Out of time

I do not own the Labyrinth by any means, I only own the original charry's Ejoy! Please review!

"And now you wish to return home.” He sounded tired as he walked around her, his hand running through his hair. “How long has it been on your world?”

Lexi kept her back away from him, still in her defensive position. “Get up.” He sneered, “You look like a sick frog.” Without knowing why Lexi straightened up and put her hands on her hips.

“It’s taken me YEARS to perfect that stance, so until you know more about it you have no right to criticize!”

“However much you LOOK like Sarah, you aren’t her. She was never so brazen.” He crossed his arms and looked down at Lexi. “The only way for you to get home is to run my Labyrinth. And don’t think just because I don’t want you here means I won’t try and stop you. You have Thirteen hours, just as your mother before you.”

“I’ll only need ten.” Lexi set her jaw as she felt something inside her be pulled outside of the castle where she had been. Now she faced a huge maze from the top of a hill. “Here goes nothing.”

Lexi followed the hill down to the overgrown fountain where a dwarf of a man stood relieving himself. She let him finish before clearing her throat. The little man jumped and spun around. “Pardon me, but can you show me how to enter the maze?”

“Sarah? Is that you? It’s me, Hoggle.” He put his hand on his chest and grinned at Lexi, “It’s been so long since you’ve called us for no real reason at all. Last I heard you was getting married, though I wouldn’t tell Jareth that if I was you.” He looked around him furtively before whispering, “He’d kill your husband. Jealousy you know.”

Lexi’s eyes softened slightly, she remembered how lovingly her mother had spoken of some of the characters in the story, almost like they were real and she could touch them by only reaching out her hand. “You knew Momma.”

“Momma?” his eyes widened a bit as he realized that the woman in front of him wasn’t Sarah at all. “You’re Sarah’s daughter?”

“I am.”

“Well then what is you doing here? Don’t tell me that…” He looked around again, fear creeping into his eyes. “Wonderful and glorious leader of ours has your mother!”

“No.” sadness seeped into her eyes. Hoggle recognized that this wasn’t just normal sad like when a fairy bit you and you weren’t ready for it. This was sorrow, deep and old.

He stepped forward and took her hand, leading her to the doors into the labyrinth.
“I won’t be able to help you like I did Sarah. But I can give you a hint. Avoid the bog of Eternal Stench. If you stick so much as a toe in it you’ll stink forever.” The doors opened and Lexi stepped inside. Hoggle waved and stepped back, “Give my best to your mother.”

“Tell her yourself.” She said almost too soft to hear. “All you have to do is pray.”


Jareth watched as the doors closed between the two. He scowled because he hadn’t been able to hear what she had said to the dwarf. Whatever it was it had left Hogbrain pale and swiping at his eyes. Jareth would ask him later. For now he wanted to know exactly how many years had gone by above ground. “NOSGRATH! NOSGRATH get your hide in HERE!”

“You called me, my lord?” asked a scholarly looking goblin who was instantly at the king’s boot, kissing it.

“I want to know how many above ground years it has been since Sarah was here. Tell me!”

“Yes, my lord. You see the above ground has a different year cycle than us here in the underground. Everyone up there is so concerned about wasting time that the magic there sped it up to keep up with their want for more of it.”

The leather crop was suddenly in Jareth’s hand and was tapping impatiently against his boot. “You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know, Nosgrath. I find that annoying. Just tell me the current rate of change before I lose my patience.”

“S-seven years.” The little goblin whimpered, cowering behind the arm of the throne. “Seven years to our one.”

“Seven years? SEVEN YEARS!” Jareth took the crop and slammed it across the goblin’s side sending him sailing across the room. “Sarah would be forty-two by now! Why wasn’t I told of the rate change earlier? I would have gotten her after only a year instead of seeding the need to say the words now.”

“It was not yet time, King of Goblins.” Said a wrinkled old voice that came from the shadows.

“Quite true.” Said a younger, but still wise sounding voice from the same place. “You were not meant for the girl.”

“Nor” Said the youngest sounding voice, sultry and sweet, “Was Sarah Williams meant for you.”
“Fates, you honor me with this…unexpected visit. But what you say troubles me.” He faced the shadow as the woman stepped out into the light. Her face shifted before his eyes through her three forms. Old, Middle aged, and Young. Jareth knew that he should never anger this woman of three. They had far more power than he did, and were one of the few things that could decide if a Fae could die.

