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Featherfall	By : Hiiroshoken Category: G through L > Labyrinth Views: 4229 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-.:: Chapter 00 ::.
- 2-Chapter ::01:: Scary Monsters and Super Creeps
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a/n:: After much revising and contemplation, and rewriting…and more rewriting, here is the next one. Enjoy. 3

chapter :: 1 :: Scary Monsters

Scary monsters, super creeps
Keep me running, running scared

She asked me to stay
and I stole her room
She asked for my love
and I gave her a dangerous mind
Now she's stupid in the street
and she can't socialise
Well I love the little girl
and I'll love her till the day she dies

-Scary monsters: David Bowie-

Hot, tar-like, black goodness rolled down her constricted throat, trying to ease the tension in her. Unfortunately, it wasn't working very well. Her hands shook as she clutched the glass coffee mug to her chest and she gripped the edge of the wood chair seat that she was perched upon in a fetal like position. She was losing her damn mind. Everything from the past four years had just caught up with her in one strange, painful dream, that's all. Jareth had not appeared to her last night, he did not kiss her, and she most certainly did not offer her home to him. Her eyes caught on the reddish plume that lay harmlessly on the opposite end of her small round kitchen table and chills broke out across her arms. That thing was another matter. She honestly didn't have a clue as to how she could rationalize the feather and she looked at it as though it were some large disgusting bug.

Why would he have called to her after so long? None of the others had EVER answered her, not even after THATnight. She had called and called and not even her mirror had flickered in the least. They had abandoned her. And so she had been left with a harsh lesson; dreams didn't make people come back to life and they, like everything else in the world, could leave you in an instant.

It had been that night that she had closed herself from the fantasy world, from her dreams, from him. And it had been that night that she had stopped dreaming. She became normal, an adult. And for a while she had felt strangely uplifted by it.

She had stopped reading anything that strayed too far from reality, stopped writing stories and pursuing her love of theater. Instead, she had begun focusing her mind elsewhere, in the only other direction her mind could wander and still excel. She had gone into the military. Well, rather, a military academy, but not as a soldier or technician, but as a glorified problem solver. She was being trained to be a tactician. Also, due to her strange charisma, her professors had also nudged her in the direction of foreign affairs and linguistics. It was boring work most of the time, unless she was given a particularly challenging situation to debug, but it kept her occupied. As long as she didn't have any actual part in fighting, she was content to be where she was. She had just finished her final examinations less than a week ago, labeling her as a bonafied representative of the United States government and a relatively high ranked officer. She'd even fired a gun a few times. It was so radically different from her previous life. Then again, life had a way of turning people over on their asses.

She forced herself up to her feet after finishing off her "breakfast" and slunk off to the shower to wash away the grime that she had accumulated during the night. She felt filthy. And she needed to wash away the lingering feel of him from her skin and hair. Just a dream, she reminded herself, yet again. After a fifteen minute trip to heaven, she dressed in a simple light green t-shirt and loose black sweats, tying her still damp hair up in a neat ponytail. She was on leave for the next week before she began her first assignment which was most likely going to be some boring meet and greet with a group of stuffy old bastards. Her family had wanted her to visit home at some point, or rather; her father wanted her to visit. She'd resigned herself to stopping by for a couple days, despite the bile that threatened to overtake her each time she was reminded of that place. Sarah paused mid-way through tying the laces of her running shoes, her eyes taking on a distant shade of muted gray. She had no desire to enter that house ever again. Karen was there and so were all of those terrible memories that swam through the walls like ravenous sharks, waiting to corner her. And then of course, there was To- no, she would not think about it. It was too hard. She swallowed back a swelling of tears that pricked at her eyes like heated needles. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she released the tension of her thoughts and finished putting on her shoes.

