DISCLAIMER - I don't own Sarah or Jareth or the Labyrinth (unfortunately) they belong to Jim Henson & Co, and I'm definitely not making a profit from this.
All other NPC's are a figment of my own imagination.

The week started a disaster and went steadily downhill from there. She forgot again on Monday morning to retrieve Ollies suits from the dry cleaners and had to beg Anita to run and get them before he appeared in the gallery at lunch time with Cassandra who was sporting a golden tan from their weekend in Paris and showing off the diamond necklace that he had bought for her using Sarah's money she didn't doubt she later confessed to Chris who was seething.
Tuesday she forgot to order the champagne for Friday and had to run around trying to find another stockist who could supply them for the launch party that Friday, and to top it all she'd managed to knock her coffee all over her sketchbook, utterly ruining the sketch she had created of Jareth over the weekend. Fortunately the sepia colour the paper had taken on after she'd done her best to mop up the mess didn't completely obliterate her pencil lines so she'd be able to work from it on a larger piece.
Wednesday Ollie had another screaming match with her about opening up a new slot for Chris but she refused to back down. His venom and negativity draining her to the point of exhaustion, it was only her stubborn pride that kept her from giving in. He then took it out on Anita, making her cry, which made Sarah feel even worse.
Thursday dawned sunny and still after a weeks worth of blustery rain squalls and when Ollie realised Sarah was taking both Chris and Anita out with her to visit the sculpture artist the day before his big launch for Cassandra he threw another wobbler telling Sarah she would have to get everything organised herself because he'd be damned if he was going to do it on his own whilst she skived off and took half his staff with her. When Sarah retorted that it was his launch to organise not hers, and that she would take HER staff wherever she pleased he gave her a look that meant she'd pay later and stormed out the building.

By the time she'd gathered her wits she realised that they were almost at the university and was rather glad that Chris was driving.
"I'm so sorry guys; I don't know what's come over me." She sighed mournfully trying to throw some powder over her cheeks to wash away the paleness.
"Hush darling it's not your fault he's a twat." Chris said patting her leg before changing gear. "We'll stay a bit later tonight and get everything spick and span, it will be fine, and will do you credit. Though I sincerely wish that fucker would come off worse in an argument with a concrete block driving that car of his, it's the least he deserves." Chris went on muttering as they pulled into the parking lot. Sarah forbore to comment, instead letting Anita fix her face and add a swipe of lip gloss before they entered the building. At the reception, Anita in her usual organised fashion found the location of the student workshop from the girl at the desk and lead the way, telling Chris off for getting sidetracked as they strode down quiet hallways that had the usual smell of cleaning chemicals that all institutes of education had. Out though a side entrance into a cavernous hangar style building filled with the sounds of industrious students they had to again drag Chris away from another student who was forging jewellery at a small kiln. At the far end behind a massive lump of uncut stone on a sagging palette they found Ambrose Veltini, covered from head to foot in fine stone dust as he gently smoothed a small section of the statue he was carving.
After they'd all introduced themselves, Chris gushing over Ambrose's Italian accent and Anita admiring his Italian looks with sideways glances he showed them the 4 completed statues he had under dust sheets, explaining in his dreamy voice his technique with the softer stones and trying not to come over too excited or hopeful about getting some floor space in the well renowned gallery.
"And this one?" Sarah asked turning from the beautiful finished statues back to the one he was working on. The woman sat draped on a pillar, her dress hanging in delicate waves like silk, and taffeta, tiny delicate hints of lace and embroidery artfully added in the carving, covering just the right amount of flesh and leaving the rest to the viewers imagination. The only thing she was missing was a face.
"Alas she will not be ready for a long time I think. I loose my muse." Ambrose confessed sitting down heavily on his own stool to contemplate the work before him. "she es the embodiment of hope and beauty, yet I can not see er face. Yet I look at you Miss Sarah and see what my mind can not see for eself. Please, let me take photos of you as my inspeeration. You are perfetto!" He gasped looking up and actually looking at Sarah for the first time.
"No I'm sure there must so many young women at the university you could use…" She protested backing away from him slightly in shock. "Really, you don't have to try and please us like that, I'm sure Chris would still be delighted to help you showcase your other finished pieces." She gave up as both Chris and Anita wholeheartedly agreed with Ambrose who was already rummaging for his camera in delight.
"Hush darling, hes right, you are perfect." Chris preened as though he was entirely responsible for this fact. Anita quickly dragged a hairbrush through Sarahs waist long locks and reapplied foundation and blusher before Ambrose returned brandishing his camera.
"Please, here, in ze sunlight if you could." He begged with puppy dog eyes as he fussed with her position and lighting for a moment before regarding her steadily. "Think of your true love and smile" He cooed clicking again and again as he moved around her trying to get all angles. "perfetto bellissimo!" Sarah internally groaned as in her head she could see Jareth smirking in his typical fashion at her attempts to model.

