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It's Only Forever—Not Long At All                                                Chapter   1   2   3   4   5   7   8

by spikeNdru

BtVS/Labyrinth Crossover, Written for the Choose Your Author Ficathon.

 

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Chapter Six:  It's Not Always Swell


It was like being inside a snow globe, Dawn decided.  She stared at the dozens of masked party-goers, dressed in silks and 

satins and other sumptuous fabrics.  The curved crystal walls of the ballroom reflected the riot of colors, which added depth 

to the jewel-toned velvets, and burnished the silver or gold threads in the brocades.   It made the delicate lace sparkle like 

dew on spider webs in the first rays of the sun.

She caught a glimpse of herself in one of the silver columns that supported the dome of the crystal roof and turned to stare 

at her reflection.  This sophisticated-looking serene princess couldn't possibly be her—Dawn Summers—could it?  She looked 

glamorous, ethereal—and at least 19!  Cool!  Why shouldn't fantasy-Dawn be every bit as real as pretend-Dawn?  Maybe in 

this realm, this was how she really looked. Or . . . maybe this was how Jareth saw her.  Not as she was, but as she could be 

one day.

As if the thought of his name had summoned him, Dawn sensed the Goblin King's presence.  Her eyes ticked from one masked 

figure to another.  Where was he?  She couldn't find him!  There were too many people—all masked—surrounding her.  Their 

voices were too loud; their merriment sounded forced.

Dawn began to shove her way through groups of masked figures, frantically searching for Jareth.  Not this one.  Nor that one, 

either.  There was a roaring in her ears and she felt trapped in a nightmare from which she couldn't escape.  A niggling 

thought—that she was in another world, far from everything she knew, and no one had any idea where she was—teased at 

the edges of her consciousness.  And then he appeared, glittering like the prince in a faerie tale.  He seemed to glow with 

magic. 

He stretched out a hand and Dawn trustingly placed her hand in his.  He bowed to her, his arm sweeping out in a grand 

gesture, before gently, but firmly, supporting her back as they began to waltz.  And, once more, the magic swept her into 

its spell and everything was right in Dawn's world.  Dawn smiled happily at Jareth and they danced.


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“Xander!”  Giles threw out his arm to keep the door from closing.  He carefully leaned forward to look.  Behind the door there 

was no solid ground at all—just a gaping maw leading down into the earth.  Giles felt a touch of vertigo and dropped to his 

knees.  He lay flat on the ground and wiggled forward until his head and shoulders were over the pit.  He pressed his shoulder 

into the door to prop it open, gripped the door jamb with both hands, took a deep breath and looked down.

The earthen walls were unmarked for about twelve feet, then rocky protuberances dotted the walls for as far down as he 

could see.  Giles tried to assess if this was a good thing.  If the jutting rocks went all the way down to the end of the . . . 

well? . . . shaft? . . . he refused to think 'hellmouth' . . . not thinking that at all—Xander could possibly use the rock as foot 

and hand holds to climb back out.  If he hadn't struck his head on the protrusions and dashed his brains out on the way down, 

that is.

“Xander!  Xander, are you all right?”  Oh, please be all right!  “Xander, can you hear me?”

The rock protuberances began to move, forming faces.  Giles looked closer.  Each individual rock was—a hand?  Yes!  Two hands 

curved into fists to make eyes, another made a nose and upper lip, a fourth completed the lower jaw, and the creature spoke.

“He can't hear you.”

“Er . . . why is that?”

The hands shifted and different sets formed a new face.  “He went down.”

“Where did he go?”

The hands continued to form individual faces, and they all talked at once.  “Down.” “Down to the place where you're forgotten.”  

“Down.”  “Doooown.”  “Dooooooooown!”

“Yes, thank you.  I understand that he went down.  Is he injured?”

A new face that formed seemed to bear an uncanny resemblance to Dawn in a snit. He could almost see the non-existent eyes 

roll in the empty space between the curved fingers.

“Of course he's not injured!  What do you take us for?”  “How insulting.”  “He thinks we've fallen down on the job!”

“Sorry.  I didn't mean to imply anything of the sort.  I'm sure you're quite good at your job, whatever it is that you do.”

“We're Helping Hands.”  “We help them down.”  “The ones that come.”

“Oh, er . . . that's very kind of you.”

“Of course it is!”  “And hardly anyone appreciates us!”  “They're so upset to be in the oubliette, they never stop to think that 

if it wasn't for us, they'd still be down there, but they might be injured.”  “Or dead.”  “Yes, they could be dead!  And do we 

even get so much as a 'thank you'?”

“Thank you!  Thank you all.  I appreciate your helping my friend.”

