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Shattered	By : TarnishedArmour Category: G through L > Labyrinth Views: 7714 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: Based upon the work of Jim Henson; specifically Labyrinth, copyright 1986 by Jim Henson & associated parties. I do not own or have legal rights to Labyrinth, etc., or make any profit from them. *Individual disclaimers for other works in

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
- 15
Karen jolted. The force of the phone slamming down just now had rung through the line, buzzing into her ear.
Robert had been enraged with her when he returned home to learn Sarah had run off with "some damned artist!" There was no way he would accept that Jareth was no artist, damned, perhaps, but not an artist, not in any way her husband would recognize. It didn't matter that she was his wife, the mother of his son. Robert wanted his grown daughter, his little princess, to be there when he came home, to do what she had always done--right down to eating potato chips on the couch while watching The Muppet Show and calling it babysitting!
It had been only a few days, was it Friday now? Four measly days, and Robert was only just civil to her when Toby was around, which he wasn't right now. Toby was at Karen's friend's house, being watched while she taught dance.
Seven o'clock, and her day was done. Instead of rushing over to retrieve Toby and hurry home, like she would have only a week before, Karen walked into the full bathroom she had installed and drew a hot bath. The tub was decadent, purely for her. She poured in the Epsom salts to help her aching muscles and added a measure of her favourite bath oils, a sandalwood-rose combination that never failed to relax her.
She needed relaxing. Home was like a minefield. For the first time, she was actually scared of Robert. He had been so angry…
Karen left the water in the deep garden tub and went to lock the door, close the blinds, and in general ensure her privacy. When she returned from her duties, the tub was not even halfway full. It was a huge Jacuzzi, big enough for three to stretch out comfortably, which had happened more than once. Granted, those times had included bathing suits, but after hours of demonstrating, walking, staying cheerful and upbeat when she wanted to curl up and whimper from the pain in her joints and back, she deserved it. So did her two oldest students, both ladies in their fifties who had danced for years, but never got formal training until now.
The thought of those two should have lifted her spirits, but she was so strung out from the hatred Robert kept spewing at her that she only felt worse.
"I should wish myself away to the goblins," she laughed, trying to keep the tears away. "Maybe take Toby with me…" She indulged in that little fantasy while the tub continued to fill. She thought of the crystal in her purse, the one she had taken to carrying around with her for…some reason. She wasn't entirely sure why she wanted it near, but she did.
Carefully placing the crystal where it wouldn't roll, she turned off the water and peeled out of her leotard and tights. It felt so good to get out of the skin-tight garments. Yes, the material gave, but it still cut into her on the seams and around the waist. Nothing on this earth could keep the top of tights from rolling, no matter what the companies said.
Feet on cold tile, she grabbed a thick, fluffy towel and stepped down into the huge tub. It was big enough and deep enough for Toby to swim in-and he had, more than once.
Karen didn't laugh at the memory. She caught her breath on a sob, and choked it back down. She looked around the room, the mirrored walls forming the area around the tub--so much easier to clean! Mirrors didn't mildew!--and saw the gleam of light on the crystal.
Without considering what she was doing, she lifted the sphere and touched it to the mirror closest to her.
"Jareth, I wish to speak to you," she whispered, afraid it wouldn't work. Afraid it would.
The mirror fogged briefly and Jareth appeared in it. He was sitting at a desk piled with paper and surrounded by walls of rich, leather-bound books.
"Karen?" he asked, surprised. "Sarah is not here-"
"No. I…needed to talk to you," she cut him off. She sniffed, then berated herself for being such a twit. "About Sarah, yes, but…about Robert and Toby, too."
"Ah," Jareth looked around his study for a moment, said something to someone Karen couldn't see, then nodded. "I think this conversation would be better face to face. Give me just a moment and I'll get back with you."
"All right," Karen whispered, feeling better now for some reason. She figured he would be calling back through the mirror to set up a time and place for them to talk.
Jareth finished giving his secretary instructions, checked his crystal for Sarah--she was in the rocky plains at the outer edge of the Central Lands--and left a message for Couric not to expect to see him this night.