20 minutes later, feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the sudden attention and compliments Sarah had promised to return the following Monday to sit for Ambrose whilst Chris positively beamed in delight over having such a talented and sexy hunk to coddle in the gallery.
"I insist we celebrate!" Anita told them both firmly as they drove over to a quiet restaurant, ordering them all a stiff whisky apiece as they sat themselves down in a corner.
"What are we celebrating?" Sarah asked confused as she took her coat off and made herself comfortable.
"Life in perfection." Chris snorted, downing his whisky in one saluting them with his empty glass as he grinned evilly.
"No lets drink to having no wool pulled over Sarahs eyes" Anita laughed then scowled as she realised Chris had already swigged back his.
"You two are hopeless. Let's drink to fate, being capricious and my boyfriend being a dick." Sarah giggled downing her own at the same time.
"I'll definitely drink to that!" Ordering a second round Chris turned to the menu and proceeded to inform them that there would be no calorie watching as he eyed up the delicate steak another customer had just been presented with.
"I think I want one of those." He murmured practically drooling.
"I'll be right back, order for me!" Sarah chimed edging her way past Anita who giggled.
"You sure that's wise?" She called after her.
In the ladies loo Sarah stood and looked at her flushed reflection critically. What did they see that she didn't? Washing her hands and trying to calm down from the euphoria of the morning she couldn't help but feel secretly pleased and flattered, it was so rare for her to get a compliment of any kind. As she looked back up into the mirror she frowned.
"It is not in my nature to apologise Sarah." He said quietly in her ear. "However my… abrupt departure was.."
"Abrupt and typical." She finished for him turning from the mirror to face him directly half expecting him to not be there. She flinched as he traced a gloved finger across her brow, moving away a lock of hair from her eyes.
"I broke your mug. A replacement set should be at home. I AM sorry I could not come sooner. Duty. I would not have left otherwise, certainly not with our discussion the way it was." He watched her as she turned her face away from his hand.
"It doesn't matter." She sighed reaching for a paper towel.
"It does. It also matters that you think you are unequal to the compliments you have been given, which is ridiculous. He will never…" Jareth left his statement unfinished as she looked up at him, fathomless depths of sadness reflected in green orbs before she grabbed her bag and pushed her way past him from the toilets leaving him standing there.
Reaching the table and sitting back down she desperately tried to recapture her lost euphoria, instead sliding back into gloom and a sense of loss, trying in vain to decipher the look he had given her.

They eventually made it back to the gallery mid afternoon to find chaos as Cassandra and Olly had both in the mean time decided to completely rearrange everything for the opening the following night. Martin was stoic as he helped Sarah move all the tables again and unpack the boxes of champagne glasses.
"You know hes running roughshod over you Sarah. Its not any of my business I know, but the rest of us notice." He said quietly as Sarah handed him another glass to wipe over. She stood and stared blankly at the wall for a moment before sighing.
"I know. I think something's going to snap, and I can't let it be me." She smile wanly at him and opened another box.
"Keep your pecker up chick."
"Have you been talking to Chris?" Sarah laughed at his choice of words.
"No and yes. Sometimes the best way to solve a problem is to find the right moment to confront it directly, with witnesses." Martin hummed to himself lining up the champagne bottles with all their labels facing out.
"Only if such a moment presented itself."
"There will be people around to know. Don't you worry your pretty head Sarah." He replied with a mysterious smile for his employer before he strolled off to take the empty boxes back to the store room. With another sigh Sarah went to the far end of the gallery to reluctantly take down her own paintings, the old back room hadn't been painted but at least she could still hang them up again rather than having to pack them away. Chris was right, it was her gallery, she should at the very least be able to display her own artwork. Even if it wasn't for sale. Taking down one of her larger canvases she struggled with it into the back room to find Chris and Anita giggling in the doorway.

"If its illegal I don't want to know." Sarah groused. "Here, hang this in there for me would you?" She said handing Chris the canvas before turning away to go and collect the others, Anita following her to help.
"Did Martin speak to you?"
"He did and whatever you lot are cooking up just be damn careful nobody else catches wind of it, and for god sake don't let Chris cause a scene in front of everyone. It's the last thing the gallery needs."
"Stop chewing your lip."
"Can't help it I'm stressed." Anita put down the painting she was holding and hugged her friend.
"It will be ok, I'm sure it will. Martin and Chris won't let him carry on treating you like this, and lets be honest, the gallery doesn't need "art" like that to be successful." Anita grinned wickedly as she turned Sarah around and pointed at a rather ghastly pink abstract that looked rather like several pigs having a good time. Sarah laughed.
"Don't be naughty. Here take this to Chris as well and I'll take down the last of these big pieces." Sarah stood and glared at the oil painting on the wall which she'd completed last year of the Goblin King in repose on his throne, a pensive look on his charismatic face as he studied a book in his leather clad hand. In her mind she could hear the murmuring of the Labyrinth around him, the scurrying of goblins and a faint memory of old summer days and ancient magic. It was not something she could put into her paintings, but she tried none the less.
"Its your fault." She told the painting before reaching up and carefully unhooking it from the wall. Quickly she took down the other 2 either side of the first and carried them all to the back room where Anita took them off her at the door.
"Chris says theres no point trying to squeeze in because he has the ladders out across the door. May as well leave him to it and move Mrs P's murals over from the long room. Then you have to go pick up the new brochures from the printers."
"No need, Martin got them before." Sarah said taking her blackberry out and marking off things on her to do list.

Together they manhandled Mrs P's huge set of murals to where Sarah's paintings had been hung, leaving them for Chris to re-hang once he'd finished with Sarahs in the back room.
"I hate having to muddle everything around like this just to please his new client." Sarah sighed again, nursing a gash on her finger from a hang nail in the back of a canvas she'd just moved.
By 9pm the gallery was as perfect as they could manage until Cassandra arrived in the morning with the rest of her artwork to be hung in the main gallery area around the glass stairs to the upper floor. With as good a grace as she could manage Sarah retired to her office so that Anita could brush the floors again and try and get on with some of her paperwork which seemed to breed and create new piles all on its own.
The mundane data entry to accounts and filing restored Sarah's equilibrium and it was gone 11pm before she even noticed the time. Anita, Chris and Martin had all during that time popped in to say good night, Martin with a reminder to lock the window in her office before she went home herself. A jaw cracking yawn made her stop and tidy her desk before reluctantly heading out the office, locking the window with a smile before setting the alarm and checking the main door was properly locked. She scurried through the underground parking lot to her car trying not to be creeped out by the dark corners and shadows that seemed to move on their own.