Hey. Once again, sorry about the delay...exams and all that. So here is the next chapter as we reach the conclusion, but again, still not finished!

Gothic: Yes I have read the Firebringer, when I was about eight. Herne does appear in that too, but he is an ancient mythical creature from old folklore too, and it is this interpretation that my Herne is based on.

Please read and review!

Lots of love. FY.A xxx

When Sarah awoke the light was streaming through the wide chamber window, casting back the shadows and heating patches of warmth on the stone floor. Sarah yawned and stretched, the twisted sheet tangling round her legs as she rolled over. She opened her eyes and was for some reason not surprised to see Jareth's side of the bed vacant. Turning onto her stomach she buried her face into his pillow, inhaling the spicy scent of magic that was so uniquely him. Her fingers stroked gently against the sheet, feeling it warm where the sun lay across it. Languidly she swung her legs over the side of the bed, combing her fingers through her hair as she sat up.

Remembering something Sarah shut her eyes and gathered her thoughts. "Jareth?" she called.

There was a long pause in which she thought he couldn't have heard and then...

"Sarah! You're awake."

"Yes."

"I'm coming back."

For the briefest of seconds Sarah had the impression that she was soaring, thousands of feet above the surface of the world, staring down at the Labyrinth. The height made her head spin and her eyes opened. And it was gone. Blinking, she collected her thoughts. As she stood her long night-dress fell to its full length, hugging her figure as she crossed to the mirror. Sarah stared at her face intently for a few moments. Her dark green eyes stared intently back. Emeralds, the prophesy had said. She took a step back and turned sideways, running wondering hands over the slight swell of her belly. Barely noticeable. And shouldn't she being feeling sick? That's what they said wasn't it? Morning sickness? Still staring herself in the eye in the mirror, Sarah lifted the night-dress, breaking contact only for a second as she lifted it over her head. Coldly, she assessed what she saw. A gust of wind blew from outside, causing goose bumps to rise on her naked skin as the ivy rattled against the window ledge. Sarah stared harder, seeing the way skin roughened, hating the paleness of her body. And there, shiny silver in the centre of her chest was the silver outline of Jareth's medallion. She shivered and reached for her nightgown. Before she could catch hold of it strong arms wrapped round her from behind, the fingers of one hand spreading over her stomach, the other snaking up to her chest, covering the scar as Jareth's image appeared in the mirror behind her.

"Don't," he whispered into her ear as his eyes sought hers in the glass.

"Don't what?" she whispered back as, unbidden, her own hands came up to cover his.

"Hide it away."

"The scar?"

"You're beautiful body."

And suddenly, as Jareth's lips found the crook of her neck an image flashed across her mind. Not a scene such as those sent by Raemon, but more of an idea, an abstract thought, unanalysed and barely complete. Herself. Through Jareth's eyes. The smooth curve of her hip, the soft line of her breast, the sheen on her hair, the invitation on her lips. And then the image was gone but her mind was still reeling. She watched in the mirror as Jareth's hands ran lightly down her body, fingers travelling to her hips as he pulled her lightly back against him, the soft leather of his breaches and waistcoat warm on her back. Sarah felt the delicate skin of her lower stomach flutter as Jareth's gloved finger barely traced over it as he raised his hands once more, cupping the weight of her breasts in his fingers.

"Never," he whispered.

It was only when he spoke that she realised she had shut her eyes, and she opened them to find him staring at her intently. His mismatched gaze was so penetrating that she knew he could see right to her soul, and she opened it to him, inviting him in.

"Never," he whispered again as his lips sought her shoulder, eyes never leaving hers. "Never doubt yourself Precious. Never."

And he drew away from her, his hand seeking hers as she turned, breaking eye contact in the mirror to find the true source in life. His fingers, now gloveless, interlocked with hers as he quietly sat on the edge of the bed, drawing her close to stand between his knees. He looked up at her, holding her eyes for a few moments before purposefully lowering his gaze to sweep down the length of her body. Sarah felt the blush rise in her cheeks.

"You're beautiful," murmured Jareth as he leant closer to kiss the skin between her breasts. "And you're mine," he said as he drew back, fingers tracing the imprint of his medallion, "forever."

Sarah could feel the tears start to prick at her eyes with the intensity of his expression. She took a step forward so that her knees touched the edge of the bed and her thighs came into contact with his. She rested her hands on his shoulders as his hands came to rest on her waist.

"I love you," she whispered as she leant down to kiss him.

Jareth shut his eyes and let his hands slide down to cup the swell of her buttocks. He felt Sarah's tongue trace the seam of his lips but refused to open his mouth. Instead, e gripped her buttocks harder, digging in his nails as he pulled her towards him, slowly overbalancing him so that she fell forwards onto the bed as he shifted out of her way. He chuckled darkly, placing a hand heavily on her back to prevent her rolling over. He lowered his lips to her and kissed the smooth skin between her shoulder blades.

"I think Sarah," he said silkily, the old edge of danger that she had come to love lacing its way through his accent, "that it is time you paid your debt."

He felt her swallow and lifted his hand slightly, allowing her to shift against the mattress to find a more comfortable position with her now swollen clit.

"D...debt?" she stammered, the desire evident in her voice.

