A/N: I wrote this in response to a challenge on Labyrinth Fan Fiction Writers and Readers. I had about a week to get it done. I cut it close since it is 11:35 PM on Valentine's day.
Warning my beta was only able to help me with half of this due to time constraints I want to thank RMBiehl for helping me get this done.
It is a sweet story about finding a love you lost. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reading please review.
Toby Williams was playing video games in the living room when he heard the back door open and slammed shut. He winced at the sound of the crash of the door hitting the jam. Then he waited for his sister to let him and everyone else in the house know what was wrong this time.
"Men are scum!" Sarah exclaimed as she strode into the living room and threw her bag onto the couch.
"What did Greg do? Or was it Gary?" Toby asked, his eyes not leaving the television screen where Mario was jumping down green pipes.
Sarah stood in the doorway of the room and looked down at her little brother. She looked around the room and seeing that no one else was in there, she furrowed her brows. "What are you doing down here? I thought that you would be in bed," she said.
"First of all, it is Saturday and my bedtime is ten-thirty on weekends. Second, we left the restaurant early because mom got sick from the clams, she thinks, and so I might be down here all night since dad is working in his study. And lastly, it is only eight forty-five, so that plus the fact that you are cursing all men makes me think that your date was less than stellar," Toby replied dryly as he continued to smash buttons on the controller in his hands, not showing any interest in his seething sister.
Sarah just continued staring at the ten-year-old, not knowing what to say to his comments. Finally, she sighed and walked all the way into the room and followed her purse, throwing herself down on the couch.
"Watch it; you will rip those oh-so-tight jeans that Mom says look painted on you, and hates," Toby said, his eyes glued to the screen.
How the hell does he do that? Sarah asked, rolling her eyes heavenward.
Mario was eaten by a spotted plant with teeth, and Toby put the controller down on the carpet and turned to look back at his sister for the first time. "Curled hair, makeup, and clothes Mom hates, yep, you are home a lot earlier than you thought you would be," he said.
"Where do you get off talking like this? You're a little kid. What do you know?" Sarah asked, fighting snark with snark, belatedly realizing that she was verbally battling her little brother.
"I am ten years old, and I grew up in the same house as you. It doesn't count that you went away to school. Your school was less than an hour away. You stayed here almost as much as you did before. Probably more so. Dad said you used to spend the night at Ellie's house most weekends when you were in high school. I don't know, since I was too young to remember," Toby told her, not backing down for a minute.
He waited for her to launch her next verbal attack and anticipated his response. When it never came, he frowned and looked at his sister again. Her hair was curled true, but it was also mussed as if her hand had raked through it over and over. Her carefully applied makeup was definitely smeared in places, definitely not how it was when she left. Whatever happened between her and what's his name that she had been dating for the last few weeks, it wasn't Sarah's choice, or it didn't make her happy.
"Hey, Sarah, what happened tonight?" he asked, his voice quiet and without a trace of his usual sarcasm.
"What do you mean?" Sarah asked him, looking for the insult or joke that had to be coming.
"I mean, you are obviously upset though you are hiding it by being pissed off, and you probably have a reason for being pissed off, but there is more to it. I want to know what happened," Toby insisted.
"Oh, it's nothing," Sarah said, trying to blow it off, but one look at Toby's earnest expression and her façade crumbled. Sarah started to do what she feared the most, she broke down.
"Oh, Toby," she said as the first tears traced down her face. "I don't know why I am surprised or upset. It is the same thing that happens every time. I get involved with a guy that I am attracted to, and I expect him to live up to my expectations, and he just doesn't. Either a guy is a jerk or a bum or both."
"So, which one was Gary or Greg?" Toby asked, still not quite getting why his sister was so upset. If the guy was a jerk or a bum then good riddance in his opinion.
Sarah was able to smile, even as more tears fell. "His name is Greg," she told him. "He was solidly in the bum category. He didn't have enough to take me to dinner, not even pizza, but he could drop the cash for parts for his stupid sports bike."
"You knew he rode a bike. That was one of the things that you liked about him," Toby said. "Probably because it was one of the things that Mom and Dad hated about him," he muttered under his breath.
"I know," Sarah said. "And I thought that him being a biker was part of what made him cool. I still do. I mean, I don't think he is cool, I think riding a bike is cool," she tried to clarify. "I just thought I would rate above a bike, that's all," Sarah said. "And I can't believe I am telling you all of this."
"You always tell me…eventually, because you live here, and I live here. If you had your own place, I probably wouldn't know as much," he admitted.
"I know, I'm sorry," she said, slumping on the couch. "Maybe I should just agree to go out with Biff and Blain." At Toby's confused look, she explained. "You know those guys at Dad's firm that he is always trying to set me up with. What could be so bad?"
"Nothing, I guess, except their names," Toby said, looking at his sister like she had grown another head. "Really, Sarah, can you really be telling me that you think that you would have a good time with a buttoned-down, stuffed shirt, preppie named Blain or Biff?"
After a minute, she stood up again. "I guess you are right," Sarah said with a sigh. "I guess I am just tired of dating duds all the time. And next week is Valentine's Day. I guess I'll be spending it alone. The way things are going, I should get used to that," she lamented. I'm sorry, Toby, I'm just so upset. I don't know what I am saying. Maybe I am just tired. I think I will just go up to bed. Don't stay up too long, ok?" she said to him.
"Sure Sarah," he told her and picked his controller off the floor, and resumed playing his video game. "Goodnight, Grandma."
Sarah shook her head and didn't bother replying to his quip. She grabbed her purse off the couch and headed up the stairs.
Once she was safely in her bedroom behind closed doors, Sarah allowed herself to break down completely. She howled in frustration and threw her bag. She did not notice it bounce off the opposite wall and land on her bed. She was busy stomping and fuming, much like she did when she was younger. She was tempted to yell 'It's not fair!'