“Be that true or not.” Said Old, “It is only the truth we speak to you. You taste its sweetness on you’re very tongue do you not?”

“Yes, but I fail to understand why it is thus.” His heart ached in his chest as he thought of the dance with his sweet, young, foolish, girl. “I loved Sarah.”

“No,” said Young, wagging a saucy finger at him, “You LUSTED after her. There is a big difference there, King of Goblins. A difference so vast your very world could be swallowed up and still has room left for all other worlds.”

His brows came together as he tried to grasp their meaning. “I see no difference. I wanted her and I should have had her!”

“Foolish King,” Sighed all three at once as they slid back into the shadows. “Until you see with the eyes of the learned you will never understand.” The face of the woman slipped into the shadow and Jareth knew they were gone.

“Damn cryptic when they want to be.” He ran his hand through his hair. If only Sarah had given up like she was supposed to then he wouldn’t be having this problem casting her aside just like the others. Jareth flicked his wrist at the crystal and it showed the junkyard with its shriveled old crones snatching at their lost toys and possessions.
They were really just children stuck in adult bodies, not really caring about anything but themselves. Jareth had loved every one of them in turn, but they had never made it past the dream he had sent them to make them forget everything, including him. Sarah had been the only one to come past that.
And now she had a daughter.

His eyes narrowed, Sarah had a daughter. That meant that another man touched her before he did. Jareth was overcome with rage. His fist slammed onto one of the round tables, shattering it. All she had to do was let him rule her, to let her fear of him keep her in her place. Why couldn’t she do that? It was so simple! His heart hardened in his chest. Well what was the best way to punish a mother than through her child?

He turned his wrist and produced a new crystal. “Show me how much Sarah is suffering now that she knows I’ve stolen her daughter away.”

The ball swirled darkness, showing nothing. Jareth scowled, why wasn’t it working? The girl, the girl would know. He thought about Lexi and was surprised to see her well on her way to the castle and without the help of Sarah’s old friends. “We can’t have this now, can we?”

Lexi was turning a corner when she almost ran into Jareth…literally. She stopped on a dime, glaring up at him. “What do you want?”

“Just to see how you are enjoying my labyrinth.” He leaned over and touched the tip of her hair causing her to pull back.

“It’s annoying.”

He blinked at her. Where was the arrogance that Sarah had? Instead of lying and saying it was easy, Lexi chose the word annoying. “How so?”

“It keeps changing around so I feel like I’m lost when I know I’m on the right track.”

“And how do you know you’re on the right track, Lexi?” He leaned against the wall. “How do you know you’re not really as lost as you feel?”

“Well, for one thing, you wouldn’t be here slowing me down, now would you?” She pushed past him and continued to walk in the direction she was going until she was faced with a dead-end. With an annoyed face she turned around only to find herself faced with another dead-end. The Labyrinth had boxed her in. She growled and faced Jareth. “See? Annoying. This is the third time your maze has done this.”

Third? It should have only had to do this once and that was only if she was on a direct route to the castle! Sarah’s daughter was a very interesting case all on her own. He’d find out all there was to know about her, but first he had to ask her his questions. “Why is it I can’t see Sarah anymore in my crystals?”

“I don’t know, maybe you’re magic has gone haywire.” She scowled at the wall. “You don’t need to know about Momma anyhow.”

“I sincerely doubt that it is because my magic has gone amuck.” He said disdainfully, “I should be able to see everything I wish.”

“You may not wish to see everything.” She said softly and faced the dead-end wall gauging the height. “You don’t want to know everything.”

“Damn it!” Jareth took her shoulders and spun her around to face him. “Tell me why I can’t see her!” He didn’t care if there were tears in her eyes that had nothing to do with how hard his fingers were digging into her skin.

“It’s BECAUSE SHE’S DEAD JARETH! She died in a car wreck when I was TEN! It may have been a decade ago but I still remember how they had to cremate her because the windshield had slashed her face to fucking ribbons!” She slammed her fists against his chest. “And don’t tell me that just because you didn’t know is ANY reason for your pain to be deeper and more hurtful than my own.” She turned away again facing the wall. “I’ll make my way to your goblin city and force my way into your castle if I need to. But you are not going to make me relive my suffering just because it’s brand spanking new to you.”
She bent down and using all of her remaining strength she jumped the tall, stone, wall.

