Disclaimer- I keep browsing e-bay waiting for the copyrights to Labyrinth to go up for auction, but unfortunately so far it has been in vain. So for now, I don't own any of the Labyrinth characters, but I do own Larizel. I even offered to give Larizel to Henson Associates, Inc. in exchange for Jareth, and they called security. So here I am, and all I can hear is. "This is the song that doesn't end. Yes it goes on and on my friend. Some people started…" Help me.

AN- Hello, hello. Well over 350 hits and 14 reviews… btw thank you Norehnka and notwritten. Am I posting too quickly for everyone to review? Cause I can slow down. A friend of mine pointed something out so I wanted to clarify. Larizel's experience as a child with her mother was another insight as to why she has such intimacy issues (hence lack of relationships) and why she is so anti-social and independent. Okay now knowing that… how's everybody doing? Hope you had a great weekend. Thanks to everyone that has now added this story to his or her favorites and alerts. Do take a moment and tell me hi. Let me know what you think. Now on with the show.

Insanity Takes Its Toll

Chapter 8: The Tree of Life

Her black Porsche roared into the driveway. Slamming the door shut she made a beeline for her front door. Slamming it also, she didn't find sanctuary until the deadbolt locked into place. She walked to her kitchen and threw on a pot of coffee. Her mind was in turmoil, scared and confused as to what was really going on. She couldn't get her hands to stop shaking as she poured herself a cup of warm comforting coffee and sat at her table. She tapped her fingers on the surface, a nervous habit she had picked up over the years.

"Are you purposely blocking me from knowing what she told you, or is she preventing me from looking into your mind?" His voice sounded exasperated.

Without looking up at him she spoke. "The both of you need to stay out of my mind. I want to see the Labyrinth for myself." Her voice sounded distant as if her comment was an after thought. Her mind was obviously cluttered with many thoughts and complications.

He leaned against the doorway with a devious smirk wearing his usual attire. His jacket with its ridiculously long collar was buckled to the side with what looked like the same symbol as his amulet. His poet shirt draped over the limbs of his thin body. "And why would you want to do that?"

Lunging her cup of coffee at him, which he dodged with ease. "Because I don't know which of you is telling me the truth, and which of you is lying. I want to see it with my own eyes." She massaged the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. She felt mentally and physically exhausted.

Jareth walked over and sat down in the seat across from her. "Larizel, listen to me carefully." He used his thumb and forefinger to gently raise her chin to meet her eyes. "You have seen the Labyrinth and what it is capable of."

"No I have only seen what you have shown me." She interrupted pulling her face from his hand. The way he could still remain so graceful, regal, and relaxed in a hard uncomfortable wooden chair just aggravated her more.

"Well, yes. But I have shown you what it is. Believe me or not. I can't take you to the Labyrinth." He was losing patience. He leaned back in the chair. "If I do, Sarah has free reign to end your life, which is exactly what she wants to do. She knows that my powers are only strong enough for a one-way trip right now. I will not be able to get you back out for at least a day. Transporting myself is easy. Transporting you and myself would take a great deal of strength that I don't exactly have right now." He searched her face for understanding, but found none.

She played with what he said in her mind for a moment, and then moved on to the next problem. "Okay, Sarah spoke of a gateway, or a Tree of Life of some kind. What can you tell me about this?"

Jareth's eyes widened with a hint of fear, but it immediately was covered by his normal cold and composed visage. "She spoke of the tree. What did she say about it?"

Larizel looked him over carefully before speaking. "She mentioned something about mixing of blood with soil. I want to know where, and what this tree is."

Jareth sighed audibly he was tired of answering so many questions. "Indeed it is a gateway. It is the Labyrinth's source of energy here in Aboveground. The roots of it connect directly with the roots to the tree of life in the Labyrinth. It's what allows my kind to visit your world. There are many of them throughout your world, but this particular one is the strongest, since it's connected to the main roots of the Labyrinth's tree. You said she mentioned something about mixing blood with its soil. Whose blood?" He was trying to negotiate information between them.

Larizel ignored his question she stood anger seeping into her voice. "Where is this tree Jareth!?"

His eyebrow arched slightly and a cold smile flowed over his face. "Why Larizel, I thought you would know the answer to that. The great oak in the center of your garden. Now, who's blood did she say to mix with the soil?"

Larizel stared hard at him. Something about his posture didn't sit right with her. He seemed colder all of a sudden. She could tell he was trying to gain the upper hand in the situation. She was sick of his tone, so she gave him a taste of her own, mocking him. "Well Jareth, yours of course. I figured you would have already known that since you know so much it seems." She mocked his expression. She imitated his exact persona. She leaned against her counter and smirked at him. "She said that mixing your blood with the soil would make the Labyrinth whole again."

Jareth glared at her. He was not fond of being teased. "I see. Well that's not going to happen." He turned leaving the kitchen heading towards the living room as if trying to escape her accusations.

"And why not Jareth? What happens when you give yourself to the Labyrinth?" She nearly chased him as she followed him to the other room.

When she walked into the living room he turned quickly causing her to nearly run straight into him. He bent down until his eyes were even with hers and their noses were almost touching. "Now listen to me very carefully." His voice became dangerous and threatening as he spoke slowly making sure that every word was installed into her soul. "She is obviously trying to play you against me. If I put my blood into that soil, she will absorb my power and have complete control over the Labyrinth. The only way the soil can beat the tree is for a Fae with stronger powers to mix with the soil." You could hear the reluctance in his voice as he growled at her. "I am not stronger than she is. Not right now, nor may I ever be." It was a bold confession and obviously hard for him to admit, but he had to get her back on his side, or all would be lost.

Larizel cowered under the weight of his stare. Once more she saw that pain that was barely hiding in the deep shadows of his eyes. She sat down on her sofa and laid her head in her hands. "So what do we do next?"

Jareth leaned against the doorway again. "I don't know."

Dr. Corgan was making his final rounds for the night. He always saved Sarah for last, not only because she was on the opposite end of the hospital from all his other patients, but also because she was by far the hardest to deal with. He walked down the long hallways hearing nothing but the clicking of his shoes against the marble floor. He whistled a light happy tune as he walked; his day was finally coming to an end.

He rounded the corner and unlocked the door to Sarah's wing. He walked down the corridor slowly. Noticing that the door to Sarah's room was open he paused. 'That's not supposed to be unlocked let alone open.' He sprinted into a slight jog, knowing something was wrong with this picture. When he got to Sarah's room it was empty. He sounded the alarm and called on his radio to the main nurse station. "Miranda, we have a problem."

"What is it?" She sounded slightly annoyed. That's what happens when she worked doubles.

"We have an escapee, and you are never going to believe who." He didn't wait for her to guess. "Sarah Williams."

He could hear her gasp on the other side of the line as she dropped the phone. After fumbling noises heard on the receiver she was back. "How did she get out? There are at least seven locked doors between her room, and the exit." Her voice held such disbelief and fear.

He stood a few feet away from the one window in the room. Her room was on the second floor, but that didn't seem to stop her this time. "Apparently she jumped out of the window."

AN- Exciting, no? So where do you think Sarah is going? You ready to find out to what extent is Sarah's insanity? Well if you want to find out, you know what to do. Starting the next chapter the rating of this story will change to RD-M (Mature readers only), which means if you are under the age of 16 or find the 'f' word offensive, please do not continue. Now if you do… I won't be mad, just don't get me in trouble. The characters just have potty mouths.