WHOOO took a break from that dastardly MCAT studying (entrance test to medical school in the US and I think Canada as well). Taking it next month and NOT ready, wish me luck! But if you REALLY want to make me happy, leave reviews :) I hope you are all doing well by the way, the pandemic sucks among other things happening.

WARNING (sort of?): Listen, this chapter is about Jareth and Sarah trying to conceive. If you read the last chapter, you'll know that. Because I started this story as rated T, I won't add any explicit sex scenes or anything too extreme with violence. However, they will be talking about conception, they'll use words like "penis" and "vagina" and other body terms in a scientific way. Sex, including masturbation, will be talked about but there aren't any scenes explicit like that. You will hear them talk about the reproductive system to some degree, I mean that's not all this story is about obviously, there's a whole lot more (in fact a huge chunk of it is something else entirely) but that's a major part of this chapter.

If you've read everything so far, then you should be able to read about parts of the human body (that's my opinion anyway) but if you are squeamish still, well, there's your warning lol. I want to respect everyone and if you aren't up to reading that stuff then I understand.

IF you would like to read stories where they have sex, read From the Stars Back to You! It's set in the STN universe and I'll probably add short, rated M stories that are a part of this universe.

Alright enough about that! I hope that you'll enjoy this chapter!

Sarah was baffled, to say the least.

Jareth was not one to track dirt and such all over their room. In fact, he had started them in not wearing shoes in their room or any living areas as much as possible. He had been reading up on what to do to keep the place safe for babies, even if they weren't pregnant yet. One of the suggestions for cleanliness was to take shoes off in the house.

So why the hell were here twigs and leaves all over their room?

She went to open the closet door and screamed when something fell on her. Holding her hands over her head, it was futile as more leaves and twigs fell on her face.

On the floor was a - bird nest?

She looked inside and saw a blanket with what looked like tiny bones.

"Have I been gone at school for that long?" She couldn't believe how much the room had changed. "I really can't leave my husband alone for a week without him being bored, can't I?"

Just as she was about to find him, she heard a yell.

"NOT THEM SCREAMING DEVIL BABIES!" Hoggle screamed, zipping through the hallways of the castle.

Sarah watched in confusion and fascination as four owlets chased her friend. They were very small, so were still a bit unsteady as they chased after him. When they were too tired, they got on their feet and screeched after him, running on their little legs.

"Oh Hoggle, what have you gotten into this time?" She shook her head, going to find them.

"GAHHHH!" Hoggle zipped past the throne room, still not seeing Sarah. "BUG OFF YOU EVIL BIRDS!"

Off to the side, she heard a shrill whistle from the throne room. "That's enough, children." Jareth's amused voice boomed. "Come back to me."

All of the owlets screeched a few times before going to the throne room. Sarah went after them, seeing Jareth sprawled on the throne, petting each tiny owl and giving them treats. "Yes, fabulous job, my children."

"Jareth?" Sarah gestured to the owls. "Why do you have pet owls?"

Jareth's eyes sparkled indignantly. "They are not my pets, Love. They are our children. I was bored one day and found them alone and orphaned."

The smallest owlet jumped off his lap to explore his boots, its tiny and fluffy feathers gathering a bit of dirt. Jareth cooed at it.

As cute as they were, Sarah had to say something. Sighing, she sat next to him as he moved his foot off the arm of the chair. "Jareth, you can't just decide to keep four baby owls that you found one day because you were bored, especially in our room."

Jareth beamed like a proud father. "Sarah, I am the Goblin King, I do what I want. Now, would you like me to introduce you to them? They all have names."

"You named them already?" She asked her husband as he held all of them in his hands. She thought of the little "nest" she found in their chambers. "You didn't think to discuss this with me?"

He ignored her questions, focusing on the owlets. "Alright everyone, this is your Mama." He pointed to the first one. "Sarah, this one is Athena because she's our smart little girl."

She tried to chastise him but little Athena nudged towards her finger and she couldn't help but melt. They were very cute, and from her abilities to transform, she could understand the affection that the little ones felt for her, more than she would even from the best of pets.

"That's Apollo and Artemis." Jareth pointed to the two that had migrated to his knee. "They like to be together."

Apollo looked at her with large, curious, beady eyes while Artemis was curious about her clothing. The last owlet got little head pats by her finger.

"And that one is Ares-"

"OW!" Sarah yelped. "He bit me!"

"Yes, he can be a little shit." Jareth took Ares back in his hand. He raised a gloved hand and pointed his finger at him with a little wave. "No biting your mother, you can only bite Hogbrain and the goblins."

"And you're teaching them to terrorize our subjects and my friends too?" Sarah tried to sound irritated but she was so enamored with Artemis and Apollo trying to say hello to her.

Jareth made a gesture with his eyes that encouraged her to hold them. She held her hand out and coaxed them to her. "Hi, nice to meet you."

They were very good to her, and even Ares snuggled into her.

"Well look at that!" Jareth beamed. "They love you. How could they not?"

He hardly showed his affectionate side to others. Sarah started to concede but felt wholly inadequate to take care of them. "I don't know Jareth. Should they even be inside?" She hated the idea of keeping such majestic creatures in the house when they should be free to fly. Having a cat or dog was different from a bird.

"Please Sarah?" He pleaded. "Just until they're old enough to be on their own, which will be maybe a month or so. Owls mature fast. If they want to stay then we can plan something for them but I just wanted to care for them. They would have died without my help." He gently rubbed his fingers on all of their little heads. "I promise, I would not want them to stay inside all the time. Just until they are mature enough to be on their own."

Sarah couldn't resist those begging blue eyes, and her husband damn well knew it. "Well, okay. They're all so small and so sweet!"

"YOU RAT!"

The King and Queen turned to see Hoggle pointing an accusing finger at him, Ludo and Sir Didymus at his side. "Sarah, your rat of a husband sent his pets after me!"

"Brother, thou shouldn't anger him if he already hurt you once." Didymus whispered.

Jareth snarled. "They are my children! How dare you?" He looked at the owlets. "AFTER ALL OF THEM!"

Hoggle and Didymus screamed as the owlets screeched at them, all of them running away.

"Well, you forgot the rock caller." Jareth raised an eyebrow.

"He has a name, you know." Sarah mumbled.

But instead of chasing Ludo away, the sweet, gentle giant held his hand out and they all climbed in, sitting happily with him. Ares didn't try to bite him once.

"Ludo friend." He pet them all gently.

Jareth's jaw practically dropped to the ground. "How is that possible?"

Sarah folded her arms, the smugness driving Jareth crazy.

Jareth adopting the owlets was a time that they would both look back fondly on, a time when they would joke that prepared them for their actual children.

Especially the sleep deprived part.

"Oh god." Sarah groaned, the owlets needing to be fed. Again. She had grown to care for them as much as her husband did, even if she wasn't as soft to them.

She turned to see Jareth cleaning them in his owl form. She transformed herself, joining him.

There were no words said, just glances and body gestures. There was some innate instinct they both had as owls, guiding the babies to learn how to take care of themselves.

Apollo and Artemis trailed behind Sarah while Ares and Athena were behind Jareth. Well, Athena was. Ares got distracted and Jareth had to nudge him forward to pay attention.

Sarah had realized that he was right, Athena was the one who was the most attentive and quickly followed orders. The rest weren't less smart by any means, they just were less focused.

As they kept trying to guide them to fly, they realized that only Athena was paying attention. The rest were admiring a flower here, a bug there. Jareth was getting visibly frustrated and clicked his beak in disapproval a few times.

Going to her husband, Sarah nudged against him affectionately. She understood his frustration. At the same time, it was good for them to explore so that they could hunt on their own. They could already fly for a little while, and they would only get better as their feathers grew in.

