A/N: Dedicated to Jareth'sQueenBitch. Enjoy!
"Dad?"
"Yes, son?"
"Why was mom crying?"
Jareth glanced at the Goblin Prince as he bounced Princess Lexi on his knee. Even at only seven fay years, the boy was exceptionally observant.
"Because her brother passed away." He replied solemnly. There was no use hiding it any longer.
"Oh." The child's brows furrowed. "How come we never got to meet Uncle Toby?"
"Because he was human, son." Jareth sighed. "He lived in the Aboveground. You're mother left that world behind when she came back here to live with me."
Stellan stared hard at the Minotaur action figure in his hands. He'd already been told the tale of his mother's triumph over the Labyrinth and her subsequent return to become the Goblin Queen. It was still one of his favorite bedtime stories.
"Dad?" The Prince muttered.
"Yes?"
The image of his mother's heart-broken face flashed through Stellan's mind.
"I don't want mommy to cry anymore."
"Mamma!" Lexi gurgled.
Leaning forward, Jareth pulled both of his wonderful children into a tight hug.
"Neither do I, son." He whispered fiercely.
Once his father released him, Stellan took his little sister's hand.
"Is there anything we can do?" He asked hopefully.
Jareth ruffled the boy's hair and placed Lexi on the floor before he stood up.
"I'll tell you what," he said as strode over to the nursery's floor-length mirror, "I'll go talk to your mother, but if you two will contact Uncle Hairbrush-"
"Hoggle, daddy!" Stellan giggled.
"-and tell him to summon all the goblins to the throne room," the Goblin King smirked, "I think I might know a way to cheer her up."
"Okay!" Stellan beamed, pulling his sister to the mirror as their father left the nursery.
"Uncle Hoggle!" The Goblin Prince called into the glass. "We need you!"
As Jareth walked down the hall and into the Escher Room, the momentary lift in his mood waned.
It had been a rough night, to put it plainly.
Over the past few years, Sarah had been keeping an occasional eye on Toby as he grew up. It had been difficult for her to adjust to the fact that one year for a fay, was the equivalent of a decade to a human.
When her father and step-mother had died, of course she had grieved, but considering how her relationship with them hadn't been nearly as deep as the one she'd shared with Toby, it wasn't surprising how crippling her current depression was. The boy had only been eight years old when she had returned to the Labyrinth, but she and Jareth had watched over him as he developed into the fine man he was.
Through the crystals, they'd seen him graduate from high school as valedictorian, earn multiple scholarships, meet his beautiful wife in college, become a successful cartoonist, get married, have three children, successfully fight against prostate cancer, and retire to his ranch in Colorado.
Last night, when Sarah had performed her routine check on her brother, she and Jareth learned that Toby had died in his sleep a few days ago.
Jareth had held his poor wife as she cried until dawn, desperately forcing back tears of his own.
He'd grown quite attached to the lively little chap ever since he'd first met him, and his admiration of the boy had only increased tenfold as the years passed. Not to mention how the sight of his love suffering, pained him beyond measure.
Which was all the more reason why he needed to be strong for her. A fact that became all too clear when their children came barreling into the throne room that morning.
All it took was one look at Lexi's contemporary striped dress to make Sarah succumb to a fresh wave of sobs. Though pink instead of orange in color, the design itself was achingly familiar enough and Jareth had to herd the prince and princess away and into the nursery where he spent the remainder of the morning trying his best to distract them from their mother's unfamiliar behavior.
For a while, the Goblin King thought he had succeeded in this endeavor.
Lexi was obviously too young to understand and Stellan, though unusually quiet, was willing to have his attention diverted. For a few hours, at least.
Perhaps it was all for the best. If the boy was going to be king, he'd have to learn about the fragile mortality of humans, as well as basic Aboveground relations, sooner or later.
In his experience, one tended to accept harsher truths easier when such lessons were currently relevant and not left to the imagination.
But he couldn't allow himself to dwell on that now. There'd be plenty of time to properly prepare both Stellan and Lexi for the intricate responsibilities of adulthood. For now, he and his children has a mission to carry out.
Darting though one of the passages at the top of the landing, Jareth descended the few following steps to the throne room.
Sarah was sitting quietly on the horned chair, gazing despondently into the crystal she held loosely in her hands. Her head turned at the sound of approaching footsteps.
