Twenty-Two Months Later…

Jacen walked through the garden in the chill autumn air, his mind turning in a thousand different directions.

He'd completely blundered, telling Karina that Randel had left for Ardalon, not even a day after he'd returned from Corzina. Worse… it was a permanent post that would keep him from Caladh… keep him from her. Mentally, he kicked himself. There must have been a dozen ways he could have broken the news to her, gentler ways. But it was what it was. And there was nothing Jacen could do about it now.

He himself would be leaving tomorrow morning, to take a unit of the Goblin Army up to the border of Iftanzel and the Dwarven Kingdom. They had requested some assistance in patrolling that border, as there were some significant military exercises being staged by the Iftanzel Army. According to Garthan's spies, those exercises were just that… exercises, and not a preamble to another invasion. Still, when an ally called for help, it was their task to do what they could to provide. In Randel's absence, this would normally fall to Anduin, but he was busy with cleaning out a nest of bandits that had taken to preying upon travelers to and from Dacia. Thankfully, the bandits were almost completely eliminated, and it was probably only going to be a week or two before Anduin returned and could take over for Jacen.

His mind turned back to the disaster with Randel. It was completely beyond his understanding… he knew Randel was heart-bonded to Karina. Randel knew it too. And yet… he still left her. How could he leave her? Jacen couldn't imagine doing the same to Madeline under any circumstances. He was pretty sure his heart would just… die.

He was startled out of his reverie when he came upon Dad, walking through the garden with the same bewildered look that Jacen himself was wearing. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Dad was brooding on the same problem that Jacen was.

They walked together in silence, each lost in their own thoughts, until Jareth quietly inquired, "Have you… seen Karina today?"

"Yeah," replied Jacen. "She knows. I think Mom's talking to her now."

Jareth nodded absently. Unable to take it a moment longer, Jacen stopped in his tracks. "I don't get it, Dad. I don't. He loves her. He knows he loves her. Why is he doing this to her?"

Jareth sighed, "He's not doing it to her deliberately, Jacen. There are factors here that… you don't really understand."

"Then tell me. Because I swear, I want to go to Ardalon and drag him back by the ears."

So, Jareth did. He briefly outlined some of Randel's experiences, all of which contributed to his utter terror of commitment. "It might be hard for you to understand, since you didn't live through it. But I assure you, there is no demon in Hell that can frighten him as much as the thought of having a family does."

Jacen chewed on this for a moment before replying. "And Karina? Does she know any of this?"

"Yes. I told her right after I sent him to Corzina. Two years ago. I wanted her to understand that it wasn't her he was rejecting. And she does understand. It doesn't make it any less painful for her, but she does understand." He looked at Jacen speculatively then. "You know how it all started?"

"Yeah," Jacen said as he nodded. "He didn't recognize her, and she didn't tell him who she was. I mean… yeah, I can see how that would have made him angry, but… it's not that big a deal."

Jareth's eyes narrowed on him. "Says the man who didn't tell his lady that he wasn't even her species before sleeping with her. Just because she forgave you doesn't mean that Randel was obliged to do so for Karina."

Jacen winced, "Point taken."

"In truth… there was a part of me that was surprised that he didn't sever the bond. If he truly felt that he'd been deceived or coerced… it would have given him grounds to break it. He hasn't. That tells me that for all his protestations, deep down, his heart wants the bond, wants her."

"But he still left…" Jacen said, frowning.

"Yes. Despite the pain it caused him… and make no mistake, he is suffering for it… he left anyway. And while I have to respect his choice, I can't help but hope that he will someday come to embrace what his heart desires. Not just for Karina's sake, although that's the main thing… but also for his own. He feels the void… the emptiness… but he's been too afraid of what loving her would lead to. I can only pray that at some point, love will conquer fear."

Jacen sipped his cup of punch and watched as Madeline made the rounds of the ballroom. He couldn't help the flush of pride he felt as he saw her effortlessly charming the members of the Court. She'd taken to life Below as if she'd been born here, and from what he could discern, she was utterly, blissfully happy.

He had never given much thought to the fact that his mother was the only full human in the Underground, aside from the isolating effect it had on her. It had never even occurred to him to wonder what Madeline's reception would be. While there had been some initial brows raised that their Prince had chosen another human as their future Queen, Madeline's charm and easygoing nature had vanquished any qualms her humanity might have brought.

Mom was a bit more mellow, too. It helped, even if it was only subconsciously, to have another human to relate to. She didn't feel quite so isolated anymore, and Jacen suspected that Madeline would have won Jareth's regard for that alone. Mom was isolated in other ways, being Queen and all, and while she was well-loved amongst the Goblins, she didn't have a lot of people that were close to her. Lily, certainly. Her brother. Garthan and Randel, too. Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus. The Ughlánas as well. But her duties and position kept her from associating too closely with the other members of the court.

