EPILOGUE

Sarah held the fat one year old on her knee, bouncing him up and down as he giggled. 'He's beautiful.'

'But not as beautiful as his sister,' Linda corrected, smoothing the dark hair of the sleeping baby in her arms.

'Well, I guess the Goblin Realm is secure now,' Sarah said. 'It has two heirs instead of just one.'

'And who would have ever believed I'd be a mother again at my age,' Linda murmured, still feeling a little awed, 'and twins to boot.'

'It's this magical goblin air,' Sarah told her.

She watched her mother stand and carefully place the sleeping baby in one of the two cribs in the room. How happy she looked. Of course, it had not always been that way. There'd been some pretty magnificent rows in the Goblin Castle before Linda had finally agreed to give up her career and be a fulltime High Queen. Seeing her contentment, Sarah was loath to tell her the reason for her visit, but it had to be said.

'Ah, mom?'

'Hmmm?

'There's something I need to tell you.'

Linda whirled, all smiles. 'I'm going to be a grandma?'

'Ah, no,' Sarah said, 'that's not it.'

'Then what is it?'

Sarah took a deep breath. 'Jareth and I have decided to return to the Aboveground.'

'You've gone that lots of times since Dart removed the barriers. What's so special about that?' She brightened. 'You're going to go see one of those special doctors, right?'

'No!'

'You don't have to sound so horrified. Lots of couples need help with fertility.'

'Mom,' Sarah cried, 'we don't need help, ok?'

'It's been nearly two years, longer if you count the time before Toby wished Jareth away, and you still haven't had a child.'

'And we're fine with that,' Sarah told her. 'If it happens, it happens. We're not going to go to some fertility clinic to help it along, ok? We're happy the way we are. Just the two of us.'

'If you say so.'

'You're starting to sound like a mother.'

'I am a mother, your mother. Now what's so special about going to the Aboveground?'

'We're going to go there to stay. Permanently.'

'Permanently,' her mother echoed.

'It's where we both feel the most comfortable,' Sarah explained, 'and Jareth wants to write music again, maybe even another rock musical. We've already purchased a house. We bought it the last time we were there.'

'So you're going to leave Toby and I here by ourselves?'

'You're not by yourself. You've got Dart and the twins, and as for Toby, he doesn't really need anybody. He's pretty self-sufficient.'

'What about the Goblin Kingdom? Are you going to leave it after everything you two went through to get it back?'

'The wager wasn't about the Kingdom,' Sarah pointed out. 'It was about us being together. The Kingdom was just an added bonus, and, yes, we're prepared to give it up. Jareth has decided to name Toby as his successor. He's taught him quite a bit in the last year and a half, but he'll need additional training so that's why I want him to stay here with you and Dart until he's old enough to administrator the kingdom on his own. Dart can complete his training.'

'And what if you do eventually have a son? By rights, the kingdom should go to him.'

'I don't think he'll miss anything by not being a Goblin King. There are plenty of opportunities in the Aboveground.'

Linda was silent for a moment or two, her brow wrinkled, and then she sighed. 'Well, if your mind is made up, it's made up. I'll certainly miss you, but as you said, you'll visit. Actually, this may be a blessing.'

'How so?'

'It's Dru. I'm worried about her. I think you ought to take her with you.'

'Why? She's been happy here with you and Dart.'

'You mean with Toby, don't you?'

Sarah sighed. 'You're referring to her tendency to treat Toby like a god.'

'Yes, and it's starting to have a negative effect on that boy. She follows him around like a puppy, and the more she loves him, the more he seems to despise her. It's almost as though he enjoys hurting her at times. I don't want that for her. She had enough of that with her mother and sister. I hoped that after Gwen drank that poison in the dungeon, things would be different for her. She'd be with people that cared about her, but I don't like what I'm seeing. I could send her to Esther, but I'm not sure that's a better situation or not. I didn't really know what to do with her until now. Going with you to the Aboveground might be exactly what she needs.'

'I'd have to run in by Jareth, but I don't think he'll mind. He's used to having Toby underfoot, and Dru would certainly be more obedient than Toby ever was. I guess, the real question is how will she take it?'

'Badly, I'm afraid, but there are a lot of things in our world that will distract her. She'll make friends and go to school and maybe even gain a little confidence.'

'Will you tell her?'

Linda nodded. 'I'll tell her.'

Sarah stood up, put the baby in the other crib and then turned back to her mother. 'Well, I guess this is it. We're leaving in the morning. Jareth is telling Toby now.'

Linda stood up as well, holding out her arms. 'I'll miss you, honey. Please come and visit us often. I want my babies to know their big sister.'

'I will,' Sarah promised, hugging her. 'I'm so glad Jareth brought us together again.'

'Me too.'

**SCENE CHANGE**

'She misses him,' Sarah said, coming back from behind and slipping her arms around Jareth's neck as he plunked away on the piano.

'Give it time,' he replied, his eyes on the score sheet in front of him. 'It's only been a few weeks.'

'Do you suppose they'll ever see each other again?'

'Of course, they'll see each other when we visit.'

'Oh, Jareth,' Sarah sighed, 'this place is making you far too practical.'

'I'm just being realistic.'

'I guess what I'm asking is do you think they're written in the stars?'

He stopped plunking, turned on his bench so that he was facing her and then pulled her down onto his lap. 'I don't have any fancy, mysterious answer for you, my sweet. Even ex-Goblin Kings aren't privy to the secret plans of stars. All I can say is – wait and see.'

Wait and see, Sarah mused as Jareth brushed his lips against her. Yes, she would just have to wait and see.

THE END

Once again, I thank all of you for reading and appreciate all your comments. I'm pretty much written out at the moment. If you have any ideas or suggestions for future stories, feel free to send me a private message.