SquidgeWorld Archive

Disclaimer: Joss, Mutant Enemy, and a lot of other people own the characters from Buffy. Labyrinth is owned by Jim Henson and Lucasfilm LTD. The song segment is sung by David Bowie and is from the movie. I get nothing by writing this except maybe some kind words of encouragement and a few cheers... at least I hope.

Spoilers: Buffy: None I know of, but probably all of the series just to be safe. Labyrinth: The entire movie

Setting: Starts after the Labyrinth movie then jumps ahead to Between Season 3 and 4 during Xander's Road Trip.

Author's Notes: This is a Buffy/Labyrinth crossover. " " as always means talking... while * * means thoughts.

Heir To The Power
by Michael Wilson

Sarah ran up the twisting staircase, chasing after her baby brother Toby.

"Toby!"

He was crawling away from her, moving faster and with more skill that he had ever seen before. Sarah ignored it, thinking it was all part of the magic of this place. It never dawned on her that it could be anything else.

"Toby!!"

She looked up at the floating clock following her. She was almost out of time. She ran to the nearest landing and leapt off. As she floated through the air, everything changed. The clock sounded once, twice, again and again until it chimed thirteen times... and he appeared.

"Time's up. Toby's mine."

Sarah shook her head.

"No. I made it here. You tricked me. I did everything I was supposed to do. I faced the challenges. I traveled the labyrinth and broached the walls of the Goblin City. I have done everything. Toby's coming home with me!"

Jarreth, the Goblin King, stared into her eyes and reached out a hand to touch her face, his fingers caressing her skin gently, softly, lovingly.

"Stay with me, Sarah, and I will let Toby go. All I wanted was you..."

Sarah blinked, trying to clear her head of the clouded emotions she felt now. She was drawn to Jarreth. She felt something so powerful toward him, so deeply that it shook her to her core.

"You'd give him up?"

Jarreth nodded.

"For you... I would if you chose to stay with me... willingly."

Sarah looked around and spotted Toby sitting on the remains of a landing high above her. She loved her little brother, she realized that now after going through so much to find him, and she wanted him safe.

"Let him go home and..."

She swallowed hard. Could she do it? Could she really stay in his world... forever? She looked up into his eyes and saw what looked like... love... looking back.

"... and I'll stay."

Jarreth nodded once and snapped his fingers. Reality swam and shifted and Sarah found herself suddenly holding Toby in her arms.

"You may go back now to return him... then return to me. Call my name and I will bring you here once more."

Sarah nodded and kissed Toby's cheeks.

"It might take some time to let everyone know I'm leaving. If I just vanish, people will get worried and we don't want that."

Jarreth nodded.

"Take as long as you need. Just call my name when you are ready and I will come."

Sarah nodded and moments later was gone. Jarreth summoned a crystal sphere and stared into it, watching as Sarah ran home through the rain and into her house. He watched as she ran upstairs and discovered Toby in his crib asleep. She played with his hair gently for a minute then walked off to her room. Instead of following her, Jarreth stared at Toby.

*Sarah is mine. I love her and I know she loves me, though she cannot yet say so. She thinks that I have released you, my little Toby...*

A laugh echoed in the cavernous room as Jarreth shook with glee.

*... but she is wrong. She never stopped to wonder why I took you in the first place; why I made things so difficult for her; why you appeared so different.*

As he gazed at little Toby as he slept, he noticed a glimmer of light encase Toby's body... then fade moments later.

*She has no idea what you are now... my little prince.*

Jarreth let out a bellowing laugh that brought goblins running to see what was going on. He glanced at them and smiled.

"Prepare a room for Sarah, my goblins. She will be living with us from now on."

The goblins looked at each other then nodded and ran off to do their task, leaving Jarreth to bask in his victory...

