A/N: OK, I own nothing pertaining to The Labyrinth or Insidious. There will definitely be the death of a character in this chapter - y'all shouldn't be surprised at this point. O_o I want to thank each and every one of you for getting me to 100 reviews! Can we get to. . .120? Just a thought. LOL! I'm grateful for anything you give me. I just like to know what you think and I'm not going to find out without a review!

MAY EVE

"Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale."...

~Hans Christian Andersen

Chapter 22: Light

Sarah was devastated. She screamed and cried, begging for anyone - anything - to acknowledge the fact that she was here. Wherever 'here' is, she thought as she fell to her knees, completely exhausted. It felt like it had been hours, but she was worried it may have been days, there was absolutely no way of knowing the passage of time in the dark.

"Sarah?"

Her eyes opened wide hoping to see just a glimpse of something. A flicker, just to know she wasn't now hearing things.

"Sarah?"

"Hello? Oh, hello!" Sarah called, a small smile crossing her lips as hope filled her with warmth and joy. Someone was calling to her, someone found her! Wait, what if I'm dead? What if they're calling me to 'the light'? I don't want to leave! I just got married, I have a husband. I need to get home! She thought of hiding, but where in the world would she? There was absolutely nothing anywhere.

"Sarah, can you hear me?"

The voice was very familiar and if it was who she thought it was he certainly wasn't dead. At least she didn't think he was. Perhaps it was a trap, it was a trap that got her here in the first place. She crouched down, making herself as small as she could had stared off into the nothing in the direction of where the voice was coming from.

A glowing was growing as she stared, getting bigger and bigger, it began to look like a figure. "Oh crap. . ." She whispered.

"Sarah, answer me young lady!"

"Elizar?" She gasped. "Elizar!" She shouted toward the figure and it began moving faster toward her. "Is that you?"

"Child! I've found you, come to my voice." He coaxed and Sarah stopped for a minute.

Really, what do I have to lose, she thought as she took off running in the direction of her teacher's voice.

~M*E~

Elizar's body convulsed slightly and Carina smiled.

"What is he doing?" Keaira hissed. "What are you all doing?"

"You might quiet yourself, wench." Jareth seethed. "If you weren't in my wife's body I'd have already made you pay with your blood."

"Enough, Jareth, we cannot fight darkness with darkness. If you cannot control yourself, I've told you before." Carina snapped and Jareth stomped away pulling at his hair in frustration. Creating a crystal he looked inside and saw nothing but blackness.

"I can't see anything!" He roared.

"You won't. She's too far away, and where she is no one knows." Carina explained. "Only Elizar, and perhaps even Keaira." The Mage turned on the girl and gripped her jaw in her hand. "Where did you put Sarah?"

"You all know exactly where I put that useless mortal bitch! I put her in the Further and soon she'll fade to nothing!" Keaira cackled. Jareth glared daggers at the witch. He would kill her the moment she was out of his wife's body, and it would be slow and oh so painful.

~M*E~

"Elizar? Someone's behind you!" Sarah screamed as a deep purple hue came into view. "Who's with you?"

"No one, come quickly. She must have found us."

"Who?" Sarah begged as Elizar grabbed her hand and began pulling her along.

"Just remember, all that is here cannot harm you. We are in a place called the Further and all that resides here is spirit. If you believe and your faith and will to live are strong enough you can banish all who attack you."

"Wait, am I dead?" Sarah gasped.

"No, but your spirit has been thrust from your living form. I am taking you back before anymore damage can be done. I will use all of my energy to put this to rights. No matter what happens, child, do as I say." Elizar said, his eyes bore into hers as they ran.

"What will happen to you?"

"Don't worry your pretty little head." He smiled.

~M*E~

"Where did Keaira go?" Raeywen asked suddenly. She went to Sarah's bedside and held her face in her hands, prying her eyes open and noticed her eyes were their original green.

"What do you mean?" Carina asked, standing next to Raeywen and looking at what she saw. "Oh Gods, she's in the Further!"

Jareth pushed the two women away and gripped Sarah's shoulders and shook her. "You will leave her be, Keaira! So help me!"

"Stop, Jareth, you're hurting her." Raeywen warned.

"Damn you all!" He shouted and returned his attention to his limp wife. "Give her back to me!" He shook her again.

"Jareth! As your grandmother I demand you stand back! You risk harming her, step back!" Carina shouted and Jareth froze.

He closed his eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath and turned to look at the little woman. "Forgive me, Grandmother."

"I am not who you should be begging forgiveness. She is already showing bruises from where you shook her, and her wrists and ankles will be all but raw when this is over. Reserve that for when I return your queen to you." Carina said, smiling at him sadly. "Elizar will not fail."

~M*E~

"Queeny! Oh Queeny, where are you? Come to your friend, Keaira." Keaira's sing-songy voice pierced the darkness as she rushed toward the two attempting to leave the pitch blackness. "I'm not finished with you yet!"

"Don't acknowledge her, Sarah. We have to move." Elizar whispered.

Sarah was running as fast as her legs could carry her, and though she wasn't out of breath she was getting very tired. "I don't know if I can go on!"

"You must! Don't fail me, my Queen." He hissed and Sarah bristled.

"Don't do that, don't put so much on me." Sarah shook her head.

"If you quit now, if you give up, my life will have been sacrificed for nothing. With or without you I will not be leaving this place. I'd rather be stuck here knowing I've returned you to your king." Elizar snapped and Sarah's eyes grew wide, filling with tears.

