Alia woke the next morning to Tieran sitting in front of her holding a glass of orange juice. She realized where she was and threw her arm and the throw over her head as she turned and slid further down the couch. She heard Tieran set the glass down on the table in front of the couch.
"Mmm," she groaned. "What time is it?"
"Seven," he answered as he returned to the kitchen. "I hope that was when you wanted to wake. That was the setting on your alarm. And before you ask, yes, I did go home this time. Will you go to classes today?"
"I don't want to, but I should," Alia replied from under the blanket.
"Shall I try to fix you breakfast or would you prefer that I left?" Tieran asked as he leaned over the back of the couch.
"Yes. No. I don't know," Alia looked out from under the fringed edge of the throw. "Breakfast would be very nice, thank you. I usually just have cereal, so don't bother with anything complicated."
"I will see what I can manage."
After her shower Alia stared at her reflection in the clearing mirror while brushing her teeth and the strange turn her life had recently taken struck her. She resumed brushing then spat out the toothpaste and rinsed her mouth. Forty-eight hours or ten (Was it ten? She still had no idea.) days ago depending on your time frame, her best friend – really her only friend, the rest were just acquaintances – was dying and she was about to be left alone.
Now everything had changed. Cara was better and a new friend was making her breakfast in her kitchen. Things were moving faster than she was used to and she wasn't sure where they were going. She sat on the edge of the tub and dug her hands in her thick hair.
"How am I going to handle all of this?" She looked back at her reflection, fingers still woven through her hair. The line of contrasting color on her wrist where the deep brown of her tanned hands met her usually pale skin caught her eye and she held her hands out in front of her. "How am I going to explain that?" She laughed to herself. "Yeah, sure, I was home sick yesterday. They're going to think I skipped off somewhere sunny and exotic with this tan. Well, that's easier than the truth. Maybe that should be where I found Tieran, too, if anyone asks?"
She started to apply her makeup and frowned. Her nose was peeling. She had not even realized it had sunburned.
She found scrambled eggs and toast waiting for her when she returned to the kitchen.
"I think I've come up with a cover story," she announced as she sat down at the table.
"A cover story?" Tieran asked as he sat across from her.
"Well, they're not going to believe I was sick yesterday when they see me with this tan and they'll certainly never believe the truth. These eggs are good. Thank you," she told Tieran after taking a bite. "I figure they'll think I flew off somewhere exotic or something like that. So I'll let them think that. And it's a convenient source for you, too, if they see me with you. I'll let them think I met you there."
"You are letting people make up their own story? Is that wise?"
"Why not? They'll do it anyway and this way I'll know the story's something they'll believe. I just won't confirm or deny anything. Not at first anyway."
"If you think that is best."
Alia nodded and finished her juice. "I'd better go. What are you going to do?"
"Finish reading the printouts. Should I work on my wardrobe?" Tieran teased.
"All right." Alia took her plate and glass to the sink and rinsed them. "If you stay here, you probably shouldn't answer the phone. It'll most likely be a salesperson or Cara, but just in case... Cara'll leave a message anyway. I shouldn't be gone all day." She gathered her purse, books and coat. "See you later," she called out as she went through the door.
Tieran sat alone in her empty apartment for a moment, then he left as well.
When Alia returned to her apartment later that day, a message from Cara waited for her: "The tests came back clear so I can go home. I'll be waiting for you to come pick me up. Um, I called that guy. He says to come by his place. He says he needs to make photos anyway. See you later."
Alia grabbed her keys and purse again and headed for the hospital.
When she arrived Cara had finished off the release paperwork and her packing and was sitting in a chair by the window in her room, gazing out through the tree branches. Alia noticed for the first time that their leaves had turned and were starting to drop.
"I just got your message. I see you're ready. Did your guy say what you owe him for this?"
"Nah, he said he'd call it in later. Did you bring Tieran?" Cara looked around behind Alia.
"No, I thought we'd take your stuff to my place first, then find him."
"Find him? What's he running around loose?"
Alia shrugged and said, "I don't know where he is," as she grabbed Cara's suitcase. "I had to go to class. What's that you're fiddling with?"
"It's your peach pit." She held out a smooth, round ivory stone.
"What happened to it?" It was flatter and more circular than usual for a fruit stone, almost a disk.
"That's the way it came." Alia slipped the stone in her jacket pocket. "How are you going to find Tieran if you don't know where he is?"
"I'll call him, you'll see. Come on, let's go."
