Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth. I just like to play with it.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Reviews make me happy. Give me more!

Much love to my best friends and loyal proofers, V and Selena. I Lurve you guys!

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Chapter Two

Waking with a start, Sarah Williams sat up and scanned her room quickly, certain that something was amiss. She could see nothing out of the ordinary, but that did little to dispel her uneasiness. Remaining as still as possible, she kept her senses tuned to her surroundings, waiting for something to happen. Several moments passed as she sat there, but all remained as it was. The only noise that reached her straining ears was the sweet chirping of the early birds who were perched in the old maple tree outside.

Though no tangible presence made itself known, the air was pregnant with a current of energy that flooded her room and made her skin prickle. The fine, soft hairs on her neck and arms stood erect. It felt like she'd been pulled into the center of an electrical storm. The sensation was frightening, yet oddly familiar. She had a half-formed notion that this wasn't the first morning she had awakened to find the strange vibrations invading her bedroom, though she couldn't remember the feeling ever being this strong before.

The pink-tinged light coming through the window told her that the sun had yet to rise completely. A glance at her bedside alarm clock showed the time to be a quarter to six. Hugging her knees to her chest, she began to breathe deeply in an attempt to calm her racing heart. As she inhaled, she became aware of a distinct fragrance that hung in the air. Curious, she held the aroma in her lungs, trying hard to identify it. It was an enticing scent, slightly sweet and exotic, filled with spices she knew but could not name. It, too, provoked a sense of familiarity, just as the electrical pulse had done. Where had it come from? Why did it tug at her subconscious, begging her to remember... something?

Agitated and confused, Sarah rubbed the remainder of sleep from her eyes before getting out of bed. After a long, satisfying stretch, she made her way to her large, airy bathroom. Not one to enjoy waking up early, she considered the option of going back to bed but dismissed it, certain that it would prove impossible. She was wide awake thanks to her fear-induced adrenaline rush. Not yet ready to leave her quiet sanctuary, she opened the windows to the fresh summer air and began to fill her large garden tub, adding a few generous drops of bath oil to the steamy water. The pinkish morning light cast a rosy glow on the ivory marble and made the antique brass fixtures glow.

Once she was satisfied with the temperature and level of the water, she removed her pajamas and eased herself into the hot water with a small sigh. As she scrubbed with a soapy sea sponge, Sarah convinced herself that her strange experience had simply been the result of a dream, though she had no memory of what it may have involved. Try as she might, she could never remember what she'd dreamed of when she woke. It had been that way since she had returned from the Underground.

Her eyes suddenly filled with tears as she was overcome with bittersweet memories of her magical adventure. Though it felt like only yesterday, two and a half years had passed since she'd fought the mighty Goblin King for the return of her young brother. She could vividly recall every moment spent in the Labyrinth, especially those involving the wonderful friends who'd been such a comfort to her during her tribulation. She had only been with them for a brief time, yet they had become of great importance to her and she missed them terribly. It had been months now since they last answered her call and she was worried about them. She couldn't understand why they no longer came to visit her through her vanity mirror, as they had been doing since she'd returned home. Were they in trouble? Had they been injured? Could she have done something to protect them?

She didn't think it was likely that the king had harmed them, though that had been her first thought when they had disappeared. If he'd planned some dreadful punishment for their disobedience then it seemed likely that he would have acted much sooner, she reasoned. So what had caused their absence from her life? She simply couldn't bear the notion that they had abandoned her. Sarah had so few people whom she felt close to that the loss of Hoggle and Ludo and dear Sir Didymus left her lonely and miserable.

Making friends in her own world had never been easy for her. She'd joined a few clubs at school, hoping to fit in a little better, but it had been a waste of time. It was as if there was an invisible wall around her, a barrier that kept people at a distance. The girls she went to school with considered her too strange to befriend. She was so odd, so unlike them. Their thoughts centered around boys and gossip, music and clothes. No one had a clue what went on in Sarah's mind, but it didn't seem to have anything to do with mundane things such as those. Having so little in common with her, they felt most comfortable when they could avoid her completely.

And the boys at her school were even more problematic. There had been a few occasions when some boy would appear to be interested in her, even approaching her as if he wanted to ask her on a date. But to her shame and embarrassment, they lost interest almost immediately. Even before the typical pleasantries could be exchanged, they suddenly began to look horrified, practically tripping over themselves in an attempt to make a hasty retreat.

The constant rejection wounded her pride, of course, but beyond that Sarah was surprisingly unaffected. She didn't find herself attracted to any of them in the slightest. They were immature and interested in little more than fast cars, football and video games. They lacked the excitement that she craved, excitement that she had so far found in only one man.

No matter how hard she had tried to forget him, the magical Goblin King had become the object of Sarah's most secret fantasies. Sleek and slightly dangerous, with wild blond hair and hypnotic, mismatched eyes, the dashing fae was not an easy act for mortal men to follow. Even now she felt a thrill when she remembered those eyes. How easily they had bewitched her. The feral gleam in their depths had cast a spell upon her, rendering her helpless to resist his allure. Especially when he'd held her in his strong arms, pressing her close to his firm, masculine body as he danced with her in that glittering ballroom.

The memory stimulated her senses, causing a hunger to spread through her heated body before it settled in the very core of her. Slow to bloom, fifteen year-old Sarah hadn't really paid much attention to his magnificent physique. Now, at the age of eighteen, she was filled with a burgeoning sexuality that made her more than aware of his sensual beauty and how it affected her. Those wicked, sinfully tight breeches he wore left very little to the imagination, showcasing his long legs, sleekly-muscled thighs and tight buttocks. And she never failed to blush when she thought about that conspicuous bulge that drew one's undivided attention to his bountiful...assets. Thinking of him in this new way made her curious about the things she'd yet to experience, things most kids her age were already well-versed in. She wanted to know what it felt like to give in to the passions that stirred within her, but considering the fact that most guys seemed repelled by her, it was highly doubtful that she would ever get the chance.

