In the brief moments that followed, Jareth gazed up at Stacey and Hoggle with weary eyes. In the few years he had been gone, his face had grown lined and haggard, making him look old and tired, and this fact did not go unnoticed by either of them.
"Stacey," Jareth spoke. "I am glad you were not harmed by the Agnostic, my daughter."
"Your daughter?" Stacey snapped, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "After everything you've done, how dare you call me that? You've done nothing to deserve the mantle of father. You certainly didn't want to have anything to do with me before. So why bother pretending to care for me now?"
"You're wrong," Jareth shook his head in sorrow. "I did care about you, Stacey. I always have."
"Don't lie!" Stacey demanded "If you were so concerned about me, you wouldn't have abandoned me as a child. You never once bothered to check up on me when I was growing up. And don't pretend that you did, because if you had, you would have seen how I was constantly bullied by Phoebe and her harpies. You would have done something to help me. If you had, then I wouldn't have become the empty, hateful person I was up until I returned to the Underground, when my friends saved me from myself. But even when you had the chance to rectify all of that, you flew off and disappeared without a word. And I'm not even going over what you've done to my friends; the friends who were more of a family to me than you ever were. So don't ever refer to me as your daughter, because you will never deserve to be called my father!"
Jareth had been completely silent throughout Stacey's verbal lashing, the expression on his face seemingly indicating that he felt he deserved the harsh words.
"You have every right to be angry," he agreed. "I know I haven't been there for you the way I should have been, and I would do a lot of things differently if I had the chance to do so. But I know I can't. All I can say is that, when I did send you away, it wasn't because I didn't care."
"Spare me the song and dance," Stacey snapped, turning away.
The tense silence continued without pause until the doorway to the grotto slid open again, allowing Daedalus to fly in, followed by Ludo, Sarah, Toby, Wayne, Theseus and a devastated Sir Didymus.
"We didn't find them," Sir Didymus announced, his voice thick with unshed tears. "Lady Berdine. Reynard. Why did I leave them alone? I should have let them leave the Underground with us."
"We'll get them back, Didymus," Sarah replied, doing her best to console the fox. "You can't give up…." Sarah immediately trailed off, noticing who was sitting against the wall of the grotto behind Stacey and Hoggle. "Jareth!"
"Sarah," Jareth smiled weakly, glancing up at her. "It's been a long time. And…Toby's here, too. My, how you've grown."
"What are you doing here?" Sarah asked, still visibly stunned to see him.
"He is here to help," Daedalus explained. "When I came back to the Underground ahead of you, I managed to run into Jareth in his owl form."
"I had a dream," Jareth spoke up. "I dreamt of that last day, right before the Agnostic disappeared all those years ago. When I awoke, I knew I had to come back to the Labyrinth. I couldn't shake the feeling that something horrible was happening. When I returned, Daedauls told me about the Agnostic's return. And we formulated an idea."
"What idea?" Stacey inquired, her fears for the Underground proving stronger than her bitterness towards Jareth. The moment this question was asked, Jareth's face displayed a deep pain. It was Daedalus who had to continue for him.
"We wondered if we had been going about this all wrong," the owl explained. "Searching through all the castle records for information, trying to brainstorm to come up with a solution on our own; maybe those efforts were wasted, because no one alive could know the answer. Perhaps…we have to go beyond that."
"What do you mean?" Wayne asked, speaking for the first time since entering the grotto, showing no indication that he noticed Jareth was now looking at him in a scrutinizing manner.
"Think about it." Daedauls spoke slowly, fixing Stacy with a deeply sympathetic glance. "Who was the last person who encountered the Agnostic last time?" After thinking about Daedaulus' question for a moment or two, Stacey's eyes widened in shock, covering her mouth with one hand. However, it was Ludo who answered.
"Queen Susan," he stated.
"Are you saying we can contact her?" Stacey whispered, her voice barely audible.
"It might be possible," Daedauls confirmed. "But to do so, all of us have to offer their complete cooperation."
"Why wouldn't we cooperate?" Sir Didymus cried. "If contacting Queen Susan is the key to vanquishing the Agnostic, why would we hesitate?"
"Sir Didymus is right," Sarah agreed. "The Underground itself is at stake, and so is our world. Whatever we have to do, we'll do it."
"Please," Daedauls insisted, waving his wing for silence. "Please wait until you have all the facts before you decide, Sarah. Because it could all depend on you."
"I thought Queen Susan was the key," Sarah said, confusion evident in her expression.