That thought caught her off guard. She hadn't said that in…well she couldn't remember, but something about the phrase made her think that there was something important that she should remember, but couldn't.
Whatever the cause, Sarah was instantly taken out of her rant over her lousy date and her loss of a boyfriend. Now that her temper had cooled, she felt confused and foolish. She knew that dating one of the preppies from her dad's firm wasn't what was right, but what she was doing wasn't working either.
She changed out of her clothes and put on her pajamas. Sarah then dropped backwards onto her bed. Staring up at her ceiling, she felt the tears stinging her eyes. Rolling onto her side, she curled up into a ball.
"I wish I knew what it is I really want. Why do I torture myself by being attracted to guys that don't make me happy? Why can't I just be happy with a nice normal guy, who would treat me nicely? Why do I feel like there is something important that I just can't remember?" she muttered into her pillow. With those thoughts spoken out loud, she closed her eyes and went to sleep.
As Sarah slept fitfully, feeling more alone than she had in her entire life, she had no idea that someone a world away was listening to her self-pitying wish. Across the veil, the spirit of the Labyrinth could feel the pain of Sarah's heartache through her wish. She was torn over what to do.
She knew why Sarah was attracted to the men that she was. The problem was that Sarah herself, well, with a little help from her, she had to admit, had caused the blockage that was causing her lack of memory and confusion. While she had the ability to bring her awareness back, she was not sure if it was something she should do.
Sarah was special. The Labyrinth had known that since she had become aware of her when she was much younger. The girl had the bravery, determination, caring heart, and imagination that was becoming more and more rare among her kind. With the increased dependence on and popularity of technology, the Labyrinth feared that the humans were changing. That they were pulling away from the thin ties that connected them to her world.
Seeing these strong traits in Sarah had drawn the magical entity's attention, but when she looked closer, she saw the potential that the girl had, and it excited her. She wanted to bring her to the Underground. She was sure that the girl belonged there. She just knew it, and so the Spirit of the Labyrinth began to think of a way to bring the girl to her.
Another problem that the Labyrinth had was her monarch. Jareth, while considered quite young, had been given the title and dominion over the Goblin Kingdom, and the Labyrinth inside it. He accepted his less-than-popular position and the duties that it entailed. After so many years, the job and responsibilities were wearing on him. His subjects were a stressful lot, and the job of taking wished-away children was not always easy, depending on the circumstances.
The Labyrinth knew the solution: her king needed a queen. The Goblin Kingdom was usually ruled by a pair. That way there was sharing and support to help alleviate some of the stresses that came with ruling this specific kingdom. For most of the previous rulers that were the motivation to marry. It was necessary for the good of the monarch and the kingdom, and the potential queen was selected using those criteria.
Jareth was different from all the other goblin monarchs that came before him. Oh, he was just as cocky and self-assured if not more so, but he also refused to wed someone simply for convenience. Not that he was looking for love. Far from it, but he did want someone whom he could see spending a lifetime with, and for a fae that could be an actual eternity, without him growing bored of them quickly.
That seemed to be his biggest issue. No one he had been involved with in the past could hold his attention for very long. While the Goblin Kingdom itself was not considered a great prize, it was a kingdom, and that was coveted by most families in the nobility. Jareth had countless women either thrust at them by hopeful parents, or by the women themselves.
Not one to deny himself any pleasure that he might seek, the Labyrinth watched him go from female to female, from simple dalliances to passionate affairs, but none of them lasted. Each time, Jareth would find his attention fade for one, and he would end it with her to take up with another almost immediately. This told the Labyrinth that he was ready to find his mate, his life partner, and the one to rule beside him, but it did not seem that any he had found was the right one for him.
It was when she was watching Sarah grow from a girl into her teenage years that Sarah's potential truly came into focus. Then the Labyrinth knew. She was the one. She would be a perfect partner for her monarch, and then she would be with her as well. It was a perfect solution, except for the fact that Sarah was still much too young.
With the long lifetimes of the fae and the fact that she was eternal, she bid her time and was waiting for Sarah to become of age where she would be a match for her monarch. She would need that time anyway, as there was much that needed to be done before Sarah would be ready to be introduced to Jareth and the Underground.
While Sarah had traits that the Labyrinth was convinced made her compatible for life in the Underground, she would need to prepare her for the life she would lead there. She would need to have experiences with some of those that resided in the Underground. While some of them could travel between worlds, Sarah could not, at least not corporeally, and having what would be seen as mythical creatures running around Sarah's small town would not be a good idea. She would have to find a way to bring Sarah into contact with not just those from the Underground, but the magic that enveloped her and would become part of her when there.
She had done this over the next several months in different ways. By strategically placing items that bore resemblances of those individuals or places in the Labyrinth and Underground in her path. The Labyrinth was thrilled when Sarah was innately drawn to many of them. Stuffed animals that looked like the fireys, fairies, or even Sir Didymus, one of Jareth's advisors and a former knight, lined shelves in her bedroom wall. Marble mazes and games that looked like parts of the Underground and the Labyrinth itself littered her room and were used often. Sarah had a quick mind, and puzzles seemed to be a forte of hers, much like Jareth's, the Labyrinth couldn't help thinking.
Things were going quite well, and when Sarah was fifteen, she had started to take a real liking to boys and young men around her with a possible romantic interest. That was a sign the Labyrinth had been looking for. She needed to see if Sarah would have an attraction to Jareth. To do this, she began to wave dreams, sending images and impressions to Sarah in her dreams.
