CHAPTER 24

"Five hours remain," Jareth informed Sarah as they gazed across the Labyrinth from the battlements where they stood shoulder to shoulder. "Shall we go and visit him?"

Sarah sighed deeply. "I guess it is only polite."

"Polite?" Jareth tsked, his hand moving to the small of her back.

Sarah hesitated. "He is a visitor here."

"He is also someone who wished away their child to try and wrangle more sex," Jareth said with distaste. "That poor woman has just given birth."

"Jo," Sarah prompted with a frown. "She always had a taste for the wrong men."

"Like you?"

"But she knew what he was!" Sarah jabbed her finger into the bricks of the battlement wall. "I didn't know what he was like when we first started going out. She had the opportunity to learn from my experience. I bitched about Mark enough times to Jo..."

They both watched as a crow circled closer to their observation spot. Its 'caw' carried on the breeze, disturbing the peace. Sarah wondered if it was the same crow that had stirred them both from a nap they had taken when they returned from the Labyrinth's gates. After no sleep last night in addition to all the discharged emotions from telling Jareth about her miscarriage, she had curled up and drifted off under Jareth's owl-feather blanket. Jareth joined her after he had checked on Sevlydi, Toby and the baby.

"Why do you think he keeps having affairs with my friends?" Sarah asked, breaking the silence. "Not all my friends—Hilary would never have touched him with a 50-foot barge pole— and not all his affairs were with my friends. The one he left me for, Melinda, was definitely not my friend."

"Your ex-husband was one card short of a full deck," Jareth responded, bluntly. "Cheating on you in the first place was his first mistake, so bog knows why he picked your friends. Perhaps, he was trying to strike a chord with you."

Jareth could be right that Mark was probably crudely trying to make Sarah jealous, but how would that work when she was missing, presumed dead? "Truly a cruel beast," Sarah said, shaking her head. "Well, it would work wonders if I had enough capacity to care."

"You do care," Jareth murmured, "about the right things."

Sarah straightened her corset. "And his penis is not one of them."

Jareth threw his head back, emitting a deep laugh. "I imagine you would sooner chop it off, than care about it."

"The Fire Gang would appreciate a new toy."

Jareth kissed Sarah on her temple. "You are despicable, precious."

"What's truly despicable is that you still haven't stolen time from him," Sarah recalled. "Especially as he had the audacity to interrupt us."

"We have a growing list of criminals, Sarah," Jareth drawled her name out. "Glib the goblin, the two Pinnsburrs— my oubliettes are filling up."

"Surely, interrupting us during a pivotal moment is a greater crime than all of their crimes put together," Sarah teased.

"You would think so," Jareth agreed, hooking his fingers into the bottom of her corset and drawing her closer. "But I am sure you will make it up to me once your ex-husband has returned Aboveground."

"Is that what you think?"

Jareth's smile answered Sarah's question. But if it didn't, his kiss certainly did.

Jareth's hands pressed the small of Sarah's back, and the nape of her neck, enclosing her in the circle of his arms. His fingers— burrowing deep in her loose hair— caressed the base of the scalp with tantalising strokes. His lips grazed hers, sending delicate waves of pleasure through the nervous system, before being replaced by gentle nips of his teeth. Her bottom lip was between both sets of teeth as he ran his tongue along its length. Sarah lifted her floundering arms and drew them up his thighs to place them on his hips.

At this encouragement, Jareth released her lip from his teeth and ventured his tongue between both lips. Sarah nipped gently on the tip of his tongue and then pulled away. Jareth's eyes darted open and narrowed at her cheeky smile.

Jareth growled. "Don't toy with me, Sarah."

Sarah leaned back in and placed her lips against his in a feather-soft kiss. Both mouths opened, both sets of eyes closed again as they dipped tongues in to taste each other. Jareth tasted like warm blueberry pie. It was slow, gentle, and curious, but not intrusive. Sarah felt a rising giddiness as Jareth deepened the kiss. It was less carnal, less hungry and more comforting and consoling. It was a kiss that said, 'I will be there for you as the world falls down.'

When Jareth released her, Sarah felt like her whole mind was open to him. His eyes bore into hers, reading what she was failing to hide. That was no lust-fueled kiss, though it seemed to have been prompted by more base desires. Initiated by lust or not, it definitely did not conclude in the same vein. Sarah was hyper-aware of both their rapid breathing as they held each other's gaze.

"Shall we go and see your Bog-worthy mortal husband?" Jareth ran trembling fingers through her hair and along her jawline.

"If we must," Sarah replied, in a shaky voice. A kiss had never moved Sarah in her entire life. She doubted whether Jareth had ever been so affected by a kiss before, either. Cutting it short to carry out their duty seemed an injustice on an indomitable scale. Sarah felt her heart clench and then beat in double time. She lurched forward and pulled Jareth into a hug. He hesitated briefly, before enveloping her in a nearly bone-crushing hug.

Sarah imagined what the crow must see from its height: two monarchs wrapped in each other with their long hair intertwining and their cloaks whipping each other in the wind. What the crow couldn't see was eyes glistening with unshed tears as they sought comfort from each other; a potential end to their respective loneliness. It couldn't see the two rulers inhale each other deeply, trying to imprint the scent of the other deep into their memory banks. It couldn't see the King rub his thumb lightly across the shoulder blades of the Queen. It couldn't see the Queen press her lips against the juncture of the King's neck in an approximation of a kiss.

