21

The Goblins made a half-hearted attempt at cleaning up the city before the festivities started. It mostly involved clearing away the dead bodies of the Nameless, although some were taken away by Goblins for purposes Sarah did not want to think about.

The Goblins took to the street with barrels of liquor, chickens, sausages and bonfires. Despite Jareth's best attempts to retrieve all explosives after the battle had been won there were loud bangs and collapsed buildings throughout the night.

Inside the castle celebrations were more subdued. After everyone had been bathed and bandaged (where needed) Goblins brought in a massive amount of food and wine. Most left for their own celebrations. Some chose to stay with their King and Queen (Mummy clung to Jareth for well over an hour sobbing 'My boy! My boy!") but most preferred the more exciting entertainment outside. Jareth strummed his guitar and sang.. Sarah and Jay mingled with Ludo, Ambrosius, Sir Didymus, Hoggle, his 'missus' and the dwarf children. The three Nameless who had followed Jay (now revealed to be named Gazza, Bazza and Bob) had defected happily and were out in the city partying with the Goblins. Caleb snatched at Jay every time he ran close enough to grab and hugged the small boy, much to Jay's displeasure. He was watching Helena closely. She had bathed and borrowed an outfit of Sarah's. Some sort of red frilly tank top, jeans and red flats. Caleb had to admit he was more than interested in her despite the goth-rocker makeup and wild hair. He wondered why Jareth had broken it off. They seemed like the perfect couple. Attractive, eccentric and completely self-absorbed. Helena seemed satisfied with the slap she had dealt Jareth (his left ear was still ringing), although it was fun watching him flinch and curse whenever she got too close and their eyes met.

"So why did you dump her?" Caleb asked his brother. Jareth continued playing guitar.

"She's really a man." Caleb choked.

"Seriously?"

"No." Caleb glared at Jareth, who had an evil smirk on his face. "All jokes aside there was only ever one Queen for me."

"A fifteen year old girl?" Caleb raised an eyebrow. "You know you could be put in jail back home for stalking on that level."

"Yes I do love the Underground." He was smiling in the direction of his wife who looked to be having a good gossip session with Helena. Jareth lost his smile. Who knew what those blasted women were nattering about. He did not need his wife and his ex-girlfriend doing the girl-talk thing. He set the guitar down to play by itself for a while and approached the women.

"May I have this dance?" he asked.

"Yes." Helena smirked and took his hand. He glared at Sarah who smiled sweetly at him. I'm going to have words with you, he mouthed in her direction. She blew him a kiss and walked over to Caleb. Jareth took Helena's hand.

"You look stunning tonight." He said.

"You're a troll." She replied.

"That's a bit harsh. I am far better looking than any troll I've ever met." He said. Helena rolled her eyes.

"I prefer your brother." She said. Jareth shrugged.

"Each to their own, there's no accounting for taste." They danced silently for a while. "What will you do now?" he asked. She shrugged.

"I don't know. I haven't thought that far ahead." Jareth saw her eyes resting on his brother and Jay.

"He leaves for Above tomorrow. You're welcome to stay here for as long as you want to but you may want to think of...alternate arrangements? He doesn't visit often." Her forehead creased.

"Above? It's been so long since I was there...has it changed much?"

"I find it barely recognisable. And you have four decades on me, so yes I would say so." He said.

"Five." She corrected him. Jareth shrugged. That sort of thing didn't matter in this place. "Does our magic work there?" she asked.

"Yes. Although it's best not to make a spectacle of oneself. They're a bit touchy about magic up there."

"I can imagine." Jareth looked over at Sarah and Caleb. He was flirting shamelessly with the Goblin Queen.

"Excuse me, I think I need to get my wife back now."

"Agreed." Jareth walked up behind Sarah, caught her up in his arms and spun her away to dance with him. Helena stood in front of Caleb and waited for an invitation. He felt intimidated by her expectant gaze.

"Um...dance?"

"Why thank you." He took her in his arms. "You know you're not very good." She commented.

"Will you just sh...be quiet?" he noticed Jay was watching him and giggling. She put her arms around his neck.

"I understand you have an empty house opposite you Above." She and Queen Sarah had been having a wonderful conversation.