They drove home in silence with Cara simply enjoying the beautiful day and the change of scenery from hospital walls.
When they got back to the apartment, they stashed Cara's bags in the spare bedroom.
"Where'd everything go?"
"Tieran took care of it."
"He just gets into everything, doesn't he?"
"He was being helpful. Let's see if this works like he said it would," Alia said as she pulled the pendant out from under her shirt.
"Wow!" Cara's eyes grew large. "What'd you have to do to get that?"
"Absolutely nothing, so don't even think it. Hush, I have to concentrate." Alia held the pendant between her hands and closed her eyes to concentrate.
"Tieran, can you hear me?"
"Perfectly. What is it?"
"Cara contacted her friend. He wants us to come to his place to give him the information. He has to take a picture, so wear something presentable."
"Will this do?" Tieran inquired from directly behind her.
Alia jumped and opened her eyes. Cara stood in front of her, eyes wide and jaw slack. Alia realized that she had not seen Tieran pop in and out before, did not even really know that he could do that. Alia had at least had the benefit of that knowledge when she saw him disappear the first time. Alia turned around.
"You do have a mean streak, don't you? Did you enjoy scaring the crap out of us?"
Tieran tried to look innocent in black, a suede jacket, turtleneck, and jeans, but Alia could see laughter in his eyes.
"I thought so. You look fine," she said as she turned back to Cara. "Are you all right?" Cara was still looking a little stunned.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Okay, I believe now. You've got to show me this place when we have time."
"It would be my pleasure," offered Tieran.
Alia quickly changed the subject. "We'd better get going. Who is this guy we're going to see? Does he have a name?"
"He likes to be called Ace," Cara answered as they skipped down the stairs to the car.
Ace turned out to be a shoo-in for a member of the Lone Gunmen on the X-Files, complete with long hair and anti-government T-shirt. He asked a laundry list of questions about what they needed the identity for and who Tieran needed to be. This was more than faking a simple ID card to get into a club. This was creating a whole identity database.
As Ace worked on the database, the other three worked on Tieran's application and resume to ensure that the details matched perfectly. Tieran became a highly qualified computer animation artist in short order.
"How soon can we use this? How soon can he apply for this job?" Alia asked.
"Everything should be integrated by tomorrow morning. Why do you need this anyway? What's so important about this job?"
"We need to take down the company," Alia answered grimly.
Ace swiveled his chair around from the computer and raised an eyebrow at her tone.
"They are harming a friend," Tieran explained further.
When no more explanation was forthcoming, Ace turned back to the computer. "All right. That's good to know. I'm glad I asked. That means you may need to disappear when the company goes down. Now I know to make the information easily removable."
"Would you be able to help us any, give us any tips with the animation?" Alia asked later.
"Nope. This is the only computer art for me. I don't mess with graphics."
"Oh."
It was late by the time they left Ace. Cara insisted on driving home.
"I'm not an invalid, not anymore. What are we going to do now?"
"Sleep?" suggested Alia from the back seat. "It's been a long day for me already and I have to get up early again tomorrow. I think. What day is it? I've lost track."
"Today's Tuesday."
"Then I've got tutoring tomorrow and we need to turn in Tieran's job application."
"We've got all day to do that. Can't you cancel the tutoring? Today's my first day back in the real world. We have to celebrate. I can eat real food again. Pizza. Hamburgers. Take-out Chinese. Chocolate. Nothing tastes the same in the hospital. And surfing the 'Net. I haven't done that in ages."
"Well, you can do that after I go to bed. Quietly. Maybe Tieran will join you on your culinary rediscovery. I've already introduced him to peanut butter and he makes a mean scrambled egg." Alia wondered if she going to regret having mentioned that to Cara.
"You fed him peanut butter? What did you think of it?" Cara asked Tieran riding next to her.
"It was sweet and sticky," Tieran answered carefully.
"That's the same answer I got. He also conceded that it was edible."
"Well, we'll just have to find something better to eat," Cara declared.
"I just went grocery shopping so I don't have much money. So don't expect to go out and buy it."
Cara said, "We'll see what you've got at home, then." She turned on the radio and started singing along, but Alia and Tieran rode silently the rest of the way home. When they arrived, Cara made a beeline for the kitchen to take an inventory. Alia collapsed in one corner of the couch.
"She has entirely too much energy for someone who was at death's door only forty-eight hours ago. Maybe we should have given her only half of the peach."