Jareth and Sarah arrived in the stone maze, which after all this time was as far as Mark had travelled. They stood waiting around the corner from where he was currently running; goblin armour gleaming and menacing. Jareth took Sarah's hand in his.

"A united front," he reasoned to her when she glanced from their joined hands to his face. She offered a squeeze with her hand and a smile. Jareth's heart squeezed in time with her hand, especially at seeing her smile. He had seen a lot of anger, a lot of sadness from his wife since he first met her, and every smile was worth its weight in gold; even small ones that she offered voluntarily.

Her smile slid off as she heard her husband—her ex-husband—stumble around the corner. Mark was unkempt, to say the least, with sweat streaking down his grubby, vermillion face, his clothes torn, and his hands covered in blood. He stood puffing, with his hands on his knees as he took in the sight of his tormentors standing hand in hand in his path. He pushed his scraggly blonde fringe out of his face to glare at them both.

"Is it over?" Mark puffed. "Can I have my child back?"

Jareth's brows shot up. "Do you believe you have beaten my Labyrinth?"

"Your maze is pitiful," Mark said with an audible wheeze.

"And yet you haven't even reached the hedge maze," Jareth said, tapping his cane impatiently on the ground. Mark turned his look to Sarah instead.

"Sar," he began, breathlessly, "I know I treated you awfully, but Abby doesn't deserve to be a goblin. She is a sweetheart, Sarah. Please do not turn her into an abomination."

Jareth felt his skin prickle in contempt as he referred to the goblins as abominations. He wondered if Sarah also remembered the real fear that she had when trying to get Toby back. He had seen it in her eyes every time they had met during her run. Jareth turned to his wife and could see in her face the pity that she felt for Mark.

"It is really arduous to lose a child," Sarah condoled with him "The difference, between us, is that I never wished my child away just so I could get laid."

"Our child," Mark corrected, glancing at Jareth. "You told him?"

"Told him about my baby?" Sarah clarified. At Mark's nod, Sarah continued, "yes, he is my husband, Mark. We keep no secrets from each other."

"You didn't want anyone to know," Mark accused. "Even when you were getting fatter, you still wanted to keep it to ourselves."

Jareth heard his resentment in his tone. Was he more resentful that Sarah wanted to keep it a secret or that he was embarrassed by Sarah's burgeoning waistline? He suspected the latter. He watched as Sarah straightened her stance and glowered at the mortal.

"Yet, Jo seemed to know," she said, in a tone devoid of the petulance the statement had the potential to carry.

"No different to you as she is practically my wife." Mark took an intentional step forward. "I would ask Jo to marry me if I was free to do so. But someone had to go and disappear before granting me a divorce."

"Two fae-folk kidnapped me," Sarah reminded him. "I didn't choose to come here."

"But you did marry this thing," Mark said, pointing a bloody finger at Jareth's chest. "You are just so selfish, Sarah."

"Selfish?" Sarah barked humourless laughter. "You don't even know the reasons why I married him. I have to wonder at your basis for comparison."

"They were far from selfish reasons, precious," Jareth spoke up. He didn't particularly relish Sarah revealing to Mark that they were married for convenience. "In the meantime, you are wasting your time. You have less than five hours remaining for you." He cast a look at the shambles that was her ex-husband and held his hand out to his wife. "Shall we go, my love?"

"Love?" Mark looked at them both with incredulity. "If you believe that she has any love in her, then you are a fool, bigger than even your feathery hair."

Jareth levelled a cold glare at his predecessor. He would let the insult to his hair go, with reluctance, but not the slight against his wife. He took one step forward, bringing his face closer to the grubby man. "Your decision to waste the love she gave you on meaningless shags, is no longer your problem or concern. Sarah is her own person, and though she is my wife, she can make her own choices when it comes to love. You have no idea what she is capable of doing for those she truly loves. I have seen it first hand."

Jareth hesitated, knowing Sarah probably didn't want to divulge the secret of her brother's time in the Labyrinth to his odious man. He inhaled sharply, leaning in closer. "Perhaps we both know two very different Sarah's, but this one sacrificed her entire life to be a Queen of a Kingdom that has, directly and indirectly, provided her traumatic events enough to last two or three lifetimes. She isn't the selfish one, nor the one lacking love. I am also not the one who is a fool, for loving my wife has been one of the greatest pleasures I have ever known."

He watched Mark's already pallid features pale in increments as he delivered his monologue. Jareth stepped away from the man; the acrid smell from him was overwhelming as if he had already taken a dip in the bog.

Jareth turned to Sarah to see something ineffable flit across her face. His heart twisted excitedly at the thought that she had looked at him with respect and adoration. But it had been so fleeting and quickly replaced with her Goblin Queen mask.

"I suggest you keep going to the centre, Mark," Sarah said, spinning on her heel and walking away from her husband. Jareth ran a judging eye over him. Mark was a very typically handsome man, and he could see what drew Sarah in, but his blue eyes, while the same shade as his own, remained cold and steely. He saw in his eyes, a reflection of the man he could have the potential to be, if not tempered by his love for Sarah. Jareth imagined Mark would relate well to his father, Effistod.