So, they stood back as they all were exploring. Even Athena, looking at them for guidance, was enjoying her feet in the grass, the summer wind in her feathers.

When their little bird children were content to stay where they were, Sarah moved away from Jareth. He turned to look at her, awed at seeing her fly. She didn't go far, she just went to circle around them.

The babies glanced at their adopted mother, her form perfect and and wings majestically unfurled.

Sarah enjoyed the wind under her wings. She felt so free, so wonderful. As a child, she wished for wings to escape. Now, she used her wings not as a way to escape, but to enjoy the power over the life that she had. When she first learned to fly, she had used magic, still getting used to flying. Now, she was doing it on her own, just obeying the laws of physics as all owls did. She had much to be grateful for, and was excited for the future, especially as she and Jareth would be trying to have children the next month or so.

For now, she was enjoying the little children that she did have.

Through her amazing night vision, she saw and felt another gust of wind that came from Jareth. He had come to join her, flying beside her as he often did. They glided through the branches and toward the moon, a reminder of the fate of the God Muraco, who watched over his creation.

With delight, the royal couple found that the owlets had joined them.

All six flew around the Labyrinth, through the gardens, and hunted for a bit. The owlets watched as Jareth and Sarah showed them how to hunt, remembering for when they would later do it themselves. The sun was starting to rise and they put the little ones in their little box that they used as a nest, keeping them safe and warm for their sleep after being fed.

Transforming back to themselves, still another word was not said as they took each other's hand, sitting on their balcony, arm in arm.

The sun rose, taking Her turn to watch over the earth. As the Sun Goddess and Moon God joined each other in their brief but beautiful love, so did the King and Queen of Goblins when shared a kiss as another day welcomed them with open arms.

The day their baby owls were grown and off on their own, Sarah helped Jareth to build a little owl sanctuary for them. One that would last for a long time and could be used for future owls if they chose to.

Still, even as they went off, they would return once in a while to say hello. This was beyond being grateful to Jareth and Sarah for caring for them. They all shared an inexplicable bond, truly almost like parents to children.

She only said "almost" because the urge to have children and to care for a little one to maturity really resonated with her as an Owl Mother, she really wanted to do that with her own children now.

And so, the fun began.

"This one looks cute." Sarah held up the bright red lingerie. Jareth had expressed how hot he found that color on her and she decided to buy it. She had to admit, the red lacy bra and panties would go well with her bright red lipstick.

The cashier whistled at seeing the stuff Sarah bought. "Sexy night tonight?"

"Oh yeah." Sarah winked. "I'm surprising my husband."

"While I'm sure he'll love this, men are so impatient that they barely notice the sexy things we get!" She teased Sarah. "Honestly, sometimes I wonder if they'd rather we just saunter in naked. Probably easier for them."

Sarah thought back at pretty much every single night since they started to have sex. "He does find it easier, but I prefer to make him work for it." She gave another wink and the cashier laughed.

"Well, then wear this lingerie for yourself too! It isn't all about him!"

Sarah couldn't agree more. Although, she was sure Jareth would love it as much as she did.

She went to her apartment and took a nice shower. Making sure to clean up really well and then slipping on the black knee high stockings. Satisfied with how she looked, she conjured a crystal to see that her husband was alone before surprising him.

Jareth was working hard, and definitely in a bad mood. He had a wished away child and her adopted parents to be had bailed out at the last moment, so he was scrambling to get things set up for her. On top of that, the storms from the night before did damage to the eastern villages that he did not expect. It scared some wildlife and so there were a lot of displaced animals by the farmlands so he had to deal with that situation.

Leaving him very behind on paperwork.

"God damn." He cursed. "By Solana's head, this is insane."

He heard his door open but he didn't even look up to answer. "I am a bit busy at the moment, can you come back later?"

He heard the door close and he frowned even more. Before he could say anything or even look up, two hands were placed on his desk in front of him. He looked up to see the sexiest thing he was looking at all day.

Sarah's wavy black hair cascaded down one side of her neck to disappear behind her back. She was wearing some smokey eye make up, her lips and nails bright red. She wore the same shade of red for her bra and panties, the beautiful lace that he so loved on her. Her skin was looking healthy and so soft, perfect to hold against his own lean and hard body. With her leaning over, he got a gorgeous view of her breasts and he instantly started to breathe hard.

By the gods, she even smelled good. It wasn't any perfume that she put on but her own natural, sweet scent.

She moved his paperwork and sat on his desk, showing off her knee high stockings and her high heels. She reached out and caressed his face, tracing his high cheekbones and upturned eyebrows. "You sure you want me to come back later?" She crooned. "I can wait, but we should do it now since I'm ovulating."

At the word "ovulating," Jareth snapped out of his frozen state.

Sarah only saw him blink as a warning before she found herself on her back in their bed, her husband licking her from her collarbone to her earlobe.

"It is my pleasure and duty to be your slave, my love." His voice dropped low. "So sexy..."

He quickly took her heels off and ran his hands up and down her body. "And as for your question, I'm never too busy to get my gorgeous wife pregnant." He smirked.

"Your mind is in the gutter, isn't it?" Sarah smiled brightly.

"Gutter? How can my mind be dirty when it's about you? Nothing about sex with you is remotely dirty." He licked near her belly button, making Sarah moan and convulse. "Beauty isn't dirty, love. You humans are so prudish."

Sarah tried to sit up but he pushed her back, taking off his own clothes. Hot damn. His bare chest was enough to make her breathing shallow again. He laid on top of her and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Cat got your tongue?" He growled, biting at her neck. Sarah gasped and scratched her finger nails down his back, making Jareth bite her even harder.

"Jareth, oh shit, I need you so bad." She looked at him through half closed eyelids. "Please."

"I told you, I'm your slave." He kissed her body over and over.

Sarah sighed contently, a goofy smile on her face as she basked in her post-coitus pleasure. She rubbed Jareth's chest. "Mmm. You really made it worth my time."

"You know that I make sure that your pleasure is achieved as well as mine. It helps that you are the absolute sexiest thing I've ever come across." He leaned over and kissed her, reluctantly putting his shirt back on. "I do have to go to work. Since you took the day off, do you want to get your research work done beside me in my office?"

"Yeah, I can do that." She beamed at him. She loved working next to him. "Your office is a bit small, can we go to the library? Maybe even the public library to change up the environment?"

It would also prevent them from getting too distracted and coming back to bed.

Jareth contemplated this as he put his pants back on. "We can do that. Just work there, be around the people even if we can't quite talk with them. I am quite busy."

"I'm not as busy so I can talk to anyone who comes up." Sarah offered. "It's good for the people to see us around and about."

"You know that never happened before you came into my life. It's so nice how you've changed me for the better." He kissed her forehead.

"You too, Jare." Sarah squeezed his hand. "You've made me a stronger person. That's why we're such a great couple."

Jareth nodded in agreement. "Well, I have to get my things ready. Why are you still in bed?"

Sarah looked down to where her legs were crossed. "I'm, you know, trying to keep it all in there." She blushed a little. "We are trying to have a baby after all."

Jareth chuckled. "Who knew creating a baby could be so much fun?"

At first, it was kind of sexy to interrupt each other at their work, Sarah sneaking in a silk robe and slipping into Jareth's office.

But then it got really annoying. You would think that a couple madly in love and have been for years would have an easy time conceiving especially considering how often they made love.

But no, not for Jareth and Sarah.

"I have a bad headache." Jareth massaged his temples, having to repair some stupid fire that the goblins started by lighting the tail of a chicken on fire.

"But I'm ovulating." Sarah almost whined. "Come on love. Please?"

