Chapter 2 - A New Career in a New Town

"Are you insane, Williams? Turn the van around!"

She couldn't hear the photographer over the roar of the storm outside the vehicle, but she could guess what he was saying. "Just let me have fun with this one, Parker!" she yelled back without tearing her eyes off the black cyclone only miles away. Stepping on the gas, she sent the network van speeding down the deserted strip of road in the American Midwest.

This is what she loved; the thrill of the chase. After graduating with honors with a bachelor's degree in physics, she pursued her master's in meteorology, and eventually landed her dream job of being a storm chaser for a weather agency. There was just something irreplaceable about the adrenaline rush she got when she drove toward an F4 tornado or into a supercell cloud formation. Of course she took her job seriously, but she admitted (if only to herself) that at times she had a bit too much fun. Of course, she was the scientist; photography and filming weren't her forte. That's what Parker was for.

"Christ, you're driving right into it!" Sarah glanced over to see her photographer trembling in his seat, fumbling with his camera.

She laughed. "Aren't you supposed to be a nature photographer? And I'm not driving right into it," she defended herself, pouting a bit at his exaggeration. "I just want to get a better look. I'd get your act together, Parker; storms like this don't come around too often."

No response.

"Shouldn't you be filming this?" Her voice barely carried over the howling wind, but when she raised her eyebrows at his camera, the young man jumped a bit in his seat and raised it shakily to his face. Where did the station find these guys?

So she was a bit of a thrill-seeker. But who could blame her? After all, after that incident fifteen years ago, she found that none of her previous hobbies particularly interested her anymore. Acting became boring compared to the real thing, and stuffed animals and figures weren't much fun when one had friends who actually were the fantastic creatures of fantasy worlds. But not a few months after her life-changing adventure, her family had moved, and the mirror in her room, along with all of her other childhood belongings, were either put into storage or sold, never to be seen again.

Sarah sighed. She had never mentioned her journey through the Labyrinth to anyone. In fact, it had been so long since she had seen or heard anything of the Underground that she started to doubt its very existence. There was a very real chance, at least in her scientifically inclined adult mind, that it had all been a dream, or a figment of an overactive teenage imagination. Why she didn't just write it off as that and leave it be she didn't know. Perhaps it was because of...

"WILLIAMS!"

Sarah snapped out of her reverie only to see what appeared to be debris from the nearby forest heading straight for the windshield. She jerked the steering wheel to the left, just barely avoiding what would have undoubtedly been a nasty accident. Stepping on the break, she spun the car 180 degrees until it was facing the way they came.

"What the hell was that?" came Parker's voice from beside her. They were both out of breath, still in disbelief that they had slimly dodged injury or worse.

What had come over her all of a sudden? She took a deep breath, still aware of the risky situation they were currently in, and started driving down the road at top speed. "Sorry," she said softly.

The car ride back to the station was silent. As she pulled into the garage and out of the pouring rain, Sarah shakily unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out of the van, refusing to make eye contact with her accompanying photographer. They both came around to the front of the vehicle and hesitantly met each other's gazes.

"I won't say anything," Parker spoke honestly. She opened her mouth to thank him and apologize all at once, but he stopped her. "This time." He shook his head as he adjusted his camera bag on his shoulder. "I swear Sarah, one of these days you're going to get yourself killed. Be careful, alright?"

She returned his words of concern with a nervous smile. "Roger that." She patted him on the back as they made their way into the broadcasting station's main building. "Don't worry about me."

"Williams! Parker! Where have you two been?" A sharp female voice cut through the air, disrupting their moment of peace. Sarah looked up to face Nicole Powers, the floor manager, before looking at her watch.

"My shift is over, Nicole," Sarah laughed, pointing to her watch. "We got it covered, promise." She shot a knowing glance to Parker, who returned it only with an uncertain frown.

The woman sighed, relaxing into a more friendly demeanor. "Yeah, well, the boss has been asking for you for the past couple of hours now." She motioned behind her at an office enclosed in glass. "You'd better go see what's up."

Sarah's eyes widened. She habitually began to brush off her clothes and fix her hair, which was now cut short. Against the protests of her friends and family, she argued that it was more convenient in stormy weather. "Why does he want to speak with me?"

"Don't ask me!" Nicole rolled her eyes, then leaned in closer so only Sarah could hear what she had to say. "He seems like he's in a good mood though, if that's any consolation."

Sarah let out a sigh of relief. "Alright, well you two go ahead without me. I'm not sure how long this will take."

"Sure thing," said Parker, giving a false salute as Sarah began to turn toward the office in the back of the building. "Good luck, Sarah," he smiled. Nicole gave her a thumbs up, and Sarah waved goodbye before stepping into her boss's office.

