"Love is - a shade of what I feel."

-Reneé Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

Sarah woke up feeling extra warm on her right side. Turning, she came face-to-face with a peacefully sleeping Jareth who had his arm thrown around her waist.

He looked so serene, so sweet and beautiful as he took every breath in his slumber. Sarah reached over, caressing his face with the back of her hand. He didn't stir. She reached for his hair, playing with the feathery strands. Unable to help herself, she reached around him for a hug, burying her head in his chest.

This was what being happy was about: curled next to someone she loved. She gave him a light kiss on his lips, letting her fingers glide down his back. For as long as she was with him, she would always make sure he knew how much she loved him.

Eyes adjusting, she saw past Jareth to her nightstand where there was a note on the table. Picking it up, she recognized Toby's handwriting.

Mom and Dad went to a hotel after a date and said they won't be back until noon or so. I'm sleeping in Ben's room so don't worry about him.

-Toby

She smiled, grateful that her brother was such a thoughtful young man. It definitely eased her paranoia. If her parents hadn't been gone, she would have brought out Jareth to greet them anyway. She wasn't ashamed of her relationship with him and she wanted them to know that this man was in her life now.

She put the note down, yelping as she got dragged back down to the bed. Jareth laid his head on the hollow of her neck, grunting and kissing the soft skin between her shoulder and neck. "Mornin'," he said groggily.

Sarah giggled, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "Morning, sleepy head." She kissed his nose, loving the way his affectionate smile beamed at her. "I love you."

His eyes widened in happiness, more awake now. He hugged her even closer. "I love you too, Precious." He kissed all over her face, squeezing her body close to his.

They kissed for a while, enjoying the rising sun and gentle touches. When things were about to get frisky, Sarah sat up. "I'm going to check on Ben and Toby."

Jareth's tilted his head curiously. "Is something wrong?"

She shook her head, embarrassed. "No… I just… you know? Paranoia?"

He took her hand and kissed the back of it. "I understand. Would you like me to come with you?"

She kissed his cheek, grateful that he was so understanding. "No, that's okay. I'll be right back to shower." Sliding off the bed, she sleeked her hair back in an effort to appear sexy. Apparently it worked with the way Jareth was staring at her, nearly drooling. "And you should join me."

He flashed his teeth in a mischievous smile. "Of course, Love."

After seeing that her brother and son were indeed safe and sound, she made her way to the bathroom, finding Jareth brushing his teeth. She joined him, enjoying doing something so mundane with him as brushing teeth. When they were done, she looked right at his reflection in the mirror and took off her shirt, completely naked from the waist up. She smirked, untying her pajama shorts and letting them fall. She started to walk away from him, swaying her hips.

In the bathroom light, her scars and other body markings were more visible, including her cesarian section scar. But Jareth didn't care. All she could see were his hungry eyes.

And it made her feel amazing.

His right hand came around her hip, sliding down to her belly button and pulling her back to his front. She moaned, feeling his hard cock twitch against her ass. Waves of arousal gathered in her underwear. His left hand came to caress her breasts, rolling her nipples between his fingers.

"I need you," he rasped. "Gods, you're perfect, Sarah. I want to hear you moan and scream." He nipped at her neck. "Don't worry, I've put a sound proofing spell around your room so we can hear from outside as we normally can, and no one hear us."

At this revelation, Sarah let loose, she gyrated her hips, causing friction on his cock as her moans echoed throughout the bathroom. In response, Jareth growled against her ear, pinched her nipple harder, and slid his hand in her underwear, finding her slick and more than ready for him. How delightful it was to know that he was the cause of her arousal.

"Open your eyes, Sarah," he commanded, making them face the mirror. "Watch as you come on my hand."

He inserted two fingers in her, watching the mirror as she opened up her legs. Reaching behind, Sarah grasped at his face and slid her hand down his neck. Jareth plunged his fingers deeper, panting with her as she shuddered. He pushed his cock harder against her backside, growling at the way her breasts bounced from her ecstasy. The wave of pleasure flooded her system, making her scream his name and shudder. She would have collapsed if Jareth hadn't caught her, raining kisses all over her neck as she recovered. He made a show of licking his fingers. "Mmm. I could live off of devouring you, Sarah. Your taste and smell is exquisite."

Her underwear was still on. So were his pants.

Jareth found himself against the wall, Sarah placing her hand on his chest. The warmth radiated all over, and it took him everything to not thrust into her. Her delicious smile and sensual movements caused him to harden farther. She said nothing, just smiled the devious smile of hers, scratching lightly down his chest. She licked and kissed him, moaning at the pleasant taste of his skin on her tongue. It wasn't exactly a taste, more like a sensation. Perhaps it was magic. Whatever it was, she couldn't get enough of it.