Jareth sighed and went to their chambers.

"Wow you're really putting us in the mood." Sarah laid down on her back.

"I love you, Sarah, but I really am NOT in the mood." He got over her and kissed her cheek.

Sarah caressed his face. "Hey, I know it's easy to make some joke about how you're getting the easy side of things but I know that you're not feeling great. Thanks for trying." She kissed his nose.

Jareth softened. "I love you, Sarah. I'm sorry. I really love being with you and making love with you."

They kissed and did what they had to do. Not that it was so bad, even with Jareth's headache. But there was something special about actively and consciously trying to have a baby. To create a small, conscious person who was half themselves and half the person they loved most.

There was also something special about sleeping together methodically that made creating a child more special, not just for the sake of pleasure. That they were wanting of the baby.

After one such baby making session, Jareth kissed Sarah's forehead, his hand on her abdomen. "I hope I got you pregnant."

"I hope so too." She put her hand over his. "I really want this baby."

He nodded, too happy to speak.

To create a child, he really didn't think that would happen. He had hoped for it for a long time, but not until Sarah did he see the very act of creating a child as a sacred thing and not a means to an end. To picture her glowing with their baby in her arms was a beautiful thing, biological child or not.

"What if it doesn't work?" She whispered, a bit fearful.

Jareth wished that he could just send her worries to the bog. Instead, he put his hands on either side of her body. "Well, we can try again, shall we?"

"I thought you had a headache."

"It seems to have subside."

They had only been trying for a few months, and Sarah felt disappointed whenever she had her period. It was January now, and she was beginning to feel much more stressed out.

"I hate how my cycle is getting more random." She hugged her legs to her chest, mad that her period was there. Just a reminder, a punishment. "Why is it that we, a loving couple who are more than capable of having a baby can't have one but some teenager can get knocked up the first time she has sex? It's not fair."

Indeed it wasn't. It was even harder not mentioning it to anyone else either, she couldn't handle it if she saw her father's excited face at the thought of a grandchild, only to be disappointed.

However, one day, Jareth let it slip to Toby after a magic lesson when the latter asked why Jareth looked so distracted when he was the one usually anal about paying attention.

"Why don't you two just adopt then?" The teen asked his sister and brother-in-law.

Jareth started to raise his hand, a finger pointed at Toby's face with fury in his eyes when Sarah made him sit down. "Hey, he just asked a question. Stay calm."

Jareth shook his head and breathed. "I'm sorry, Toby. I cannot stand when someone says 'just' adopt. It isn't 'just' anything and it implies that it's both easy and that an adoptive child is second best to a natural child."

"Well, I don't mean that." Toby looked a little sheepish at his carelessness. "But still, is adoption a plan at all for you guys?"

"Oh Tobes." Sarah sighed. "The thing is, Jareth and I already decided that whatever happens, we will love any kid the same. No matter how they come to us, they're our children."

"Even if they're furry owls." Jareth chimed in.

Sarah stifled a laugh. "Sure. Anyway, we know that you didn't mean to be rude or anything like that, it's just that when a part of your job is to take wished away children, there's a lot that you see."

"Like what?" Toby asked, curious.

"Some parents see themselves as saviors, that their adopted children owe them for saving them." Jareth said with disgust.

"Just like how some natural parents feel that just because they've given birth or fed their children that their children owe them everything." Sarah thought of Linda with sadness. "Children should be grateful for what their parents did for them, but to use it as a sort of bargaining chip is disgusting."

The image of Linda telling Sarah that she was allowed to basically insult her just because she fed and gave birth to her burned in her mind. She was determined to not become like her mother.

"Some parents just aren't meant to be parents, while some have taken the mantle with grace. Like Karen." Sarah smiled at the thought of her stepmom. "She was so patient with me when I was young, and she really does love me with all of her heart."

"Okay, but that doesn't explain why YOU guys don't want to adopt right now." Toby pointed out. "You guys wouldn't do any of that stuff, right? You would love your kids, be fair, all of that."

"That's the thing," Jareth cleared his throat. "I'm not sure if you know, but none of the wished away children can see their families or people they knew Aboveground until they are an adult. It's part of the rules for wishing them away in the first place. Many don't care because unless they reside in my kingdom or even other kingdoms, they want nothing to do with humans and their ancestry. Not out of hatred for it, but because they would rather align themselves with the people of magic as they are transformed. The ones who choose to go Above, they are more curious but in the efforts to prove themselves as a part of us, they still don't care that much to visit or to learn about their heritages. And now that the world is modernizing, it's very difficult for them to blend in or to want to try to search when it's so much work even though technology has made it easier."

"Point is," Sarah butted in. "A lot of adopted kids, I mean adoption in the Aboveground, they feel like wherever they came from is a part of their identity. No, blood doesn't necessarily make family, your mom and Jeremy are examples of that, but that's how it starts out. There is something innate in us that makes us want to connect with our kin, sometimes it goes so far that adopted kids have these fantasies of their birth parents coming back for them when they either don't want them to or can't. There's so many layers, and as Jareth and I transverse between realms so often, any adopted children we have will have a connection with the human world. That adds a lot of pressure for them, and can be a lot of confusion. It's already hard enough that some kids may have parents of a different race or culture, imagine a different world."

"But that's not a bad thing, I mean about the different race or culture thing." Toby pointed out.

"Yes," Sarah agreed. "You're right. But it makes it hard. That's a different type of challenge for us. Plus, no matter how fair you are as a parent, some kids will always be afraid that their parent loves them less than their natural kids or wonder if they really belong. There are a host of challenges that comes with every child, but with a natural child, they will never question if you are their parents simply because they don't have any others, assuming that you're horrible to them. Besides, before we adopt, Jareth and I would like to foster a child. We would rather do that in order to bond with them."

"Isn't there an orphanage Underground?" Toby asked. Most babies get adopted quickly, but older wished-away children who have behavior issues or otherwise aren't chosen to be adopted as often, which was unfortunate.

"There are, yes." Sarah nodded. "The problem is, imagine being one of the kids at the orphanage. Imagine being fostered by a king and queen of all people. Some kids can get spoiled rotten or would demand more from us, but what if it isn't a good fit for us? Then they'd have to go back and have feelings of animosity. That's currently the only place to adopt any children here, and adopting someone from Aboveground is so difficult and again, we don't want to be some kind of saviors. We want to be parents. Also, we can't actually adopt a child that isn't wished away. There's a clause long ago for fae to not steal children that aren't wished to them, which is why goblins steal them away."

"What about the children who aren't chosen to live with us?" Jareth brought up another good point. "That makes it all the more difficult, as if they aren't good enough."

"Oh man." Toby rubbed the back of his neck. "You guys did a lot of research, and a lot of thought. I feel dumb now. So if you did adopt what would you do?"

"Honestly, we would get a child who is newly wished away and have them stay with us if there's a sort of connection." Jareth leaned back in his chair, putting his feet up. "They would stay as a guest, that way it's the first place they're at and they don't feel like they've been chosen or that they're rejected. But there hasn't been wishers in years."

"Don't tell anyone that we're trying yet." Sarah smiled sadly. "I'll tell Dad and Karen later."

"Yeah, I won't tell anyone." Toby thanked them. "Well, I hope it all goes well."

"Thanks Tobes." Sarah hugged him. "Now, tell us about your college plans."

By February, Sarah decided she was doing things a bit more methodically. Having sex all the time really only worked if you were in your 20s, by your 30s, especially as a fae, it gets more difficult.

Jareth walked into the bathroom in her apartment in Seattle, where she was going to school. "What the hell?"

There were glasses full of… urine?

