Title: New Angels of Promise
Rating: PG
Fandom: Labyrinth
Parts: one
Disclaimer: Henson owns labyrinth, bowie owns the lyrics to new angels of
promise
Summary: written after one of my good friends was killed. Sarah deals with
Toby's untimely death and has unexpected support
Sarah fought a bitter sigh as she watched the lid
being closed on the casket. Life truly wasn't fair. A
warm tear trickled down her cheek as she silently
watched the charming features and blond hair being
covered with dark wood. Turning slightly, she gave a
comforting glance to her father and stepmother. It was
ironic...for once she considered the woman human and
not a villain, but she wished it wasn't under these
circumstances. Silently, she followed the crowd out of
the church and went to her car to drive to the
cemetery for the rest of the service.
As she drove through the town the memories flashed
before her. Memories of when they had played in the
park together when he was three, of when he had
started school and she drove him home everyday and
helped him with his homework, memories of when he had
tried to run away and had hidden in the same park that
she had once used as an escape. And now they were all
she had left. It was amazing...one day she had seen
him, had watched him receive his high school diploma,
had hugged him tightly, smelled his cologne, felt the
skin of his cheek just lightly covered with peachfuzz
brush against hers, smiled into his laughing blue
eyes...and now he was gone. Her brother, who she had
hated, loved, and come to see as eternal, was no more.
As the town gave way to woods she couldn't fight the
tears. It was so stupid, for him to have to go this
way...he was so brilliant, had such a future...he was
a living, breathing person, dammit! Had he been put on
the earth just to be taken away before his life had
even begun? A million questions raced through her
mind...why had he not been wearing a seatbelt? Why had
he gone out with his friends that night? Why was the
driver of the car Toby had been in been going so fast?
Why why why?! At the thought of his name a sob caught
in her throat. Toby. To most it was just a name, but
to her it meant a pleasant smile, a rougish
personality, an impish sense of humor, a love of
learning, a kindred spirit. It almost felt like part
of herself was gone...
Almost robotically, she climbed out of her car and
walked towards the coffin which was still above
ground. The minister droned on and on, but she wasn't
listening. In a way she was losing part of
herself...he was the only other person that shared her
memory of the labyrinth...for some odd reason he had
kept that memory from infancy and had clung to it with
her until he had passed on. Even when she wanted to
dismiss it, feared it even...He had always told her
that he held nothing against her for it, that
everything happened for a reason, and besides, it had
been an adventure so what was wrong with that? Even in
their last conversation...
It had been the day after his graduation and she had
phoned just to let the family know that she had gotten
back to New York all right. Karen and her father
hadn't been home, but Toby kept on a steady
conversation with her for two hours, mainly about how
he wanted to write a story about their adventure,
wanted everyone to know that magic was possible, that
dreams were real. They had talked in detail about what
they each remembered and he had gently helped her
through the hard parts...reminded her that the goblin
king wasn't such a bad guy when you took into account
that she had started the whole thing and that no real
harm had come to her. After hanging up the receiver,
she had never felt such a feeling of freedom, of
knowledge, of relief. And all that had been crushed
when she had found out that her eighteen-year-old baby
brother had been killed in a high speed car accident.
Slowly, the casket was lowered into the ground, and
part of her soul with it. Sniffling, she knew that she
couldn't let her life go completely...she had to
remember him, but also to keep on with her life, too.
Vaguely, she remembered his voice, his laugh, what he
had told her the last time they spoke.
"Sarah, you can't stop dreaming...promise me you
won't. It's important...I want you to be
successful...but you have to have a good life, too."
"All right...I'll keep dreaming if you will!" she had
said lightly.
"Good...cause the more you dream, the more real
things become!"
She wondered about that, if it would have any
influence on her now. But she had promised, and she
wouldn't break a promise to her brother. Ever. Sarah
was vaguely aware of people leaving, throwing flowers
in the grave, of her stepmother saying that her father
and she would meet her at the house...and then she was
alone. Alone with Toby. Alone with the brilliant
person that the world had lost. She stood near the
open grave silently, the wind lightly blowing through
her hair and heart.
"I need you, Toby...I need you..."
This time there was no way to save him...no
labyrinth to run, no king to beat, nothing. No one
would truly understand what they had shared, no one
could comfort her.