"Losing your child is a cruel punishment, but you are getting off easy for all the hurt you've caused my wife," Jareth whispered into his forerunner's ear. "I hope for your sake, that you never treat another woman the way you have treated Sarah. If you ever decide to cheat or disrespect another woman, you may wake up minus your favourite body part."

Mark baulked, his hand hovering over his groin. "You do not have the power."

Jareth grinned despite how close Mark had come to saying those dratted words Sarah had defeated him with. "I have citizens that enjoy removing limbs. It would be no problem for them. Some goblins remove their own penises; it won't be a stretch for them to remove yours either."

"You and Sarah deserve each other," Mark yelled, as Jareth strolled away from him.

Jareth turned slowly to face Mark. "Yes, we do. She deserves to have someone love her and treat her like the Queen she is. Next time you see her, I suggest you bow to her, or you may regret your loose tongue."

"She doesn't love you," Mark rejoined in one last attempt to belittle him. "You are a fool if you think she does."

Jareth smiled, as he flicked his wrist towards Mark. To the human, it would have just looked like a dismissive gesture, but in reality, he had placed a truth spell on the man. "Tell me what reason would Sarah ever have to love you?"

Mark looked like he was going to argue and then, his shoulders slumped. "Because I used to be good to her."

"How were you good to her?"

"I was kind," he replied, "I made her feel important. She had a string of inadequate boyfriends before me, and I was different. I charmed her and bent over backwards to be what she needed. It was mostly a facade of goodness, with no real substance. I was very good at lying to her. I wanted her to think I was a good person. At first."

Jareth quirked his brow. "And why did you stop?"

Mark looked confused as if he couldn't understand why he was answering these questions. He ran his torn-up hands through his scruffy blonde hair. "She was too good for me. She was always out of my league, man. I got on the defensive, I guess. I couldn't compete with her. She brought out my insecurities. I saw her more as a trophy rather than a person. I mean, you've seen her. She was—is— hot. She did not worship me like I felt I deserved. Until then, we had fun, but she was only using me to fill a hole she had in her heart; one I could never fill—a hole shaped like someone else."

Jareth waved his hand again, and Mark instantly stiffened.

"What did you do to me?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"I sought the truth," Jareth replied, turning away from him. "I had to know what could have possibly possessed Sarah to marry you."

"Why?" Mark asked with a sneer. "You feel threatened by me?"

"Not remotely." Jareth spun on his heel and followed his wife's path through the Labyrinth until he caught up with her.

"You took your time," Sarah accused, lightly.

"I had words with your ex-husband," Jareth replied, honestly.

"Oh?"

"I still can't get my head around how a magnificent creature like you married such a bog-turnip like him?"

Sarah sighed. "You must think so lowly of my judgement."

Jareth stopped mid-stride. "No, Sarah."

"It's quite alright, Jareth," Sarah reassured. "I think quite lowly of my questionable judgement too. I was too easily charmed. And I knew better."

"You can't know what someone is truly like when they intentionally set out to deceive you," Jareth pointed out.

Sarah burst out laughing. "The irony of your statement, Jareth…"

"It was not my intention to deceive you with Terry." Jareth took Sarah into his arms. "I intended to show you my true inner self, and it backfired dramatically."

"I know, I know," Sarah placated. "But still, you have to laugh at the irony."

"You are an intelligent woman," Jareth continued. "I have to wonder, did you take the lesson of 'not everything is as it seems,' too literally?"

Sarah shook her head. "I mean, out of all the boyfriends I have had, he was the worst, and I married him. It blows my mind too. Everyone else I ever dated was decent, but we just didn't work out."

"Is there a long list?" Jareth asked, his expression darkening.

"A long list of what?"

"Boyfriends," Jareth answered, his voice clipped.

Sarah sucked air through her teeth. "Shorter than yours."

"I have been alive for probably seventeen times longer than you," Jareth pointed out.

"Does it bother you if it was a long list?"

"I would have had your lovers treat you better," Jareth answered.

"Mark was the only one who treated me this poorly," Sarah replied. It was true. Something about Mark had compelled her to want him. Abusive people usually found hiding their darkness easier than anyone else. "Monsters don't expose themselves eagerly in our world. They look and act like everyone else. I made a horrendous mistake when I married him, but he is guilty of what he did, not I."

"I will refrain from asking you why you married him," Jareth acquiesced. "You are right. He is the one who is culpable of mistreatment, not you."

Sarah thanked him. People questioning her judgement never helped her self-blame for Mark's treatment of her. Jareth's concession meant a lot to her because he was starting to see her perspective. People make mistakes with their relationships all the time. But it was not the victim's fault they got sucked in.

"If it wasn't for your husband's deceit, would you have been so angry with me about Terry?" Jareth asked, after a lull.

"Hard to say," Sarah replied. "I do not work in hypotheticals."

Jareth's heart was racing. It always filled him with nervous excitement to talk to Sarah about her feelings, and he was on a knife-edge with bringing up Terry again. He released Sarah from his arms, and they continued their stroll through the maze.