"She is," Daedalus confirmed. "But Queen Susan's spirit can only be called back if her body is present. This is impossible, since she has been gone for a long time. You, however, are Queen Susan's reincarnation, meaning your body is close enough to serve the required purpose."
"You mean we're supposed to call back my mother to possess Sarah's body?!" Stacey exclaimed.
"But wouldn't that hurt Sarah?" Toby asked, looking up at his sister in worry.
"No, it won't come to that," Daedalus reassured. "The spell that can call upon Queen Susan's spirit cannot call her back forever. It should only be for a little while, just long enough for us to get the information we need. Then, Queen Susan's spirit should return to the other side and Sarah will regain control of her body."
"I…I don't think I can allow that, Daedalus." Stacey shook her head, her voice trembling.
"Stacey, it's for the Underground," Daedalus pointed out.
"And what happens after we get the information we need?" Stacey cried, tears suddenly visible in her eyes. "This…this is my mother we're talking about! If we bring her back, how am I supposed to just say goodbye again immediately afterwards?"
Wordlessly, Hoggle reached over to place a sympathetic hand on Stacey's arm.
"Stacey, you have to do it," he reasoned. "It's for the Underground. Remember that. And… this could give you the chance to say goodbye to her properly, somethin' you weren't able to do before. You may not get another chance to talk to her again."
For the longest time, Stacey was silent, a few tears slipping down her cheek, but then she lifted her head back up, a determined fire in her eyes.
"For the Underground, then," she announced. "What do we have to do?"
"The spell to call her back is a difficult, complex one," Daedalus explained. "So much so, two people are required. What's more, since Queen Susan has been gone so long, she might only be able to be called back if those two people are the ones who loved her the most."
"You mean, Stacey and Jareth have to cast the spell together," Sir Didymus concluded.
"It may be the only way," Daedauls confirmed. "After all, they are the only family Queen Susan knew when she died. Who else would have loved her more than them?"
For a few seconds, everyone exchanged an uneasy glance at Daedalus' words, each one thinking that the owl was asking for a small miracle. However, to their surprise, Stacey willingly stepped up to Jareth's side.
"Don't think this changes anything between us," she demanded. "It's simply that I don't want to see the Underground destroyed forever. If I have to accept your help to do so, than so be it."
A short time later, Sarah was sitting cross-legged on the floor between Jareth and Stacey, who were forming a circle around her with their joined hands. With everyone keeping a respectful distance to ensure their complete concentration, they began to recite the words to conjure the spell.
"Across the sands of time, our hands reach,
Master of Life and Death we beseech.
Bring back the one our hearts once held dear,
'Fore our plight can grow to mount our fear."
Almost immediately after the last word had been spoken, a sudden wind rose up, swirling through the grotto. Under the influence of the wind, the dust on the floor began to swirl around Sarah, whipping through her hair relentlessly. After a few moments, Sarah let out a sudden gasp and went rigid. Only then did the wind dissipate, almost as suddenly as it had appeared. For a few moments, a tense silence echoed within the grotto, with everyone not even daring to breathe, but then Sarah's eyes snapped open and she looked around.
"Susan?" Jareth spoke softly and almost fearfully. At the sound of his voice, Sarah glanced up at him, an instant warm smile forming on her face.
"Jareth, my love," Susan whispered, getting to her feet. Wordlessly, she reached out and cupped his face in her hands, gazing up at him with an intense adoration in her eyes. A sudden choking sob slipped from Jareth's throat at the touch and he quickly pulled her into a tight embrace. The moment was broken when Stacey let out a strange sound of her own. In response, Susan looked over her shoulder and instantly looked close to tears.
"M… Mother," Stacey whimpered, taking a hesitant step forward.
"Oh, Stacey," Susan gasped, stepping out of Jareth's arms to hug her as well. "Just look at you! You've grown so much!"
Everyone watching allowed the reunion to continue uninterrupted for a full minute. Finally, Daedalus reluctantly cleared his throat
"Please forgive the intrusion, Majesties," he began respectfully. "But we don't have a lot of time. We need to ask you a few questions, Queen Susan. It's about…."
"I already know, Daedalus," Susan replied, maintaining a hold on Jareth's hand and lovingly rubbing Stacey's back as she spoke. "Just because I wasn't here in the physical sense doesn't mean I wasn't watching the whole time."
"Then do ye know how to defeat the Agnostic?" Sir Didyimus asked.
"I know the general idea," Susan confirmed. "So far, all you've seen is the Agnostic appearing as a fog. But that is not its actual form. The true form is actually hidden away inside the fog. You can only defeat the Agnostic by attacking its true form, but to do so, you must allow yourself to be consumed by the fog."