"Such a pity..." The voice, velvet laced with regret,
cut through her thoughts. She turned slowly, almost as
if she was in a trance, to regard the goblin king. He
was unchanged from the last time they had seen each
other, except that he did not wear the smug expression
she was used to associating his name with. Dressed in
black, in the outfit he had first entered her house
in, he looked regal and beautiful, and sorrowful.
"Such a loss..." he added and she nodded silently,
somehow not feeling threatened or uncomfortable by
their sudden meeting.
"He was an amazing person..." she managed and didn't
even flinch at the hand on her shoulder.
"That he was...one of the few true dreamers left..."
Jareth sighed, squeezing her shoulder lightly,
glancing down at her. It was more than ironic...the
last time they had seen each other face to face they
had been enemies, now they were mourning one of their
own.
"He'll be all right, I suppose..." she sighed,
sniffling slightly and the goblin king nodded
solemnly.
"Someone like that is always rewarded when they pass
on...it can be no other way..." he said softly.
"He helped me think, to feel, to dream..."
"He took away your fear, did what I couldn't," Jareth
replied gently, glancing away as Sarah turned to
regard him silently.
"He was like a link between us...helped me to
understand...that I need my dreams..." she said
quietly and the goblin king smiled in understanding,
running a gloved finger over her tear-stained cheek.
"He helped me as well...for a few hours I was able to
comprehend what it was like to have someone to care
for in my life...whatever the circumstances were...I
wouldn't change it."
"Neither would I..." Sarah said after a long moment.
"Stay with me," she added, looking up at him with
wide, pleading eyes.
"For ever and always..." he answered instantly. "We
all will..." he added, glancing to their side and she
started as she saw Hoggle, Sir Didymus, Ludo, goblins,
and fireys all gathered around the open grave. "We
cannot forget one of our own..." the king said
somberly, nodding to his subjects who Sarah noticed
were each holding a shimmering crystal.
One by one, each of her friends came forward, and
silently let the crystal fall into the grave where it
shattered on the coffin, morphing into a crystal rose
that rested on the wood lightly. As each took their
turn Sarah frowned upon hearing the sweet notes of
music, and Jareth's voice softly singing the song that
her brother had sung around the house for hours after
he had discovered it on a new album one fateful day.
He was always analyzing its meaning and quoting it to
her of proof of how important dreams were. And for
once, now, she was listening harder than ever.
New angels of promise
We despair
We are the dead dreams
We take the blame
Take us to the edge of time
Take us to the edge of time
We are the fabulous lovers
I am a blind man, she is my eyes
omikron
You didn't feel us coming
In this lonely crowd
It's always time
New angels of promise
We despise
Don't fall apart now
We are the silent ones
Take us to the edge of time
Take us to the edge of time
We are the tabular lovers
We listen to the storm
omikron
You didn't feel us coming
In this lonely crowd
It's always time
After each had let their token fall they quickly came
up to hug Sarah, then disappeared, until it was only
their king and her once more. Silently, he flicked his
wrist, conjured his own crystal, and let it float
calmly into the deep hole where it burst and turned
into a glistening silver-white owl's feather as soon
as it touched the hard surface of wood.
"I'm going to write that book that he wanted to
do...for Toby..." she said quietly.
"He would have liked that...it's a very good idea,
indeed." She wanted to ask if it was too late for
them, if there even was a them...Toby had always been
convinced there was, or that there should be, but she
had always laughed it off until now. She was happy
with her life, but part of it felt empty still...she
didn't need to be a queen or live with magic, but she
wanted someone with her...someone who would
understand. She turned as Jareth stepped away, that
same look of regret on his face. He almost said
something...but suddenly stopped, then smiled quickly.
"Should you need us..." he said softly, and began to
disappear.
"I need you!" she found the words were in the open
air before she could stop them. He was by her side
instantly, a hand cupping her chin, the other in her
hair. "I don't need my dreams, I don't need magic...I
just need you...someone who knows...who
understands..." she said, the words trembling with
uncertainty. Jareth stood very still for a moment,
then smiled softly as he bent, his lips just brushing
hers.
"He knew that you did...and he would have wanted this
as well. We need each other, Sarah...and it's always
time..." he whispered before taking her hand. Silently
they gave one last look to the grave before exiting
the cemetery, fading away with silver clouds that
streaked the orange brilliance of twilight.
From where dreams become reality, a breeze that
smelled like a young boy's cologne and felt soft like
the fuzz of a peach was born and lightly danced
through the trees that dotted the park, following the
two, one of the land of fantasy and one of reality, to
where they could both exist together.