Madeline was under no such handicap. She had a large circle of friends, of all different species. She fit right in with Mom and Lily, but also fit in with Karina's crowd, as well as establishing a gang of her own. She'd formed a close friendship with both Aurelet and Erynne, and they took quite a few collective retreats to the cabin with him, Anduin and Toby. While she didn't hunt, her being a bit squeamish when it came to furry woodland animals, she was an expert fisher, easily out-catching any of the men.

Her degree in hospitality management ended up being useful to her Below as well. Lily had wanted more time with her family, especially now that she had a grandson, and Madeline was more than capable of taking over many of the duties Lily had as Chatelaine. Mom was certainly happy to turn over the supervisory duties to her. What's more, she really enjoyed it. She took to her combat lessons with the same zeal that she did everything else in life and was starting to become more involved in the governance of the Kingdom. She was expert at smoothing the ruffled feathers of the Council, and frequently attended the sessions to do exactly that.

As his wife, she was informed of the Contingency Plan and the reasons behind it. Privately, she teased him that she'd always known that there was something sneaky about Aedon Castle, as well as her initial impression of it being a doomsday retreat turning out to be correct. It fascinated her that it had been constructed in such a way that the Goblin people could seamlessly move Above if the situation called for it, with a minimum of disruption.

In all, she'd fulfilled every hope he'd had when it came to how she'd handle life Below. Married life itself fulfilled his hopes as well, more than he'd ever dreamed. He recalled that conversation he'd had with Dad, about what having a life-mate would mean to him, and he shook his head inwardly in wonder. Dad had been absolutely right, and Jacen couldn't even remember what it had been like before Madeline had come along.

"Jacen, the look on your face is positively indecent," said a voice to his right. He turned to see Toby smirking at him, his young son in his arms, Aurelet beside him. Jacen laughed and shrugged as they all turned to observe the revelers. Erynne was standing with Madeline in a small group of Othánas, deep in conversation, with her hand resting on her slightly rounded abdomen.

Jacen turned and remarked to Toby, "So, I see congratulations are in order when Anduin returns."

Toby's grin was infectious, and his gaze was both merry and ironic. "Yeah… it's sort of surreal, isn't it? I mean… not that long ago, we were kids. And now… we're having kids ourselves."

"Anduin will make a great dad. Goddess knows, he was always the one who looked out for you and me. Stands to reason he'd do just as good a job for his own kids."

Toby nodded in agreement as Madeline approached. Jacen greeted her with a kiss, while Toby and Aurelet wandered off after greeting her themselves. He saw Karina come into the room; a falsely cheerful smile plastered on her face. Madeline's gaze followed his, and her eyes filled with pity as she watched Karina mingling with her friends.

"I wish there was something I could do for her," she said quietly.

"I do too, love."

"I don't understand," she said with a note of puzzlement to her voice. "From what you all have told me, heart-bonded mates don't separate from each other, at least… not without a good reason. How can he just…"

"He has his own demons, Maddie. It's… complicated." He sighed softly, squeezing her as he buried his lips in her hair. "I wish I could help him, but it's something he has to work through himself."

He watched as Karina took her place at the piano, her face pensive. Then, she began to play, her voice floating out through the crowd.

In case you failed to notice…

In case you failed to see…

This is my heart,

Bleeding before you…

This is me down on my knees…

These foolish games are…

Tearing me apart…

And your thoughtless words are…

Breaking my heart…

You're breaking my heart…

His heart was shredding with every note. He could hear the echoes of her pain with every line she sang. Madeline watched her, a tear pooling in her eye before falling to her cheek. Jacen glanced over at his parents, seeing his mother's agony at how her daughter was hurting. Dad…

Dad's face was torn between pain, resignation, and faint anger. As he watched, he saw Dad glance up above Jacen's head, somewhere on the balcony, and his expression grew cold. He quietly rose from his throne, unnoticed by Mom or anyone else, and stalked out of the ballroom.

Jareth returned after the end of Karina's song, sitting back down beside Mom and leaning back. Oddly… his expression was lighter than it had been. Almost… gleeful.

The new group that was performing suddenly stopped playing, the one on the violin staring in shock as his bow grated discordantly across the strings. A murmur arose, and Jacen turned to see what everyone was so dithered about.

It was Randel.

He marched through the revelers, his gaze riveted on Karina. For her part, she stood there like a panicked doe, her eyes wide. The crowd parted for Randel as he walked toward her. Jacen quickly glanced at his father, noting the sparkle of amusement in his eyes. Whatever was going on, Dad clearly knew about it.