Tieran laughed as he sat down at the other end of the couch.
"Sorry, Cara," Alia said a few minutes later. "I think I'm going to bed. I've had enough fun for one day."
"Party-pooper," came the reply from inside a cupboard.
"Have pleasant dreams," Tieran quietly wished her as he watched her get up and walk to her room.
"Thank you. I'll try," Alia answered as she closed the door to her room.
Tieran wandered out to the kitchen to see what Cara had found.
.….
Tieran showed up early the next morning. Cara was still sleeping after her celebrating the night before, but Alia was up and dressed, waiting. Alia left a note for Cara explaining that they had gone to see about the job.
The crisp, clear weather of the day before was gone. It had started to storm shortly after they had gotten home and hadn't let up yet. The bright leaves Alia had noticed staring to fall from the trees were now a few limp rags hanging from the limbs or soggy piles and drifts of gold, crimson, and sepia.
"I hope our luck is better than the weather. This is pretty dismal."
When they got to Virtual Pencil, they both dashed inside out of the drizzle, trying to keep the portfolio dry. They got directions from the receptionist sitting at the desk in the foyer and took the elevator up to the human resources department.
Tieran approached the secretary to turn in the application and to request an interview to show the portfolio of drawings and model. Alia didn't expect much to come of this, but received a surprise when another person came up from the depths of the office to collect Tieran for an interview immediately. Alia found a chair and sat down to wait. She wished that she had thought to bring something with her. "This waiting is killing me. You'd think I was the one who had to get the interview and job."
Finally, after what felt like ages to Alia, Tieran reappeared, thanking the manager as he left. Alia hopped out of her seat.
"Well? How'd it go?"
Tieran passed her the model case and walked out of the office without responding. Alia ran after him.
"Didn't you get it?" she asked as he held the office door for her.
When the door closed and they had walked a short way down the hall, he answered with a straight face, "They offered me my choice of either position after seeing the portfolio."
"Yes!" Alia jumped at Tieran and threw her arms around his neck, narrowly avoiding braining both of them with the model case. "We did it!" Startled, Tieran caught her and hugged her back. After a moment Alia realized what she had done and started to pull away. Tieran let her go immediately.
"Sorry," she apologized, blushing in embarrassment. "I got excited."
"I understand." He smiled a little.
"When do you start?" Alia asked, trying to regain her composure as they continued down the hall to the elevators.
"Tomorrow, if I can."
"Great. We have to remember to tell Jareth. He'll be pleased."
"Probably." Tieran pressed the elevator button with his free hand. The elevator arrived almost immediately and they got on to ride down to the ground floor.
.….
Tieran sought out Jareth personally to give him the news and found him in the courtyard of the peach tree. The day was overcast and still, the Labyrinth awaiting its fate.
"What news do you have?" demanded Jareth as he paced the spiral paths.
"I applied and interviewed for the job today."
"And?" Jareth prompted testily. He was in no mood for games.
"And they offered me either of the positions. The tunnel hunter was a success. I begin working for them tomorrow, their time."
"Good," Jareth answered, still pacing. "It's getting more difficult to hold them off the castle and myself. More of the Labyrinth is gone and most of the Goblin City. Any more news?"
"Alia's friend Cara has made a complete recovery."
"How nice," answered Jareth with shallow concern. "Anything pertaining to the current problem?"
"No, apparently not."
Jareth stopped his pacing and looked at Tieran. "You'll excuse me if the fate of myself and my kingdom, which are still in jeopardy, concern me more than the health of some Earth female, which was a foregone conclusion."
"Foregone conclusion?"
"Once you gave her the peach, she was healed. Once you got the peach, you gave it to her. The prophecy said you would get the peach."
"Following that logic, your kingdom is saved. The prophecy predicted it."
"Yes, well, it is not specific."
"It was 'preserve the kingdom,' I believe."
"And 'return the king,' but not how the king is returned, or for that matter, who the king is."
"Worried, Jareth?" Tieran needled.
"Yes," he snapped. "There, I admitted it. Are you satisfied now? As I said, it is becoming more and more difficult to hold them off and I have no idea what happens to what has been animated. Would you enjoy that prospect?"
Tieran immediately regretted his question. "No. I apologize for pressing you on the subject."
"Just go do something about it." Jareth stalked off through one of the archways. The audience was over.
Disclaimers, credits, and trivia:
Labyrinth, etc. belong to the Jim Henson Company.