"I only knew Terry a few months," Sarah recalled. "I felt something for him, something that I knew I didn't even feel for my husband. In some ways, it hurt more because I felt more and had opened myself up to trust again after so many years. In other ways, it wasn't as painful because there was no commitment, not even a kiss."

"Terry felt a lot for you too, Sarah," Jareth said, smiling warmly. " But I feel more for you than a figment of my imagination could ever feel. I wish— and I don't often wish—that I had not scuppered your trust on a poxy replica of myself."

"You ended it at least," Sarah pointed out. "Mark ended his deceit too, I guess. Except he made me hate him more while you made me…"

Jareth watched as Sarah blanched, then slammed her mouth shut. His heart soared at her almost confession, but he wasn't going to pressure her. Instead, he rubbed his chin and looked thoughtfully off to the side. "While you seem to attract the villains into your life, you at least have attracted good people, too. Your friend Hilary, Tobias, the Spriggets of Cloverfield—and I am sure there are many others that I do not know of."

"Hoggle, Ludo and Sir. Didymus," Sarah added.

Jareth laughed. "Honestly, I wouldn't call that cowardly dwarf 'good people' at all."

"He is a better person than you," Sarah said, elbowing him lightly.

"Of all the ways that you could insult me, why do you insist on comparing me to that scabby cretin?"

"Why did you send him to the bog when I gave him a mere kiss on the head?" Sarah shot back.

Jareth focused on smoothing his features, lest any sheepish looks drew Sarah's notice. "How do you know I wasn't, in fact, just punishing you for kissing my employee?"

"Hoggle recently confessed to me that you had threatened to turn him into the Prince of the Land of Stench if I kissed him," Sarah said, a nonchalant shrug.

"Ah." The temptation to re-bog that interfering dwarf for good measure overwhelmed Jareth.

"Yes, so why did you do it?"

"It wasn't until later that I discovered your destiny to be my wife," Jareth explained. "However, before then, you still intrigued me. Ruling this Kingdom is as tedious as it is lonely. You intrigued me with your ability to conquer my Labyrinth, and to befriend those meant to hinder you."

Sarah widened her eyes at him. "You were jealous!"

"I was," Jareth confessed. "Your imagination drew me in. I could imagine talking to you innocently for hours on end about all the whimsical imaginings you had."

"Well, we can still do that now," Sarah suggested. "Though, I imagine that my whimsical imaginings, as you put it, are more adult in nature now."

"Even better," Jareth said with a pointy-toothed grin. "I look forward to you elaborating more on that subject. But right now we have to wait until this run is complete."

Sarah spent the rest of Mark's run with Toby, showing him around and hearing the stories of what he had endured living with the changelings. Sarah briefly described her adventures up until this point. She didn't want to go into too much detail with him.

They had completed a circuit and ended up back at the throne room where Jareth sat cradling the baby in his arms. He glanced up as he entered. Sarah felt a pang in her heart at the longing Sarah saw in his eyes. He was quick to replace the look with cold indifference. However, his grip tightening on the bundle did not escape Sarah's notice.

"He has less than an hour to go," Jareth said, glancing back down at the baby. "He has just made it to the hedge maze."

"Mark won't make it," Toby said in a statement, not a question.

"Unlikely," Jareth said with a sigh. "We can't help him. It is forbidden, young Tobias."

Toby nodded feebly. "What will happen to the baby?"

Jareth made eye contact with Sarah. "Traditionally, she would be adopted by the fae family who is next on the list. But Sarah and I want to ensure that she goes to a human family that will treat her right."

"Will that get you in trouble?" Toby asked, looking worried.

"Indeed," Jareth replied, smiling. "We are already at war with those who would try and discipline us anyway. May as well make it worth it."

Sarah watched as Jareth ran a finger across the brow of the sleeping babe. As her heart twisted again, she looked away. Most of her hoped he wasn't trying to manipulate her into wanting a baby. Rationally, she knew he must be a natural with children as part of his job. He had been doing it for hundreds of years after all. Sarah just couldn't ignore the wistfulness that kept flitting across his features.

They took turns to cuddle the baby as they watched Jareth's clock get closer to thirteen. Sevlydi popped in to check on progress before leaving to Jareth's study again. Or was it also Sarah's study? There was so much of the nitty-gritty they hadn't sorted out yet. Jareth wasn't used to sharing power, and it was an adjustment for him in that regard, as much as it was an adjustment for Sarah to be a royal.

"...your thoughts, Precious?" Sarah heard him ask, as she sat curled in the window overlooking the Labyrinth.

"Oh," Sarah said, startled. "I was just speculating if your office was also my office, or will I get my own space?"

"I can create your own space if you want," Jareth said. "Or you can share mine with me." He leaned closer to her, his breath stirring her hair by her ear. "Anything for you, my love."

Sarah had never believed lovers when they said those words. Jareth was willing to sacrifice having children for her, and that alone made her believe his authenticity. She was about to acknowledge his words when a chime echoed across the throne room. The thirteen hours were up.

"Tobias, may we ask that you watch the child while we go and let her father know he has failed?" Jareth asked his brother-in-law as he gathered his cane and straightened his cloak. "Sarah?"

Sarah took Jareth's outstretched hand and together they vanished from the throne room to reappear in the outskirts of the hedge maze. Mark sat crumpled in a heap upon the dusty tiles.