Damn him. Lexi whipped her eyes on her sleeve. Why did he have to bring up Momma? Couldn’t have he of figured it out all on his own? He’s this immortal fae king and he couldn’t have figured out the only reason that he couldn’t see Sarah anymore was because death had claimed her.

“Bastard!” she cursed as she rounded a stone corner. Lexi stopped short, her eyes widening at the tablue before her. Five goblins had this huge shaggy monster up in the air like some twisted piñata, the ends of their stick topped with little monsters with huge teeth.

“Let’s have another go at him!” laughed one.

“Not so big now that your friend is gone are you?” sneered another as all five of them charged the monster causing him to cry out in pain. “Word round the labyrinth is she’s dead!”

Lexi felt her blood boil as she stepped out of the shadows and into the light where they could see her. “SILENCE you loathsome little toads! Don’t you DARE speak about my mother in that tone of voice, you haven’t the right!”

“It’s the girl! Get her and we’ll please the King!” They formed flanks and Lexi took her stance.

“Know who you are dealing with, vermin.” She glowered, “I am Alexia Anastasia Parker, Daughter of Sarah Williams and Dominic Alonzo Parker. I’ve studied for over ten years on how to fight. So, who do you think is going to win this little battle? You or me?”

One of them let out a yell and all of them charged on her, staffs up to bite. Lexi flipped easily over their heads and landed behind them. With one sweeping motion of her foot she knocked her attackers down like they were ninepins. While they were down, she grabbed one of the bite sticks and stuck it in the leader’s face. “Go and tell your king that I’ll be there soon. SCAT!”

The goblins got up and ran, leaving their weapons behind them. She turned to the monster behind her who was sobbing. “Get Ludo down!”

“Ludo?” The name struck a cord in her memory. “You knew Momma. I’ll do my best to get you down safely, okay Ludo?”

“Sarah? Sarah-friend?”

“No, Ludo. Not Sarah. Lexi. Lexi friend too.” She walked over to the tree where the knot holding Ludo was tied. If she wasn’t careful he would slam into the ground, and that was dangerous from that position. Lexi sat on the ground bracing her legs against the tree root.
It was a simple bow; if you pulled one part of it the rest came undone. She rolled her eyes. This was too easy. She pulled the rope and was ready for it when it jerked in her hands. Her eyes widened, Ludo was really heavy! The rope bit into her hands as she lowered Ludo to the ground. Lexi was panting hard when she came over to untie his arms and feet.

“You okay?”

“Yeah…”he sighed, “Not Sarah?”

She shook her head and smiled sadly, “Not Sarah. Lexi.” She couldn’t get angry at Ludo. His childlike innocence called to Lexi and asked her to protect it.


“Dominic Alonzo Parker?” Said Jareth staring at the battalion of his battered guards.

“That’s what she said, my Lord.” Jittered the leader of the battalion. “She said that he was her father and that Sarah Williams was her mother and that her name was Alexia Anastasia Parker.”

“Well, this is an interesting development. LEAVE ME!” He was suddenly alone all of the goblins heeding his command. “Dominic. My old rival, you couldn’t be content with pleasuring the women of the Unseelie Court. Damn you! Now you’re aboveground and I can’t touch you.”

Dominic had been an incubus in the Unseelie Court. Used only for pleasure or to kill with pleasure. Incubi, as a race, ate at their prey’s pleasure until the prey was just a husk, their minds numb and their bodies, not unlike a doll’s, to be positioned as the incubi wished. His lovely Sarah had been the victim of that. Jareth was certain of it. “NOSGRATH!”

“You bellowed, my king?”

“Get me all the information on Alexia Anastasia Parker. From the time she was born to the time she came here. I want to know exactly what we are dealing with here. It’s possible that she is only a weapon sent by her father to finally destroy me.” He tapped the ridding crop on his knee. Soon he would know. Until then, he was going to make the Labyrinth as hard as possible.


Lexi winced as her ears suddenly started to ring. She covered them and stopped walking. She felt a large hand on her back.

“Lexi…Okay…?”

“Yeah, Ludo, I’m okay. Someone’s just talking about me is all.” She waited until the ringing stopped before continuing. “Now how to get to the castle.”

“Muu cud ty un ove uu.”

Lexi tilted her head to one side and looked at the two doors that had suddenly appeared. “I beg your pardon?”

“HUH? What’d ya say?” said one of the knockers with its ring in its ears.

“On’t alk oo im ee’s eff ash a ost.”