"Williams!" came the familiar enthusiastic bellow of the head of the network station. Her boss, Mr. Fowler, was a trim man, but was getting on his years, as evidenced by his graying and receding hairline. It was rumored that he would soon announce his retirement; a somewhat unfortunate claim, as he provided much of the energy behind the scenes at the station and Sarah had grown quite fond of his humorous antics. "Glad to see you; I trust Powers mentioned I was looking for you?"

"Yes sir, she did," Sarah replied before taking the seat being offered to her.

"There's no need to be so formal. You're one of our top storm chasers, after all!"

"I'm...one of your only storm chasers sir, if you don't mind me saying..."

He didn't seem to hear her, and continued. "You know, I like you, Williams." He leaned forward a bit in his chair and smiled warmly. "Do you like it here, at Channel 2?"

Sarah fumbled a bit with her hands in her lap and felt her heart beat begin to pick up. "Um, yes sir, I like it very much."

"And how's Parker? Doing his job?" He narrowed his eyes a bit.

Sarah laughed nervously. "Well, he's still getting the hang of it, but..."

"Just what I wanted to hear! He's being replaced tomorrow."

Sarah felt as if she had just been bulldozed. Her jaw dropped. "W-what? But, but sir, he-"

Mr. Fowler's smile broadened. "He's not being fired, Sarah, just moved to a different crew. Goodness, I'm not that cruel."

She let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding before responding. "But sir, I need a photographer for my-"

"Of course, of course! Did you think I hadn't thought that through?" He lowered his voice, as if others could hear their conversation. "Actually, that's why I wanted to see you."

She mentally rolled her eyes. There went any hopes of the promotion speech that had seemed so promising moments ago.

"Have you heard of a David Evans, Ms. Williams?"

The use of a title caught her by surprise. It was a common name; she must have known a handful in her lifetime, but none that would merit a place in this conversation. "Um, no...can't say that I have." Her eyes shifted from side to side, suddenly uncomfortable under the scrutiny of her employer.

"He's an up-and-coming photographer from New York; very talented, a lot of potential. Well recently, he's taken an interest in photographing nature, particularly storms, and has requested, with it being tornado season and all, that he accompany one of our crews into the field for a short time."

Sarah nodded slowly, still slightly irked by the fact that she was not here to receive a pay raise. "So I assume you want me to be the escort?"

He nodded. "He'll arrive here tomorrow. Is that enough time to prepare?"

"Well there's not actually a lot I have to do to prepare, he just needs to know the safety regulations and then we can-"

"Wonderful, Williams! I knew you wouldn't let me down." He reached over his desk and patted her brusquely on the shoulder.

It wasn't as if she exactly had a choice. Nodding, she asked, "Will that be all, sir?"

Sitting in pensive thought for a moment, he suddenly responded, "Yes! That will be all. I'll see you tomorrow at work. And don't forget that we want to make a positive, lasting impression on our visitor."

Oh I'm sure he'll take care of that by himself. For some reason Sarah doubted that this so-called Evans had ever been in a tornado, let alone been on a storm chase. She sighed. Whatever the case, tomorrow was certain to be more of a babysitting job than an adventure. As she left the office and made her way out to her car in the overcast parking lot, she found herself wondering if Mr. Fowler had even heard of this David Evans before he had received his phone call.

The next morning, Sarah overslept and had to rush to work. Perfect day to be late, she sarcastically mocked herself as she pulled on a windbreaker and grabbed her coffee before running out the door. She was about fifteen minutes late, and that was fifteen minutes that could have been spent chasing a major thunderstorm and potential tornadoes that were predicted to roll through central Illinois. She cursed as she jumped into her car and sped towards the network building.

"Sorry I'm late!" She called breathlessly as she ran through the garage door and up to her satellite van that awaited her every morning.

"We've got the van all set up for you, Sarah," called back one of her coworkers. She thought his name was Randy, but couldn't be sure.

"Thanks so much," she said honestly as she opened the door and double-checked all the preparations. "This is supposed to be the last big storm for a while; I want to make it count."

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be taking that new guy what's-his-name out today?" maybe-Randy called from the other side of the van as he checked the satellite equipment.

Oh yes, she had almost forgotten. Where was that guy, anyway? "Yeah," she drew out. "Dave or something, wasn't it?"

"It's David," a crisp voice said from behind her.

Startled, Sarah spun around to face the man who apparently was to accompany her today. He wore a newsboy cap that hid his hair and aviator sunglasses. She found it odd that anyone could be wearing sunglasses in such cloudy weather. Perhaps he had sensitive eyes. He was tall, slender, and wore clothes that apparently had been tailored to fit this shape. He certainly wasn't in the poor house, of that she was sure. Was this guy some kind of celebrity? Fowler had said he was talented but... Sarah quickly thought of her own appearance and cringed. Disheveled hair, a windbreaker. What could she say? Being in the field all the time never exactly gave her the opportunity to dress the part of reporter. When he seemed to have noticed her staring, she cleared her throat. "Sorry, I'm-"

"Ms. Williams, I presume. Mr. Fowler has told me about you." His lips curved upward slightly. The way he stood there and smiled was almost familiar...almost. Like an actor in a movie familiar? she chastised herself. She extended her hand, which he took with his opposite gloved hand, and they shook. She didn't have time to think about the strange butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling she got when this happened. What was her problem? She promised herself one thing: she was not about to start crushing on this man she had just met.

