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.
2 updates in as many weeks, what strange voodoo magic is this! D: 3
The cup of coffee sat and steamed by her elbow as she sat curled in her favourite chair scribbling away in her sketch pad. Every so often she would reach across the intervening space, her pencil falling silent as she sipped thoughtfully, digesting the shapes coming together on the page in front of her. She hadn't known when she started sketching what she would end up with, but right now it seemed that Gob, and a jar of strawberry jam was coming to life under the graphite strokes. Behind her on the shelf her Ipod played a soothing mix of ambient and classical music, blurring the sounds of the outside world and masking the absolute silence of the apartment. The afternoon had waned into evening without her noticing other than to absently light candles for a bit of extra light along with her antique glass lamp in the corner of the room. They threw warm, flickering shadows across her book collection and paintings. She glanced up catching sight of her prints from the Pre-Raphaelite artists she so admired and sighed wondering if she might ever be that talented. She shook her head in dismissal. Dreams had a very different meaning for her these days. The lessons she had learnt in those 13 hours that had felt like a lifetime had stuck with her.
She screamed as the scar on her hand leapt into what felt like fire, clutching it to her chest as tears of agony fell from her cheeks. The coffee cup fell unseen from the armrest of the chair shattering along with pencils and sketchbook.
Somehow she managed to stagger to the kitchen to douse her hand under icy cold water. Gasping as the throbbing pain pulsed from her hand all the way up her arm, yet as she stared at it under the running water it seemed unchanged, no more red or inflamed than it had been when she woke up. Small mercies she grimaced reaching for a towel with her shaking right hand and turning the tap off. She slid to the floor trembling as she tried to wrap her left hand in the towel still sobbing in pain.
"Sarah! Sarah are you home?" Anita called using her spare key to the apartment, juggling her bag and a stack of pizza boxes.
"Sarah? Oh my god Sarah! What happened?!" She cried out dumping the pizzas on the dining room table and dropping her bag as she hurried into the kitchen seeing her best friend huddled on the floor. "Sweetheart, we must get you off the floor!" Sniffling Sarah allowed Anita to man handle her to her feet and over to the sofa. "How long have you been sat there? Honestly Sarah you can't carry on like this." Anita said hugging her tight and rubbing her back.
"Now. Deep breath. Lets clean you up. Toby is going to be here any minute as is Chris who won't want to miss out on any pizza." She carried on releasing Sarah so she could scrutinise her.
"I need my tablets." Sarah whispered sighing and trying to pull her hair out of her face.
"You need a shower. Go. Now. Then we can organise food and other things." Anita instructed pulling Sarah to her feet and pushing her in the direction of her bedroom. Whilst Sarah was showering she cleaned up the spill in her studio and cleared the kitchen, setting dishes and plates out on the dining table. She was just opening a bottle of wine when Toby and Chris piled through the door laughing and kidding about.
"Oooh pizza! Did you get pepperoni?" Toby asked dropping his bag and coat on the floor by the door and heading straight for the dining table.
"Just for you Tobe!" Anita grinned pouring out 3 glasses of wine and a tumbler of Cola for Toby.
"Where's Sarah?" Chris asked taking off his coat and hanging it in the closet.
"Showering."
"Right ho. Maybe we should wait for her?"
"Don't want it to get cold." Toby said grinning around a mouthful of pizza. "What film did you get?"
"Its a surprise." Chris said taking a pile of flyers and catalogues from his satchel, placing them proudly on the chair Sarah usually used before taking a seat himself.
"I was at dads at lunchtime." Toby said as they all reached for pizza, hearing Sarah's hair dryer in the background.
"Yer? Hows he doing?" Anita asked sipping her glass of wine.
"Not great." Toby shrugged unhappily. "But I thought I saw Ollie. Driving away as I came round the corner." He sat silently as Anita and Chris stopped eating and looked at him.
"He's never met your dad has he?"
"Don't think so. Sarah always takes me with her when she goes and he's never been with us."
"You sure it was him Tobe?" Anita frowned.
"He drives a green Jag right?"
"Yer he does." Chris nodded in confirmation.
