A/N: Wow! Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter of my first Laby fic! *squeals* Also, I wanted to assure you guys that my Jareth is not going to just forgive Sarah when she "sees the light", so to speak, but he's not going to be evil or anything either. Just a heads up :D And I also want to apologize in advance for any weird spacing after italics. It tends to happen no matter what I do. Sorry!

Please enjoy!

oooOoooOooo

Dreamscape

Part Two

oooOoooOooo

"Sarah?"

I glanced up, my pen stilling on the paper, to see Maddie looking at me curiously from the couch. "Hm?"

It was Saturday afternoon, our designated girl time. Robert and Karen regularly took Toby out for play dates on Saturdays, so Maddie and I always took full advantage. Presently a marathon of old eighties music videos played on the television while I sat doodling at the coffee table and Maddie lounged on the sofa munching on popcorn. Her lips turned into a frown as she flicked salt off her fingers and set the popcorn bowl beside me on the table. "Who is that?"

My eyes flitted over to the TV and I laughed softly. "You don't know who Nikki Sixx is?"

"No, no," she huffed. I felt her lean over my shoulder as she pointed to the paper in front of me. "Who is that?"

Unthinkingly, I pulled the sketch away. I hadn't meant for her to see it. "No one," I murmured. "He's not anybody."

But I should've known she wouldn't give up so easily. "You sure?" she asked while trying to stretch over me to get a better look at my drawing. "Because he looks . . . awfully familiar."

"I'm sure," I nearly snapped. "I made him up. Motley Crue inspired me, I guess."

"Oh." Maddie almost sounded disappointed, though I couldn't imagine why. "Well, he still reminds me of someone . . ."

"Like David Bowie?" I suggested, grasping at straws. I didn't want to talk about this anymore. "He does sort of look like him, except for the hair."

For a moment there was no answer, and I took the opportunity to fold the doodle in half and slide it underneath my crossed legs. Maybe she would drop it―

"But why did you give him pointed ears?"

―or maybe not.

"Just wanted to," I said. "I like drawing Fae people."

Another short, strange silence passed before Maddie chuckled. "Fae?" she repeated. "You mean like Tinkerbell?"

"Mmm . . . not exactly," I replied. "Something a bit darker than Tinkerbell. More like . . . goblins."

"Goblins?"

I nodded and turned back to face the TV. "What can I say? I like goblins."

Maddie exhaled softly and I could almost see her scratching her head. "And that man you drew is a goblin? Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I always thought goblins were rather . . . unattractive."

"Ah, but he isn't any goblin." I cast Maddie a mischievous smile. "He's the Goblin King."

Popcorn went flying everywhere as Maddie's foot collided with the dish and sent it hurtling through the air. I shrieked and jumped up, pressing a hand to my thundering heart as I stared at my friend, who was returning my stare with one of open-mouthed shock. "Maddie?

A shadow passed over her face and, briefly, I was a little scared. "Oh my god," she whispered harshly. "You won't believe what I've just remembered."

For one fleeting, tremulous moment, my breath stilled in my chest as hope took root. Surely she couldn't mean what I thought she meant . . .

"The Masquerade!"

I blinked and my hope died. "Masquerade?"

"Yes!" She leapt from the couch to grip my hands in hers. "The dance we're having before we go on Christmas break!" Still grasping my hands, Maddie began to hop up and down in excitement. "Your goblin fellow just reminded me. We have got to go find dresses, like, now."

My heart dropped into my stomach. "But isn't that not for another week?"

"Five days, actually, if you don't count Friday," she corrected while tugging me impatiently towards the foyer. "Now let's go!"

"Wait, hold on a second!" I exclaimed while trying fruitlessly to free myself. Good lord this girl is strong. "I never said I was going!"

And I knew immediately I should've kept my mouth shut.

Maddie froze, and I nearly collided with her. Slowly, she turned her head to look at me, her gaze disbelieving. "I'm sorry," she said as she made a show of shaking her head, "but I thought I just heard Sarah Williams say she wasn't going to a Masquerade ball." She clucked quietly to herself and continued on to the foyer with me in tow. "Must be hearing things," she muttered.

I felt my cheeks flush as she dragged me along. She knew me well; I had to give her that. "Maddie," I tried again, a little more firmly, "I really don't want to go. I'm not trying to be difficult or anything―"

She stopped once more and this time I did run into her. "Alright," she said as I stumbled back, "I'll make you a deal." With her free hand planted on her hip, Maddie regarded me with calculating azure eyes and her lips curled into that familiar infuriating grin. "Obviously something is up because the Sarah I know would never turn down an invitation to this kind of party." I started to sputter indignantly, but she just ignored me and went on. "So how about this: either you come with me to the Masquerade, or you tell me about the man that has you all tied up in knots. Your choice."

