The sun was rising over the Labyrinth as Toby marched down the hill and up to the outer wall. He tried make sense of what had happened. The Labyrinth was real? And his sister's boyfriend was the Goblin King from the book? She was dressed like his queen? But how? Why? He continued to ponder everything as he walked along the wall, trying to figure out how to get in. He couldn't see a door or gate anywhere but there were some scraggly vines covering parts of the wall. He tried moving aside some of the vines to see if there was a hidden entrance but found nothing.

He squinted at the vine covered wall and tugged on one of the larger vines, it held. He began to try climb over but had barely made it three feet off the ground when he heard a faint high pitched giggle above him. He looked up to see a tiny iridescent fairy with white hair.

"Ah ah ah!" She wagged her finger at him and touched the vine, which snapped sending Toby tumbling to the ground.

"Oww!" Toby rubbed his sore bottom, scowling at the fairy.

A gruff voice grumbled. "Who's messing up the garden?"

Startled Toby jumped up, tossing aside the broken vine and searching for the source of the voice. A grumpy looking little man appeared out of the bushes holding some kind of spray can. " Ah Ha! 37!" He grunted as he sprayed the fairy that had just made Toby fall. She collapsed to the ground.

Toby watched the tiny creature struggle to get back up, he frowned at the man. "What you do that for?"

The dwarf skitted over to another fairy. "38!" The fairy dropped like a stone.

Toby put himself between the little man and the fallen fairy. "Hey! But she didn't do anything!"

"Nuisances the lot of them!" He tried to get past Toby, who didn't budge. Finally the dwarf backed up. "Who are you anyway?"

Jutting out his chin he declared. "I'm Toby."

At that the man's eyes bulged. "Sarah's little brother Toby?" He had to look up to Toby as he said it.

Toby scrunched his eyebrows, defensive. "How do you know Sarah?"

The man stiffened. "I'm Hoggle. Sarah never told ya?"

At Toby's blank expression he frowned. "Is she alright? You didn't wish her away to that rat did ya?"

Toby's shoulders slumped. "No, but I wished my parents away. I have to save them." A tear squeezed out, he wiped it away and tried to look brave.

"Now, now." He patted Toby on the elbow and then waved his hand and a great door disengaged itself from the wall and opened. "Now you best hurry, but be carefull, I'll go and try to find Sarah."

"Thanks mister!" Toby sprinted into the opening.

"My name is Hoggle!" The dwarf huffed just before the door slammed shut, making Toby jump.

Looking right and left Toby could see two apparently identical paths, seemingly straight and going on forever. He closed his eyes and spun. When he opened his eyes again he took a deep breath. "Here goes!"

The passage was littered with dead branches and debris. A large branch almost blocked the way, Toby leaned against the wall to get by but fell back in surprise when some growth on the wall opened dozens of eyes and peered at him. His first instinct was to flee but his curiosity was stronger. Crouching beside the branch he watched the many eyes blink and move.

"Cool!" He carefully stepped over the branch without disturbing the eyes and then continued down the corridor.

After a while the monotony of the passageway caused him zone out, he tripped on a branch and fell sprawled across the corridor. "Ow!"

He was startled by a voice right beside him. "Ello, are you alright?"

Looking over he realized that he had landed beside a fuzzy blue worm... with a red scarf... who could talk.

Wide eyed Toby shuffled back. "I-I'm... fine... um... are you okay?... I didn't see you."

"I was sure I was done for for a moment there." The worm chuckled. "But no 'arm done. But best be watchin' where ya put yer feet round 'ere. Never know who or what ya might run into."

Toby perked up. "Do you know how to solve the Labyrinth?"

The worm shook his head regretfully. "No... I've just come from pickin' flowers for the missus. Its our anniversary!" He held up a tiny bouquet of flowers proudly.

Toby smiled. "Congratulations!"

The worm inched towards the wall, gesturing for him to follow. "Would ya like ta come in? Meet the missus, 'ave a cup a tea."

