Hey Guys!

This is THE last chapter of Change for the Better so, I'm saying thank you to all of you who have commented through our the making of this story

Thanks to:

GothGirl13

Shadowsammy

Tanya Rayne

justiceintheworldofhp-yeahright

vampireinside

DarkAngelCharmer

TheSlytherinWolf

Dramionie5

JHaines

15-n-Jan

CursedMinstrel

Alice Athea

Andy

"Grandma?"

"Hello, Andromeda, dear."

Andy stared up at her Grandmother in shock, she was in her nightgown, her long white speckled black hair was let down and she had her reading glasses and a book in her hand.

Andy stood up and embraced the open.

"What are you doing here? And in your nightgown no less." Sandra looked at her with confused eyes.

"Didn't you send for me?" Andy let go of Sandra.

"Send for you? What do you mean?" Sandra looked surprised.

"I guess they haven't figured out what you are yet."

"Grandma, why don't you just tell me?" Sandra took a seat next to the chair that Andromeda was sitting in and motioned for her to sit next to her.

Andy obligded, hesitantly and picked up her notebook.

"Andromeda, I can see sadnesses in your face what's wrong? This looks like a magnificant party, why aren't you being courted by a handsome man?"

Andy smirked.

"Well lets just say things took a turn for the worse." She answered grimmly. It was then that she noticed that no one had noticed the frail old lady in a nightgown amongst the beautiful dresses and pressed suits. The music still played a sweet fragile melody.

"Grandma? Can the other guests see you?" Sandra frowned.

"Well...no, not exactly. Your subconsious doesn't want them to see me."

Andy thought about this for a mere 50 seconds before she scrunched up her face.

"Huh?" Sandra sighed.

"Well, I'm not exactly here. You are having a mental conversation with me in your head, sort of."

Andy looked at her as if she was crazy then realized it. Her head drooped and she fell back into sadness.

"You're my imagination." Sandra smiled warmly.

"...sure, let's go with that." Sandra said rather hesitantly.

Andy brought her knees back up to her chin and began drawing again.

"Great, my mind must just be torturing me even furthur. I know you are going die soon, you may even be dead and I don't know it."

"Hmm, I'm not here to torture you." Sandra said lightly. "Just to simply give you guidance."

"I don't need guidance." Andy retorted, unconvincingly.

"You shouldn't give up on Jareth, he will come, and you know it." Sandra smiled lightly at her. Andy looked at her grandmother.

"I don't know anything, I know nothing about that man, and he knows nothing about me, he was probably just using me." Andy said her voice cracking and choking.

"Now, what made you think that?" Andy ripped out the drawing in her notebook. She crumpled it up and threw it behind her.

"You shouldn't throw away something like that." Sandra said looking back at the crumpled up drawing with sadness.

"Why not?"

"You don't know how much good could come out of that drawing. It could turn out to change your life, make you happy, it could be the only thing you have left."

"I have a feeling we aren't talking about that drawing anymore."

"Smart girl, but you know you can't blame me, I'm here because you brought me here."

"What do you me- Oh she would disappear." Andy sighed and stared at the empty chair next to her. Her mind was telling her that she should hang on to Jareth. Well, her mind should know she's stubborn.

"Timble, where is your brute of a cousin?"

Andy looked up at the two people about 8 feet away talking and drinking.

"Unfortunatly, Duchess Hergood, he could not attend, It is really a pity I was hoping he could assist me in the planning. But this evening he had to attend to his wife and child." Andy sighed at how easily Timble could lie through his teeth. And he had the biggest smile, and was even more polite then the first day they met.

"Oh, what a pity in deed, he is so rude and unworthy of your kindness, but he can plan an exceptional party."

"Yes he can, Madam. I must say, you do look ravishing this fine evening."

The Duchess giggled. She was very pretty with long blonde hair and saphire eyes. She wore a red gown reaching mid-shin. Andy could tell by her pointed ears that she was undoubtedly an elf of higher standard.

"Now, Timble, don't let Duke Hergood hearing that, he'll have your head for sure, you naughty boy, you." She winked and touched his shoulder lightly.

She trotted away with a proud dispostion in her step.

Timble seemed to notice her sitting not to far away from them and began strolling over to her.

"Aw, Andromeda, so nice of you to join...Your drawing again." Timble stopped himself mid-sentence. She looked up at him.

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, at least your speaking now."

Andy grunted in response.

"So how are you enjoying the party?" Andy gave him a look saying, 'Don't try that nice guy act on me, buster.' He got the hint.

He sat down in the chair that Sandra sat in.

"What is wrong with you?"

"Huh?"

"Why do you go through all this trouble to act nice, when you are really a cold hearted bastard on the inside?"

Timble thought.

"I'm a king, of Pyro Sprites to be exact, I have to set a good example."

"Well, you do a shitty job, you definatly don't have my vote when re-election comes along."

"Well, you're in a better mood." He said smirking and not once looking at her face.

"Go away." She retorted, heaving a huge sigh.