"Hi, honey." She breathed, seeing her husband appear in the archway.
"Hello, precious." Jareth purred, crossing to her and gently kissing her temple. "How are you feeling?"
"Better." She answered weakly. "I was just watching the funeral."
She raised the crystal so he could see clearly.
"Jimmy gave the eulogy."
Jareth nodded as he eyed the black clad friends and family members in the shining orb.
Jimmy was Toby's oldest grandchild. He was kind and energetic with a good head on his shoulders and artistic skills that rivaled his grandfather's; he was even the spitting image!
Dispersing the crystal, Sarah shuddered and clenched her fists.
"I know it's stupid," she spoke in a low voice, "but…I just can't help but feel like I could've done something. He had this long, amazing life and…I wasn't there. Do you realize that he was only eight years old when I left? Now that he's gone forever, I-I feel like…like I abandoned him."
She whimpered and rubbed the moisture from her eyes.
"Sarah, darling." Jareth soothed, kneeling at her side and cupping her face in his hands. "You did not abandon, Toby. I know you loved him very much. You were an excellent sister and friend to him and I'm sure he knows that now and understands your decision. You're right though, he did have a long and amazing life and he died without regret."
"I miss him." She murmured painfully, tears spilling over.
"I know you do, precious." Her husband crooned, brushing away the salty trails with his thumbs. "I know."
He sat beside her on the throne, drawing her against him.
"You've always missed him and you will always miss him, and that's alright. You should miss him, because if you do, you'll never forget him. I've often thought of Toby as my own son, and in many ways, you could say that he brought us together. For that, I will always be eternally grateful to him."
A slightly amused grin formed across Sarah's lips.
"How do you always know what to say?" She wondered aloud, lifting her tired gaze to meet her mate's bi-colored, earnest eyes.
He captured her mouth in a soft, brief kiss.
"I don't," he chuckled softly as he pulled away, "but what kind of husband would I be if I didn't know how to make you smile?"
"Mom?"
The monarchs snapped their attention to the main entryway of the throne room. Stellan and Lexi stood side by side on the threshold, with what seemed like a mountain of goblins filling the hall behind them.
"Come here, babies." Sarah lovingly beckoned, holding her arms open for her children.
The royal siblings needed no further invitation as they ran across the room and into their mother's embrace. The goblins poured into the room after them.
Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus took their places beside the throne, on Sarah's left. Each gave her a sympathetic squeeze on her shoulder.
Once the entire room was packed, floor to ceiling, Jareth slowly stood up.
Taking a deep breath, he addressed them all dolefully:
"For those of you who are not aware at this point, I'm afraid I have some rather unfortunate news to share. I'm sure that all of you remember a certain babe by the name of Toby."
There was a general rumble of affirmation.
"He was the younger brother of your queen." Jareth continued. "The one she fought so bravely and decisively to rescue. Sadly, several days ago, Aboveground time, he died at the age of ninety eight."
The goblins moaned quietly in sorrow.
"His passing is a difficult loss for us all, but none so much for our queen. Though she loved Toby with all her heart, she chose to live here in the Labyrinth. In doing so, you all know that his mind, along with everyone else's that ever met or knew of her in the Aboveground, was wiped clean of any knowledge of her existence. It was a heavy sacrifice, but we all took comfort in how truly glorious Toby's life became." Jareth's voice grew firm with elation. "He was a scholar and an artist. He was adored and respected by all who knew him. There is no doubt his famous illustrations were inspired by us."
He winked.
"He was a faithful and affectionate husband to his wife, an attentive father of three, a wise and doting grandfather to five, and in a few short months, he would have welcomed his first great-grandchild into the world."
Sarah sniffed as he went on:
"We shall all miss him dearly, but instead of mourning, let us celebrate Toby's life and his legacy of joy and happiness, by doing the exact same thing we did to stop his distress when he was here."
The goblins cheered wildly as music suddenly filled the room from a hidden source and Jareth marched over to Stellan.
Sarah's brow pinched in confusion.
"You remind me of the babe…" Jareth said, playfully tapping his son's nose.
"What babe?" The Goblin Prince and the rest of his family's subjects shouted gleefully.
"Babe with the power…"
"What power?"
"Power of voodoo…" Jareth dramatized, spinning on his heel and making his riding crop materialize in his hand.