He wasn't a cruel man, or necessarily a kind one, but something in the way Karen spoke gave him the sense that she needed him. It was odd that he should treat her so like one of his subjects. On the other hand, she practically was, given her attachment to Sarah and to her girl's faith in him and his realm. By her age, most women had long given up their dreams, or dismissed them as youthful fancy.
Yet another way Karen was an exceptional woman. He hoped that she had had a greater influence on Sarah than either one of the women thought.
Karen had just relaxed and turned on the jets, her eyes closed as one jet worked on a particularly nasty knot in her back when a soft, carefully modulated voice made her open her eyes.
"Interesting invention," Jareth mused, staring at the swirling water. "What is it called?"
"A Jacuzzi," Karen blurted, too surprise to worry about covering herself. Not that she would worry about it. She was adequately covered with frothing water. More people had seen much more of her onstage and backstage.
"I must study this and see if I can create one," he said, fascinated. "It looks decadent."
"It is," Karen said, feeling lighter than she had since telling Robert that Sarah had left with one Jareth Rex, an independently wealthy businessman who travelled, so they wouldn't see Sarah much. With an impish smile, Karen blurted out, "Try it for yourself."
Before she could blink, Jareth had vanished and reappeared in the swirling water. He sniffed.
"Sandalwood is quite acceptable," he said, "but rose? A bit…girly for me." He leaned back and considered the water as it flowed over and around him, taking the time to find just the right spot for the powerful currents to knead his muscles. "Oh, yes. This is quite lovely."
Karen shook her head, leaning back and relaxing. They let the water bubble and swirl around them for a minute, then Jareth opened the conversation.
"What's wrong, Karen?" he asked gently.
"Robert wants Sarah back. He's…he scares me, Jareth. I'm afraid he'll take Toby, throw me out, divorce me--or start…hitting me." Karen shuddered. Her life in New York had included a huge number of experiences she had never shared with Robert or Sarah, among them an abusive lover. "I don't want to lose my son."
Jareth listened and noted what she did not say. Instead of speaking to her fears, he addressed what she had left out.
"How long has there been trouble between you and Robert?"
"Since shortly after I had Toby. Three years ago now--closer to four? It was a difficult birth…" she trailed off, turning her face away from him. She was still hurting from the news she had been given: She would never have another child. It was a miracle that Toby had survived. She hadn't. The doctors, she had been told, brought her back twice; the first time after one minute, the second after six. Every day she was grateful for her life, and every day Robert had wanted more and more of her to change to his ideal. She explained this to Jareth, who saw the reason Sarah had fought so hard for Toby. Even then, she had cared about the woman who had replaced her mother in the house, even if she didn't know it.
"And because of the birth, and the surgery, we couldn't…" Karen let her voice trail off.
"The bedroom was not your favourite room," he supplied, allowing her the gentle phrasing because he didn't want to hurt her any more. "I can understand that."
"Robert didn't. He started having an affair. When I had healed, we tried again, but there was nothing there. None of the passion, the love… He's been seeing other women since then." Karen shook her head. "I should be miserable about it, but I'm just grateful. I'm glad he isn't pestering me. God, what kind of wife am i?" she asked, leaning her face into her hands and finally crying.
Jareth moved over to her and let her cry on his shoulder. He whispered gentle words to her, comfort and peace. When she recovered her composure, she continued.
"I haven't bothered to look for an affair, or to go back to Robert, not sexually. We get along fine most of the time. We put a good face on it, but there's so much missing between us. I'm glad Sarah isn't at home, so she doesn't see how empty our relationship is."
"You aren't worried about Toby?" Jareth asked, noticing that Karen had relaxed next to him, leaving his arm over her shoulders. She hadn't given any indication of desiring him, and he wasn't particularly interested in seducing her. Today. Tomorrow, well, it was another day.
"He's too young to understand what marriage is. He knows that we live together, that we're his parents, that we care about each other, but beyond that, it's a difficult concept." Karen sighed and went on. "Sarah, though--how is she?"
"Doing well," Jareth said, smiling. "She passed the first set of trials and has a good start on the second."
Karen chewed her lip. "Could she…call home? Like on the telephone? I know that the mirrors work, but Robert needs to hear from her." Hating herself for caring what the man thought and felt, she added, "It's killing him, not knowing, not hearing from her."
Jareth was quiet for a long time. Too long.