Since it was early and she knew she had no chance at all of sleeping in, Sarah planned to go on a run and get rid of all of the dark thoughts that were crowding her muddled brain. She had to get herself together before later on. She had been invited out with a group of her fellow graduates to celebrate their success, and because fun was something that she was severely lacking these days, she was looking forward to it. This whole Jareth mess had her all out of sorts. Stupid snooty, arrogant, "my crotch art mightier than thou" pretty boy and his ability to turn her into a knot of jumbled emotions! Sarah growled under her breath and stomped out into the hall, locking up her apartment and slipping her key back around her neck. She was NOT going to think about him anymore today. At all. But...then her mind tripped over a stray thought. "When midnight comes tomorrow night, say my name. It MUST be exactly at midnight. I will come to you then..."She swallowed hard as his voice oozed through the cracks in her armor. Was he truly in need of her? Did he really exist? Sarah shook herself, dismissing the idea. She had a date with a five mile jog and she wasn't going to let anything, not even her childhood fantasy interrupt it.

The pavement outside of her bland, brick apartment building crunched beneath her sneakers, the perfect rows of buildings stretching down the street in a sort of identical uniformity that often grated on Sarah's mind. Despite being off of the base by a few blocks, it was still military. The lawns around them were the same, the trees; hell everyone even drove the same crappy silver impala. She swore that one of these days she was going to take gallons of the brightest, most random neon paint and just coat her gray colored building in them until her eyes bled from looking at it. She thought of it as a good long term goal. The air was hot and thick, fairly typical for the time of year in southern Florida, but she was fairly used to the heat and the strain on her lungs was minimal. Several of her neighbors were out and about and gave her cheerful waves as she passed to which she returned. Everyone was always so nice to her, at least off the base. It was almost weird. People went out of their way to be friendly, especially if it managed to get a smile from her.

It was a nice change from the indifferent and often closed off attitudes of her hometown. She smiled to herself, more energy filling her steps. She was welcome here and it was starting to feel more like home with each passing day. She turned toward the boardwalk, as the rows of apartments cut off at the base perimeter, her fingers turning up the volume of her old Walkman to drown out the roar of jet engines taking off to her left.

She lost herself inside of the music, letting her concerns about her nightmare and her apprehension about the upcoming outing with her classmates float away. And before she knew it, she was slowing to a walk at the end of the pier she usually ended her run at. Her breathing was rough, lungs drinking in air as sweat all but poured from her and caused her clothes to cling uncomfortably to her tone figure. But she was so caught up in her runner's high and the rewarding feeling of once again finishing the trek that she didn't mind the discomfort. Knowing that she was getting stronger and faster was worth every ache and every blister. She leaned forward to rest her forearms over the rail and stared out into the waves with a silly grin on her flushed face.

A large flutter to her right had her jerking back however, immediately on the defensive as her eyes went wide and she let out a startled cry. She held a hand to her once again racing heart as she stared at the small creature that had decided to land not a foot from where she rested. It was a bird, a breed she had seen many times in the area but never cared to name or pay much mind to. It cocked its head to the side curiously at her, hopping along the rail to get a closer look as the baffled woman took a step back. Brilliant yellow and black, the small bird was a splash of color against the dark blue green sea that was deepening in hue thanks to the sun beginning its descent. Sarah was shocked by the intelligence that gleamed in its pale eyes that watched her as though it were sizing her up.

"Um…hello there? Sorry little guy, I haven't gotten anything for you to eat. Go bother some nice tourists or something," She laughed lightly, pointedly trying to not notice the almost knowing gleam on its features. A happy chirp left its beak and Sarah shook herself with a light chuckle. "That dream must have bothered me more than I expected. I half expected you to invite me to tea or something. Bye-bye, little bird,"

The brunette shook her head at her over active imagination and ready to get back to her apartment, she took off once again. Of course she did not notice the pleased look that crossed the little yellow creature's eyes, nor did she notice it flitting along behind her.

