Chapter 13

Tara hesitated before raising her fist to knock on the grandly carved door. She glanced behind her at her niece, playing merrily in the gardens, before she even touched the wood. She took a deep breath, and brought herself to tap lightly on the door. She was certain she hadn't done it hard enough to be heard, but mere seconds later the door was swung open, revealing the beautiful foyer within.
The floors, although a pattern of lightly colored hard wood, was shiny enough to see her own reflection off of. A chandalier of dangling crystals hung from the high ceiling, reflecting the sunlight into rainbows all over the room. There were high backed chairs, in velvet, pressed against the walls beside expensive looking, antique tables. She stopped looking the room over when she heard footsteps, and turned toward the curved, hardwood stairs. Walking down them were the most beautiful girl she had ever seen, her red hair contrasting shockingly against her pale skin, and her blue eyes staring out with the same effect.
Over that, the girl had the look of someone who would help someone whether they had something to offer her or not, and that was the kind of person Tara needed to see.

"Hello," The girl stated, offering a hand, "You must be Tara and Xanthe. Jareth told me about you. I'm Crysandra Belli. It's a pleasure to meet you. Come in, come in! The elves won't find you here"

Tara glanced back at her niece, and called her silently to them. She answered by running up, and shaking Crys's still offered hand vigerously. Tara sighed, but their hostess only grinned, and moved out of the door so they could get in.

"I think we'll be spending a lot of time together, Xanthe." She stated kindly, "We're gonna be best friends."

Though she'd never admit it, Tara spent the next month or so scrambling about, trying to figure out how it was that they were supposed to get back to the Labyrinth. She still couldn't get used to the jeans of the past, so she ended up alternating the same skirt from before with a dress she had brought with her. Crys offered to go shopping for her, now that the big 'dancing queen' thing had died down quite a bit, but she kept refusing, claiming that they wouldn't be on that plane for so long that she'd have to go shopping. Crys and Xanthe, as Crys predicted, spent a lot of time together: thus prying Tara and her niece slowly apart. Crys was more energetic, more able to revert to who she was as a child, and thus be a decent play companion to the little girl.

The fact hurt Tara, of course. She missed her baby niece, for whom she'd risk her life, and during the week that her period came she had cried ceaselessly about it. Of course she never -told- them what it was that was bothering her, but they never stopped asking. Even when she hid it, her sadness radiated from her, and all that were close to her could feel it.

Even in the Labyrinth, Jareth could feel her pain. Of course, that was likely because he was constantly spying on her and the child in one of the heavy crystals that he bounced about his fingers like bubbles. The fact was that he missed her, though he'd swear that it was his toy that he truly missed. His watching her had nothing to do with the empty spot beside him in his bed (that had only been filled for one night) or the lack of trafficing in his castle. Even the goblins didn't seem to want to come in and mess up his throne room any more, and Damien sent him many annoyingly knowing looks when he passed.

Finally the time came when Tara gave up on finding the book, or the website that told her how to sneak to the underground. She sat before the mirror atop a vanity she hadn't realized was so ornate. She also didn't realize that it was through this mirror that Jareth was watching tonight.

"I just don't know what to do." She sighed to herself, staring into her own eyes via the mirror. Her hairbrush was left untouched as it always was in the night. She had no intentions of grooming herself. She sighed as she leaned toward the mirror, on her elboes. "I hate it here. I always have. But I can't get back to the labyrinth. I don't know how." She stretched out one hand, and touched it to the reflection of her eyes.

She knew instinctively that Jareth was on the other side, but she pushed the thought aside. It was a ridiculously childish, wishful thought.

And yet...

She frowned, eyebrows coming together as she made an attempt to push through the mirror. No, it was solid.

"Jareth?" She took in a shriek of a gasp, leaping backwards and knocking over her stool as a streak of white electricity seemed to go through the mirror, leaving it an image of none other than the goblin king. She stood there, dumbfounded as the man smirked down at her.

"Y-you can't"

"You called me here, dear Tara." Stated the king condescendingly. "Rather clever of you to figure it out, I'll grant you, but it took you a rather long stretch of time"

Her jaw dropped, and she suddenly had the urge to punch him, but she doubted her fist would hit him through the glass. She straightened herself out a bit, and crossed her arms over her chest, glad that she was wearing her skirt and blouse that particular day rather than her dress.

"I haven't figured anything out." She pouted, glaring at him, "Except that I can see you in my mirror. Which-- I might add-- doesn't make everything all better, unless a mirror can fight elves"

"You've nearly figured it all out, Tara." He stated calmly, "You merely need to think"

Tara growled as his image faded. She'd nearly figured it all out? She sighed, and walked over to the truly luxurious bed, and threw herself down on it, face down. She suddenly found that not only was she stuck in the above ground with no apparent method of getting back, but she was sexually frustrated too. Damned be the Goblin king.

Oh, she'd be having odd dreams tonight. That was for sure.

She sighed, and rolled onto her back, pressing her palms to her forehead. She had to think. He said she'd almost figured it out, so if she could just work through whatever it was that she'd nearly figured out, maybe she could get back.

She had made Jareth appear in the mirror by saying his name. Oh-- and she was touching it, too, wasn't she? So maybe if she touched the mirror and said "The underground", she could get there.

But it still left the problem that the mirror would still be solid. That could be why she needed the help of Crys and Xanthe-- to turn a picture into a portal. She paused, a slow grin coming to her face. She had figured it out! She had figured it out!
"I've figured it out!" She cried, rising to her feet, and making a run for the door to wake the others and go right away. "I've figured it out! Before the elves got--" She opened the door, and suddenly realized one thing.

The elves were there.

Her gaze flickered behind the one in front where they held Crys and Xanthe, hands tied and gagged. "Oooooh shit." She groaned, and turned slowly to face the one who stood, smirking before her. She didn't have a chance to even think of fighting back, before something blunt hit her hard in the side of the head. She fell limply to the floor, listening to Xanthe's screams of protest as she began to fade from conciousness.
"So she does care." She thought vaguely, before going out completely.


Authors Notes: Okay, so technically this is a repost... because I screwed up and left out a chapter... but it's back to normal now!

Reviews, as always, are wonderful!