Toby figured it wouldn't be polite to mention that he didn't like tea, besides, he didn't see any hole in the wall big enough for him. He began backing away, eager to get back to his task. "Thank you, but I - Ack!"

His back met empty air instead of stone and he stumbled back, nearly falling right into another corridor that he was sure had not been there a moment ago.

Looking around he mumbled. "You'd think the castle would be visible from here."

The worm shrugged. "Oh! The castle is that way."

...

Back in the throne room Jareth was holding up a crystal for the others to see into.

Sarah pouted slightly at the sphere. "Hey! The worm told me to go the other way!" She glanced at the clock. "Toby's making better time than I was, he should be fine."

Karen looked up from the crystal. "But what kinds of things will he face?"

Jareth gazed back into the crystal, thoughtful. "That depends on him."

Robert was still fuming, he turned to Sarah. "I knew something didn't add up... but this is ridiculous! You're dating a fairytale villain?"

Sarah looked her father in the eyes. "It's true that when I had to run the Labyrinth I saw him as a villain, later I saw him as an antagonist. Now I see him as a man bound to certain rules, as I am at the moment."

Robert grabbed her arms, shaking her. "But he will trap us here!"

Jareth stepped closer, Sarah shook her head minutely before turning her attention back to her father. "Only if Toby loses. And only because Toby made the wish."

Looking from Sarah to Jareth Robert frowned. "Are you already his queen?"

She snorted. "Not in the sense that you mean. Heck Dad, we only started officially dating yesterday!"

"Then why are you dressed like him? Why do you wear the same weird necklace? Why did he call you a keeper of the Labyrinth?"

"It seems that my adventures here have given me certain powers. Those powers have joined me to this place. When Toby made his wish the power of that wish caught me in its web as well. I have a role to fulfil."

His hands gripped her tighter. "But Toby is your brother!"

Finally the cool facade snapped, she shook him off, glaring. "You think that I don't know that Dad! I cannot interfere! If I try to help him the game is forfeit and he loses!"

Robert finally let her go, subdued, and went back to checking the crystal.

Karen was wringing her hands. "What about work? And Toby for school? We're going to be so late!"

"I'm sorry, but you cannot leave until Toby gets here." She would not entertain the possibility that he wouldn't arrive in time. "You are going to miss today entirely."

Karen looked so distressed. Poor always perfect Karen didn't know what to do.

Sarah got an idea. "Jareth, is it possible to make a crystal that connects to their phone?"

Forming a crystal he handed it to her, in her hands it became a cordless phone. Sarah passed it to Karen. "Here, you can call in sick if you want. Say that everyone got a stomach flu or something."

A bearded goblin that was almost as tall as Sarah appeared in the doorway. "Your Majesty, I was not aware that there was more than one guest. Shall I prepare more rooms?"

Jareth turned in surprise. "Edgar..."

Sarah shook her head. "Hopefully that will not be necessary."

Edgar tilted his head at her appearance but simply nodded. "Will you be requiring a noon meal your majesties?"

Sarah looked to Jareth. "Is it safe?"

Jareth chuckled under his breath. "One tainted peach and I'll never hear the end of it."

...

The walls of the corridors changed from dark grey slats to sandy blocks. Now instead of a seeming straight line, there were twists and turns everywhere. The walls were so tall he couldn't determine direction at all. In a gap in the walls there was a stone pillar with hands jutting out all over, pointing in different directions. He climbed up the hands, trying to see the castle. As soon as he touched the topmost hand it turned downwards, there was a rumbling sound and the pillar shifted beneath him.

Toby lost his grip and began to slip, he grabbed at another stone hand and dug his heels in trying to brake. The stones tilted further and he lost his grip, he felt his stomach drop. "Aghhh!"

...

Author's note

Thank you to Guest 2020 and Mae-E for the reviews.

To all who have faved and followed, thank you! I'd love to hear from you, let me know how I'm doing.

As per usual I don't own Labyrinth or its characters. I do own my goblin OCs.