"Sarah! You made it!" Was the cheerful greeting of Melody Jensen, another linguist like herself, as Sarah stepped inside of the crowded, bustling diner. It was a large place, one of those half bar things that was riddled with sports merchandise and more military paraphernalia than Ebay. The scent of fried food, beer, and man saturated every inch of the joint. It wasn't a terrible place, homey, lively, and excitement bubbled into Sarah's gut as she spotted the large group of her peers situated in several tables in the back corner away from the bustle of the bar and close to the big screen tv and the pool tables. Several wolf whistles rang through the room, mainly from the guys she knew, but a few bar inhabitants felt the need to join in as well. Her face flushed a faint pink and she cocked her head to the side with a shy smile, waving at the group. She rarely ever dressed in anything less than her military attire, and her hair, now grown to nearly the small of her back was left to fall loose about her shapely form instead of its usual tight bun. Her body was sheathed in a simple black dress that clung tightly to her chest and hips before fanning out to swirl around her thighs and stop just above her knees. It had a square neckline, similar to the medieval dresses that she had filled her wardrobe with in the past, though it accentuated her bust and had a more modern feel to it. It was sleeveless, held to her body by inch wide shoulder straps. She wore a simple sliver choker about her neck and finished off her attire with a pair of low black heels.

She'd even put a small amount of makeup on, light eyeliner and shadow to accent her eyes and a fine gloss over her lips. Sarah had learned long ago that too much on her was anything but attractive. And so she may have gone a little overboard with her attire. Who cared? She hadn't made herself look good in years and after her nerve-wracking nightmare, she felt she deserved to pamper herself a bit. She wove her way through the room to Mellody's side, greeting the other woman with an impish grin. She was a plump, yet pretty thing, her hair light strawberry blonde and cropped even with her jaw.

"Damn, who are you and what have you done to Officer Williams?" A tall, muscular, red haired male asked with an appreciative look and a playfully lecherous leer that made Sarah feel good even if she wasn't all that interested in him.

"Just remember, Johns, I can still kick your ass, even with my hair down and my uniform off," Sarah retorted in a cold, even, matter of fact tone. Of course, her words only made his grin larger.

"Oh, promises, promises! Anytime you'd like, just yell my name and pull my hair while you're at it." He joked with a wink. Her face heated with a pink blush. That's not what she had meant!

"Hn, sorry Johns, you aren't really my type, besides, I doubt you'd be able to handle me anyway," She recovered, resting her hands on her hips as she forced back her embarrassment. He whined pitifully and clutched at his heart in mock agony, gripping the wood table beside him.

"Oh how you wound me, precious thing!" He cried dramatically. That name! Her eyes widened and face paled to an almost ghostly white when the name he'd given her registered in her mind. Her heart pounded in her ears until the only sound she could hear was the rushing of her own blood in her veins. How you've turned my world, you Precious Thing...

"Sarah? Are you alright?" Mellody asked, worry coloring her green eyes as she rested a steadying hand on Sarah's shoulder. Sarah blinked back into focus, her eyes having stared off out the nearby window blankly. A flash of yellow caught her attention and dread hit her once again. The same bird that she had encountered on her run hopped back and forth in front of the window pane.

"Um, y-yes, sorry, I haven't had a chance to eat much today. It's making me a little lightheaded," Sarah answered as she tried to clear her head of the dark voice that had washed around her like a torrent. Chills broke out all over her slight frame and she took a seat beside Melody, ignoring the jibes about her being sick because of John's pathetic attempt to hit on her. She accepted the water that was brought to her by a waitress, ordering a burger and fries along with cherry Pepsi to wash it down.

"Come on, Williams, you aren't on duty, order a beer or something for Christ's sake!" Melody teased with a poke to the girl's side. Sarah stuck her tongue out with a childish sneer.

"Ugh, I don't like the taste of piss," She retorted.

