The Labyrinth
Summary-
What if Sarah never called Jareth to take Toby away, what if it was her stepmother but Sarah had to go after Toby. And what if Sarah fell in love with Jareth during the Labyrinth, would Sarah be able to finish the Labyrinth and save Toby? Will Jareth let her? Will her heart let her?
Chapter four-
"Ahh, here we are then." He said then climbed out of a pot and into the Labyrinth, further than she had been. "You're on your own from now on." He said. Sarah climbed out of the pot and looked around, she looked at him and smiled at him.
"Thank you." She said and started to walk away.
"That's it?" He asked having expected her to try and convince him to help her any further like all the other runners, he had a protective hand over his jewels since that was the first place that all the other runners went for.
"You've helped me as best as you can, and I don't want you getting into any more trouble than I have already gotten you in. We wouldn't want you going head first into the Bog now would we?" Sarah asked smiling at Hoggle who smiled back at her. Sarah looked around, "Now, there's the castle. Which way should I try?" she asked herself. She saw a very old man walking towards them, he had a live chicken as a hat and Sarah looked at him with a confused face on. The old man sat down then noticed her and Hoggle.
"Ohhh." The man said.
"Hmmm?" Hoggle asked and looked around wondering what made him say that.
"A young girl." The old man said and Sarah felt awkward.
"Who? Who? Who?" The hat asked. The old man looked at Hoggle.
"And who is this?" he asked.
"My friend." Sarah said and Hoggle looked at her in shock, never has anyone called him a friend.
"Oh, what can I do for you?" The old man asked.
"I have to get to the castle at the center of the Labyrinth. Do you know the way?" Sarah asked.
"Ah." The old man said.
"Ah." The hat said and Sarah and Hoggle shared a look.
"Eh?" The old man asked.
"Eh?" The hat copied.
"Oh, yes. Huh. You want to go to the castle?" The old man asked and Sarah nodded her head annoyed.
"How's that for brainpower, huh?" The hat asked and Sarah chuckled.
"Be quiet." The old man snapped at the hat.
"Ah, nuts." The hat said.
"Sometimes the way forward is also the way back." The old man said.
"Aye! Will you listen to this crap!" The hat said and Hoggle sighed.
"Will you please be quiet!" The old man snapped at the hat.
"Alright." The hat said.
"Okay?" The old man asked.
"Okay." The hat said.
"Alright." The old man said then opened his mouth to say something.
"Alright, sorry." The hat said and the old man looked annoyed.
"Finished?" The old man asked there was a pause where he waited to see if the hat would talk again, when the hat said nothing the old man opened his mouth to speak to Sarah and Hoggle.
"Yes." The hat said and the old man sighed in annoyance but ignored the hat.
"Quite often, young lady, it seems like we're not getting anywhere, when in fact-" the old man started.
"We are." The hat finished.
"We are." The old man said annoyed while glaring up at his hat.
"I'm not getting anywhere at the moment." Sarah said looking at Hoggle.
"Ha! Join the club." The hat said then heard some soft snoring, everyone looked to see that the old man had fallen asleep. "I thank that's your lot. Please leave a contribution in the little box." The hat said gesturing to a little box it was holding. Sarah sighed and took off a plastic ring that she had found in the park one day and dropped it in the box before turning and walking away with Hoggle beside her.
"You didn't have to give him that. He didn't tell you nothing." Hoggle said as they left the area.
"I know." Sarah said.
~ The Castle~
Jareth was setting in his office with Toby in his lap, he was feeding Toby a bottle of milk, after he made sure it was human milk and not fae milk. He sighed then smiled at Toby as his curious baby blue eyes gazed up at him while he was looking around the room. Jareth sat back and watched Toby.