"You mean, one of us have to sacrifice ourselves?" Hoggle cried in shock. "There has to be another way!"
"I'm sorry, but there isn't one," Susan insisted.
"If that is the case, I shall do it," Sir Didymus volunteered.
"No." Jareth suddenly shook his head, growing noticeably paler. "While it is brave of you to volunteer, it cannot be you."
"And why not?" Sir Didyimus challenged.
"Because the last time, the Agnostic told me that only one person could defeat the Agnostic. On the day that Susan died, I tried to confront it, only to have it invade my mind and find out where my family had been hidden. That was when the Agnostic told me that…"
"'The only one who has that power is the child your precious Susan cares for the most,'" Stacey continued. "That wasn't just a nightmare I had?"
"No, it wasn't," Jareth replied. "The Agnostic really did tell me that."
"Then… Sarah was right," Sir Didymus mused. "Stacey has to be the one to defeat the Agnostic. After all, what other child would Queen Susan care for more than her daughter?"
"But that means she has to let the Agnostic consume her!" Wayne said with shocked horror. "Are you trying to tell me that Stacey has to risk dying to beat this thing?"
Before this revelation could fully sink in, Susan's legs buckled slightly.
"Susan, what's wrong?" Jareth cried, clutching her by the shoulders to steady her.
"I… I feel Sarah's life force starting to unfold," Susan replied. "The spell that brought me back must be wearing off."
"But…" Stacey gasped, devastation filling her voice. "Mother, I…."
"My darling daughter," Susan smiled tenderly at Stacey, reaching out to pull her into a loving hug. "Believe me, I already know what you want to say, and I feel the same as you. I wish we had all the time in the world to be together again. But to do so, I would have to steal away the life of your friend. Can you really ask me to do such a thing, and shatter another family in the process?"
"No." Stacey shook her head, fighting back the tears. With a sad smile, Susan placed a soft kiss upon Stacey's forehead before turning to Jareth.
"Susan," he choked out, bowing his head. "How… how am I supposed to say goodbye to you?"
"Shhh," Susan replied, placing a single finger against his lips. "There is no need to say goodbye. We will be together again soon enough." A visible shiver washed over Jareth's body as he pulled Susan into a passionate embrace, which only ended when Susan went rigid, letting out a gasp as Sarah's spirit regained control of her body. After giving a quick shake of her head, Sarah looked around at everyone.
"Did it work?" she asked. "What did Susan say?" No one could answer her at first, unsure of what to say. It was finally Daedalus who broke the silence.
"Yes," he said. "It did work. Susan told us what had to be done to defeat the Agnostic."
"Well?" Sarah questioned. "What do we have to do?"
Before anyone could answer, Stacey wordlessly turned and slipped out of the grotto. Those who managed to see her face saw that her expression was pained, as if she was holding back a fresh onslaught of tears.
"Stacey?" Jareth immediately moved to follow her, his face visibly concerned, but he was stopped by Wayne.
"No, Jareth," he said, shaking his head. "Hoggle? You should go after her."
"The dwarf?" Jareth asked incredulously as Hoggle turned and went after Stacey without a word.
"Yes, him. While I'm sure you want to help her right now, I think we both know she won't be receptive to your presence right now."
"And you're suggesting that Hoggle is the one she'd be receptive to?"
"I am." Wayne confirmed. "And if you had been there last night, when the three of us were having dinner together, you would think the same. I've known Stacey for years, from the moment she practically appeared on my doorstep as a baby to the day she returned here to the Underground. But the Stacey who I've seen these past few days is so different. She's the happiest I've ever seen her. And I think a lot of the credit for that goes to her friendship with Hoggle. So I say he's the best person to comfort her right now.
"Besides, I think it's time we talked. Starting with one very important question. Do you remember me?"
That question immediately caught everyone's attention, remembering what they'd learned about Wayne that very morning. He had lost his younger brother to the goblins, like the way Sarah had nearly lost Toby. For the longest time, Jareth did not answer, simply staring hard at Wayne's face. Finally, he lowered his gaze.
"Of course I remember who you are," he confirmed. "You're not someone I'd easily forget."
"In that case," Wayne replied. "I need to say this. I know it might not mean much after all these years, but…. I'm sorry, Jareth. I'm sorry I didn't make it in time."
"Hold on," Sarah spoke up, looking back and forth between the two men. "Wayne, why would you apologize to Jareth for not making it in time to save your brother from the goblins?"
