Thank you to everyone who reviewed in my long absence. I won't name
EVERYONE, because there's so many, but thanks to each and every one of you.
I noticed many of you asked questions about the story, but most of the
questions seemed to have answered themselves as you read on. If you still
have questions, let me know, and I'll try to answer them.
For Diashi- I just decided where it was going. Actually, if it continues to
go that way there will probably be a sequel. For Solea- Do I need to slow
it down some? Is it going too fast? For MagRowan- Thanks for the tidbit of
info. I went back and fixed it. Thanks much!
Again, thanks to all. If the story seems to be going too fast, or gets
confusing again, let me know. I'll see what I can do.
Until next time.
____________________________________________________________________________
We did not leave Toby as I had thought we would. Jareth would go home sometimes to get things we needed but we did not go home for long stretches at a time. Toby's little girl, a beautiful child who had blonde locks that reminded me of her father's infancy, came home and began to live a normal life. I pitied the child for not having a mother because I knew what it was like.
Toby named his daughter Christine, which I thought was a lovely name. Little Kitty stole my heart, as well as my husband's.
The months dragged by for me. My belly grew with my child and I quickly became miserable. I wanted to go home to my castle and my friends and those who were now my people, but as long as Jareth stayed I had to stay. He felt terrible for me but we couldn't leave Toby and his little one yet. They still needed us, and the longer I was in the human world the faster my pregnancy would go. At the time I did not realize that my pregnancy moved faster in human time; now I am thankful for what he did.
I was in my eighth month when one day Toby came home acting excited. He and Jareth were obviously planning something but I could not figure out what it was. Jareth took me back to the goblin kingdom long enough to get one of my finest gowns and to ready myself for some big event. He wouldn't tell me what was going on but I knew it would be something grand.
We got back to Toby only moments after we left. Jareth has re-ordered time again I thought. Jareth picked up on my thought and grinned at me like the mischievous little boy who was plotting something against the neighborhood girls. Whatever it was I knew I was in for a treat; my husband had never gone into so much trouble to surprise me with something.
Toby loaded Jareth, Kitty, and me into his car. We stopped at a baby- sitter's house on the way to the mysterious somewhere, and left Kitty with the young woman. We were then on our way again.
We rode for almost two hours. We arrived in one of the state's biggest cities, and in turn at one of the state's largest and most prestigious theaters. We went inside and viewed the production, which was magnificent but it's name, due to the course of time, I do not remember.
I expected to leave afterwards but we did not. Toby and Jareth took me backstage to the dressing rooms, where they began asking after a woman I knew.
"May we see Linda Williams, please?" Toby asked. When one of the actors refused and threatened to call security, Toby argued, "This woman is Mrs. Williams' daughter. She has an appointment to see Mrs. Williams. Please, be kind to her and go get Mrs. Williams."
The actor obeyed and I hugged my brother and Jareth. "Oh, thank you! You've gone through so much trouble-"
"Not so much trouble as you've gone through for me, Sis. Just calm yourself or you'll be having a baby right here backstage."
I laughed and waited with them. After a while a woman with long dark hair, very much like mine, approached us. "Are you the Williams party?" She stared at me and asked, "Sarah?"
I nodded. She threw her arms around me and hugged me as tight as she dared. "Oh, Sarah. You're beautiful. Who are these two?"
"This is my stepbrother, Toby, and my husband Jareth."
She shook her head when she saw Jareth. "You're him! You're the one who-"
"Please, not here, not now," Jareth pleaded. I agreed.
"I know the story, and I'll talk to you about it some other time. Now isn't that time. Tell me, how are you?"
"I'm wonderful. I've been curious about you but I didn't dare call, for fear your father would be angry. I'd heard that you'd disappeared, though..."
"That ties in with the other."
"Oh. Come on. I know a great restaurant where we can talk."
We went with my mother. She took us to a little Italian place where they served all-you-can-eat lasagna, which Jareth and I were thankful for. My baby took a lot out of me and I was starving.
"Sarah, how far are you?"
"I'm eight months now. I'm miserable but I think it will be worth all the suffering when the baby gets here."
"Is it a boy or a girl?"
"A boy, or so we think. All of the firstborns on Jareth's side are boys."
"Can I ask you about that now?" she asked me. I nodded.
"Sarah, why did you marry him? Why not someone else?"
"I never fit in. I never understood why, until I met Jareth. He explained everything to me, like I imagine he did to you, and I knew what I was meant for. As to when I disappeared, that was when he took me to his kingdom. According to everyone, I'm still 'disappeared'. They don't know I'm back."
