Disclaimer: Still own nothing

Toby drove along the darkened highway eying his niece cautiously. He had expected to be bombarded with questions the moment he got in the car, if not from Jasmine then certainly from his parents. He had been prepared for it, braced for it. In fact, he had been practicing what he would say in his mind for quite some time now. But instead of questions he was faced with stony silence. He continued to watch Jasmine, occasionally glancing in the rearview mirror at his parents. No one seemed to have any intention of asking him anything.

Toby sighed. He could stand it no longer. "Doesn't anyone want to ask me what I know?" He asked, almost begging. The silence remained, but at least they were all looking at him now.

Finally Jasmine spoke. "So suddenly it's your place to tell us?" she asked icily. Ah, so that was how it was going to be. Fine, she could be angry with him if she liked. He had been loyal to his sister, and that's what mattered.

"Things are different now, Jas. You know that." He told her.

It was Jasmine's turn to sigh. She wasn't really angry with him; she just hadn't wanted to be the first to speak. And of course he was right. Things were very, very different. "Okay." She said finally. "Tell me what you know about my father."

Toby looked over at her and then back at the road. "Well, maybe you should tell me what you know about him first." He told her.

Jasmine tilted her head to the side and mused silently for a minute. "Come to think of it," she said, "I don't really know much more about him than I did before."

"But you know he's not…" Toby trailed off, glancing again at his parents in the rear view mirror. How would they take all of this?

"Human?" Jasmine finished for him. "No, he's Fae."

"You mean like in fairy tales?" Karen asked from the back seat.

"Something like that." Jasmine answered.

"That's ridiculous." Robert huffed, to which Jasmine summoned a crystal to her fingertips (she was doing it quite easily now, she realized happily) and caused it to glow a soft blue, illuminating her Grandfather's face.

"Really, Grandpa?" she asked. He stared at her silently for a moment before slumping back in his seat, mumbling under his breath. He was too tired, too confused, and had seen too much to argue, so resigned himself to the knowledge that his daughter had been impregnated by a fairy tale.

Jasmine sent the sphere away and continued. "He told me that he left Mother because other Fae might hurt her if they knew about her. Probably even have killed her. He had no idea she was pregnant."

"How can you know that for sure?" Karen asked.

Jasmine turned to look at her grandmother. "You didn't see his face when he realized who I was. I've never seen someone look so happy and so sad at the same time. There's just no way he knew."

"She's right." Toby agreed. "Sarah told me that she didn't even know yet when he left. He couldn't have known." In the back seat Robert looked up at his son and then nodded tersely. The thing that had upset him more than anything else about the situation had been the thought that Sarah and her children had been abandoned intentionally. He found himself more than a little comforted by this new information. "Is that all he told you?" Toby continued, addressing Jasmine.

"It's all he had time to tell me." She answered. "When he found out about Mom, all he could think about was getting to her."

Every one went quiet at the mention of Sarah and her illness. Silently, they each prayed that wherever Jareth had taken her she had found peace of one kind or another. They were all a little stunned when Toby broke the silence with laughter. "Obviously he had time for a little more than that." He said.

"What do you mean?" Jasmine asked.

Toby made a flicking motion with his wrist. "As far as I know, you weren't pulling crystals out of the air this morning."

Jasmine blushed. "Oh, that. Ye, I guess it's a Fae thing."

Toby shook his head. "Somehow I don't think they can all do that." At their questioning glances he decided perhaps he should get on with the rest of the story. He took a deep breath and began. "When I was little, Sarah had a story book called the Labyrinth. Do you remember it, Mom?"

"Do I?" Karen answered. "How could I forget? She used to spend hours at the park acting it out."

"Did you ever read it?" Toby asked her.

"Well, I skimmed through it. It wasn't really my kind of story. I remember there was some evil Goblin King that stole children and turned them into goblins or something." She answered him. "It used to bother me that Sarah was so hung up on the story. She seemed too old for fairy tales."