"It's over, isn't it?" he asked without looking up. "I have lost my child for the second time."

Sarah found a slither of pity in her heart as she looked down at the downtrodden man. He glanced up at her with his blue eyes.

"I treated you like shit, Sar." He openly wept, his grimy fingers gripping his blonde hair in his fury. "You were always too good for me. You deserved better."

"I did," Sarah crouched down beside him.

"You won't come back with me, will you?" Mark asked, a glimmer of hope shining in his eyes. Sarah felt Jareth stiffen behind him.

Sarah gave a wan smile. "No, Mark."

"I have missed you in my life," Mark confessed. "I tried to fill the gaps in my life with other women but I only ever wanted you. I have lost the love of my life and both my children." He gave a loud heartbreaking sob into his trembling hands.

"Remember the good times, Mark," Sarah suggested. "Like the time we chased each other through the forest on our bikes?"

"And it rained so heavily we got soaked," Mark added. "And we sheltered under a tree making up terrible poetry."

"Or the times we stayed up all night playing video games?"

"And we were so tired the next day that we spent the day in the coffee shop sketching the people around us as if they were aliens," Mark smiled, tearfully. "We laughed until we cried that day."

"There is some good in you," Sarah said, softly. "Remember how you would always stand for others on the bus. Or that you would let others go in front of you in queues. You were always quite courteous. And you helped that homeless man get back on his feet."

"You always saw more in me than I was willing to offer," Mark said, his eyebrows rising with surprise.

"Find someone you can be yourself around and you don't have to deceive to get to love you. It will be that much more meaningful." Sarah patted him on his knee. "Perhaps take some courses or go to therapy to learn how to treat women better. And also nip that homophobia in the bud right away."

Mark's eyes darted to Jareth. "Sorry for calling you a gay fairy, I guess."

Jareth gave a cool smile. "I am not a fairy, nor would I necessary say I was gay. I have no preference for bedfellows. Excepting, of course, Sarah."

Mark nodded warily. "That's cool, man."

Sarah watched as Jareth raised his brows and then completely lost interest in him.

"Sarah—my Abby," Mark said, turning back to her. "Will she be OK as a goblin?"

"She will be adopted by a human family." Sarah stood back up, dusting off her hands. "She won't be turned into a goblin. I will personally ensure the family will look after Abby well."

Relief washed over Mark's features. "And Jo?"

"What about her?" Jareth asked, in a bored tone.

"What will she say when I go back without our child," Mark ran his hands through his hair; clumps coming away in his fingers.

"She won't remember that she had a child." Jareth fielded this question with indifference. Though Sarah could see a muscle in his jaw twitch as he looked down on the pathetic heap at his feet. "You are the only one who will remember Abby."

"I suppose better go back and face the music," Mark said, standing up. "I will be more careful with my words from now on."

Jareth looked away but Sarah nodded her head. Despite every hurt he had committed against her, she felt such pity for him. She nearly gasped with surprise as he bowed to her.

"Your Highness," he said, sniffing.

"It's Your Majesty," Jareth corrected, absently.

"Make sure that you keep Sarah happy." Mark jabbed a shaky finger at Jareth's chest plate. Jareth coldly looked from Mark's face to his chest.

"It is not his responsibility to make me happy," Sarah said quietly, trying to divert Jareth's murderous look from her ex. "Never look to another person to be your source of happiness, Mark. It will only lead to disappointment. Find someone you can celebrate each other's joy with."

"I didn't know I married a book of motivational quotes," Mark teased, tears clumping in the wrinkles formed by his eyes when he grimaced.

"I wish you the best of health," Sarah said as Jareth fashioned a crystal. "Mark, take care of yourself."

Jareth threw the crystal at Mark's chest, his eyes widening as he was sucked back to his realm. Sarah remained staring at the spot long after he disappeared from it.

Sarah?" Jareth placed his hand on her shoulder. "We need to get Abby to a new family before Fiv and Kuyt demand her."

Sarah nodded and held her hand out for him to take. He gripped it in his hand and pulled her close. "Remember he wished his child away so he could sate his carnal desires, Sarah. Do not fret for him."

"I do not know how you have managed this job for years," Sarah said, rubbing her cheek.

"Centuries."

"Whatever," Sarah replied. "It is demoralising. It's like playing at being a god, but with a conscience."

"Do not let it dismay you, my love," Jareth soothed, wrapping her into his embrace. "It will be over soon."

"If we survive the war," Sarah said, conceding defeat.

"We won't just survive, we will flourish," Jareth mumbled into her ear. He gripped her under the arm and whisked them away to the throne room. Sarah collected the baby from Toby, tucking her blankets around her a bit tighter.

"Shall we?" Sarah said, exhaling through her nose. Jareth took her in his arms again before they disappeared to Ghent. It had been a while since she had been in the village and it was no different. Jareth let go and they walked through the almost empty streets together, side by side.

"It feels like a different life since I was last here," Sarah said, wistfully.

"I can not believe you were here for two years under my nose, without me knowing," Jareth said, equally wistfully.

"Sevlydi told you how I had seen you at the parade," Sarah probed. "It took me by surprise to see you make some magic for the children. I had to hear about it for hours afterwards. I never imagined you would be so considerate to the children."

