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A Study in Glitter Chapter I

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Chapter I: The Babe with the Power

The Almighty Disclaimer
Oh Moffat and Gatiss,
Henson and Doyle,
Pika-la Cynique the generous,
To you belongs all the characters
And none so for me!

A/N: This story was inspired by "The Thin White Sleuth..." by Pika-la-Cynique(pika-la-cynique.deviantart.com…) of Girls Next Door fame.





Nine Days Earlier

Sarah Williams was not used to nightmares. She guessed long ago that it was one of the gifts the Goblin King had bestowed on her. However, ever since she was injured, nightmares chased her in every dream.

They were always changing. Some were from the war itself. The war dreams mainly consisted of people she could not save or the events that caused her to be injured. Some were of the Labyrinth where some of her friends and even the Goblin King were killed. (The Goblin King dreams happened more often than Sarah cared to admit.) The worst dreams were of her baby brother being killed in either of those places.

Sarah would wake up screaming no matter what.





There were no psychologists currently in the know of magical powers in the Above that could help Sarah. To keep her small grasp of sanity, she had to go to a shrink who would lock her in an asylum if the good doctor knew that the Champion of the Labyrinth still had tea with a dwarf, a fox, and a monster who called upon the rocks.

"You want me to write a blog?" Sarah asked.

"Yes, to get your feelings out there and to receive assistance from other people like you," the psychologist said.

"No one is like me," Sarah said.

"You won't know until you reach out," the doctor said.





Sarah had been living in London for over a month. Though her family would have been more than willing to help her, she knew that they would only be confused by why she was complaining of an injured leg with no wounds. She was shot in the shoulder, after all.

The magicians in London, however, knew better. Not that they were able to do anything for her leg. (Even the citizens of the Labyrinth did not know what to do about her leg.) They did not think that Sarah was crazy and that was what she needed most.

One of these magicians was a Dr. Stamford. He was a kind man with three daughters aged 5, 8, and 11. The girls were fond of Sarah, her stories, and her long hair that was perfect for braiding. Because of Sarah's bond with his daughters, Dr. Stamford had been on the look-out for a way for Sarah to remain in London, a city which had quickly claimed Sarah's heart with its people, stories, twists and turns.

The two new friends sat in Russell Square. Stamford was on his lunch break and Sarah was enjoying the fresh air. Both were wishing they could slap the tourist feeding the rats with wings.

"You know, in that corner of the garden over there was where the idea of splitting the atom was discovered," Dr. Stamford said.

"Look how well that turned out," Sarah grumbled.

"Why are you so glum today?" Dr. Stamford asked.

"No one will hire me and I can't find a place to stay," Sarah said, "I have three days left in the little hostel they set me up in. I've tried getting a job, but no one wants to deal with a crippled American with no job prospects. With that in mind, who'd want me for a flatmate?"

"You know, you're the second person to say that to me today," Dr. Stamford said, "I think the two of you might get along. Do you mind having a man as a flatmate?"

"Depends if he can keep his hands to himself," Sarah said.

"He is a perfect gentleman, as far as I and my colleagues know," Dr. Stamford said.

"I think I may take a flat with anyone at this point, even a goblin," Sarah said.






St. Bartholomew's Hospital was a magical place. It was not so, originally, but the influence of J. M. Barrie infected the hospital so thoroughly, that it was the best place in England to deal with magical medical mysteries. All of the best magicians, Fae, and ordinary doctors worked together to make the world a better place.

When those people failed, the bodies were sent to Ms. Molly Hooper, one of only three coroners allowed to examine magically contaminated bodies in England. She was an expert in her field and cared deeply about others.

Molly firmly told herself that the reason she was fetching tea and reports for this particular Fae was purely out of a general sense of good will to all living things, and not from a mild infatuation with his cheekbones. She learned that crushes led nowhere from her previous attachment to a certain curly haired brunette who also had marvelous cheekbones...

"Oh, Ms. Hooper, how nice to see you," Dr. Stamford said.

"Afternoon Dr. Stamford," Molly said.

Molly liked Dr. Stamford. He did not send her bodies to her as often as the other doctors. He was kind and never forgot to send her a family Christmas card. His girls were a bit of brats, but then everyone is at one point in life or another.

"This is Sarah Williams, a friend of mine," Dr. Stamford said, "Sarah Williams, Molly Hooper, the best coroner in London."

"Well, I wouldn't say the best," Molly said shyly.

"Nice to meet you," Sarah said, switching her cane to her other hand so she could shake Molly's hand.

"Nice to meet you too," Molly said, "American, are you?"

"Yes," Sarah said.

"Welcome to England," Molly said.

"Do you know where the rascal is?" Dr. Stamford asked.

"I'm just bringing him some tea and reports. Follow me," Molly said.

"What's his experiment this time?" Dr. Stamford asked.

"A riding crop and the marks that are formed after ten minutes," Molly said.

"A riding crop?" Sarah asked with a snort.

"Yes, apparently it deals with a case," Molly said. Her phone buzzed and played "Accident" by the Baha Men, "Oh, bugger, I need to run. He's probably set something on fire. See you two later."

As Molly ran to the library to stop whatever disaster the Fae had started, she could faintly here Sarah say, "A riding crop? What would anyone need to perform an experiment with a riding crop?"






"St. Bartholomew's has an extensive library of magical illnesses and curses, eleventh largest in the world and the second largest in London. People come from all over the world to study the knowledge kept here," Dr. Stamford said.

"And the hospital owns the rights to Peter Pan," Sarah said.

"That's actually why it has such magic," Dr. Stamford said.

"Really? I do believe in fairies and all of that?" Sarah asked.

"Yes," Dr. Stamford said, "I think they might let you work here, actually. I'll see into it."

"Thanks Dr. Stamford. I don't want to put you out. You have already done so much for me," Sarah said.

"You're not putting me out, girl. You are the only person that my girls will behave for besides my wife and me," Dr. Stamford said.

"I'm just a new toy to play with," Sarah said as they continued through the passages of books. "This library is a maze."

"More like a labyrinth," a new, but familiar, voice said.

Sarah froze. She wanted to run, fight, or throw up. All she could do, though, was stand there while her leg revolted in agony from the adrenaline coursing through her.

A blonde man, whose wild hair was pulled back into a pony tail, was facing away from her at a desk, surrounded by books and papers. He wore a white dress shirt and black vest. He tapped his cup of tea and sighed.

"I need something stronger than this," Jareth said, "Sarah, you would not happen to have some Goblin ale with you, would you?
A/N: Thank you for all the favorites and comments. It is really encouraging.


I have actually been to Russell Square where Sherlock shot the Stamford/Watson meeting for "A Study in Pink" and the story about the atom is true. Visit, it is a lovely garden and is near the British Museum. The bench they sat on, however, was made specifically for that scene so you won't be able to sit where they sat.

I have also walked by St. Bart's, but it was before they began shooting Season 2.

As always thanks to Pika-la-Cynique([link]) for letting me use her picture as inspiration.

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Such a great first chapter to read again. My thoughts while reading this: Oh the blog! I forgot about the blog! Giggle Giggle Oh Sarah how accurate your words are. I forgot about Molly being one of three people who can handle magical cases. No Jareth, Sarah doesn't have any alcohol with her.