"Fine, but I'm coming back to make sure you aren't harassing my guests." He got up in his blood red suit and trotted away. Andy stuck out her peirced tongue at his back. He made her take out her peircings but he didn't know about that one.

Andy sighed and began drawing again. She began with a long line with a slight curve. It reminded her of the smirk that seemed to always be set upon Jareth's pale face. But she didn't turn it into Jareth she turned it into a vacant chair, quite like the one next her.

Jareth

He had been drinking.

Jareth had, had a few...dozen goblets of wine, in the hour before his arrival to the ball. He was feeling a little more then washed out. He was actually feeling...nervous, for the first time in...well...ever. This whole plan seemed foolish to Jareth and he much rather would spend his time in his room of many stairs.

But he would do it for Andy. And only Andy. After this entire thing was over the first thing he was going to do was fall into bed with a teddy bear he never knew he had and sleep for an eternity.

But back to Jareth's wine issue.

When he was ready to teleport to the ball he was a little light headed but still had enough sense in him to remember to put on his tuxedo and remember what he was doing this for in the first place.

All it took was Andy's beautiful smile in his mind, and he was sober as a new born baby.

Jareth had decided to bring his longsword just incase. He looked at himself in the mirror and saw a lovesick man, refusing to subject himself to it.

He was ready.

Andy

"What do you mean I can't go to my room?" Andy's face was red with frustration.

"Sorry, Miss, but no one is aloud up there besides Sir Timble."

Andy was standing at the foot of the grand staircase in a very pissed off mood.

"What the hell, man! I LIVE here!"

"Sorry, Miss, but it's not allowed."

"Numbnutts! I'm supposed to MARRY the douchebag! Now let me upstairs so I can get another pencil!"

Andy had broken yet another pencil and needed desperatly to get a new one or her drawing will never be finished. She clenched the smooth fabric of her dress in her balled up fists suprised it hasn't torn from the strain.

"I'll have to see some identification, Miss."

"Who on this God damned earth would bring ID to a ball?"

A smug smile appeared on the gaurds face, she couldn't see all of his face though it was cover by a cloth mask.

He seemed to ENJOY this! This was really making her mad.

"I have you now, you said you CAME to the party, so there for you do not live here."

...Andy's mind went blank.

"Your just twisting my words around, dipstick! I never said that!"

"Then why don't I see ID, Miss? If you are who you say you are, you would have no problem showing me some ID."

"I would GLADLY show you some ID, but low and behold, Dipshit, I can't get to my room to get you ID because YOU...WON'T...LET...ME...UP THERE!"

The gaurd was silent for a moment he seemed to be thinking.

"...So...you don't have ID?"

"NO SHIT SHERLOCK!"

"Well, that's just to bad isn't it? Now just run along and play with the other children in the Kid's Party Room."

Andy let out a growl of frustration. She slapped her sketch book down on one of the marble staircases and sunk down next to it.

"Flippin Tits..." She muttered.

She watched people through the ballroom door, she just now realized that everyone was in a mask but her and Timble. She so many different kinds of masks, she wished Timble would have told her. She loved masquerades.

She didn't notice the man standing in front of her until he spoke.

"May I have this dance, Miss?" Andy looked up at an outstretched gloved hand. That hand was attached to an arm, which was clad in white fabric, and it was attached to a torso. She looked at the man's face examining his features. He had long blond hair in a braid a little past his shoulders. He wore a red mask with a long nose.

Something about this man told her to take the offer.

"Sure, I guess." She took his hand and immediatly felt a cool sensation run up her spine. He led her to the ballroom in the very center. She looked up as the band was getting ready to play there next song.

She stood in the center of the ballroom, a crystal chandilier hung high in the vaulted ceiling. Something about this was very familiar.

Andy laid her hands on his shoulders and his hands went to her waist, making her flinch, her under arm brushed his hand and her scorched flesh and the fabric of his tuxedo made a painful sting.

The band began playing a sad trill of lonely notes. It was uncanny how familiar the song was but she couldn't put her finger on it.

She examined a painting on the wall behind the man's head.

"You aren't much of a talker, are you?" The man said with a smirk on his face.

"Not really." She retorted in curt manor, almost rude.

"Why aren't you wearing a mask? If you look at mine you can see roses embedded along the eyeholes."

Trying to be interested, Andy looked at his mask and immediatly her eyes were drawn to his. Her heart skipped a beat and then began thumping like a jack rabbit.

The right eye was dialated and the other was not.

"Jareth?" She pulled the mask down so it was around his neck. They embraced eachother, briefly and let go before anyone caught on.

"How did you- I mean- what's-"

"I'm here to carry out the plan, I'm not going to leave you here, with that creep and- your neck, what did he do to your neck?" Jareth reached up to touch the tender flesh of her neck. She caught his wrist just before that glove touched her.

"Don't...touch it." She managed to say. Jareth growled.

"I'll kill that bastard." He snarled.

"Jareth we need to talk."

Jareth looked up at Andy.

