Well readers, our journey is drawing to a close. I could have ended Jareth & Sarah's story in the last chapter, but I simply can't end this tale without following Sarah's pregnancy to its conclusion. Neither can Jareth, and he's been so patient ;) I want to thank you for following me on this crazy journey called "my first fanfiction". There will be one more epilogue after this, and it *may* or *may not* have smut in it…. Read on, dear friends!

Epilogue I- In All the Realms

Three months later

Jareth paced back and forth in the antechamber of the queen's apartments, frantic and distraught. Bramsford and Horatio waited in chairs off to the side, playing cards, and snacking on foods from the royal kitchen. It looked as if they were two old friends catching up on the times. Their calm disposition & pleasant camaraderie infuriated Jareth beyond words, so he simply tried his best to ignore them and continue with his pacing.

"Dukes again, Horatio," Bramsford said dryly, laying his hand of cards on the table, to which Horatio huffed before replying under his breath,

"I don't know why I continue to play with a cheater."

"Not a cheater," Bramsford replied matter-of-factly, while stuffing another bite of food in his mouth, "a lawyer."

Horatio threw his remaining cards on the table to be collected and shuffled, before calling out to Jareth,

"Shall we deal you in, your majesty? Could be a while yet." The rotund older man then reached for a sandwich and took a bite, while Bramsford recorded his additional win in a notebook from his coat pocket. Jareth froze mid-pace and simply stared at the pair, before launching into a rant.

"How can you expect me to play cards and eat sandwiches while my wife labors in excruciating pain on the other side of those very doors?!" He gesticulated wildly to the grand wooden doors that blocked off the small antechamber where they waited from Sarah and her attendants on the other side. He knew if Sarah were there, she would remind him to have patience. He couldn't find it within himself to be very patient at the moment, though.

Horatio merely turned to face him with a slightly curious expression, mouth full of sandwich, while Bramsford continued writing in his notebook. Horatio was far more concerned with the latter, obviously, because after a few more moments of scribbling he turned to Bramsford and snapped, "Yes, that's quite enough, you! It wasn't that spectacular of a win!"

Bramsford only snickered in response. "You say that so often."

Horatio glared and shook his head in annoyance before turning back to Jareth. "My king," he said more softly, with more sincerity, "please take my advice. My own dear Faunette and I went through this very process 11 times with our children, and then another 4-so far- with our grandchildren. Things are progressing normally- if they weren't they would have called you in. I know it is hard, particularly with your first, but trust me when I say the best place to be is here where they can find you quickly to celebrate a successful birth."

Jareth took a deep, shaky breath, and opened his mouth to thank him for his sorely needed words of reassurance when Bramsford, now back to shuffling cards, interjected under his breath, "Quieter out here, too."

Horatio shot him a withering glare. "Oh, do shut up."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sarah stared in wonder at the tiny, sleeping bundle in her arms, wrapped in soft, warm blankets. Her eyes clouded with tears, overcome with the many emotions that coursed through her. Sarah, up until this point in her life, hadn't realized it was possible to truly cry in joy. She realized now how wrong she had been.

A girl. A little, tiny, precious baby girl. Her small head was covered in fine, wispy strands of blonde that were already beginning to curl at their ends. Sarah laid her finger in her tiny hand, and her heart clenched in joy when her daughter immediately grabbed it and wrapped her own little fingers around it. She leaned in close, and took pride and joy at each little breath her daughter took.

This beautiful creature. This beautiful creature she had made and given life. Now really here, in her arms, the dark nightmare that brought her about only a fuzzy, gray memory in the distant, obsolete past. Her love for this child overshadowed that day and the ones that came after it a million times over. Sarah was certain that holding this precious creature in her arms, she could overcome anything from that seemingly long ago time; that time and those people were insignificant in the face of her strength as a mother to this darling little girl.

"Shall I fetch his majesty now," a young midwife's apprentice questioned. Sarah nodded, never taking her eyes off the little bundle in her arms.

"Yes," she replied quietly, "tell his majesty the glorious news."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Jareth blazed past the young maiden as soon as the doors opened, not even waiting to be told that Sarah was ready. He would not, could not, wait any longer. He froze though, when his eyes landed on his wife laying in the bed.