"I can not believe my brother saw you and chose to not to say anything," Jareth growled, holding Sarah tighter to his side. "And children love magic. It makes me happy to give them joy."

"What would you have done if you had seen me?"

"Parted the crowd and sought you out," Jareth said without hesitation. "Fuck the parade."

Sarah laughed, as she snuggled deeper into him. Jareth's face split into a grin as he looked down at his wife in his arms. They drew up to the front door of Cloverfield Cottage, and Jareth rapped briskly on the door.

Liam pulled the door open and saw the Goblin King before he saw Sarah. He lowered himself into a bow and then did the same to Sarah.

"Your Majesties," he greeted, solemnly.

"No need for that, Liam," Sarah said, with a gentle smile. "It's just me."

"You are the Queen," Liam responded.

"To you and Helena, I will always be just Sarah."

Jareth cleared his throat as Abby squirmed in her arms.

"Ah, may I welcome you into my home, Your Majesty and er, Sarah?" Liam said, holding the door wider and gesturing inside. Sarah followed with Jareth taking up the rear. They entered the cottage and as soon as Helena saw Sarah she rushed to hug her.

"Watch out for the baby," Sarah warned. Helena looked down at the bundle as she pulled away.

"You had a child, Mistress!" Helena exclaimed, shocked.

"This is not mine," Sarah quickly replied, glancing at her husband whose face remained typically bland. "She is a wished-away."

"A Stolen Pearl," Liam muttered.

"We were hoping you knew someone who would adopt this baby as their own," Jareth said, getting right down to business.

"What of the fae?" Liam said, rubbing his chin.

"It is only fair to warn you that Navas has declared war against us." Jareth handed the Sprigetts a scroll. "Here it details all the measures we have in place for everyone's safety. And as you are particular friends of the Queen, you are welcome to come to the castle for added safety."

"War?" Helena gasped.

"Unfortunately, yes." Jareth straightened his gloves. "So it is imperative that we find a safe, warm house for this babe before it breaks out."

"Why, on bog's green earth, has Navas declared war?" Liam asked, nonplussed as he brewed tea for everyone. He swore, then collected himself as he remembered he was situated in front of royalty. He lowered his head in respect, flushing faintly from his outburst. Helena just rolled her eyes and continued slicing a cake.

"They disapproved of my wife," Jareth answered, unperturbed.

Helena and Liam both shot Sarah awkward, apologetic looks.

Sarah shrugged. "It's actually fine. I don't approve of his wife either."

Jareth narrowed his eyes at Sarah and then smiled benignly at the Spriggets. "Sarah is coming around to the idea of being married to me."

"Am I?" Sarah asked as she accepted a cup of tea from Liam.

"Yes, my dear," he answered, "you are."

Sarah took a sip of her tea, watching him over the rim of her cup. The two Spriggets busied themselves to occupy the cumbrous silence that followed the quarrelling monarchs.

"It is so good to see you, Sarah." Helena passed her a piece of cake. "We have missed you plenty. Especially Miss Peggy."

"I miss you all too," Sarah professed, forking a piece of her cake. "When I left you, I didn't expect to return, after so long, as a Queen."

"Sure," Helena began, "you expected to marry the gardener."

"I wouldn't go that far," Sarah mumbled. She felt Jareth's hand on her knee under the table. He gave it a reassuring squeeze and then left it sitting there. Sarah had half a mind to push his hand away but instead found herself placing her hand on top of his.

Abby chose this moment to start squirming, in the crook of Sarah's arm. She reluctantly took her hand off Jareth's hand to stroke the temples of the wee babe. She was hushing the baby when Helena rose and gathered the baby out of her arms and started rocking her.

"It's been so many years since we've had a baby in the house," Helena said, coddling the small bundle.

"Do you know a suitable family?" Sarah asked using the time with two free hands to devour the lemon cake.

"Would you object to us taking the baby?" Liam asked, glancing at Helena who nodded imperceptibly. Sarah, in turn, looked to Jareth who smiled encouragingly and patted her on the knee.

"No, we have no objections," Sarah answered, equanimously.

"Her name is Abby," Jareth notified them. They both nodded and said greeted Abby warmly, with smiles and kisses. "'I have one more request."

All three of them looked up to Jareth sitting imperiously upon his chair as if it was a throne, spinning his teacup around in circles in his saucer with magic.

"I was all set to make Her Royal Majesty, Queen Sarah, my Ambassador between the Goblin City and the human villages," he divulged, running his finger and thumb down the handle of his now still teacup. "You have taken on an extra mouth to feed. I was wondering if your eldest child would like to earn some extra coins by assisting with this role."

"Oh, Alicia would be highly suitable!" Sarah exclaimed. Helena and Liam looked between each other, and then at Sarah.

"We can discuss the finer details after the war," Jareth went on. "I am planning on asking Sarah's brother—my brother-in-law—Tobias Williams, to also assist with the role."

"Your brother, Sarah?" Helena asked, her eyes wide.

"Yes, Jareth and Prince Sevlydi both helped me rescue him," Sarah said, with a grin. "He lives in the castle with me."

"We would have to ask Alicia in the morning," Liam answered, returning to the topic at hand. "All the children are abed currently. And it should be her decision."