"Just one, Williams?" Another pleaded, Johns placing a mug in front of her. Sarah eyed the tall frothy glass, the foam that floated so innocently atop the amber liquid. She glanced out of the window almost instinctively to see her little feathered stalker shaking its little head and hoping more turned back to the mug. An insistent, nagging warning bubbled up inside of her, begging her not to give in and Jareth's eyes from her odd dream, so full of longing stared back at her from the glass. Her jaw tightening, she curled a hand around the handle.

"Just one," She replied. One, turned into two, which turned into five. Sarah Williams was not a drinker and had in fact refused to drink more than small amounts. She didn't like the loss of control over her bodily functions and did not find the idea of making a fool of herself appealing in the least. Thus, as the thin, stale brew filled her light weight body, she very quickly started losing focus on what was going on and what she was supposed to be doing. She only knew that the lyrics to Major Tom had never been so difficult to keep track of and that Melody could not hold a tune to save her life. Sarah also could not understand why everything was so god damned funny all of the sudden. She giggled nonsensically over everything, eyes tearing up when Melody stumbled and held onto her for support causing them both to stagger against the bar.

Somehow, Sarah managed to find her way to a seat away from the loudness, trying to let her mind settle. She'd been trying so hard to run from something. What, she could not remember for some reason. There was a silly little yellow bird pecking at the window near her head and she chuckled at that. Such a cute little thing. She felt disconnected, as though she were floating alongside her body. Her reactions were sluggish, and her eyes hazy. There was something important that she was supposed to do. What was it?

"Hey, are you having a good time, babe?" A male voice asked from her right and blearily she looked in the direction, trying to place the face. It was Johns', she noted after a moment or two and she nodded with a silly grin. She frowned mildly however when while trying to focus on his face, she couldn't seem to help seeing a strange...darkness in it, something off that made her more off kilter. What was it?