Holding a tiny bundle of pink blankets.

He walked slowly towards her, moving without sound past the numerous healers and attendants that flitted through the room cleaning up, not even responding to Gemaine when he offered a hearty congratulations on the birth of their first child. He only had eyes for his Sarah, and the little one she cradled in her arms.

He finally arrived at the side of the bed, and watched in awe as he took in the face of his sleeping daughter for the first time. He knelt, partly to come closer to the child and her mother, partly to convey his respect to Sarah, joyous and reverent as he felt to be an audience to her power as a woman. Neither of them spoke for several moments, basking in the warmth of this new life and the bonds they forged with it. Finally, Jareth reached out his hand to touch his new daughter's head, and he marveled at how tiny she really was.

"It is something wondrous, isn't it?" Sarah said softly, bringing the child closer to him so that he could witness this miracle more closely. Jareth was struck silent, and could only nod in agreement. The soft, smooth, downy skin under his fingers, the warmth from his daughter's little head; he could even feel her tiny body rise and fall slightly with her breaths. He had lived centuries, had watched with mild interest as the new parents of his court fawned and awed over their new children, never really understanding why. Babies couldn't possibly be that interesting, could they? Now Jareth felt as years of ignorance and misunderstanding melted away at the sight of the tiny baby girl in his wife's arms- she was perfect in every way, worthy and deserving of his love and the very best of his life.

"She is...this is…." Jareth struggled to put this surreal, sublime experience into words.

"I know," Sarah replied quietly in understanding, "me, too."

"She is beautiful and perfect- like her mother," Jareth finally articulated, then leaned in and pressed a tender kiss to his wife's temple, lingering there to taste the salt of her sweat.

"She will be a great ruler one day- like her father," Sarah replied, turning to face him with eyes that brimmed with tears. Jareth laughed softly.

"Only because she has a great queen as her example." He leaned forward and kissed her lips gently. "I love you, Sarah," he whispered against her mouth.

"I love you, Jareth. And I love this baby," Sarah whispered in reply.

Suddenly, a little whimper sounded from beneath them. They turned their heads in tandem to find their daughter sleepily opening her eyes for the first time, turning her head to root for her first meal at Sarah's breast. Sarah gasped in elation.

"Look how smart she is," Sarah beamed, her face alight with pure joy. Never, in a million more centuries, would there be anything as beautiful as their child cradled in the arms of his wife, Jareth was sure of it. A nursemaid appeared quietly at the bedside and began gently instructing Sarah in the art of breastfeeding. Jareth stood to leave, but not before running his fingers through the strands of Sarah's hair, still somewhat damp from the efforts of her labor.

"I'll be right outside the door if you need me," Jareth spoke softly, smiling gently in amusement and reverence at Sarah's determination and concentration in this new task as a mother. Sarah looked up quickly at him, smiled in return, then reached out her hand to take Jareth's in her own.

"Thank you, Jareth," she whispered, more tears threatening to fall. Jareth smiled a little more widely, before leaning down and gently kissing her neck. He knew the deeper meaning behind her words, even if no one else around them did. She was thanking him for everything he had done. He turned his head slightly to whisper into her ear, so that no one else could hear him,

"You are my life, Sarah. Never forget that." He stood fully now, looking down once more on the most beautiful scene in his life. They held each other's eyes for a moment longer, before Sarah turned to continue mastering this new task, and Jareth left to exit, along with most of the staff now that the Queen had successfully delivered and was settled into feeding then resting with the new babe. Jareth could not help but smile like a fool, the weight and uncertainty of the past year behind him and thoroughly inconsequential. Bramsford and Horatio turned with knowing smiles to face him as he entered the antechamber, shutting the doors behind them to give his wife some much-needed privacy. Jareth could only smile back.

"It's is the best thing in the realm, isn't it, your majesty?" Horatio stood to bow, with Bramsford following suit. They then stood, and Horatio extended his hand to shake Jareth's in a show of welcome to fatherhood.

"The very best," Jareth replied in agreement, turning then to shake Bramsford's hand as well, "in all the realms."