"Will this be how it feels to take care of mine and Sarah's children?" He asked himself. He smiled softly at the thought of Sarah having his children, of both of them taking care of the children, him teaching the children, her singing them to sleep. He closed his eyes and let that fantasy play out his his mind with a small smile on his face. Toby made a noise and Jareth opened his eyes to look at the baby, he was done with his bottle and was waiting to be burped. Jareth made a cloth appear and put it over his shoulder before he picked Toby up and laid him on his shoulder. He got up and walked over to his window to look out over the Labyrinth as he burped Toby.
Usually he would have a goblin do this, but he didn't want them to dirty Toby, he wanted Sarah to see how well he could take care of a child. Once Toby burped he brought him from his shoulder and whipped any spit up from his mouth then sat down on the window and made a crystal appear in his hand. Toby made a happy noise as his sister appeared in the crystal, she and Hoggle were getting closer to the castle. Toby made a grab for the crystal and Jareth smiled at him.
"Yes, that is your sister, she is on her way here." Jareth said as Toby took hold of the crystal, Jareth let him hold it as both his hands went around Toby's waist. As soon as Toby took hold of the crystal, the crystal image changed to show the woman who dared call herself his mother, she was yelling at his father and throwing stuff at him. Suddenly Sarah ran into the scene and picked Toby, who was scared and crying, up and quickly left the room.
"Shh, Toby, it's okay. I'm here, nothing will harm you while I'm around." Sarah said soothingly, sounding just like a mother would, Toby stopped crying and rested his head on her shoulder and looked up at her with bright, wet, baby blue eyes. "That's a good boy." Sarah said as she walked into her room, she sat down on her bed and held out a teddy bear to him. "Would you like to play with Lancelot?" Sarah asked, Toby took the bear and Sarah smiled at him as the crystal went blank.
"Sarah looks after you just like a mother would, to you she probably is your mother." Jareth muttered as Toby played with the crystal. Jareth looked back over the Labyrinth deep in thought.
~The Labyrinth~
Hoggle and Sarah were walking through the Labyrinth, both in deep thought. Hoggle looked up at Sarah and asked the question that had been on his mind. "Why did you say I was your friend?"
"Because you are. You may not be much of a friend, but you're the only one I've got here." Sarah said then heard what sounded like something galloping, "Do you hear something?"
"Oh." Hoggle said then shook his head.
"No? That's alright." Sarah said and turned a corner.
"Friend, huh? I like that. I ain't never been no one's friend before." Hoggle said. A loud growl was rang through the air and caused both Sarah and Hoggle to jump. "Oh! Good-bye!" Hoggle yelled then took off way from the sound.
"Hey! Wait a minute! Are you my friend or not?" Sarah asked turning to look at Hoggle's departing back, Hoggle stopped and turned to look at her, obviously afraid.
"No! Hoggle ain't no one's friend. He looks after himself, like everyone. Hoggle is Hoggle's friend!" He said then ran away. Sarah looked after him in shock.
"Well, he did say he was a coward." She muttered then turned back towards the sound. She gulped then took a cautious step toward the sound, "Well, I'm not afraid. Things aren't always what they seem in this place." She looked around a corner and saw a hug beast like creature hanging upside down, some goblin guards were holding sticks with some blind Parana like things that they were using to hurt the beast.
"Try this on for size, you big Yeti" one of the guards said.
"We got you now, fuzzball!" Another said and they laughed.
"If I only had something to throw." Sarah muttered and the beast looked at her then howled. A hand sized rock rolled up to her and bumped into her feet, she looks at it then pick it up.
"Bit him on the teriyaki! Saki to him! Saki to him!" A guard said laughing. Sarah glared at him and aimed the rock at his helmet, she threw it and spun his helmet around so that he couldn't see.
"Oh, what happened? Who turned out the lights? I can't see?" The guard asked then turned toward another guard and hits him so that the creature on the stick bit that guard.
"Hey, why'd you bite me?" The guard asked.
"Who bite who?" The blind guard asked.
"Why'd you bite me?" The other guard asked again.
