My stuff is now on FF.net; YaY! ^^*

Rated R; like I said, I don't own any of the characters, et cetera.

Chapter 2:
Life Isn't Always Swell

Nothing was disturbed. Sarah walked into her old bedroom to find
nothing out of the ordinary changed. Of course her stepmother,
Karen, had apparently washed the sheets and dusted to keep things
fresh and tidy, but other than that it was the same as she left it.
Her father was close behind her carrying her belongings and sat the
suitcases down on top of her comforter. He knew his daughter was
still in a fragile state and he didn't want to excite her too much.
Muttering softly, he stated, "Sarah, feel free to get yourself
reacquainted with... your things."

Sarah appreciated his indirect hospitality and strength through this
ordeal. Sometimes, though, she felt like they were treating her like
a child. Of course, to this very day, she would swear her experience
with Jareth and the Labyrinth was real... because it was so intense,
vivid and tangible. Her clothes were even dirty from the adventure!
However, her stepmother credited that a neighbor had seen her
rummaging through the hedges searching for something that night.
Perhaps it was just a delusion, but...

Sighing, she slumped down to her bed and stroked the surface of the
sheets with her hand. Looking up to her father, he gave her a rather
awkward nod before departing, closing the door silently behind him.

"It's just a dream, Sarah, they don't exist. They never existed!"
she exclaimed softly, but rather forcefully to herself. No matter
how many times she repeated those lines and wanted to believe them,
something deep inside told her, however, that they did. It wasn't
dreams or figments of imagination - they were real, just like her
family was, just like she was, just like Merlin -her dog- was! Damn
it, no one ever listened to her! It wasn't fair!

She then rationalized herself by composing her breaths and
remembering the facts her psychologist cited to her. Determined to
have her strength win over her mental bearings, Sarah decided to
confront the past. Standing, she moved her way over to her dresser
and opened up the top drawer; the same compartment where she kept the
red bound book. It wasn't there! She didn't see it! Pushing things
aside, her fingers ran like mad digging deeper and deeper to the
bottom. It was gone! The book was gone!

Karen. Her stepmother must've took it! Cursing, she flew out of her
room, down the stairs and into the kitchen where the woman was.
Sarah glared at her as she turned away from the countertop, a knife
in one hand and a potato in the other. Karen just grinned at her,
which antagonized Sarah even more. The brunette started to ball her
fists in anguish. "I'm fixing your favorite meal for supper, Sarah,"
Karen chirped, peeling at the potatoes over a bowl. "It's a great
day, one to celebrate, especially when Toby has his big sister to
look up to back home."

"Where is it," Sarah simply said, her voice full of angst and tragedy.

"Where's what, dear," Karen cooed, moving back over to the counter
and putting her back towards her stepdaughter.

"My book!" she shouted a little annoyed.

"What book? I have no idea..." was all Karen could muster before her
stepdaughter barged over to her, slamming her fists on the space
beside the sink. "Labyrinth, Karen! It's not where I left it... You
moved it, didn't you? You threw it away! You threw it AWAY! Damn
you!"

Karen's eyes sulk and droop sadly, pursing her lips as if she was
trying to wedge herself out of the situation. A masculine voice then
sliced through from behind, "Sarah, what's gotten into you?"

Looking back over her shoulder, Sarah brushed a few strands of
chocolate brown hair out of her eyes. It was her dad. He had the
most intense, upset look on his face - and she knew she was in
trouble. Karen didn't say a word. She just hung her head and
continued her peeling.

"My book, dad. It's missing. I knew she took it! I swear that
bitch..."

"Sarah, watch your language. I know you're an adult, but, as so long
as you're under my roof, you will respect what you say around Karen
and I. Toby's at an impressionable age," he fired a little hotly,
but there was also a sense of gentleness in his voice. Sarah only
nodded in response, knowing the error of her ways, and walked up to
him a little more calmly.

"What about my book," she replied sadly.

"I... I tossed it," he said softly.

Her eyes grew wide. "What?!"

"Doctor Liu said it was best. After hearing your..." he paused,
searching for the right words, "...experience...in the Labyrinth, I
mean..." He cast a quick concerned glance over to Karen who shied
away back to her task. "He said it was best to get rid of any
contents in which might trigger the event again. I'm sorry..."

"Sorry? You're sorry? I loved that book, dad! Mom gave it to me!"
she cried, her eyes becoming red with tears.

"I know, I know. But, it's for the best Sarah. I only had good
intentions in mind for you. I didn't mean to make you upset."

"Well, you did!" she snapped heading for the backdoor.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Out."

"Out where," Karen popped her head up and wiped her hands, getting
ready to intercept the girl at the door.