"Sarah, what are these for?" He scratched his head. Was this some strange, modern human ritual that he somehow didn't know in the 17 years of knowing his wife and hundreds more of knowing humans?

"Oh, tracking my cycle." She flipped through a manual, not at all phased. "I got an ovulation kit. I tried to check by looking at the color and consistency of my discharge but I got sick of that."

"Excuse me, what?" He shook his head. He wasn't ignorant, he knew how bodies worked, but not too much about actually trying to get fertile.

"Yeah, it changes depending on the time of month. Or cycle. You know this!" She stopped looking at the book, exasperated. "Considering what you do with your mouth during sex, you've even mentioned how it's different."

"Yes I do recall." He picked up the book, not quite in the mood to make a lewd joke. Which was saying something. "So what else are you supposed to do?"

"Wait until it tells me to have sex." She walked out and sat on the bed. "Also, we should stop having sex until we're trying to conceive."

"Why?" Jareth wasn't happy to hear about this, having sex was one of the ways they connected, how they made love and also, it just felt amazing.

"It lowers your sperm count." She snapped. "While you're at it, stop wearing such tight pants, it'll lower your sperm count too. Wear boxers or something like that when you sleep. That means no masturbating either."

"There are too many damn things to do." He pursed his lips together. "Why do we have to do all of this? And have there been real scientific research on sperm count?"

"I'm doing most of the work with researching and the hard parts, okay?" Sarah lost her cool now, visibly upset, keeping tears at bay. "I'm doing my best but it's not enough. I'm a failure."

Her heart squeezed, feeling hopeless as tears fell from her cheeks.

Jareth sat next to her, his heart hurting at seeing how sad she was. "Sarah, you are not a failure. You are anything but that."

"Tell that to my mentor." She mumbled. "I'm behind on my projects and my dissertation is going horribly. I hate everything."

Jareth put his arm around her, pulling her close and kissing her forehead. "Well, the last thing I want to do is to add to that stress. Need I remind you that you are a queen? That you just adopted baby owls last summer? Your mentor and others may not understand, but you should take it easier on yourself."

She nodded, wiping the tears off her face. "Yeah, I guess."

She still didn't feel confident but it did help to lean on him, to believe in his confidence for her. "What do we do now?"

Jareth held her by her arms, a loving and gentle smile on his face. "How about this? You write down all you want me to do. We can talk together about our plan. I will find research on fae trying to increase fertility. We do have a giant library. Didn't you also tell me that stress is bad for conception as well?"

She smiled a little. This is what she wanted from him, his love and his ability to make her breathe. "Yeah, I did, didn't I?"

They kissed and held each other until she had to leave for school.

*NOTE: I want to say that the stuff about boxers has actually been sort of refuted: there hasn't been a significant difference between wearing them and not for sperm count. Same with the amount of times having sex and ejaculating. This is a more recent study, it was more of a hypothesis that wasn't quite tested until the recent years, yet took off in the healthcare world. I took physiology last year and we had an extensive conversation about it. I mean intuitively it does make sense but I'm interested to see what more research can come about it.

But if you choose to try and you swear by it, that's fine too. Just be aware that there needs to be more research done, I don't think it would hurt to do those things anyway. :)

They had been trying for six months now, and every time they had sex, it just felt like they were going through the motions. Trying to be relaxed enough to climax was very difficult under this kind of pressure.

With Sarah's body as a changling, it was even more difficult to follow advice from others. Would this work on fae? Or humans? Would her body be receptive to certain treatments or not? The bodies were similar enough but still hard to figure this out. They were in uncharted territory as there weren't many changelings.

And school got more and more stressful for Sarah, contributing to this strain in their marriage. It wasn't as bad as last year when Gideon had let Balthasar escape, but there was tension and they were on edge.

Right before Spring Break, Sarah received terrible news. She would be delayed in her graduation. Focusing on getting pregnant was taking up a lot of her free time, and this was no better.

"Jareth, we need a fertility doctor." She said out of the blue one day.

"We have been over this, Sarah." Jareth did not want to talk about this any more than he had to. "Finding a fertility doctor or any type of women's doctor without alerting the entire Underground is difficult here."

"But what if we go Above?" She snapped a book shut, an idea in her head.

"Ah yes because that would work considering how your body is no longer strictly human." He raised an eyebrow that matched his sarcasm.

"Don't you remember Marianne?" Sarah stood up, smiling. Maybe this would be their breakthrough. She got excited. "Isn't she a doctor by now?"

Marianne was one of the fae who started to get educated Above and she chose to be a doctor given her background as an excellent fae healer. It was Sarah's idea, and when she became queen, she was the official patron of Aboveground education. They weren't trying to make the Underground be Aboveground, but to just educated and if things seemed like a good idea, then they would go back Underground. One of the biggest things was the study of mental health, something that had been a huge improvement in their kingdom. It would take time for older generations to get used to or to even be receptive of, but their kingdom had always been open to new things. While a lot of Aboveground medical technology would not be very useful Underground, it would still help a lot since children took a while to change completely into fae or elven or whatever other Underground species.

"She is so professional, remember?" Sarah smiled. "I could get checked by her, and she would keep everything confidential."

Jareth hummed in thought, his hand to his face. "That's actually not a bad idea at all, Love. Alright, I will contact her for you."

She hugged him, feeling hope again. "Hey, I just wanted to say that I missed you. Missed us. We always talk about having a baby or feeling stressed, after we meet with her, let's go on vacation."

Jareth wholeheartedly agreed. "I will plan an Underground vacation, I know just the spot for us."

Marianne welcomed them with opened arms. "Your Majesties! It's good to see you."

After a bit of small talk, she gave Sarah a physical. Then a cervical exam, which made Jareth wince as he watched it being done. Sarah never liked this, and as a fae they didn't have these kinds of diseases so she didn't have to do them but Marianne said that she wanted to check thoroughly.

"I am pleased to say that you are in top shape." She smiled at Sarah, who was finally glad to get that giant metal thing out of her. "However, we do need a blood sample, to check for hormone levels. After the lab tests, then we can see."

Sarah knew that it was something Marianne was so used to seeing, but she was so gentle and understanding the whole time. It really helped to put her at ease, and it helped that she herself used to get these examinations regularly as a human.

Marianne turned to Jareth. "Now you, Sire."

"Me?" His eyes widened, looking at the speculum that was used.

Marianne laughed a little. "No, that won't be used on you, I promise."

"It's not just that, but I have to be examined too?" He was not ashamed of his body, he had a very active sex life long before he met Sarah and then after they dated. But to be in a doctor's office, having her actually look for deformities was not something that he had done before. At least all the other times he had been naked in front of a woman, he could be seductive.

"We discussed this when you contacted me." Marianne reminded him.

"I thought you were joking." Jareth was liking this less and less. "What would the examination entail?"

Marianne could sense his unease. "I would check around your body, and since we are talking about fertility, I would check your private areas, I will have to touch you there. But if you'd rather have a male healer do it, I could contact-"

"No." Jareth stopped her. "No humans, and no other fae. My position as king is too sensitive for this."

Marianne bowed her head a little. "Yes, Sire. How about this? I will give the samples to the lab and in ten minutes I will be back, and you can decide then. We don't have to do this today."

Jareth nodded and she left.

Sarah reached her hand out. "Hey, you okay?"

He took it, kissing her hand. "Yes, I just am so not used to showing my body to be looked at to find flaws."

"Don't think of it that way." Sarah slid a hand up and down his chest. "You are gorgeous, and perfect. And she will be looking at you professionally anyway. You need your yearly checkup that you haven't done in what, five years?"

He chuckled a little. "Yes, and you will be here the whole time. I suppose I should get it done and over with all at once, shouldn't I?"