She untied his pants, letting them fall. His cock stood proudly, the head swollen with need. She pumped him up and down, pressing her breasts to his side, enjoying his open-mouth pants and praise of her name. "Sarah…"

"I want you in me so much," she moaned, licking his torso, using her other hand to play with the soft hairs below his stomach. She twisted and went faster pumping him up and down. She ran her thumb over the head, a little bit of liquid leaking through. "God, you're big."

He chuckled in the middle of his panting, groaning as he got closer to climax. She stood directly in front of him, groaning with him as he sprayed all over her thighs, her stomach, her underwear, and even got some on her breasts. The veins on his neck strained as he did his best to not lunge at her or fall, spent.

Take a second, his eyes adjusted to really take in the vision before him. Her full, red lips and alluring body captivated him. The sight of his seed, evidence of their sex, painted all over her sparked a possessiveness in him. The desire to leave some permanent mark on her body as his and his alone. He wanted the same, because there was no one else for him but her from now on.

He could smell her scent and his together, adding to the arousal that came right back in his cock. He looked down at her underwear, his mess also painted on that. "I believe we are missing a few spots, Precious."

In response, Sarah winked and licked her finger, dragging it down his chest. Jareth snatched her hand, pulling her so that he was licking her from her elbow to her fingers. He delighted in watching her breathe deeper, her nipples harder. Sarah swallowed thickly, regaining her wits and speaking in a sultry voice "Well, we should remedy that, then."

She pulled his hand away from him, though she didn't hide how much she didn't want to pull from him. Turning around, she pulled her underwear down, her luscious bare ass facing him.

She put a coy finger to her mouth, going to turn on the shower. "So, are you joining me for that shower?"

Jareth didn't hesitate. He followed her in. He twisted them both so fast, she didn't realize what happened until he was nose to nose with her, his eyes dilated as her back was against the cold wall.

He looked very much like a predator catching his prey, wanting to toy with it before devouring it. His licked his lips and eyed her up and down. She was almost scared, and would have been if she didn't love and trust him. She didn't move, waiting to see what he would do her. Wanting him to make her body sing.

Jareth didn't think she could lovelier than this, her sex soaked, her body flushed pink, her lips swollen from kissing him, breasts and thighs with pleasant bruises on them, her curves enticing, her hair cascading down her neck, and evidence of his orgasm all over her body.

"And you, Sarah." He placed both hands on either side of her head, caging her. "How are you enjoying my Labyrinth?"

Her skin flushed even pinker and her scent grew stronger. She titled her chin up to him in defiance. "It's a piece of cake."

He raised an eyebrow, answering in a breathy, almost deadly manner. "Let's see how you deal with this little slice."

He placed both hands under her bottom, pulling her up so that he could thrust into her slick entrance. Sarah screamed in pleasure, rocking back just as hard.

"You're so damn wet," he swore. "You love having my cock deep in you, don't you?"

Sarah wasn't a huge fan of dirty talk. When most guys did it, she cringed. When Jareth did it, she was enthralled with his deep, passionate voice. "Yes, oh my god, yes."

Their movements became less steady, more jagged and almost painful. Jareth gripped her harder. "Sarah!"

He thrust her hard against the wall, biting her neck at the same time. Sarah scratched her nails on his back, screaming out his name. His warmth filled her, and she was sure she'd never felt anything so erotic in her life.

They slid to the floor, kissing and catching their breaths. Jareth watched in delight as Sarah gazed at him adoringly. "Damn, Jareth. I could get used to this."

"You should," he growled, pulling her in for another kiss. "I'm a very sensual person. I enjoy sex, but I must say, I haven't enjoyed it in a long while." He laid his head on her shoulder, clearly a new favorite position of his. They hardly even noticed the water raining on them. "It left me feeling empty, a stark reminder of how much I need that emotional attachment. Not anymore. Not when I've found you."

Sarah turned, tears gathering in her eyes. "And I've found you too. I was afraid it's been too long since I've had sex to impress you," she said with a smile.

Jareth chuckled, kissing her. "It wouldn't matter to me whether you've never had sex or had many, many partners in the past. I would want you just the same." He touched her right below her bellybutton, his expression changed to one of horror. "What happened here? Who hurt you? Was it… him?"

His voice tapered so quietly, it was almost silent.

It took her a moment to realize he was talking about her c-section scar and the Erlking. She held his face in her hands, quieting his tormented hurt at the thought of her in pain. "I'm okay, Jareth. It's okay. No, it wasn't The Erlking. It was Ben, actually."

