"Sky's Eclipse"
Chapter 17
By Aiijuin

*Disclaimer: I don't own anything Jim Henson or Labyrinth. Gröeg was originally designed by Brian Froud and catalogued by Terry Jones in Brian Froud's "The Goblins of the Labyrinth". This fanfiction is rated M for some harsh language (which is only used by Toby and Mike) and adult situations.
PS: Please let me know if I messed up anywhere with the grammar. I proofread about a dozen times before I post my chapters on , but sometimes I still miss a few flubs. Thank you!
**Revised: 09/10/2009: Continuity problems of chapter numbers have been repaired, major grammatical errors have been fixed, and "Irene" is now the name"Karen" to stay in form with 90% of other "Labyrinth" fanfictions. (Personally, I like the name 'Karen' better for a nice stepmom and 'Irene' for a wicked one.)

Chapter Seventeen: Life is But a Dream

It was nearly midnight, before the guests started leaving Gavin's mansion. Sarah and her family had to remain until everybody was gone. As they both sat on the couch, Sarah had fallen asleep on Toby's shoulder. Robert and Karen yawned as the last of the board members began to file out the door. Robert wished his boss goodnight, and the two of them shook hands. Karen smiled. She was sleepy, but pleased the evening turned out as wonderful as it had. Toby kept pushing Sarah's head the other direction. He wasn't sure what to make of the entire evening. He wanted to shake her awake, but knew it wouldn't do much good. She was in a deep sleep. He just hoped Sarah didn't start dreaming, otherwise, she would start talking in her sleep, like she had every night, since she was younger. Toby didn't want to hear anymore about the Goblin Kingdom or Jareth babble tonight. He had enough after what he had just witnessed.

Robert inquired where his children were, and Gavin pointed to the couch. The two of them mumbled incoherently to each other. It was regarding Sarah. Robert finally said outloud, "No. I don't think it would be good to leave her here. I'll get her to the car and bring her home. Somehow, I think she wants her own bed and her own room tonight."

Robert picked Sarah up in his arms, and cradled her like she was a baby. Karen took the car keys and drove the BMW around to the front door. Gavin shook Toby's hand and the two of them exchanged nods of understanding.

It had been an incredibly long night for them.

They would have to wait until daylight to ask Sarah their questions.

The Williamses arrived home by two in the morning, and shuffled into the house. Robert carried his daughter up the stairs. Karen changed Sarah's clothes, and then pulled the door shut upon leaving the room. The rest of the family turned in and slept until noonday.

In the early afternoon, Sarah was the first out of bed. Her head was pounding from a hangover and every muscle in her body ached. She clutched at the aspirin bottle to grab a couple of pills. She knew she would eventually have to pay for her binge drinking at Gavin's social function. She pulled the blinds down in the kitchen, to keep the sun from reaching her eyes. She couldn't eat breakfast or lunch, for that matter. He stomach was churning, and she felt like she was going to throw up. Toby came jumping down the stairs. His clambering was killing her head. He walked into the kitchen and said, "Hey, Sar."

Sarah turned her mouth up at the corners, but couldn't form a smile. Her face hurt. Without realizing his sister's dilemma, Toby began to question her while filling a bowl with Cocoa Puffs, "That was some adventure last night, huh?"

Sarah answered incoherently, "Hmm?"

"You know, with that guy and all."

Sarah shook her head. She didn't know or care about what Toby was talking about. She needed coffee. She pulled out a mug from the cabinet overhead. Toby continued, "You remember? Right?"

Sarah looked at Toby with her bloodshot, green eyes. She whispered dryly, "No."

Toby again asked, "Everything that happened with the goblins and the castle and that guy Mike, don't you remember anything from last night?"

Once again, Sarah just shook her head slightly. She didn't want to hear about goblins or castles or anything with a hangover. She had no idea what Toby was talking about. The only thing she could remember were lawyers, someone groping her under the dinner table, and something about Jareth coming towards her. She wasn't sure if the latter event was merely part of her dream or it actually occurred. Since she had been very drunk, she couldn't recall anything clearly. Even the morning seemed like a dream. She assured herself that once her head cleared, that she was going to ask Gavin if the Goblin King attended his function last night. She never assumed any such impossibilities were beyond her estranged foe.

Toby had just poured the milk into his cereal, when there was a knock at the front door. Toby bounced past Sarah and fled to answer it. Gavin stood in the entryway smiling and looking very cheerful. Gavin greeted the teen, "Good morning, Master Williams. I saw the shades were still drawn and wasn't sure if I would receive an answer. Hasn't anyone awoken yet?"

Toby looked behind him and then back to Gavin, "Well, Sarah's up, but good luck getting any information from her about what happened last night. I asked her already and she hasn't put two words together at this point. I think she has a hangover. Figures."

