danikaisinsane @ 2007-10-08T22:58:00

2007-10-09T04:59:27Z

I QUIT!!! I GIVE UP. SCREW YOU LJ. WHY THE HELL YOU CAN'T ACCEPT A SIMPLE 'COPY & PASTE' WITHOUT BLOODY WEAVING THE WORDS AROUND IS BEYOND ME.

I have screwed with this for a week. I give up. I will begin posting the story on ff.net when Part One is complete.

Day One

2007-10-02T05:38:56Z

Well, first real update. Excited? You should be!

...Unfortunately, I slept through most of Day One. I had intended to have a big ol' write-fest but... Well, my work schedule is kinda wonky and when I get home on Sunday night I'm usually pretty well exhausted. It's not unsual for me to sleep 12 straight hours on Monday. Today? 16. Yes, I know. Crazy.

Anyway, I did get my 2000 words done and hopefully I'll have a much better showing by midnight tomorrow. Let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: Labyrinth and all characters associated with it are property of the Jim Henson Co. This is a work of fanfiction through which no monetary gain is to be obtained. Any relationship between characters not original to Labyrinth and real people is purely coincidental.

The King's Bride

Danika Lareyna

Part One

Chapter One

Sarah always knew, on some level, that she would one day return Underground.

It was not a fear, nor was it a longing; it was a simple matter of fact. There was no large revelation, the thought did not occupy her mind often, it merely planted itself in her brain immediately following her initial visit and never faded. It was somewhat like the knowledge that one will get old. It is not always a comfortable notion, but at the same time it is accompanied by the potential of all one can do in aging.

Often, she felt as if she had somehow left some bit of her life in the Underground. Sarah did not understand exactly what that piece may be or even how she knew it, but it seemed to her as if her life had become a matter of waiting for the time when she would return and be reunited with whatever it was she had lost.

Yes, Sarah had no doubt that she would return to the Underground, but she never, in her wildest dreams, imagined that the returning would occur as it did.

xXx

There was something about Nadine's office that set Sarah back ten years. She could not really explain it, but the moment she walked through that door she shifted out of the rather poised young woman she had grown into and reverted into a sullen child. Perhaps it was the fact that the room's decor was clearly aimed at someone much younger than her seventeen years, with it's bright colors and animal pictures on the walls. Perhaps it was Nadine herself, whose entire goal in life was to bring all of Sarah's childhood fears and disappointments to the surface. Most likely, though, it was stubborn resentment that she had been sent to a psychologist in the first place.

They had not even handed her mental health over to this absurdly perky woman for a good reason! Maybe if they had caught her talking to mirrors or eyeing owls suspiciously, she could understand their concern, but to be told that she had to see a therapist because she was 'depressed' was beyond ridiculous.

Sarah was not, to the best of her knowledge, depressed. She was not about to win Prom Queen, but she was happy in her own, introspective way. Her grandmother had always felt that she knew Sarah better than Sarah knew herself and so, when her father had gone through his second divorce, she had decreed that the emotional trauma was too great for a tender young lady to handle and that, clearly she was distraught over it all. Nana Williams had insisted that Richard send his daughter to a therapist, and she had heard wonderful things about a woman down on Fifteenth Street named Nadine Stricker.

Sarah sat on Nadine's yellow, over-stuffed couch and let her gaze flicker idly over the bookcase, re-reading the titles for what seemed the hundredth time. Her long legs were stretched before her, toes pointed inwards, and she curled a strand of dark hair around her fingers. She was well aware that she looked like a child, stubbornly refusing to speak first. She had to be there, but she did not have to cooperate.

"How are you feeling today, Sarah?" Nadine asked, drawing a clipboard into her lap and giving the young woman a sympathetic gaze.

This was their sixteenth session and the psychologist had begun each one in the exact same way. Sarah resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Fine," she said, abandoning her hair to play with the large buttons on her sweater. Knowing that, as usual, it would do her no good, she muttered, "I'm not depressed."

Nadine's brows knit together and she leaned forward, as if all of her attention was on Sarah. Her voice dripped like honey, so sweet it made you sick. "Sarah, why do you think you're depressed?"

This time, Sarah did roll her eyes. "I don't think I'm depressed. Nana thinks I'm depressed."

The psychologist's lips twisted a little in recognition of a familiar battle, but she quickly smoothed her expression. Nadine was convinced that there was something terrible eating away at this poor girl's soul. There must be some horrible secret in her past and, if she could just convince Sarah that she was her friend, if she could just get Sarah to open up to her, perhaps she could help her work past the nightmare of her existence.

Nadine felt that way about every child that came through her office. And most of the children she saw on the street.

"Why do you think that your Nana thinks you are depressed, then?" Nadine asked.

Sarah was taken a bit aback. Usually at this point, Nadine asked her if she knew that it was ok to be sad or if she knew that, if she were sad, she could always come to her therapist to talk. It was a startlingly logical question and so Sarah wondered how Nadine had come up with it. At length, she replied, "Because of the divorce, I guess."

"Which one?"

Shrugging, Sarah replied, "Both? I mean, it's hard for any kid to deal with their parents breaking up, and then with Karen leaving Daddy recently..." She trailed off and shrugged again.

Nadine scribbled something down on her clipboard. "And how do you feel about those?"

Sarah tucked on leg up under her and considered her response. "I never really cared much for Karen. She wasn't the evil-stepmother I tried to make her out as, but she also wasn't available emotionally like a real mother, so I didn't really care when she left. I was furious that she took Toby with her to England but I get to talk to him on the phone regularly and he seems really happy there, so I'm coming to terms with it."