"You're dying here?" She choked.

Elizar nodded solemnly. "I'm an ancient old man, your Highness. I've lived an amazing life and I want to see to it that you do, too. There is no time for tears, Majesty, only time for running."

Sarah stared at the old man before her and let everything sink in as quickly as her mind could and nodded. He smiled and squeezed her hand a little tighter as they took off running again.

"We're almost there, Sarah. When I say go I want you to run as fast and as hard as you can, no matter what. Understand?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"Ah, ah, ah! Where do you two think you're going?" Keaira appeared before Sarah and Elizar with a smirk. "I won't let you back that easy. Jareth is meant to be mine!"

"He's my husband! You're insane! Let me through, you don't exist!" Sarah shouted.

Keaira reached out and snatched Sarah by the hair, twisting it and pulling her head back. "Is this real? Does this pain exist?"

"Let. Me. GO!" Sarah hissed, the pain shot up her neck from the way Keaira whipped her around by the hair. "You're not real."

"I'm very real. . . Shall I continue to prove it to you?" She raised her hand and flicked her wrist, her nails turned to sharp daggers and she dragged them, at a feather's touch, down Sarah's exposed neck. "Can you feel that?"

"You will let her go." Elizar warned as he brought his own magic to the fight. He just had to aim carefully, because the ball of energy he was creating would easily remove someone's head from their shoulders.

"You will not have what is mine." Keaira left her attention from Elizar and pressed her nails into Sarah's throat, bringing tiny red beads to the surface of her skin.

If I'm not in my body, how can I be bleeding? Sarah's eyes flew open and she bore her teeth. "This is all an illusion! You. Don't. Exist!" And with one swift movement, Sarah pulled her leg forward and kicked back as hard as she could. Instantly Keaira's grip was gone and Sarah collapsed to her knees.

Elizar shouted for Sarah to stay down and he shot the bright energy ball at the retreating Princess of Nightmares. A shrill scream pierced the darkness and Elizar smiled, offering his hand to Sarah.

"Thanks." She sighed as she let him help her to her feet.

"Remember what I said about doing as I say?"

"Yes."

"It's time."

"I'm going to miss you, Elizar. I wish it didn't have to be this way." Sarah whimpered and Elizar brought her into a tight embrace then let her go with a smile.

"Run."

Sarah's eyes flashed wide and in the next instant she had turned and ran with all she had inside of her. Pushing until her legs felt like they might burn away. A light, so bright it hurt her eyes appeared before her and she shut them but kept running.

Suddenly, she felt as if she hit a brick wall and her eyes flew open. She tried to move her arms and legs, but they were stuck. Beginning to worry she'd been tricked she started thrashing and screaming.

"Sarah? Oh, Sarah, it's alright, you're home!" Jareth was at her side instantly and with a snap of his wrist her bindings were gone and she quickly proceeded to latch herself onto him.

"Oh, God! Jareth, I was so scared!" She sobbed and as her breathing slowed she looked over his shoulder and saw all who stood in their room. "What happened? Where was I?"

"We have to take him and. . .we don't want her to have another vessel." A woman with short, white hair whispered. Raeywen and Pheona were there and they both nodded.

"We will send word to start a funeral pyre." Raeywen sighed sadly.

"What?" Sarah let go of Jareth just long enough to look around her further. Lying next to her, motionless and peaceful was Elizar. Her hand flew to her mouth and she began to sob. "He's gone! He. . .for me. . ." She felt as if she were choking, like something was tightening around her neck and she felt for it, feeling the necklace that caused all of this. With shaky fingers she wrenched it off and Jareth took it from her and handed it to Carina. "I never should have put that on!"

"You had no control over it, Sarah. It was enchanted. I am the one who should have never allowed you to have it on. I failed you, and I have failed Elizar." Jareth's head fell forward and his fists were tight at his sides. "Please, can you ever forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive." Sarah shook her head and turned from her husband to look at Elizar again. She leaned in and pressed her hand to his still, cool cheek. "Thank you, for everything." She whispered and as tears fell from her eyes, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his forehead.

"Come, Precious. I'll run you a bath." Jareth whispered and she nodded. He helped her out of the bed and walked her to the bath chamber. "I want this room thoroughly cleaned before we return."

"Of course, your Majesty." Carina smiled.

Sarah knew she should introduce herself to the strange woman, but didn't have it in her. She would have time to do that later, right now she wanted to feel safe and she would have that when she and Jareth were alone in the bath.

He made the water hot, putting lavender and chamomile soaps and oils in to calm and sooth her body and mind. Helping her in after he situated himself he began to wash and massage her. Of all things that should have happened on their wedding night, he thought. I have her home, that is what matters.

"I love you, husband." Sarah whispered and Jareth's breath caught. Quickly wiping a rogue tear from his eye he smiled brilliantly.

"As I you, wife."

"It seems like I'm holding my breath, like there's so much to say; to do." She shook her head.

"Tomorrow, there's always tomorrow." He assured and kissed the crown of her head, just hopeful he could say that with faith now.

A/N: Well, this is a tad longer than I wanted it to be, but I didn't see a point in putting this in two chapters. Now, we just have to collect Keaira and punish her - YEY - and back on track with the happy! Please, make my dream come true and review for me! I ask for so little! *giggle*