...Though We're Strangers Till Now

by Jacqui

Note - All the original characters do NOT belong to me, although the rest of them do. Last names of those characters who didn't or don't have them are entirely fictional. This is my first attempt at Labyrinth fanfiction, so reviews would be really nice and appreciated. This story is mostly based on the movie, but there's a few elements from the book thrown in here and there. I read Labyrinth analyses, various fanfiction, and also came up with my own conclusions and ideas. So, this entire story will entail all three of those sources of information. It may be weird, it may be good, either way, as I mentioned before...feedback is always appreciated and adored. :) Oh yeah, Jim Henson, Brian Froud, and everyone who had a hand in creating this movie are geniuses.

Chapter 4: An Unpleasant Situation


Sarah sat in the chair in front of the vanity in her room. Helori had told Sarah that she would make her look 'simply beautiful' over and over, almost to the point where Sarah was interested in how the little goblin woman could do it. Since she had been awhile in finding the room again, she had lost out on any time to think about how to get out of the hellhole she had apparently 'wished' herself into. She didn't want to be there. Her only companion was Helori, although, sometimes she wished Helori would just stop talking so much. She was a sweet girl, but she just spoke too much.

"Will you get out of that tub, miss! You still have to put on your dress and fix your hair and...oh dear..." Helori squeaked. She was darting all over the room gathering up accessories and products from places Sarah had yet to explore. She pulled herself out of the deep tub, wrapping a very thick cloth around herself, and stepped out of the water.

"How do you empty it?" Sarah asked, staring down at the water.

"The cleaning women empty it every night, as you sleep. They are very quiet creatures, I wonder how they do it? Now get over here and let me fix you up before His Majesty shows up to escort you..." Helori pleaded as she was simultaneously thrusting a dress at Sarah as if telling her to put it on. Once she had slipped into it, she found the middle to be a little too perfect in fitting her form. The dress was a dark blue with a lighter blue lace surrounding the bottom hem, and the bottom flared out just enough to give her room to walk. The bodice was a solid blue with light blue accents when the light hit it, but the neckline was sort of tight against her chest. Although, there was nothing she could do about it, anyway. The sleeves went clear down to her wrists, but they were loose and comfortable. She had to wear a corset, yet again, to keep what Helori called "excess" from showing. Sarah was quite offended with that remark, since she had no excess in the first place. But she let Helori get away with it since she still had a mild headache and she wasn't prepared to deal with an argument.

"He's going to do what, now? Escort me?" Sarah asked as she sat down at the vanity.

"It's considered very gentlemanly to escort a lady to dinner...or anywhere for that matter," Helori replied, placing two glittering hair clip-like accessories in her hair on both sides. "I think the front strands should be held back out of your way, miss," Helori marvelled at her work. Although it was as simple for Sarah as taking two berets and snapping them into place so that her hair stayed out of the way. She let Helori have her glorifying moment.

"I can do my own makeup, thank you," Sarah smiled toward Helori, but the girl simply hurried her along not very much caring about who did the makeup. Sarah had a wicked notion to actually make herself look stunningly beautiful. She would be too beautiful to ignore during dinner, which would make 'His Majesty's' friends more interested in her than in whatever Jareth had to say. She would steal the evening from him! Sarah pulled together all the accessories she could, although it was mostly in different form, she could manage. She applied a black mascara and a lighter shade of black eye shadow, with Helori's help in identifying the makeup. Sarah quickly stood up and slipped on a pair of slippers had a satiny feel to them. They appeared to be almost like pumps from her own world, but the heels were different and the shoe was not made of the same materials. She presented herself to Helori with a look of satisfaction on her face. Helori made a sound of approval as they both heard a knock on the door.

"His Majesty is here, ohhhh!" Helori ran to the door. "Are you ready miss?" she called back to Sarah.