"I know about your sister. Why didn't you tell me? Do you not trust me so much not tell me you had a sister?"

"It's not like that Andy. I just- well I just-" He heaved a sigh, "It's complicated."

"Jareth I know practically nothing about you. How can I trust you to get me out of here, how do I know this isn't some giant scheme? Why don't you be honest with me?"

Jareth was shocked. He had never heard so much of her opinion. He sighed and laid his head gently on her shoulder.

"It's just-" He sighed. "I care about you, but...I can't live within you, my life is not one you should get involved in." Jareth's eyes were moist and full of sorry.

"Well, if that's how it is..."

Andy sighed deeply.

"You have to leave, Jareth."

They stopped dancing. Jareth looked into her eyes and searched for something, he didn't know what though.

"What?"

"Timble knows you were planning to break me out, he'll be expecting you, and if you think I can't be apart of your life...then just leave." Andy broke apart from him.

He pulled her back into him.

"I am not leaving here without you. Do you see what he has done to you?" He said referring to her scars.

Without warning, Jareth collapsed. He kneeled his hands and knees pressing and scraping the floor.

Andy tried to go to him bust she was held back by a ring of blue fire. It was then that she realized why everything was so familiar. Her dream, her nightmare, was becoming a reality. She looked over at Jareth.

"Jareth! Oh my god! You have to run!" Jareth's hands and ankles were bound by what looked like chains made of black fire.

Andy's heart was racing unbelievably fast. She could feel pure adrenaline pump through her veins. Her mind was racing a million miles per hour.

And she could feel tears run down her face.

Jareth seemed to understand what was going on and tears began to run down his beautiful face

From behind her Timble walked to Jareth. she cringed away from his hot skin.

Jareth looked at her his eyes welled up with another round of tears. He let out a choked sob. Timble had Jareth's long sword. He stood directly infront of Jareth and poised to strike.

She tried to go to him, to stop his tears, to hold him, to sooth him. She struggled against the fire as much as she could.

Jareth's eyes found her's. They became glassy.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

At that moment Andy had enough strength to break free. She ran to Jareth.

Timble struck.

And there was a splash of crimson.

2 Days Later

Andy awoke uneasily, her head was killing her, she felt like she had a massive hang over. She lay there with her eyes closed thinking about her mom's amazing homemade pancakes, and the perfect stack that would be waiting for her when she went into the kitchen.

She opened her eyes and all the memorys came flooding back to her. She sat up stock straight, and was immediatly forced back down by a pain in her stomache.

"Shhhh. Just rest, precious, it'll be okay." Andy looked around her and found Jareth sitting in chair next to her hospital bed. Wait...hostpital BED?

"Jareth! What in St. Elmo's Fire happened?" Jareth stood up from his chair and sat on the foot of her bed.

"Well, you saved my life actually." He brushed a strand of long black hair out of her green eyes. "You jumped infront of Timble's blade and took the blow, Andromeda...I thought I lost you. I thought you were..." He didn't finish his sentence. But he took her hand and kissed the fingers. She could feel his cool smooth hand shake. She loved the feeling of his lips on her fingers and had missed it dearly.

"But, wait, what about Timble?"

"He was arrested under the charges of attempted murder and kidnap of Tumble-"

"Some one mention me?" Tumble walked briskley into the room with a huge grin on his face. Andy saw Jareth's eyes narrow at his arrival.

"Thank you guys so much for helping me get my revenge, he's behind bars and I'm with my Amelia and my 5 year old son again. But I have to get going, I need to take Trendal to school, it's his first year of kindergarten. I'll be back later to visit, and bring something other then nasty hospital food."

Tumble left with the same smile on his face.

"Jareth how did Timble get your sword?"

"I had to give it up at he entrance to the mansion. I took the librety of bringing your things to your room."

Andy spotted her notebook on the bedside table and noticed that there was a new smudge mark on the first page.

She looked up at Jareth who was looking guilty.

"You went through my notebook." He nodded and smiled sheepishly.

"I especially like the first and the third one."

Andy looked at he first one. It was of his eyes, it was that one she drew the day she arrived at the Pyro Sprite Manor, it was of the sadness in his eyes. The third one was him and her laying on her bed the night he found out about the kiss, they were just...talking.

"Looks like you were thinking about me alot." He said.

"...yeah. Do you still not want me in your life?" She asked closing the notebook and lookind into his eyes. He nodded his head but, he said. "No."

Andy smiled.

Jareth made her scoot over and he sat next to her and wrapped her arms around her.

"I can't bear the thought of a world without you."

They sat there for a long time in silence just holding eachother.

"Andy?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Andy paused, she smiled and burried her head in his chest taking in his sweet scent.

"I love you too, you idiot."

To Be Continued...on this date

October 31st of 2011! It will be named "Changed For Good".

Yep so hope you guys liked the last chapter of Change For The Better.

Here's a secret that's in the sequel.

JARETH HAS TO GET A HAIRCUT!

Shhhhhhh! don't tell anyone. *wink*

love annie.