Jareth no longer appeared so tormented, though was now very confused. "Ben?"

She chuckled. "I had a brutal birth. I was in labor for more than a whole day and in the end, they had to do an emergency c-section. That kid gave me so many scars and marks on my body."

Indeed, one could see that the skin of her abdomen and thighs had faint, white stretch marks. Even her breasts had them, along with many other imperfections. "It took me a long time to come to grips that this was normal on a body, that it didn't mean I'm any less healthy. It didn't help that my mother didn't have the same markings on her body or made me feel like there was something wrong. But I know now that it's not something to be ashamed of. I don't really notice it's there most of the time now. Some see it as an empowerment. Some as an imperfection. I find it to be something as natural as a birthmark."

Jareth smiled in relief. "I am happy to hear that, Love. You should feel comfortable and wonderful in your body. You are magnificent." He frowned as he said his next sentence. "Your mother is a fool. She will spend the rest of her life trying to stay a certain age instead of embracing who she is. No one's opinion of your own self is more important than your own. However," he licked his lips. "I will add that I find you quite marvelously sexy and I would devour you any time of day."

They cleaned each other up. Jareth revealed that he almost never let anyone touch his hair unless it was a hair dresser, his parents (only begrudgingly), or babies when they would accidentally get a fistful. Except her. He enjoyed it when she washed his hair, brushed it, played with it. He never even let past lovers touch his hair.

Sarah couldn't believe how brimming with happiness she was. Not so long ago, she had resigned to achieving contentment. Happiness seemed impossible back then and she was glad to share it with Jareth now.

She left the bathroom first, turning on her music player softly as she got ready to make crepes. She sang quietly to Top of the World by the Carpenters, feeling the euphoria the music was giving her.

Jareth watched her sing, breaking eggs in the bowl. This was how he wanted his life to be like, for Sarah to happily sing as she thought of him. The light from the dawn made her dark hair lighten to a shade of brown, her little dance moves accentuated the happiness.

He came to hold her from behind, making her yelp as he kissed her neck. She held his hands that rested on her stomach, sighing. "At this rate, we'll starve to death."

"Not me." He bit her neck lightly. "I'll just live off of eating you."

She moved away from him but he just took her hand and spun her in a dance, dipping her down and spinning her right back into his arms. Sarah's laugh of delight would be one that he would work hard to hear over and over. He spun her around to the bowl of eggs. "What are you making?"

"I was thinking of making crepes," she responded. "But I'm not sure if that's all I want to eat."

"How about some sausages?" He wiggled his eyebrows wickedly. "Perhaps some fruits and vegetables. A peach? Maybe a zucchini? You can have my zucchini again." He ground his body into her.

"You and zucchinis!" She playfully shoved him.

"You're the one who brought it up last night!" He picked her up by the waist and set her on the countertop, laughing.

"Jareth?" She caressed his face, hoping that the absolute pure adoration on his face would never stop. The zucchini made her think of something she should have said a while back. "That day when we first went grocery shopping together, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for how I lectured you in front of Pickle. I should have waited to speak later instead of undermining you. I should have said it earlier, but I was too stubborn. Thank you for not giving up on us and swallowed your pride first."

While his smile didn't dim, he did seem so much more serious. "I appreciate it, Love. Thank you. That being said, I want you to continue feel free to talk to me about such things, to be my equal partner. I don't want you to feel afraid to tell me if you feel there's a better way to do things. Especially when you feel I am acting too cruel." He kissed her cheek.

"Then I'll be sure to settle our differences in private and be open to each other," she said. "We should be a united front. Thank you for understanding."

They shared another deep kiss. Just when they were about to get even more handsy, Sarah found a pair of scissors. Jareth raised a wary eyebrow at her. "I know you have many fantasies, and I hope any with a pair of scissors mean that clothes and are getting ripped and I'm not in trouble for anything," he winked.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Nah, I like my clothes too much. And if I wanted clothes getting ripped off, I'd prefer for you to use your bare hands."

"Is that a challenge?" He licked his lips.

"Easy there." She put a hand on his chest to prevent him from taking her right there on the countertop when her brother and son were in the same house. "But I do have a reason for grabbing these."

She hopped off and rummaged through an art supply drawer, finding a sparkly, silver ribbon. She tied it around a stand of hair and cut it, presenting it to Jareth who held it as if he was holding Sarah herself. "A lock of my hair for you."

He was quiet for a moment, but his gentle smile told Sarah all she needed to know. "Thank you, Precious."

He placed the lock of hair in a locket he conjured and placed it on the chain next to his medallion. "Now a part of you will always stay with me."