"Just so," Jareth replied, taking a sip of his tea. "I am a supporter of women making their own choices and carving their own destinies."

Sarah had taken a sip of her tea at the most inconvenient time. She sputtered in the most undignified manner.

"How Unqueenly of you," Jareth teased as they made their way back into the night. Sarah and Jareth had spent another hour or so with the Spriggets ensuring the baby had everything she needed and that all the magical wards were intact. Jareth gifted them a crystal to use that would bring them all to the castle if the war ventured too close. He assured them that he would do the best to make sure the war would never travel this far. "Coughing all over the cake."

Sarah promised she would visit the Sprigets often to see how Abby was settling in. It was unfortunate she didn't get to see the children on this visit, but with Alicia potentially working for them, she was sure to keep in contact with them more often.

Sarah took a deep breath of the chilly night air and looked up the hill. "One day you need to walk with me up that hill as yourself and not Terry. You owe me."

Jareth looked up the hill, frowning. "We can do just that now."

"It's the middle of the night and it has been an exceptionally long day."

"I can turn back time," Jareth said, dismissively. "I can give you a few more hours of sleep when we get home." He took her hands rubbing the backs with his thumbs. "The view of the Labyrinth is stunning at night," he cajoled.

"Fine," Sarah acquiesced. She took his hand in his and started marching up the hill past the cows dozing in the fields. Jareth released her hand and snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her close. He hummed as he walked, the sound soothing and melodic. He had retired his cane but still walked with a slight limp, so they took the ascent at a pace he could match, though with his arm around her, Sarah found she bore a fair bit of his weight.

They reached the pinnacle and looked down upon the Labyrinth. It was lit up by moonlight as well as torches spread intermittently throughout the twisting paths. She had seen the Labyrinth at night, but there was something magical about seeing the entire expanse from the outer edges, rather than the centre.

"It is so beautiful, but it has so much potential to be forbidding too," Sarah remarked as Jareth slipped behind her and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Are you describing the Labyrinth or me?" Jareth teased.

"You," Sarah teased back.

"You find me beautiful?" Jareth kissed her neck, behind her ear.

"You know you are," Sarah said, half laughing, half moaning.

"Tell me," Jareth murmured into her neck.

"So your ego can prance and preen?"

"If every single creature on this plane of existence told me I was beautiful, it would mean very little," Jareth explained. "I know I am beautiful, so it wouldn't change my opinion of myself, but for some odd reason, your opinion has come to matter to me more than my own."

"I am pretty sure I have answered this question before," Sarah answered with a sly smile.

"I would like to hear you say it again, precious."

"I find you beautiful, Jareth," Sarah answered with an air of reluctance. "Like a diamond, crawling with cockroaches and sitting in the middle of a lake of acid."

"Charming," Jareth replied, gripping her tighter. "Do you think I have merely the potential, or do you think I am forbidding?"

"Didn't you want me to fear you once upon a time?"

"I did." Jareth swept her hair over her shoulder so he could gain better access. He left an open-mouthed kiss against the tender flesh of her neck. "Now I have you quaking and trembling for quite different reasons."

"Well, you definitely have the potential, Jareth," Sarah replied, closing her eyes to his kisses. "You are a magical creature after all. Magic and power can corrupt even the noblest of creatures."

"Mmmmm," Jareth mumbled through his kisses. "How you corrupt me, you precious thing."

Sarah was studying her scars in the mirror. They were merely white lines now; barely noticeable. She applied the cream and then left the bathroom. She discovered Jareth sprawled on his bed with a book held above his face. He put it down when he noticed her enter. He offered a smile. A smile that sent thrills through her entire body; it was both dangerously captivating and endearing. She smiled back. Hers was probably lopsided and dopey looking.

They had just returned from their walk up the hill and as promised Jareth reset time so they could head straight to bed and get a full night's sleep.

"You seem to be neglecting your bathroom and bed-chamber these days," Jareth observed, as Sarah dumped her soiled clothing on the ground.

Sarah almost blurted out that she was avoiding her moonstone at all costs. "Are you complaining?"

"Not at all, my love," Jareth answered, grinning. "Though you must be tired after the day we've had."

"I am Queen," Sarah remarked. "I am probably going to have days like this for the rest of my life."

Jareth sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "If I could relieve you of your burden—"

"It was my choice," Sarah said, dismissively.

"—which would not be yours if the cards weren't all stacked against you," Jareth pointed out.

"Are you not arrogant enough to believe you would have convinced me to marry you even if none of this had happened?" Sarah asked facetiously.

"Interesting question." Jareth propped himself up against the headboard, taking his reading glasses and placing them on the cabinet next to him. "Quid pro quo, Sarah. I will answer your question if you answer mine."

"Fine," Sarah answered.

"I am arrogant, but when it comes to you, I find myself disorientated," Jareth explained. "I am unsure that any timeline we embarked upon would have you willingly become my wife, as much as I would desire it. So no, I am not arrogant enough to believe you would marry me if circumstances had been different. I have never felt this way before, and that is in part why you intrigued me so."

Sarah sat down on the edge of the bed. She nodded her head slowly, unsure of how to answer.