"I asked dad but he didn't remember why he'd had a visitor, and the day nurse just said she didn't get the guys name but he seemed utterly charming and very handsome." Toby grimaced reaching for his Coke and taking a swig as if to wash away the words. "Do you think I should tell Sar?"
"No honey, don't worry we'll ask Ollie when he comes into the gallery tomorrow. Best not to worry Sarah in case its nothing." Chris said sighing and falling quiet as Sarah came out of her room fresh from the shower in leggings and an oversize jumper.
"Hey hey. My favourite people come bearing wine and pizza." She said grinning as she ruffled Toby's hair as she walked past him and kissed Chris on the cheek. She smiled and nodded at Antia who raised a manicured eyebrow at her questioningly. "Oh they arrived! Thanks for bringing some!" She said overjoyed at finding the pile on her chair. "Oh these look so good!" She absently reached for a slice of pizza as she flicked through the illustrated catalogue. "Wait, 3 sculpture's? Hes finished the third one already?"
"Yer I think the poor boy has been working 40 hour days to get it done in time. Its gorgeous though, I saw it this morning when I dropped copies off to him." Chris nodded.
"Wow. He'd barely even started it when I was there the week before last. He sure does get a move on. Colour me impressed!" Sarah said frowning as she looked at the photograph of the new sculpture.
"I brought the wall layouts with me, thought you might want to look them over before we start moving stuff around next week."
"Sure thing. I can't believe how organised we are. Surely we aren't usually this ready this early before a new launch?" Sarah grinned as Chris stuck his tongue out at her.
"Only when they are my clients darling."
"Ahh I knew there had to be an excellent reason. Speaking of the devil, have you seen Ollie? I hate not being able to keep track of what he's doing not being in the office."
"He was in yesterday morning complaining because none of us have keys to your office, but he wasn't in today. Think he mentioned something about an exhibition he wanted to go and look at." Anita said sagely.
"Wait don't you have keys to my office?"
"I do, but I wasn't going to tell him that."
"What was he looking for that he needed to go in my office?"
"No idea, mumbling something about contracts but I wasn't really paying attention."
"Tell me what movie you got." Toby said stealing the slice of pizza Chris had been reaching for.
"Nope."
Tell me or the pizza gets it."
"You're holding my pizza to ransom?"
"My pizza." Toby said laughing as he took a huge bite of it in satisfaction.
"Treason! Somebody take him to the dungeons!" Anita laughed as Chris pouted and took a different slice instead.
They sat and talked around the table long after the pizza was devoured and the second bottle of wine was opened. They went through the layouts for the launch party and generally agreed with so much beautiful artwork from Ambrose anything they did would look fabulous.
"Just put mine into the store room at the back for now. I can always put it up again later if we have room again." Sarah said piling the empty pizza boxes together and carrying them into the kitchen.
"I don't see why you should have to, can't you hang them on the stairs up to the offices or something?" Anita asked exchanging a look with Chris.
"I don't like having anything on those stairs, invites people to go up where we don't really want them." Sarah replied thoughtfully. "Its fine really, just... don't let Ollie help you move them. He's already torn one."
"We won't let him near them." Chris reassured her as he stood and walked over to the big TV in the corner and put the film on before flopping down on the sofa as Anita and Toby joined him, leaving space for Sarah on the end where she liked to sit. She came back from the kitchen carrying bowls of popcorn and crisps which she handed out before lighting the mock wood fire and turning the lights out.
"The film store needs to get some new stuff." Chris said pressing play on the remote.
"Ohhh cool! I love this movie!" Toby laughed clapping his hands as the familiar Star Wars music filled the room from the surround sound.
"The classics are the best." Anita agreed.
As the closing credits stopped and the room fell silent Sarah woke and realised she had been using Chris as a pillow though most of the movie.
"Oh god, you should have poked me or something!" She groaned getting up and stretching.
"You looked far too comfortable to poke." He laughed poking Toby instead. "Unlike you. You wriggle far too much."
"Can't help it." Toby shrugged grinning.
"I think its bedtime for all of us!" Anita said standing up and stretching herself.
"The guest bedroom is clean and the sofa bed is still down in the attic if you're staying over."
"Sounds like a plan! I bagsy the guest bedroom!" Anita cackled running off before Chris could beat her to it.
