Hurts Like Hell
Author: Chaos Valkyrie
First Conceptualized: February 20, 2004
Posted Chapter 01: February 21, 2004
Updated: December 22, 2005
Disclaimer: If I owned Labyrinth, don't you think I'd have taken advantage of David Bowie by now? So nope, don't own.
Summary: Sam, frustrated with his sister, has wished himself to the Labyrinth. Nicole is forced to make a deal to win her brother back – either defeat the Labyrinth, or convince a very reluctant Sarah to fall in love with Jareth before the 13 hours are up… Meanwhile, a new enemy is hunting down both girls, determined to use them to get to Jareth.
Author Notes: Well, yet another story I don't need to be starting, but am anyway… This brings me up to five posted stories, several others in the works, and I'm not even going to mention my non-fan-fiction writing… sigh. I hate prolific plot bunnies. They really need to stop breeding.
Chapter One: Careful What You Wish For
Nicole wiped her forehead as she wearily walked home. She had just finished the late shift for her research job, and she was exhausted. She pulled her brown hair back as she walked, tying a loose ponytail as she trudged down the empty streets. She checked her watch. 'Almost eleven… I hope Sarah put Sam to bed by now.' She winced. She doubted her brother would've gone to bed so easily – she knew him better than that.
She sighed, looking up at the velvety dark sky. The street lamps masked the glow of the stars quite effectively, but she still rather futilely tried to pick out the North Star. 'There,' her questing eyes picked it out. She remembered how she and her father used to go stargazing when she was very little…
She shied away from those thoughts. Nicole smiled in relief as she neared the warm glow of her own house. She pulled her bag from her sore shoulders, shuffling her feet as she dug for her keys. The door swung open before she reached it. Nicole smiled as she was greeted quietly by her friend and trusted babysitter.
"Hey, rough night?" Sarah asked, moving aside so that Nicole could shuffle inside the front hall. Nicole sighed in relief as she dumped the heavy bag on a chair by the door.
"When is it not?" Nicole replied. Sarah chuckled, leading the way to the kitchen where a hot cup of tea awaited her. Nicole thanked her, wrapping her hands about the warm mug. "How were the little monsters tonight?" she asked.
Sarah laughed. "Well, I put your protesting brother to bed an hour ago, and Toby is passed out on the couch, waiting for me to take him home to my parents' house. They actually didn't give me too much trouble tonight."
Nicole blinked in almost mock-surprise. "That's a first."
Sarah giggled as she gathered up her textbooks. The two women had met in college, during Nicole's junior year. They had shared a couple of entry-level courses, and helped each other out with their weak-spots – Nicole helped Sarah through her Chemistry class while Sarah helped her pass Mythology. The two had become close friends despite their two year age difference. Now Sarah helped Nicole by babysitting her little brother on nights when she had to work late.
"So, think you'll pass your theatre exam?" Nicole asked teasingly. Sarah was a double English/Theatre major, specializing in mythology and fantasy. She was generally regarded as the best actress the school had seen in a good long time.
Sarah rolled her eyes. "Oh, I don't know," she said, her lips in a mock-pout, "I'm pretty worried about this one…"
Nicole snorted, reluctantly setting her cooling mug on the table. "My arse you are. You have all the Theatre profs wrapped around your little capable fingers."
Sarah snickered. "'Wrapped' is such a harsh word," she said. The two women stood up and walked to the living room. Nicole gently picked up a sleeping Toby and followed Sarah to her car outside.
"So, can you baby-sit next weekend?" Nicole asked. The question was routine. So was the answer.
"Sure, I haven't got any plans," Sarah shrugged. Nicole never took it for granted that Sarah would always baby-sit for her – and oddly enough, she felt that Sarah was grateful for that fact. She had wondered for years why Sarah was still single, and never could get a straight answer from her friend. Sarah was like a magnet – people were naturally drawn to her, especially boys. Nicole chuckled. She was the exact opposite, a reversed magnetic charge, forcing those away who were not brave enough to deal with her. Perhaps that was why she and Sarah got along so well.
"Opposites attract," she whispered to Toby, tucking the seatbelt around him safely. She stood up and closed the door gently as Sarah got into the driver's seat. She waved goodbye to her friend as she pulled out of the driveway.
Jareth held a crystal in his cool grasp, watching as the car pulled out of the driveway to take the siblings home.
"Goodnight, sweet Sarah," he whispered, his mismatched eyes sparkling. A large black bird fluttered into a tree next to the window ledge on which he had draped his lanky form. He casually glanced at the bird as it cackled before him.
He addressed the bird. "A crow? Such an obnoxious creature can only be my brother, I'm afraid."
The bird transformed in a flutter of black silk into a man. He was slightly taller than Jareth, and had the same hard mouth, same mismatched eyes, only his were blue and green. The similarities ended there, however. This man's thick hair was black as sin and was tidy, cut much shorter than his brother's. His clothing was black and of simple design, the lines of the silk showing off, but not utterly revealing, the muscles of his perfect body. The taller man frowned down at Jareth.
