Ch22 Memories that aren't mine

~8 to 9 years later~

Jareth was flying through the night sky, he needed time alone. It had been many years since Sarah had come to the labyrinth, true it was human years since the labyrinth and the normal world weren't on the same time but he still wasn't completely over it and Morgana's constant telling him to get over it and try to find Cara and Niki to take his mind off her certainly didn't help. He landed in a tree to rest, he wondered if there was any way he could get Sarah back but was shaken out of his thoughts by a voice, it was singing quite well actually.

"I run past others with a parched heart.
Sorry, I can't do anything.
You won't even let me
Share our pain together.
To live on without tarnish,
I face your back and head out without looking back
on the lonely rail
I will follow you."

Jareth suddenly felt an urge to find this voice and without even thinking he took off in pursuit of it following the sound of the song as it grew louder.

"No matter how agonizing the world is,
You will shine even in its darkest corners.
Cross over the end of the future,
My weakness will not shatter my spirit.
my way is overlapping with yours.
For the two of us, God bless...
This warming affection that reaches me,
It melts my reality and roams my heart.
I don't need a reason for wanting to meet you,
Just my overflowing feelings, Lovin' you
For now, let's paint a beautiful dream
And chase after
for your lonely heart
Stop it, it's not like you to lie."

Jareth had followed it to a rather normal looking house, he heard some dogs bark as he approached but it didn't matter, the voice seemed to be coming from the backyard. He flew around back to see a young girl about 12, maybe 13 at most, sitting there her head down as she sang with her long ash brown hair slightly in front of her face; he felt he knew her but couldn't be sure. He landed in a tree where he could see her better, as he did she straightened making her hair move out of her face. She was quite attractive for such a young girl and her voice was lovely, Jareth found he couldn't help but stare at her as she sang.

"Look at my eyes and let's talk about our future.
I am prepared,
Even if the future is bleak,
I might be able to change destiny if I become stronger.
But for my wish to come true,
Everything is God knows...
You are here, I am here.
Everyone else has disappeared.
While we paint the beauty of this fleeting dream,
We trace out the lines of our scars.
That's why I will follow you.
No matter how agonizing the world is,
You will shine even in its darkest corners.
Cross over the end of the future,
My weakness will not shatter my spirit.
My way is overlapping with yours.
For the two of us, God bless..."

Jareth felt a strange connection to this girl as if she understood how he felt. He watched as one of the dogs came up to her, she petted its head.

"I'm not very good at that am I Bear?" she asked it, it licked her hand as if to say yes you are. She smiled and leaned back, "Oh well I still like singing even if I'm no good at it."

Jareth felt slightly saddened as she spoke most girls her age would think they were wonderful, especially with that kind of voice. True she needed practice to keep her pitch correctly but she was still very good, he wondered why she seemed to lack confidence in herself. She sighed slightly and stared in Jareth's direction, he worried she'd seen him but she was looking up at the moon.

She kept her gaze on the moon as she started to sing again.

"Why does the moon keep shining in a lonely sky?

Why do my eyes keep crying no ones lonely as I, lonely as I?

Why to the birds keep singing as they pass me by?

All of their songs remind me no ones lonely as I, lonely as I.

Where is happiness? Can it be,

Only loneliness was meant for me?

Must I wait for the stars above,

To give me what I'm dreaming of?

How I hope, how I pray,

Something better will come my way.

I would give all I own,

Not to be so alone,

Today.

Oh why does the moon keep shining in a lonely sky?

Why do my eyes keep crying no ones lonely as I, lonely as I?"

She looked as if she might cry as she finished and Jareth felt a pang in his chest. They were both thrown from there thoughts as a loud angry mans voice roared.

"Cara where are you, you little wretch!"

*Cara?* Jareth thought surprised and looked at the girl who was now shaking.

"CARA!"

"Better go before he gets angrier," Cara mumbled to herself as she quickly got up and went inside.

Jareth felt angry as he saw her go inside obviously afraid of whoever was shouting but he felt something else too, not that he wanted to admit it, a wanting to protect her. *Maybe Morgana was right* he thought. As he was about to leave the booming voice rang out again.

"There you are you b*&#h!"

Jareth froze how could anyone call a little girl that he flew to the window at the side of the house to see what was happening.

An older man, whom Jareth guessed was her father, stood in front of Cara yelling something at her, what it was Jareth couldn't be certain cause he seemed to be slurring his words together in his anger but they all seemed to be derogatory, and Cara stood there shaking with fear and looking as if she might cry.

"Don't you dare cry you little wimp! Crying is for weaklings and I won't tolerate weaklings in this house!" he hollered.

Cara silently nodded holding back the tears that threatened to come out, afraid to say anything for fear of making him madder.

"Well say something you idiot!" he demanded of her but she couldn't even open her mouth "I swear why did we ever have such a pathetic child you're completely worthless and useless! You can't even help your mother and do the dishes properly!"

*This is over dishes?* Jareth thought shocked and angered even further by the scene, *You have got to be kidding!* With all the yelling that was taking place he figured she'd done something major but over doing dishes? What was wrong with this man?

"Get out of my sight! I'm sick of looking at you, just go to your room!" the man ordered turning away from Cara and walking into the kitchen.

Cara nodded and hurried into her room.

Jareth followed her toward where she was running and found her room to be close to the tree he had been in. He landed on a branch outside her window as he saw her enter she still seemed to be holding in her tears as best she could, she crossed her room to her bed beneath the window, when she looked up for a moment before she collapsed on her bed crying Jareth could clearly see the sorrow and fear in her face and felt a pang in his heart again.

Cara reached over grabbing her stuffed Phantom of the Opera doll, which somehow looked familiar to Jareth, and held it tightly to her.

"Oh Erik," she said through her tears "Why am I so pathetic? Why can I never do anything right?" She held him closer, "I wish mom and dad had the daughter they really wanted instead of me. Then they could be happy and they wouldn't have to yell and Niki wouldn't have to listen to it."

*She's worried about their happiness?* Jareth thought amazed. *How can she be worried about them? Her sister I can understand but them?* He shook his head, she was strange girl but she had a good heart. He heard her softly start singing again through her tears, probably to comfort herself.

"Wishing on a dream that seems far off, hoping it will come today.

Into the starlit night foolish dreamers turn they gaze, waiting on a shooting star.

But what if that star is not to come?

Will their dreams fade to nothing?

When the horizon darkens most we all need to believe there is hope.

Is an angel watching closely over me?

Can there be a guiding light I've yet to see?

I know my heart should guide me but there's a hole within my soul.

What will fill this emptiness inside of me?

Am I to be satisfied without knowing?

I wish then for my chance to see now all I need,

Desperately,

Is my star to come."

Finishing she buried her face in her doll sobbing softly. He looked at her one more time before taking off into the night again, deciding to come back again.

*So he was the owl I always saw outside,* Cara remarked.

%Yep, % Morgana said sounding very pleased about that fact.

Cara raised her eyebrow and looked at her, *Are you sure you aren't just trying to get Jareth and me together cause we're related?*

%Oh don't be silly, % Morgana said sounding, or at least trying to sound, serious again. %Besides you two had already met by then, when you were both younger. %

Cara gave her a confused looked causing Morgana to smile again.