"I was born ready," she replied, walking up to the door and pulling it open. This completely caught Helori off guard. She shrieked as she saw Jareth standing on the other side. With as much effort as possible she made a slight bow and scuffled past him, making her way down the long halls. Then they were alone. Sarah knew that this was it, her arms dropped to her sides as she stepped forward, purposely giving Jareth a much better look at her.

"Sarah, you look lovely," Jareth said, his voice matching his shocked expression. Sarah then began looking over his attire. He wore a white shirt that was very baggy against his small form, the sleeves were equally baggy with frilly ends. His pants were solid black, with the shirt tucked in at the waist. What really made the outfit complete was the black sequined jacket that adorned his shoulders. The frilly part of his sleeves stuck out from under the coat sleeves, which made him look almost like a medieval lord. His boots were recently polished to a shiny black as well. His hands were gloved as well, she didn't care to wonder why, but she noticed that he never took them off when in her presence. "Shall we go?" came Jareth's voice, breaking her concentration.

"Of course," replied Sarah in the most dignified manner she could. As he put forth his arm for her to take it, she hesitated.

"Is something wrong?" Jareth asked.

"No, nothing at all," she answered, finally linking her arm with his. She figured that once this night was over, Jareth wouldn't be too interesting anymore. She smirked faintly as Jareth guided her toward the dining room. They rounded a few corners and there they were. But Sarah noticed something, they were the only ones there.

"Oh, I apologize. I forgot to tell you that our other guests had to postpone our meeting." Jareth said the moment he noticed the look of surprise on Sarah's face. He had to suppress a grin, because now she had to dine with him--whether or not she wanted to.

"What is this Ja--Your Majesty?" She clenched her teeth, as she corrected herself. She could have sworn she heard him laughing lightly under his breath as he responded quickly.

"You may call me Jareth when we are alone. But when in the presence of others, Your Majesty will suffice." He guided her to the dining table, pulling her seat out for her. He did this on purpose, I can see it with every expression he gives me. He's just reveling in the fact that I've fallen for it, too. Sarah thought to herself. She looked around the room and the only thing she saw were several tapestries hanging from the walls, they looked like family heirlooms. They were woven with intricate, brightly embroidered patterns in a language she couldn't understand, but they seemed to be a form of family tree. The room was lit by only four sets of candelabras on the table, making it fairly dark, but it gave enough light for conversation. Conversation! Sarah snorted lightly, sitting down and placing her hands in her lap. So that's what he wants to do. Jareth seated himself as well, and his attention went directly to Sarah.

"There is a question that I need an answer for, Sarah..." he began, "why did you wish to be taken?"

"I didn't mean it, I've told you that already, Jareth," she replied. Her attention focused on her hands as they played with the sleeves of her dress.

"Look at me, Sarah," he demanded, although in a surprisingly soft tone of voice. That being said, she lifted her eyes slowly to meet his.

"I would not have come if you meant nothing you said. Now stop lying to me. Tell me why you wished yourself away..." his eyes were burning into hers, she knew she couldn't hide from him forever.

"I don't really want to talk ab--" before she continued, Jareth's voice became harsher as he cut her off.

"You really have no choice in the matter, Sarah. I want to know the answer. Prattling on and on and lying isn't going to get you out of that chair any faster. Do as you are told." She felt like her father was scolding her all over again, or better yet, he reminded her of her stepmother.

"I don't know where to start. I really don't." She wasn't sure of herself, she might be thrown back into a world of pain and heartbreak all over again if she talked about it.

"Just start at the beginning," Jareth said almost immediately, trying to push everything along.

"Why do you care? I mean why the sudden interest in my life?" Sarah had wanted an answer of her own.

"I just want to know why you called for me, Sarah. Nothing else interests me but the answer to that question. This is the last time I will ask you to provide that answer to me..." he shot back, as his eyes grew colder and colder.

"Alright," she whispered, her eyes falling back down to her hands. "My parents are getting a divorce, and worse of all..." she sighed deeply before finishing, "my father gave custody of Toby to his mother." Her hands clenched at the fabric of her dress as she closed her eyes, putting up a barrier against the tears that were forming just behind them.