"As is yours." She reached in her shirt to pull out the necklace with his feather in it.

Just as they were about to kiss once more, Ben came to the kitchen. His face broke into the biggest smile ever. "Hi Mommy! Hi Jareth!" He ran to Jareth who easily picked him up and gave him the biggest hug ever.

"No more 'Mister?'" Jareth pouted teasingly.

Ben giggled behind his hand. "Ruben said to call you Sire but I don't like it. So I will just call you Jareth."

Jareth laughed heartily. "You don't have to do that. That sounds like something my rascal of a brother would say."

"Are we having pancakes?" Ben asked, looking at the bowl of eggs.

"We're having delicious crepes that your mother will make, actually," he answered, gesturing towards Sarah.

"Oh! I forgot, I have something for you!" Ben wiggled and once Jareth put him down, he zoomed to his play area and brought over a drawing.

Jareth took it, touched at seeing the stick figures of them all. Him, Sarah, Toby, and Ben together. It was a lovely drawing that deserved a special place in his castle. There were little blobs all over the place that he assumed were goblins. "How marvelous! I especially like the wild blond hair you gave me."

"That's us in your BIG castle!" Ben said excitedly. "Everyone is happy."

Jareth noticed that Ben was in front of the adults, that he and Sarah were holding hands. It seemed that Ben was more observant than he had thought. "Thank you, Ben. This is a beautiful memory and I will treasure it forever."

Ben hugged Jareth's leg, who picked him up once more. He wouldn't make eye contact with Jareth, shyly hugging his neck. "I love you, Jareth," he said quietly to the Goblin King's ear.

Jareth clutched Ben tightly, placing a kiss on his cheek for the first time. His heart seemed to grow twice its size since meeting Ben. "And I love you too, Ben. More than you will ever know. I will do all I can to be worthy of your love for as long as I live. Thank you for loving me back."

Sarah covered her mouth, then her heart. It was everything she wanted, every wish come to life. Her sweet young son being doted on by the man of her heart filled her soul with a kind of unspeakable happiness that could not be explained by words.

*CHOMP*

All three turned to see Iglepus the Goblin, elbow-deep in a bag of Christmas food leftovers. He squeaked he found his king right behind him.

Jareth raised an eyebrow. "What do we have here?"

"Eh, want some?" He held out a fistful of mashed potatoes in bribery, trying to seem nonchalant and failing.

Jareth folded his arms. "What did I say about stealing food?"

Iglepus blinked a couple times, scratching his head, by using the same hand he used to hold the mashed potatoes. "Umm, to share?"

Jareth pinched his nose and let out a rather noisy exhale equivalent to that of a dragon that was breathing fire. He turned to Sarah. "Do you want to take over?"

With the corner of her lips twitching into a smile, she walked past Jareth, gently brushing her hand on his arm. "Iglepus."

"Heh? Hi, Queenie! You says we can come and visit! And visit means food!" He reasoned, looking rather proud of himself.

"But you need to ask before you come and take things, remember?" She grabbed the mashed potatoes from him. "Because of this, no marshmallows today."

"WHAT?" He had the nerve to look at Jareth for sympathy. When he didn't get any, he started to ramble. "But - but-"

"No buts." Sarah wagged her finger at him. "And you can't steal any because I don't have any in the house. However," she pointed to an empty chair. "If you wait, I will make crepes for you. And any goblin who wants one."

He brightened. "Okie! Bye now!"

Jareth chewed the bottom of his lip. "Are you sure that's a good idea? Do you have any idea how many goblins that would be?"

"That's why I'm counting on people to help me cook." She grabbed his hand and lead him to the bowl of eggs. "Here, let me show you."

"Me too, Mommy!" Ben climbed on his chair.

Soon, Toby came to join them. His hair was in disarray and he promptly laid his head on the dining table, looking exhausted. "Man, you guys are so loud."

"Good morning to you too, grumpy brother of mine." Sarah ruffled his hair even more, eliciting a very noisy groan from him.

"Taste the whipped cream!" Ben tried to shove a spoon in Toby's mouth.

"Little Dude, can I have like, half the energy you have?" He groaned, accepting the spoonful of whipped cream.

"You're funny, Uncle Toby," Ben giggled. "Do you like the whipped cream?"

He nodded, sneaking in another taste by dipping his finger directly into the bowl, receiving a glare from Sarah. "Wow, that tastes really good, actually."

At Ben's insistence, Toby reluctantly got up to help make the large batch of crepes for the many goblins that were coming through. He eyed his sister and Jareth carefully, seeing that they were holding back in being too affectionate with each other around Ben. She would feed the king strawberries and Jareth's hand would linger on her back when they thought he and Ben weren't looking.