“Oh.”  “Well.”  “That's different.”  “He thanked us!  Did you hear?  He thanked us.” “Would you like us to help you down?”

“Thank you, no.  Not at present.  I need to discover a way to get my friend out of the oubliette, not join him there.  Is there 

another way down?”

“We don't know.”  “We only know this way down.”

Giles thought he heard something.  “Xander?” he called again, but there was no answer.  Giles raised his head and listened.  

There was a definite tuneless humming sound, and it was coming from behind him, not from the oubliette.  He scrambled to 

his feet and turned in the direction of the sound.  The door slammed shut.

“Bloody hell!”  Giles pushed on the door, but it refused to open.  “Who's there?” he called.  “Is anyone there?”

Hoggle, the dwarf, came into view.  “Oh, it's you.  Are you still here?  Where's the talky one?”

“He's fallen down the oubliette.  Do you know another way down to it?”

“I might.  There's oubliettes all over the Labyrinth.”

“Do you know how to get to this one?”

“Maybe.  If I shows you the way, what's in it for me?”

Giles had a brainstorm.  “Jewels!”  He exclaimed.  “You like jewels, don't you?  If you help me rescue him, I'll give you jewels.”

Hoggle appeared interested.  “Let's see 'em.”

“Not until you help me find Xander—and get him out of the oubliette.”

“How does I know you really gots 'em?” Hoggle asked suspiciously.

Giles removed his wristwatch.  “They're in here.”

“I don't see no jewels.”

“Ah . . . that's because they are hidden jewels—so, erm, people won't steal them from you.”  Giles turned the watch over.  

“See?  It says '17 jewels' right here.”

“Seventeen, hmm?” Hoggle's eyes glittered avariciously.  “There's 17 jewels in that little case and no one can steal 'em from me 

because no one will know theys there.”

“Yes.  That's the ticket!  They are only for you—once you've helped me rescue Xander.”

“Follow me,”  Hoggle ordered, and started off.

Giles followed.


~*~*~*~*~*~


Hoggle stopped at the dead end of a long tunnel.

“Here you are.  The oubliette.  I'll takes my jewels, now.”  He made a grab for Giles' watch.

“Wait!”  Giles grasped his watch tighter.  “You said you'd help me get him out—this is solid rock.  How am I supposed to get 

through this?”

“You goes through the door.”

“There is no bloody door!”

Giles grabbed Hoggle at the throat, twisting his shirt into a knot, which he used to lift Hoggle several feet off the ground.  He 

thrust Hoggle against the wall, leaned close and hissed, “If you're fucking with me, rest assured that you will very much regret 

it. Now.  We had an agreement.  I agreed to give you the jewels, and you agreed to get Xander out.”  Giles released his hold 

on Hoggle's shirt and Hoggle slid several feet down the wall until his feet touched the ground.  Giles leaned down until their 

foreheads were nearly touching.  “I suggest you do so—immediately.”

“All right, all right!  No need to get testy!”

“No?  I should think that attempted betrayal would call for a bit of testiness, don't you agree?”

Hoggle made a show of brushing his clothes off and straightening his shirt.  He gave Giles a look that he hoped conveyed hurt 

innocence.  He wasn't quite able to pull it off and succeeded only in looking unctuous. 

“I wasn't betraying you!  Here's the door, right here!”

Hoggle picked up an un-hung door which was leaning against the far wall and dragged it across the passage with some effort, 

glaring at Giles the entire time.

Giles raised his eyebrows at Hoggle's affronted expression and gave him a very Ripper-like smile.

Hoggle slammed the door against the purported wall of the oubliette, turned the knob and opened the door.

“Xander!”  Giles called.

Xander whipped around at the sound of Giles' voice, saw the open door and barreled through.  He caught Giles up in a bear hug, 

pounding him on the back in his exuberance.

“Giles!  Merciful Zeus!  Am I glad to see you!  I thought I'd never get out of there!” Xander stepped back and grinned.  “I mean, 

not that I thought you'd just leave me here or anything, but it just seemed like I was in there forever.”

Hoggle thrust a hand between then.  They both jumped back.

“He's out.  I wants the jewels you promised me,” Hoggle demanded.

“Oh, certainly.”  Giles handed his watch to Hoggle as a distant rumbling noise was heard, rapidly getting louder.

Hoggle snatched the watch and began to run as fast as his little legs could carry him.

“Wait!” Giles called.  “What do we—” 

Hoggle glanced over his shoulder.  “It's the cleaners.  You runs!”

Xander shrugged.  “I guess that means we runs.”

The noise appeared to be much closer.  Rumbles filled the tunnel and echoed off the walls, becoming painfully loud.

They ran.


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Continue to Chapter Seven

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