"Relegated to the attic. Honestly that woman has no heart." He sighed in mock sadness, despite them all knowing he loved the attic room with the oval window.
Rain poured down the window casting a flickering glow from the city across the wall opposite the bed. She lay there watching patterns form and dissolve like her thoughts.
"You are becoming a regular feature in my Labyrinth Sarah. Careful you don't end up staying too long."
She looked up at him from where she sat crossed legged on the pile of stone books and frowned.
"More than thirteen hours? I'm sure you would not keep me a moment longer, I am far too demanding."
"Never a truer word spoken. My goblin's wouldn't know what to do with you."
"Perhaps I could spend my time teaching them to paint, elegant portraits of Your Majesty. You seem to enjoy collecting such things."
"Paintings by goblins. I am horrified by the very thought." He snorted turning away to gaze out at the ruins from their vantage point on the sundial floating almost in the clouds, shrouded by mist in the half light.
"At least here it is not raining." She said finally getting up to walk over and stand next to him.
"For now."
"Why have you taken such interest in Ambrose?"
"I've no idea what you mean." He replied a little too quickly.
"Really Jareth, you're a terrible liar. Did you think I wouldn't notice?" She turned and faced him. She was struck by his expression, and fleeting though it was before being replaced by his usual half smirk ,she was saddened by the worry caught in his eyes.
"Why have you changed time for Ambrose? Theres no possible other way he could have created those three sculptures and finished them in such a short time without... help."
"Three?"
"He finished the new one yesterday so Chris tells me. He says it's quite the masterpiece. The photos don't do it justice." She said handing him a catalogue. "Did you really give him more time?"
"I have no idea what you are talking about. Really Sarah you must think I have nothing better to do with my time. You find it remarkably easy to forget that I am a King, Sarah, with lands and people to rule." He replied airily flicking through the pages ignoring her as she rolled her eyes at him.
"Jareth." She whispered his name almost hoping he wouldn't hear her. He sighed and tsked. "Its getting worse. Isn't it." She turned again to face him where he now lent lazily against the ornate scrolls of the sundial still looking through the catalogue.
"It is the nature of things in this place. You should have learnt that by now. We are cruel and capricious. Selfish. Is that not what you called me? The land merely reflects its master." He spat, worry replaced by anger and bitterness.
"I... I didn't mean those things. I didn't mean them like that."
"What's said is said."
As he spoke her hand burnt again making her gasp aloud in pain. She tried to hide it, walking away to the other side of the sundial but he followed her in an instant, taking her hand against her will to examine the scar.
"I don't think..."
"Do not speak." He said cutting her off before she had really begun. She watched as he took hold of his glove in his teeth, pulling it from his hand whilst he still held her with the other one. He placed his ungloved hand over hers, pressing his palm against the scar making her gasp again as the red hot burning cooled instantly to a cold chill. As quickly as he had held her hand he released her, methodically pulling his glove back on. "It is not healed. I have merely removed the pain for a while." He stood and watched her as she stared at her hand.
"Thank you."
"You should go. Being here like this. It is not good for you. Or me."
"The launch party, you are welcome to come. If you'd like to see the sculptures, but I'm not sure I know how to get back. How do you stop yourself from dreaming?"
He turned away from her once more to stare out at his Labyrinth. Without saying anything he created a small crystal and tossed it over his shoulder at her. Automatically she reached out and caught it, and felt it pull her from her dream, back to her cold bed where the rain fell endlessly down the window and a smooth crystal in the palm of her hand felt as light as a feather.
He turned and sat down heavily on the pile of stone books looking at the catalogue she had given him. Had this been nothing more than a dream, it should have disappeared when he gave her the crystal. Just like the book throne, and the sundial which lazily floated miles above the Labyrinth. By rights he should be standing on nothing but air, in a dream that was fading. Yet here he sat, on a throne made of stone books, carved from the finest basalt from his own quarries, on a far too large sundial which had a tree growing out the side of it and steps leading off below, looking at a paper catalogue summoned from nothing. The extent of her abilities and how fast she was mastering them without even knowing was staggering, and it filled him with a mix of dread, exultation, worry and fascination in equal measure.