He couldn't help but smile to himself. He had focused so much on Jareth's impact on his sister that he sometimes forgot to focus on how she impacted him. When they reunited, Toby thought Jareth was fun to be around, but also closed off from others from his deepest feelings, afraid to truly show his feelings to the world. He had never seen the king so relaxed. They deserved to be together.

All at once, goblins decided to swarm in, all bouncing around. "CREPES!"

"CREPES! CREPES! CREPES!" They cheered as loud as they could.

"I want FIVE crepes!"

"Well, then I want six!"

"Can chicken have crepes?"

"I want a smiley face on mine."

"I want a GOBLIN FACE ON MINE!"

Sarah indulged each goblin a little too much for Jareth's taste. He shook his head, knowing that they would take full advantage of it.

Or perhaps not. They seemed to listen to her when she had something to say. Maybe she had a point about him being cruel to them not working as well as he wanted. Oh well. At least she was happy and he would do what he could to keep her that way.

Sarah noticed how even though there were more and more goblins in the house, it never felt crowded. She turned to Jareth, noticing a tiny grin on the side of his mouth.

She also noticed that his face was losing color, turning a little ashen. She rushed towards him, turning pale in her fear. "Jareth? Oh my god, come sit."

"I'm fine," he tried to insist, but nearly fell. Sarah lead him to a chair, brushing the hair out of his eyes.

Sarah gave him a glass of water. "Are you using a lot of magic to keep the house magically bigger somehow?" When he nodded, she clicked her tongue to stop herself from getting more upset. "You'll hurt yourself, you don't have to do that, you know?"

"But you enjoy having these cretins in your home, so I wanted to help," he countered.

"Not at the expense of your health. You're still healing. Please, don't let me worry like that."

While he was touched at her concern, Jareth was feeling irritated that his full strength had not yet returned. He was usually very healthy and a day of resting got him better whenever he was ill. He hated feeling this way. He sighed, looking down.

She could see how frustrating it was for him to have his abilities and strength diminished. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel incompletant. "I appreciate that you're doing this for me, to be so accommodating. Thank you." She kissed his nose, forgetting about wanting to be careful around Ben. "You're very thoughtful. Just don't push yourself."

Jareth's smile came back. "I don't ever mean to worry you, Precious. I just want to make you happy."

She took the empty glass from him. "You do. Just you being here makes me happy."

Ben ran to her side excitedly. "Mommy!"

She looked up to see Samuel, Lorraine, and Mara in her kitchen. Samuel and Lorraine were still in pajamas like the rest of them but Mara was in her usual black corseted attire. They all bowed or curtsied to them. "We heard there were goblins leaving the castle and got concerned," Samuel said, appearing very confused. He went to Jareth's side. "Is something wrong with His Majesty?"

"Oh." Sarah blushed. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize inviting the goblins would make you two so worried. But it's good to have friends who care about us."

"You invited them?" Lorraine exhaled in relief. "We took a portal to the Above to come here then transported the rest of the way once we could sense Goblin Magic in your home. Goblins gathering in a place outside the kingdom is usually very concerning when His Majesty isn't there. They will sense if the king is in significant, unexpected distress and follow if they are allowed."

"I'm fine," Jareth said. Under Sarah's slightly raised eyebrows (that only he could see), he rolled his eyes and said "Perhaps I pushed my magic too far, but I am well."

Mara moved her fingers as if she was curling them under an invisible string. She moved her hands in circular motions, nodding in satisfaction when she stopped. "I took over your expansion spell, Your Majesty."

"Thank you," he conceded, holding Sarah's hand. He usually was very careful to not appear weak, but Sarah was right. Everyone here cared about him and didn't care if he seemed "weak" unless they were worried. They would never use it against him. "I will go slowly to preserve my health."

Confident that he was fine and that he would keep his word to take things easy, Sarah gently touched his shoulder in lieu of a kiss. "Since you all are here, allow me to welcome you to my home and I'll cook you breakfast!"

Samuel and Lorraine looked uncomfortable with the idea. "My Lady-"

"Sarah," Sarah said firmly but lightly. "Lorraine, it's just us here."

Lorraine's eyes flickered to Jareth. At his nod, she continued. "Sarah. We can't dream of you cooking for us. You are a Lady, even a queen. We thank you for your hospitality."

"Yes," Samuel chimed in. "Usually, we would be greeted by a housekeeper and not have one of your station cook for us."

"Nonsense," she reassured them. "Here, I'm just Sarah Williams. I don't have a housekeeper, I keep it myself. And since this is my home, what I say goes, right? Please, let this be a way for me to repay you for all of your kindness." When they still hesitated, she added "You can help me cook then, if you prefer. I did at the castle."