Jareth leant over her, taking old of her wrists and pulling them up over her head. He pressed his chest against her back as he lowered his lips to her ear.

"I said you would pay. You agreed." He sank his teeth into the tender skin of her earlobe and heard her gasp in response. "An iron tipped arrow his painful to any fae, but to one as strong as me..."

He released her wrists but Sarah found herself unable to lower her hands. Se writhed slightly, causing her swollen clit to rub against a crease in the sheet, making her gasp. She felt Jareth's hot breath on the back of her neck as he released it in a silent chuckle. His hand ran down from the small of her back, his eyes narrow and cruel as they tracked its progress over the swell of her buttocks. He slipped his fingers between her thighs, gently tugging her legs apart and she found herself yet again helpless to resist him. Her whole body juddered as he pressed his finger against her swollen nub, the tingle of raw magic emanating from his ungloved hands threatening to send her over the edge. Jareth's tongue traced the shell of her ear as he leant forward again.

"You will not come," he commanded. He was satisfied to hear Sarah's whimper.

Again he pressed his finger to Sarah's clit before pinching it between thumb and forefinger, twisting almost to the point of pain, but not quite. Sarah struggled to keep her breathing even, to ignore his assault on her body in order that she comply with his commands but she could not contain the whimper that escaped her as he withdrew his hand completely.

Jareth brought his hand down across her buttocks with a sharp smack, leaving a red welt on the pale skin. Carefully, he leant down and drew his tongue across the mark, soothing, before raising his hand and smacking it down again. Tenderly he rubbed the redness, the coolness of his palm sending the pleasure pain to pool between Sarah's legs. Again she jolted as his fingers wandered, straying down between the cheeks and over the tight, puckered entrance, on down to her damp opening.

"My, Sarah. Feeling a little flustered?" Jareth teased in her ear as he slipped a finger into her opening, adding a second and a third, twisting them within her and pressing into her clit with the pad of his thumb. Sarah writhed beneath him, biting her teeth down into her lip as she fought against the coiling in the pit of her stomach. "Feeling rather..."Jareth twisted his fingers again, "...tense..." he pressed hard against her clit causing her to moan, "...are you?"

He laughed and withdrew his fingers, trailing juices back up to her puckered entrance, spreading them. As his fingers circled he leant down, grazing his teeth against the alabaster expanse of her shoulder, nipping and sucking before licking the resulting welt. Sarah groaned again, writhing against the force that prevented her from moving, from giving as good as she got, from seeing what he was doing. She felt him shift away slightly, when he returned she could feel his bare skin pressing against hers as again she felt his breath on her ear.

"This pleasure is mine," he said possessively as he shifted to cover her body with his own.

For a moment, as his chest pressed against her back, she felt the stillness of his chest and a wave of sadness and love threatened to engulf her, and then she was snapped back to the present as his large erection pressed between her cheeks.

"All mine," he said again and he pressed himself into her.

He wasn't gentle, but he wasn't rough either as Sarah felt herself struggling to expand to accommodate his incredible size. He pressed in relentlessly, possessively as though trying to prove his complete dominance, a dominance that Sarah loved and accepted was his right. And it felt amazing. As he began to thrust Sarah could hear the small gasps of breath that escaped his lips and she shifted slightly so that each of his thrusts pushed her against the crease in the sheet, stimulating, building the pressure.

Jareth slipped his hand beneath her, fingers probing and eliciting small gasps form Sarah as she fought the incredible pressure he was building within her. And then, just as she thought she could bear it no more, he withdrew completely and Sarah found herself able to roll over. His hair hung in his eyes, the pupils of which were dilated with passion as he found her gaze.

"Together," he managed to say and his voice sounded strangled.

Sarah nodded and wrapped her arms round him, her gasp lost in his mouth as he thrust into her soaking entrance. His rhythm was hard and erratic as they were both so near, but Sarah met him thrust for thrust as he buried himself deeper and deeper within her. And then she was coming and the world was shattering and Jareth's teeth broke the skin on her shoulder as his own orgasm ripped through him before he stilled, still deep within her, holding himself up on his arms as he stared down into her sex filled face. As the shuddering ceased Sarah fought to bring her eyes to meet his gaze.

"We'll call her Phoenix," Jareth said.

Carefully he withdrew and rolled to the side, propping himself up on his elbow to look down into Sarah's face.

"What?" she muttered, her brain still having problems following a coherent thought process.

Jareth chuckled and leant down, kissing her on the mouth.

"Our daughter," he elaborated, "rising from the ashes, a symbol of hope and love."

"Daughter?"

Jareth nodded.

"How do you know?"

"I just know." He leant down and kissed her again, opening his mouth and delving his tongue down to duel with hers before pulling back to smile down at her. "And doesn't it just fill you with excitement?"

He rose, swinging his legs over the side of the bed with all the smooth energy the characterised his persona. He smiled wolfishly at Sarah as he tugged his green robe round his shoulders and stalked to the bathroom door, for all the world like he had just got out of bed, instead of just having finished a round of hard and passionate lovemaking. A few seconds later Sarah heard the sound of running bath water and the sweet scent of peach and lavender stole into the bed chamber. Sarah smiled to herself as she spread her fingers wide over her belly, still savouring the sweet tang of Jareth's kiss on her lips.

"Phoenix," she whispered, and smiled again.