I scowled at her. "There's nothing to tell―"

"Then I guess you're coming to the dance with me," she interjected.

"No, I . . ." With a heavy sigh, I considered how to word my explanation. "I'm not interested in masked balls or anything anymore, okay? I've . . . outgrown them."

To my surprise, Maddie laughed. "Sarah, it sounds more like you're trying to convince yourself, not me. What in the world is really going on here?"

Damn it. Why did she have to be so . . . observant? I heaved another sigh and glowered at the lines in the hardwood. How was I supposed to explain the way I felt to her? How was I supposed to explain Jareth to her? How was I supposed to explain a magical masked ball taking place inside a magical crystal and the resulting paranoia it caused to her?

How was I supposed to explain a book, one of my only remaining ties to the Labyrinth, disappearing into thin air and the all-consuming despair left in its wake?

In short: I really wasn't feeling up to the Masquerade.

"Wait a minute."

It was Maddie's tone that gave me pause. Cautiously, I glanced up. "What?"

Maddie, for once, seemed struck speechless, but only for a moment. "You . . ." She trailed off, and I was overcome with curiosity.

"I . . . what?" I asked again.

Suddenly, a wide smile broke across her face; one so blinding I nearly flinched. Unnerved, I couldn't help but wonder if my dear friend had the ability to read minds, because I was now under the distinct impression that I had somehow given myself away.

"This is about your man, isn't it?"

I jerked violently. "I beg your pardon?!"

Her smile, if possible, grew. "Oh my god, it totally is!"

I stared at her, wondering how on earth she could've guessed what was wrong. "How do you do that?"

The words escaped before I even thought about it, and I instantly wanted to take them back. Maddie's expression shifted, and she looked eerily like a particularly pleased bloodhound that had scented its prey. "Do what?" she asked innocently.

"Just . . . just know stuff, without me saying anything," I grudgingly admitted. "It's creepy."

All at once, Maddie's playful demeanor melted away. She dropped the hand I didn't realize she was still holding and eyed me with what seemed to be concern. "Sarah, do you . . . don't you know how much you've changed?"

This startled me. "Changed?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes. You . . . well, honestly, you're a lot different than you used to be. A lot less selfish, I guess."

My eyebrows shot into my hairline. "I am?" After my time in the Labyrinth, I'd tried to do better, be better, but I hadn't really thought I'd succeeded.

"You haven't noticed?" I shook my head, and she exhaled softly. "Weird. I thought you'd had some sort of epiphany or something."

I wasn't quite sure how to answer that. "Oh, well―"

Everything that you wanted, I have done.

Warm breath ghosted across my ear, raising the hairs along my neck, and I jumped back in shock. My heart stuttered to a stop as I stumbled gracelessly into the wall. Thankfully, Maddie had turned away to grab her shoes and wasn't paying attention. "It was really like you just woke up one morning with an entirely new outlook on life. You practically wear your heart on your sleeve . . ."

I have turned the world upside down, and I have done it all for you.

My breath came in quiet, erratic gasps. What the hell is happening?

" . . . I mean, you know I love you anyway," she continued, oblivious to my sudden inner turmoil, "but I have to say I like this change. In fact, you're almost―"

Isn't that―

"Generous," I finished shakily.

Maddie refocused on me and arched a brow. "That's one way you could put it, yeah. But, thanks to whatever happened, your face is like an open book. It's not hard to guess what, or who, you're thinking of." Her slim fingers reclaimed their hold on my wrist and I abruptly found that I was anxious to get out of the house. "So about the dance . . ."

oooOoooOooo

What in the seven hells was I thinking?

I stood in my room, facing my vanity mirror and running a gentle hand along the silky bodice wrapped around my torso.

Why did I let her talk me into this?

Five days had passed since I'd agreed to go to the annual winter dance with Maddie, and as each day went by I'd regretted my decision more and more. The last thing I needed was further reminders of a night I would much rather forget, but it felt like fate was against me. And of all the dresses my overzealous best friend had wrangled me into, I'd somehow ended up with this one.

The actual dress shopping had been better than I'd expected. There was a store in town that, though small, had a beautiful selection. Lottie, the owner, was a sweet older woman who treated every customer as if they were her long-lost child and she'd been positively thrilled― a little too thrilled, in my opinion―to help me browse through the racks. In no time at all she'd filled my arms with a multitude of gowns and shooed me off to the fitting room, where Maddie was already waiting.

