A/N: I've got the next chapter of Forever Upon a Time about ready, but this little plot bunny came in a vivid dream. I wouldn't expect frequent updates until I finish FUAT, but wanted to get it out there. Hopefully, it's a new take.

Disclaimer: Labyrinth is not mine.

To Borrow A Goblin

by Rayac

Chapter 1: An Unusual Favor

"I need a favor, sis."

The girl on the other end of the line sighed. "I'm running out of single friends, Tobes."

"It's not that kind of favor," he groaned. "It's for work. There's this big case in the office. I think you can help."

"I don't know anything about law enforcement."

"That's ok! You don't need to. I just need to borrow one. One of the goblins, that is."

Sarah about dropped the phone, scrambling to keep it wedged against her ear. She knew it had been a mistake to tell him about what she'd done twenty years prior. But at twenty-one, she'd thought he finally was mature enough to handle it.

Apparently not.

"You've lost it, Tobes. Are you sampling the drugs your office has been confiscating? Do I need to call dad?"

"NO!" he exclaimed so loudly Sarah had to pull her phone back. "Really, I'm fine. It's just this case in the office. Representative Olson's kid's been taken. There's this weird cult that reveres goblins and demons and fantastical stuff like that. My boss thinks one of the followers took the kid. We need an inside man, err, goblin."

"You want an actual goblin to go undercover for you? Seriously Toby, that's ridiculous. Even if you had access to one, there's no way it would blend in with whatever cult members you're tracking."

"Well, uh…that's not quite true," his voice lowered into a hush.

"Toby."

"I'm not supposed to talk about it. Can I come over? Tonight? I'll be able to explain then."

Sarah rolled her eyes, but knew she wouldn't be able to get around it. Toby was persistent. And because of her recent disclosure, very good at guilting her into doing what he wanted. "Fine. Seven o'clock."

"Great. Thanks, Sarah!"

She hung up the phone, frowning. He had always been an imaginative kid, but this seemed to take the cake. Wanting to borrow a goblin? They weren't like cups of sugar. Did he think she just kept them around the house as pets? She snorted at the disastrous image. No, she hadn't seen one in twenty years. Not since that night. She'd never suggested anything different to Toby; there was no reason for him to think she'd have a spare goblin he could borrow.

Clearly, he just wasn't cut out for law enforcement. The stress had already gotten to his head.

Sarah checked the clock on the microwave: 5:09. He'd be here in two hours. Possibly sooner, knowing Toby. Enough time to make dinner and dig out the book from the back of her closet so she could remind him that's not how the wish worked. And that there was no way in hell she was wishing him away again just so he could grab a goblin to borrow. Hopefully he wasn't stupid enough to try that on his own.

The gold lettering on the red leather-bound book had almost faded away, the consequence of years of re-reading. At 35, Sarah had long grown out of the childish trinkets she'd coveted as a child. But the book was something else. She told herself she just didn't want someone else to get a hold of it and accidently wish a sibling away. It was for the world's protection. She conveniently forgot to address why she just didn't destroy it.

She thumbed through it wearily. She knew every word by heart. There almost wasn't the need to have it out when Toby came, but she thought he'd been more convinced of how ridiculous his idea was if he actually read what it said, though.

Quietly, of course.

She tossed the book on her kitchen table, startling her cat Jasper who'd been sleeping on one of the chairs.

"Mreowwww," he offered, arching his back as he stood.

"Sorry, buddy. Let me get you dinner."

Cat fed, Sarah busied herself in the kitchen, trying to figure out what she could make with the meager stock in her fridge. She enjoyed being a fantasy writer. Really, she did. She got to work from home, set her own hours, and didn't have to dress up every day. And she got to create fantastical worlds with heroines that always saved the day. Having lived her own fantasy as a teen, she didn't think she could ever give up that part of herself. But not having a steady income was difficult. Especially now that she'd fallen hard into a writer's block.

The eggs and shredded cheese were pulled out when she decided, after some hesitation, that the leftover piece of birthday cake wasn't an acceptable dinner on its own. Scrambled eggs it was. Again. She sighed as she cracked them into the pan, knowing she might have to get a second job if her writer's block didn't dissipate soon. But the horror of being chained to a desk for some boring nine to five job had kept her thus far from looking. She didn't think she could stand it.

She dumped the scramble onto a plate and sat down in one of the chairs, quickly flipping to the local news on her tiny tv. As she expected, the screen behind the coifed newswoman showed a bolded REPRESENTATIVE'S CHILD MISSING headline. The screen abruptly changed to show a photo of the side of a man's face, turned almost completely from the camera.

"Authorities are asking for the public's help in identifying this man, believed to be involved in the kidnapping of Dylan Olson, Representative Andrew Olson's one-year old son. Anyone with information should call the Hartford police or the FBI tip-line at…" Sarah sighed and turned it off, taking her empty plate to the sink. Toby hadn't been making it up; the kidnapping of a politician's kid was a big deal. It had to be for the FBI to be involved.

While she waited for Toby, Sarah pulled out a pad of paper to brainstorm ideas for her next book. But as she chewed at the end of her pen, she realized the only thing she'd written down after several minutes was: Missing kid? Snatched by faeries? She crossed it out quickly.

She'd seen that one before.

It wasn't much later that the ring of the doorbell sent Jasper running from the kitchen. She frowned at the glowing 6:18 on the microwave. That was early, even for Toby.