Gavin continued, "Ah, well, I see. Then, I suppose I'll come back later, when all are awake and more responsive."

Toby knew Gavin wanted to question Sarah as much as he did. He decided to ask King to stay. Toby thought, Perhaps if we both jog Sarah's memory, she'll begin to talk about last night's adventure to Goblin-Land.

Toby grasped one of Gavin's shoulders and said, "No. No, sir, it's okay. Why don't you come in and get some coffee or something. I think Sarah was making some."

"Well, I don't really drink coffee, Toby, but since you insist, how could I refuse?"

Toby let his father's boss in, and the two made their way into the kitchen. Gavin grinned at Sarah the moment he saw her. She was dressed in her short-sleeved, oversized, taupe colored, Bon Jovi tee shirt and wearing unmatching red fluffy bedroom slippers. Her hair was unkempt and wet as if she had been sweating profusely. She looked a bit pale from her migraine. Sarah didn't even notice that Gavin had walked into the room. She daydreamed while staring intently at a tiny grain of coffee lying on the counter. She yawned for the seventh time in a row. Gavin stood beside Sarah for about three minutes before speaking. He said, "That aroma smells quite invigorating, my Dear? What flavor is it?"

Sarah was dazed as she answered blandly, "Maxwell House."

Gavin asked, "Would you mind if I have a cup?"

Sarah reached into the upper cabinet and pulled out another mug. She handed it to Gavin and said, "Here."

The coffee pot wasn't completely done its cycle, as she grabbed the pot from the burner and handed it to Gavin. He raised his eyebrows. Recently, he had observed strange behavior from Sarah, but he had never seen her as put-off as this.

He found it quite amusing!

Toby crunched on his chocolate cereal while leaning on the counter. Gavin handed the coffee pot back to Sarah. She poured herself a cup and threw the nearly empty glass pot into the trash. Toby choked, while trying to swallow his breakfast and stifling back laughter at the same time. Meanwhile, the machine continued to filter fresh coffee down onto the heated burner without the pot to hold it. The dark liquid sizzled and fizzed as it made contact with the hot, electrical element. Sarah put her hands on her forehead and massaged it softly. Gavin immediately put the cup down on the counter and kneaded the back of Sarah's neck.

She sighed and said, "Thank you."

It was, then, she noticed that Gavin was present. "Oh," she exclaimed. "Mr. King! When did you get here?"

"Only a few moments ago, my Dear," he crooned. "I say. Are you feeling well?"

She didn't want to lie and say 'yes', but then she didn't want to bring his sympathy on her by saying 'no' either. She decided to remain neutral and shrug. He laughed. And hugged her near.

He exclaimed, "Sarah, you're too adorable!'

She was going to reply, but suddenly she noticed the coffee dripping everywhere from the machine. She jumped from Gavin's arms and shouted, "Oh my gosh, it's going everywhere! Where's the stupid coffeepot?!?"

Between mouthfuls of junky breakfast cereal, Toby mumbled, "You threw it in the trash."

Sarah wanted to smack her head, but decided that it hurt too much. She grabbed the pot from the garbage bag, washed it off in the sink, and placed it back under the machine. Then, she grabbed a dishtowel from a nearby hook and began to clean the spilt beverage from the kitchen counter. It was a good thing too! At that moment, Karen came downstairs.

Karen was dressed down for a typical Saturday morning. She greeted Gavin with a jovial smile. "Mr. King," she laughed, "How wonderful that you came to visit us! The party was simply amazing! I absolutely adore your formal dining hall. I don't believe I've ever been in that room before."

King replied, "Then, I must strive to hold more formal functions, so you may all enter it again."

"That would be splendid!"

Toby ignored his mother's overzealous comments. Sarah just returned to gazing at the coffee grains. Robert came downstairs. He was in khaki pants and a plain, white, oxford shirt. The first two buttons were undone. This was Robert's idea of casual wear on the weekend.

At this point, Karen looked at Sarah and remarked, "Sarah, you're the only one here still dressed in pajamas. It's nearly one in the afternoon!"

Sarah stopped moving her head or twisting her neck. It hurt too much. She rolled her eyes to the corners of her lids and glared at Karen as if to say, "Drop dead."

Without commenting, she grabbed her mug of coffee and left the kitchen and walked into the adjoining living room. She sat on the couch and Gavin followed her out. Robert talked to Karen as she prepared breakfast. Karen could be heard scolding Toby to put his bowl in the dishwasher after he was finished.