"How long are you here for?"
Jareth answered for me. "Until the baby's born. Time passes terribly slowly at home and I couldn't bear to see her in so much misery for so long."
Mama reached across the table to take my hand. "I have to have your beauty secrets, sweetheart. You should be over thirty now, and you don't look a day over nineteen."
"Eighteen and a half, actually. Jareth took me home just after school got out."
"You've been there all this time?"
"Sure. It's a good thing, too."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Check my medical records, mental health in particular. I wasn't crazy; it's just that no one would believe me. Did you experience the Masquerade Ball?"
"No."
"When we go home we'll have to take you. The goblins really know how to throw a dance."
Mama laughed and sighed. "I always dreamed of seeing you like this, happy and beautiful. I always wanted to see you while you're pregnant, and after you become a mother."
Jareth smiled at her. "If you'd like you can see much more of her. I was going to offer to take you home with us when you finish your tour. By then the baby should be here and we should be planning to go home."
"I don't think I could handle being there all the time. It's so dreary."
I was shocked. "Mama, it's changed so much. Jareth has changed so many things for me. I mean, look at his hair!"
Mama stroked my hand. "Hon, is it that the Goblin Kingdom has changed, or is it that you have changed?"
I didn't know what to say. I knew that I had changed, because before I could never have carried Jareth's child with as much love as what I felt. Still, though, I felt that the kingdom had been changed. Even now I do not know which had changed more.
We all finished our meals and walked out to our cars. Before I could go Mama caught my arm. "Sarah, where are you living right now?"
"We're with Toby."
"Would you mind if I came to see you?"
"Not at all. Actually, I was hoping you'd come see the baby when he's born."
"That would be wonderful. You know, the tour is almost over- we only have a few shows left. If the baby hasn't come by the time the tour ends I'll come stay in a hotel nearby. I can't believe my baby is having a baby."
We hugged and Mama kissed me. "Bye, Mama. See you soon?" I whispered. She smiled and nodded. Jareth took me by the arm and helped me into the car. ____________________________________________________________________________
My baby came two weeks later. He surprised us- my pains first began in the middle of dinner one Friday night. Toby took me to bed and called for Jareth, who had gone home for a while to get some things. Jareth was immediately by my side, asking what was wrong. Toby explained to him what had happened; Jareth began to panic.
"What do I do? Do I take her home? Do I take her to a hospital? Do I-"
"Jareth, this is a goblin prince, right?"
"Right."
"Maybe you should take her home."
Jareth nodded and began again, "Home, home, how to get home-"
"How many can you take with you at a time?"
"As many as I need to," my husband replied. Despite my pain, Jareth amazed me. Just a few short years before he had taken my brother away from me, held him just out of my reach, and laughed as I reached blindly for the infant Toby. Jareth, who seemingly received so much pleasure out of my misery, was now in a mad panic over whom to take home with us. Finally, he grabbed me in his arms, closed his eyes, and we were all home.
Jareth had barely had time to lay me on our bed before I heard my mother's cries. "Sarah! Sarah, where are you?"
Jareth gave a flick of his wrist and my mother stood in the room with Jareth, Toby, Kitty, and myself. She rushed to my side. "Oh, my baby, are you okay?"
"Do I look okay to any of you?" I shrieked. I looked at Jareth. "Get Hoggle or the Wise Man or Didymus or ANYONE!"
Jareth gave another flick of his wrist and all three stood before him. "Do any of you know anything at all about babies?" he asked. Didymus merely shook his head; Hoggle grinned.
"They're soft and ugly and so wonderful," Hoggle said. Jareth rolled his eyes and turned to the Wise Man.
"Do you know anything?" A shake of the head answered him. Jareth sighed.
"Do any of you know anyone who would know?"
Hoggle chuckled. "Go get Trizzle. She knows something about goblin babies."
Jareth flicked his wrist yet again. Hoggle, Didymus, and the Wise Man were gone, and a single goblin woman stood in their place. She took one look at me and shooed my mother and Toby out with Kitty.
"A baby, have we?" she asked. Jareth nodded.
"My baby," he replied. Something in the way he said it made me think my heart would burst with pride.
The woman looked at me, felt of my belly, and gave me a quick examination.
"Ah, this baby is slow coming. I have plenty of time to gather my things. If you would blink me back, Sire, I'll gather my supplies."
Jareth sent the woman back and sat at my side. He held my hand in his, watching my face twist in the agony of each contraction. He spoke to me finally.