"Well," Toby said. "It wasn't exactly a fairy tale. "Parts of it were true."

Jasmine looked at him warily. "Which parts?" she asked.

"Well, it turns out there really was a Goblin King." Toby told her. "And while he wasn't evil exactly, and he didn't steal children, he did take children who were wished away. And the only way to get them back was solve his Labyrinth, which apparently no one ever did. No one except Sarah."

He stopped then, waiting for the storm to break loose. He wasn't disappointed. "What?" three voices asked in unison?

Toby smiled, beginning to enjoy the story. "You see, one night, when Sarah was fifteen, she was left alone to baby-sit me. Apparently I got dumped on her a lot, and I wasn't the easiest baby to take care of."

"You were a perfect baby!" Karen interjected, and Toby laughed again.

"For you, maybe. But not for a fifteen year old girl." He told her. "Anyway, as Sarah put it, she couldn't shut me up and in a fit of temper she said the words that would wish me away to the Goblin King. She didn't mean it of course, and never thought in a million years it would actually work anyway. Unfortunately it did, and the next thing she knew I had disappeared and the Goblin King himself showed up in my place. He gave her a choice. She could either attempt to solve the Labyrinth and win me back, or she could have all her dreams fulfilled. She chose to save me."

Karen gasped. "Oh my God!" she cried. "You were nearly turned into a goblin?"

Toby shook his head. "It turns out he never really turns wished away children into goblins; he just sends them to be raised by other humans in his kingdom."

"Oh." Karen said, only mildly comforted. She didn't know weather she should be angry or not, but she certainly was not happy.

"Anyway, the point is Sarah won. She got me back. Apparently she was the first person ever to solve the Labyrinth, and the Goblin King was intrigued by her. He sent us both back home, but he couldn't stop thinking about the remarkable human girl who had beaten his unbeatable game. So one night he came to visit her. And the next, and the next. Before long they became friends. Then later, when Sarah was older they became…more."

Jasmine's eyes grew wide. "Are you saying my father is the Goblin King?" she asked.

Toby smiled. "Yep."

"Then that makes me a…"

"Yep." Toby laughed.

Jasmine grinned wickedly. "Just wait 'til I tell Ryan." She said.

"You don't have anything over him." Toby chuckled. "His father's a king too."

"Yes, but I'm older. That makes me next in line for the throne." Jasmine giggled.

Through the stunned silence in the back seat Karen finally spoke. "So when exactly did Sarah tell you all of this?" she asked.

"She told me about the Labyrinth when I was eight, mainly because I never quite forgot it." Toby answered.

"How is that possible?" Karen wondered, "You couldn't have been more than a year old."

"I'm not sure how I remember it." Toby said, "But I do. They're vague memories, almost dreamlike, but they were enough to have made Sarah decide she should tell me the truth. It wasn't until I was fifteen, though, that she told me that Jareth was the father of the twins. And that was only because I figured it out."

"How?" Jasmine asked.

"I suppose I remembered Jareth so well that I recognized him in the two of you." Toby explained. "At least I think that's it. Everyone could see there was something special about the two of you. I was just the only one who had seen it before and could put a name to it."

Jasmine smiled. "So many things make sense now." She said.

Robert frowned. "I'm glad someone thinks so." He mumbled.

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The rest of the drive had been silent as Jasmine and her grandparents struggled to come to terms with what they had just learned. They were home now, sitting in Sarah's living room and staring at one another expectantly. Jasmine had made a pot of coffee and served it, all the way thinking Do princesses drink coffee? Do they drink tea? Either way, I'm sure they don't make it themselves. Her mind had been rambling that way for quite some time now, and she wished that something would happen to make her think about something else.

Finally Karen spoke, addressing her words to her mop headed son. "So let me get this straight. Sarah wished you away to the Goblin King, but won you back. Then the Goblin King fell in love with her, fathered her twins, but left because he was afraid his own people would kill her?"

"That's the terribly simplified version, yes." An accented voice said from the landing at the top of the stairs.