If I had known then what I knew now, I would've escaped when I had the chance.

"Oh my goodness!"

My stepmother's shrill cry yanked me from my thoughts. I looked to see her standing in the doorway with wide, glassy eyes and one hand closed over her mouth. Oh no.

Karen breezed into the room in a flurry of designer clothes and Chanel perfume. "Sarah," she breathed once she was close, "you look gorgeous."

I flushed despite myself. "Um, thank you."

"This is an absolutely stunning dress," she gushed, and I was unexpectedly pleased. "Where on earth did you find it?"

Nervously fingering the slight beading of the bodice, I hesitated a moment before answering. Karen didn't like Lottie's place. Hell, she didn't like Lottie. Whenever we passed her store while we were in town, she'd grip Toby's chubby hand a little tighter and grumble quietly about weird gypsy women and their addiction to incense. I always just rolled my eyes and kept walking, but at the moment I really wasn't in the mood to hear her put down an innocent old lady for no reason. I was stressed enough as it was.

Luckily, Karen was usually easily distracted. "Oh, what are you going to do with your hair?" she asked while gesturing to my loose tresses. "Need some help? I'm pretty good with a curling iron"

I hastily nodded and damned the consequences as my stepmother hurried off to her bedroom. I was usually a brush-and-go sort of girl, but I figured I was in good hands if Karen's perfectly coiffed mane was anything to go by.

As I waited for her to return, I sank carefully into my vanity chair and smoothed out the chiffon skirt of my dress. The mirror gleamed as I moved, and I glanced up automatically, hopefully. There was nothing there, and I realized that the silver bracelet dangling from my wrist had only caught the light, but I was struck yet again, as I examined myself in the mirror, by the ironic picture I made.

This color looked better on the Goblin King, I mused listlessly, and a faint smile tipped my lips even as my chest contracted strangely. But this is definitely a step up from that monstrosity he put me in. I could actually walk in this dress at least.

"Ready?"

I almost flew out of my chair at Karen's voice and looked up. She was behind me, curling iron in hand and already plugged into the wall. "Uh, yes," I said with a blush. How long had she been standing there?

Karen didn't comment on my inattentiveness, but there was a knowing little smirk tugging at her mouth as she got to work. "So," she murmured as she pulled half my hair over my right shoulder, "do you have a date for tonight?"

I laughed quietly. "Does Maddie count?"

"Well, she is a pretty girl," Karen chuckled. "But, really, didn't anyone ask you?"

I frowned and thought over the past week. "Hmm . . . I don't think so."

Now it was my stepmother who frowned. "You don't think so? You can't remember?"

I could've kicked myself. "I mean, no. No one asked me."

The truth was I honestly couldn't remember. I didn't notice any of the boys at school, or anywhere else for that matter. They were all like faceless blurs and I hadn't really stopped to think about it before. I fought down a grimace. What's wrong with me now?

Warm curls fell across the back of my neck while Karen regarded me curiously. "Do you want to know what I think?"

Not particularly. "Sure."

"I think . . ." she said as she worked, ". . . that there's something you aren't telling me."

I went completely rigid. "Like what?" I choked out.

"Like," she began, "the fact that you have a boyfriend."

Searing heat burned the flesh behind my ear when I jerked in shock and I yelped. "What?" I hissed through my teeth.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry." The curling iron clattered onto the vanity top. "Are you alright?" Karen fretted. "Do you need ice?"

"No," I ground out tersely. "No, I'm fine. But Karen, why would you think I have a boyfriend?"

Karen looked startled as she took up the curling iron once again. "You mean you don't?"

"No," I insisted. "What gave you that idea?"

More heated tendrils of hair dropped against my skin as Karen pursed her lips. "Maybe you don't have a boyfriend . . ."

I heaved a sigh.

". . . but I know a woman in love when I see one."

My eyes nearly bulged out of my head. "E-Eh?!" I stuttered ineloquently.

"Don't pretend you don't know what I mean," Karen said with a laugh. "Just a few minutes ago when I came back I would've paid money to know what you were thinking. I've never seen you look like that before."

Still gawking at her, I blurted, "That doesn't mean I'm in love with him―"

I cut off abruptly, horrified. Oh . . . my god . . .

Karen looked like Christmas had come early. "Him?" she echoed excitedly.

I resisted the urge to beat my head on the wood of the vanity. Sarah, you are an idiot, I thought crossly, a complete idiot.

"So there is someone!" Karen exclaimed as she finished my hair. "Why haven't you mentioned anything about him?"

Because he's the ruler of an Underground goblin kingdom and he probably wishes I were dead. "Because I hardly even know him."