Gavin sat on the paisley red and white speckled couch next to Sarah. It was very plush and soft. She was gazing at her stepmother's rose garden in the front yard. For some reason, viewing the flowers always made her feel better. Gavin sensed Sarah was preoccupied with something. He remained silent and waited for her to speak.

Toby left the kitchen, pulled on his shoes and said to Sarah before heading out the door, "Yo, I'm going over to Jessica's house. She called me last night, and I don't want to stiff her. She's hot. Just tell mom I went to B-Man's house to jam. I have my cell if she needs to reach me."

Sarah nodded as best as she could manage. Robert and Karen finished breakfast and once the dishes were cleared, the couple decided to go to the stores to run weekend errands. Robert made a commented about how he needed to mow the lawn, later, if there was time. Robert looked at his daughter as he opened the front door and said jokingly, "You know the rules, Young Lady. Your curfew is at ten, and no boys in your room."

Sarah smirked, but didn't turn her head from the window. "Have fun," she whispered softly as her parents strode out the front door.

Now, it was just she and Gavin. She turned to him and said, "I have one question, Mr. King."

Gavin straightened up. He was hoping she was going to ask him about last night's adventure. Unfortunately, she did not. Instead, Sarah asked, "Was the Goblin King at your dinner last night?"

Gavin laughed nervously and asked, "No." After a long pause he continued, "Why do you ask?"

Sarah rubbed uncomfortably at the top of her arm. "Oh, I see. I guess it was only a dream, then."

"'A dream', my Dear?"

"I don't know. I had the most powerful, realistic dream last night, but my head hurts too much and I can't sort fact from fiction right now." She continued before trailing off, "I haven't had a dream that real since…"

After a few minutes of silence, Gavin responded, "Tut-tut. You poor thing! A 'powerful' dream you say? How interesting! I would love to hear it," Gavin prodded. As Jareth he couldn't resist the opportunity to spy on Sarah's dreams. It's not like he could apparate one of his magical crystals and gaze into it, at least, not directly in front of her.

Sarah warned, "It's very creepy. You'll think I'm insane. Are you sure you want to hear it?"

"Of course, I would never think such a terrible thing about you. And, yes, I would love all about your dream, Sarah. Please regale me."

She turned her face to his and began, "Well, I was running through the hedge maze in your backyard, but it became the Goblin King's Labyrinth. As I made my way towards the center, I saw him. Jareth was walking towards me, but never once looked directly at me. He was staring towards the outer walls far in the distance. I glanced in that direction. There, stood a beautiful garden, more exquisite than anything I have ever seen. Flowering trees of all varieties spread their petals in every direction. Trees that seemed older than time itself, climbed high into the clouds. I turned back and asked Jareth who had planted it, but he ignored me and walked away."

Sarah paused for a moment and then continued, "Suddenly, time reversed and I saw my teenage-self enter into the Labyrinth. The Goblin King was advising her to turn back before it was too late. I ran to stop her, but she accepted the challenge before I could reach her in time. I cried, because I had been too late to impede her. In despair, I fled into the great garden that I had seen the Goblin King watching earlier. At its heart, was a small, clear lake of water. I leaned down to look within, and I saw someone looking back at me."

Gavin blinked, "Who was it?"

"Well, at first, I thought it was my own reflection, because she looked exactly like me."

"Ah, of course, how silly of me. I thought you actually were referring to a submerged person below the surface."

Gavin had thought Sarah was finished, but she continued, " No, not submerged, but she definitely wasn't me. I realized this when she spoke from under the water out to me. Her voice was perfectly clear, as if she were standing on dry ground and not speaking underwater. She said, 'We'll meet again in sky's eclipse.' I began to ask her what she had meant, but someone pushed me into the pool from behind. At first, I thought it was a goblin playing a prank on me, but when I turned around, it was my teenage-self. She snickered wildly in a manner that was very unlike myself. I asked her why she had done that. She began yelling at me and telling me how much she despised me. I told her that I had no idea what I had done to anger her so, but I would try to make amends as best as I could. Instead of being rational, the younger me said, 'I hate you! It's entirely your fault that we're not like other girls. Now, we're trapped here, permanently because of you!'"

"I didn't understand what she was talking about, but assured her, together we could escape the Labyrinth as I had done so, once before. She didn't calm down, but became more agitated and screamed, 'You don't get it, do you?!?! You can never escape this Labyrinth! It has been a part of you since its creation! And now, you scarcely have the strength to end this forever!'"

"I told her not to worry, since Jareth had no power over either of us, because our will was as strong as his was, and our kingdom was as great. She grabbed me by arm and dug her nails into my skin until she drew blood. Clenching her teeth, she spat at me, 'Where is your kingdom, but in the same damned throne as his? And what power does your will have? For, it weakens everyday, and will completely diminish by the third eleven! When that comes, it will be too late! You might escape him, but you'll never escape time, not without him!'"