Jasmine stood and whirled around to see her father making his way down the stairs. A King. A King. My father's a King (I'm a princess!) he's the Goblin King. He certainly did look regal, descending the stairs with such grace it almost hurt to watch him. He had done away with the human street clothes he had donned to go to the hospital, and was now wearing tight satiny breeches that disappeared into the top of tall leather boots. His shirt was black as well, with loose sleeves and buttons that seemed only to come to the middle of his chest. Over this was a black leather vest with silver details, and a black frock coat embroidered with Celtic knots in intricate designs. Yep, he was a king, alright. How had she missed that before? Finally her mind latched onto the only other subject she could have gotten excited about just then. "Mother?" she asked hopefully.

"Is resting for now but sends her love." Jareth said smiling.

The atmosphere in the room lightened palpably as four people sighed in relief. Jasmine threw her arms around Jareth as he reached the bottom of the stairs, almost causing him to lose his balance. Blushing, she stepped back and did her best approximation of a curtsey, which is very difficult to do in blue jeans. Jareth laughed and pulled her lightly to her feet. "What was that?" he asked her, his eyes twinkling.

Jasmine looked down, blushing brighter than before. "It's just, I don't know what I'm supposed to do around you. I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to call you."

Jareth cupped her chin with his gloved fingers and lifted her face upwards. "You had no problem finding a name for me before." He reminded her, searching her eyes.

"Yes, but you didn't tell me you were a king." She answered quietly.

Jareth was silent for a moment, motionless. "Ah." He said finally, kissing her lightly on the forehead before letting go of her chin and looking towards the others in the room. "I see Toby has filled you in on a few things." When Toby nodded he turned back to his daughter. "I have never been one to demand formalities, especially from those I love. There are protocols, of course, that must be adhered to at state functions and the like, and you will have plenty of time to learn these." She was looking at him with shimmering eyes. He hadn't missed the way they flared when he said the phrase 'those I love.' Once again he was filled with deep regret at having missed so much time with the child. He sighed. "I would like it if in the meantime I could still just be Daddy." She smiled and hugged him again, ferociously, and he returned the embrace with all of his heart.

"You're talking like you expect her to go back to your world with you." Robert said.

Jareth turned to face his daughter's grandfather. Why must this man be so difficult? "Of course I do. She is my daughter and heir; she belongs in the Underground with me."

Jareth watched as a host of emotions marched across the other man's face, and braced himself for the reply. When it came, it was much nicer than he was expecting. No doubt Robert had edited his true thoughts heavily. "Don't you think Sarah will have something to say about that?" He asked.

Jareth chuckled, and began lazily pacing at the foot of the stairs. "Sarah would not be Sarah if she didn't have something to say about everything." He answered, and everyone in the room nodded in agreement. "But I don't see why she would have a problem with it. I have every intention of making her my Queen, so of course she will want her children nearby."

"Your Queen? How is it that she's safe to live there with you now, when seventeen years ago you feared for her life?" Robert asked.

Jareth stopped his pacing and fixed Robert with a pointed gaze. "Because most of those who would have wished her harm are now dead, and the few that remain would never dare to harm the wife of their High King."

"High King?" Jasmine gasped. "I thought you were the Goblin King?"

Robert ignored this and asked what he considered to be a far more important question. "Why are so many people suddenly dead?"

Jareth absently brushed his fingers against the scar on his forehead. He had never bothered to have it healed. It usually hid beneath his wild blonde hair, and it served him as a reminder of all that had been won and lost. "There is but one answer for both questions." He said. "War."

Jasmine's eyes grew large. "Is it still going on?" she asked.

"No, little one." He said, putting an arm around her protectively. "But it lasted long enough. Thirteen years is a long time to fight."

"What started it?" Karen asked.

"The High King wanted my Labyrinth, and demanded that I turn it over to him. When I refused, he declared me a traitor to the realm and attacked my kingdom. When it was all over I still had my Labyrinth, and he was dead. So I suppose I won."