"I, for one, am excited to have your food!" Mara announced, admiring the house, especially the modern technology. "I would like to assist you in cooking breakfast!"

"Whatever it is you guys are deciding, hurry up because I'm hungry!" Toby called from the other side of the kitchen.

With more convincing, Sarah finally got Samuel and Lorraine to join them in cooking. Mara was most excited about the modern technology, asking questions about the electric refrigerator and gas stovetop. She could hardly contain her excitement when she peeked in the oven and found that there wasn't a place to make fire. Sarah explained as best as she could, wishing her father was here to show Mara since he was such a handyman. Lorraine gasped at the amount of ingredients and spices available to them, wondering how such things were made so easily available to one person. In response to that, Toby offered to take them grocery shopping when they ran out of butter.

"I'll show you the car!" He opened the door to the garage excitedly, flipping the keys in his hand to show off.

As for the goblins, they all loved the crepes Sarah made and miraculously, kept their messes to a minimum at her instructions. She suspected that it was more because they were scared they wouldn't be invited back than actually worried about making a mess.

"Here you go!" Ben handed a plate to a goblin.

"More whipped cream?" She asked quietly.

"No, eat this first!" He lectured. "Then you can have more, okay?"

"Aw, okayyy," she groaned, plopping on top of the kitchen table to eat.

"I believe he will have the goblins in control under no time," Jareth remarked, popping a blueberry into his mouth. "Like his mother."

Sarah laughed rather loudly, almost missing the sound of the doorbell ringing. The goblins all instantly descended into a riot.

"LOUD NOISE!"

"My ears!"

"Someone going to steal my crepes!"

"NOOOOO!"

"Queenie, can we gives crepes to chickens?"

Of course, at the mention of chickens again, they all wanted to make sure that their chickens could have crepes.

"The house is soundproof from goblin noises, by the way," Jareth informed her.

Sarah squeezed his hand, grateful. She tried to get them in order so she could get to the door. "I promise, no one is taking your crepes. Everyone has or already had their first serving, right? Give me a bit and when the rest come back, they'll give us more ingredients, okay."

She patted the heads of some goblins close to her. Placated, they continued to eat strangely quietly as she went to the door.

Ben trotted after her, but didn't stand with her, just sat on the couch so he could see what was happening. Without a word, Jareth joined him.

"Greg?" Sarah couldn't hide her surprise when she saw her brother-in-law. "What are you doing here?"

Greg flinched a bit at her accusatory tone. "I, um, that is, well, you know, here, at your house."

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I know that. But why?"

Greg groaned, covering his head with his hands. "I spent the last ten minutes trying to think of what to say to you. And now I'm acting like an idiot." He tapped his foot nervously, shaking a little.

Sarah had to feel for him. If he was going out of his way to talk to her, perhaps she should hear him out. "Do you want to come in?" She really didn't want him in, but it was seriously colder outside than the arctic at this point and it would be rude not to.

Greg shook his head. "No, I just, I have something for you and something to say."

She stepped outside the front door, seeing that Jareth was eyeing her carefully, worried for her. Probably due to how upset she was appearing. She made a gesture to let him know she was fine.

"That's Jareth?" Greg craned his neck.

"What do you want?" she repeated rather harshly. She wasn't about to tolerate nosiness or any insults thrown at the man she loved.

Greg clearly wanted to roll his eyes but didn't. "Okay, here goes nothing." He took a deep breath. "Sarah, I'm here to apologize. And Pam will later too, about the Canada vacation trip. And not being there as much for you and Ben when Ethan died."

She wasn't moved. She wanted to feel appreciative, but it was hard to when the pain still cut deep like a knife to her heart. "Thanks," she said rather blandly. Was this because he wanted to make her feel better, or to make himself feel less guilt?

"I want to make amends," he continued, shrinking at her tone. "I know that Ethan would be really disappointed in us. I can't change the past or what the parents or the rest do, but I want to be present for different big events for Ben, even yours. Or even something like family dinner once a month or even every other month if that's how you want to do it. What my parents, especially Mom, did to you was really shitty. And I know it wasn't just the one off. It was how she has always treated you."

Sarah hadn't expected that. For him to acknowledge and to actually take the initiative to do better made her melt. Perhaps she should give him a chance. "Okay," she said in a small voice. "That sounds good. We can try."

He smiled in relief. "I'm sorry I let the family peer pressure get to me. And for not taking the initiative earlier."

