Title: A Faded Memory

Author: Devlyne (Originally published as BelleAngeli)

Published: 11/9/2015

Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth, Jareth or Sarah. Nor do I in any way resemble Jim Henson, The Jim Henson Company, Henson Creature Shop or Disney. Any recognizable quotes belong to the aforementioned.

A/N: I re-read the prologue. I still don't like it, so at some point (after I'm finished maybe, unless it nags at me), I'll work on revising it again or maybe scraping it altogether. So, this chapter is Sarah's chapter and the next chapter will be Jareth's chapter. And then we'll rejoin them together in Chapter 12.

Chapter 10: Not Distracted by Distraction

Mr. Edwards, the director of Sarah's department, had expressed surprise and pleasure at her arrival. She had explained that her upset stomach and headache had passed with a bit of rest. And if one of the passing docents overheard and asked with a giggle if she were pregnant, Sarah tried not to mind. By the end of the week, there would no doubt be rumors about her relationship with Chris. It was already known that he'd stopped by this morning to see her. Hannah had asked about the visit almost as soon as Sarah had settled into her office.

Work should have been a distraction for Sarah but instead it served as a constant reminder. At any other time the potential drama that would come from the rumors would have made her laugh, but not now. What would happen if Chris decided to show up at the museum again? He had made clear his intentions clear when he'd shown up at her apartment this morning. At least, for today, Sarah thought she was safe but their conversation had only bought her a few days at most.

By the time Sarah's few days were up, it was likely that she would be gone. What would Chris think of that answer? It was unfair, perhaps, but then she felt that what he'd been asking of her was also unfair. Sarah wondered if she'd have felt that way if she'd been in love with him. She found herself going over that night again and again to find where it had gone wrong. That night; it had only been last night. Why then did it feel as though it had been days and not hours?

A sound of displeasure caused one of her co-workers to look up. "Is everything alright, Sarah? Are you sure you're feeling well? You never take days off so if you need to, you really should."

"It's the k through five learning schedule; there are a few errors I missed yesterday. I'm fine, really." Sarah replied, plastering a bright smile on her lips to reassure the woman.

The woman, whose name was Amy, pushed her chair back and came to look over the schedule that Sarah was talking about, "I think you're thinking about this too hard. They're little kids; they'll be happy to see dinosaurs and mammoths. It's the older kids whose schedules I agonize over."

"I know, but if we don't cultivate that passion at a young age, they might never find it. So how do I make dinosaurs and mammoths more exciting than just 'hey, kids, here's the bones! Ooh, ahh!'." Her laugh soft as she imagined the look of wonder on those tiny faces. "I know, at that age, it doesn't take much. I'm thinking too hard."

Amy laughed with her. "I told you that already. Move on, do one of the other schedules." She wandered back over to her desk to look over the portfolios there. "It could be worse; you could be dealing with the high school students. We get more damage from those tour classes."

"No, thanks, you can keep the older kids." Sarah retorted, laughing still.

It was true that the older groups were at times a bit difficult for the museum. Not every group left damage and she'd seen more than her fair share of polite students. The shame of it was the students who weren't polite and had no respect for the work and money that the museum spent. How could they? They had never had to do the work themselves.

Work; Sarah's mind drifted back to her conversation with Jareth. He had never answered the question of what Sarah could do while she was in the Underground. He had called the world two things; Underground and Labyrinth. For her part, Sarah thought that Labyrinth must be a kingdom in Underground. That meant that there might be more to the world than the Labyrinth itself. Would she get to explore it all? Did he want her to just stay in the Labyrinth?

There were more questions that didn't have answers. And in the end it had been her own fault that she'd not gotten an answer about what he wanted. Jareth had said he just wanted to be a guest and relax. She couldn't be a guest forever. What if Sarah decided to stay in the Labyrinth? What would she do then? Those questions made the temporary stay seem like the best option at the moment. She could go and learn about the Labyrinth and Underground, then decide if she wanted to stay.

Besides, by spending just a bit of time with Jareth maybe she would learn what type of jobs they needed. It was a good possibility that Jareth wasn't aware of what type of work was available. He was a king and kings didn't do menial labor. At least, the kings of Europe didn't do menial labor but they did a lot of charity work and had causes. That wasn't what Jareth was offering, was it? Did he have it in mind that she would stay and become his queen?

Oh, God that was what he had in mind. Sarah groaned and let her head drop in to her hand. He thought that if he could get her back to the Labyrinth she would decide to stay and become his queen. How was this any different than what Chris was asking her to do? She had turned him down so why lead Jareth on about the possibility.

"Because you want to," said a voice ringing out amid the shuffling of papers and clacking of keys in the office.

Sarah's eyes lifted, darting about for the source of the voice. Had Jareth decided to pop in? "W-what?" She stammered softly in reply.

"Did you say something, hon?" Amy's head lifted just enough that she could look over her laptop screen at Sarah.

"Stupid file gave me an error, I've got it now." Sarah waved a hand to brush the incident aside before turning back to her schedules. She'd actually managed to finish two pages. When had that happened? And better still, they looked correct.