Marianne came back and examined him. Jareth couldn't remember the last time his lower parts were handled in a way that made him want to put clothes on before. Sarah found it quite humorous.

He was perfectly healthy. Next was to provide a sample of his sperm, which would be analyzed by Marianne herself and quite quickly.

"So to give you a sample-" he started but she placed a cup in his hand.

"Yes, I need it in there." She said to him.

"You have seen more of me than most women. Or men, as I've been with both." He mumbled, making her and Sarah laugh. "Can Sarah join me?" He wiggled his eyes at his wife.

"There's only room for one person." Marianne said, amused at seeing them tease and being so in love. "You are welcomed, however, to take any photos of her to use as inspiration."

Sarah face palmed.

He was done quite quickly, and he said "I want to let you know that I last much longer in bed."

"Good thing Daniel isn't here, he would never let you forget it." Sarah winked, referring to Daniel's joke about him lasting two minutes.

Jareth pointed at her. "Don't you dare tell him."

Marianne put the sample under the microscope, doing a count.

"Why does there need to be a count?" Sarah hoped that she didn't sound stupid. "It only takes one sperm, doesn't it?"

"Not quite." Marianne said. "There is an enzyme on the sperm head that degrades the protective covering on the egg. There needs to be a lot of sperm to degrade that covering and then one sperm penetrates the egg."

"Heh, penetrate." Jareth licked his lips while Sarah smacked his arm and told him to be mature. He kissed her cheek. "So what you're saying is, the fastest swimmer isn't the one that necessarily gets a woman pregnant?"

"That's correct." Marianne nodded.

She then got very quiet.

That didn't hit Sarah and Jareth as something good. "Something wrong?"

"Well…" She wrote something down. "Your count is good. I'm not sure how much fae males usually have, actually. You are the first I've ever seen. But your sperm seem to just… die. The actual health of the sperm doesn't look good. I can't tell if that's why fae are less fertile or you are the anomaly."

Anomaly?

Jareth blinked, his heart dropping. It shouldn't have come as a surprise to be less fertile than humans but to hear this… how could he not feel awful?

Marianne was still talking about how a vagina is supposed to have a low pH, the acidity protecting it from bacteria and other germs and that semen had a sort of protective coating around the sperm that did not seem to work in Jareth.

But all Jareth could hear was that he was the one who was failing Sarah. When she would get frustrated and tear up at the negative pregnancy test, he would be at her side, comforting her. He had been so prepared for that, so ready to love her and remind her that he married her because he loved her, not for her potential baby-making abilities.

What would he do now that he knew that it was also his fault?

"What are some options?" Sarah asked. She felt a bit better knowing that it wasn't all on her, although frustrated that it was now out of her control.

"We could do artificial insemination." Marianne pulled out a drawer and-

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" Jareth yelled at the tool. It looked like a small handgun with a giant needle longer than his arm. Upon closer inspection, it was not a needle but rather a very long and skinny tube.

"This is what we use to bypass the penis and vagina to directly pass to cervix to deposit the sperm into the uterus. Also less distance for them to swim." She put it away, seeing how pale Sarah and Jareth looked. "Another option is to do IVF. That would require hormone injections, ones that you would most likely have to do yourself to get a lot of eggs which we will implant the embryo in you."

"And this would work in Sarah even if she's a changling?" Jareth's voice was quiet, he honestly didn't process anything Marianne was saying.

"Yes, I can't imagine that it wouldn't, it's still the same basic biology. We just have to make sure she's ovulating to do the artificial insemination and time it just right if we do IVF to make sure that the embryo implants." Marianne had seen couples look distressed about the idea of going through all of this before. She handed them a brochure. "You don't have to make any decisions now. Take some time to think about it, and we can discuss what you want to do and any payment plans."

Jareth was quiet for the rest of the day, not wanting to talk about it. He told Sarah that he just wanted to have the rest of the day not thinking about trying to conceive a baby, and she respected that request.

She cuddled next to him and he half heartedly held her. Sarah could tell, and she asked him if he wanted to talk about it.

"No, I said I don't want to." He said sharply.

She nodded and held him. She was about to let go, but then she felt his arm coming around her body, squeezing her tightly.

He may not say it, but he needed her. And she was going to be there for him.

As they drifted off to sleep, there was a little commotion at their balcony, some bird noises. Lifting her head up, Sarah was delighted to see all four of their baby owls had come back. She could always tell who was who.

And, two more owls.

"Jareth, look." She pointed.

Jareth beamed at them. "Well, hello, children."

The two owls were definitely mates for both Athena and Ares. Jareth and Sarah accepted them wholeheartedly, as if they were parents saying hello to their children's spouses.

They all spent a bit of time together before flying away.

Something felt like an omen. A good one. Maybe not soon, but Sarah put a hand on her belly anyway. Because, even if she couldn't get pregnant, they were happy and they needed to be reminded of their happy life.

The next day, Jareth went to go see Jeremy before the man had to go to work. He needed to talk to a man that wasn't Robert or Toby and they both decided that it was okay to tell Jeremy.

"I don't know why I feel like a failure. When I heard that my seed - sperm was basically dying, what the hell was I supposed to think?" Jareth hugged his legs to himself as Jeremy served him some tea as he often did when Jareth would go to him distressed.

Jeremy tilted his head to the side. "Your masculinity feels threatened, isn't it?"

Jareth jerked his head back. "What?" The thought didn't really cross his mind, not coherently anyway.

"Well, you are proud of being a man. With the way you try to charm and with your indecent pants." Jeremy snorted. He sat across from his nephew. "I can't come to terms with your masculinity for you, Jareth. But maybe that's where you should start thinking."

He tried to not get irritated, but he was sure that a lot of this stemmed from Raynard. The man had told his son often about what a man should be like, and while Jareth never treated other men as less than for not being very masculine, he was insecure and those words probably never left him even if he thought they did.

Jareth thought about it for a bit. He had been feeling guilty for feeling such low self esteem and he wouldn't allow himself to wonder why he was feeling this way in words until Jeremy pointed it out. Seems like his uncle knew him better than he thought.

"I suppose that's true. That's such a part of being a man though, being able to take control of conception. I imagine Sarah is feeling the same way, not being able to carry a child. A lot of her eggs weren't in great condition either apparently."

"Then you should think of what makes you feel like a man. Because, Jareth, as dumb and obvious as this sounds, you are more than some breeding machine." He clasped his hands together, smiling kindly. "You are so much more more than that, a man is so much more than that. And so is a woman. To help Sarah get through this, you have to come to terms with your own image first."

Jareth made a list, just for himself. He wrote about how he felt like a man whenever he could protect Sarah or take care of her. How he was able to make her feel happy and smile. He felt like a man when he took care of wished away children. How he could teach. Be gentle.

It still wasn't easy. When one grows, they learn that what makes a man or a woman is their bodies. That breasts, a working uterus is what makes a woman and for men, their tall, strong bodies and virility. A woman was feminine and a man masculine though those terms are changing. Who says that masculine can't mean being fun and silly? Who says that being feminine can't be badass? It's not the anatomy that makes one the kind of person and gender that they are. It can affect it, yes, but really, it is how one feels and the choices they make.

He thought about his identity, of that of being a husband. That made him feel proud of being a man.

And when (not if but when) he became a father, that would add onto it. It did not depend on his body parts. It just depended on him being loving and kind, as he had always done.

Sarah was in the middle of trying to gather her data for her experiments, the one for using hydropower and how to use it ethically and safely. It was a project she desperately hoped that humans would use but also her Underground world as well.

The phone rang and she took a deep breath, trying to not get annoyed. "Hello, this is Sarah Williams."

"Sarah! Hello!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Jeremy? Hey."