"Um...yeah that." Caleb's stomach knotted. The thought of this woman living in the real world across the road from him was both appealing and terrifying at the same time.

"I might join you Above for a while then. You can show me around."

"Oh can I?" he said. Helena pulled him down to her level and kissed his lips. Yes, she decided there was potential here. She broke away and continued their dance as though nothing had happened. Caleb was a little dazed. "Alright. But I live in California, not Soho, so you might need to rethink the wardrobe." She shrugged. Clearly this man had no taste whatsoever.

Meanwhile Jareth was dancing with his wife very close and whispering the things he was planning on doing to her later on. Her face was bright red. Despite her fatigue it sounded like a lot of fun to her. She excused herself and went upstairs to wait for him. Finally Jareth looked to little Jay who was tiredly watching the grownups from the throne in the middle of the room. He slouched back looking as comfortable as Jareth had ever felt there.

"Make yourself at home Jay." He said.

"Thanks Uncle Jareth." Jareth made a mental note that five-year-olds don't get sarcasm. He followed the boy's gaze to Caleb and Helena.

"Your life is about to get more interesting I think." He said. Jay shrugged.

"I'm already Champion of the Labyrinth. I think I can handle a stepmom." He said. Jareth looked at the boy.

"You're an interesting boy. I'd like to make you an offer for later on."

"What sort of an offer? What's an offer?" he asked.

"How would you like to be the Goblin Prince?" Jay thought about it for a while. He almost looked like he was listetening to someone speak to him. Jareth looked around but couldn't see anyone.

"I'd like that, but that job is already taken. I'm just the Champion." He yawned. "And there's gonna be more of us. It'll be great. I have to go see the Crystal tomorrow before I leave." Jareth blinked. Now the kid was starting to creep him out. He glanced over at Caleb and Helena making out in the middle of the throne room.

"Go talk to Daddy. He'd love to talk to you right now." He said and left the room to follow his wife. He dismissed what Jay had said. He was an odd little boy.

Sarah got up early in the morning and dressed. Fortunately Jeeves had enough sense to realise the King and Queen were not interested in their schedule today and had left them alone. Sarah pulled on a singlet, leggings, an over-sized top and her favourite boots, fighting off a wave of dizziness as she did so. She supposed she had gone through a lot the day before but had expected to feel better by now. She would have like to get back into bed but the Crystal down below the castle had summoned her in her dreams and she had to go and wake Jay. Her gaze fell on Jareth before she left. She loved seeing him an absolute mess in her bed. His hair was everywhere and she eyed his lean body fast asleep on top of all the bedclothes. Last night had been as fun as she'd hoped.

She walked down the corridor to the guest bedroom. She didn't knock. The door sensed her presence and opened silently for her. She snuck into the suite and past the main bedroom, trying not to notice the trail of clothes leading from the beige living area into the beige bedroom. She gave up on having good manners and snuck a peek through the open door. They were under the sheets (thankfully. Sarah was nosey by nature but didn't want to see that much of either of them), Caleb curled up around the former Princess. They looked happy, and for once were not currently arguing about anything. Sarah kept walking.

Jay, on the other hand, was sitting on his bed fully dressed and waiting for her. He already knew where they were going.

"The crystal wants to see me." He said.

"Yes. But first we need to get these shoes on the right feet." Sarah said, bending down and changing them over.

Hand in hand they walked down the stairs, crumbling no longer. There were much fewer death-defying jumps this time and the climb was much easier. The plaque above the door simply read 'Welcome – Jareth and Sarah.'

Sarah put her arm around his shoulders as they walked in. The chamber was brighter now, infused with Sarah's magic. The crystal looked warm and welcoming.

Sarah. Jareth. It greeted them.

"I prefer Jay." Jay said as if the talking, glowing crystal were nothing out of the ordinary.

Jay. Crystal has a lot to teach Jay. Four glowing points of light appeared on it. Jay went to it straight away and placed his hands on the smaller ones. Sarah placed her hands on the bigger ones and the strange sucking sensation began again. Jay giggled.

"It tickles." He said. Sarah sat with her eyes shut. The crystal wasn't saying anything to her, although she saw Jay nod every now and then and smile. Sarah watched the crystal globe, trying to get a better sense of the world she now lived in. She decided to go to the map room and do some research. Getting to know this place would keep her occupied for the time Jareth was busy with his endless crisis meetings.

