Author's Note: I'm really sorry for butchering Hoggle's accent. Please forgive me.

Disclaimer: As always, I don't own any of the characters, at least not in this chapter.

Chapter 1: Aren't Faery Tales Supposed to Have Happy Endings?

Sarah Williams was finally getting out of her life rut. She had attempted-and failed-college twice. However, she had finally discovered her passion and was going back to college. By her calculation she would graduate in a year and eighteen months; and once she passed her boards she would be a licensed veterinary technician.

Of course, there were still aspects of her life that needed quite a bit of help. For one, she had an awful time keeping her bank account from being overdrawn. Another frustration concerned her living arrangements. She was stuck in a year long lease, but only stayed at her apartment a few days out of each month. The rest of the time she lived with her parents.

The fact that she actually liked living with her parents shocked most who knew her. Granted, Sarah and her stepmother had not exactly gotten along when Sarah was younger. However, certain events in Sarah's life had changed both the girl and her relationships with those around her. True, the two women still occasionally went rounds, but for the most part they were friends.

One aspect of Sarah's life that was not a troublespot was her seven year old brother, Toby. Though she was hardly a kid person, Toby had her wrapped around his little finger. She was his friend, confidant, and-sometimes-bodyguard. When Sarah had given up her dreams to save her brother, she had meade it her priority to always be there for him.

A cold December night found Sarah pondering her blessings. She had just gone to bed, and as she lay staring at the ceiling thinking about the fact that she was twenty-two years old and had never drank a drop of alcohol or done drugs. The thing she was most thankful for, though, was that she was still a virgin and she was in love.

In fact, she had been in love with the same man for six years. Six very long years. The worst part was that three years earlier the unthinkable had happened.

She had been laying on her bed working on homework when she heard someone clear their throat. The noise made her jump and she immediately glanced at her door, but saw that it was still shut and locked. Then she heard, "Sarah?" Her head swivled to her vanity mirror, and to her surprise and delight she saw a familiar figure in the glass.

"Hoggle!" She exclaimed and she proceeded to dash over to her mirror and help the dwarf through the portal.

After a quick embrace they both sat down in the bean bag chairs by her window. As they got comfortable Sarah suddenly became worried. In her excitement over the surprise visit she had momentarily forgotten that Hoggle had only visited-without her calling-twice before. The first had been when she had just returned. The second had been when when Sir Didymus had been gravely ill and they thought he was going to die. Thankfully, though, he pulled through and he was better and more gallant than before.

"Hoggle," she queried, "is everything alright? No one's been hurt have they? Please tell me Ludo and Didymus are fine!"

He reached out and patted her arm, "Sarah, we're all fine. I'm not here about any of us."

Sarah thought that it seemed he had specifically emphasized the phrase "any of us," and for a mome3nt she tried to figure out what he was hinting at. "Well, if you're all okay, then what brings you here?" To her chagrin the question came out much harsher than intended, however Hoggle did not seem bothered by her frankness.

"Can't I jest come an visit an old friend?"

Sarah lowered her head and felt ashamed, "You're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't just expect you to be bearing bad news." She raised her head, "I'm glad to see you. Honest."

Hoggle smiled sadly at Sarah, "I'm sorry too, Sarah, but truth is you was right to suspect somethin' was wrong."

Sarah looked at him quizically, "But you just said you were all fine. I don't under…"Suddenly, a new thought entered her mind, "Hoggle, it's not Him is it? Is He okay?"

Hoggle stared at the floor and took a moment seeming to collect his thoughts. Then he took her hands in his and looked her in the eye, "Sarah, I know how you feel about Him, and I'll be the first to say that you shoulda been queen."

"Should've been queen? I'm not following."

"Sarah, He's, well, He's getting married. They jest announced it this mornin'."

Sarah pulled her hands from Hoggle's grasp. Standing up, she began pacing. Married? She thought, Impossible! Why in the last year he had done so much for her and spent so much time with her, she had actually started to believe that the bit about the king falling in love with the girl was more than just a line in a book. Even her friends from the Underground had confirmed that He was definitely smitten with her. Was I just a plaything that He could just toss away on a whim? "I thought he loved me," she whispered to no one in particular.

"Sarah?"

She looked at her mirror and saw that Hoggle had already climbed back through the portal. His eyes were as sad as hers and just before he left he said, "He does love you, and one day that will bring him back to you. And while you may not be Queen of our land, you are Queen of our hearts." With that her mirror once again became a mirror.

Sarah wiped away a tear. Darkness surrounded her, and she felt terribly cold. Though it had been three years since Hoggle had told her the sad news, it still hurt like crazy when she thought about it. That cold December night, it hurt worse to remember than it had in a long time. She knew why it did too.

Just that afternoon Hoggle had once again appeared unexpectedly. This time he bore news that the Queen was with child. This, to Sarah, was a worse blow than the marriage. She now knew for certain that she had no chance of ever being involved in His life ever again.

"I'll love him 'til I die," she whispered into the darkness.

Then suddenly the whole thing struck her as funny. She started giggling. What are you thinking? You have so much going for you and all you can do is mope about some guy. He's married, for crying out loud! He's moved on; and it's about time you did too."

Finally she stopped the giggles and slowly sleep crept over her, but just before it claimed her she found herself pondering what she had written on her blog a few hours earlier. It was a simple entry. In fact, it was nothing more than a question:

"Aren't faery tales supposed to have happy endings?"