"To the bookstore. I'll be back. I need time to...think," Sarah
remarked.

Sarah was out before Karen could make way to her. Her husband just
held her back, though, rubbing his hand on the small of her
back. "Don't worry, Karen. She'll be back."

"You mean you don't intend to go out after her? The girl has
problems, Bill! She could hurt herself...she could hurt someone
else! I don't feel safe in her just running around the streets with
the condition she has!"

"She has to get out sometime. She'll be back, though. We can't pin
her up like an animal," he said, sniffing the aromatic air full of
spices and roasted vegetables. The smell made his stomach growl.
Karen only nodded a bit disappointed and frustrated, going back at it
on the potatoes. Her fingers, while trembling, slip the knife to
barely braze her thumb. "Ouch!"

"Are you all right?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," she replied, sucking her thumb. Narrowing her
eyes, Karen goes off to fetch a paper towel. It was then she noticed
a tanned bottle marked with a medical prescription label. Her heart
flew into her throat. "Oh my... Bill, she forgot to take her
medication!"

~*~

She wished she had brought her coat. The cold, blistering wind ate
at her skin, raising an assortment of bumps and hairs on her arms.
Chattering her teeth, Sarah smiled to see the bookstore in near
visible distance. Finally, a warm spot to linger in so she could
clear her mind... and hopefully, in the process, find another copy
of "Labyrinth." Smiling weakly at a few people as she passed them,
she entered the shop and sighed a breath of relief. The sight of
books and texts made her smirk thoughtfully. Heading over to the
shelves, Sarah allowed her mind to drift...

...to drift to Jareth. His voice, his hair, those eyes... It all
seemed so real! So fucking real! It made her chest heavy in just
thinking about it. She shook her head, though. It couldn't be
real. It was a figment of her mind... something that her diluted
brain created to help her deal with the fact her mother left her.
That her father remarried. That life was never going to be the same,
the way she wanted it! Sometimes she would cry and squeeze her
pillow, remembering her mother, Linda, and looking over old papers
and postings. It would do more harm than good. Always her heart
filled with sorrow mixed with anger, making a dangerous and explosive
combination. She had to accept that she had a condition. A
disease. It was unhealthy to just toss away all her sensibilities
for something no one else was credited to seeing.

Clearing her throat, she strode down between the shelves, scanning
the spines of the books in search of the one in particular. She
rubbed her arms, chasing away already disappearing bumps. Looking
up, something caught her eye.

"Could it be," Sarah whispered to herself, standing on the tips of
her toes and reaching for a book. However, her fingers faltered,
causing a whole mess of books to spill onto the floor. She shielded
her face with cowling hands.

As the commotion subsided, she glanced down to the rather audacious
heap of books. "Shit," she badgered herself before stooping down to
pick them up. A pair of feet wonder in front her as she busied
herself. "Oh great. I'm so sorry! I didn't mean too..."

Her words trail when she looked up to face whoever's hands where
helping her. Sarah had expected to see the stoic face of a shop
owner or a kindly stranger. Instead, she fell over onto her rump at
the side. That crude smile, that hair, that same chiseled face...

"No!" she gasped, glancing around in horror. "It can't be!"

"Why can't it be," Jareth said standing to his feet and crossing his
arms. He was dressed, ironically enough, in a pair of black slacks
and a gray poet's shirt. His pale blonde hair retained its unruly
and peculiar proportions, while those piercing mismatched eyes still
strode right through her like a dagger. That smile! He had that
same patronizing smile that reeked of both mockery and haughtiness.
The only thing that was deferred was a hat sitting atop his head,
patting down some of those untamable locks and shadowing portions of
his face. The black duster he wore swept the ground gently... She
was unable to fish out any comments that wished to surface.

"Well?" he half laughed, cocking an eyebrow.

"You're... you're just an illusion Jareth," she replied finally, her
words straining with skepticism.

"Oh really? Who told you that?" he asked with his accented tone,
offering her a gloved hand. She only peered at it in disbelief, her
brow cringing in betrayal.

"No, I can't have this conversation..."

She shot up and sprinting out of the store with wide steps, a few
strange glances made in her direction in the wake of her dismissal.
She ran and ran, until her chest heaved with weights and her breaths
were labored. The park. She had ran all the way to the park. The
sky began to fill with the red lights of a sleepy sun, making way for
the sighing of an awakening moon.

For an instant, Sarah reflected on what had just happened. She was
loosing her mind! Strangely enough, as she turned around a tree,
there he was again with that cocky smile.

"Don't run from me, Sarah. You cannot run...and I'm not some bloody
illusion..."

Her mouth dropped as he reached out for her hand.