He usually contacted them by crystal. Well, he'd use a phone. Then one of Jareth's crystals would light up and his voice would go through.

"Are you busy?" He asked her.

"I mean, you called my work phone, so kinda? But I can take a break since you called." She looked at the time. "Shouldn't you be at work too?"

"Lunch break." He said. Short, concise, and to the point. Like a true New Yorker. "You need to talk to Jareth."

Sarah stood up, eyes wide and heart racing. Images flew past her head, not least being one of Balthasar and Gideon. What if he was captured? Did someone threaten Jeremy? "What's wrong? Is he hurt? What did you hear?"

"He's fine, just sad." He calmed her down. "He came and talked to me this morning."

"He did?" Sarah wasn't sure how she felt about that. Was he complaining about her?

"He's insecure. He needs you, Sarah." Jeremy emphasized. "He told me about you two trying to conceive. I don't know if you know how much it hurts him."

He told her about how Jareth felt less than a man, how he was blaming himself.

"Oh…" She had tears in her eyes. "And I thought that he was disappointed in me. I got the test results today, Marianne expedited them I guess. I have my own issues too like too low of progesterone and not every cycle apparently releases eggs. I had no idea that he was blaming himself."

Her heart hurt. Her poor husband.

"Then talk to him, alright?" Jeremy smiled into the phone, happy to hear that she understood. "And good luck on everything, in expanding your family and in your project."

Sarah nodded. "Thank you so much. What would we do without you?"

For their vacation during spring break, they decided to go to the castle by the beach.

That castle was used to welcome guests who are traveling, the couple not wanting anything to be useless. And, of course, anyone working there was paid a handsome wage.

It was nice to get a new view of things instead of the same old castle as much as they loved their home. The two took walks on the beach, Jareth not at all complaining about the bikini that Sarah chose to wear during the unusually warm day. Sarah planned an astronomy night for them, joining the locals of that village to gaze at the stars to learn about the science but also the legends behind them.

Jareth nudged Sarah as he casually drew the lines of their constellation for her, the queen feeling her heart stutter as they laid in the grass.

They joined in on festivals, visiting libraries, the market, and more. There were caves to explore, locals to meet and children to adore. Even the poorest ones lived a robust and healthy life, having access to the beauties of the earth with enough money to travel and to do what they wanted to.

It was just what they needed, time away from their duties and stress. Just enjoying each other's company as a couple. As husband and wife, not as king or queen or potential parents. They weren't having sex yet, but they were very intimate in other ways. Laughing, kissing, just being together.

At that moment, Sarah had gotten out of the shower. She saw Jareth, sitting down, reading.

She stood behind him. Just observing him as he gazed into their fireplace, his hair glowing from the light. He looked so beautiful, so remarkable.

It was moments of quietness and slowness that helped her to love him more. To appreciate the man that she had chosen to marry, to spend all of eternity with. They had seen so much. Been through so much. A well deserved break was needed.

"Jareth?" She called out to him.

He exhaled and slowly turned to look at her. "Yes, Precious? Something you need?"

He looked so sad, but so full of adoration for her.

And this was how she knew that he loved her to the moon and back. Even in his sadness and disappointment, not once did he ever lose that love for her.

She stepped to him, sifting her fingers through his hair. He leaned into her hand, always needy for the feel of her touch.

Sarah took the string from her robe and untied it, letting it fall to the ground, completely nude before her husband.

Jareth's eyes got large, lust evident as he looked up and down her body. He cleared his throat and forced him to up into her eyes. "I don't understand. Are you ovulating?"

She smiled warmly at him, caressing his jaw. "No."

She leaned to kiss him but he pushed her back a little. "I thought you wanted to wait for when you're ovulating so my sperm count would be higher and increase the chances of conception?" His voice was laced with sadness.

His words hurt. Infertility was something no one thought they'd struggle with, and all this talk about the technicalities of sex in such a mechanical way made her feel hurt.

Sarah pushed his arms out and sat in his lap. Jareth held onto her, making sure she didn't fall. "Yeah, but right now I just want you. Jareth, we've been trying for so long to get pregnant. I know I shouldn't complain because other couples have taken longer but I'm tired of it."

A few tears fell from her eyes. "I just... I think I forgot what it's like to have sex for fun or for love. When I touch you now, it's like... like I'm trying to not get you or myself aroused. Or that if I'm doing that on purpose, then it's to make a baby."

He wiped her tears with his thumb, his own tears forming as well. "I know. I feel that way too. My love for you hasn't diminished, not by a long shot. But it hurts to not be with you, Precious."

Sarah nodded. "Jare, I want to stop trying for a baby right now. I miss you. I NEED you." She leaned forward to capture his lips in hers.

They shared the most sensual kiss that they had in a long time. Slow at first, but rising in passion with every moment.

Jareth pulled apart and cradled the back of her neck, resting his forehead on hers. "I need you too. Do you want to go back on birth control?"

Her answer relieved him.

"No." She rubbed her nose with his. "Just let things be however they will happen. Maybe later I'll think about peeing on more ovulating strips," she laughed. "But right now, I just want to make love."

Jareth lifted her up in his arms. "I told you, I am your slave."

He set her on the bed, kissing her deeply as they made love for the first time in a long time.

They tried nearly every single advice that they were given by books from experts, even things they weren't sure were scientifically accurate. Karen suggested many things like changing their diets and such that they tried to stick with. They tried the artificial insemination that Marianne suggested, and nothing worked. There would be this glimmer of hope right before they would succumb to sadness whenever Sarah would menstruate.

None of that mattered at this very moment. They would worry about it later. Right now, it was just them. Together. A couple with eternal devotion.

When they were finished, Sarah laid her head on his chest with a smile. "Mmm. Yeah, I definitely missed that."

Jareth couldn't help but laugh. He kissed the top of her forehead. "I love you, Sarah."

"I love you too, Jareth."

The next day was their last day. Both decided to give simple gifts to each other, each something that would remind each other of the time they spent here.

Sarah found a beautiful sea shell. Seashells were considered a sacred symbol of love (which was why they were used in marriage ceremonies), and only the ones that were broken and unable to be used by other animals would be taken.

During a trip in the caves, Jareth found a few beautiful rocks outside in a river bed, collecting them for Sarah. All gorgeous colors and smoothed from being tossed in the rivers through years of erosion.

Sarah wanted to use one of the green stones to make into a bracelet. Jareth loved the suggestion, opting to cover the shell in resin and put it in his study.

On the way out, they ran into a few of their previous castle workers and friends. Sarah had gotten close to the wife and greeted her with warmth.

"What are you two doing? Last I heard, you lived in the Western Villages." Sarah remarked.

The husband, Trenton, smirked. "Well, Lita here was begging me to move when we wanted to try to conceive. I didn't want to move, but after a few years of it not working, I did it just prove to her that it's an old wives tale."

Ah, Sarah did recall that tale. It was why a lot of people immigrated here and then moved back to wherever they were from after a while. Some stayed, but most moved.

"And it proved you wrong!" Lita clicked her tongue in amusement. "We have a son now. A healthy boy with lungs of a soldier! I was expecting nearly the moment we got here."

"That doesn't prove anything, could be a coincidence." Trenton rolled his eyes. "But, I shall not complain too much."

"That's wonderful!" Sarah congratulated them. "You must be so happy."

"Biggest congratulations to you two." He squeezed Sarah's hand extra tight. It really seemed like every person and their dog was getting pregnant but them. It was taking them so long.

"We are, thank you." Lita beamed. "I promise it works! If you know of anyone who may need to try to conceive, just tell them to come here!"

When they were on their way home, Jareth shook his head. "Ridiculous, isn't it?"