Not that she felt particularly lustful when she thought of the boys she knew. They had never enticed her the way that he did, which irritated her. It seemed most cruel that she was only drawn to the one person she hated. But did she really hate him? If she was completely honest with herself then she had to admit that she did not. Not anymore. While she was still somewhat afraid of him, and she did still resent him to an extent, she didn't actually hold on to her past dislike of the haughty monarch. She wasn't entirely sure what she felt about him now, aside from sexual curiosity, but hatred wasn't a part of it.

Returning to the present, Sarah realized that she had grown cold and pruney while she'd daydreamed in the bath. Rising from the chilled water, she wrapped herself in a fluffy towel as she used her toe to unstopper the drain. After she brushed her teeth, she sat on the molded step of the tub and applied a lightly-scented lotion to her damp skin. Feeling much better, she gave the bathroom a quick straightening-up and turned off the light as she exited.

The sun now rested higher in the morning sky, filling her room with a warm, cheerful glow. Millions of tiny dust motes danced in the golden rays, giving the air a lively shimmer. Midway between the bathroom and her closet, Sarah paused for a moment, checking for signs of any new disturbances. It was a welcome relief that she found nothing out of the ordinary. Her room was completely normal once again.

From her messy closet she selected a simple white peasant skirt and a bronze-colored tank top. Once she was dressed, she sat at her cluttered vanity, gently combing the tangles from her hair before pinning the long, thick mass into a messy bundle at the back of her crown. For several moments she sat there, gazing at her reflection in the mirror, noting the sadness that showed on her face.

Each time her call to her friends went unanswered, Sarah grew a little more depressed. She was so lonely, having no one whom she could share a genuine conversation with. Her family was almost as distant as her classmates, so they provided very little companionship. She knew that they loved her, just as she loved them, but to her father, she'd always be a reminder of the woman who had abandoned him and broken his heart. He found it increasingly difficult to be around his daughter because she was an exact replica of her mother, more so with each passing year. From the dark hair and emerald green eyes to her habit of living in her own little fantasy world, Sarah was Linda all over again.

Robert Williams was a no-nonsense kind of guy, driven by his successful career as a senior partner in a prestigious law firm, and he had little tolerance for daydreamers. His second wife Karen was therefore perfectly matched to him as she shared his practical viewpoints . Her priority in life was being the perfect cookie-cutter housewife and mother. Always immaculately groomed and well-mannered, she traveled in all the right social circles, chairing committees for every type of charity imaginable, eager to impress her peers. She lived each day by a rigid schedule, running her home as a captain would run his ship. Her love of strict organization made it next to impossible for her to deal with her husband's daughter because they were polar opposites. Sarah was always unmotivated and disorganized and she didn't seem to aspire to anything other than dreaming her life away.

Lately, this already-tense relationship with her dad and Karen had become almost hostile. They were angry that she hadn't made any concrete plans for college. Her high school graduation was a couple of weeks behind her and she had absolutely no idea what she wanted to do next. She did know that she had no desire to study any of the courses that her parents insisted she take, preferring the taboo subject of theater over business or pre-law. In an angry fit of rebellion, she'd refused to apply to the universities on her parents' short list, missing all of the enrollment deadlines, leaving her with no plans for the up-coming Fall quarter. The childish gesture had not improved her relationship with them by any means.

The remaining plan of action was to find a job she was qualified for, which, admittedly, did not leave a lot of options. The thought of spending eight hours a day serving food in a casual restaurant or selling overpriced clothing at the mall held little appeal, but what other choice did she have? She felt so lost, so uncertain, like a person trying to make their way in a world they had no place in. It made her wonder why she had fought so hard to return to this life, refusing the Goblin King's offer to remain in the Underground.

At the time, it had all been so surreal. She hadn't been able to think straight or make sense of all that was going on around her. Her focus had been entirely on Toby. She had been so afraid of losing, of having to face her parents and the terrible deed she had done. Her fear of returning home without her brother had spurred her on, fueled too by her wariness of the king and his dangerous games. There had been no time to think of anything but reaching her brother in the middle of the Labyrinth before he was made a goblin forever.

Now, in hindsight, she realized that her time in the Goblin Kingdom had been a great adventure, exactly what a girl like her craved. She'd been able to be the heroine in a magical fairy tale, actually experiencing the excitement for herself, instead of just reading about it. She'd made friends with a few very dear creatures and been seduced by a powerful and handsome king. How many girls could make that claim?

One thing was certain; her life would definitely be more bearable if she had chosen to remain there. If only she could have stayed and lived that magical life without sacrificing everything, especially her baby brother.

Oh well, she thought. It's a little late now...

Sarah rose from the little wooden vanity bench, deciding that she needed to get out of her room and get her mind off of her worries. Sliding her feet in to a pair of brown flip flops, she grabbed her sunglasses and the novel she'd been reading and headed downstairs. Grabbing a piece of fruit and a steaming mug of freshly pressed coffee, she absently kissed her father on the cheek before going out to the back yard. Settling herself in the comfortable hammock that stretched between two lovely old shade trees, she munched on her banana, thinking that maybe later she would take Toby to the zoo.

Opening her book to the spot marked with a length of silky red ribbon, she sipped at her sweet, hot coffee and did her absolute best to forget her problems and enjoy the beautiful summer day.

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A/N: Reviews make me write faster (hint, hint)