"But you obviously really like him," Karen persisted.

A thrill of irritation flashed through me, and I snapped before I could stop myself. "Just because he looks nice in blue doesn't mean I like him!"

Karen froze, and then smiled an absolutely evil-looking smile. "So he looks nice in blue does he?"

My nails cut into my palms as I tried to keep from throttling my stepmother with my bare hands. But, thankfully for Karen, the doorbell rang then and I was spared having to answer as she hastened off towards the stairs. "I'll be right back Sarah!" she called as she disappeared. "Don't go anywhere!"

I waited until I heard her in the foyer before bolting from my chair and down the hall to the bathroom. I turned the lock into place behind me and went straight to the medicine cabinet. Flicking it open, I rummaged impatiently for the Excedrin my father kept and quickly downed two dry before replacing the bottle. After a deep, cleansing breath, I clicked the cabinet shut.

And let loose a bloodcurdling scream.

My heels tangled into the hem of my dress and I collided roughly with the towel rack on the wall as I scrambled backwards. The bottoms of my shoes slipped on the tile, but I managed to catch myself clumsily on the sink before I fell. Chest heaving, I clenched my eyes closed and dared not look in the mirror again.

For the briefest moment, his eyes had been looking back at me.

Sarah . . .

My heart skipped painfully.

Sarah . . .

"Stop," I begged hoarsely. "Please stop."

Look, Sarah.

I bit my lip. "Why?" I whispered, and chose to ignore how crazy it was to talk to disembodied voices. "Why should I?"

Look at what I'm offering you . . .

Very slowly, I did.

Glittering silver hairpins rested on the ceramic surface of the sink, and I inhaled sharply. "How did you―"

Knocking sounded at the door and I almost fell again. "Sarah?" Karen asked through the wood. "Are you alright? Why were you screaming?"

I expelled a shaky breath. "I'm fine," I said loudly enough for her to hear. "I'll be out in a minute."

She hesitated a moment longer, and I silently willed her to leave me be. "If you're sure . . ."

Her footsteps faded away, and I turned my attention back to the sparkling pins sitting in front of me. They were incredible, delicate and unnaturally luminous, and studded with what seemed to be real diamonds.

What would happen if I touched them?

I was itching to try, even though common sense was telling me it was not a good idea. But, as I had during my encounter with the owl and the experience in my room, I had the distinct impression there was no foul play at work here. And, though I hated to admit it, they did match my dress perfectly. So, with that in mind, I reached out and caressed the tip of one jeweled pin with a feather-light brush of my fingers.

Nothing happened.

Elated, I decided to throw all caution to the wind and wear the hairpins to the dance. Distantly, I wondered, though it may not have been malicious, if perhaps something else was influencing me, but quickly banished the thought and chalked up my sudden excitement to wistfulness and adrenaline. Here was something else that tied me to the Labyrinth, which proved my journey had not been a dream, and I was overcome with profound relief.

Fleetingly, as I picked up the first pin, I lamented the loss of my Labyrinth book for the hundredth time. After a week of puzzling over it, I still couldn't understand what had happened. I'd woken Saturday morning feeling as if I'd never gone to sleep, but also determined to solve whatever was going on. I'd flipped on my bedside lamp, checked the time, and groped sleepily for where I'd left the book.

And it hadn't been there.

I hadn't thought much of it at first. I'd gone to sleep late that night so I'd assumed I had only put it somewhere else and forgotten. But when I'd come home from shopping that day and proceeded to look in all the places I might've left it, I had come up empty-handed.

My stomach turned as I remembered how desperate and sick I'd felt. Robert and Karen, who were understandably worried with how near-frantic I was, had tried to help when I'd spent the next week tearing the house apart in a frantic search, but to no avail. It was gone, and I didn't think whatever, or whoever, had taken it was going to give it back. Though it did make me wonder―

"Sarah!"

The yell startled me from my thoughts, and I recognized the tinkling voice almost instantly.

Maddie.

My pulse shot through the roof and, illogically frightened, I fumbled for the hairpieces like they were heroin needles. "What?!" I screeched shrilly. "I'll be finished in a minute!"

There was a short pause. Then, "Do I need to come in?"

I grimaced and pinched the bridge of my nose. Now isn't the time to sound hysterical.I paused and tried to collect myself. "No thanks," I answered in a much more civil tone. "I'm almost done."

Quickly, I gathered my hair over the right side of my neck and slipped in the pieces one by one so that all my hair was pinned in place and one shoulder was left bare. Then, with a hasty cursory look in the mirror, I crossed to the door and pulled it open with a horribly fake smile pasted on my lips. "Sorry―"

Red leather was abruptly thrust into my face, and I reeled back. "What the hell is this?"

