Disclaimer: I don't own anybody but Tabitha.
A/N: I'm a little shy about this one, but please review! Constructive criticism is always welcome.
Chapter 1: Letting Go
A rapid knocking on the front door shattered the Saturday morning quiet, sending a startled spasm through Tabitha as she slept. Her fingers dug suddenly into the pillow case and clenched. The knocking came again and Tabitha opened her eyes, lifting her head in search of the bedside clock. Eight o'clock. Not exactly too early, but this was her first chance to sleep late in over a week! Again the rapid knocking rained down on the front door, and this time it didn't seem to want to stop.
"Somebody's stubborn." She growled, flinging her legs over the side of the bed and stumbling to her feet. She was halfway down the hall before she realized she was lacking pants. The knocking continued, unceasing.
"IN A MINUTE!" She bellowed, rounding back to her bedroom to get dressed. Abruptly the pounding stopped, and a refreshing silence filled the air. Tabitha let out a deep breath and pulled her pajama pants on quickly, hopping back down the hall on one foot while sticking the other down a pant-leg. Her foot caught midway down the leg and she stumbled, crashing heavily onto the carpeted floor.
"Aunt Tabitha?" Came a muffled, uncertain-sounding voice from the front of the house. "Are you alright?"
"Yes." She rolled onto her rear and pulled the pants up. "Just give me a minute, Sarah."
"Okay. . ."
In a moment she was back on her feet and unlocking the door. She cracked it open and peeked out into the bright morning sunlight to see her step-niece standing on the porch. Sarah tilted her head a little to peer at Tabitha, eyebrows raised questioningly. With a resigned sigh Tabitha opened the door all the way and gestured for her to come in.
"What brings you here so early on a Saturday, Sarah? Don't you usually sleep in?"
"Not really," Sarah replied, stepping quickly into the little house and closing the door behind her. "I can't help but wake up at seven anymore, and by then the baby's usually up and making noise. I just can't go back to sleep."
"Summer will cure you of that," Tabitha remarked around a yawn. "Just in time for you to go back to school."
"Yeah, that's usually how it works." Sarah laughed as she moved into the kitchen. Tabitha paused, suddenly looking at Sarah more closely. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something different about the girl this morning. Sarah had set something down on the kitchen table and was proceeding to open the blinds.
"What are you doing?" Tabitha asked distractedly, her attention on the box Sarah had left on the table. "You're ruining my experiment."
"What experiment?" Sarah paused, her hand still gripping the wand that tilted the blinds over the kitchen sink.
"I'm trying to see how long I can go without sunlight before I turn into a vampire." She quipped, looking curiously at the box.
"I can tell you've been successful by your tan." Sarah responded drily, following her aunt's eyes to the box. "That's what I came to see you about." She said, dropping the wand and coming over.
"It's a shoe box." Tabitha said simply. "Are you hungry?"
"Yeah. Can I leave this with you for awhile?" Sarah fingered the top of the box softly.
"What's in it?" Tabitha stepped around Sarah and opened the fridge in search of breakfast foods.
"Just a few things. A few things I should put behind me. I mean, I'm not a kid anymore." Sarah stated firmly. Tabitha peered over the fridge door at her niece, but the girl was avoiding her gaze.
"Stuffed animals and security blankets?" She asked, pointedly.
"Something like that. Here, let me help you with breakfast. I mean, it's the least I can do for waking you up."
"Hmm. If you want to, sure." Tabitha stepped back and let Sarah rifle through her refrigerator, her eyes sliding back to the shoe box.
"You drove all the way out here on a Saturday morning to give me your shoe box? It's a forty-five minute drive, Sarah."
"I know," Sarah cried defensively, her shoulders hunching a bit. "Is it a crime to want to see my favorite aunt?"
"Hmm." Tabitha's eyes narrowed slightly. "Flattery will get you nowhere, kiddo."
"Oh, honestly!" Sarah exclaimed, setting the milk carton down on the counter a bit harder than necessary. "You are such a stiff old woman! You know I like visiting you, so don't pretend I don't! You are such a suspicious old crab first thing in the morning."
Tabitha spluttered in outrage for a moment. "Old? I'm twenty-five!"
"Well," Sarah grinned suddenly and leaned toward her aunt. "Then act your age!"
"Ooooh!" Tabitha huffed, throwing herself down in a kitchen chair. There was a moment of tense silence, then both women relaxed and moved on. Tabitha sat forward in her chair and rested her elbows on the table as Sarah pulled the bacon and eggs from the fridge and set to work. The shoe box sat alone. Tabitha rested her chin in her hand and thought, fingering the lid of the shoe box distractedly. Sarah was more confident than before, that was what was different about her. She seemed lighthearted, almost buoyant, and fully capable of turning her aunt's sassiness back on her. There was more to it than that, but it defied words.
The lid of the shoe box fell to one side under the pressure of her fingers, and Tabitha immediately abandoned her musings. Something inside caught her eye and her heart fluttered uncomfortably. Shaking slightly she stretched out one hand and plucked the little red book from the box. The red linen cover was more faded than it had been, and the binding of the book was worn from use. The elaborate gold lettering had flaked away a little in places, but the two-word title was still easy to read at a glance. The Labyrinth.
She set the book down on the table slowly and pulled the box toward her. It was filled with an odd collection of things. Pictures, magazine clippings, costume jewelry, bright red lipstick that she felt sure Sarah hadn't worn since she was eight, a music box, and a few other odds and ends. Tabitha sat back in her chair, and ran the back of her hand over her eyes, an odd mix of emotions swirling inside of her.
The silence had lasted too long. Tabitha dropped her hand and looked up to see Sarah staring at her. "Fairytale days are over, huh?" She asked, her voice oddly strained. Clearing her throat she put the lid back on the box and pushed it away from her. "I mean, you feel like you can leave them behind now, right?"
"Shouldn't I?" Sarah asked cautiously. Now it was her turn to look at her aunt suspiciously. Tabitha's reaction to the book had hardly been subtle, her pale complexion and trembling hands had betrayed her. And that look in her eyes was very. . . knowing. But then, she had kind of suspected something like this. That was the whole reason she had chosen to come here. "Shouldn't I leave my daydreams behind and get on with my life? Its time I put those things away."
Tabitha laughed suddenly, a dry, almost humorless laugh. "These things here," She gestured to the box. "They are not the problem, Sarah. I hope you aren't relying on curing yourself by putting these away. If you want to leave behind those dreams that keep you anchored to misguided expectations, more power to you! But keep in mind that those things you used to fantasize about are not necessarily unreal, they just need to be seen for what they really are. Most often they are complicated and somewhat painful, along with most other things in this world. Love, especially. "
She paused, and looked a stunned Sarah over. "Maybe you have gotten some perspective." She said thoughtfully. "Now," Tabitha climbed to her feet, the little red book in one hand. "I hope you wont mind me taking my book back. I've missed having it these past. . . what has it been? Five years?"
"Six." Sarah corrected her numbly.
"Don't let the food burn." Sarah whirled back on the pan and flipped the bacon and eggs. "I'm going to get dressed. Then I think we should go out this morning. We'll go to the mall and have lunch, and you can tell me how Jareth is doing." Tabitha slipped out of the kitchen, unfazed by the sound of utensils clattering to the floor behind her.