The Labyrinth was so proud of how well her plan was working that she became sloppy, and she made her mistake. She had directed one of her caretakers, a gardening dwarf named Hoggle to retrieve a book she had made. The Labyrinth had crafted a story, a fairytale of sorts. In fact, she had made two. One of them would give the story of the Goblin King, a sad magical fae living alone in a castle, and longing for the one to share his life with. The second one was another story, one that was written to entice Sarah to call on the Goblin King. That one would bring her into their world, and once there, her attraction for Jareth, and her familiarity with those there, would cause her to stay. She was sure of it. The problem was that the dwarf took the wrong book and delivered it just as she had directed him. It was at a place that the Labyrinth knew Sarah would find when she took her dog to the park for a walk.
Sarah found the book, and read it. She was a young, impetuous girl, and the story in the book along with the frustrations with her younger brother led her to say those words and wish her brother away.
This was not at all what the Labyrinth had planned. She had planned for Sarah to find that book years from now when she was old enough to read between the lines. Sarah was supposed to take what was in the story and use it to wish herself to the Underground, to herself, and to Jareth.
Now she had Sarah's half-brother in the castle, and while he was not part of the Labyrinth's plan, she could sense much of the same attributes that attracted her to Sarah in the boy as well. Jareth must have as well, as he seemed to get unusually attached to the boy in a small amount of time.
The Labyrinth tried to do what she could to salvage her plan. She helped Sarah where she could without making it obvious, and she did what she could to make sure that Jareth was aware of her progress. Wanting him to be aware of just how special Sarah was. If she could cause them to fall in love now, they could lengthen their courtship to several years. Jareth would have to see that she was too young for marriage now, but if he were patient…whom was she kidding. It was the only hope she had left of salvaging her plan, and she put all of her power toward its success.
Succeeding she did, but at a price. Both Sarah and Jareth did find and start to forge that connection that she knew was there under the surface. Jareth had even declared himself, practically begging her to stay with him. The Labyrinth could sense how much Sarah wanted to do just that, but the very traits that made her sure that Sarah would be the leader and partner that both she and Jareth needed caused her to turn him down and return to her home with Toby. Even though it broke her heart to do so, the Labyrinth had formed a bond with the girl also and could feel her pain as she spoke the words that ultimately sent her home.
The Labyrinth kept watch over Sarah once she returned. She knew that while Sarah did not regret the decision to come back with Toby, she lamented the fact that she had to make the decision at all. She knew that Sarah needed a connection with the Underground, because of the bond that she had started forming both with herself and Jareth. To not have it would make the longing for that place unbearable for her, especially since she was so young.
When she saw Sarah sitting at her vanity, putting away the representations of a part of her life that she was ready to move on from, the Labyrinth heard her silent wish to keep something of her time in the Underground with her. The Labyrinth could not deny her that, and so she used her power to create a portal, using Sarah's vanity mirror. One by one, everyone Sarah had met, used it, and was accepted by her. She denied no one entrance and admitted she needed all of them in her life. This was just more confirmation for the Labyrinth that she was the one who was destined to help rule it.
There was one noticeable absence from the group of visitors that night…Jareth. He of course needed no portal. He might not have power over her, but that did not mean he was banned from her life. He chose to look in from the outside. He was heartbroken and devastated that she had left. When he saw that she desired the company of others from his kingdom, he hoped that she would wish for him as well. He waited outside, listening for her to ask for him, but the call never came. On silent wings, he flew back to his kingdom, resolute to forget her…but he couldn't, and he never did.
Sarah used the portal often to talk to or invite her friends to visit with her. She never attempted to use the portal herself. She never mentioned Jareth whenever she met with others from the Underground. None of them, not even the goblins, did as well. It was an unspoken agreement that they all adhered to. Sarah tried to appear that she did not care about the Goblin King and that she felt nothing for him at all.
The Labyrinth though knew differently. She could sense what was in Sarah's heart, and she was aware of just how much she cared, and how heartbroken she was over the loss of what might be between them. Less than a year after she had returned, Sarah couldn't take it anymore, she wished for something that would take the feelings of hurt and loss away.
The Labyrinth heard her wish and knew that the only way to do that was to lock away all of her memories of the Underground and everyone and everything there. She did not want to do this, knowing how much Sarah cared for those that lived in the Underground, but night after night, Sarah would lie in the dark, tears falling from her eyes, making the same wish over and over. Finally, the Labyrinth gave in, using the power of the wish that Sarah's imagination allowed her to tap into. The Labyrinth locked all of her memories of the Underground, and Jareth, behind a wall in her mind and heart.
The Labyrinth weighed the options she was faced with. She could do nothing, and she hoped that this seeming awareness of a missing piece of her life and heart was a fleeting one, and Sarah would move on like she had appeared to do these last eight years. But had she moved on? Every boy in high school and young man since had some combination of long hair, usually some shade of blond, percent for leather, commanding presence, rebel, or bad boy. All of those traits were shared by someone she had insisted she wanted to forget.
Then she could try to tap into Sarah's magic, the same magic that she had used before, and use it with her own to reverse the locking spell and release all of her memories and feelings. Would Sarah be able to handle them? What would she do with them?
True, she was just a bit older than the age the Labyrinth envisioned bringing her to the Underground, but the timing was relative. She would do it without question if she knew that it was what Sarah truly wanted, and if it would help her find the happiness the Labyrinth knew she would have with Jareth.
By this time, Sarah had fallen asleep. The Labyrinth watched her, and an idea started to form. She could let Sarah make the decision for herself. She would simply use a combination of her magic and Sarah's dreams.
While dreaming, those in this world could connect with the world of the fae. Only a few in the Underground were able to use that connection, and they were under strict restrictions. Jareth was one of these individuals, but the Labyrinth answered to no one and was under no such limitations.
Smiling, she thought about how to craft a spell that Sarah would subconsciously have to initiate. She would need to use something with a tie to the Underground and to Jareth. One that would speak to Sarah's heart and make her truly want to unlock the door and remember again.