"Now, my question," Jareth continued, tapping his finger against his bottom lip. Sarah felt her eyes drawn to the action, suddenly overcome with the desire to have those lips exploring her body. "Is there any conceivable way that if things had been different, I could have ever wooed you and ultimately had you as my wife in meaning, and not just in name?"

"Another incredible hypothetical there, Jareth," Sarah answered, sighing. "But if those metaphorical cards had been stacked differently, I think there may have been a chance I could have married you willingly. But then if things were different, I may not have wanted to leave my home to live with you here."

"I would sacrifice my Kingdom for you," Jareth said, sounding quite as surprised as she was to hear him say it. He closed his eyes and cursed. "I mean…"

Sarah slid off her robe and crawled across the bed to him. He opened his eyes as she ran her hands down under his black shirt. "We have both sacrificed enough to be together, Jareth."

Sarah kissed him then; their lips meshing in heated, sensuous rapture. Jareth's bottom lip grazed hers as he scooped her into his lap. His tongue probed hers, finding the right rhythm of their kiss together. He had never been enamoured with the act of kissing, preferring to see sex as purely mechanical and for pleasure. But kissing Sarah had turned that point of view on its head. Once perceived as far too intimate, it was now a treasure Sarah bestowed on him; like pearls, so different and so rare.

They enchanted him. He wanted to spend time just exploring her with kisses. He wanted to pour his heart and soul into every kiss, so Sarah knew just how she affected him emotionally and spiritually. Already, on a physical level, he was feeling affected; his cock twitched and hardened as he melted under her embrace. He brought his hand up under the skirt of her deep blue nightdress and over her creamy thighs. He could feel the heat radiating from her core as his knuckles grazed her soft curls.

Jareth pulled away from her to catch his breath. She took that moment to carry on kissing down his jawline to his collarbone. He continued to draw patterns across the tender inner flesh of her thighs. His fingers were quickly coated in her liquid arousal as they brushed past her cunt. A wave of giddiness swept over him as he sensed how affected she was by him. Bringing his partners to the high points of pleasure had always been easy for him, but this was Sarah! Her clear desire for him was empowering in a manner that he had never experienced before.

At this juncture, he was wholly unprepared for her seeking her own pleasure. She straddled him, knocking his hand away from her centre in the process. She shuffled back, and then gripped him firmly around his hips with her hands and pulled him back so he was lying flat on the bed. She moved higher up his body until she was sitting on his chest.

"You still have yet to taste me, Your Majesty," Sarah said, confidently, her eyes dark, her tongue darting out to moisten her lips.

"Indeed," Jareth said, huskily. He ran his fingers up from her knees to her hips. "And how am I supposed to taste you when you sit upon my chest?"

His cock stiffened further as she brought her hand to her cunt and started touching her folds.

"I can do it myself, Jareth," she warned, her voice thick. "Or do you want to taste me?"

Jareth swallowed. "Sa-rah."

She smiled coyly before sidling further up his chest until her knees were either side of his head. She gripped tightly to the headboard and then peered down at him as he lay watching her squirm above him. "Taste me, Jareth."

Jareth groaned as he reached up, and held her waist. He lowered her body until he could reach her dripping cunt. He placed his tongue dead centre, giving it a few experimental swirls. She moaned heatedly. He speared her core with his tongue with some violent thrusts, initiating a low moan from Sarah each time. He held her hips firmly as she tried to gyrate away from his punishing tongue. He grinned to himself, before swiping up to her bundle of nerves in one languid stroke.

Jareth felt her tremble as he struck gold. Sarah let out a shocked gasp as he swirled his tongue around her clit, gaining momentum the more she squirmed and moaned. He gripped her waist tighter, ruching up her nightgown in the process. He couldn't see her face in this position as she had tilted her head back in her ecstasy. Jareth had noticed her breasts had slipped out of the confines of the gown to which his cock spasmed appreciatively. He longed to take those rosy pink buds in his mouth and have her shuddering instantly.

"Jareth, I—" she started before cutting herself off with a moan. Jareth chuckled into her folds, before she stiffened, shuddered and let out a long moan. Sarah's muscles twitched and tightened until she found release. Jareth slowed down his tongue as Sarah trembled above him, her breasts heaving with her panted breaths. He placed his tongue hard against her clit as she rode out her orgasm. When she was fully sated he encouraged her to lay down next to him.

Feeling her slickness covering his chin, he wiped it with his fingers, and then licked off the juices as she watched. She screwed up her nose but continued to watch anyway. He waved the rest of the liquid away with magic.

"That was a pleasant surprise, my love," Jareth said, allowing Sarah to snuggle up to his chest.

"Mmmph," Sarah said in a daze.

Jareth chuckled. "I have been dying for a taste of you."

Jareth was still incredibly and painfully hard but as he looked down at Sarah, he could see she was starting to doze off.

"Damn."

A/N: yeah, sorry Jareth - I was getting disappointed with the lack of cock-blocking recently... I mean I only had it happen twice in the last chapter LOL.

Credit to Savage Garden for the line "so different and so rare." It is from the song Tears of Pearls - the inspiration for this story.

So after this chapter, there is only three more left to publish. Ahhhhhhh. I am currently writing the last chapter before the epilogue.

Thank you, to my ongoing supporters as well as anyone just joining us. I hope you are still enjoying this.