"There was something..." She mumbled and he leaned in to try and hear her.
"What's that?" He asked and she swallowed, her tongue feeling swollen and dry in her stale tasting mouth.
"Something I need," She tried again, gripping the back of her chair as she moved to stand. His hands were cold, ice cold on her arms as he tried to steady her.
"I know what you need. Come on, I'll take you home, babe," He said with a smile. She could not place it, but his smile seemed wrong, his face seemed wrong, and yet, he knew what she needed and if he did, she had to go with him right? He could tell her what she was supposed to be doing, right? She nodded absently and Johns began escorting her to the door. His hands seemed far lower on her body than necessary, but then, she wasn't entirely able to feel everything, so she could have been wrong. Johns let out a curse as a flash of yellow shot past his ear, leaving a small cut behind and Sarah giggled at his expression. The bird didn't like him very much. Everything was just so far away from her reach. Somehow, she ended up inside of a vehicle. Lights passed before her eyes as it rolled along and she watched them blankly. Lights. Dancing.
"That's a pretty song, Sarah, what's it called?" Johns asked, snapping her from the lights. She hadn't realized that she had been singing again.
"I don't know," She mumbled, deeply troubled by this fact. Why didn't she know? It was so familiar, so beautiful in her mind. How could she not know?
"Sing some more?" Johns asked hopefully and she complied, the words falling from her lips unbidden.
"There's such a sad love, deep in your eyes," The words came out slowly as if pushing through molasses and with each one she felt as though someone were stripping her bare, "A kind of pale jewel, opened and closed, within your eyes, I'll place the moon, within your eyes."
A hot burning built in her eyes and her fingers pushed over her cheeks, baffled by the moisture that gathered there. "Though we're strangers til now...we're choosing the path, between the stars, I'll lay my love, between the stars..."
Her eyes went wide as in a rush she was shocked into sobriety. A sharp gasp shot from her lips and a deep hurt grew in her chest. Her heart felt heavy and she glanced about her surroundings desperately. This was not the way to her apartment!
"Johns, stop the car," She commanded, holding her head against an on-coming headache.
"We're almost there, babe, I promise," He cooed, rubbing her arm from the driver's seat. Hot anger filled her veins and she glared over at him harshly.
"I said, stop the car, right now," She said through clenched teeth. He cast her a sidelong glance.
"You aren't going to hurl are you? We are almost to my place, see just right there. You can freshen up and you'll feel all better," He replied. His hand wandered down her arm boldly, to her lap, caressing her thigh in a manner that certainly made her want to puke. Like a viper, her own hand shot out and wrenched his from her body, causing him to swerve violently.
"Keep your hands OFF and stop the damn car NOW!" She shouted angrily and he slammed on the brakes with a curse. Before he had time to react, she was out of the car and stomping down the road, still wobbly on her feet. She raised her wrist to check the time, only to feel her stomach drop from under her. She hadn't worn her watch. It HAD to be close to midnight and judging from the dark, empty streets, there wasn't one anywhere nearby and she sure as hell wasn't asking the asshole rapist. She could hear his calling for her to come back, but she was having none of it and did not slow her pace. There was no telling what the bastard had planned for her. Jareth... he had unknowingly saved her from a potentially disastrous situation. Not, that she'd ever tell him. A pair of hands from behind had a cry rushing from her lips.
"Listen to me, Ice Bitch, I am sick of your attitude! You were being so nice and then you had to go and ruin- AAHH!" His rant was cut off by the heel of her shoe connecting with his testicles. Johns dropped like a rock. Sarah didn't spare him a glance and broke into a run, her heels clicking against the cement. She didn't have time to deal with that little bastard. Her eyes flitted about for street signs and familiar buildings desperately. Sarah's heart lurched. The park! There was a clock tower in the park! A surge of desperation sent her endorphins skyrocketing and using her burst of adrenaline, she pushed her body harder. Air in her lungs met the cool air in soft clouds of steam, her chest heaved and muscles screamed. She wanted to throw up, but she could not. Her heart would not let her. Fear spurred her forward and she ignored her discomfort. He needed her. Sarah's heels clacked loudly over the wooden footbridge as the park opened into a paved area. Tears stung her eyes. She wasn't going to make it!
"No," She panted out as she struggled to keep moving.
"Sarah!" An enraged male shouted violently to her right a moment before a sharp pain exploded across her face. She cried out and staggered harshly to the side, head swimming. The world tilted on its axis and she fell with a noise between shock and pain. Gravel crunched beneath a pair of standard issue boots as they strode about her prone form. She tried desperately to hold back the urge to vomit and turned to her side, her blurry vision focusing on the laces of his black boots. Johns. "I always could out distance you, Williams. Remember?"
She wasn't going to make it! A hand fisted in her hair and jerked her up roughly, another hand cupping her cheek in mock tenderness. She struggled, baring her teeth angrily and glaring up at the sneering red head.
"What's the matter, Johns? Did...did I hurt what little man hood you have?" She panted out. Sarah could not help herself; she would not cower before him. He was too weak and pathetic to make her fear him. He was no Goblin King! Another blow to her face had her head snapping to the side and yanked free a few hairs. Tears spilled down her sore cheeks and she felt a strange sensation bubbling up within her until it spilled from her lips. She was laughing. Johns looked at her like she was crazy. "If you only knew...how much of a pussy you hit like. He would kill you...you know?"

"Who would kill me? Huh, Williams, you little bitch? You? Who is he?" Johns spat, yanking her up higher and leering down into her face. "Hm? Who in the world would want to protect a spoiled little girl like you?"
A large hand closed around her throat and she was shaken. Her vision swam and she clawed at his hands desperately. The world was closing in on her fast and as she beat her fists against whatever she could reach until the darkness closed around her. A name sprang from her lips on a gasp and all she could do was pray.
"Jareth..."

A/N:: Sorry everyone, I wasn't happy with the first chapter at all, so I deleted it entirely and rewrote most of it. Hope this is better. ^^ It's longer too.
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Featherfall