It took some time, but the Labyrinth finally decided on the vessel for the spell she would craft. Part of the time, she hoped that Sarah would indeed put away the idea that something was missing in her life, and move on. Sarah couldn't do it, however, and the Labyrinth heard her wishes to find the missing pieces in her life become more and more desperate.
The book. That was the start of the problems and that was the answer, she was sure of it. When the spell took hold and locked away her memories and feelings, it also took away everything that had a connection with her, Jareth, or the Underground. She would need to get the book back, and to do that she would need some help.
Hoggle was working outside the Labyrinth gates. Rumor had it that a wished-away would arrive soon. Jareth rarely talked to him anymore, not since Sarah had left and refused to see any of them again. He knew that Jareth cared about Sarah and was upset. A fact that shocked and surprised most of his subjects, but they all missed Sarah too.
Suddenly, a melodious voice sounded in his head. "Hoggle put down that sprayer. I need you to do something for me," it said.
Hoggle stopped in the motion of spraying an overly energetic fairy, who was trying to get over the Labyrinth walls. "I can't leave, not with a runner comin'," he said and finished sending a spray of deterrent toward the fairy.
"There is no runner," the voice countered.
"How do ya know there's not?" he asked. Then Hoggle paused and thought about who he was talking to. "Fine," he said with a sigh and put down the sprayer. "What do ya want me ta do?" he asked.
"I need you to see Agnes in her junkyard. She has something that I need," the voice said, happy that Hoggle was listening to her.
"Why don't ya go ta Agnes yourself?" Hoggle asked, not sure if he trusted the answer. He was one of those chosen few that had direct contact with the sentient entity that was the Labyrinth. While she had never done anything untoward to him per se, he knew how powerful she was, and her was always wary of her motives, much like he was with Jareth.
"While I care for all of those who find shelter within my walls you well know that I only have direct contact with a chosen few. One of those is you. Now part of your job is to do what I or the king bids you. Now you will be running along to the junkyard, and you will retrieve a small red book that has made its way to her yard around seven years ago," the Labyrinth told him in a commanding voice.
Something about this loosened a memory in Hoggle. Suddenly, his head came up and without a body to confront, he glared up at the sky. Raising a finger he started jabbing at the air, "Somethin' about this sounds familiar," he said slowly. Then he realized, "That book belonged ta Sarah. Ya had me give it ta er years ago? How does Agnes have it?" he asked in an accusing voice.
The Labyrinth did not want to tell anyone what she had planned. She did not need Jareth to find out that she had a hand in Sarah shutting all of them, especially him, out of her life. While he and Hoggle had never gotten along, Hoggle was known to have a big mouth, and she did not need him to give Jareth any information that wasn't necessary for him to know.
He was still in love with the girl, and the Labyrinth knew that he had tried to contact her over the years. She had watched him sit outside her window in his owl form, and she saw the confusion in his eyes as Sarah would look directly at him and appeared not to see him. In truth, she didn't, as the spell kept him hidden from her.
Jareth had tried using the portal in her room's mirror. He was aware of it. And although it was not open and active, he could activate it easily enough. When he tried, however, he found that he was blocked. He had gone to her, knowing that her magic was the only thing that might be able to block him. She had simply told him that she could not and would not unilaterally keep him from her. This was true, she did not do it unilaterally, and she needed Sarah's help to make the spell effective.
Finally, Jareth as a last resort had tried entering her dreams. He had attempted this dozens of times over the years. As the master of dreams, he was able to project himself into the dreams of individuals, but only to observe not to interfere. And while he felt the magic take hold, he was never able to see anything in her dreams. All he could see was a swirling gray mist.
The only contact he had was watching her, either in owl form or through his scrying crystals. This one-sided communication was unsatisfying since it was all he had available to him. He clung to the connection. The Labyrinth could not bear to watch Jareth have hope for getting Sarah back, just to have his heart broken again.
Considering the dwarf in front of her, the Labyrinth decided that she was done wasting her time. "Hoggle, you will do as I say and get that book from Agnes. I want you to bring it to the fountain in the middle of Goblin City. I will tell you what to do with it then," she said and with that, her consciousness departed, leaving Hoggle to follow her directives without further argument.
"So, I guess it will be a romantic Valentine's evening tonight. Me and Toby, watching Lady and the Tramp on DVD while Dad takes Karen out to the club for their annual Valentine's Day party with dinner and dancing," Sarah was talking to her friend Ellie as she shelved books in the children's section before getting ready to set up for after school story time.
"Lady and the Tramp is Disney's most romantic movie," Ellie told her, smiling. The comment earned her a dark look from Sarah's green eyes. Nonchalant, Ellie shrugged. "Why aren't you going to the club with your parents? They aren't making you babysit like they did when you were a kid, are they?" she asked.
Sarah shook her head. "Nah, they offered, but I declined," she stated firmly, placing the last book on the shelf and moving to a corner filled with beanbags and large floor pillows. Sarah began moving them around to create a comfortable seating area.
"Why did you do that? I know you aren't mourning your relationship with Greg. Why not go and eat a fancy meal and shake your tail feathers and have some fun?" Ellie asked her.
"Do you know the kind of guys that will be there?" Sarah asked, looking at her friend over her shoulder. "Most of them will be about the age of my dad, and hey I have nothing against dating an older guy, but I don't want to date my dad. Any of them who are younger are just like the ones he keeps trying to set me up with at his office." At Ellie's blank look, she explained. "They are younger carbon copies of my dad, see my previous reason for not wanting to go."
Ellie chuckled at her friend's reasoning. "I would go for the lobster or steak dinner I would get," Ellie said, rolling her eyes. "I don't care whose sweaty palms I might have to hold while doing the foxtrot."