"It really hurt, Greg," Sarah said, needing to let it out. "It felt like a betrayal to hear you guys left without telling us. I was frozen in shock and depression when he died. Sometimes, I'm surprised I didn't die myself during that time. How I was able to tell myself to eat and to take care of Ben is still beyond me. I needed you all to support us, to let us know that we meant something. But if you really want to fix this, then yeah, I think we can do something together once in a while. Thanks for acknowledging that. And for wanting to spend time with us. You're a cool guy, I'd like for us to be better friends."

Greg nodded, relieved. "So, the thing I have for you is in the car, one moment."

She followed him to his car, where he brought out a bunch of boxes. Setting one on his trunk, he opened one that had a photo album. "I was doing some cleaning with Mom and found these of Ethan when he was a kid. I thought maybe you'd like them instead of letting it rot in the attic."

Sarah didn't say a word, just took one and flipped through it. The resemblance Ben had to Ethan was uncanny. She laughed at one ridiculous haircut he had as a kid, wishing that he was still alive so they could look at it together. She smiled at Greg. "I think Ben would love it. I love it too, thank you."

"You're welcome." He shuffled a bit, trying to figure out if he should ask his question or not. In the end, he did. "So… was that guy in there, is that Jareth? You don't have to say anything, I'm just curious. You can tell me to bug off if you want."

She almost told him that it was none of his business, her knee-jerk reaction to wanting to protect Jareth. Oh, fuck it. She loved him and she wasn't the least bit ashamed. "Yeah, that's Jareth."

Greg bit the inside of his cheek, curiosity still looming over him. "Are you two…?"

Sarah nodded, finding herself smiling. "Yeah, we're dating now. He's my boyfriend. Still in early stages though."

The phrase sounded strange. "Boyfriend" just sounded wrong when she was referring to an otherworldly, magical king. She would have to figure out something better.

Greg nodded, pursing his lips, hands in his pockets and awkwardly shuffling. "Well, good for you. Does he make you happy?"

Sarah's smile widened. "Yes."

"And how does he like Ben and vice versa?"

She knew this question was coming. She tried to not let her cheerful demeanor dim but it was difficult to when she felt defensive. "They adore each other. And before you ask, I am almost always there or Toby is when they're around each other. Only when I can't help it like needing to go to the bathroom are they ever alone."

"I'm not judging you, Sarah. I'm not Mom," he laughed. "I mean, you married my brother. I trust your taste in men."

Sarah snorted, laughing a bit at the way he phrased it. "Thanks Greg. That means a lot. And yeah, I really do like him."

"Well, I won't take up more of your time. Take care," he said. "I'll call later to figure out specifics on when you want to hang out?"

"That would be great, thank you."

He nodded once, helping her to bring it just inside the house. "I'll head out now."

As he walked away, Sarah knew she couldn't just leave it at that. "Wait, Greg?"

He turned, surprised to see how vulnerable his sister-in-law appeared at the moment. He hardly ever saw her like this. "Yeah?"

"How about dinner this week? And we can go through the baby pictures together with Ben, maybe?"

He smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that. How's Friday, 7 o'clock? Here at my house?"

"That's perfect. I look forward to it."

"Cool, see you then."

Right as Greg was pulling out of the driveway, Toby and the rest of the gang were back. He looked at Greg in surprise but waved politely anyway. He hopped out of the car unloading the ingredients and a lot of snacks. "Was that Greg?"

"Yeah." She the conversation with Greg was exactly what she needed. "He came to apologize and to give us Ethan's childhood pictures. I'll tell you more later. How was the shopping trip?"

Samuel came out of the car with his vomit in a bag. He looked rather green and very dizzy. "While I am amazed at human technology like this car and the destination itself was fascinating, I cannot say that it was a smooth trip."

"Some asshole ran a red and I had to do a quick turn to make sure we didn't all fucking die," Toby huffed. "Samuel was already carsick and it just made it worse for him."

"That was incredible!" Mara hopped out of the car, eyes wide. "The car might as well fly with how smooth most of the ride was! And the store, so many things to choose from. Do you not get overwhelmed by the amount of choices?"

"I'm sure that building was as large as the castle! I'm impressed." Lorraine came out, holding what looked like a bag of seaweed snacks.

"I'm glad you all had fun," Sarah beamed, glad that she could show them her world as they had shown her theirs. It was adorable to see the excitement in their eyes. "Let's get you all inside. Samuel, let's get you rested."

"Oh, I'm fine, just a little bit unsettled," he tried to reassure her.

Once in, Toby made sure to hide the snacks where he was sure the goblins wouldn't find them. He and the two ladies went to cook while Samuel sat on the couch to calm his upset stomach. After getting a grateful and nauseous Samuel a blanket and a ginger tea, Sarah went to find Jareth and Ben, both staring into a crystal. She crawled right into Jareth's side.