"I can't see! I can't see!" The blind guard cried. Another rock rolled up to Sarah, she picked it up and threw it at a guard.
"We're under attack! Retreat!" The guards yelled.
"Oh, my aching tushi!" One cried as it got bit. Sarah laughed and stepped around the corner and up to the beast. The beast growled at her, unsure if she was going to hurt him too.
"Now stop that." Sarah said putting her hands on her hip as if scolding a child.
"Yarrgh! Hmm?" The beast asked in the middle of a growl.
"That's no way to treat someone who's helping you." Sarah said.
"Hmmm." The beast said.
"Don't you want me to help you down?" Sarah asked turning her head so that she could look at him right side up.
"Ludo down." The beast said.
"Ludo? Is that your name?" Sarah asked and the beast nodded his head.
"Ludo." The beast said again.
"Oh, you seem like such a nice beast. Well, I certainly hope you are what you seem." She said then looked around to find away to get him down. She saw the end of the rope tied to a tree branch and ran over to it.
"Ah, ah." Ludo moaned trying to untie himself.
"Just hang on. I'll get you down. Just a second." She said as she untied the knot, "Careful, you may fall on your head." she said as Ludo fell and hit his head. "Oh! Are you okay Ludo?" Sarah asked running up to Ludo.
"Oh, ah, huh?" Ludo said looking around before looking at Sarah, "Oh. Friend?" he asked and Sarah smiled at how cute he was, she reminded him of a wild thing from the book Where the Wild Things Are.
"That's right, Ludo. I'm Sarah." Sarah said.
"Sarah." Ludo said then noticed the robe was still on him, he lifted his foot to get it off, but it stayed on him.
"Oh, here, let me help you." She said getting the rope off his foot as Ludo lost his balance and fell on his butt. "Oh, are you okay?"
"Sarah. Sarah friend. Yeah!" Ludo said then went to leave.
"No, wait. Just a second." Sarah said and Ludo looked at her, "I want to ask you something."
"Huh, what?" Ludo asked.
"Do you know the way to the castle at the center of the Labyrinth?" Sarah asked and Ludo looked around as if trying to remember which way to go.
"Hmmm, ah, uh." He said then looked at her, "No."
"You don't know either? I wonder if anyone knows how to get through this Labyrinth." Sarah said.
~Hoggle~
Hoggle was walking through the Labyrinth towards the beginning of the Labyrinth, taking all the right turns and tunnels all while muttering to herself. "Get through the Labyrinth? Get through the Labyrinth? One thing's for sure, she'll never get through the Labyrinth. At least not with out my help." Hoggle muttered. Hoggle knew all of the secrets of the Labyrinth, he had to, to be able to trick the runners to going back to the beginning like Jareth always ordered him to do. He had to know just the right turns and secret passages to be able to get to the runner to lead them back to the entrance.
No one ever asked if he knew the way to the castle, no one ever assumed that if he knew the way back to the beginning that he might know the way towards the castle. Of course if anyone ever asked him that he could never show them the whole way to the castle, because that was against the rules. He could give them a little help and get them out of a tricky spot, like the Oubliette or the forest that was right outside the junk yard that was the outskirt of the Goblin city, but he could do no more than that.
He stopped and looked back to where he left Sarah, no one also had never called him a friend. He looked at the plastic bracelet then to his bag of jewels. No one had never not tried to bribe him into take them to the castle. But Sarah had called him her friend, she had not tried to bribe him, she was different, and he had just left her there all by herself to face the dangers of the Labyrinth. He looked back up at the way towards Sarah and the forest. He may not be able to lead her to the castle, but nothing in the rules did it say that he couldn't be with her on her trip. He smirked and took off running towards Sarah, his only friend.
Jareth appeared from the shadows and watched him run towards Sarah, he did not like how Hoggle was getting to close to Sarah so fast. He would have to put a stop to this, Sarah was to be his, no one else's. Jareth turned and vanished back into the shadows and back into his castle to think up of a plan.