She pulled her hands away from the crystal, feeling dizzy again. Her stomach wasn't feeling good either. She stared at Jay. He was gazing happily at the crystal giving it his magic and absorbing information in return, seeming none the worse for wear. She realised he must be much, much more powerful than she was. Sarah frowned as the crystal seemed to blur in patches. The magic was draining out of Jay's fingers and spreading across the globe. It almost looked like patches of cloud.

After what seemed like a long time the crystal released Jay.

Thankyou Jay and Sarah. Help Crystal, help Underground.

"You're welcome." Sarah said. Jay nodded. His eyes were a bit glassy and vacant. Sarah knew how he was feeling. "Come on, Squirt. Let's go find your Daddy."

Once in the chamber of stairs Jay smiled at her, still glassy-eyed but a little more with-it than he had been before. His hair was wild and as though it was full of electricity.

"See you at the top!" he said and shifted. She watched, open-mouthed, as he elongated, grew wings and shone with gold scales. A dragon? How had he managed that?

He's young, she realised, and hasn't learned the difference between what is possible and what isn't. It's what makes him so powerful. She watched him fly upwards. Part of her was awe-struck. Part of her was jealous. She had chosen the cat-form, and loved it, but was envious of Jay and Jareth's wings.

"Show off." She muttered and shifted. She made the long jump from the floor to the first staircase and began the long climb upwards.

The humans all met at just before thirteen o'clock in the afternoon. Jay had gone back to bed after his draining encounter with the crystal and Sarah had happily followed his example. But then something drew them all to leave their beds, dress and meet in the courtyard just inside the gates of Goblin City. There were hung-over and unconscious Goblins everywhere. Ludo stood watching over Sarah. Sir Didymus sat mounted on Ambrosius beside Jay. Hoggle had had enough of everybody and had gone home late last night.

It was time for Caleb and Jay to leave.

Sarah hugged the little boy, and then his father.

"Come back soon." She said, tearing up. Caleb frowned. She wasn't normally this emotional.

"We will. I promise." He said and kissed her cheek. Helena entered the room. She was wearing a (relatively) modern looking red dress with matching flats and her signature makeup and mad hair. She was carrying a bag. Caleb looked surprised.

"You've made up your mind then?" he asked. When he had asked her in the early hours of the morning whether she was coming with him or not she was still undecided.

"I woke up this morning and tripped over this bag of clothes waiting on my side of the bed. I guess Underground wants me to go." Sarah raised an eyebrow at Jareth. She knew very well who had left that bag there.

"What? He gets the girl, I get rid of her. Everybody wins." He said quietly. Sarah shook her head. Men!

Sarah gave Helena a brief hug and wished her good luck. Helena and Jareth shared a brief, clearly reluctant air-kiss above each cheek and then backed off as if the other had taken a bath in the Bog of Eternal Stench. Caleb offered Jareth his hand. Jareth ignored it and, for the first time, hugged his brother. It was a manly hug of course.

"You saved us all Caleb." Jareth said so only he could hear it. Caleb shut his eyes. This was the first time he had really hugged his brother since they were children. Jareth had been too young to really remember him, but Caleb had never forgotten, and had never lost that bond.

"Don't mention it." He said, and pulled away before it got awkward. Jareth may be his brother but he would never get used to that mad hair, or the makeup, or those damned tights. "We'll visit soon."

Jareth stood beside Sarah with his arm around her shoulders watching the three humans. Helena used her magic and, as an icy gust of wind and dark clouds blew in from the North, they disappeared with a clap of thunder.

Sarah stared at the spot they had stood in for a long time. They all had their own story to live now and she felt a little empty having three less people in her life. For a day they had felt like a real family. She could still feel Jay's presence all around her.

Jareth squeezed her shoulders.

"They'll be back soon." He said. She held her hand to her stomach, willing it to settle down. Jareth narrowed his eyes at her, remembering Jay's words from earlier.

"Yeah. I guess. Let's go inside. It's getting cold out here." As soon as the words left her mouth they looked at one another in shock, and then looked up.

Jay's power was all around them, and as Jareth and Sarah looked up the drops of rain started to fall Underground.

Thanks to everyone who has read!

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