softly, "It's fish--perch to be exact. Try it; it's good."

Jareth tried a small bit. "Mmmmm... It is good. Thank you."

Sarah nodded. The rest of the meal went by silently.

She had just finished loading the dishwasher and refilled her coffee and his tea when he spoke

"Tell me, Sarah." He said in a soft voice.

She nodded and sat back down at the other end of the kitchen table and looked out the bay window. She smiled sadly as she saw the humming birds and butterflies that frequent her flowers. "Toby loved sitting up with me in the morning whenever he came over and watch them." She motioned to the animals. She spoke again, not looking at Jareth. "I'm only telling you this because I need to tell someone, anyone, not for any other reason."

"Of course." His voice was neutral.

She nodded and began

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(Back flash)

Sarah stepped out of her friend's car.

"Hey, Sarah babe!" Sarah looked back at Vickie. "Happy Belated Birthday, hope you had a great time!"

She smiled. "Thanks! I think I danced too much, my feet are killing me! I'll see you Monday in class."

"You bet!" With that, Vickie pulled away.

Sarah laughed to herself and began to walk up to her house. She felt good. She just turned 18 two days ago and was a freshman in college. She took out her keys and was about to open the door when she realized the door was open. *Odd* She thought. She pushed the door open cautiously. She closed her hand around her keys so that one key was sticking out so that it could be used as a weapon if anyone (who wasn't her family) was in the house. She slowly made her way down the hallway when she tripped over something. She fell, her arms catching her fall. She felt something sticky and slightly warm. She looked back slowly.

She saw her father's body. He was lying on his back; his chest was riddled with holes.

She got up hurriedly. "Dad?" She shook him. "Daddy?!" She ran upstairs to Toby's room. Her brother was lying on the floor by his bed. His face was lying in blood. "Toby?" She backed up slowly then ran down the hallway into her parents' room. Her stepmother was lying facedown in a pool of blood, her legs spread open; she wasn't wearing any underwear.

Shocked and numb she made her way downstairs to the kitchen and dialed 911. She stated, rather calmly, her voice devoid of emotion, to the operator: "My parents are dead. Please come quickly." She put down the phone and waited outside. Her eyes were wide, but she did not see anything except her little brother's dead broken body and that of the rest of her family. Her body was shaking uncontrollably, violently; she waited. She wasn't crying, not yet anyway. It was still too hard to believe and even harder to understand.

"It's not real . . . this is just a nightmare . . . I'll wake up soon." She continued her mantra and didn't even notice several red and blue flashing lights arriving in front of her house until she felt a hand upon her shoulder. She jump, which made her shaking become worse.

"Miss?" She looked up. "Are you the one that called us?" She nodded again, too numb to speak. The cop shined a flash light in her eyes then called back to the paramedics. "One of you come get her! She's going into shock!"

One of the men came up and took her to an ambulance. She sat down on the back bumper with a blanket around her. Her breathing was short and they had her hold an oxygen mask over her mouth. She just sat, staring at nothing and dimly heard voices saying that her father had been stabbed nine times; her brother, six; and her stepmother had been raped and her throat slit open. The place had also been robbed.

It was then she realized she was not dreaming. She broke down in tears and sobbed.

Her family was dead.

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Sarah took a sip of her coffee and continued to look out the bay window as she spoke to Jareth.

"They caught the guy and I persuaded the cops into letting me speak to him. I told him I would see him dead. He was sentenced to death. I pulled the lever and watched him fry. I thought that when I killed him, I would feel a measure of peace since I avenged my family's death. But I didn't . . . I still don't . . . I still feel the pain. At that moment, I knew that I wanted to go into law enforcement and catch the pieces of shit that do that kind of thing. I had to do something; I need to do something to right some of the wrongs in this world. After that night, I swore I could feel my heart turn to ice. My friends in college gave me the nickname 'Ice Queen'. Everyone I ever loved has died or left me," Sarah laughed pitifully as tears streamed down her face.

Jareth reached out to her and she shrunk back. "No," she said, "if you try to comfort me, I will break down."

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Jareth looked at her, slightly amazed at what she just told him. He had begun to understand a bit. He watched her sniffle and then quickly regain her composure.

"Now, since I'm rambling away," Sarah began again, "I want to apologize for how I treated you back then." She was staring down into her cup of coffee.

Jareth blinked.

"I was basically a child back then and I was immature. I now realized you only did what I had asked you to do. I didn't really mean for Toby to be taken away, but I did say the words." She looked up at Jareth. Her raven black hair was falling in damp curls about her shoulders and her green eyes were moist with unshed tears. "I'm sorry." She hurriedly looked back down into her coffee. Her knuckles were white because of the tight grip she had on the mug, which had the words, 'Who ever slips me de- caff will get their @*$#^! head blown off.'

Jareth shook his head. "There is nothing to be sorry for." Then he finished reading the words upon her coffee mug and began to laugh uncontrollably.

Sarah narrowed her eyes at him. As she stood up, she threw her coffee on him. "Oh? So you think its funny! I spill my heart out and I tell you a very painful memory. Then I apologized to YOU and you tell me there is nothing to be sorry about and then you LAUGH?! You are un-fucking- believable!" She glared at him. "I hope it stains!"

Jareth, who was staring at her with his mouth open, was dumbstruck. He looked down at his clothes and made a face; he looked back up and glared at her. "Luckily, magic takes care of all the stains," he said rather pointedly. With a wave of his hand the stain was gone. He stood up and towered over her. "And I have you know, I was not laughing at you but the cup you were holding. It was funny." He said matter-of-factly.

Sarah adverted her eyes and instead, stared at his pale, but exquisite, chest. *So not better. Why does he have to be so beautiful? And how in the hell does he get me pissed off like this?*

Jareth, who couldn't stand being this close to her without touching her any longer, grabbed her hair in his fist and brought his mouth crashing down upon hers. She made a small keening sound, which sent him over the edge. He gently brought her to the ground. One of his hands spanned her throat as the other stroked her side. He kissed her fiercely, drinking her with his mouth. He pressed his arousal against her and she gasped.

"Jareth . . . ?" she whispered.

"Hmmmm?" He murmured, kissing and nibbling her neck.

"Take me home." She breathed in his ear.

He stopped kissing her, wondering if he heard her correctly. "You are home, my dear." He tried to keep his face neutral.

Sarah shook her head. "I no longer have a home here. Everything and everyone I have ever loved here is gone." She looked up at him. "Take me with you to the Underground."