Sarah rubbed her arms as she stepped out of the overly zealous air-conditioning of the mall. The early summer shower had stopped and she paused, absorbing the warm sunshine. With a smile at the now cloudless sky she opted to take the route home through the park.

The wildflowers were in full bloom and she stepped off the path to walk among them, drinking in their color and vibrancy. By the lake she paused to admire the swans and the antics of the young cygnets who were clumsily following their elegant parents around.

As she passed near the largest willow, the bench beneath it beckoned to her. Approaching she found it dry, she sat and closed her eyes, just soaking in the dappled sunlight and fresh air. At one point a shadow passed over her, but when she looked up, there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

Glancing at the clock tower, she sighed, 5:30, she should be heading home, supper would be ready soon. She stood, gathering up her bag, a twig snapped right behind her and she spun around.

Standing in the shadows of the willow was Jareth. He was dressed simply, in a light grey poet shirt and black pants and boots. His hair was as wild as ever, but his face seemed drawn, tired. He tilted his head as he observed her as well. "Have I arrived at an inopportune moment?"

Glancing again at the time, she shrugged and sat back down, patting the bench beside her. "I can spare a few minutes."

Jareth joined her on the bench and they just sat in silence for a while, watching the swans. Or at least pretending to, Jareth seemed lost in his thoughts.

Clearing her throat, Sarah asked. "How much time do you have today?"

He grit his teeth. "Twelve hours and forty five minutes."

"Oh." Sarah's heart sunk. The wisher hadn't even tried. She wanted to ask more, what were the circumstances? If the wisher took their dreams, what were they? Did he know? But something about his tense posture told her that it was not a subject he wanted to pursue. She tried to think of something else to talk about.

Her hands fiddled with the handle of her shopping bag. "Um, I graduated a couple of weeks ago…"

He looked up and a smile warmed his features, "Belated congratulations!"

Sarah mumbled "Thank you." as she pulled a paper envelope from her bag, "I just got the photos developed." She hesitated as she held it out to him. "Um, if you would like to see them."

"Of course." He accepted the stack of photos and began to flip through them. The first was of Sarah in her cap and gown, standing at the top of the stairs at her home, then at the front door, then a group photo with her dad, Karen and Toby. Toby was making a face at the camera.

A ghost of a smirk teased at Jareth's mouth as he commented. "Toby has grown quite a bit these last few months."

She smiled to see Jareth's mood lifting. "Yes he has, he'll be four soon. And he is quite a handful."

Jareth looked from the photo to Sarah, but didn't say anything else, instead he flipped to the next photo.

There were several photos of the ceremony, Sarah accepting her diploma, a group photo with some other graduates, all making dramatic gestures.

Sarah grinned, "That's a bunch of us from the drama club."

There were more photos of Sarah with her family, this time holding up her diploma. Her father and Karen looked so proud, Toby just looked bored.

At the next photo Jareth paused, his expression becoming pensive again. Sarah answered his unasked question. "Oh, that's my mom and her husband Jeremy." She kept talking, hoping to stave off his dark mood. "They've invited me to spend a few days with them in New York and see their newest shows." She bit her lip. "They've even offered to let me stay with them while I look for work."

He looked up, brow raised. "And will you?"

"If I do, it won't be for long, I appreciate their support, but I don't want to ride their coattails. I need to make it on my own merit."

"Admirable, but I sense there is something more."

She nodded. "Yes… I'm really excited but... I'm nervous too, I've been to New York plenty of times but I've never lived there… or lived alone… or auditioned for a professional theatre troupe." She looked down, fidgeting with her bag again. "What if I can't cut it?"

He gently raised her chin and looked her in the eyes, "When I met you you had never run a Labyrinth before, but you did quite well despite my best efforts." He smirked. "In fact, after taking on the Goblin City, New York City should be a piece of cake."

A smile creeped on to her lips. "When you put it that way."

He smiled back, "And may you remember it,

The clock chimed and Sarah jumped up, it was already six o'clock! "Oh, I have to go."

"Then don't let me delay you."

Picking up her packages she paused, "Uh… would you mind sending my greetings to my friends? It is game night with my family, I don't think I'll have time to call."

"Consider it done."

"Thank you." She felt bad for leaving him alone when he had been so down earlier, she bit her lip. "What will you do now?"

He stretched and stood. "I think I'll go see what my brother is up to."

"Oh…" The twinge of jealousy that awoke at his words surprised her, but she stomped it down and put on a smile. "I hope you have a nice visit."

"Thank you." He gave a slight bow. "Until next time." He stepped back into the shade of the willow and faded from sight.

Author's Note

Thank you to Guest2022 for the review! (Yes, we'll be learning more about Jareth's brother very soon.)

As usual, I don't own Labyrinth or its characters.