"I'm sorry," Karen apologized. "I shouldn't have asked."
"No," Jareth said, stopping her. "It's something I should have considered before now. The women who choose to run to be my Queen don't usually have a loving family behind them, much less a parent who understands the legend of the Goblin King. I hadn't planned for it, but that will change now."
"What…do the other families think--does that mean you've had a Queen before?" She couldn't resist asking.
"No. Consorts, but no Queen. And no children," he added, a soft ache in his voice.
"Ohhh…" Karen was quiet.
Jareth continued. "The other girls died, or appeared to be dead. Bodies were found that were wearing their clothes, had their fingerprints, blood type, and so on. Simulacrums, of course, but dead is usually buried and forgotten. Since you saw me take Sarah, and I think you were encouraging me," he grinned at her when she blushed and smiled guiltily, "I didn't create the same situation."
"If…If Sarah hadn't brought back Toby," she asked, her words slow and hesitant.
"She would have been returned to her room, never remembering the labyrinth, and a Toby substitute would have been found in his crib, dead from SIDS." The words and the calm way they were spoken chilled Karen. Ironically, she searched for comfort from the man who promised her nightmare.
"Does that happen a lot?" she asked, needing to know.
"More than you'd think," he said, "especially in this age of reason--and I do use the term loosely."
Karen nodded. "I…probably shouldn't ask what happens to the children once they're yours," she said.
"Nothing bad. Many go to families that will love them. Most of those change over time to match their families, taking on the traits of elves, pixies, orcs, goblins, and so on. Pixies adore little ones, and so do fairies. Some, though, remain what you would call human in form, though they absorb and learn the magic of the realm."
"What do you call the human-looking children?" Karen asked, able to assuage her curiosity.
"These belong to the same race as I, the race of kings." At Karen's snicker, he added, "It's not arrogance. No other race has succeeded in becoming king or queen of my realm or any other. Except the dwarven realms, but then again, those are ruled only by dwarves, so," he shrugged, "res ipsa locutor."
They talked for a while longer, even after Karen turned off the jets and they were soaking in the still, warm water.
When they were both relaxed from the water, but Karen was still loathe to move, Jareth stood and grabbed a towel from the shelf. He dried off, raising an eyebrow at Karen when she didn't bother turning away. In a move that would disappoint her for some time, he waved a hand and his clothes reappeared on his body. Still, he wasn't quite ready to leave yet.
"Karen," he said softly, picking up the crystal she had put in a safe corner of the wall, just outside of the tub. "I've been in the mood of late to grant dreams."
With that, he lifted her arm from the side of the tub and poured the crystal onto her hand. He watched her face, filled with wonder as he directed the crystal down her arm to her shoulder, then around her collar bone to the jugular notch, then down between her breasts to her belly and past it. By the time it reached her shoulder, the sphere had started to glow. When it fell down into the bottom of the tub, just between her legs, it was shining like a beacon. The glowing sphere touched her and Karen arched back with a cry of surprise. There was no foreplay, no warning. It was over as suddenly as it began, not lasting more than a few seconds.
By the time the crystal had gone dark again and Karen was laying back panting against the tub, all that remained of Jareth was a lingering, soft laugh.
Karen lifted the crystal from the water and placed it on his discarded towel with shaking hands.
"You are a wicked sonuvabitch, Jareth," she said, knowing he was listening. "And Heaven help me, I envy Sarah."
"You should," came the ghostly reply.
Karen considered that response while she dressed and pulled her things together to go home. It would be easier to face Robert tonight, but it still wouldn't be much fun. As she tucked the crystal back into her purse, she thought about Robert, Toby, Sarah, Jareth, and her love of the tale that had actually come to life, complete with one of her fantasies about Jareth--a fantasy from only a few days ago, not from her youth--had come shockingly true.
"If that was what he can do with a crystal," she muttered as she got to the car. She looked at the booster seat in the center of the back and sighed. Back to her life, such as remained of it.
Robert would be angry, Toby would want all of her attention, dinner wouldn't be cooked because God knows Robert couldn't be bothered, and through it all, Sarah's empty chair would be the elephant in the room that nobody saw.
The dread returned.
Now she really wished the goblin king would take her away.
- 13
- 14
- 15
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Shattered