--- Well, I hope y'all were able to follow that last installment. I know it was kinda short (I guess that makes up for Chapter the Third) although still slightly confusing (I guess that doesn't make up for Chapter the Third), but it said what was needed. Whoo for me, almost done with exams, which is why it's taken so long for this to come up. Yeah, slow poke that I am, having to deal with Chremslied giving me the evil eye for not getting a move on.

maniacal laughter Yes! I went to Trilogy Tuesday and got to see all three LOTR back to back to back! Y'all all must go and see ROTK A.S.A.P. because it is so great. Bask in the glory that is Pippin (Billy Boyd) and listen to his absolutely beautiful solo. Merry and Pippin rule!---

Disclaimer: None of the original Labyrinth nor its characters belong to me. Sam, Fred, and Chremslied do. They are my children, 'my precious.' Ack!

Chapter the Fifth

Chremslied looked in to the mirror and smiled. His thick mahogany hair was just long enough to curl at the ends and form thick ringlets along his forehead. He reached up to push the ringlets from his earthen brown eyes. His long, delicate fingers gave no sign of seventeen years worth of abuse from being a goblin.

He stepped back from the mirror. Sarah's sixteen, he thought bemusedly, again. He adjusted the cuffs of his butter cream blouse and straightened his vest. I wonder if she'll do what she did the last time.

Chremslied turned and walked out of the room, contemplating. Tonight was the night Sarah would wish her brother away. If Anne did nothing. Chremslied had become aware, over the years, that when Anne made her wish she'd somehow combined her essence with Sarah's and thrown them all back into the past. He didn't know or understand just how this happened, but he knew that it had.

At certain points in Sarah-Anne's life (as Chremslied usually called Sarah in his thoughts) she did different things than Sarah had. This caused very subtle differences in both realms. You know, Chremslied thought during these reflections, I think Jareth's more in love with Sarah-Anne than he was Sarah. Another big difference between Sarah-Anne and Sarah was that Sarah-Anne never had an imaginary friend called "Anne."

Chremslied reached the throne room. The goblins had yet to make their entrance, so the room was peaceful and not too terribly messy. Jareth stood at the window almost ready to watch Sarah at the park.

Jareth turned when he heard Chremslied's gentle cough. "Well, well. You do look professional cousin. I hope your lady is duly impressed."

Chremslied smile, "Thank-you, Jareth," he hesitated a moment, "Jareth, if by chance Sarah-Anne calls you tonight…don't overwhelm her too much. Keep in mind she's only sixteen and giving her everything she wishes for may not be wise."

"Why do you always insist on using her full name? Just because you are lucky enough to be dining out does not mean that I, too, shall be enjoying female company."

But while Jareth was saying this Chremslied noted how Jareth almost imperceptibly straightened his vest. He watched Jareth turn into an owl and fly out the window before he sighed.

Well, he thought, here we go again. At least I already know the outcome of my date.

Sarah-Anne Williams stood before Merlin, her sheep dog, and glanced at the owl that had just alighted on the statue. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Opening them on the exhale she spread her arms so that the bell sleeves hung just so, "Give me the child. Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child you have stolen. For my will is as strong as yours and my kingdom is as great…"

In the background thunder rumbled. Sarah looked up, Well that's excellent timing. "For my will is as strong as yours and my kingdom is as great…and…and…" Come on, come on. I know this line. "Phooey!" she exclaimed.

She took the book from her pants pocket (she'd cut a hole in her dress for just such an occasion) and flipped to the page she wanted. "'You have no power over me.' Why can't I ever remember that line? You have no power over me," she closed the book and started repeating the line, "you have no power over me, you have no—" a particularly loud thunder crash cut off the rest of the sentence.

Sarah frowned up at the sky as a raindrop plopped on her forehead. Then the clock started chiming. Ignoring the minor raindrops Sarah counted the chimes with trepidation. Once it reached six she knew she was in trouble.

"Dang it! It's seven o'clock. Come on Merlin, we'd better get going. I bet Karen's having a field day. It's just not fair!" she scowled, lifted her skirt, and ran.

Darting through the park she kept muttering the last line from her monologue. Taking pleasure in the rain beating down on her, she tried to remember the irritating line. Once she reached her street, however, her dialogue changed (due largely to the stitch in her side).

"Oh, it's not fair. Why do I always have to watch Toby every Friday?" she complained to Merlin. "For once can't I have a Friday to myself? It's not fair, not fair, not fair…" she chanted in time with her steps.

She looked up once she saw her sidewalk. Karen stood in the doorway wearing her dark blue evening dress and large necklace. She was also staring pointedly at her watch. Sarah slowed to a trot before coming to a halt before the porch steps.

"Sorry," she huffed as she moved her hair that had plastered itself to her face.

"Don't stand in the rain, come inside," Karen said.

Sarah sighed and motioned for Merlin to follow her. "Not the dog!"

"But it's pouring!"

"It doesn't matter. Besides, he's sopping wet."

"Go into the garage Merlin," Sarah said thinking: Besides he's sopping wet. Puhleeze. Not fair!

