Disclaimer: Me: Jareth can I have the Labyrinth? Jareth: No "Please?" "No" "Pretty please?" "No" (Continues for a while)

A.N. Sorry this is so short, I have a slight case of writers block. Anyway thanks to all those who have reviewed. Still wonder if I should continue to with the story.

Cause and Effect

Slowly Cleo and Diana lowered themselves to sit across from Sarah. Cleo cleared her throat. "Sarah well um." She glanced at her twin.

"Go on," Sarah encouraged.

"Well it's a long story."

"I've got time."

"Well, I guess it starts about the time we got back from the Labyrinth. I don't really remember much though. I do remember Mom was really short tempered."

Diana nodded. "Yeah, she got mad real easy. Especially at Toby."

"Anyway things where ok. She'd have a small cry fest about once every six months or so, but that changed when Dad died." A look of pain flashed over all of the girls' faces. The 'if onlys' running through their heads.

Cleo took a deep breath and continued "After that these cry fests got closer together, and more intense. It use to be only tears, but now. She's just so angry all the time. Everyone in the world thinks she is perfect, but we know." Cleo paused "we know she's lost it."

Sarah nodded sagely. "So that's it? She simply has lost her mind? Then why would Toby not want me to come visit?"

The twins squirmed. "Not really," Diana mumbled. "See the one thing is... Mom blames everything on you. Everything, even Dad's death. She threatened to call the police if you even walked by the house."

The three sat for a while, Sarah mulling over the information she had just learned. Diana and Cleo had returned to their paintings, trying to wonder how Sarah was going to react to the news she had received or how their mother was going to react to having her stepdaughter, whom she absolutely hated, staying in their house.

"Has she hurt you at all?" Sarah's voice was steely.

Diana shook her head, as Cleo replied "No. Not on purposes. We leave her alone when she's having a episode."

"What do you mean 'not on purpose'?"

"We end up cleaning up after Mom's episodes. We've all had our share of nicks and cuts." She was interrupted by the rumble of her stomach. When she heard it, she began blushing. "Well I guess that says that Toby should be back soon."

"Toby's back now," Came a voice from the doorway. As he came into the room, he spotted Sarah sitting on the floor. "Sarah what are you doing here?"

Sarah untwisted herself and got to her feet. " I came to see how you were doing. You should have told me Toby." With that she pulled him into a tight hug.