When they let go of each other's hands, she fidgeted awkwardly for a moment before spinning around and heading for the van's open door. David followed.

The van suddenly felt very small. She glanced over at him. He was putting his seatbelt on and situating his camera equipment. And he was still wearing those blasted sunglasses. She preferred to see someone's face when she was introduced; it made her feel more at ease. But it wasn't as if she was in a position to start ordering him to take them off. She sighed as she nonchalantly began to inform him of the necessary precautions.

"Alright, so first thing's first." She released the emergency break after putting her own seat belt on and turned the key in the ignition. "I'll do my best to keep a safe distance from the storm, but if something happens..." She turned her head to look out of the back window as she hastily put the van in reverse and eased out of the driveway. "I'm not liable."

The man next to her chuckled, which he quickly disguised as a cough. "That's some safety protocol," he commented, as if trying to sound interested.

She rolled her eyes and continued. "If anything happens, the list of the emergency numbers is on the dash, and you can use the radio to call the station at any time. The first aid kit is in the glove box." She motioned to the area of the dashboard between his knees, and then immediately wish she hadn't, as it resulted in her thinking of things that she found highly inappropriate to be thinking of a man she had only just met.

The drive continued on in silence for a while, with only the roar of the engine and the howling wind as a distraction. Sarah gripped the steering wheel, glancing up from time to time at the gray clouds drifting overhead, making note of the distance between them and the ominous black storm in the distance.

"So, where are you from?" she forced with a smile. She had never been one for making conversation. Who would have thought that she would miss that wimpy Parker kid?

He was silent for a moment before replying sarcastically, "Take a wild guess."

The question threw her off guard for a moment, but she soon recovered. "Well from your accent I'd guess you were from the UK." She shot a sideways glance in an attempt to see if his expression revealed a correct answer. She noticed that he was smiling. Suddenly uncomfortable, she shifted in her seat and readjusted her hands on the steering wheel. The sky was darkening, and she could feel the wind begin to pick up outside of the vehicle. She found herself having to concentrate more than usual to keep the van on the road.

"A fair deduction," he finally said cryptically. His sunglasses made it difficult to tell whether or not he was staring at the road in front of him.

"So I'm wrong?" Sarah answered hesitantly.

"I never said that," he answered again with a half smile.

She let out a frustrated sigh, but didn't press the subject when he fell silent.

The car ride continued on in silence for a while longer as Sarah desperately attempted to pinpoint exactly what was so familiar about this man. The way he talked sent shivers down her spine. But her scientific mind would not allow her to consider certain possibilities that were circulating in her caged imagination. She blinked purposefully, concentrating again on the road.

"You seem to be successful, Ms. Williams," David said abruptly, changing the subject. "Are you happy with your job?"

She took in a shaky breath. He's just trying to be polite, she told herself, summoning the will to answer. "Quite, Mr. Evans." She bit her lip as she gazed into the distance.

"I see," he replied quietly. "But never married?" he chided. "What a pity."

Sarah froze. She glanced at her bare hands on the steering wheel. But no; there was no imagining it anymore. Either someone was playing a sick joke, or... She slowly turned her head, jaw clenched and eyes wide, toward the relaxed man sitting next to her. An all too familiar smirk spread across his face, and she swallowed hard as he reached up a gloved hand to remove his sunglasses. She felt herself trembling now, but whether it was out of fear or anticipation she couldn't say. Perhaps it was both; or something different entirely.

He slowly pulled down his aviator sunglasses to reveal the pair of ice blue eyes that Sarah never would have forgotten as long as she lived, even if she had never seen them again. She met his mismatched gaze as he spoke in a tone she was much more familiar with; one that froze her to the core.

"Hello, Sarah."

Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth or any of its characters. Labyrinth belongs to The Jim Henson Company and all applicable associates.

A/N:

*laughs evilly* Fear not, I am already hard at work on upcoming chapters. I thought long and hard about their inevitable encounter, but I do hope it's not moving too quickly...? Also, I made the decision to make Sarah's hair short, partially because I'm trying to develop a different type of personality for her in this story, but also because I don't think it's done enough.

And if you haven't already guessed, this fic's title came from the song "Wild is the Wind," performed by David Bowie on Station to Station. This chapter title shares the title of one of my favorite tracks from Bowie's album Low, "A New Career in a New Town," and the first chapter also is named after the song "No Control" on his album Outside.

Reviews are crack!