"Keep the Magic Alive"
Chapter 5
By Aiijuin
Disclaimer: All things "Labyrinth" belong to Henson Companies as well as many other wonderful contributors. I own nothing!
This story is dark, and therefore is markedM+ for Mature content
Chapter 5: Trick or Treat?
Sarah blinked as she stood inside The Castle Beyond the Goblin City. Jaime, Jareth – her husband, Jennifer, Julia, and Sahara were all missing. She was still holding a mug of coffee in her hands, while wondering if she had left the gas stove running in the kitchen by accident, and was now wildly hallucinating from the noxious fumes. A man with crazy hair was sitting lazily on a throne before her. She looked down.
Sarah King was standing in some sort of hole. She noticed a gigantic vulture spreading its wings on a wilting crown overtop of the throne and to her left were…
"Living cupie dolls?" Sarah muttered outloud.
The man before her tapped his boot with his riding crop, and as he finished his contemplating, he finally spun forward to face Sarah. He tilted his head to the side slightly and asked, "Did you miss me, Sarah?"
Sarah raised her eyebrows and took a sip of her coffee. She was used to the oddities of New York City and working around eccentric artists all day long, so seeing an oddly familiar, blond-haired, handsome man wearing the tightest gray spandex pants and holding a riding crop, didn't phase her at all. She figured that she had probably fallen asleep, or Jareth had accidentally mixed up their coffee cups and she had received his valium-laced, non-caffinated mixture.
Oh, well, Sarah thought. Nothing of it.
After pausing for a few seconds, Sarah recalled that the man had asked her a question, and being her quick-witted self, she answered, "Um, no. I see you… sitting there. I mean, how could anyone actually miss you in that outfit?"
"Tra-la-la, the same old Sarah, as always," The man replied to her as she suddenly recognized the voice.
She nearly dropped her coffee as she snorted, "Omigod, Jareth is that you? Where did you get that crazy outfit and that hair… Did you buy that costume in Philly at the Halloween superstore on South Street, or what? The twins are going to flip-out when they see you in that thing. Although, I wouldn't wear that into any of the clubs downtown, or you might just be jumped by about a million horny women, not to mention several men will probably be hitting on you all night long as well… You can wear that to bed any time you want though…just don't forget to bring the crop."
"Yes," The Goblin King quipped and continued, "Exactly what are we talking about, then? Mmm? I'm afraid that you have me at a loss really. You see, this time around I have you and your entire family at the mercy of my thirteen-hour countdown. Your daughters did a splendid job of defeating my Labyrinth, after they wished their baby brother away three years ago. Of course, they used a team effort to beat me, so you still hold the record as the only single girl to ever get to the center of my Labyrinth before the deadline."
"Mmm, Okay," Sarah nodded and replied before taking another sip of her coffee. "Yeah, um, well… I totally have no idea what you're talking about either. I can't wait to tell my husband about this dream if I remember it in the morning."
After contemplating into her cup for a second, Sarah added, "I wonder what Sigmund Freud would say about this one? I guess birds are supposed to represent a repressed sexual desire, so I see vultures and chickens. Yes, it's true. I really haven't had good sex in the last three years, so that would make sense. And, well, you look like my husband if he was dressed like David Lee Roth, wearing Lita Ford's hairstyle, and donning Twisted Sister's makeup…. Well, never mind… What were we talking about anyway?"
Jareth jumped up from his throne and contact juggled several magic glass crystals in his hands. Sarah blinked for a second, and finished by adding with raised eyebrows, "Nice…uh…balls? They're still not going to distract me from the ones that you're… ahem… compacting under those unbelievably tight pants."
"Why, Sarah Williams, I do believe that you're behaving rather like a tart," The Goblin King smirked.
"King…" Sarah corrected as she finished the last of her coffee and placed the mug upon the stone floor. "My name is Sarah King. I haven't been Sarah Williams for over nineteen years. I'm married. Remember?"
"Married?" The Goblin King asked as he moved closer to her. "Which month and day were you married nineteen years ago?"
Sarah narrowed her eyes. She hated when Jareth forgot their anniversary. "Let me guess, you've forgotten it again? Argh! Even in my dreams my husband forgets his own wedding anniversary! That's it! When I wake up, you and I are going to marriage counseling, Sweetheart!"
At that moment, Jennifer and Julia ran into the main throne room and embraced their mother. Julia cried, "Mommy! I'm sorry!"
Sarah raised her finger towards the Goblin King and asked, "Would you excuse me?"
Sarah asked, "Now, why are you sorry? Did you get kicked out of school?"
Jennifer made a face and the twin sisters exchanged glances. Jenny replied, "No, mom. We're sorry that we never told you about wishing Jaime away to the Goblin King years ago. We didn't mean it! Honestly! Please don't be angry!"
Sarah blinked several times and looked back at the Goblin King. "This is the best joke that you've played on me yet, Jareth. Wow, you even have the whole family in on it! I hope that you have enough battery time in whatever video camera you're using to record this on."
Julia yanked on her mother's sleeve and yelled, "No, mom! This isn't an act or some dream! This guy is really the Goblin King."
Jennifer nodded and concurred, "Yes! He's not daddy!"
"Uh-huh," Sarah rolled her eyes. She wasn't buying the scared-little girl act that her eighteen-year old daughters were putting on. She continued, "Just remember to clean up the living room of all the puppets and bird poop when you're done, okay? I'm going to get Jaime and tuck him in for the night, then I'm getting a shower and going to bed."
The twins looked at each other again and made the crazy gestures around their temples to indicate that their mother's job stress had probably caused her to fly-off the deep end at last. The Goblin King sat back down on his throne and began to cackle at the teenagers. They quickly backed into a corner of the throne room far away from him.