"Why?" Magenta was sitting in her throne, clearly annoyed.

"She's a cutie. Reminds me of your uncle." He bounced Laura on his leg. "Of course, I'm pretty sure this one's a girl." Magenta rolled her eyes, putting her head in her hands.

"Why don't you check?" He scrunched up his face.

"No... That's gross. I mean... She doesn't use the toilet yet, right?" Magenta laughed, not able to believe what she was hearing.

"Do you never plan on having kids?" He shrugged.

"I thought the goblins would take care of it." Magenta thought.

"I couldn't have my baby raised by goblins. I don't care if you're not involved." Jareth raised his eyebrows.

"And when do we have a baby together? I might want to mark that on my calender." Magenta snorted.

"Well, we've covered that you're not letting me leave." Jareth's face softened.

"Magenta..." She looked at him, curious as to why his tone got... Sorrowful? "You can leave at anytime. Anytime at all. If I'm ever... That horrible to you, to make you leave... I deserve it." Magenta's eye widened, loosing her outer shell.

"It's not like you could be horrible enough to make me leave, Jare." She laughed. "God, that's easier to say." She laughed again.

"Jare?" She nodded, her eyes full of youth that is almost never revealed, even though she herself is still in her early twenties. "I like that. Genta."

"And... That's where we draw the line." He laughed.

"You know what?" She looked back up at him. "You didn't freeze up." She blinked a few times, thinking. "Progress?" She laughed to herself.

"Maybe. Not much, but it's something." Laura started fussing. "Okay!" She got up off her throne, and took Laura to her room, while Jareth followed like a lost puppy. "Auntie Genta's here, don't worry." She shushed Laura, and put her in the nightgown Columbia brought.

"That thing's giant. You can't even see her feet." Magenta laughed.

"That's the point." She laid her in the crib, and Magenta sat down on the bed, gently rocking it. "I feel the heat from your skin, and the stubble on your chin, you're no good." Jareth smiled as she began to sing. "You've got dirt on your hands, and everybody understands you're no good. Oh, what a joke. You feel like choking. You play for broke, he leaves you smoking. Oh, romance is not a children's game. But you keep going back... It's driving you insane." Jareth's smile vanished, and was replace with an expression of deep thought. "Drift into the Treacle deep, slip into its silent depths, go to sleep. With your everything akimbo, float into the sandman's limbo." She rubbed her thumb on the baby's head. "Night night... It's time for bye-byes. It's been a great day, thanks a heap. Now it's time for everyone to go to sleep..." She stood up quietly, ushered Jareth out, and dimmed the lights.

"What was that?" Magenta looked up at him.

"What?" He sighed, putting his arm around Magenta, and guiding her into a tunnel. "Where are we going?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose, and stopped her. "What were you singing to the baby?" She shrugged.

"It's a Lullaby." She picked at her nail.

"For children?" She nodded, a little freaked out. "It seems to have a lot more truth than what it appears to be." He continued walking, and Magenta struggled to take up to his long strides.

"What do you mean Jare?" He sighed.

"Romance is not a children's game, but you keep going back, it's driving you insane." Magenta stopped, and grabbed his arm. "Okay. You never so that to a king. EVER."

"I'll do what I want." He was speechless. "Why can't that be in a lullaby?"

"It's just..." He grabbed the bridge of his nose again. "It's too true. Some people aren't... Mature enough to realize what love is, and others, once they fail, they keep... Going back!"

"You don't have to go back." Magenta stared off into the distance, and tapped her foot on the ground. "My only love... He's gone." Her head bent down.

"Oh god. Magenta? Love?" He raised her head to his eye level and held her chin up. "Magenta? Fuck." She was babbling incoherently, and Jareth half carried, half steered her down the tunnel, into the courtyard. He sat her down on the cool bench, and waited until she was back to normal, and had her hands folded in her lap. "I know what you mean. I thought my only love was gone too. This used to be her garden." Magenta looked up at Jareth, the corners of her eyes filled with tears.

"Where is she?" Jareth sighed.

"Over there. Under that willow." Magenta's face furrowed, and then it slacked.

"Oh... Oh god, Jare... I'm so sorry." He held up his hand, and shook his head.

"It's fine. She was sick, she was starting to... Well, loose her mind, actually. She finally passed one day in her sleep. We planted that willow when we buried her. They represent magic, inner healing, and dreams." Magenta blinked a few times, thinking. "And she's usually in mine."

"Jare..." He looked at her. "How old are you?" He laughed, but stopped.

"Damn. I've lost track, honestly. A few hundred years? Thousand?" He shrugged, and Magenta gasped.

"How..." He laughed.

"Immortality, dear." He laughed at her shocked expression. He was about to say something more, when, all of a sudden, it stared raining, and Magenta squealed "Where did that come from?" Magenta laughed as he pulled his jacket off for her. "Makes you feel like an actor, doesn't it?" Magenta laughed, running back to the tunnel with Jareth. He walked her to her room for the night.

"Well, goodnight, Jare." She giggled, something rare for Magenta, and hugged him.

"Goodnight. It's still not fair you took my bedroom." Magenta laughed.

"If you didn't tell me you wanted to marry me, I wouldn't of refused to let you in the bed with me!" Jareth rolled his eyes, scoffing.

"I thought that was a given." Magenta grinned, and shoved him down the hall.

