Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the creative mind of Jim Henson and Company.

Chapter Two

Dinner had ended up a silent fiasco as one of her friends at college might have put it. Karen must have decided that in her free time she would learn how to cook; she did learn, but not very well. A dinner of over-salted potatoes and undercooked beef was the only reason for Sarah's need for escape. Karen had been so proud of that dinner, and Sarah didn't want to bring her hopes down. Someone eventually would, but at the moment, Sarah would rather take a walk in the freezing weather, which she did.

Everything about the town that Sarah had grown up in was the same. The same people waved at her from their front porches, the same cars were parked in the same driveway. It almost seemed like nothing had changed since the last winter was here, but that's what snow did to places. It covered up anything that could or wanted to be different.

The lake at Clyde's park was frozen over, and Sarah could dimly see that streaks ran through the ice from ice-skating. The usual swans that were on the lake had been taken out and put in a more suitable environment. There was no way they could have flown south for the winter; their wings had been clipped.

Sarah vaguely remembered reenacting scenes from her books in this park, but she had grown out of it after the tenth grade. It just felt weird after the Labyrinth encounter. She always felt as if someone was watching her.

"Sarah!"

Sarah jumped in surprise as she heard a voice behind her. No one should have been out when it was this cold outside.

"Sarah, you said I could read to you," Toby said. He was bundled up in what looked like ten coats. If anything, he looked like a large red marshmallow.

"You're not supposed to be outside Toby. It's too cold."

Toby crossed his arms on his chest and pouted. "Then why are you outside?"

Sarah decided to ignore this comment. "Did Karen say you could come outside?"

Toby nodded once. "I brought a book to read as well. Mommy said it would be okay if we read outside."

Sarah looked down into the little boys hands, hoping she wouldn't see the book. It probably would have been best to burn The Labyrinth, but she couldn't have brought it up to herself. Between the two gloves on Toby was the book Snow White. Sarah sighed with relief as they sat down under a lamppost, and he began reading, pausing every once in a while when he couldn't understand a word.

Once it had gotten too cold and too dark to stay outside any longer, Sarah decided it might be best to get Toby to bet. She wanted to meet up with some of her old friends from high school the next day. As they walked up the front driveway to the house, she could see her father waiting at the doorway.

"Toby, your mother has gotten a bath ready for you," he said without any sternness whatsoever.

"Aww, dad, do I have to?"

"Yes Toby."

Toby seemed to figure out that there was no way to convince his father otherwise and stomped past Robert up the stairs. Sarah began to follow him with her father caught her arm.

"There's some frozen macaroni you can heat up with you want," he said with a smile.

Sarah waited for a second to see if her stomach would respond to that offer, but it didn't. She probably had lost her appetite earlier, and it hadn't come back yet. Sarah wondered if it ever would.

"I think I might pass on that. I'm kind of tired anyways."

Robert let her pass, and Sarah walked up the staircase to her bedroom. Everything was changing so fast, and since Sarah was had been at college, she didn't get to see it.

Sarah was brushing her hair when she heard her father talking about one of his coworkers in the hallway.

"The doctor says she has only to Easter to live. Esther said she would rather live the way she wanted until she died instead of having that painful therapy."

"I understand," Karen interrupted. "But wouldn't the therapy help her live…"

"I want someone to read to me!" Toby yelled from across the hallway. Sarah heard her father's footsteps go into Toby's room and Karen's light footsteps clinking to the end of the hallway.

It wasn't until later that Sarah decided that she should go say goodnight to Toby. She opened the door a little bit and saw her father closing the book he'd been reading to Toby.

"Oh, please, Daddy. Tell me what she said," Toby wailed.

"Fine, Fine. She said," her father noticed her in the door and kept on looking in her direction. "I wish the goblins would come and take you away, right now."

The room darkened, and the shutters flew open. But her father did not seem to notice. Neither did Toby. She watched them, almost in slow motion, keep on talking. They didn't even notice her horrified expression. They didn't even notice the man standing right in front of them.

"What luck you have Ms. Williams," said Jareth, the Goblin King, stoically.

"Why can't they see you?" Sarah said determinably.

"No 'go away goblin king', how shocking."

"Why can't they see you?" Sarah said even louder.

"Toby had nothing to do with the wish, and your father doesn't believe."

Sarah knew this was the Goblin King's job, and she knew he wanted her to act up. She wouldn't, of course. This whole thing wasn't fair. If anything she had been the innocent bystander.

"Come on Sarah," he said with his hand outstretched.

Sarah had to keep on telling herself that she would not make a fool of herself over and over in her head. She wouldn't make his job any more enjoyable, and she took his hand.

Author's note: A thousand thanks to Labyrinth Mistress, who seemed to be the only one to review. If you read this, please review. I want to know how you like the story so far and what you think should change if you don't like it. Also, I hope you liked the way Sarah got wished away. It's bound to happen, and it took me a really long time to figure out a way she could disappear that was a bit original.