Labyrinth: Second Coming

Title: Labyrinth: The Second Coming
Rating: NC-17
Mood: Romance
Warnings: Spoilers
Couples: Jareth/Toby, Sarah/Thomas (original character)
Summary: After 16 years, Jareth is finally overcoming his love for Sarah, and is now focusing on her younger, 17 year old brother, Toby.
Current Status: Incomplete

Author's Note: Labryinth and all of its characters are the property of the Hensons. And I know this will be quite a dissapointment to you all, but there will be no singing.
Jareth: Oh, please...
Emily: No, damnit. You wailed enough in the movie. Besides, I don't know how to write howling.
Jareth: But I haven't done it in oh so long.
Emily: Well, alright... But don't expect a big reaction!
Jareth: Oh, of course not! ::flounces away, singing loudly:: Dance magic! Dance magic! Dance...
Emily: ::plugs her ears and sits down at her laptop to begin writing:: Oh, he'll pay for this...

Chapter One: Sarah Jones

July 5th, 2003

"She's being completely unreasonable, Sarah...," Toby groaned into the cordless phone. His 31 year old sister, Sarah, had long since left the house, but he called her at least once a day, usually to complain about their overbearing mother. "She won't leave me alone... She won't let me do anything! And she keeps asking me uncomfortable questions about girls."
Sarah laughed on the other end. "She's just trying to protect you, Toby... You're close to the age I was when all that stuff with Jareth happened, after all, and she's convinced he's going to try and take you away again."

Sarah had been hardpressed to prove her journey to her parents. It was only when Sir Didymus came charging out of her bedroom one night on the back of his faithful dog, Ambrosius, screaming, "Have at ye, wicked step mother!" that all talk of sending her to a mental hospital ended. Sarah's step mother had nearly fainted when Sarah told her of all the adventures, especially the part where Toby was crawling around unchaperoned on an upside-down staircase.
"But you saved him? All by yourself?!"
"No, actually, mother...," Sarah smiled. "I had a lot of help from my friends... And he was never in any real danger. Well, besides being turned into a goblin. Jareth never would have hurt him."
"Jareth?! You talk about him like he's a good friend!" the step-mother scoffed.
"...well...," Sarah sighed. "He taught me a lot of things about myself, even if his methods were a little dangerous. You have to admit, I've been easier to get along with these past few months." The brunette smiled as her step-mother laughed in agreement and relief, sitting down next to her.
"...I suppose I owe Jareth for giving me a daughter, hmm?"

"Sarah...," Toby sighed. "I'm too old for fairy tales. None of this is fair! None of it at all!"
Sarah smiled softly. "You say that so often... I wonder what your basis for comparison is?" She then said her goodbyes and hung up the phone.
Sarah now had a beautiful little boy of her own, and was happily married to a man named Thomas Jones. Hen'tn't nearly as dull as his name sounded, though, and he was always carting her off on skiing trips and half-made trips around the world. Their child, Joseph, was always with them (he had been born in the Eifell Tower, after all, so why not take him along?), and now Sarah realized why her mother had almost fainted at the stories she was told. If Jareth ever got hold of Joseph.... She scooped the infant out of his cradle and sat on their plush, leather couch with him, crooning softly. Suddenly, the double windows at the far end of the living room burst open, and a white owl soared in gracefully, landing in front of her. Sarah gasped and stood quickly, clutching Joseph to her chest.
"What do you want?!"
With a rustle of feathers, the owl was quite suddenly a tall, handsome man with wild hair and very out-of-date clothes. "Oh, don't look like that." Jareth scoffed, tossing his cape over his shoulders and clasping it with an air of annoyance. "I wouldn't want that little thing... He's not nearly obnoxious enough to make a decent goblin."I"I'll take that as a compliment, Jareth." Sarah scowled. "What have you come back here for..."
"I just thought you should know....," he grinned wickedly, "...that I've decided it's Toby's turn through the Labyrinth. I've left a... subtle method of instructions, should he choose to wish himself there. You can't say you haven't thought it yourself.e'se's spoiled, selfish and quite the little drama whore. If I remember correctly, my Labyrinth had quite a change on you when you were going through that stage."
"If you lay one finger on him, Jareth, I swear I'll...," Sarah growled.
"You'll what? There's nothing you can do this time, Sarah...," Jareth chuckled, "'I suppose I owe Jareth for giving me a daughter'. Didn't your stepmother say that? Well, I'm not one to look a gifthorse in the mouth, as you well know, and I've decided to take her up on her offer. After all, Toby is quite the stunning lad, wouldn't you say? A son for a daughter is a fair trade, don't you think?"
Sarah stared at him, mouth agape.
"You have one, full 24-hour day to give him advice. Of course, directions through the Labyrinth will be completely useless, as it has undergone many changes in the past 16 years." He crossed the space between them swiftly and closed her mouth, brushing her cheek with his fingers. "...I wept for you, you know... In all my centuries of existance, never have I shed a single tear, especially for a human... But I wept for you. It's Saturday at 8 of the morning now. You have until this same time on Sunday before he will wish himself to the Labyrinth." And with that, Jareth was gone.
Sarah found herself lying in her bed beside Thomas, covered in a cold sweat. "...it was only a dream...," she sighed. "Only a dream..." She glanced at the clock. It was 8:30 in the morning. "Oh, and I slept in! Thomas, wake up! We'll miss our flight!"