Nadine tilted her head a little and Sarah thought she looked rather like a chicken when she did that. "What about your birth-mother? You don't speak with her much, do you?"

"She made her choice," Sarah said, turning her face away and crossing her arms. It was an old wound, and long since scarred over, but it still stung when poked directly like that. Sarah was just glad that Nadine did not seem to know who her mother really was. She hated the intrusive, repetitive questions she always got when they found out she was the child of a major celebrity.

For once, Nadine took the hint and changed the subject. "What about your father? It's just the two of you now, isn't it? How are you handling that?"

Sarah shifted a little. This, then, was a topic that really was bothering her and, as such, she was loathe to discuss it with Nadine. Since Karen had left, Richard had thrown himself into his work. He taught classes during the day and worked on experiments or scientific papers at night. 'Have to make tenure,' he would mutter when she asked. Sarah was certainly capable of taking care of herself, but it still stung, especially because she understood. When she looked in the mirror and saw her mother's face staring back at her, she had no doubt why her father distanced himself more and more.

"We're fine," she said, laying on heavy the acting ability she had inherited from her mother. "A real team."

Nadine frowned internally. For a moment, it seemed as if she had been on the border of a breakthrough, but one has to take these things slowly. At least the girl was talking today. Hoping to at least keep up the flow of conversation, Nadine said, "You will be graduating from high school in three weeks. How does that make you feel?"

"I don't know," Sarah said. "It just doesn't seem like such a big deal to me. They practically walk us through every class, so it's not a huge accomplishment, and I'm already enrolled at the University, so it's not like I'm done with my schooling. I don't see what the big hooplah is about."

"Aren't you looking forward to going to University?" Nadine asked.

Shaking her head, Sarah replied, "I don't even know what I want to do. I could always go into Physics, like Daddy but... It just doesn't fascinate me the way it does him. I thought about going into the liberal arts, but I know he'd be disappointed. Maybe history? I don't know."

"Well what about turning 18? That's just a month away. Don't you find that exciting?"

"Oh yeah," Sarah replied, her voice flat. "I can buy cigarettes and star in 'Barely Legal' porn."

Nadine's brows shot up.

"I'm kidding!" Sarah exclaimed, but Nadine was already jotting something down on her clipboard. Oh man. I'm going to regret that one, she thought, rubbing her temples. "I don't smoke and I'm not going to make pornography. I don't really care about my birthday at all," she said slowly, carefully pronouncing each word. "It's just another milestone that society has arbitrarily decided I have to make a big deal about."

"Well aren't you at least going to have a party?" Nadine asked, sounding a bit shocked. If her father was not even going to throw her a big eighteenth birthday party, perhaps she should look into possible child abuse.

"Daddy and I will probably go out to dinner. Maybe with Nana and Aunt Rhonda. I don't know. Nothing huge." Of course she was having a party. The only problem was that she was the only person who would be able to see or hear her guests. A tiny smile worked its way onto Sarah's face. Nobody threw a party like fantasy creatures, and Hoggle always gave the best gifts.

Sarah's eyes took on a rather glazed look as she thought about her friends in the Underground. Nadine examined this expression curiously. Usually, the girl was aloof and silent. She had never seen her look so... content. "What are you thinking about, Sarah?" Nadine asked, quietly.

Lost in her own thoughts, Sarah replied without really thinking. "The Labyrinth. I miss it there..."

The therapist frowned. "The Labyrinth? Where is that? What is that?"

Her thoughts snapping quickly into focus, Sarah sat up as if stung. "The Labyrinth?" she said, her voice a little too high. "That's just a place we used to go, um... for my birthday... When I was little." She giggled and it sounded fake even to her own ears. What had happened to that acting ability?

Nadine's brows had drawn down and her pencil was skipping across her clipboard. "Sarah, I think that we-"

Sarah jumped to her feet, cutting the other woman off. "Look at that!" she exclaimed, "Almost five o'clock. Wow, that just flew by, didn't it? Well I better get going, you have another appointment and all." She reached down to snatch up her backpack.

"Now calm down," Nadine said, "We still have plenty of time to-"

Once again, Nadine was cut off, but this time it was not Sarah's fault. There was a soft popping noise and, in the space between Sarah and the psychologist, a small creature appeared. He was rather disturbing to look at, with bulbous eyes and a mouth that sagged down almost below the level of his chin. His head was very round and he had no nose to speak of, with ears that looked vaguely like fish fins- an image which was compounded by the fact that they were continually flapping slowly back and forth as if his head were trying to swim off his body. Somehow, though, his slightly repulsive appearance was made endearing by the tiny, bright red cap on his head and matching bowtie.

Whatever he was, he certainly did not belong in an Aboveground psychologists office.

Sarah suppressed a giggle. Nadine screamed.

Day 0

2007-10-01T02:40:27Z

What do you want from me? It's not even October yet! Not for another three and a half hours, at least. Fine, fine. I'll give you some news.

My original intent was to start this badboy at exactly midnight tonight but... not going to happen. Those of you who know me, know that I work graveyard most nights, but days on Sunday, and it tends to leave me D-E-D, dead! So hopefully I can get some shut eye tonight (when it's dark out of all things) and get a start on The King's Bride in the morning.

Yes, that's the title. I've actually had this story kicking around in the back of my head for... How long, Marti? A few months, at the least. It should be good times. Expect an adventure story with romance and a hint of my slightly deranged humor. (No, it's not a crack-fic, Jareth! Geez.)

Do I have anything else worth saying?

Yes. Let me know if you're watching this.  If you don't have a LJ account, just leave a comment telling me. It's silly to keep the thing up if nobody cares.

Danika IS Insane

danikaisinsane @ 2007-10-08T22:58:00

Day One

Day 0