"Why couldn't I just deal with Greg for another couple of weeks?" Sarah asked rhetorically. "Then I could have a date for Valentine's like a normal twenty-something."
"The same reason that you have broken up with the last, however many guys you have dated since forever," Ellie ignored yet another dirty look from Sarah. "You keep dating the same kind of guy and expect him to act differently. Isn't that the definition of insanity? It's like you are looking for someone specific, or trying to mold these guys into someone else. The question is, whom are you looking for?"
Sarah busied herself, putting the storybooks on the small table by the chair that she would sit in for story time, making sure that the stack was neat and the books were in order by size. Ellie's comment was hitting way too close to the questions she had been asking herself. "If I knew, Ellie, I would tell you. I don't know why I keep going out with these bums, or why nice guys seem to turn me off so much. I don't want a prince charming, but I am not looking for the big bad wolf either," Sarah lamented. "I just don't know what I want."
Ellie laughed, "Well, when you find the guy who is the middle ground between the hero and the villain, who has a thing for leather, and an Aqua Net-worthy hairstyle, be sure to introduce me, he might have a brother."
Sarah wanted to throw one of the oversized pillows at her, but she wanted to keep her job. "Get out of here, I see the kids starting to head this way," Sarah said, watching a small group of five and six-year-olds walking toward her with their caregivers in tow.
"Ok, Sar. Have fun tonight on your date with Toby," Ellie said, blowing Sarah a kiss then she turned and walked to the adult fiction section.
Sarah shook her head and sat down in the rocking chair that she used for storytime. It reminded her of the one in Toby's room when he was little and she used to hold him on her lap and read to him. Over the next ten minutes, kids wandered in and sat on one of the soft seats. Their parents or sitters were either sitting with them or browsing nearby shelves. At the appointed time, Sarah smiled and greeted everyone, picked up the first book from the stack, and started to read.
Sarah walked into the house just in time for her dad and stepmother to breeze out. It reminded her so much of when she was a kid, she almost expected to hear Karen ask her why she didn't have a date. Once her dad and stepmother had left, Sarah went to the refrigerator and looked in the freezer.
"Hey, Toby, how about a frozen pizza for dinner, and we can eat it in the living room while watching the movie?" Sarah asked, calling over her shoulder to her brother.
"Sounds good, Sarah, but can't we watch something else besides a Disney movie? How about we watch Jurassic Park instead?" Toby asked.
"You've seen that before, and Karen hates you watching PG-13 movies," Sarah reminded him. She watched him scan the DVD rack. "And don't pick out Star Wars or any of the Indiana Jones movies. Nope, Lady and the Tramp," she said.
"Fine," Toby reluctantly agreed. Sarah knew that even though he protested, Toby liked animated Disney movies. You can pick another one for us to watch after if we have time," she said.
That satisfied Toby, and she preheated the oven and took the frozen pizza out of the box. Once it was in the oven, she got out paper plates and napkins as well as cans of pop out of the fridge. She danced around to the radio, waiting for the pizza to cook. Once the timer went off, she took it out, cut it, and put pieces on the plates for them.
"Toby!" she called. "Dinner!"
Toby came into the kitchen, and she handed him a can of pop and his choice of plates. Toby grabbed his slices of pepperoni and headed out of the room. They sat on the floor and ate their dinner while watching the movie on the screen. They paused it to clean up their plates, and Sarah popped popcorn in the microwave while she cleaned up the kitchen. Putting the popcorn in a large bowl, she carried it into the kitchen, and they continued watching movies.
After Lady and the Tramp, Toby chose to watch Aladdin next. They had seen it in the theater together, and he had gotten the DVD for Christmas. They sang along with the songs and laughed at the jokes, Sarah at some that Toby didn't get.
Toby complained when as soon as the credits rolled Sarah turned off the television. "Aw, Sarah," he huffed.
"Aw, Sarah, nothing," she replied. It is a school night and you are way past your bedtime."
"Mom and Dad will be out super late, you know how those things at the club go," Toby countered. "I won't get caught staying up."
"Yeah, but when you are grumpy in the morning, Karen will take it out on me. To bed, Toby," Sarah ordered, pointing at the stairs.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm going," he grumbled. "Night, Sarah," he said, hugging her before he ran up the stairs.
Sarah laughed and turned the music back on while she picked popcorn up from the floor, and took the bowl into the kitchen. She loaded and started the dishwasher. Then she made sure the living room was picked up, and afterward, she made her way up to her own bedroom.
She changed and checked the clock on her bedside table. It was still too early to sleep, but she was done watching TV. Looking around, she decided to read a bit before bed. Usually, she had a small stack of books she was reading on the table, but it was empty except for her lamp and alarm clock radio.
Sarah walked over to her bookshelf and ran her finger along the row of spines, reading the titles. She was waiting for one to jump out at her. Not having any luck, Sarah looked for her backpack. She usually carried a book or two with her. She saw it leaning against her vanity. Sarah walked over to it and leaned down to pick it up off the ground when something on the top caught her eye.
She didn't remember leaving a book on it this morning when she did her hair and makeup. The backpack was forgotten on the floor a she reached for the small book with the red leather cover. She turned it over and read the title that was written in gold lettering.
"The Labyrinth," she read, whispering the words out loud. She shivered as a shock traveled down her spine. She didn't remember the book, but something about it seemed so familiar.
She opened the book and started to read. It was some sort of fairy tale she realized, but not one of the standard ones that most kids knew. Maybe she has seen it at work, she thought and looked inside the back cover. There should be a sleeve for the checkout card. She was surprised when nothing was there.
"Maybe it belongs to Toby," she thought and smiled. That made sense but what was it doing in here? Her brother must have been in her room and left the book there. She would have to talk to him about privacy and not going into her personal space without permission.