"Here's a list of numbers to call if he gets sick... Here's his bag with his neccesities, and a few toys... Oh, and here's his blankee and his binkey...," Saraewedewed her lip as she balanced Joseph easily on her hip, wondering if she had forgotten anything else.
"Darling...," Thomas chuckled, blonde hair falling into his green eyes. He brushed it out without a second thought. "You have to give them Joseph, too, or all those things will be a little useless."
Sarah's parents smiled as Sarah reluctantly handed Joseph to her step mother. "It's his first time away from us..."
"I think you'll be more worried than he will, love." her father laughed.
Sarah hugged them all, and when it was Toby's turn, she whispered into his ear, "Nothing is ever what it seems, Toby, so be careful what you wish for. It might come true." He gave her a confused look as she pulled away, but she shook her head. "I'll send you a postcard! We'll be back in one week!"
"Alright, alright!" chided Sarah's mother. "You're going to miss your flight, if you don't get a move on! You act like this is the first baby I've ever taken care of."
Sarah smiled halfheartedly as Thomas led her off. Her parents and half-brother clambered into their hatchback after settling Joseph into his car-seat and giving him a little tic


Thomas and Sarah settled into their seats on the plane. She had given up the window seat to Thomas after he promised she could have it back on the connecting flight in Boston. Sarah stared blankly at her book of crossword puzzles while Thomas calmly read a book that Sarah never understood called 'I'm Not Really Here' by Tim Allen. "Stop worrying." Tom muttered without taking his eyes from his book.
"I'm not worrying...," Sarah pouted, closing the crossword puzzles with a sigh. "It's just that Japan is so far away, and what if he gets lonely or sick?"
"I'll tell you what, Sarah...," Thomas smiled, folding a page in his book and sliding it into the pouch of the empty seat in front of his. The plane was surprisingly empty, and only one other couple was in First Class with them. "Give me one day. Just 24 hours. If you're having an absolutely miserable time after that, we'll come back."
"24 hours...," Sarah chewed her lip, her brow creasing with worry.
"Are you alright?" Thomas leaned towards her, turning her face towards his. "You haven't been yourself since this morning."
"Oh, it's just...," Sarah sighed. "Just a dream I had."
"....about that time...?" Thomas whispered.
Sarah hesitated, suddenly becomming very interested with her wedding band. "Oh, no... Nothing like that...," she said at last.
Thomas frowned, but didn't say anything else. "I think I'll order us a little bottle of scotch. That'll relax you." He pressed the button on the arm of the chair for an attendant and handed her a magazine full of beautiful, rich gowns. "Your birthday's coming up. I thought it'd be good to get an idea of what you want, so look through there and help me out. You know I'm horrible with gifts." He grinned lopsidedly.
"...I don't deserve you, you know." Sarah smiled.
Thomas chuckled. "Of course you do."

