Labyrinth: Second Coming

Title: Labyrinth: The Second Coming
Rating: NC-17
Mood: Romance
Warnings: Spoilers, death
Couples: Jareth/Toby, Sarah/Thomas (original character).... and perhaps a few more.
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.
Emily: ::looks left, then right:: Okay, he's gone... I can finally write in --
Jareth: EMILY!
Emily: ACK! What?! What do you want?!
Jareth: I just wanted to say...
Emily: Well?
Jareth: I forgot.
Emily: ...you forgot.
Jareth: Yes.
Emily: Jareth, I'm writing now.
Jareth: ...okay. ::bounces away::

Chapter Four: Jonas

Toby was torn between breaking down and begging Jareth to come back for him instead of leaving him in this horrible, empty place and just curling up and crying where he was. Too stubborn to do either, he instead began the search for a door. The stone walls of the labryinth loomed before him as he walked along side them, occasionally stumbling over the sparse plant-lifrrourrounding it. "It just isn't fair!" he cried out at last, falling to his knees. "I've gone so far, and there's just no way in this place!"
"You're just not looking at it the t wat way."
Toby leapt to his feet and whirled around to see a tall boy, about his age, smiling at him. His long, blonde hair framed his face neatly, and a large, black sword was strapped to his back. He wore a grey, torn cloak that exposed his leather-clad arms and legs, and his booted feet. He smiled kindly at Toby, his eyes sparkling with warmth.
"Hello...," Toby said quietly.
"Hello." replied the stranger, running a hand through his hair. "I'm Jonas." He offered his hand to Toby, and Toby took it hesitantly.
"Where'd you come from?"
Jonas grinned and pointed to the Labyrinth. "In there." Toby stared blankly at the wall.
"But... How did you get out?"
"Oh, getting out is easy. All you have to do to get out is to get in."
"Then how do you get in?" Toby sighed, crosshis his arms. "I don't have time for games!"
"Then you don't have time for the Labyrinth." Jonas shrugged and began walking past Toby.
"Wait!" Toby grabbed his arm. Jonas looked down at him, startled.
"What?"
"Please tell me how to get in? It's very important that I get to the castle." Toby pleaded, staring up at Jonas.
Jonas sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Why ever would you want to go to that place? I'm trying to get away, myself. It's horrible."
"I have to! If I don't, I'll be stuck here forever... You have to help me... Please?"
Jonas looked down at him, studying him for a few moments. "...you know, it wouldn't be so bad to stay here. It's not a bad place, once you learn how to get around. I could even show you how it's done!" The blonde ran a hand through his hair nonchalantly, smiling.
"I mean, at the castle! I'll be stuck there! You said it was a horrible place, right?" Toby frowned.
Jonas sighed, "Damnit... I never could resist a pretty face. I'll help you get inside, and I'll even take you a little ways from there. On one condition."
"Alright, anything, what is it?" Toby eagerly agreed.
"A kiss." Jonas replied. Suddenly, his smile appeared rather devious to Toby.
"...a what?" Toby stammered, taken aback.
"Well, if you don't want my help." Jonas stretched his arms over his head. "See you later, Toby... That is, if you survive." He started on his walk again.
"Wait!"
Jonas smirked and turned back. "Yes?"
"One kiss." Toby blushe Jon Jonas smiled and returned to him, then leaned down a bit and kissed him softly on the mouth.
Toby pulled away suddenly. how'how'd you know my name?"
Surprise flashed across Jonas' features for an instant, then he laughed. "Well... you told me your name. Just a moment ago. Don't you remember?"
"I didn't tell you my name." Toby stared up at him.
"...are you sure...?" Jonas scratched his head, staring at the walls with an expression of utter confusion.
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Odd...," Jonas shrugged. "Then maybe it's destiny we met. Come along."
Jonas walked toward one of the walls, pushed on it a bit, and to Toby's surprise, the wall swung open, creating a large entrance to the Labyrinth.

"Jonas, we've been walking for at least an hour... Can't we go anyway but straight? I mean, it's not much of a Labyrinth if there aren't any turns, is it?" Toby whined.
"There are turns. It won't do us any good to try them until you stop thinking they aren't there." Jonas grumbled, running a hand through his hair in an agitated manner. "You're quite the close-minded little thing, aren't you?"
"How can you call me close-minded when we're both standing in a Labyrinth, at the center of which is a castle owned by the King of Goblins?" Toby crossed his arms over his chest angrily.
"Don't pout." Jonas snapped. "And you're close-minded because, despite all of that, part of you still refuses to believe this is real." Jonas grd Tod Toby's arm, withdrew a knife, and made a quick, shallow slash across the back of Toby's hand.
Toby yelped and snatched his hand back, rubbing it. "What was that for?!"
"You wouldn't feel pain if it wasn't real. You don't feel pain in dreams." Jonas said matter of factly.
Toby looked at the back of his hand. It stung, and a little blood was welling up in the cut. His lower lip trembled a bit and he leaned against a wall -- or at least, he thought it was a wall. Toby found himself on his back staring up at the sky.
"There, you see? You've found a turn." Jonas grinned triumphantly. He helped Toby to his feet and turned him to show the boy what he had been missing all along.
Toby stared in amazement. The way the walls were built, what was actually an entrance looked like just another part of the wall. "I see...," Toby mused. "If you're close-minded, you can't see it because you don't look past the surface."
"Bravo, Professor Toby." Jonas yawned and grabbed his wrist again, leading him through. "Let's go." He began to lead Toby to the left.
"Wait, Jonas, we went left last time. Why not try right now?"
Jonas grabbed Toby's shoulders and shook him. "Don't ever go that way, Toby. Ever. Not until you're in the maze should you ever go that way. Do you understand me?"
Toby stared at the intensity of Jonas' blue eyes, transfixed. "Why not?"
"...you aren't ready for that." He released Toby and stood, smiling to himself, 'Besides... if he went that way, it'd take him straight to the castle, and we can't have that.'