"Oh, sweetheart. I hope it is not too painful. I'm so sorry."
I only bit my lip to keep from crying out. He kissed me on top of my head. "Do you need me to use my power to take some of your pain?" he asked. I shook my head. I closed my eyes against the tears that were forming in them. Jareth had a look of agony on his face. Then, my pain eased.
"Jareth, I told you not to take any of the pain," I whispered. He smiled at me sadly.
"I couldn't bear to see you like that," he replied. Another contraction came and Jareth grimaced. When he moaned I began to cry.
"Jareth, give it back! You weren't meant to have this pain."
"But-"
"Give it back!"
Jareth released my pain back to me and I could hardly contain the scream that fought to escape me. The little woman came back and nearly laughed at me.
"A nasty goblin woman wouldn't be in that much pain," she said to Jareth. I supposed she was saying to him that he should have married one of his own kind, and the comment filled me with anger. I sat up as best as I could.
"Take that back, you old hag!" I screeched at her. She only laughed.
"Why, thank you. You're not looking to good yourself," she replied.
Jareth leaned down to whisper in my ear, "She just complimented you. To her kind, the nastier and more ugly, the better. To be ugly in her family is like being beautiful in yours."
I could only moan. He kissed me. "It'll all be over before too long, love. Be strong."
Hours passed; nothing happened, except that my pain got worse. The hag ignored me, except for her occasional examinations of my progress. Finally the hag left for a while and I said to Jareth, "Get rid of her. Find someone who knows what they're doing or I'm going to strangle the hag next time she gets within my reach. She has done me no good."
Jareth couldn't contain his chuckle. "Darling, I might be gone for a few minutes, but I'll be back. I'm getting my mother. She was a midwife for a while when she lived here."
I closed my eyes and grit my teeth through another pain. When I opened my eyes Jareth was gone.
Toby stuck his head in the door. When he realized the old woman wasn't in there, he came inside.
"Hi, sis. How do you feel?" he asked softly.
"You really don't want to know," I replied. He brushed my hair away from my face.
"Where's Jareth?"
"He went to get his mother. She was a midwife and the hag has done me no good at all."
"I asked your mother why it was taking so long. Shouldn't it be over already?"
"Some labors take a long time, but I don't think it's supposed to hurt this much. Toby, I want to die."
"Don't say that."
"But it's the truth. I can't die here and yet I have an overwhelming desire to kill myself to end this pain."
Toby squeezed my hand. "Stop that nonsense. I'll wait with you until Jareth gets back."
I didn't say anything else in the hour it took for Jareth to return. I simply wished Toby would realize just how serious I was. ____________________________________________________________________________
We did not leave Toby as I had thought we would. Jareth would go home sometimes to get things we needed but we did not go home for long stretches at a time. Toby's little girl, a beautiful child who had blonde locks that reminded me of her father's infancy, came home and began to live a normal life. I pitied the child for not having a mother because I knew what it was like.
Toby named his daughter Christine, which I thought was a lovely name. Little Kitty stole my heart, as well as my husband's.
The months dragged by for me. My belly grew with my child and I quickly became miserable. I wanted to go home to my castle and my friends and those who were now my people, but as long as Jareth stayed I had to stay. He felt terrible for me but we couldn't leave Toby and his little one yet. They still needed us, and the longer I was in the human world the faster my pregnancy would go. At the time I did not realize that my pregnancy moved faster in human time; now I am thankful for what he did.
I was in my eighth month when one day Toby came home acting excited. He and Jareth were obviously planning something but I could not figure out what it was. Jareth took me back to the goblin kingdom long enough to get one of my finest gowns and to ready myself for some big event. He wouldn't tell me what was going on but I knew it would be something grand.
We got back to Toby only moments after we left. Jareth has re-ordered time again I thought. Jareth picked up on my thought and grinned at me like the mischievous little boy who was plotting something against the neighborhood girls. Whatever it was I knew I was in for a treat; my husband had never gone into so much trouble to surprise me with something.
Toby loaded Jareth, Kitty, and me into his car. We stopped at a baby- sitter's house on the way to the mysterious somewhere, and left Kitty with the young woman. We were then on our way again.
We rode for almost two hours. We arrived in one of the state's biggest cities, and in turn at one of the state's largest and most prestigious theaters. We went inside and viewed the production, which was magnificent but it's name, due to the course of time, I do not remember.
I expected to leave afterwards but we did not. Toby and Jareth took me backstage to the dressing rooms, where they began asking after a woman I knew.