Somehow knowing Jareth's endgame made the choices a bit easier to consider. It was simple; Jareth wished her to return to the Labyrinth and be his queen. What was not simple was how he was going about getting what he wanted. Before Jareth had demanded and manipulated Sarah's wants to get what he wanted. Now he was offering her options and alternatives. Had their encounter changed him so much?

Seven, almost eight, years had passed since that night. Toby had grown from a baby to a child; he was almost eleven now. He didn't remember what had happened and Sarah hoped he never would. She remembered enough for the both of them. Still, she had to wonder how long seven years had been to Jareth. Thirteen hours in the Labyrinth had only been a few hours in this world.

A piece of paper was ripped from her notebook and she began to scribble comparisons of time. If thirteen hours in Underground was four hours in her time, then every year of her time was three of their time. And that meant that Jareth had been stewing on this for the last twenty one years. Of course, he had magic and the ability to manipulate time was no doubt part of that. Sarah couldn't say for sure but if it had been twenty one years, then Jareth had had ample time to change or plot revenge.

"Well, damn." Sarah murmured.

That changed the simplicity of Jareth's endgame. Now Sarah had to question his motives. Did he only want a queen or was he looking for revenge? It would not be beneath Jareth to manipulate and play games with her emotions; he had done that before. And yet, when Sarah gazed in to his eyes there was a painful, honest sincerity in them. She could not dismiss the idea that Jareth might have her best interest at heart.

Love me, do as I say; I will be your slave.

Jareth had always gotten his own way until she had come along. At least, Sarah assumed that he had always gotten his own way. He didn't seem like the type of man that women told no. It must have come as a shock to him when this starry eyed little girl had done so. Sarah had managed to turn his world on end so the thought he might want revenge was not unbelievable. Could she judge him for that without knowing? For that matter, how could she trust anything he said as truth? More questions; every thought led to more questions and no closer to answers.

"If I pretend for a moment that it never happened, then what is the answer?" Sarah whispered. Her hand lifted to rub at her forehead a moment.

The answer was in the question, Sarah decided. He had done everything he'd thought necessary to secure her affections and at the end of it all she'd said no. The answer to the earlier question was that Sarah didn't know if he had been told no before. Jareth had reacted with disappointment and hurt but not revenge. He'd had plenty of time for revenge and had not used it. Why believe he would try now?

There would be time for Jareth to build trust with her but there was danger in going with him until then. If Sarah decided she was only going to Underground for a time, Jareth could refuse to return her. Her trust would have been misplaced and there would likely be no one to help her return home. That was a worst case scenario, of course. It was possible that Jareth would have no problems returning her. Wasn't he the one encouraging her to not burn bridges?

"Sarah...break time..." Amy snapped her fingers before Sarah's face and grinned as the woman snapped out of her thoughts. "Come on, I'll treat you. Coffee or tea?"

It was already half past three and everyone else would be going home soon. That was the downside of coming in late; Sarah would have to stay so that she could finish up her work and make up time. Of course, at this rate, she wasn't going to get anything finished. "Coffee. I'm going to need it. I'll probably be here all night." She groused, sliding her chair back and rising to join Amy at the door.

Amy flicked Sarah's shoulder and teased, "That's what you get for being lazy and laying about in bed."

"I promise I felt sick this morning." Sarah laughed.

A break would prove to be exactly what Sarah needed; time away from her computer filled with chatter. It kept her mind from wandering back to the problem at hand. There was idle chatter about upcoming programs or what shows were on television. They were joined by others from the museum who had wandered out to take an afternoon break. All in all, Sarah felt refreshed afterward and returned to finish her schedules.

For a time, that kept the doubts at bay and she was able to get most of her work done by six. She could come in early tomorrow and continue. Well, unless Jareth wanted to leave tonight. No, no he had suggested taking a few days to think about this. That seemed like a good idea and sound advice so at a quarter past six, Sarah was packing up her things. The subway was as crowded as ever and the walk up the flights of stairs to her apartment filled with a sense of dread.

At least this time it wasn't because Sarah thought that someone was following her. No, now she wondered what mischief the Goblin King had managed while left alone in her apartment. Would all her appliances still be there and in working order? She'd seen a movie once with a man out of time and how he'd reacted to new technology. She stifled a laugh before rounding the last flight of stairs and taking the door to her hallway.

"It'll be alright, Sarah. More than likely he can fix anything he broke with his magic." She murmured while smiling to herself. "Alright." A deep breath taken before her keys were fitted in the lock and the door opened.

"Jareth? I'm home."

Good, there were no burning smells or signs of damage outright. Sarah set her bag on the hall table and glanced in to the kitchen and then living room. Her heart began to sink in her chest and an ache formed in her stomach. Was he gone? That doubt that he had ever been there at all began to creep in to the back of her mind. He hadn't been here. It was all just a figment of her imagination.

"You kept it all." The voice startling her and Sarah turned to find Jareth standing in the doorway to 'The Room'.