********

It took Sarah a few months to get everything taken care of and to gather what belongings she wished to take with her. In that time, she had tried to explain to her parents what had happened... but they wouldn't listen. They thought it was all a game, a fantasy so like the ones she would spend her days in. They laughed and made fun of her, making it easier for her to leave them. She was ready to go, butwanted to try just one more time. She didn't know why Jarreth gave in so easily.. but it bothered her. Toby might be in danger. She walked into her parent's bedroom and found her mother fixing her makeup.

"Mother?"

Her mother looked in the mirror and nodded.

"Yes Sarah?"

Sarah looked back into her room and let her eyes travel over her bags and boxes before she looked back at her mother.

"I'm leaving. I'm going away and I don't think I'll be coming back. Before I go... I just wanted to try once more to tell you what really happened... and to warn you that Toby isn't safe."

Sarah's mother rolled her eyes and spun around in her chair.

"Now listen here, Sarah. We've gone over this. We don't want to hear any more of your childish daydreams about creatures, magic, and goblin cities. It's not real. None of it is real. You dreamed it. You're fine. Toby's fine. We're all fine... and you're not going anywhere without us discussing this first."

Sarah looked at her mother and shook her head. It was pointless.

"You don't believe me."

Her mother nodded.

"I don't believe you."

Sarah nodded. She looked into the mirror and let out a sigh.

"I'm ready Jarreth."

Sarah's mother frowned in anger then saw light shining from behind her... from the mirror. She turned around and saw a strange man surrounded by tiny creatures staring back at her. She backed away in fear and turned around... only to see them standing in her room. She screamed out in fear and backed away as they gathered around Sarah.

"Can you have them get my things?"

The goblins smiled at Sarah then ran into her room and started gathering her belongs before vanishing into thin air. Jarreth took Sarah's hand and kissed it.

"You're ready?"

Sarah nodded.

"Yes, I'm..."

A wail of fear came from her mother as she realized that something was going on.

"Get away from her!"

Jarreth looked at Sarah`s mother and glared at her. He prepared a crystal sphere to throw at her when Sarah stopped him.

"No... let's just go."

Jarreth nodded and glanced down the hall to Toby's room.

"May I say goodbye to Toby..."

Toby... the man had said his name. Sarah's mother's eyes widened in fear.

"You stay away from my baby!"

Sarah looked at her mother then back at Jarreth.

"No... let's just go."

Jarreth nodded meekly and sighed.

"Very well."

He turned to Sarah's mother and smiled.

"Goodbye human."

As she watched on in fear, she witnessed her daughter and the strange man, Jarreth, vanish in thin air. She sat there and stared at the space they had been standing for a moment... then jumped to her feet and ran to Toby's room.

"Toby?!"

Toby was in his crib, asleep, safe. She picked him up and held him against her, rocking him slowly in fear.

*You not going to take my baby... you're not going to take my baby...*

A door slammed downstairs as her husband came home. His footsteps sounded up the stairs as he walked toward them. As his head appeared in the doorway, the smile on his face vanished the moment he saw the terror in his wife's face.

"Honey... what's wrong?"

Jessica Harris turned to her husband Anthony and let out a choked cry of fear.

"Is that offer to move still open?"

Anthony nodded.

"Yes... why? What's going on?"

Jessica swallowed and kissed Toby's head.

"Take the job. I want to move as quickly as possible."

She walked over and sat down in a nearby rocking chair and looked up at Anthony.

"Tony... we need to get out of here... before it's too late."

Anthony frowned in confusion.

"Too late for what?"

Jessica nodded to the chair next to her and waited until he sat down.

"Tonight... Sarah left us with the man she had been telling us about..."

Jessica told the entire story to her husband and watched as his expression switched from disbelief to anger to fear.

"... and so we have to leave and not tell anyone."

Jessica nodded. Anthony let out the breath he had been holding and got to his feet.

"I'll go call Fred and tell him I'll take the job. I'll also see what I can do about changing Toby's name legally. You get your things and we'll spend the night in a hotel tonight then go on from there in the morning."