She checked the peep-hole before she unchained the door. "You're early," she greeted him with a raised eyebrow, expecting an explanation.

"Sorry, sis. It's really important."

"Mhmm," she beckoned him inside before sliding the chain back on the door and locking the deadbolt. Hartford wasn't the safest place to call home, but it was considerably cheaper than the neighboring Connecticut towns. "Tea? Coffee?"

"No, I'm good thanks," he fell onto her battered green couch. "I ate on the way over."

No wonder he's so early. "So what's so top secret that you couldn't tell me over the phone?"

He leaned forward. "You have to promise to keep it quiet. I sort of stumbled into it myself when I walked by the conference room. I don't think any of the other trainees know. My boss was talking with agents from the FBI and the CIA and I couldn't not listen to what was up…"

"Toby."

"Sorry, I'm rambling," he took a breath. "They're here, Sarah. Faeries and dwarves and goblins and all the stuff you told me about. They're here in Hartford. The FBI and the CIA have been tracking them."

What? "Bullshit. I haven't seen anything."

He rolled his eyes at her. "No shock there. You rarely leave your apartment."

"Even so," her eyes narrowed in return, "that's the kind of thing people would notice. If a goblin was just wandering down the street, that'd make the evening news." She crossed her arms. "Have you seen anything like that?"

"Well, no. But it sounds like it's pretty contained to this one cult. The people worship them or something." He shrugged. "I dunno. It sounded weird to me, but the agents sounded pretty convinced they were here and that they were hanging around this cult they think kidnapped Olson's kid."

"I think you misheard, Tobes. This sounds wild even to me."

"I'd thought so too, until my boss approached me after. He knew I'd eavesdropped but instead of yelling at me, he wanted to know if I had any ideas about how to gather intel about the group. How to get somebody in there to find out what happened to the kid."

Sarah rolled her eyes, suddenly realized where the story was going. "You didn't. Tell me you didn't tell your boss you could get a goblin for him to use?" She groaned, bringing both hands up to massage her temples when he grinned apologetically. "Why would you think that? Better yet, why say that. The government is going to be all over you."

"I don't think so. They seemed fine when my boss told them."

"Toby," she ran a hand through her hair. "Please tell me you didn't tell them about me wishing you away to the Goblin King."

"No, I didn't," he replied, somewhat exasperated. "You told me not to tell anyone that. I just told him I knew how to get one." He brightened then. "You can get one, right? By asking the Goblin King?"

Yep, he'd clearly lost it if he thought she'd just call the Goblin King.

"You've read the book, Toby. That's not how it works. He takes wished away kids, he doesn't run a goblin rental service." She paused to emphasize her next part. "And I'm not wishing you away or running the Labyrinth again, so don't even think about saying something stupid."

"Can you just try, Sarah? I know you can call him. See if he'll respond to something else you wish for? The worst that could happen is nothing." He pulled on his best pleading look, the one that broke down walls. "Please? This could be really big for me. Think of the missing kid."

"What if the Goblin King took the missing kid?" She countered. The kidnapping and faerie sideshow sounded suspiciously like something he'd try.

"So ask him to give him back then," he replied, annoyed that she'd dodged his simple request. "C'mon, Sarah. Please?"

That look was slowly wheedling her down. She tried one last excuse. "You don't find it odd that the government says there are faeries and goblins here - only here - right where we live? That seems too coincidental."

"I dunno," he shrugged. "There's a lot of crime here; maybe that's like a magnet. Another question to ask him."

She'd lost her mind, she realized, when she was seriously considering it. She sat on the couch and rubbed at a temple. "What do you want me to try and ask for? A goblin spy?"

"Basically. Just one that can go in, listen to what's being said, and report back. Maybe ask some questions." He shrugged again. "Easy stuff."

She snorted. Easy stuff. Really. "You owe me. Big time. Even if this doesn't work."

"Deal," he grinned. "You're the best, Sarah."

"Yeah, yeah…," she trailed off, considering what to say that might work. Toby seemed certain she could just call him and he'd come. She, for one, found that very unlikely. Their encounter had been twenty years ago. And he'd come only in response to a very specific wish that she would not be repeating.

"I don't want you out here when I try. If this works, I don't want him getting ideas about taking you back. Wait in the kitchen. Leave the door open a crack if you have to watch."

"Fine," he dragged it out so Sarah knew he thought it was anything but.

She had the original line memorized. The question was how to tweak it. Could she just wish to talk to him or would it only work if she wished something away?

"Mrreoww." Jasper pawed at her leg, anxious for attention.

"Not now, Jas. I'm thinking." She took a breath to steady herself. "I wish the Goblin King was here to talk with me," she started, "right now."

Sarah waited several seconds for a thunderclap, flickering lights, or for some sort of sign that it'd worked, but noticed nothing amiss.

"Try something else!" Toby shouted at her through the crack in the door.

She hissed when something bit into her leg, and she bent down to pick up the cat who'd been trying to use her as a scratching post. "Alright, Jas," she frowned at him. "You asked for this. I wish the goblins would take this cat away. Right now."

She knew when the squirming bundle of black fur in her arms instantly vanished that something had worked. She spun around towards the window, but saw no thunder, and the lights were still humming merrily. She frowned. That's odd. Where is he?

Just as quickly, she heard the crash of something falling in her bedroom, and saw a flash of black fur speed past her and hide under the couch.

"If you wanted to attack my goblins again, Sarah, I'd at least thought you'd do it yourself instead of sending your cat."