He slipped a hand around her waist. "Everything fine?"

She put a hand on his leg. "Yeah, I'm okay. It was Ethan's brother. It went well. I'll tell you about it later. What are you two looking at?"

Ben held the crystal out for her. "It's a baby owl!"

The three of them watched in fascination as Hope was being tended by an animal healer. He brushed her feathers and gave her food. Hope was such a feisty little thing, trying too hard to fly when her wing was not yet healed.

"You need to rest, Hope." Sarah reached out to touch the crystal, as if she was stroking Hope's feathers.

Hope looked right at them, screeching at Sarah.

The healer chuckled. "She is a stubborn one."

"Does she need a lot of bandages?" Ben asked the healer. "I want to play with her."

"Next time you come visit, we will arrange that," Jareth promised.

Soon, all the goblins were happily fed and left to sleep off their food coma in the castle. Samuel, now recovered from carsickness, said he and Lorraine would be back to retrieve Jareth once he was ready to come back home.

As for Jareth, he wasn't sure if he would ever be truly ready to be back home. Not without Sarah. He wanted to be with her all the time. He wanted to wake up and see the sun with her by his side. But, even if she agreed to marry him right then and there, they still had to get things ready, to see unfinished business through.

Besides, they had an eternity to be together. What was a few years or so when they had forever?

"Jareth?"

Her sweet voice brought him out of his thoughts. Ben and Toby had gone to get dressed, so it was just the two of them. "My parents called. Do you want to join us on an outing when they come back? We'd love to have you with us."

"I do." He kissed her deeply. "Thank you, my Love."

"For what?" She asked after the kiss, breathless and enchanted every time he looked into her eyes.

"For freely giving me affection and love." He held her face, brushing her cheek with his thumb. "For giving me a place in your heart." He wanted her to always know that he was forever grateful for the love she gave him.

"You will always have a place here." She placed his hand over her heart, squeezing it. She picked up the locket with her hair on it and the crystal with his feather for them to see. "I know this is to symbolize courting, but to me, it's a promise that we'll be good to each other and prioritize each other. That means even if we're only formally courting, to me, you are family."

It was everything Jareth needed to hear. "Then, let's go on that family outing."

When Robert and Karen came back, they took in the smiles on Jareth and Sarah's face.

Robert cleared his throat. "How was your date last night?" he asked, believing he was out of Jareth's earshot.

"It was wonderful, we went to this cute little tea place. Maybe we can take you guys there some time." Sarah turned to the direction where Jareth was, helping Ben zip up his jacket. "It's the first time we really got to spend time alone together. I adore him."

"That sounds great, sweetheart." Karen put on her jacket, beaming at Sarah. "He seems super sweet. You sound smitten."

"And hopefully not too presumptuous, but in love," Robert chimed, a nostalgic glint in his eye. "I know you were married once and already have a kid, but to me, you're still that little kid who would ask for more snacks and ask me to read stories. Seeing you happy is all I ever wanted. He's a good man, Sarah. I can tell he adores you just as much."

She beamed at her father. "Thanks, Dad. I do love him. I know it's early to say, but I can see myself with him for the rest of my life. It's good to know that you like him too."

Soon, everyone was ready. Ben took Jareth's hand, asking him when the goblins would be able to come back and play.

"Whenever you'd like, but you'd have to ask your mother," he answered seriously.

"Goblins again, my goodness," Karen laughed. "Toby, remember you would ask me to read that story about goblins?"

"But they're real! Not just a story. And they had crepes. And play with chickens," he pouted, looking at Jareth. "Tell them, Jareth! They're real!"

Jareth patted Ben's back reassuringly. "He speaks the truth. The goblins came and had a fantastic time, along with a few other guests."

Robert humored his grandson. "Tell me more about the goblins, Ben."

Ben happily told his Grampy about the adventures they had, from the goblins and their chickens to Ben rounding them up himself.

"Ready to go?" Toby jiggled the car keys, trying to gather everyone to the car.

Sarah nodded, gazing at her family, full of love for each and every one of them. "Yeah, let's go."

I want to apologize for the time it took for me to write this chapter. I had a difficult time writing it, unsure of whether it answered every question. And getting motivation to write and finish it lol. That and a lot of crazy things happened in my personal life, a lot of stresses unfortunately but I'm doing okay myself. Thank you for sticking around, everyone! Last chapter is an epilogue and I'm still figuring out all I want to add for it. If you find a really weird plot hole or typo or whatever let me know lol. Reviews are always appreciated, thank you so so so much!