I blinked in bewilderment. "What the hell is your problem?" I retorted unthinkingly.

Maddie huffed. "Problem?" She backed up a step and waved whatever she held in front of my eyes. "This is my problem!"

I snatched the thing away from her and scowled. "Maddie, I don't know wha―"

I froze mid-sentence. In utter disbelief, I stared at the small red book in my hand and then looked back at her as I realized what she had found. "Where . . . where did you get this?"

She didn't answer at first. Her expression became concerned as she eyed me carefully. "Are you alright?" she asked instead. "You look kind of pale."

"I'm fine," I said shortly. "Where did you get this book?"

She frowned. "It was just sitting in your room. I don't see why it matters―"

I left her standing there as I went flying down the hall, my skirts billowing behind me as I raced into my bedroom. As expected, it was unchanged: lace curtains still hung from the windows, stuffed animals littered the bedcovers, and the curling iron still rested on the vanity top. Regardless of all this, however, I found myself scanning the room for the absolute smallest thing out of the ordinary. My chest heaved as my limbs trembled with adrenaline and I hoped―probably foolishly―for any Underground-related sign.

And, ironically enough, I got my wish.

It was so insignificant a thing I didn't notice it at first. It was only when I stepped further into the room that my gaze alighted on my bedside table and my breath hitched sharply. It can't be . . .

A feather.

Impossibly white and downy-looking, an owl's feather lay innocuously on the worn wood of the table.

It utterly confounded me. What are you playing at, Goblin King?

I debated briefly on my next course of action, but ultimately the decision was taken out of my hands when I heard Maddie walk in behind me. Moving almost inhumanly fast, I scooped the feather up gingerly and turned to my friend, who was watching me warily. My fist clenched of its own accord. For whatever reason, I didn't want her to see the feather.

I tried to smile, but when her frown deepened I knew I wasn't entirely successful. "Can you tell me exactly where you found this?" I asked while holding up my book.

"There," she muttered, pointing to the pillow on my bed. On her part, Maddie looked exceedingly uneasy, though I couldn't understand why. "What's the big deal about that stupid book, anyway?"

I recoiled as if she'd slapped me, the Labyrinth held protectively to my chest. "Stupid book?" I echoed. "Have you ever even read this?"

Maddie scowled at said book as if it had personally offended her. "I don't need to," she spat heatedly. "And I can't believe you would read such aos si nonsense!"

"Aos si?" My brows came together in confusion. "What're you talking about?"

"What am I talking about?" For a moment, I really thought Maddie might faint. Her eyes widened ridiculously and her face turned ashen. "Y-You . . . you don't know?"

"Know what?"

"You . . ." she whispered, but then color flooded her pallid skin and fury narrowed her eyes. "You don't even understand what you're dealing with?! Have you lost your mind?"

"Maddie―"

"The aos si Sarah!" she yelled, cutting me off. "Aes sidhe! The daoine sith! They are not something to be trifled with! And for you to have a book about them is just . . . just . . ."

"But that's all it is!" I exclaimed. "It's just a book, Maddie, a children's storybook. You need to calm down."

She glared at me, the blue of her eyes blazing. "You don't understand," she said softly. "But not many people do these days."

"Stop telling me I don't understand," I hissed. "How can you expect me to understand what you're going on about when you haven't explained anything at all? Aes sidhe? I know enough to realize you're talking about the Fae, but what I don't know is why you're so upset." Turning from her, I slid open the drawer of my bedside table and slipped my book and the feather inside. "It doesn't matter right now anyway," I said as I glanced at the clock. "We have to leave if you still want to go to the dance."

She sighed and I could tell she was still aggravated. "Fine. I'll be in the car when you're ready." And she swept out of the room in a swirl of champagne silk.

I released a relieved breath and hurried over to my mirror to double-check myself. I ran a hand through my hair to loosen the curls a bit and then headed for the stairs, my mind whirling. Maddie and I would have to have a long talk after the Masquerade because, if there was one thing I did know, it was that there was more to my friend than met the eye. She had always struck me as strange, but this most recent incident had my curiosity raging.

It was time I found out what exactly she was hiding.

oooOoooOooo

A/N: Well, this didn't turn out quite like I planned but I hope you all still enjoyed it. I did my best but for some reason I still couldn't get it the exact way I wanted. The flow just felt off to me no matter what I did and I finally had to stop messing with it before I drove myself crazy.

Anyway, please let me know what you thought! I'm already working on the next chapter since I didn't end where I wanted with this one.

Next update: The Masquerade! Please review!