"Cute though." Sarah shrugged. "But yeah. If that was the case, I'd be pregnant by now."

Jareth just gave her a smile, trying to not be too sad. They just had a wonderful time together, after all.

It was now September again, and there was a lot of change.

Toby decided to attend New York University. Everyone was proud of him. He would continue to take magic lessons with Jareth as he figured out what he was going to do with his life especially after breaking up with his high school girlfriend.

Karen was back to being a florist, missing the work that she had done with her hands and was able to now that Robert was stepping down as mayor and her son leaving the home. Robert wanted to pursue teaching in political science at the local community college and would be working on that teaching degree.

Jeremy was still teaching, but he also was back to singing. He didn't want to act, it took too much time, but he had missed singing.

Sarah gifted Jareth with tickets to David Bowie's Reality Tour, who most ecstatic. As much as he pretended to be bothered by Sarah's crush on the rockstar, she knew that he had as a big of a crush on him.

But the biggest change of all was something that neither had expected.

Something changed in Sarah. Jareth could tell though not consciously. He looked very, very confused when he was around her as if his body could pick up the hormonal changes in her and yet he didn't even realize it himself.

"You feel different somehow," He commented during breakfast. He gave her a suspicious look but for the life of him, he couldn't even pick it out.

She had no idea what he was talking about. Truly. "What?"

"It's not a bad change, just different." He curled a hair strand behind her ear lovingly. As he kissed her cheek, he realized that her scent was a little different. He couldn't describe it except more... feminine? Maybe? He scratched his head. "I don't know. You just are different."

Sarah shrugged. "Well I don't know either. Maybe it's just the fact that my periods are even more irregular?"

"No clue," He picked up her plate and rinsed it in the sink, Sarah following him to help dry those dishes. "It's possible."

Now that Sarah's body wasn't changing so much as she wasn't aging, little details seemed bigger. Who knows what it was. Whatever was the case, she kissed Jareth's lips after they cleaned and hugged him. "Have a good day."

Jareth wrapped his arms around her, about to give her the usual morning kiss but instead pulled her so close to him that Sarah felt herself struggling to breathe just a little. "Jareth, you're squeezing the air out of my lungs. Also my boobs hurt."

Jareth released her, his face twisted in even more confusion. "Your breasts feel bigger."

"What?"

"I don't know, they just feel different." He put his hands on them. Not in a sexual way, just in the I'm-your-husband-figuring-out-why-your-body-is-doing-this kind of way. "Did something happen?"

Sarah swatted his hands away. Not because she was upset but because strangely, they were hurting. "That kinda hurt."

"You've never been hurt when I put that much pressure on them before, even before your period." He had a look of concern on his face that made Sarah soften significantly. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Aside from being paranoid, I don't feel like I'm in pain or anything." She folded her arms in front, feeling self conscious and turning a little pink. "And self conscious."

"You have absolutely nothing to be self conscious about," Jareth took her hands and caressed her cheek with one hand and the other wrapped around her waist. How he adored this woman before him. "You are beautiful. I just am not sure why your body is a little different. Perhaps you're coming down with a sickness? I would check with the healer."

"That's ridiculous, I'm alright." Sarah told him.

Jareth rolled his eyes. "Whatever. If you feel any more changes, let me know."

"As always." Sarah kissed his lips.

A few hours later and Sarah was really not having this boob pain.

She had noticed a little bit of cramping down there as well. Ugh. Must be time for her period to come back.

She ignored that little voice in her head telling her that she was a failure.

She felt a few hot flashes going through her as Jareth gave a speech during the Father's Day celebration. As the King, Jareth was considered the father of the kingdom in the sense that he took care of those that lived there. The speech was usually about being loving to those who were father figures to them, to remind them all that today was a wonderful day. Being a man who wanted to become a father himself, he even added remarks of what it meant to be a man that did not have to do with creating a child.

He brought out the beautiful list that he made, mentioning Jeremy (though not by name) and reading out loud the qualities that he appreciated in himself. The people clapped with smiles and the goblins cheered without understanding why, just wanted to go and drink some ale.

Things started to get worse for Sarah. She vomited three times in two hours and nearly fainted in Jareth's arms the moment they stood up again. She was flushed and feeling hazy.

"I demand you go and see them." He said sternly. "It may be nothing, but I refuse to let this go unchecked."

Sarah decided that yeah, maybe she should go and see Healer Cordelia. Yvonne, her apprentice, was also there, doing rotations all around the kingdom.

"Ah, Your Majesty. It's always an honor seeing you, though it doesn't always bode well if you're seeing me." She said. "What worries you this time?"

"More for His Majesty's peace of mind than anything else." Sarah laughed. She was such a lovely healer. "He says my body has been different?"

She told Cordelia what happened and Yvonne took careful notes. "I've had no change in diet or anything of the sort."

Cordelia did normal checks, looking into her throat and checking her pulse. "Everything seems normal so far." She turned to Yvonne and was about to ask her to grab something but the younger healer had a look on her face. "Yvonne?"

"Might we step out a bit?" She asked her mentor.

Yvonne lead Cordelia away outside. "I didn't want to say this in front of her, but do you think she's with child?"

Cordelia felt proud of her pupil. "Yes, I think that is possible. If she is with child... we should check. For the health of the prince or princess. I will have you check as good practice and if she is, blink at me three times and I'll check to confirm."

They went back in the room. Yvonne instructed Sarah to lay on her back as she roamed her hands on her lower abdomen.

"Just breathe easy, m'lady." Yvonne said.

A little bit had passed, and she turned to Cordelia.

"What is it?" Sarah tried to keep the anxiety out of her voice but failed miserably.

"Nothing, I just want to also do a check." Cordelia murmured. "Stay still, Your Majesty."

Sarah laid back and stared at the ceiling again, feeling more and more apprehensive.

Cordelia finished her assessment and stood up, a smile on her face. "It is nothing to worry about. Let me be the first to say congratulations on your pregnancy."

Sarah sat straight up. Did she hear her right?

"I'm - I'm pregnant?" She said slowly. Her green eyes shone with hope, with unbelievable happiness but also fear that she heard it wrong. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, there is no question. We can feel another life form in you. And thanks to Yvonne for suggesting that you may be." Cordelia put a hand on her assistant.

Sarah was crying freely now. She finally allowed herself to believe, that this wasn't just a dream but reality. "Oh my god... I'm pregnant!"

She put her hand to her belly. "Wow, I can't believe that Jareth noticed before I did."

"When a couple has a connection as deep as you two, it makes sense that he noticed." Yvonne smiled at the queen. "Your change of scent and body would be more noticeable to him than to yourself. Congratulations, My Lady."

"How far am I along?" She asked them excitedly.

"Possibly 4-6 weeks or so? If we know when you were intimate last, we could pinpoint it." Yvonne answered her.

Sarah thought about the last time they made love. Which was this morning. And all the other times they did it.

"Uhh, well," she rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "It's nearly every single day."

The two ladies laughed and told her how lovely it was to have such loving monarchs who were devoted to each other.

"We shall be putting together the report and telling His Majesty immediately." Cordelia said in a businesslike voice.

"No! I mean, not yet," Sarah exclaimed. "I want to be the one who tells him."

Both healers looked at each other but understood. "Of course." They handed her some prenatal foods (Sarah thought about going Above to get some prenatal vitamins) and Sarah thanked them once more.

Sarah was bursting with joy. She was glowing with happiness and trying to not rest her hand on her belly to draw attention. A baby, THEIR baby was growing inside of her.

What a wonderful feeling.

For so long she felt out of control of the situation. But now, she was the one to control things. To grow this little being in her that would be half her, half Jareth...

