The calm from earlier was decimated by sirens. Sarah, Jareth, and Richard each gave the police their story several times. The kidnapper said nothing. He didn't have to. As police stormed through the church, they broke through the heavy wooden door at the back. The smell of rot was overpowering. Within 20 minutes all the bodies of the children the man had taken and slaughtered were wrapped up and sent to the morgue for identification.
"Well, I can't say as I agree with your methods," Officer Kent said, strolling over to the small group, "but in this case they were pretty effective."
"How many…how many bodies?" Sarah asked.
Officer Kent sighed, staring at the ground. "Eight. But," he continued, "that's eight families that will sleep a little easier tonight knowing that justice will finally be served. And it will be served." he added in an undertone. With nothing else to contribute, he told the group to go home. "And get some sleep! You all look like hell."
* * *
They drove about halfway back home before stopping at a hotel to crash. Toby had slept most of the way in the car and Jareth had to carry him up to bed. They watched him sleeping for awhile before Sarah, with a small shake of her head, walked out to the balcony.
Jareth found her bracing her hands against the railing and looking out at the stars. Knowing she would speak when she was ready, he slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against his chest.
"Eight children, can you believe that? God, eight children went through the terror that Toby must have felt."
"Yes, it is horrible. But remember Sarah, you can't save everyone."
"I know," she sighed. "That's what I'm learning. It all seemed so simple in the Labyrinth." she knew without looking that he was quirking his eyebrow at her. Laughing a little, she said, "Wait, let me finish. I mean, I had the quest, I knew what to do: get through the Labyrinth, say the words, go home. And I did it. And I don't know, maybe I thought I could fix everything after that. Any challenge I faced I thought, 'Well, it can't be harder than the Labyrinth' and off I'd go."
She sighed again, "But the world is so much bigger than me, and there's so much wrong with it that I can't fix, I'll drive myself crazy trying." At last she turned around and looked him in the eye. "And I also realized today that it'll kill me if I keep blaming myself for all the things I can't fix."
He smiled at her, cocking his head to one side. "How did you get to be so wise?" he asked, running his forefinger down her cheek.
"Well, I had a little help, believe it or not." she grinned back, her arms encircling his neck.
"Hmm, you'll have to tell me about him sometime, he sounds like a remarkable fellow. But before we get into that, I must ask, is this the 'after' you mentioned the other day?"
Sarah bit her lip, knowing exactly which 'after' he was referring to. "Yeah, I guess so."
"Good." He swooped down and kissed her, grabbing her waist and perching her on the balcony edge. She shrieked slightly and wrapped her legs around his middle, partly to keep herself from falling and partly to pull him against her. She felt him smile against her mouth and, laughing, kissed him in return.
Breathless, she pulled back for a moment, "I thought we said we'd discuss this?"
"No, you said we'd discuss it, I didn't say any such nonsense."
Biting her chin to distract her, Jareth quickly covered her mouth with his to stop any more discussion. And for once, Sarah didn't argue.