“Wait; let me take this ring out of your mouth. I can’t understand a word your saying.” The knocker looked relieved as Lexi pulled out the ring. “Now, what did you say?”

“I said, ‘You could try one of us.’ And then I said, ‘Don’t talk to him he’s deaf as a post.’ Thank you so much for taking that ring out.”

“Your welcome. Now how do I get through these doors?”

“Knock and the door will open.” He intoned. “Hey you look familiar.”

Lexi rolled her eyes. “You know I’m really getting tired for being confused for my mother.”

“I didn’t mean that. It’s your eyes that look familiar to me.” The knocker looked at her considering, “Yes I don’t see much of anything other than faces and shoulders unless I look down. But your eyes remind me of an incubus that used to bring his prey here. Dangerous things, incubi, they suck the life out of their prey by loving them to death. The Unseelie Court used him many times as an assassin. When an immortal is sucked dry they become the Firerys that live in the forest. The last I saw of him…That’s right!”

“When did you last see him?” Lexi was getting a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. The same feeling she got when her father had told her that her mother was dead. He had said it so easily too, not distraught, just monotone.

“Why when your mother was here.” The knocker nodded. “The King was all set to make her his queen if she could past the goblin city. Imagine his surprise when she refused him. But when she passed my door, the incubus followed her. He was to be the Unseelie’s assurance that a mortal would not be named queen in the immortal realm. He had this raven dark hair and your dark blue eyes.”

“Do you remember his name?” Her heart was ripping in two very softly.

“Of course I do! The ladies of the court miss him terribly. Apparently he followed his prey to the aboveground. His name was Dominic DeAlozo. The court still mourns his loss to the girl.”

Lexi clutched her chest. “M-my father was an incubus?”

“Is an incubus, Alexia, your father IS an incubus.” Said the now familiar voice of Jareth.

“Jareth…bad…”said Ludo, putting Lexi firmly behind him. “No…hurt…Lexi.”

“Why shouldn’t I? It was her father that stole my prize from me. Her blood that killed Sarah! Why shouldn’t she pay for that?”

“No…hurt…Lexi” Ludo repeated.

“I’m afraid you’re both too late.” Said the knocker, its ring still out of its mouth. “She’s already gone through my deaf companion.”

“Damn.” Jareth said scooping up the ring from the ground where she had stood. “I won’t be cheated out of my prize again.” With that he stuck the ring back in the knocker’s mouth and went through his companion.

“Where…Lexi…?”

“‘Ow oold I oh? I usght a ocker.”

Lexi ran, ignoring the slaps of the branches against her skin. Her father had killed her mother. Lexi had done enough studying at school to know exactly what an incubus was. It explained so many things. Why she had been shipped off to school. Why her father went out so very often and why so very often his dates ended up dead. Pain was tearing at her heart as the dense forest around her slashed at her face, arms and neck. Her lungs burned as fatigue clutched at her legs. She stumbled and fell onto a large boulder half buried under the ground. That’s when the tears came. “Oh, Momma, how could I have known what Daddy did to you?”

“You couldn’t child.” Said an old voice from behind her. Lexi sat up at wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

“Who are you?” She blinked as the woman changed before her, getting younger, but only to a point.

“We have many names. But for the time being, you may call me Morea.”

“Did you know Momma too?” she sat up straighter pain still ripping at her heart.

“And your father as well.” Morea said flowing into her youngest form. “He did love her, Alexia.”

”HE KILLED HER! How is that love?” fresh tears flowed down her face.

“Incubi never reproduce unless the love is true. You are a product of that love, child.” Morea knelt down touching Lexi’s cheek softly. “And your mother loved you very much. Before her death she made your father promise never to feed off you, to do that he had to send you away.”

“I miss her, Morea. I miss her so much that it hurts.”

“We know, child. That is a hard fact of life.” Morea enveloped Lexi in a hug. “Now you know what you must do?”

“I have to finish the labyrinth.” She sniffed one last time. “I thank you for your comfort, Lady Fates.” She smiled softly and knew she was once again alone. She stood, the wind blowing across her wounds and salt stained face, forcing her hair behind her. She looked at the city in front of her, and the castle beyond it.

“I’ll be there soon, Jareth. I can’t say what I’ll do after that, but know that I am coming.”

Whoot Second chapter down. This is exciting ^.^! Please write reviews so I know how you like it and if I should write more. I also want to give a big hats off to Evilkitten whose stories helped inspire me to write my own. Luck to you, hun (puppy tail wags)