Disclaimer: Still don't own anything. Songs belong to Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO), everything Labyrinth belongs to Jim Henson, and David Bowie belongs to Iman. :(

"I don't believe I can say what had happened
All of those words that we put into play
No longer matter, I should have known that then
I just know you're far away
On this Christmas Day"

- Ornament, TSO

Jareth

How long had it been? I don't really even know anymore, though I believe twenty years. Twenty long, torturous years. And every moment of them, I had missed her. My beautiful, wonderful Sarah. The girl-child who defeated my Labyrinth at only fifteen years of age. The woman who gave me my own dreams four of her years after that.

I can still remember the night she wished me back to her. It was wonderful and splendid. A cold winter's night lit ablaze by our passion. It was Christmastime in her world, but she didn't go home to celebrate the holiday with her family. Instead, she stayed alone in the small flat she shared with roommates who did go home. No, change that. She wasn't alone. She called me on Christmas Eve, and I stayed with her for two weeks until her roommates returned. She wanted to know if I had been serious when I had begged her to stay before and confessed that she couldn't stop thinking about me. All I could do was kiss her and tell her how much I loved her.

Every night and most days we made love - sometimes wild and passionate, sometimes slow and gentle. The first time was in front of a roaring fire in the fireplace, a furry white rug beneath us. Until that visit, I knew I loved her. But it was then that I realized how deeply in love I had fallen. I never wanted to imagine another moment without her.

But she couldn't return with me. She wanted to finish college first, she said. Always a supporter of education, I did not argue with her. Instead, I promised to visit her regularly and to someday take her back to the Goblin Kingdom to rule alongside me as my Queen. She thought the idea of her being a Queen was funny; I thought it was perfect. She was perfect. She had just the right combination of fiery drive and loving compassion. I could only imagine how much my subjects would love the woman who could bring their king to his knees.

Our last day together was bittersweet. I didn't want to leave but knew I had to go. I had already been away from my kingdom for far too long. Who knew what kind of mischief the goblins had caused while I was away. Time runs twice as fast in the Underground, and so our two-week visit had actually been an entire month in my world. I told her she could call on me anytime, and I would answer. We tentatively planned for me to come visit again in another two weeks, after I had cleaned up whatever mess surely awaited me.

Our last kiss started passionately but slowly turned into a long, lingering chaste one. I wanted to savor every moment of her, memorize her taste. Her roommates arrived just as I vanished.

And I never saw her again.

Sarah

The two weeks I spent with Jareth were the best of my life and went by way too fast. Waiting another two weeks for his return seemed like torture, but I buried myself back into school and my job as a waitress to make the time go by faster. It didn't work.

My two roommates went out that Friday not understanding why I refused to go with them like I usually did. I simply waived them off and waited for Jareth. And waited. And waited. Maybe he meant Saturday, I thought. But he didn't show up then either. Nor on Sunday. Nor the next week or the week after that. Falling into a deep depression, I started to realize that maybe it had all been a dream or a hallucination. Three months later I had definitive proof that it was not. But still Jareth never came back.

I continued to wait for him.

I graduated from college with honours in Interior Design. I did some freelance work here and there, but my waitressing job continued to be the main income provider. The tips were good - great, really - and allowed me to raise my daughter out of poverty. Truth be told, I worked more hours than was legally sane, but I did what I had to do. Not long after graduation, my roommates moved away. I kept the flat by myself, fearing to leave in case Jareth returned someday. We lived there for seven years before the building was bought and torn down for a parking lot.

During all this time, Jareth was never far from my mind. Sometimes I wanted to forget him but knew I never could. It hurt so much to think of him... and I thought of him all the time. How could I not? Sometime during our two weeks together, Jareth had given me a most precious Christmas gift - our daughter Emma. She was a near-exact replica of her father with long blonde hair and mismatched eyes of blue and brown. She even had his sharp facial features and lean, lithe figure. And when she was angry or upset, Jareth's spoiled haughtiness came out perfectly.

I did not hide from her who her father was. Once she was old enough to start asking, I told her. I couldn't lie. I needed to believe that he would come back for us someday, and when he did, I wanted his daughter to be comfortable around him. He would come back. He had to. I knew it. Had to believe it. But every once in awhile, dread would creep in. Fear. Doubt. It was usually at night as I laid sleepless in bed, wondering where he was or even if he was still alive.

So I did the only thing any woman would do - I pushed all my emotions to the back of my mind and acted happy. I would not have Emma growing up with a depressed mom. Didn't want it to affect her like that. I always had been a good actress.

Author's Note: Got inspired to write this last December while listening to TSO's cd "Christmas Eve and Other Stories" - specifically, the songs "Ornament," "Old City Bar," "Promises To Keep," and "This Christmas Day." The story won't follow the storyline of the songs, but they certainly contributed to my melancholy mood while writing it. I certainly recommend listening to them if you haven't.