Curious about what the book was about, she took it to her bed. She climbed in and slid under the covers. Opening the book, she began to read. Each page seemed more and more familiar, until after the first few, she was able to recite the dialogue before reading it.
By the end, she had tears in her eyes. She knew this book, but something told her it was more than a book. She knew that this had something to do with what she couldn't remember. Something inside her was crying out for something, and then she realized, it wasn't something but someone.
"I wish," she whispered. "I wish I could meet the Goblin King. I wish I knew why I feel like I do when I think about him." Saying her right words, the Labyrinth's spell fueled by her own latent magic took effect. She dropped immediately into a deep sleep, her mind entering the dream world. Once there, the lock on her memories snapped open, and images and feelings washed over her, one after the other. Even in a dream, Sarah was quickly overwhelmed, and she dropped to her knees. "Jareth," she called out. "I wish Jareth were with me right now!"
Jareth was in his study going through a pile of paperwork. Something was going on, and he didn't know what it was. He hated to be the last to know anything, especially if that something involved him. Hoggwort had suddenly decided to visit his family in the mountains outside the Labyrinth. Even the Labyrinth was more quiet than usual.
Suddenly, he felt a familiar buzz under his skin. A wish was being made, but something wasn't right. He put his hand against the pendant on his chest and was surprised that all he felt was cool metal. The buzz wasn't originating with the pendant, which meant that the wish wasn't for a wished-away child.
His brow furrowed as the hum increased, almost feeling like an electric current. Someone was wishing, but it was a wish for him directly, not one to take a child away. He couldn't remember the last time that had happened. He stared into the large crystal sitting on a gold stand on his desk.
"Show me!" he snapped, the buzz becoming almost painful.
The clear crystal became cloudy, and then the fog cleared and he shot to his feet. Inside the crystal was Sarah, and she was in her bed sleeping. This was not completely unusual. He had been able to watch her through his crystals, even if she seemed to not have given him a thought. No, what had him on his feet and leaning over his nose, nearly touching the smooth surface of the orb, was the almost purple glow surrounding Sarah's sleeping form. That aura meant that she was not just sleeping, and not just dreaming, but that the dream was magical in nature. A magic dream, and a wish intended for him. Was Sarah finally contacting him after all these years, he thought?
His initial excitement over finally having contact with the singular object of his affection for the last eight years turned to worry, and doubts invaded his thoughts. Why did she want to contact him now? And why did she choose to do this in a dream and not wishing for him to come to her or for her to go to him? He assumed that the reason was positive, but what if it wasn't? He shook his head, sending those thoughts away. Sarah had called to him. It did not matter why or where. Once they were together, he would convince her to stay this time. This time, he wouldn't let her go.
Not wanting to wait another minute, Jareth declined to move to his own chamber. Instead, he snapped his fingers, instantly locking and sealing the door to his study. Then he dropped back into the large leather chair. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, willing himself to the dream world. He slipped through and followed the trail of the same color as the aura around Sarah. He made his way to what he hoped was Sarah, even if their meeting was only in her dream.
He had done this more times than he could remember, but each time he entered a dream, it was the same. It was similar to watching a drama but having a seat on the stage. He would be present, viewing it all until the dream ended or he chose to leave the dream. When it was over, he would become conscious again wherever he happened to be when he entered the dream world. Though with Sarah, he had not been able to do this since she had left him, because of this Jareth half expected to encounter a chamber of swirling mist when the purple trail ended.
Instead, much to his surprise and delight, he found himself standing in what appeared to be the nursery where they had met when she had wished Toby away. He was standing in front of the French doors, facing Sarah, who was standing next to a crib identical to Toby's from that night. He would have thought that he had mistakenly reordered time to take them back to their first meeting. Incidentally, he had tried something similar to that when he found he was cut off from her. It did not work then.
This time, however, he was dressed as he was when he was in his study and entered the dream world in a pair of tight black leather pants, a loose black shirt, partially unbuttoned, and a black leather waistcoat instead of his black leather armor and cape. The Sarah standing before him was older, and while not much taller, her body had acquired lush curves that had been absent when she was a teenager. Jareth knew he should say something, but all he could do was stare, with his mouth slightly open, at the beauty before him.
Sarah knew she was dreaming, and she had heard about lucid dreams, but she had never experienced anything like this before in her life. She found herself in Toby's room, but it looked like it did when he was a baby. When he was old enough to move from a crib to a "big boy bed" Karen had completely redecorated the room. She had helped, and it had taken them a whole three-day weekend to accomplish it. She had almost forgotten how it had looked back then, all white and fluffy. Toby wouldn't be caught in a room that looked like this now, she had thought with a laugh.
That was when she realized that someone else was in the room with her. Looking up, she saw a man standing in front of the French doors. Tall, with long, wild blond hair, and dressed all in black. He was everything that she had ever dreamed of. When her friends had bragged about having one of those kinds of dreams, she never thought hers would happen in her little brother's nursery. Even with a guy that looked like sex on legs, this was not the setting made for seduction. And what did this have to do with her missing memories or the reason guys like him caused her to lose her mind?
Thinking of the book that she had been reading, she took in his appearance and realized that she must have just been projecting and that this might be a normal dream, after all. Sarah decided to test it and to see where it would go, maybe her subconscious would give her the answers she sought. Isn't that what her psych professor in her first year in college said? She figured she had nothing to lose and addressed the man who continued to gape at her for some reason.
"You're him, aren't you? You're the Goblin Kings." Her voice wasn't as strong as she would have liked, and the words seemed vaguely familiar.
Her words snapped Jareth out of the trance that he had been in since seeing her standing there. "So formal Sar-ah," he said and offered up his hand towards her. Without willing it, a crystal formed in his open palm, which he had extended toward her.