Turning back to Karina, he saw Randel pull her in for a kiss, the entire ballroom erupting in a mix of cheers and whistles. Just the fact that he did such a thing publicly was enough to tell Jacen that he'd finally embraced his heart-bond, and he was claiming her for all to see. A delighted laugh burst from him as he watched Randel toss Karina over his shoulder and start walking out of the ballroom, giving her backside a playful smack when she half-heartedly protested.

Wiping the merry tears from his eyes, he looked over at Dad, catching the mischievous wink he gave Karina on her way out the door. As if sensing Jacen's gaze, Jareth looked back over at him, his expression now happy and relieved. Mom pulled her hands down from covering her mouth, a smile slowly turning her lips upward. Jareth turned his attention to her as she murmured something to him, and they both laughed.

"That was right out of a romance novel," said Madeline with laughter in her voice. "You know… the part where the hero sweeps the heroine off her feet and carries her away to 'happily ever after'."

Jacen raised his brow and grinned at her, "So… I should have just carried you off to the Underground to begin with?"

Madeline ran her fingers through his hair, pulling him down for a sweet kiss. "No… my romance had to have a prince in disguise. One that would woo me with his charm and awkwardness."

He gave her a frown with mock severity, "Awkward? Are you saying my courtship of you was awkward?"

Her eyes were merry as they rested on him. "Perhaps just a bit."

"Might I remind you that you were the one who almost brained me with that door? I'm still not convinced that it wasn't some nefarious plan to capture me."

Now it was Madeline's turn to raise a brow, "Plan? You think I planned it?"

He grinned at her rakishly, "Perhaps you saw me through the door, fell in love with my gorgeous looks and decided to carry me off to your lair after you'd knocked me out."

Madeline laughed, "I'm ashamed that I didn't think to do that at the time. It would have made things easier. Then, you would have been my prisoner."

"I already am, love. And I always will be."

They walked out to one of the balconies that surrounded the ballroom. The night air was cool and still. Madeline went to the railing, placing her hands on it and leaning forward to watch the city lights, the shadow of the Labyrinth in the background. He stood behind her, wrapping his arms lightly around her middle and nuzzling her neck.

"How long will you be gone?" she asked, softly.

"A week or two, no more. Anduin should be back from that bandit cleanup operation by then and will take over."

She turned her head to look at him, her smile a little sly. "You'd better be telling me the truth."

He chuckled, "I know better than to lie to you again, love. Assuming everything goes as planned, I'll be home in two weeks."

"Good," she said, her smile still sly. "After all, if I'm going to be going through morning sickness, it's only fair that you're here to take care of me."

He nodded absently. Then every muscle he had froze in place. "Morning sickness?" He looked at her incredulously. "You're going to be having morning sickness?"

"Well, technically that started this morning. But yes. I'll be having it."

"You mean you're… you… we…" he stammered, a joyous smile spreading across his face.

She turned in his arms and kissed his nose before giving him an impish grin. "Yes."

He embraced her tenderly, a wave of love washing over him. His heart felt like it had literal wings, and the thought that they had created life together both awed and humbled him at the same time. He felt the moisture gathering in his eyes, seeing the same joyful tears in hers as he placed his hand gently on her abdomen.

And somehow… although he'd never understand how… he could feel that up in the Summer Lands, Gran was looking down at them and smiling.

Author's Notes:

I wanted to do a little lighthearted romance with a minimum of drama, mostly because the next story in the series is a little more… dark. I had daydreamed a bit on how a human woman would feel if they found out their boyfriend was an Othánas and what her reaction would be, and knew I had to do it to Jacen.

Besides, I had several pages of notes on Goblin Bonding and figured I'd weave it in somewhere. It made sense that the former human (Toby) would go about investigating the source of the heart-bonds in such a scientific way and present his findings for us all to see.

The character of Gran is based on my own grandmother, a petite, feisty little Italian lady, with a warm heart and a bottomless well of wisdom. She thought it would be a hoot to teach me how to swear in Italian so my mother never caught on. Madeline's famous spaghetti sauce is actually hers, passed down to my mother and now I make it myself.

A quick note to my readers on FFN… you probably noticed the breakneck pace that I was using to update my stories. This was because I had originally published them over at AO3, and figured it was just a matter of time before one of you peeked over there to discover that fact. I released the chapters on FFN every day in an effort to catch up to where I was on AO3. I have now done so.

I do not start publishing a story until it is actually completed (I hate getting caught up in unfinished fanfics… it makes me want to bite something). I also have a lot of time on my hands (I take care of my elderly, disabled mother), which means I can devote a lot of hours to writing. So… you'll see new stories pop up pretty quickly. I am often at least 2 or 3 stories ahead when I publish one. My usual release timing is every other day. I want to give enough time for the readers to really want an update, without dragging it out for too long (I am an impatient soul). So, from here on out, the chapters will be updated at the same time as the ones on AO3, every other day.

Next up… a dastardly villain, a fiendish plot, and a rescue mission...