Finally the two where in the middle of a large, red-stone maze. Jonas guessed that Toby had about 11 hours left, which wasn't bad at all for where they were, after Toby explained the time limit. pic picked up a little black stone and began drawing an arrow on one of the rocks that made up the floor of the maze. "What are you doing?" Jonas sighed.
"I'm marking this so we'll know we already went this way."
"It won't do you any good."
Toby stood up and dusted his hands off, admiring his handiwork. "Why not?'
Suddenly, the stone lifted up, and two little goblins emerged. They turned the stone around so the arrow was pointing in the opposite direction and skittered off. "That's why."
Toby threw the stone he had used to draw to the ground. "This isn't fair! What am I supposed to do?!"
"You're supposed to keep moving, damnit!" Jonas growled. "Did you think the Goblin King was going to make this easy for you?"
"Of course not, but...," Toby sighed and shook his head.
Jonas rested a hand gently on Toby's shoulder. "Would it be so bad to give up, Toby?"
"Give up?" Toby stared up at Jonas.
"Yes... it's not so bad. Most people give up before they even get this far... You should be commended for your efforts." Jonas smiled warmly at him, but Toby shook off his hand.
"Are you here to help me or discourage me, Jonas?!" he shouted. "The more time I spend with you, the more I wonder if you're really my friend!"
"Who ever said we were friends?" Jonas shrugged. "I'm helping you, but that doesn't neccesarily mean sending you through the Labyrinth. You could be hurt, or worse, killed... and there are much worse things than dying in this place. I'm just trying to help you..."
"I don't want that kind of help, Jonas! If we're not friends, then why do you care if I die?!" Toby growled.
Jonas sighed and ran a hand through his hair again. "...I'll take you as far as I can, if that's what you really want, but you should know, it's not much further."
"That's fine." Toby nodded, jaw set.
"You really are a stubborn little bitch, aren't you?" Jonas grumbled, leading the way further into the Labyrinth. 'Father, I can't stall him much longer... It's going to have to be the Oubliette.'

Toby followed Jonas in silence, refusing to answer any of the blonde's questions or rise to his bait. The two passed a dead end, and Jonas stopped, grabbing Toby's wrist to keep him from going any further. "Stop for a moment." Toby looked at him questioningly, then looked back at the dead end to find, much to his surprise, it wasn't there anymore. He turned and stared in shock. There was nothing but stone wall where they had come from.
"What happened?"
"Thbyribyrinth changes in some places to confuse you more... or to force you into places you really don't want to go. In this case, it's a confusion tactic. He's trying to slow us down."
Jonas walked up to two doors before which two shields stood. He knocked on the shields in turn, and four heads peaked out, one at each top, one at each bottom.
"Yes?" they all said in unison.
"You know the drill." Jonas sighed.
"Oh, of course...," the top right head grinned. He looked at Toby. "One of these doors leads to the castle... The other leads to..."
"Bum bum buummmm!" cried his bottom head.
"Certain death!"
"So which is which?" Toby looked imploringly at Jonas, who shrugged.
"It's always changing, you know." he smiled.
Toby sighed and kneeled down in frof thf the doors. "Can you tell me which door to go through?"
"No, but you can ask one of us. But you should know... One of us always lies, and the other always tells the truth." the right-hand door, which was blue, grinned.
"Yes." agreed the red door. "He's the liar."
"Stop lying! I am not! I always tell the truth!"
"Oh, lie!"
"Please!" Toby cried, glaring at them. He stood and dusted off his knees. "Alright, then... You, the red door."
The red door perked up and smiled charmingly at him. "Yes?"
"Are you the right door?" Toby folded his arms across his chest. Jonas slapped his forehead.
"...wrong question, you idiot." he glared.
"What do you mean, 'wrong question'?" Toby hissed, startled. "Can I ask another one?"
The doors cackled. "No, you only get one!"
"But that's not fair! I didn't know I onot oot one question!"
"It should have been obvious, Toby." Jonas leaned against the wall. "Give him his answer."
"No." smirked the red door. "I am not the right door."
"Oh, sod it." growled Jonas, shoving open the blue door. "Just go through here." He grabbed Toby's arm and shoved him through. Toby turned to face Jonas.
"So this is as far as you can take me, Jonas?" His eyes look sad.
Jonas softened considerably. "...I'm sorry." he smiled weakly as he pushed Toby bards.rds.
"Wha--!" Toby cried out as he fell through a trap door and down a dark tunnel. Hands grabbed at him from all sides, and he slapped and kicked them away. He heard his shirt rip and finally, they had a hold on all four of his limbs. "Stop it! Let me go!"
A small group of hands by his head formed a face and said, "Let you go? Are you sure?"
Toby looked down at the long drop beneath him. "...no... What do you want?"
Another face formed close to him. "Oh, it's what you want! We're helping hands."
Suddenly, the room was full of hand-faces, all talking at once. "Yes, helping hands! We'll do what you wish!"
"So what'll it be?" the first face asked, gruffly.
"What do you mean?" Toby struggled to face it.
The hands sighed exasperatedly. "Up or down? Come on! We don't have all day long to wait for you to make up your mind, you ingrate!"
y loy looked above him... He could still see the opening. "Well...," he began softly. "Jonas wouldn't have pushed me down here if it wouldn't help me, so... Down."
The hands all began cackling and jeering. "Down?! He wants down!"
"What?! What's wrong with down?" Toby cried, alarmed.
"You'll see!" the hands laughed in unison and let go of him, and Toby found himself tumbling downwards into darkness.