But best of all, she could watch the little one grow into a beautiful person.

Jareth sat on the balcony, looking over the Labyrinth. The king mindlessly twisted and turned the crystal ball in his hand, his eyes glazed over.

The only reprieve that he had gotten today was seeing the four baby owls that they had cared for a year ago. The little ones all came to say hello, and for a moment, he didn't feel so hurt over the fact that in their homes, his subjects were celebrating their fathers.

It wasn't even that he wasn't a father, but that his own had hurt him so deeply. And now, he wanted so much to raise someone to be a new person with love that he never got to have from his father.

Sarah watched him from the inside, her heart reaching out to him. She knew he blamed himself so much for their infertility issues. Poor Jareth.

Well, he didn't have to blame himself any longer.

Sarah opened the doors and saw him there, the soft breeze blowing his cape and the moon lighting up his soft hair. He seemed to glow and it made her smile.

"Hey." She leaned against the balcony. "You'll fall over if you just sit like that. It's dangerous."

"I can fly, Precious." He hopped down and kissed her cheek but his eyes weren't quite in it. "I'm safe, don't you worry about me."

He turned to face the Labyrinth again and Sarah sighed, hugging him from behind. "It's hard, isn't it?"

Jareth contemplated whether he should hide it or not. But in the end, he told her how he felt. She was his wife and deserved his trust. "To see all these fathers celebrating while we are struggling? A bit." He shrugged. "But I am alright. There is no reason to complain, I am blessed with so much when so many have so little. How is your health?"

Sarah came to the front and laid her head on his chest, her voice a little bit muffled. "They say I'm fine. I want to switch topics a little, I have a present for you."

She reached into her robe gave him a yellow lily.

Jareth shook his head a little, a sad smile on his face. "Precious, you know that it is not customary to give these to a husband unless he is a father. Father's Day is special and reserved for those men who have raised someone or were father figures. I am neither, unless you count the baby owls."

Jareth took the flower anyway, and was about to thank her for her thoughts (regardless of how sad the flower made him) but her eyes were bright and a smile was on her face.

Sarah took his hand. "I know that."

She took that same hand and lowered it to cradle her lower abdomen.

Jareth looked from the flower to his wife.

Sarah couldn't miss the way his blue eyes were so drawn before, so sad even though he was trying to hide his pain. When he saw her put his hand to her belly, she nearly cried at seeing his eyes light up and his lips take a sharp breath.

"You, you are with child?" He put both of his hands to her face, looking into her eyes. "This is real?"

Sarah placed her hands on his chest, reveling in the happiness that was overflowing. "Yes, Jareth! I'm pregnant! We're having a baby!"

Jareth pulled her in and kissed her lips. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up, spinning her in circles gently. Sarah squealed and he kissed her over and over, his lips covering every inch of her face.

Tears were running down both their eyes as they parted. Sarah tiptoed to kiss his lips once more and settled in his chest.

Jareth placed his hands on her hips. "It makes sense now as to why you were ill so easily as of late. How far along are you?"

"They say I'm about 4-6 weeks along, judging by my vomiting," she laughed. "This little one is going to be a handful, I can already tell. Just like the father."

Jareth threw his head back and laughed. "Oh you. Blame it on me."

"You put this kid in me," Sarah play shoved him, a large smile on her face. "You gotta take responsibility for it."

"In my defense, you did ask for me to, how did you say it? 'Put this kid in you.' It takes two to tango." He wiggled his eyebrows and licked his lips loudly, setting Sarah off again.

When she stopped laughing, she shook her head. "Your use of idioms is getting really good."

"Well, it helps that my young wife and brother-in-law feel the need to educate me on them." He smirked.

Jareth rubbed her belly lovingly. A baby. He was going to be a father.

At last.

He crouched down on his knees and took ahold of Sarah's hips. He looked up at her face, his eyes still shining from the fresh tears. "You are so beautiful. My wife, the mother of my child. How blessed I am that you chose that path between the stars with me. I love you, my Precious Sarah."

Sarah sobbed. "Oh, Jareth. I love you too. There's no one else I would ever want to create and raise a baby with."

She ran her fingers in his soft hair as he leaned forward to kiss right under her belly button. He pressed his cheek there and whispered softly to their child.

"Hello little one. It's me, your Papa. I love you so very much and cannot wait to meet you. You were made out of our love, and that love is what you will grow up in."

He looked up to see Sarah. He gave her another kiss at the same spot, talking to their baby again. "My little one, you be good for your Momma alright? You've been making her really grumpy and tired."

"I don't think the baby even has ears yet," Sarah laughed. "But I do appreciate you trying."

"Who knows?" He stood up and took her hand. "Maybe he or she will know the sound of my voice. Love doesn't have to have ears." He put her hand on his chest. "Love just has to be felt here."

Sarah was once again awed by him. How did she have a husband so amazing, so sweet, so devoted to her? Every day without fail, he made sure she fell for him all over again.

Jareth picked up the little yellow flower that had been dropped on the floor and cradled it. His sweet Sarah. She brought him so much happiness. She gave him love. She gave him smiles. She gave him a whole new world and a brand new family. And now, they were making a family together.

"I'm going to save this flower, as a memorabilia of the moment I found out that I will be a father." He encased it in a crystal and waved it away. He took her hands and gently lead her back into their bedroom. "You are glowing, you know? I've often heard of expecting women having a sort of glow and I dare say you have it more than most."

"Let's see if you'll say that when I'm fat, have swollen limbs, stretch marks, and yelling at you." She laughed. "And I'm not even showing now."

"You will always be beautiful to me." He set her on their bed and cupped her face with one hand, the other on her belly. "Trust me when I say that."

Sarah smiled brightly. "Jare, there's no one I trust more than my wonderful husband."

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYY It's been a long time coming! I've been writing this story for what, two years now? So glad to show you this. I am pretty proud of it, I hope that you will all leave reviews!

One out of eight couples struggle to conceive, did you know that? Maybe up to one out of six. And a lot of people tend to blame infertility on the woman when sometimes, it's the man for many different problems like varicocele veins in the testicle, terrible sperm count, or more. It is NOT our place to judge anyone who can't have a child or chooses not to.

One of four women have experienced miscarriages as well. My own mother lost three at least, two were twins and it was heartbreaking. I ask you all to be kind to others in this world where we can't always see someone's struggles.

I really hope I did the adoption discussion justice. This is all stuff that my adopted friends (some with good and bad parents over the years) have told me. Some parents find it difficult for many reasons to adopt, and in the United States, adopting is expensive and it takes years to do even if you're a foster parent. There are certain challenges that come with adoptions, one of them is the conflicting identity the adoptee may have. Do not judge a couple for wanting to conceive or (on the other hand) for not wanting biological kids. As long as the child is loved, that is what matters most. Not everyone has a positive experience with adoption just as people may not get along with their parents (like Jareth and Sarah with Linda and Raynard).

Cool Facts

-In Thailand, Father's Day and Mother's Day was on the late king's and queen's birthday. Why? I don't know and I don't know if it's always been that way, I know they haven't changed it. In fact, the nickname Thai people gave to the late king was "the king of our hearts" and "father." I thought it was cute, and while there are some aspects I'm not so keen on in Thai culture and even with the Royal Family, I do like the idea that the royal family belongs to the Thai people and mingle with them together.

-The flower thing IS true mostly for mother's day in Thailand, but the yellow lily does represent Fathers. Jasmines represent mothers.

-I may have mentioned it in chapter 13 (wedding chapter) the tradition of pouring water from a seashell is a Thai wedding tradition.

Idk if there's anything else I'm missing, if there is let me know and I will PM you! Thank you all for reading, I really appreciated this!