A/N: All right, my faithful readers. The moment you've all been waiting for is here!
Labyrinth belongs to the Jim Henson Company.
HAUNTED
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Sarah stared open mouthed in horror at the Nigel's silhouette. She could hear his heavy breathing, even against the howling winds, spattering rain, and thunder. A flash of lightning illuminated the living room, and suddenly, Sarah could hear the telltale snickers of goblins all around her.
"Nigel, how could you?" she demanded. He just shook his head, the darkness hiding his pained expression. She waved dismissively at him, and dashed up the stairs as fast as she could. She hurtled into her parent's room, and to Toby's crib. She sighed with relief when she saw the sleeping soundly. She scooped him up, and took him out of the room. He stirred, and opened his eyes. She ran back downstairs, and she could once again hear the goblins, scuffling about in the dark.
Toby began to wail, greatly objecting to this rude awakening. Sarah bounced him around a bit, searching for their rain coats. She was going to make a run for it. They might have been wished away, but she would be damned if she was going to let Jareth get his hands on them without a fight. She found Toby's coat, and wrestled it onto him, struggling to function in the dark. She could still hear the goblins, snickering away. Another flash of lightning gave Sarah a split second of visibility, and she saw several little figures scuttling into the shadows.
She couldn't find her own coat, so she just slipped her sandals, swung Toby up into her arms, and ran for the door. She reached for the knob, but before she could grab it, something grabbed her leg. She stumbled, and Toby slipped out of her grip. She fell to the floor, and Toby lay beside her, crying. She reached for him, but quick as a flash, a goblin ran by, and her baby brother was gone.
"Sarah, are you all right?" she heard Nigel ask. She looked up to see him standing at the base of the stairs. She struggled to her feet and approached the boy. He stared at her, feelings of guilt pooling in his gut.
"Nigel, how could you?" she demanded softly, "I'm one thing, but why Toby?"
"He said he'd give me my brother..."
"And you believed him? He's... he's evil, Nigel. Can't you see that he was using you?"
"No. He won't betray me, he swore it... Wait. How do you know what he's like? What do you know about him?"
Sarah opened her mouth to respond, when she heard Toby crying from upstairs. "Toby!" she shrieked, and she ran towards the sound. She ran back into her parent's room, the source of the cries. She heard Nigel following her, shouting her name. She looked around, although she knew that Toby was not there. The storm had suddenly stopped, and the house was silent.
The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, and the air grew heavy. She heard Nigel reach the top of the stairs, still calling for her: "Sarah, please! I'm sorry, but I had to do it!"
She felt a pair of arms encircle her from behind, and she was pulled against something hard. She struggled, but her captor's grip tightened, making it difficult to breath.
"I have you now, you delectable little minx, and this time you won't get away," that bone chilling voice hissed into her ear. She screamed, and fought harder. He laughed evilly, and held her tighter, one arm around her chest, and the other around her middle. She continued to fight and scream, her feet kicking in the air. Her sandals flew off, clunking against the floor. He began to pull her along, and she screamed louder, her cries echoing in the quiet house. She continued to struggle, until the combination of lack of air, and sheer terror caused her to slip into unconsciousness. She slumped into Jareth's arms, moaning softly.
He grinned, gently lay her on her parent's bed and sat on her waist. He slipped his hand up under her shirt, groaning at the feel of her soft skin.
"What did you do to her?" Jareth looked up, and saw Nigel standing in the doorway. He slowly got off his prize, and glared at the boy.
"Nothing. She fainted. The excitement was just to much for her. Poor little dear," he said, giving the unconscious girl the most unconvincing look of pity that Nigel had ever seen.
"Well, you got what you wanted, now give me my little brother."
"I will, my dear boy. But not quite yet. I do enjoy watching you squirm."
"No! I'm tired of your shit, give him back!"
"Calm yourself, Nigel. I'm a man of my word. I told you I'd return your baby brother, and I shall. I told Sarah that I'd stop at nothing to get her, and I didn't. I told her that she would be mine, and now, thanks to you, she finally is."
"What! You... you already know Sarah?"
"Oh yes. She and I go back a long way. Didn't she tell you of her own little escapade in the Labyrinth?" Nigel shook his head, his jaw hanging open. Jareth's smile grew. "Not even after your little tryst in the woods last night?"
"How do you know about that? Have you been following me?"
"No. I've been following her. You were a little twist, although you did work to my advantage."
"You used me."
"I did, didn't I?" Jareth said, looking very pleased.
"Give me my brother!"
"All right, all right. No need to get upset," he said, conjuring up a crystal ball. He twirled it in his fingers, never taking his eyes off the young man before him. "You know, Nigel. It isn't often that I give second chances. Use yours well." He tossed it to him, and with a rush of wind, he and Sarah had vanished. Nigel caught the crystal, and it instantly began to glow. The room flooded with light, and the room began to spin. Nigel wrenched his eyes shut, trying to keep from getting dizzy.
The spinning stopped, and he opened his eyes. He was back in his room back home. It looked exactly as it had that fateful night so long ago. He looked down at his hands, and was shocked to see that they were smaller, and none of the furnature came to where it was supposed to on him.
He caught a glimpse of himself in the window, and saw that he was once again ten years old. He rushed over to the crib, and saw that Aaron was sleeping soundly. He smiled at the baby, and went to lay in his own bed. He rolled over on his side, deep in thought. He was guilty, but surely the feeling would pass. In time, surely he would forget Sarah.
Surely...
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Jareth and Sarah appeared in the room off his own. He turned her shirt and short pants into a long, white silk nightgown. He settled her on the pretty bed, and pulled the blankets up to cover her. Her dark hair fanned out around her, her soft pink lips slightly open. He looked fondly down at her.
He had finally caught her. At long last, she belonged to him, and him alone. It took all his self control to stop himself from taking her right here and now. He must wait, be patient. He sighed, and closed the sheer white curtains.
"Good night, my precious thing," he whispered, before shutting the door separating their bedchambers. He sat on his bed, and summoned a crystal. He gazed into it with a dark smirk. He could see the bedroom of the McAlister brothers, and young Nigel asleep in his little bed. The foolish boy had yet to realize that his dream was not but an illusion. He had a new addition to his collection, an trophy to take the place of Toby.
"Foolish lad. You will see that there are penalties for laying your filthy hands on my Sarah."
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A/N: Well, was it satisfying? Hmm, I wonder what's going to happen to Sarah, when she wakes up?
On another note, a lot of you have asked about how Jareth came to be obsessed with Sarah. Well, I am going to explain it, but I'm having a bit of trouble with it. The problem is, it sounds kind of pedophile. I'm trying to make it sound less pedophile, but so far all I've succeeded in doing is making it sound more so. So I'll keep working on it, and in a few chapters, I shall unveil it.
Review, please. Thanks to all who have so far, and to all who have kept reading this story.