In between sleep and wake, Sarah took a deep, cleansing breath. She could feel her body in great detail, from the tiny strands of hair fanning across her face, to the soft, downy blanket by her ankles, but not over her cold toes.
With great bravery, she slowly opened her eyes.
Beside her was none other than Jareth, peacefully asleep.
She did not delay in wrapping her arms around him, leaning against his chest to listen to his heartbeat. Only then did she dare herself to believe that he was real.
"Jareth, you're here!"
She sobbed into his chest, lifting her face to kiss all over his. Her Jareth was here. Her Jareth was back. Her Jareth was safe, alive, and whole.
"I am only a wish away."
Yes, he was. She had to wish and dream with the power of a thousand dreamers to do so, but here he was, safe in her arms.
Sobbing through her kisses, Sarah didn't notice his arms coming up to hold her, too, until he flipped her over so that she was above him. His embrace was so tight, it was almost painful, but she would not complain.
"My Sarah, my greatest love," Jareth breathed into her hair.
He held her face in his hands, doing as she did to make sure that this was reality and not a dream.
However, even if it was a dream, it wouldn't have mattered to either of them. They would take what they could.
Equal parts furiousness and gentleness, they made love. Whispers of devotion and promises filled each other's hearts. The embrace and the intertwining of hands would forever be marked on their souls.
When they finished, the two of them laid sideways, bare, holding each other. Sarah's face down on Jareth's chest, listening to his heartbeat. Jareth's chin resting on top of Sarah's head. Their legs intertwining and arms reaching where they could.
In the moments of silence, Sarah noticed his horned amulet digging against her cheek. She tangled her fingers within the chain, breathing heavily.
"You remember, don't you, Jareth?"
His breathing was still the same, even pace, but the quickening of his heartbeat told Sarah otherwise.
"I do, yes."
She pulled away slightly, as far as she could without letting go of him. Eyes cautious, they were careful to pick their next words should the Seven Endless hear them speak.
"But how? I thought… none of it ever happened."
Jareth shook his head. "No, it didn't. Not in this universe."
"So how?"
"Love, I haven't a clue. And I doubt the Seven know either."
She withdrew her finger from the chains and played with his soft, fluffy hair. Jareth's eyes instantly drooped with contentment, especially when her hand traveled to his pointy ears.
"But you have theories, don't you? Don't you think you should share these things with me?" she asked playfully, but with an undercurrent of seriousness.
A shadow of guilt cast its darkness over Jareth's face. He pursed his lips and nodded.
"Considering what happened, I suppose I should." He pulled her a little closer for a quick kiss. "I didn't mean to hurt-"
"I know," she stopped him. "I understand now. It's possible that with me knowing certain things, I would end up making everything worse. Still, it wasn't something that you should've dealt with alone. We're a team."
He sighed, the breath heavy and regretful. "I believe that you are touched by Dream and Destiny. I would refer to them more as 'burdens' than 'gifts' if I'm completely honest with myself."
"I know, I spoke with both of them myself."
Jareth paused. "You what?"
Sarah smirked. There was something satisfying in the way he stared at her incredulously. "I'm guessing you remember what happened to you before… before She took you? And don't know about what happened to me?"
She hesitated to say the name of the oldest sister of the Endless.
Jareth placed a hand on his temple. "Correct. What did they both say?"
Sarah recounted what happened as carefully as she could. Jareth listened with rapt attention, amazed at what had transpired.
He looked off to the side, his lower jaw clenching slightly. "Then, I'm right. You have been touched by them. Destiny must have foreseen that. You must be careful-"
"That's enough, Jareth."
Sarah sat up suddenly, upset with him. Taking a few seconds to breathe, she held up a hand to stop him from speaking when he resumed talking.
"You're telling me to be careful? After what no one knew? You gave me all of you. Even to the very end."
Jareth sat up and held her. Sarah did not push him away, but she was still radiating anger.
"Jareth, you are a person with your own entity. You shouldn't give yourself up for someone else. You belong to yourself and should give yourself to yourself. You are just as valuable and important than me. More so, since you're the king of an actual kingdom."
He squeezed her tightly. "I know, Sarah, that my life is valuable, but as much as what you're saying is rational, I do not feel rational."
He kissed the top of her head.
"My love for you transcends rationality. As I told Lord Shaper, I would burn the world down for one last kiss from you. In that sense, I am still the villain in the story."
