Author's Note: Okay, so epic fail with the one chapter a day thing, BUT I did do something involving the Labyrinth when I wasn't writing chapters! I was making a *drumroll* MUSIC VIDEO (called "Just Move On" with "Come Back Down" by Lifehouse as the audio track)!!! You can find it under my youtube screen name: DaphneCaeli. In the meantime, I bring you not just one, but two chapters today! woohoo! and hopefully two chapters tomorrow to make up for the lack of chapters of the last few days...anyhow, enjoy!

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Chapter Twenty-One: Exhausted Efforts

"Jeremy?" Sarah touched her step-father's elbow. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure," he followed her back to the door that led into the castle while Jareth walked past them, into the garden, to mingle with the family.

"Okay," Sarah took a deep breath, concentrating on the explanation she had worked out with Jareth. "Mom found out, kind of accidentally, about the Labyrinth, and she needs to, um, digest, so we're going to talk to her and show her around and we'll bring her back later today."

"Oh wow," Jeremy looked around, searching the faces of the people in the garden. "I wondered where she'd got off to. Can I help? Where is she?"

"No!" Sarah's arms shot up abruptly and she shook her hands at him. "Uh, if she finds out you knew, it's just going to complicate her reaction – you know how she is." She put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him back toward the rest of the family. "Actually, Jareth and I need you to help everyone get home. It took a lot of energy to get you all here and we don't have much left. Just focus on the driveway into the apartment complex. We'll do the rest."

Then they were surrounded by family and Sarah went immediately to Jareth's side, leave Jeremy to realize she wasn't giving him a different option.

"How'd it go?" He asked in a pleasant tone through a frozen smile.

"Fine." Sarah answered in a similar manner. "Are they ready to go?"

"I've explained we need to get going for the honeymoon and you're mother's staying to help you pack." Jareth explained with a nod at Jeremy's sister who had approached them to bid them farewell.

It was the first of many well-wishing and slightly tearful good-byes, but soon enough they were all loaded in the cards. Jareth and Sarah stood together, holding hands, waving, forcing smiles, concentrating on sending them all back to the apartment complex. Sarah could feel the strain in the marrow of her bones, draining every ounce of strength in her body. Sweat beaded on Jareth's forehead.

The cars drove past them, and vanished back to Earth.

Sarah and Jareth leaned on each other. "Okay," Sarah breathed. "Now I go find my mother and bring her back here."

Jareth nodded. "And I'll rally the goblin army and take care of the fireys."

"How's the baby's relative?" Sarah asked as she took one last deep breath and stood straight on her own power.

"Use your ring." Jareth touched a white fluffy kerchief to his sticky forehead.

"What?" Sarah held up her left hand where Jareth's engagement ring claimed her third finger. "This?"

"Yes," he stowed the kerchief in his pocket. "That's a real crystal, you know."

"Oh!" Immediately, Sarah focused on the one seeking the baby. "It's really small." She squinted at the tiny image. "It looks like they're fighting your fluffy thing."

"Good." The Goblin King brushed off his clothes and turned to go back into the castle. "They'll be fine."

"What are you talking about?" Sarah hurried after him.

"Oh, fluffy's just playing with them. There's nothing to worry about."

The Goblin Queen stared at him as they climbed the stairs to their bedrooms.

"Now," Jareth turned to his wife, "I suggest you change into something more comfortable. Niether one of us has the strength to vanish you and your mother back to the castle. You'll have quite a journey ahead of you." His eyes lingered on her face.

So much for my wedding day. Sarah thought to herself. She swallowed her tears, nodded at her husband, and went into her bedroom to change into jeans and a T-shirt before going to find her mother.

Jareth, meanwhile, used a little more of his minimal remaining magic to vanish himself into the city wearing his armored burgundy jacket, burgundy pants, cream low V-neck shirt, black gloves, and black boots. "You there!" He shouted at the nearest goblin. "Gather the troops! I want everyone at attention here in this square in five minutes!"

"Yes, sire!" The three-foot-tall goblin marched up to the nearest goblin and began to spread the word.

The Goblin King paced back and forth along the edge of the square, waiting for his army to arrive.

***

Linda was wandering around some brick walls when Sarah appeared in front of her. "Sarah! Oh my baby!" She embraced her daughter tightly.

"Ahk!" Sarah hugged her mother back briefly and then struggled to free herself. "Can't breathe!"

"Oh, honey, I'm so, so, sorry!" Linda stood back and gripped Sarah's arms as the tears rolled down her cheeks. "I didn't mean for it to happen!"

"Didn't mean for what to happen?" Sarah took her mother's elbows and gently, but firmly detached herself from the older woman. "Let's walk and talk at the same time, alright?" She tried to see over the walls at the castle beyond the goblin city, but the bricks towered too high above her head. "I think it's this way," she murmured as she chose a direction.

"I was just so stressed out at the time, and you were crying so loud, and your father wasn't being any help to me at all," Linda babbled as they went, "and I just made up a story to tell you on the spot, and it happened to be about goblins,"

Sarah stopped walking and turned very slowly to face her mother.

"and then he showed up and you were gone and I had to try to find the castle beyond the goblin city in the middle of the Labyrinth," Linda paused to take a deep breath, "but then his goblins came and found me and brought me to the castle and he gave you back to me and sent me home and I thought it was all just a crazy dream." She wiped her eyes, having finished with her tears. "And now," she sniffled, "I find out that he thinks he's been in love with you all along and he's got you and everyone else under a spell to make us all think that there's nothing wrong with any of this, and it's all my fault!"

"Wait," Sarah could feel her mind spinning, "let me get this straight." She stared into her mother's red-rimmed eyes. "You wished me away?"