It was the combination of hearing his deep accented voice, the way he said her name, and the sight of him offering a crystal-like he that finally broke through to her. Her mind and heart were finally ready to accept the feelings that she had locked away because she couldn't bear to live with them and without him. The magic that held her memories back faded and they came flooding back with a force that knocked her off of her feet.
Jareth watched as Sarah's eyes seemed to roll up into her head and her body seemed to turn boneless as she dropped to the floor. Reacting without thinking Jareth threw the crystal in the air, not caring that he didn't know what it was spelled to do if anything, and launched himself at her falling form. He reached her and was able to take her by the waist and hauled her against him to keep her from hitting the ground.
The crystal that Jareth had thrown had somehow avoided breaking when hitting the ceiling of the room was coming back down towards them. When Jareth had pulled Sarah's body up against him her arm had come up and her fingertips touched the crystal causing it to break.
Jareth saw this and he panicked, his mind went instantly to the last time something like this had happened. He had tossed a crystal after in defeat as she declared he had no power over her. Before he was able to try to make another attempt to convince her to stay she had touched the crystal and its magic sent her home.
"No!" he yelled as he saw the crystal pop as if it were nothing more than a soap bubble, and he tightened his arms around her as if he could physically keep her from disappearing as she had done the last time.
The room seemed to swirl around him as he swung her into his arms and held her protectively not knowing what to expect. When the whirling stopped he almost dropped Sarah when he realized where they were.
He was standing with Sarah still cradled in his arms on an uneven and broken piece of stone that was somehow anchored in space. All around them, remnants of his room of stairs floated around looking like some sort of ruins. He felt Sarah stir and he carefully released her letting her legs slide down his body until she was standing on terra firma in front of him. Jareth found that even though he had no right to be holding her he couldn't seem to let her go.
Jareth looked down and saw a pair of jade-colored eyes looking back at him. He stepped back, but the small platform did not leave much room before the drop-off behind him. Sarah glanced around but her face was unreadable. Without being able to judge her emotions he decided to begin by addressing their current location.
"I am not certain how we are here," he admitted. "My crystal seemed to bring us here, but it was not my plan."
Jareth stopped his explanation when Sarah raised a finger and placed it against his lips. Shocked by her action and the touch of her fingertips against his lips Jareth found that he had gone silent.
"You didn't bring us here," she said. "I think I did, but I have no idea how I did it."
"Well knowing that you were the reason the why is easier to explain," Jareth told her. "We are in your dream so you are confined by little restraints."
Sarah nodded. "When I remembered," she began. "All I could feel was regret, and wishing I could make things right. I think my dream took that literally." She moved her hands indicating the pieces of rock and stairs floating around them.
"What are you saying, Sarah?" Jareth asked not daring to hope that she was saying what he thought she was.
"The last time I was here I was so confused and so ashamed," she said turning away and wrapping her arms around her waist. "I had gotten mad at an almost two-year-old for crying, and then I tried to get rid of him."
"No Sarah," Jareth put a hand on her shoulder. "You didn't try to get rid of him. You risked your life for him. You took up the challenge and ran the Labyrinth for him." Jareth could not bear to hear her belittle herself.
Sarah shrugged his hand off and then turned around to face him. "No Jareth I did. When I wished him away I did it truly wanting to get rid of Toby," Sarah argued. "Once I realized that he was gone and I had done it I regretted what I said. I needed to get him back. I had to run the Labyrinth."
"Sarah you don't have to do this…" Jareth began.
"Yes I do," Sarah interrupted him. "I need you to understand." Sarah looked up at him with pleading eyes.
Jareth opened his mouth to argue that point, but Sarah raised her fingers and laid them against his mouth to stop him. The gesture worked exceedingly well. Jareth found that when she touched him he was robbed of the ability to move or speak.
"I just didn't expect what happened when I was here…I mean with you…I mean well…" to her mortification she actually started to blush. Now that all of her feelings and memories had returned and she had come to grips with them, quite quickly surprisingly, she found that admitting them to him made her feel like the teenager she was when she last saw him.
Jareth sensing that they were on the cusp of something big, something wonderful he hopped, but he could also see that Sarah was pulling back. He couldn't let that happen now. Not when he just got her back…well he was sure he would have her back if he could keep her from running away again.
"Sarah, just tell me what you think you need to say. I will listen to whatever it is but know that I am overjoyed just to be with you, to be able to touch you and to have you touch me. For so long I have yearned to hear your voice and know that you were talking to me. Sarah, I have wanted you since you left me, and the joy I feel for having you back in any way you will allow cannot be diminished by anything you might say," he looked into her eyes willing her to see the truth in his words. Felling much as he did in this same room eight years ago and beseeching any deity that might be listening to keep this time from ending that that last one.
Sarah swallowed and closed her eyes. Jareth held his breath certain that she was going to decide that he and whatever it was that she felt for him because he didn't know what it was, wasn't worth it. He heard her take a breath and Jareth braced himself for her to once again leave him.
"When I first saw you in Toby's nursery you were so imposing, and while I was scared to death I tried to hide it. Then somehow by pretending enough, I started to believe it. Then when I stopped being terrified of you I started to well notice you, and that scared me almost as much," she said blushing even more.
"What are you saying Sarah?" he asked.
"Jareth I stopped fearing you and started liking you, which I had no business doing. You are not just an older guy, but a king, and I get this crush on you. How silly I must have seen. Then you started doing things like dancing with me and serenading me, and that speech in this room," she gestured around. "I knew that it was just to try to get me to give up so you could win, but it made it so hard to not to give in and give up."
Jareth could not believe what he was hearing. She was admitting that she had feelings for him. That leaving him was difficult. He smiled at these thoughts, and then he realized what else she had said. That she had thought that he didn't care about her, only about winning. How wrong she had been. Jareth opened his mouth to tell her this when she continued and his previous surprise was nothing compared to the shock her next words brought him.