Sarah got to the foot of the stairs before her stepmother could start in on her. "Sarah, you're an hour late…"

"But I…"

"Ah!" Karen made 'that noise' which never failed to irk Sarah, "let me finish. Your father and I go out rarely…"

"Oh yeah, every weekend is definitely what I call rarely."

Karen merely raised an eyebrow and continued, "I only ask you to baby-sit if it won't interfere with your plans."

Sarah's jaw nearly dropped in disbelief. She turned and started up the stairs so her stepmother couldn't see the anger in her eyes, "Well maybe you should ask me. You never ask anymore."

"I assume that you'd tell me if you had a date. It's good to have a date at your age," Karen said in defense.

Sarah watched her face go blank in the mirror. You know what happens when you assume things…As if I wanted a date! How stupid! Just because I don't have a date doesn't mean that I don't have plans! Unfair.

Before she could think of an equally caustic and blasé response her father came down the stairs carrying Toby. "Oh, Sarah, you're here. We were just starting to get worried."

We were just starting to get worried, she cruelly thought. Sarah suddenly felt like bursting into tears, "Ooooh, just leave me alone!"

Quickly she stomped up stairs and into her room. Refraining from slamming the door, she nevertheless locked it behind her. Her glance skimmed over her room as she peeled off her dripping dress.

On the wall by her bed was Escher's Relativity poster. Beside that, a cupboard of squares holding her stuffies. Low bookcases lined the walls. Her desk was covered with odds and ends.

She picked up the ballerina music box and turned the key. "Greensleeves" tinkled as the girl twirled under the tiny gazebo. Sarah pulled on a dry pair of blue jeans, a white blouse that reminded her of a pirate's shirt, and satin white vest with cream flowers embroidered on the front and tied in the back. She sat before her dresser and pulled on her favorite slippers.

She looked at the pictures adorning her mirror as she brushed her hair. They were of her mother and her mother's co-star, Jeremy. Each one displayed smiling faces. Beside the photographs were newspaper clippings proclaiming her mother's brilliance.

Sarah smiled wanly at herself in the mirror. The beating rain and gentle music began to calm her. She took a paper crown from around the doll she had on her dresser and began applying some lipstick. She began quoting the passage again, "Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City, to take back the child that you have stolen…"

A tapping at the door interrupted her. "Sarah?" It was her father. "Can I talk to you?"

"I don't know, can you? There's nothing to talk about," she rolled her eyes. Her father made no reply, so she turned toward her door in disgust, "You'd better hurry if you aren't to be late."

"We've fed Toby and laid him down. He should be asleep soon, and we'll be home by midnight."

Sarah listened to his footsteps recede. Her disgust rose with an added tinge of anger. "You really wanted to talk to me, practically broke down the door!"

Lousy parent, she thought wiping off the lipstick and tossing the crown on her dresser. Scowling she threw herself on the bed and reached up in a cubby hole for her bear; which was not there. She turned up an around in disbelief at the empty space.

"Lancelot! Someone's been in my room again. I hate that!" she bounded off the bed and headed for Toby's room.

I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. It's just not fair! Sarah stood in the doorway and looked in the room. To one wall was her parents' bed, across from that Toby's crib, off to one side was a rocking horse. There, there was Lancelot; lying abandoned in the middle of the floor.

"Lancelot! I hate you," Sarah said vehemently to Toby while scooping up her bear.

Startled at the sudden loud, angry voice Toby jerked awake. Upset from being jarred so rudely from sleep he started crying.

"Oh!" Sarah complained, clutching her bear and putting her hand to her ear. "Won't someone save me from the cursed fate of having to watch you all the time?"

She leaned over the crib and scowled. Pretty soon her scowl dissolved as she watched her brother cry pitiously, after all, she really did love him. "Hush now. You want a story, hmmm? Want a story?" she cooed softly.

Turning from the crib she paced trying to think of something to quiet her brother. "Once upon a time there lived…uh…" she paused and looked at Toby. Suddenly, she remembered her book lying on the dresser.

"Once upon a time there lived a young woman much like Cinderella. Every night her evil step-mother made her take care of the baby. The baby was good but spoiled, because the girl had to do everything the baby wanted, and was practically a slave.

"But what no one knew, was that the Goblin King had fallen in love with the girl and had given her certain powers."

She paused, listening to Toby's cries. She sighed and picked him up, gently rocking him before continuing. "One day, after the babe had been particularly nasty she called upon the goblins for help. They told her all she had to do was say the words, and they'd take the baby away forever.

"But the girl knew that the baby would be turned into a goblin, so she refrained. However, after another month or so the baby was again bad. Unable to control herself she lifted the child above her and called out, 'Goblin King! Goblin King! Where ever you may be, come and take this child of mine far away from me!'"

Toby had settled down in Sarah's arm, again nearly asleep. She smiled down at him and told him a secret that she almost never even admitted to herself. Never before had she ever said the words. "Sometimes, I wish the goblins would take you away."

Toby said nothing, just yawned. Gently she placed him in the crib and had just reached the doorway, when a loud thunder crash erupted. Once more awakened from peaceful slumber, Toby stared crying for Sarah to come pick him up.

Irked, Sarah flicked off the light switch, "Like right now," she murmured, and walked out the room.