"I didn't understand anything she said. It was cryptic and coded. I attempted to ask her what she was talking about, but the younger Sarah drove me into the deep, and I sunk beneath the water. Powerful forces pulled me down and I couldn't swim to the surface. Strangely enough, I didn't drown. Instead, I fell asleep for a long time. It grew very cold and the centuries passed. The beautiful garden became withered and neglected. The Goblin King forgot about me. He stood watching the surface of the lake, frowning and looking utterly dejected. Finally, he left and I could no longer see him. Every now and then, lost, young girls would weep by the side of my pool and disturb my slumber. None of them ever seemed to notice me below its surface. I watched as Jareth defeated these youths one by one. Despite his playful intentions, his ambition had become as cruel and unrelenting as the atmosphere around me. I tried to plead with him from beneath the water. I begged him to stop. But, as the beginning of the dream, he neither heard me, nor looked at me. He continued to devise plans to trick the next helpless victim. That's when I made up my mind to make every attempt to resurface again. I vowed to make the younger Sarah pay for her spitefulness towards me by turning Jareth against her, and making it so he would never surrender until she yielded to him. I swore I would capture Jareth's attention and he could never turn away from me again. That's when the withered garden reanimated, the moon passed before the sun, the hands of time rolled backwards, and I was released from my watery prison, unto dry land once again."

Sarah's last words hung heavily in the air. Gavin sat, literally, on the edge of the couch. His mouth hung open in shock. He was utterly intrigued and dismayed by Sarah's dream. As Jareth, he knew he hadn't sent her such a hallucination. Dancing in a ballroom was all he ever conjured from her mind. Jareth wasn't sure what it all meant, but he noticed Sarah was still rubbing at her upper arm. He looked. There were nail imprints where she said the younger Sarah had grabbed her and drew blood in the dream. The wounds were new and red and painful looking. If Sarah hadn't been so hung over, she might have noticed them too. Gavin brushed a strand of hair from Sarah's face. It was still damp.

Sarah returned to staring out the window. She drummed her fingers on brim of the mug for a moment and said, "I'm not like that, at all, you know. I'm neither the cruel teenage version of me, nor am I like vengeful lady-of-the-lake."

Gavin hardly heard her. So much was spinning around aloud in his mind. Jareth knew Sarah's dream had been very real and was, possibly, a warning. Someone else was interfering with his kingdom and his lands. He decided his revenge against Sarah would have to be postponed, until he uncovered the truth.

While he enjoyed unleashing trickery against others to get what he desired, he was uncomfortable with the idea that someone, besides Sarah, was going to better him. He didn't like how Sarah had envisioned him inside the dream. He wondered about the mystery of the woman under the water. Jareth knew he had no lakes inside his Labyrinth, besides the bog of Eternal Stench and a random fountain here and there, but they were hardly descriptions of the clear pool that Sarah described within her dream.

Finally, Gavin managed to speak, but all he could say was, "My word."

Sarah sipped her coffee. It was nearly cold now. She placed her mug down on the lamp stand that stood beside the couch.

As if she had known what Gavin was thinking, she said, "I think the woman is some sort of magical person, or lady, perhaps, imprisoned beneath the water. Perhaps she's the fabled Lady of the Lake that is popular in prose. Jareth's Kingdom seems to have plenty of impossible myths come to life in there. Anyway, when I was pushed into the water, I became her, and saw everything from her eyes. It's possible that she might have been one of Jareth's first victims of the Labyrinth. I don't know, though, it's only a theory at this point. And if her vow at the end means what I think it does, Jareth and I are in a lot of trouble."

Gavin paused for a moment. He looked at Sarah in confusion and asked, "I beg your pardon, but even if your theory is correct, then why should she have any qualms with you?"

Sarah looked at Gavin and answered, "I don't know, but I may have undone something when I solved the Labyrinth and defeated the Goblin King. Maybe I woke her up, or maybe my triumph against Jareth placed a curse upon her. I really don't know."

Sarah paused for a minute and then sighed, "Or, maybe she's Jareth's jealous ex-girlfriend, and she hates me because he chases after me and has forgotten about her…"

Gavin cleared his throat and raised his eyebrows momentarily. This isn't the information he sought this afternoon. Sarah hadn't mentioned anything about what happened at his formal function last night. She failed to recollect the capture and torture of Mike Pierce. She didn't even seem to recall that she had taken up the absence of Jareth's throne and ruled it under a harsh regime. In fact, Sarah didn't mention much about anything that happened at Gavin's formal dinner party last night, because the whole thing was a drunken blur, and what she could remember, was not worth mentioning in her opinion.