"When I came back home I thought that like a normal crush, it would just go away. But every day I missed you more and more, and when I thought about you, which was all the time, my heart physically hurt. Seeing my friends only made it worse. I liked talking to them, but it reminded me of the truth," she said miserably.
"What truth?" Jareth could barely choke out the words.
"That while I wanted nothing more than to see you, and to talk to you, in reality, you didn't want anything to do with me. I beat you and left, how could you not hate me?" she almost whispered the last with tears in her eyes.
Jareth felt almost punched in the gut. While he thought she had just forgotten him, she was in her world thinking he hated her. How wrong they both were. Before he could say anything to set the record straight she kept talking.
"Finally I couldn't take it anymore. It hurt too much. I wanted it to stop hurting, and I didn't know how to do that, but somehow I managed to forget you and everything about the Labyrinth and my friends and wishing Toby away. I found out I was able to magic my memories away. Without those memories, my feelings went away too. It was what I thought I wanted, but I wasn't happy. I always knew that something was missing, and I could never really connect with someone," she admitted to him.
Now it became clearer to Jareth. He knew she had magic because he had given it to her. He also knew exactly what magic she had and this was far more powerful than what she would be able to do. She needed help and that help had to come from the Labyrinth. He would need to have a chat with her when he was back in his kingdom. But now the important thing was making things right with Sarah.
"Sarah while you thought I only wanted to win and that isn't exactly false, what I wanted to win the most when you were in my kingdom was you. I too found myself wanting you for myself. If you thought your feelings were not right, think about how I felt. I had fallen in love with a young human girl. I had no business thinking of you in a romantic way, but I could not help it. That was why I created that ball for you, and everything I told you was the truth. I couldn't lie to you if I tried. I thought I might be able to convince you to stay. That we could court for a few years until you were older until you were ready. When you left and never contacted me I thought you didn't care."
Now it was Sarah's turn to be shocked. "You mean…are you serious…are you telling me that you liked me?" she asked incredulously.
"Sarah," he said taking her shaking hands and looking into her eyes. "I'm in love with you. I have been since your run."
The tears she had been holding back started leaking out of her eyes. "It is a Valentine's Day miracle," she ignored his confused look. "Jareth I think, no I know I'm in love with you too," she said and tried to smile.
They stared at each other holding hands and each was almost afraid to say anything else.
"What happens now?" Sarah asked and then wanted to kick herself thinking nothing good could come after that question.
"Well that is entirely up to you, but may I ask what is Valentine's Day?" Jareth asked.
"It is a day to celebrate love. I spent the night watching movies with Toby while our parents were at the club for a party, kind of a scaled-down ball," she clarified. "It would have been nice if this had been figured out earlier. It would be so romantic and special to start as a couple on Valentine's Day," she said wistfully.
Jareth smiled. She wanted them to be a couple she wanted him to court her. His heart felt like it would burst from his chest. He wanted to take her in his arms, but he held back. If she would want them to start their relationship with this Valentine's party then he would make it happen.
"Your every wish is my command, my lady," he said lifting her hand to his lips and brushing a kiss on her knuckles.
"How will you make that happen? I mean this is a dream but it has to be passed midnight by now. If the party isn't over it will be soon," Sarah argued.
Jareth snapped his fingers and a familiar clock appeared. "Have you not remembered that I have a way with time?" he asked. "I can take time away, but I can also give it back to you. Just wish yourself awake, and tell your parents you will join them for this party. Leave everything else to me."
Sarah raised a skeptical eyebrow but she was too elated by what was happening to argue. Nodding she watched as he spun his finger in a circle in the air and the hands on the clock started moving backward.
"I wish I would wake up," Sarah said and Jareth and the broken room faded from her sight.
Sarah woke up in her bed and saw that it was morning. Her radio turned on and the news report was on. When the DJ announced that it was February 10th Sarah felt that she couldn't breathe. He had done it. She decided to trust in whatever plan he had.
Over the next few days, she had told her parents that she had changed her mind and would go to the club with them. Her father smiled and immediately began calling the junior associates that he had been trying to set her up with. Sarah tried not to grimace and hoped not for the first time that Jareth knew what he doing.
She went shopping with Karen for a new outfit for the party. She ended up buying a red dress whose bodice looked like it was made entirely of lace. The fabric underneath gave peek-a-boo glimpses of skin. The skirt was full and would fair nicely when she was dancing. A pair of black strappy heels fit perfectly.
Sarah was nervous as she dressed. She had no contact with Jareth since the dream and she hoped with all her heart that it wasn't just a dream. She sat nervously in the back seat not talking to her parents much. She walked in and the club was set up just as she thought it would be. Well, she thought. At least I'll get a good meal out of this.
There was some dancing while guests arrived before dinner. More music, dancing, and mingling would follow. As Sarah looked around she noticed a couple of guys that her dad would approve of making their way toward her. She sighed and tried to think of a way to avoid them when a voice behind her brought her head around quickly.
"Miss Williams, you are a vision. May I have the pleasure of the next dance?" the deep accented voice was unmistakable.
She turned to see what she could only describe as a human Jareth standing in a classic black tux holding his hand out to her. His blond hair was tamed and held back in a tail by a string of black leather. His skin while still fair no longer shimmered under the light. But those mismatched eyes could belong to no other.
Sarah smiled and placed her hand in his. As they walked out onto the dance floor the music started. Tears sprung to her eyes as she recognized the tune. As he took her in his arms Jareth began singing to her softly, "There's such a sad love deep in your eyes…"
As Jareth spun her around the floor she knew that this dance would end differently than the last and that this was more than just a Valentine's dream.