Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth or it's characters. Unfortunately. I would give my left leg to own Bowie/Jareth.
"Sarah!" Shouted an 8-year-old Toby in a fit of anger, stamping his feet as he whined. "I hate you! You're so mean!" It was just about the worst possible thing an 8 year old could say to someone, because they meant it for the time being. You could be a 'doo-doo head', but that was all in good fun, and was always followed by childish giggles and glittering eyes, but if you were mean, well, you know you're in trouble then. Sarah knew this well. Her face fell dejectedly, her shoulders slumping along with it.
"Toby, it's only broccoli!" She stated, stressing the word only as much as possible. "You have to eat your broccoli if you want ice cream, or your mom will kill me," she wanted to laugh; she was fighting and losing to an 8 year old. This wasn't even the only time she had to say this to her young brother. No, this happened every time she babysat, since he was old enough to state his own opinions, which included a time when 'no' was actually flinging the spoon full of mashed carrots across the room.
"I hate broccoli," He seethed, glaring at the offending leafy vegetable, hoping that perhaps if he stared hard enough it might just disappear, or perhaps burst into flames.
"I know Toby, I know, but you have to eat if you want to be strong." Sarah knew it sounded stupid, and it wouldn't have done a thing to convince her otherwise if she was in his position, but she had to try. He shook his head defiantly, zipping his mouth shut with an imaginary zipper. Sarah sighed and stood up abruptly.
"Fine, no ice cream sundaes, and no TV. Go to your room Toby." She commanded, crossing her own arms sternly. He looked at her in shock for a moment, never knowing his doting older sister to be so harsh, and then started to cry. As soon as the first tear left his blue eyes, Sarah was undone, her heart wrenching at the sight of her younger brother crying.
"Toby, I'm sorry, here, you don't have to eat your broccoli," She said quickly, briskly taking the plate away with the now cold greens on it.
"No!" He shouted, stomping up the stairs to his room. "I hate you!" He cried, in the most dramatic way he could muster. Sarah quickly followed him, desperate to make amends. She had never been so cold to him before, and never had he said he hated her.
"I'm sorry!" She called, following him up the stairs to his room.
"No you're not! You're not sorry at all! Well I'm not either!" He shouted throwing himself on his bed, hugging Lancelot to his chest, who was now missing an eye and dirty from the years of wear and tear.
"Toby what are you talking about?" She demanded, sitting on the edge of his bed and stroked his blonde hair, hoping to soothe his temper tantrum. He answered her question quickly as he batted her hand away, and blurted out the fated words.
"I wish the Goblins would come and take you away right now!"
"Toby, no!" Sarah's blood ran cold, realizing it was too late to stop the inevitable. The familiar prick of magic entered the atmosphere, and the lightning cracked through the otherwise clear night sky. The windowpane behind her burst open in a dramatic fashion just as the lights went out, and a white barn owl swooped in, circling the room once before materializing the infamous Goblin King and his unruly goblins. Sarah remained frozen, her back facing him, while Toby stared on in a mix of awe, horror and excitement.
"Well well well," Came the crisp mocking voice of the Goblin King himself, breaking the still silence of the room, a mass of his most faithful goblins standing behind him snickering. "It seems the tables have turned. Funny how these things happen, wouldn't you say?" He walked closer, his armor clinking as he moved. He stopped just behind Sarah, and placed his gloved hands on her shoulders. She visibly flinched as he did so, feeling the static electric current of his magic flow through her.
"Come now Sarah, you know how this all works," His tone was nothing short of mocking. "We really must be leaving."
"He's only 8, he didn't mean it," She said, surprisingly calm, as this was their first exchange of words in 7 years.
"Really Sarah? I'm surprised; I thought you would know this by now. 'What's said is said'," He replied, quoting himself smugly, his breath lingering on her neck. Sarah felt something a kin to an electrical current run through her at that moment, and she visibly shivered, much to his delight, a small smirk forming on his lips. His eyes turned to Toby who watched the display with curiosity.
"Tobias, so we meet again" Their gazes met, blue eyes meeting Jareth's mismatched ones. "I trust you know what you must do?" Toby nodded slowly, unable to tear his eyes from the hypnotic ones of the fierce goblin king. He gave a feral smile, his pointed teeth glimmering in the dim light of the room.
"Well, then you know the drill." He stated, and suddenly the world seemed to lurch and shift, but only for a moment. They were standing high up on a dusty hill, one that Sarah recognized well. Jareth pulled her to him possessively, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist, gloved fingers stroking passively at the gap of skin between her shirt and jeans. Sarah gasped lightly, one arm instinctively snaking it's way up his back. They fit perfectly, like pieces of a puzzle, and they acted like lovers with their gentle possessive caresses. Both did so unknowingly, unaware of their actions, and barely of the others, as though it was so familiar and calming.
"You have 13 hours in which to solve the Labyrinth, or your sister will become one of us, forever." And with the last bit of the script said, they faded away; leaving Toby alone on the hill to start is journey through the Labyrinth.
Please Review! Reviews are loved!! I have a few chapters written, so this will be updated soon and frequently. It won't be an extraordinarily long story, but it is definitely be SxJ focused, and primarily on the complexities of their relationship. While I love good SxJ humorous Fanfics, I do enjoy the more serious ones, and there don't seem to be many.