"Because, Sarah," Wayne explained. "Jareth, or rather Jared Gareth to use his full name, is the brother I lost." This revelation caused everyone to share incredulous glances.
"You might say I was a unique case," Jareth said, taking advantage of the stunned silence to continue the explanation. "Most of the time, the goblins usually take small babies. But I was considerably older than a baby. When Wayne didn't make it to the castle in time to save me, I was…angry. The goblins who took me utilized that anger and nurtured it. They convinced me that my brother had given up on me, and hadn't even tried to save me. They made me believe Wayne didn't love me. In the end, they didn't turn me into a goblin. Instead, they made me their king."
"I'm so sorry, Jareth," Wayne apologized. "Believe me, I really did my best to reach you before the time ran out. When I failed… it tore our family apart. Our parents; they were inconsolable, and it put a permanent strain on their marriage. And I've never been able to forgive myself. It's why I moved to Ohio. I was trying to escape the painful memories. But even to this day, I still have nightmares about that horrible day, when my thoughtlessness made me lose you. I know I'll never be able to make it up to you, and I don't expect you to forgive me, but I need you to know how sorry I am."
"There was I time when I probably wouldn't have forgiven you," Jareth admitted. "But I suppose…. I really am in no place to hold a grudge against you. I've made mistakes of my own. I have no right to continue being angry at you when I have done no better. You might have failed to come through when we were boys, Wayne. But I've failed to come through for my daughter. She was right. I wasn't there for her when she needed me to be, and she has every right to be angry at me for that. But you, Wanye? From what I've been told tonight, you were the one who took Stacey in when she was sent away from the Underground. You were the one who was there for her when I wasn't. As far as I'm concerned, your debt to me is already repaid. I forgive you."
"Thank you, Jareth." Wayne smiled, his eyes shining with grateful tears.
Upon exiting the grotto, Hoggle quickly located Stacey kneeling on the ground by the obelisk. Even though she had her back toward him, he could still tell from her trembling shoulders that she was crying. Almost cautiously, he approached her to place a consoling hand on her shoulder. The instant she felt his touch, Stacey swiveled her head to glance back at him, but she quickly looked away in an obvious attempt to hide the tears that were staining her face.
"I don't even know why I'm crying," Stacey choked out through her sobs. "I never even knew my mother. It's not as if I missed her. So why am I so….?"
"I think you know why," Hoggle replied in a gentle tone.
"I hate the Agnostic!" Stacey yelled, slamming a fist against the snow covered ground. "It took everything from me! It killed my mom, it ripped me away from the life I was supposed to have, and it even kept me from making a single friend in Kent. Why? Why did it have to exist? Why couldn't it have left us all alone?"
"I don't know," Hoggle admitted. Without warning, Stacey spun around and practically threw her arms around Hoggle, sobbing openly. While the dwarf was frozen in place for a split second, his shocked surprise quickly dissipated. Feeling close to tears himself, he carefully began to rub a soothing hand up and down her back, letting Stacey cry it out.
When she was finally out of tears, Stacey pulled away, wiping her eyes.
"I'm sorry about that, Hoggle."
"No, you have nothin' to apologize for. Don't be ashamed of your grief."
"You're wrong. I do have something to apologize for. I was too caught up in my own anger and sorrow that I never stopped to ask you how you were doing."
"What do you mean?"
"Primrose. This whole time, she was working for the Agnostic. She tricked us all. And I didn't even bother to ask you how you were taking it."
"I….I still can't believe it," Hoggle admitted. "I really thought we could trust her."
"I know. I trusted her, too."
"You did?" Hoggle said, glancing at her in surprise. "I sometimes got the impression you didn't like her."
"You can trust someone and not like them at the same time," Stacey pointed out. "But… I didn't dislike her. If I ever made it seem otherwise, then I have something else to apologize for."
Inside the grotto, Sarah tore her eyes away from the small fire burning in the fire pit to cast a cautious glance at Jareth and Wayne, who were sitting a short distance away from the rest of the group. From the looks of it, they were having a serious conversation, speaking in hushed tones. She was still reeling from the surprise revelation that they were actually brothers. However, as she carefully looked between the two men, she saw there was indeed a certain physical resemblance between them, despite the noticeable difference in height.
Her thoughts were interrupted when the small kettle positioned above the fire began to whistle, signaling that the tea water was ready. Wordlessly, she began to pour the tea into earthenware cups and handed them out to her friends. After a pause, she brought the two remaining cups of tea over to Wayne and Jareth, who accepted the drinks with small smiles of acknowledgement. Sarah was just turning back to leave the reunited brothers alone when she heard Jareth speaking her name.