"May we see Linda Williams, please?" Toby asked. When one of the actors refused and threatened to call security, Toby argued, "This woman is Mrs. Williams' daughter. She has an appointment to see Mrs. Williams. Please, be kind to her and go get Mrs. Williams."
The actor obeyed and I hugged my brother and Jareth. "Oh, thank you! You've gone through so much trouble-"
"Not so much trouble as you've gone through for me, Sis. Just calm yourself or you'll be having a baby right here backstage."
I laughed and waited with them. After a while a woman with long dark hair, very much like mine, approached us. "Are you the Williams party?" She stared at me and asked, "Sarah?"
I nodded. She threw her arms around me and hugged me as tight as she dared. "Oh, Sarah. You're beautiful. Who are these two?"
"This is my stepbrother, Toby, and my husband Jareth."
She shook her head when she saw Jareth. "You're him! You're the one who-"
"Please, not here, not now," Jareth pleaded. I agreed.
"I know the story, and I'll talk to you about it some other time. Now isn't that time. Tell me, how are you?"
"I'm wonderful. I've been curious about you but I didn't dare call, for fear your father would be angry. I'd heard that you'd disappeared, though..."
"That ties in with the other."
"Oh. Come on. I know a great restaurant where we can talk."
We went with my mother. She took us to a little Italian place where they served all-you-can-eat lasagna, which Jareth and I were thankful for. My baby took a lot out of me and I was starving.
"Sarah, how far are you?"
"I'm eight months now. I'm miserable but I think it will be worth all the suffering when the baby gets here."
"Is it a boy or a girl?"
"A boy, or so we think. All of the firstborns on Jareth's side are boys."
"Can I ask you about that now?" she asked me. I nodded.
"Sarah, why did you marry him? Why not someone else?"
"I never fit in. I never understood why, until I met Jareth. He explained everything to me, like I imagine he did to you, and I knew what I was meant for. As to when I disappeared, that was when he took me to his kingdom. According to everyone, I'm still 'disappeared'. They don't know I'm back."
"How long are you here for?"
Jareth answered for me. "Until the baby's born. Time passes terribly slowly at home and I couldn't bear to see her in so much misery for so long."
Mama reached across the table to take my hand. "I have to have your beauty secrets, sweetheart. You should be over thirty now, and you don't look a day over nineteen."
"Eighteen and a half, actually. Jareth took me home just after school got out."
"You've been there all this time?"
"Sure. It's a good thing, too."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Check my medical records, mental health in particular. I wasn't crazy; it's just that no one would believe me. Did you experience the Masquerade Ball?"
"No."
"When we go home we'll have to take you. The goblins really know how to throw a dance."
Mama laughed and sighed. "I always dreamed of seeing you like this, happy and beautiful. I always wanted to see you while you're pregnant, and after you become a mother."
Jareth smiled at her. "If you'd like you can see much more of her. I was going to offer to take you home with us when you finish your tour. By then the baby should be here and we should be planning to go home."
"I don't think I could handle being there all the time. It's so dreary."
I was shocked. "Mama, it's changed so much. Jareth has changed so many things for me. I mean, look at his hair!"
Mama stroked my hand. "Hon, is it that the Goblin Kingdom has changed, or is it that you have changed?"
I didn't know what to say. I knew that I had changed, because before I could never have carried Jareth's child with as much love as what I felt. Still, though, I felt that the kingdom had been changed. Even now I do not know which had changed more.
We all finished our meals and walked out to our cars. Before I could go Mama caught my arm. "Sarah, where are you living right now?"
"We're with Toby."
"Would you mind if I came to see you?"
"Not at all. Actually, I was hoping you'd come see the baby when he's born."
"That would be wonderful. You know, the tour is almost over- we only have a few shows left. If the baby hasn't come by the time the tour ends I'll come stay in a hotel nearby. I can't believe my baby is having a baby."
We hugged and Mama kissed me. "Bye, Mama. See you soon?" I whispered. She smiled and nodded. Jareth took me by the arm and helped me into the car. ____________________________________________________________________________
My baby came two weeks later. He surprised us- my pains first began in the middle of dinner one Friday night. Toby took me to bed and called for Jareth, who had gone home for a while to get some things. Jareth was immediately by my side, asking what was wrong. Toby explained to him what had happened; Jareth began to panic.
"What do I do? Do I take her home? Do I take her to a hospital? Do I-"
"Jareth, this is a goblin prince, right?"
"Right."
"Maybe you should take her home."
Jareth nodded and began again, "Home, home, how to get home-"
"How many can you take with you at a time?"