"A raven, not a crow. There is a huge difference," he snarled, his deep voice failing to drown out his brother's chuckle.
"My dear Gareth, to what do I owe this visit?" the Goblin King asked, the smile on his face not extending to his eyes.
Gareth smiled and waved his arms disarmingly. "Now Brother, why must you always assume that my visits have some dark ulterior motive?" he asked, chuckling. He flopped down on a leather and velvet chair, his leg dangling over the side. He smiled at the goblin who brought him a drink a moment later. She giggled, curtsied, then fled as she noticed the stony look on the Goblin King's face.
Jareth rolled his eyes, settling himself on the window ledge facing his brother. "What have you done this time? An affair with the Fairy Queen's daughter?"
Gareth laughed. "So like you, to assume the worst! Actually, I'm just here to see if there is any truth behind the rumors," he said slyly.
Jareth was immediately on guard. "What rumors?"
"Why, the rumors that the all powerful, forever condescending Goblin King has actually fallen in love! With a mortal girl, no less!" Gareth laughed merrily. His suspicions were confirmed by his brother's stony face, which held the slightest trace of…
Gareth sat up quickly, staring hard at his brother. "Is that a blush I see?" he asked teasingly.
Jareth kept his expression cool, but the clenching of his fist gave him away. "I'm sure your eyes deceive you, half-brother," he emphasized the word. "Must be something you inherited from… oh dear, who was your mother again?"
This effectively shut Gareth up. "Quiet, Jareth," he snarled.
Jareth smirked, changing the subject. "So, Gareth, how do the negotiations fair? Have you pulled a treaty out of the old fool yet?" The old fool in question was the Erlkonig, or the Elf King, whose realm lay to the North of the Labyrinth. The two countries had been at war for years, very evenly matched. While Gareth and Jareth may have their differences, the Goblin King trusted no one else to lead his armies – Gareth was a very skilled general. He was the partial reason why the country was momentarily at peace – his leadership of the Goblin armies had decimated the Elvin troops.
Gareth rolled his eyes, falling back into his chair with a sigh. "The old fool wants more than he deserves, even though we have the noose around his neck," he spat, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "He's planning something."
"When is he not," Jareth replied. He paused suddenly, as if listening.
Gareth looked at his brother curiously. "What is it?" he asked.
Jareth rose to his feet, standing on the window ledge, a smile forming on his face. "Excuse me, brother, but I believe I have another potential goblin to recruit," he smirked before transforming into a snowy owl and a fluttering off into the night.
Gareth shrugged, standing up himself. His brother lived for moments like these.
It was midnight, and Nicole decided to peek into her brother's darkened room before retiring herself. She frowned as she saw a dim light emerge from under the bundled sheets on the bed. She pushed the door open, flicking on the overhead light as she did so.
"Samuel Edward Conners," she screeched as the bundled form lurched. An untidy mop of light brown hair emerged from under the sheet, frowning at her.
"What?" the eleven-year-old boy snarled. Nicole stalked into the room, sitting down on the bed and snatching the flashlight from where it shone under the covers.
"You'll ruin your eyes that way," she retorted, flicking the flashlight off. "You were supposed to be asleep by now."
"I'm not a child anymore, sis. I should be able to stay up as late as I want on a Friday," he told her, trying to snatch the light back. Nicole held it away from him, and he frowned at her. "GIVE IT!"
"No. You are going to sleep," she said, and snatched the book from his hand as he made another attempt for the light. That did it.
"GIVE IT BACK!" he yelled, and Nicole stood and quickly held the little red book over her head, looking at the cover curiously.
"'The Labyrinth'," she read, confused. "Where did you get this?"
"I borrowed it from Sarah…" his jaw clamped shut, realizing he said the wrong thing.
It took Nicole a moment to catch on. "What do you mean, you borrowed this? Did you go through Sarah's things?" Her face became angry as she glared at him. He looked back unremorsefully.
"She was busy with Toby, I needed something to do," he scowled.
Nicole was mortified. "You can't just go through other people's things, Sam! You will apologize to her when you see her next week!"
Sam glared at his sister, muttering. She almost missed it. "I wish mom and dad were still alive…"
Nicole sighed. "Well, they're not, Sam. So you're stuck with me."
Sam glowered, muttering again. "I wish the Goblin King would take me away."
"What?" Nicole asked, growing tired of all this.
"I wish the Goblin King would take me away, right now, so I wouldn't have to put up with you anymore!" The younger boy bellowed.
As soon as the words left his mouth, the lights went out.
End Notes: Actually, I didn't entirely pick the name Gareth because of the similarity to Jareth… Actually, I read it in another story, (Draco Sinister, to be exact) and have had the overwhelmingly strong urge to use it for a character… this seemed the perfect opportunity to do so.