Every year at her birthday and her anniversary of meeting the Goblin King face to face, Jareth would leave a gift of some sort in their bedroom. Sarah never opened them, but she never threw them out, either. "Knowing Jareth, it's something that shouldn't fall the the wrong hands...," she had replied when Thomas asked her why she didn't just get rid of them.
It never once bothered Thomas after she reassured hhat hat Jareth wouldn't dare take her back into the Labyrinth after all the trouble she had caused him, and Sarah wished she could be so confident. Every flutter of wings, every doeful owl's call, and she would be alert and at arms for the next few hourse hae had always known, deep inside, that someday, Jareth would take his revenge. She had left him destroyed, a heartbroken shadow of his former self, and she knew that it must have taken years to rebuild his kingdom. "I wept for you, you know..." Sarah shuddered at the memory of how intense those bright, blue eyes had looked then... It was as though they were burning a hole through her heart, killing her slowly.
Even as she spoke the words that she knew would be the ruin of the Goblin King, she couldn't help but pity him... That poor, beautiful creature, so in love and so ignorant as to what it even meant. He had probably never been loved outside of the superficial, and she had rejected him as easily as one waves away a fly. Of course, she knew that what Jareth felt for her wasn't true love. It was just lust and need. She had known that the moment he said to her, "Fear me. Love me." all in the same breath. The only love he had ever recieved had been in the form of respect. How could he be expected to know what it was supposed to be like?
A sudden chill overtook her as she remembered the words in her dream... "Toby is quite the stunning lad..." Was Jareth in love, or did he think he was in love, with Toby, now? Toby was very attractive, after all... He was beautiful, with his messy shock of light brown hair and wide, blue doe eyes. He would never be handsome, but he was certainly pretty. Delicate was the word to describe him... Delicate and sensitive, with porcelain skin and pouting, pink lips that so rarely smiled.
'He is so much like me...,' Sarah sighed to herself. 'So much like I was then. Always calling everything unfair... Always wanting his way...' She smiled a little. Jareth would spoil him terribly. Jareth would give him the moon, if he asked for it... 'Oh, God! I'm thinking of them as a couple! That's absolutely horrible!' She shook her head and returned to her crossword, banishing all thought of Jareth until long after the in flight movie was over.

Sarah sat at the vanity in their posh suite, staring at herself in the mirror. She had aged very well, and was often mistaken for being in her mid-20's. Her dark, brown hair fell past her shoulders, and her eyes, which were the exact same color as her hair, stared sadly back at her. Thomas slipped behind her, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Stop it. We're supposed to be enjoying ourselves."
Sarah smiled and kissed his cheek. It was Sunday at midnight, now, and she and Thomas were late for a masquerade ball. Sarah finished her makeup and donned her feathered mask. Her black, spaghetti-strap dress crossed over her breasts, making a V just below them, and it clung delicately to her hips and thighs, then fell down to her knees. Thomas, who was wearing a formal, black tuxedo, couldn't help but stare. She laughed a little at his expression. "You look like you did when you came to pick me up for the Prom."
Thomas grinned. "Maybe we should skip the ball..."
"Oh, Thomas... You never change, do you?"