"This still does not answer my question, but continue," Jareth said, motioning for her to go on.

"What added to everything that is going wrong, was that my script was rejected...I worked so hard on it...and I felt like escaping it all." She raised a hand to brush away a tear that had seeped through her eyelashes. "I had a bottle of alcohol under my bed, I knew I shouldn't have done it, but my mind told me that I deserved an escape...a way out of my pain. Even if it was only temporarily."

"So you summoned me when you found that the alcohol was not doing its job?" Jareth asked.

"No, the alcohol was working wonders, I was too far gone to even remember calling you. But if you really want to know why I called you, Jareth, here's your answer..." Her heart began to pound as she conjured up the perfect way to tell him, so that he wouldn't think it was a lie. "I wanted to see just how important your job was to you, that you would come and take a grown adult who had wished themselves away. Don't you know who your callers are? And if you did, that proves my point further." Sarah shrugged and let her tears drain freely from her eyes now, without brushing them away.

"Well. I never limit myself, Sarah...adults are not as full of magical dreams and child-like passions as an infant or a small child would be. But, that does not make them immune to the Underground rule of being taken once the wish has been made." Jareth's hands were clasped together as he rested his elbows on the table, all the while he was concentrating on Sarah. "I do not know who my callers are until I have come to them. Although, when you made your wish, I did feel an air of familiarity before I answered. But, I had no idea it would be you that wanted to be taken."

"Well, are you happy now? I've answered your question. Now answer mine." She replied in a partly demanding voice.

"What question was that?" As Jareth adjusted his position in the chair, he waited.

"Why do you care?" She said, looking back up at him. Tears stained her face, her eyes were glassy, but she was determined to get her answer.

"I was partly curious about the empty bottle I had found on the floor close to where you had collapsed. The other part was...well, concern in general. Probably not the kind a human has, but concern nonetheless. I knew something was troubling you the moment I came to you, Sarah." Jareth's expression softened for a moment, then went back to its solid composure.

"Who would have thought?" Sarah began, "The Goblin King has real human qualities..." She let her eyes fall away from his, but she didn't look all the way down. Jareth's pride was hurt, but he concealed it well as he retaliated.

"Who would have thought that you could have a womanly appearance?" he smiled sarcastically.

"You're impossible!" Sarah whispered under her breath as she attempted to stand up. She made it to a complete stand, but Jareth counter-acted her movements and stood up as well to block her path.

"I am not finished with you, my dear." He said, as his features hardened. Sarah gasped and took a step back. Jareth copied her movement, and took a step forward. As Sarah continued to step back, she was looking over both shoulders to make sure she wouldn't run into something and trip. She just wanted to get away from Jareth, he was making her nervous, and angry. The distance between them never lessened as Jareth kept filling in her previous steps with his own. Finally, Sarah's back hit the cold stone wall behind her. An inevitable ending to their step-dancing game that she could have avoided. They were only a couple feet from each other, but to Sarah's surprise, he took one more step forward. He was close enough to her now that she could feel his body heat. She responded with a comeback for his last statement.

"But I'm finished with you," she whispered, her hands searching the walls behind her as if she were looking for a way out.

"What you say or want does not count, Sarah. It is what I say and want that matters, and I told you I was not finished with you, yet." Sarah tried to move away from the wall at an angle but Jareth's hands slammed against the wall and blocked her on both sides.

"So what are you going to do now? You have me trapped," Sarah's eyes looked everywhere but at him. She was starting to tremble. Once Jareth saw this, he knew he had proven his authority to her, his job here was done. With that realization, he dropped both arms down to his sides. But, leaning in toward Sarah, he said his last words to her for the night.

"Nothing. Nothing at all, Sarah. You are free to go," he whispered.

"Bastard!" Sarah cried. She pushed past him and ran as fast as her legs would carry her.