"Night Jare!" She walked into her room, took her dress and the jacket off, and slipped into the pale white bed.


She sat on the cold, stone bench, looking at the willow tree. "Hello Magenta." She turned to a bright, white spirit.

"Who are you?" She laughed, sitting beside Magenta.

"I'm Jareth's first love. Khrystalline." Magenta nodded, slowly. "I don't approve of you."

"What?" The spirit's light was draining into a gray.

"Jareth's in love with you. He was in love with your mother before, but I knew I had no problems with her. She just wanted that baby. But... You. He's hopeless." She was a deep shade of black now. "THAT'S NOT GOOD! HE'S MINE!" She lunged at Magenta, holding her down. "And if you ever forget that, you'll pay." The spirit laughed, getting off of Magenta, and looking like she burst into flames. "But, no, you're too in love with your dead brother to do anything, right?"


Magenta woke up in a cold sweat, to a note on the pillow beside her.

"Thanks for not waking up. We're in the throne room, if you ever do. This baby is pure evil, but so cute.

-Jare"

She rolled her eyes, splashed her face with water, and walked into the throne room. It had to of been a dream. She woke up from it! "Hey!" Magenta nodded, taking Laura a bottle, and Jareth fed her. "When's your friend coming to get her?" She shrugged.

"You're the one who controls admissions to the goblin city." I looked at his watch. "She should be dressed by now." He nodded, and tossed Magenta a crystal.

"Check." Magenta peered into the ball, and she was awake, sitting on the couch, dressed, waiting for them.

"She's good." She tossed it back to Jareth, and Columbia appeared before their eyes.

"Damn you Jareth. You scare the shit out of me every time you do that!" She laughed, and grabbed Laura. "How was she?" He laughed.

"Good." she smiled at him, taking Laura.

"How was Genta?" Magenta glared at Columbia, who started laughing.

"She was very good. She broke down once after the ball, and it wasn't even that bad." Columbia supported Laura with her arm, and clapped.

"Jare, can I see a crystal?" He nodded, throwing one to her.

"Ooh... Jare..." She winked. "Genta and Jareth, sitting in a tree-" Magenta threw the crystal at Columbia's head, and it engulfed her and Laura.

"Thank you." Jareth laughed. "So... What was your wife's name?" He shook his head.

"No, uh, we never actually married." Magenta nodded. "More like a groupie. She was a babe though." Jareth smirked. "Her name was Khrystalline." Magenta's heart stopped. "Magenta?"


"DON'T EVEN TRY." Magenta jerked up from the bench. "HE'S MINE!" The spirit was in flames again, and she shoved Magenta down. She got painfully close to Magenta. "Don't forget it. And in case you do..."


"Magenta!" Jareth leapt out of his throne, and kneeled down to Magenta in the floor, who acted as if she was being choked. He held her until she stopped crying, and she realized what was going on. She quickly leapt up, and backed away.

"No... I..." She ran out of the room, and into the kitchen. "K?" She looked around, and fell into her arms., crying. "It's horrible!"

"What is, honey?" K stroked her head until she calmed down.

"I..." Magenta sighed. "I can't tell you."

"Can I guess?" K had the eagerness of a five year-old, while Magenta nodded. "Okay... Jareth." It wasn't even a question. "And his babe?"

"Ye-yes... Ho-" K laughed.

"I'm a seer. She's been a little off sense you've been here." Magenta blinked a few times. "She's angry. He's really in love with you."

"MAGENTA!" Jareth banged on the door.

"I'm fine. Just... I'm fine." K walked to the door.

"Jareth?" She opened it quickly, and stepped out, turning him towards her. "Magenta is having a little trouble adjusting to being here. She'll be fine, but you may want to go up to the throne room. Clean up a bit." She shoved him on his way, and walked back into the kitchen. "Let's go to my quarters hon." Magenta followed her, ducking through the door.

"It's so small in here..." K shrugged, sitting down.

"Magenta?" Magenta sat down in front of her. "Do you have faith?"

"I have faith in a lot of things, just not God." K nodded.

"What do you have faith in?" Magenta sighed, messing with her stocking.

"Not much, anymore." K lit a few candles, giving the room an eerie shine.

"What did you used to have faith in?" K sat back down, and Magenta grinned, closing her eyes.

"That I could wake up, each morning, safe, and knowing that I was waking up next to someone that I love, and they love me back." K simply nodded, studying Magenta.

"You know, when people die, they don't leave... If they have unfinished business." Magenta's eyes opened slowly. "We could try to call him.

"Uh... Sure!" Magenta blushed at how excited she sounded, and K laughed.

"Alright." She nodded towards Magenta, who shut her eyes, and they took each other's hands.

"Uh... Riffy? I guess... If you're here... Could you come out?" She waited, holding her breath, until someone brushed the hair off her left shoulder, and her neck started to tingle. "Riffy?"

"I feel a presence. It's him." Magenta started to cry in delight.

"Riffy..." K smiled.

"He says not to cry over him. It's not your fault." She started sobbing.

"Riffy... I would... I'd do it all over. I don't care if Columbia lives... I want you to. Or... Or I'd... I'd stay in there, so we'd get killed together." K rubbed her thumb over Magenta's hand.

"He says that it's better you lived. You were always the stronger one. Besides, he knows that Jareth really likes you." K opened her eyes as Magenta was pinned to the floor, gasping.