Sarah stopped at the doors to the ballroom and stared. The room was full of people, and feaux pearls and feathers hung all over the room. The scene reminded her of the ball inside of the crystal Jareth had concucted for her, and for a moment, she thought she might be ill. But there were no frightening masks with strangers behind them, now... Just slightly drunk men and women laughing and dancing, and soft lover's music drifting around them all. Thomas took her hand and led her through to their reserved table, appologizing to the waiter when he arrived for their lateness. The waiter smiled softly and assured them in a thick Kansai accent that it was no trouble for the Jones, who had made such a generous contribution to the hotel for repairs.
Thomas and Sarah lived very well, as Thomas was the promising young president of an international Extreme Equipment chain, The Mountaineer. He was a self-made man, and as such, was very willing to donate where it was needed.
Sarah looked over the couples, who were mostly American and European. The Japanese couples watched them, not attempting to hide their disgust at the dancers. Ballroom dancing, where a couple was so close together, had been looked down on in Japan for some time. Those who learned it were perverts, and those who did it regularly were part of a taboo lifestyle. 'Well...' Sarah smiled to herself. 'We might as well join in the debauchery while we wait for our drinks...'
Thomas stood and took her hand as though he had read her mind. "Let's give them something to talk about." Thomas was a wonderful dancer, and he also loved to show off, especially when it was Sarah he was flaunting. The beautiful stay-at-home mother, who never seemed to age, always so graceful, and such a talented hostess... She was the pride of Thomas' company, and one of the only reasons Thomas had managed to bring his business to Japan. When she found out that they were meeting with a few Japanese CEO's who were looking to start a few chains, she bought as many books as she could about Japanese ettiquette, and made sure the men were very well looked after. She also trained Thomas regularly on polite conversation and all matters of ettiquette. But now, they needn't impress any future business partners, so what would be considered wicked in Japan could be ignored for the moment. Such a model couple... A match made in heaven.
As Thomas spun her around the dance floor, quick stepping to the fast songs, fox trotting, and even doing a little samba, Sarah felt all of her cares melting away. Until, that is, a less experienced couple bumped into them. The woman looked over the man's shoulder, smiling politely and appologizing, bul Sal Sarah could see was that shock of messy, wild blonde hair. Her heart leapt to her throat, and she froze, nearly causing Thomas to trip. The man turned to appologize, and Sarah held her breath.... but it was not the goblin king. The hair was merely part of his masquerade costume, and she sighed, even laughing a little at her silliness, making a little joke to ease the couple.
"Are you alright, Sarah?" Thomas asked as they danced away from the two.
"Oh... I think I'm just a little tired, is all... It was a long flight." she smiled back.
Thomas kissed her chin gently. "Well... I'm sure our drinks are ready by now, and I'm hungry... We've danced enough tonight." Sarah smiled gratefully... She suddenly didn't feel like dancing anymore.

Sarah stared quietly at the clock while she waited for Thomas to finish his shower and come to the bed. She was lounging on top of the covers, wearing boxers and one of Thomas' old business shirts. "3 am... Could Jareth have been serious?"
A hoot startled her out of her thoughts and she looked out of their open windows at the balcony. She stood and a sudden wind blew in, startling her and knocking her back to the bed. Suddenly, Jareth was standing above her. "I suggest you call him with that advice soon, if you want him to have a chance... Or maybe you still want him to go away." He rested one hand on her thigh and the other on the bed beside her, leaning in until their faces were only inches apart.
"...what do you want, Jareth?" Sarah whispered, forcing the fear out of her eyes. "I'm married and in love... If you think for a second I'd do that with you..."
Jareth stood, smirking. "Don't flatter yourself, Sarah. I'm well over that little misplaced infatuation." He pinched her cheek and she winced, rubbing the reddened flesh. "...don't get me wrong. You're still adorable, but I'd much rather have that sweet little brother of yours."
Sarah stood suddenly, grabbing the lamp on the endstand. "Don't you dare go near him!"
"Sarah?!" Thomas opened the bathroom door, a towel wrapped around his waist. Sarah looked back at him, and when she turned around to face Jareth, there was nothing but an empty room and fluttering curtians before her.

Thomas slept peacefully after their lovemaking, but Sarah couldn't even keep her eyes closed. She looked at the clock again... It was 5:30 in the morning... Less than three hours left before Jareth would go through with his word. She stood and crossed the room to the vanity, sitting down and staring at the mirror. She glanced over her shoulder at Thomas, but he was sound asleep... She leaned forward, closing her eyes. "Hoggle... Ludo... Sir Didymus... Please go back to the Labyrinth. I don't need you now, but Toby will soon... Please help him..." There was no response, but Sarah knew they had all heard her. She smiled and returned to the bed, resting her head on Thomas' bare chest. Finally, Sarah slept.

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