Jessica nodded and went to gather her things while Anthony got on the phone. A few hours later they were in the car and on their way...

******

The car pulled into the driveway and a couple stepped out. They looked up at their new home and sighed. It was different from their last home, smaller, but it was necessary in order to keep Toby safe.

"You grab Toby and head inside. I'll get out bags and be in behind you."

Jessica nodded and shifted the baby in her arms.

"His name is Alexander, Anthony, remember?"

Anthony Harris nodded and smiled weakly.

"Right honey... I forgot. Take little Alex inside."

Jessica Harris nodded and walked into their new home. Anthony looked around the neighborhood and shook his head.

"So this is our new home... Sunnydale, California."

He shrugged, grabbed the bags, then followed his wife and son inside their new home...

*******

Years past and young Alexander grew up. He met a little red haired girl named Willow and a dark haired boy named Jesse. Alexander became Xander and soon a blond girl named Buffy came into the picture. Life moved on and things fell apart more and more each year until life was nothing like it had once been... all to keep Xander safe. His parents kept him safe for years before it all became like a joke to them. They turned to drinking and then forgot all about Sarah and the mystery man Jarreth. They hid from the world in a cocoon of alcohol and failed to see that young Xander was changing. No one noticed it... except for one man. Soon it would be time...

*******

"... from there I want to move north and see Yellowstone, if I can, then head east and see Mount Rushmore then either continue east or start heading south. I don't know yet how far I can get in the time I have. I'll just have to play it all by ear."

Xander sat back on Buffy's couch and smiled at his plan. He had some money saved up, his Uncle Rory's car, and a few dozen brochures of places he wanted to see. He had it all planned.

"Sounds like fun, Xander. You will be careful, won't you?"

Xander looked up at Mrs. Summers and smiled. He nodded and laughed.

"I promise, Mrs. S. Can't do anything to get myself hurt and forever doom the world to living without me in it. Women everywhere would weep and there would be riots in the street..."

Buffy rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Sure Xander, we'd be crushed."

Xander smirked and laughed.

"I'll be ok, Mrs. S. I have some money saved up and just got Uncle Rory's car tuned... so I'm good."

Joyce Summers nodded and smiled.

"Ok then... I'll stop worrying then."

She laughed and walked back into the kitchen.

"When are you leaving?"

Xander looked over at an unhappy Willow and smiled.

"Tomorrow. I have the car packed and ready."

He saw Willow's face fall and shook his head.

"I know you don't want me to go, Will, but I need to. Too much happened. The school..."

He paused. So many students had died... and he had been in charge. They told him it wasn't his fault... but he still felt guilty over it. He needed this time away to clear his head and forget.

"... I just need to get away for a while."

Buffy patted Willow's arm and then smiled at Xander.

"We understand, Xander, we just want you to be safe."

Xander nodded and smiled.

"I know. I will be."

He grinned and moved to pull the two of them into a hug.

"I love you guys."

Willow and Buffy smiled and hugged him back.

"We love you too, Xander."

The friends separated and went back to their celebrating... not knowing they were being watched.

********

Xander tossed his bag of snacks into the passenger side of the front seat and sat down behind the wheel. As he pulled out of the driveway and headed out of town, a shimmer of light caught his eye from the seat next to him. He pulled to a stop at the corner and glanced down to see a small crystal ball sitting on the seat.

"What the... where did you come from?"

He reached over and picked it up to look into it and for a moment, he felt something... familiar. It was as if he had seen one of these before... a long time ago. As he stared into it, he could swear he heard someone singing softly...

"... you remind me of the babe... what babe... the babe with the power... what power... the power of voodoo... who do.... you do... do what... remind me of the babe..."

Xander blinked and shook his head. The strangest feeling was washing over him and he wasn't sure he liked it.

"This is weird."

He dropped the ball back onto the seat and headed back out of town. As he passed the city limits, he failed to notice the small furry creature that was lying in the floorboard of the backseat... waiting for the right moment.

End Part 1