"The Oubliette?!" Jareth yelled. "You let him get as far as the Oubliette?!"
"He's not stupid, Father." Jonas shrugged, looking Jareth in the eye. "I led him around in circles for a while, but he started trying to draw on the ground, so I think he got wise to that."
"...but the Oubliette. He should have given up by now." Jareth settled back in his thrown and rubbed his temples. "...the Oubliette..."
"I assumed he could stay there for a few hours, or until his time was up." Jonas blinked at his father.
"You idiot...," Jareth hissed. "That isn't how it works! They always find a way out of the Oubliette! Always! The Oubliette is the beacon of hope!"
Jonas stared at him blankly. "Then why ever would you put it there?"
"I have a suggestion, Father." Calathia stepped forward, bowing, before Jareth could tear into Jonas. "Send one s tos to the Oubliette to retrieve him, and we'll trick him into following us back to the beginning."
"...his sister didn't fall for that. What makes you think he will?" Jareth scoffed.
"Because that weakling Hoggle was the one doing it." Olivia snorted. "He has nothing any of us want." Then she smirked at Jonas. "Except maybe Jonas... A kiss? Really, Jonas..."
"I'm just doing what I'm told, Olivia!" Jonas growled.
"Shut up!" bellowed Jareth. "Calathia, I'll allow you this chance. But any more mistakes, and it's the Bog of Eternal Stench for the lot of you! Jonas! Come with me."
Jareth stood in a flurry of lace and cloth and stormed out of the room. Jonas followed, proverbial tail between his legs.

"You're in love with him." Jareth accused, glaring coldly at his son.
"...what?" Jonas blanched.
The two stood, facing each other, in a dark, stone room lit dimly by a few sconces. "You heard me." Jareth spat.
"That's ridiculous!" Jonas murmered, running a hand through his hair angrily.
"...is it?" Jareth walked towards Jonas, and Jonas began backing awayturnturn until he felt the cold stone of the wall against his back. "Is it so ridiculous? You didn't hinder him at all... You helped him. You're nothing better than a traitor."
Jonas clenched his fists. "I'm not!" he yelled. "I led him in circles, I pushed him into the Oubliette! If that's not enough for you, then, I'm sorry, but I tried my best! If you've underested ted him, then I'm sorry, but that's not my fault."
Jareth chuckled and gently stroked Jonas' cheek. "...you want him, don't you? You want him beneath you, writhing, calling your name..."
Jonas flushed and looked away from Jareth's eyes. "Stop it."
"You want to be inside of him, fucking him while he begs for it, feeling him pressing up against you, gasping, panting... moaning." Jareth wrapped a hand gently around the boy's throat. "Is this true?"
"No!" Jonas rasped. "It isn't true at all!" He pushed Jareth's hand away. "That's... that's horrible, what you said!"
"But isn't that the way it goes, Jonas?" Jareth smirked, grabbing Jonas' wrists. "That's just the way it goes. Now tell me the truth... are you in love with him?"
"...how do you define love, Jareth? I'm interested to know." Jonas whispered coldly. "The way you defined it? No. What you defined was nothing but lust... But, yes, I feel a need to protect him. I want to hold him. I want to comfort him. I want to teach him and help him. If that's love, then I'm in love with him."
"I see." Jareth sighed and produced a long dagger from thin air, then embedded it into Jonas' stomach. "I see...."
Jonas sputtered and gasped, clinging to Jareth's arms. "...wh... what..."
Jareth kicked him away and stepped back, watching him die. He sighed and looked at a large clock that had suddenly materialized itself in the room. "Nine more hours, and he'll be mine."