"And now you're the High King." Karen said.

"Yes." Jareth affirmed.

"And that will make your world safe for Sarah?" Robert asked him.

Jareth began to pace once more. "That," he said, "and the fact that she's not exactly human anymore."

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Sarah was flying. She didn't know how, but she was. She was looking at the ground as it went by with no help from her feet. In fact, she wasn't sure she had feet. She should probably be panicking, but she wasn't. Looking around she realized that she was in the Labyrinth, or over it as the case may be. Its walls were pale and ghostly in the moonlight, and seemed more beautiful than she remembered.

Suddenly she was aware of another presence, something whose age was palpable. She had never felt the presence before, yet it seemed very familiar to her somehow. In her mind she heard a voice, and even without a face she knew it was smiling. 'Young Sarah,' it said. 'Welcome home.'

'Home?' she asked, though she couldn't deny the truth of it; she felt as though she was home. 'Am I dead?'

The voice laughed. 'Far from it, child.' It answered.

'Then why can't I see my body?' she asked.

'Because your body is resting. Only your consciousness is out here. When your body has healed you may return to it. For now I thought we should have a talk.'

'Who are you?' Sarah wondered.

'I am the Labyrinth.' The voice said simply, as though she should have known that already.

'Ah.' Sarah replied. 'I almost died, though, didn't I?'

'Indeed you did. In fact, you would have died if Jareth had not brought you to me when he did.' The formless entity answered her.

'You saved me then?' She asked.

'I did.'

'I supposed I should thank you then.' Sarah said. 'But it doesn't explain why I'm flying around outside my body.'

The Labyrinth didn't answer right away, and Sarah had the feeling that it was thinking the problem over. When it finally did speak the answer was not terribly satisfying. 'I'm not sure why.' It said. 'I suppose it has something to do with your immortality.'

'Immortality?" Sarah sputtered.

'Yes, in order to save you, I made you immortal.' It answered.

'That seems a bit extreme.' She told it. 'Does that mean I'm a Fae like Jareth now?'

'No.' It answered. 'I don't have the ability to make you Fae.'

'Then what am I?' She said.

'I'm not sure.' The Labyrinth told her. 'I think you may be like me.'

Sarah tried to hide her shock. 'And what are you?' she asked.

'I don't know. I can't remember.' The Labyrinth answered.

Sarah frowned. 'Well are there any others like you that we could ask?'

'I don't think so.' Came the reply.

Sarah frowned again, and thought for a minute. 'Will I have magic like you?' she asked finally.

'Probably.' The Labyrinth answered. 'But I'm not really sure.'

'You don't know much of anything, do you?' She asked.

'I know many things.' The entity answered. 'You're just not asking the right questions.'

Sarah sighed, and the leaves of the hedges below her rustled in the breeze. 'Where have I heard that before?' She mused.

Sarah and the Labyrinth passed a few minutes in companionable silence, and Sarah was amazed to discover that she felt perfectly at ease with this strange entity. Finally it was the Labyrinth that spoke again. 'Are you angry with Jareth?' it asked.

Sarah laughed. 'For leaving me alone to raise his children?' she replied. 'Why would I be?'

'Ah, sarcasm' The Labyrinth said. 'You should not be angry with him, Sarah, he loves you very much. He wanted you to be safe.'

'So he said.' Sarah grumbled. 'But I never really understood why I would be in so much danger here.'

'Whether you understood or not,' The Labyrinth said, 'you would have been. Both you and your children would have died here if Jareth had brought you home with him.'

'How do you know that?' Sarah asked.

'I saw it in your future long ago when you were here the last time.' It told her.

'You could see my future?' She asked.

'Indeed.'

'Then why didn't you see what you would be turning me into?'

"Sarah, I have been in existence for countless thousands of years. What fun would my life be if I had all the answers?'

A/N: I know, I know. This took too long! I'm sorry, but I hope you enjoy it. Please leave a contribution in the box.