"As many as I need to," my husband replied. Despite my pain, Jareth amazed me. Just a few short years before he had taken my brother away from me, held him just out of my reach, and laughed as I reached blindly for the infant Toby. Jareth, who seemingly received so much pleasure out of my misery, was now in a mad panic over whom to take home with us. Finally, he grabbed me in his arms, closed his eyes, and we were all home.
Jareth had barely had time to lay me on our bed before I heard my mother's cries. "Sarah! Sarah, where are you?"
Jareth gave a flick of his wrist and my mother stood in the room with Jareth, Toby, Kitty, and myself. She rushed to my side. "Oh, my baby, are you okay?"
"Do I look okay to any of you?" I shrieked. I looked at Jareth. "Get Hoggle or the Wise Man or Didymus or ANYONE!"
Jareth gave another flick of his wrist and all three stood before him. "Do any of you know anything at all about babies?" he asked. Didymus merely shook his head; Hoggle grinned.
"They're soft and ugly and so wonderful," Hoggle said. Jareth rolled his eyes and turned to the Wise Man.
"Do you know anything?" A shake of the head answered him. Jareth sighed.
"Do any of you know anyone who would know?"
Hoggle chuckled. "Go get Trizzle. She knows something about goblin babies."
Jareth flicked his wrist yet again. Hoggle, Didymus, and the Wise Man were gone, and a single goblin woman stood in their place. She took one look at me and shooed my mother and Toby out with Kitty.
"A baby, have we?" she asked. Jareth nodded.
"My baby," he replied. Something in the way he said it made me think my heart would burst with pride.
The woman looked at me, felt of my belly, and gave me a quick examination.
"Ah, this baby is slow coming. I have plenty of time to gather my things. If you would blink me back, Sire, I'll gather my supplies."
Jareth sent the woman back and sat at my side. He held my hand in his, watching my face twist in the agony of each contraction. He spoke to me finally.
"Oh, sweetheart. I hope it is not too painful. I'm so sorry."
I only bit my lip to keep from crying out. He kissed me on top of my head. "Do you need me to use my power to take some of your pain?" he asked. I shook my head. I closed my eyes against the tears that were forming in them. Jareth had a look of agony on his face. Then, my pain eased.
"Jareth, I told you not to take any of the pain," I whispered. He smiled at me sadly.
"I couldn't bear to see you like that," he replied. Another contraction came and Jareth grimaced. When he moaned I began to cry.
"Jareth, give it back! You weren't meant to have this pain."
"But-"
"Give it back!"
Jareth released my pain back to me and I could hardly contain the scream that fought to escape me. The little woman came back and nearly laughed at me.
"A nasty goblin woman wouldn't be in that much pain," she said to Jareth. I supposed she was saying to him that he should have married one of his own kind, and the comment filled me with anger. I sat up as best as I could.
"Take that back, you old hag!" I screeched at her. She only laughed.
"Why, thank you. You're not looking to good yourself," she replied.
Jareth leaned down to whisper in my ear, "She just complimented you. To her kind, the nastier and more ugly, the better. To be ugly in her family is like being beautiful in yours."
I could only moan. He kissed me. "It'll all be over before too long, love. Be strong."
Hours passed; nothing happened, except that my pain got worse. The hag ignored me, except for her occasional examinations of my progress. Finally the hag left for a while and I said to Jareth, "Get rid of her. Find someone who knows what they're doing or I'm going to strangle the hag next time she gets within my reach. She has done me no good."
Jareth couldn't contain his chuckle. "Darling, I might be gone for a few minutes, but I'll be back. I'm getting my mother. She was a midwife for a while when she lived here."
I closed my eyes and grit my teeth through another pain. When I opened my eyes Jareth was gone.
Toby stuck his head in the door. When he realized the old woman wasn't in there, he came inside.
"Hi, sis. How do you feel?" he asked softly.
"You really don't want to know," I replied. He brushed my hair away from my face.
"Where's Jareth?"
"He went to get his mother. She was a midwife and the hag has done me no good at all."
"I asked your mother why it was taking so long. Shouldn't it be over already?"
"Some labors take a long time, but I don't think it's supposed to hurt this much. Toby, I want to die."
"Don't say that."
"But it's the truth. I can't die here and yet I have an overwhelming desire to kill myself to end this pain."
Toby squeezed my hand. "Stop that nonsense. I'll wait with you until Jareth gets back."
I didn't say anything else in the hour it took for Jareth to return. I simply wished Toby would realize just how serious I was. ____________________________________________________________________________