"Who do?"
"You do…"
"Do what?"
"Remind me of the babe."
"A GOBLIN BABE!" The crowd chanted.
Sarah's jaw fell open in astonishment as Jareth started to sing. He held the riding crop upside down, pretending it was a microphone.
I saw my baby
Crying hard as babe could cry
What could I do?
My baby's love had gone
And left my baby blue
Nobody knew
What kind of magic spell to use? The goblins joined.
Slime and snails/A goblin with grey hair and a gravelly voice soloed.
Or puppy dog tails/Another one chimed.
Thunder or lightning/A large goblin with black fur began.
Then baby said/Jareth picked up, pointing at Lexi who squealed with delight.
Dance magic, dance/The goblins chorused.
Dance magic, dance/Jareth echoed, theatrically dancing all over the room.
Dance magic, dance
Dance magic, dance
Put that baby spell on me/Jareth launched a goblin with one swift kick.
Jump magic, jump
Jump magic, jump/As if on command, a handful of goblins leapt into the air.
Jump magic, jump
Jump magic, jump
Put that magic jump on me
Slap that baby,
Make him free/A goblin with sharp features punctuated, swatting a companion.
Sarah shook her head in amused disbelief.
THIS is what he was doing with Toby while I was running the Labyrinth?
The gaiety surrounding her was hard to ignore. She felt herself swaying to the beat as merry comfort pooled inside her.
Stellan hopped off his mother's lap and started clapping and stomping with the goblins.
Jareth snuck up behind the boy and seized him about the middle.
"In nine hours and twenty three minutes," he teased as his riding crop vanished, "it'll be your bedtime."
"Dad!" The Goblin Prince whined as his father whirled away, laughing with the goblins.
I saw my baby/Jareth strutted over to Sarah and scooped Lexi into his arms.
Trying hard as babe could try/He rocked the princess back and forth as he sang.
What could I do?
My baby's fun had gone
And left my baby blue
Nobody knew
What kind of magic spell to use?
Slime and snails/A horse-faced goblin warbled as Jareth handed his daughter to Ludo.
Puppy dog's tails/Another mumbled.
Thunder or lightning/A goblin with a huge nose strained.
Then baby said/Jareth grasped Sarah's hands. There was a sly glint in his eyes.
Dance magic, dance/Before she could utter a single protest, he pulled her to her feet.
Dance magic, dance/He spun her around with him so fast, everything was a blur.
Dance magic, dance/Sarah's laughter was so powerful, her ribs ached.
Dance magic, dance
Put that baby spell on me
Jump magic, jump
Jump magic, jump/Jareth effortlessly cradled her to his chest as he moved.
Jump magic, jump
Jump magic, jump
Put that magic jump on me/Putting her hands in Jareth's hair, Sarah kissed him hard.
Slap that baby, make him free/He nuzzled her as he pulled away.
Dance magic, dance/Placing her back on the floor, Jareth returned to Lexi.
Dance magic, dance/Sarah watched as he swung the toddler in time with the music.
Dance magic, dance/Stellan grabbed his mother's hands and jumped in place.
Dance magic, dance/Her mind wandered as she twirled her son over and over.
Dance magic, dance/She thought of Toby and the last time he saw him face to face.
Dance magic, dance/She remembered how she'd hugged him tight.
Dance magic, dance/How she'd kissed his forehead, despite his juvenile protests.
Dance magic, dance/How she'd apologized for every time she'd been impatient.
Jump magic, jump/I love you, Toby. Be good, okay?
Jump magic, jump/She looked at Stellan, then at Jareth and Lexi with tenderness.
Jump magic, jump/Goodbye, Toby. She thought fondly. Thank you.
Jump magic, jump/Jareth caught Lexi as she fell through the air.
Put that baby spell on me/Sarah blinked as she realized something serious.
Ooh
"JARETH!" She thundered, immediately silencing the music and every goblin, child and fay man in the throne room. "DID YOU JUST THROW MY BABY GIRL OVER YOUR HEAD?!"
A/N: So I've basically determined that Jareth was around 380 years old when he met Sarah and now he's 389 and Sarah is 239. I realize the whole 1 fey year=10 human years doesn't seem to be implied by the film, but it works for the story. Please leave a review! Especially you, Jareth'sQueenBitch! :D