"Sarah?" he began. "I…. I'd like to apologize to you,"
"For what?" Sarah asked in surprise. Jareth paused of a moment before replying, sharing a brief glance with Wayne, who seemed to understand what his brother was wanting and stepped away without a word. Once Wayne had joined Ludo, Sir Didymus, Toby, Theseus and Daedlus by the fire, Sarah took a seat next to Jareth.
"I want to apologize for how I acted that night, four years ago. When you first came to the Labyrinth to rescue Toby."
"You don't have to…."
"Yes, I do. Because you need to understand why I did what I did. Why I kept throwing obstacles in your way, and tried so hard to make you give up."
"Daedalus explained that it was because you knew I was Susan's reincarnation," Sarah said. "He said Susan used to love challenges, and since you wanted so badly to believe I was her, you thought I would enjoy it, too."
"Is that what Daedalus said?" Jareth inquired, letting out a low chuckle.
"Are you saying he was wrong?"
"No. At least, not completely. There were a multitude of reasons for my actions that night. When you wished your brother away, I knew I had to do my job. The rules of the Labyrinth, which were written long before I was brought here, stated that any child wished away had to be taken by the goblins. And that the person who wished the child away had to be granted a chance to win the child back. But this was the first time I had to deal with it since becoming the Goblin King. The first time I had to deal with it since I was the child that was taken. That's why I kept trying to get in your way, Sarah. That's why I kept trying to make you give up. I was resentful. I hadn't yet forgiven Wayne for not reaching me in time. And here were you, practically following in his footsteps. I was bitter enough that I wanted to see you fail. Why should your brother get to go home when I didn't?"
"At the same time, I was dealing with another turmoil. When I saw you for the first time, I couldn't believe it. I couldn't understand why you looked so much like her. I admit, it intrigued me. And when you came across that playbook about the Labyrinth and became so enthralled by it, I began to believe you were starting to regain Susan's memories. I really hoped that somehow, being back in the Underground would jog your memory further. Or rather, Susan's memory. I knew you had her face, and even her voice. But did you have any of her memories, too? That peach I made Hoggle give you. Do you remember what you saw when you ate it?"
"I was at a ball," Sarah recalled. "Some sort of masquerade ball. Where you and I danced."
"It wasn't just a hallucination." Jareth stated. "It was a recreation of the night Susan and I first met. I was hoping that showing it to you would help you remember that night."
"And what if it had worked?" Sarah asked. "If I somehow was able to regain Susan's memories, what about Toby?" Jareth gave an ironic chuckle before he explained.
"I realize now how horrible this might sound. But back then, Toby was about the same age Stacey had been when the Agnostic had first attacked. In my wild, crazed mind, I thought he could fill the void, and Susan and I could raise him the way we hadn't been able to raise Stacey. I was a fool. I know that now. You….may look like her, and even sound like her. But…you're not Susan. You're Sarah. It was wrong of me to even consider the notion that it would be otherwise. Just like it was wrong of me to take my residual anger at my brother out on you. I hope that, someday, you can find it in you to forgive me."
Sarah could only smile in response to that statement. The truth was, she hadn't ever resented Jareth for Toby's abduction. While it was true that he'd done everything he could think of to make her fail, the journey she'd made through the Labyrinth had helped her grow stronger and wiser. It had taught her to better appreciate Toby's presence. And it had led to her making some irreplaceable friends. In a way, she had felt a certain sense of gratitude towards Jareth. If he hadn't taken her brother back then, she might never had grown inside. And now, after hearing everything that had been going in in Jareth's head that night, Sarah couldn't help but sympathize with him. Knowing that he had been fighting with his residual anger at his brother and wanting to regain the family that had been cruelly taken from him all at the same time; it somehow made him seem more human, more relatable.
Just as Sarah was opening her mouth to assure Jareth she didn't hold what he did against him, she suddenly burst out laughing as a thought occurred to her.
"I just realized," Sarah announced as she continued laughing. "Of all the houses Daedalus could have brought Baby Stacey to, after you sent her away, he brought her to Wayne's house. To the house of the man who turned out to be her uncle." For a moment, Jareth's eyes widened comically, but then he also began to laugh at the irony.
AN: This may be the last time I can update this story regularly. Up to now, I could update weekly because most of the story was already written. But after this point, I have nothing else written, and I'm not sure how long it's going to take to write out the conclusion to this story. Especially since I have other writing projects to deal with. So I hope this extra long chapter will tide everyone over until I get more done.