She patted his hand, both touched and horrified by the notion, considering that his love for her had killed him and many others indirectly.
"You're hopeless."
She could feel him snort in disagreement.
"Just as you are when you should have just ruled alone as the Queen of Goblins. Do not forget, you told me explicitly that you hadn't a clue whether using the power of a thousand dreamers would actually work. You could have ended the universe instead of wishing for a universe where the Labyrinth had its own fail-safe should its monarch give themselves fully to someone they love."
They turned, facing each other again. He placed one hand on her face and the other he placed upon his heart.
"Sarah, I only regret the destruction our love caused. But I don't regret loving you the way I do. I don't regret letting your love consume me. Every day, I bask in that love and am elated to finally find someone who would shower me with it. Your love consumes me, but it does not isolate me. You have helped me to rebuild friendships and relationships. I have discovered and rediscovered myself, including my passions instead of constantly working to drown out my self-inflicted isolation."
His smile, soft and enduring like that of raindrops, drew Sarah in deeply just as it did when they first met. He dared to kiss her forehead. "If anything, your love has opened doors for me to be filled with more goodness and love. Of all things for me to be consumed by, I am grateful that it's your love."
Sarah's eyes welled with tears.
Since winning Toby back, she wanted to do what was right and not be selfish. Part of her fantasies, and possibly what drew Jareth to her in the first place, was that the idea that her love would be a villain for her.
Seeing the destruction it caused, she no longer wanted that, but she did understand what Jareth meant by it. Wouldn't do the same, to raze the ground to find Jareth and tell him she loved him one last time? In fact, isn't that what she did when she reordered the whole universe?
Who was she to judge him when she would do the same?
Moving on from that, she thought of what he said about how his quality of life improved since being loved by her. For all of Sarah's life, she wanted to not only be loved but to be valued in that exact way. She tilted her head up, wrapping her arms around Jareth's neck and kissing him again.
"Me too. And you'll always have my love, Jareth."
Twisting his wrist, a crystal appeared in his hand. Placing his other hand over it, he opened it to reveal a beautiful crescent emerald and sapphire necklace, the one he commissioned for this very moment.
"Happy third anniversary of reuniting, Love. I offer this gift freely, but also to ask if you would take the next step with me in our courtship. I would very much like for us to officially proclaim that we are courting to the Underground courts, so that they will know how serious we are. But as you know, that also opens up opportunities for Underground society to judge our relationship, which may be overwhelming. Take your time to decide. Don't answer now, just tell me whenever you're ready."
Sarah admired the beautiful necklace.
"It's beautiful, Jareth. Thank you." She kissed him again. "Will you put it on me?"
He obliged, having her face the mirror as he clasped it around her neck, the two watching their reflections of the renewing moment of their love.
As the crescent moon's weight settled on her chest, Sarah saw her reflection change. She wore a deep, red gown and a crown of stars on her head. Her eyebrows were upswept, her green eyes regal.
In the middle of her chest, the crescent amulet of the Goblin Queen glowed.
She fell to her knees, a gasp escaping her mouth. She barely heard Jareth calling her name, nor registering as he carried her back to bed. Clutching his arm, she realized that she had been staring blankly at his face.
"Sarah? My Love?" He held her face in his hands, relieved as she started to respond to him again. "What happened?"
She held his hand, placing it over her heart, hoping that his touch would steady the beats.
"Nothing bad. I just… just now, I saw an image of myself in the mirror of me wearing your amulet. Or rather, my own but looking like yours. And wearing regal clothing like that of a Goblin Queen. It just brought me back to when… I mean, in the alternate universe, where you…" She took a deep breath. "Where you died. And where I had to be queen."
He rubbed her back comfortingly.
"You will once again wear this amulet." He held up his amulet. "But that day will come when we are married. You will rule by my side. Perhaps that is what you're seeing. You're seeing the future, if I may."
Sarah's fingers automatically came to tangle in the chains of her new necklace, a knowing smile on her face.
"My destiny."
Jareth beamed at that.
"Yes. Your destiny. As it should be."
My personal interpretation is that Sarah, with Destiny's gift, saw her future as queen in that reflection. I hope this penultimate chapter brings wraps most of the story up for everyone. There is one more. Thank you for reading and please leave a review!