Disclaimer: I don't own Labrynth.

thoughts

Chapter 2

Sarah woke the next morning to Karen standing in her doorway. "You aren't going to avoid our discussion by sleeping all day! Get up now!" She was ordered. Sarah looked at her alarm clock and groaned.

"Karen, it is only 7:30 on a Saturday morning, why are you waking me so early?" She asked, annoyed. Karen just smirked and went downstairs to make coffee for her husband. Sarah groaned again before climbing out of her bed and dressing for the day, yawning widely. She headed down and made herself a bowl of cereal for breakfast. While she was eating, her father came down, yawning as he entered the kitchen. "Morning Dad." She greeted from her spot at the table.

"Ah, Sarah, you're up early." Robert commented in confusion. "About last night-" He began before Karen interrupted.

"You're grounded for a week." She said as she placed a cup of coffee infront of her husband. "School then home, no staying out, no playing at the park, you are to come straight home. I will have chores for you everyday when you get home."

"So you are punishing me for doing homework?" Sarah pointed out. "That makes no sense to me." She informed her family. Her dad opened his mouth, only for Karen to answer instead.

"We aren't stupid, Sarah. If you had homework you would have done it before we left last night." She snapped at her step-daughter.

"Why was he really here last night?" Her father asked bluntly.

You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Sarah thought, trying not to snort aloud. "Jareth told you the truth last night." Sarah answered aloud instead.

"That man was at least 25! No way he is even in High School." Karen shouted, angry at Sarah's lying to them. "Try again." She ordered the teen grimly.

"You're not dating him are you?" Robert asked, slightly horrified at the thought.

I wish! "No Dad, he is just a friend." She reassured him quickly.

"Then why was he here?" Karen demanded. No way she is telling us the truth, he has to be sleeping with her. The older woman accused in her mind.

"Believe me or nor, I already told you the truth." Sarah sighed. "What are my chores for the day?" She asked, wanting out of the conversation.

"Dust, vacuum, dishes, mow the lawn, weed the flower beds, was the car, clean the bathrooms, wash the windows, and take out the garbage." Karen answered with barely hidden glee.

"The car, lawn, and flower beds can wait until tomorrow, for today focus on the inside housework." Robert interjected, trying to lighted the work load for his eldest child. Sarah looked outside to see it was still raining from the night before.

"Thank you Daddy." She said quietly, before filling a bottle with water and heating it in the microwave. She then added formula for Toby's breakfast, she offered it to her father before starting on the dishes and working through her chore list, finishing all of the inside work before dinner. Once she was done with the day's chores, she headed to bed early knowing Karen would have her up early the following morning.

"Up!" Karen ordered the following morning, as expected. Sarah yawned and slipped out of bed, dressing for a day of outside work. She went down for breakfast and noticed the list on the table, showing her chores for the day. Wash car, mow lawn, weed flowerbeds, give Merlin a bath, Dishes. Sarah worked quickly on the list, finishing everything before lunch and staying the remainder of the day in her room.

"Sarah!" Her father called, wanting to try again with getting the truth from his daughter. Rolling her eyes, she left her room and found him in the living room.

"Yes, Dad?" She asked, guessing the reason he called her downstairs.

"Are you going to tell us the real reason your 'friend' was here?" He asked, wanting the truth.

Uggh, not this again. Sarah wanted to groan. "My answer remains the same, Dad." She answered tightly. "Sometimes a lie is more believable than the truth." She murmured, barely speaking at all.

"Try me, I am fairly openminded." He responded, shocking Sarah.

"You know the red leather book I always carry around?" Sarah asked, knowing he had often commented on it.

"Yes, Labrynth, right?" He recalled the title aloud.

"That's the one." She confirmed lightly, opening the book to the description of the Goblin King. "Read this, then ask me again." She told him, handing him the book. Once he finished the description he looked up in shock, confusion, and disbelief as it described the man from the other night perfectly.

"That is not possible." He exclaimed, paling drastically. "Why was he here?" He asked, looking lost as Sarah blushed, unsure how to answer his new question.

"Imayhaveaccidentallysummonedhim." She ran together embarrassed.

"Slower and with spaces, please." Robert requested, amusement obvious in his tone.

"I, uh, may have, you know,accidentally, completely accidentally, summoned him." She repeated nervously looking away from her father. He blinked twice before asking apprehensively.

"How do you accidentally summon a Fae King?"

"Um, by believing in him and not specifying when dramatically calling out in frustration." She answered in a deadpan tone. "Apparently I 'believed enough for an appearance without a formal wish' or at least He said something to that effect." Sarah added honestly.

"What does that mean?" Her father inquired confused.

"Essentially that he was bored and I gave him an excuse to escape his childlike subjects for a while." Sarah responded flippantly, getting her dad to snort at the entire situation. Maybe he will unground me now.

"You're still grounded." She was informed when she asked. "Besides, Karen won't believe this at all." He added, knowing his second wife very well.