"I don't know why you insist on flying." Jareth said, as he watched Sarah pack her belongings into a suitcase. He sat cross legged on the bed, clad only in trousers. His feet and hands were bare, and Sarah looked up briefly, enjoying the sight of his lithe chest, naked save for his amulet. His hair was rough from sleeping, even more poofy than normal. "I could have you home in two seconds. You're just wasting twelve hours we could spend together."

"I've already paid for the flight." She told him for the thousandth time. She folded the starry dress she had worn on their first date and placed it carefully in the bag. That night seemed like years ago; she had spent every waking second with Jareth for the last two weeks. They had stayed at his house every night, just wanting to be near each other. He had kept to his word and slept on the couch, until Sarah had invited him into the bed. They hadn't gone all the way yet; Sarah was still insecure that he would leave her, and he had been determined to make her feel safe before they made that step. He had been surprisingly restrained, Sarah thought, and hadn't brought it up once.

"So? I've told you I will reimburse you if the airline will not. Just think of the things we could do in those twelve hours that are so much more pleasant than sitting in a metal box.." Sarah threw a (thankfully clean) pair of socks at him, and he threw them skilfully into the suitcase.

"I just want to do one thing the normal way. And it will create all kinds of problems if my passport isn't stamped on the way out. Immigration probably won't believe in magic when I come back and explain how I left the country without getting my passport stamped to say I was leaving."

"Fine, I suppose that is a valid point." Jareth admitted reluctantly. "Bureaucracy wins this time. Next time you wish to travel, just ask me. You needn't bother spending money on flights."

"I know. You'll come and see me when I'm over the jet lag right? I can be a bit of a bitch when I'm tired, you probably don't want to see that."

"When you're ready for me, dearest, just call for me. I'll be waiting."

Sarah placed the final few items in the bag, taking care to place the magical parchment he'd given her under clothes so it wouldn't get bent in transit. She had had no need to use it yet, as they were always together. He had hardly left her side for the last two weeks, except when she had asked him to. She wasn't used to being with someone for such a long time, and every now and then she took herself off and had a long bath to decompress. He was respectful of her need for space, something that had surprised her at first.

"I need to call my dad to make sure he's still okay to come pick me up." She got up, stretching after being bent down on the floor for so long packing. "I'll be back in a minute." She had been surprised to find that Jareth had a telephone in his house; she wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but his house was beautiful and surprisingly full of modern technology. The walls were cream, the rooms bright and airy. The whole house was subtly decorated in a minimalist fashion, and above all else it was spotlessly clean. No goblins were allowed into his Aboveground residence, he had told her, and that made all the difference to the level of sanitation. When she had questioned him about the decor, he had told her that his castle was so dark and dreary that he craved lightness when he was away from it.

She looked at the clock above the telephone (thankfully a mortal clock, all the others in the house had a "13" on them and were set to Underground time to allow Jareth to keep track) to work out the time difference between England and the States. It would be about noon there, so she dialed the number to her dad's office.

"Robert Williams."

"Hey Dad, it's Sarah.."

"Sarah, I'm glad you called. I've had your mother on the phone several times, saying that you've been gallivanting around town with some man, you haven't been home and she doesn't know where you're living or how to contact you..she said she saw you for ten seconds when you picked up your stuff and you wouldn't tell her anything. What the hell is going on?"

"Um, nothing. I just got in touch with an old friend and I thought it would be easier on Mom and Jeremy if I didn't stay there anymore." Sarah said defensively, hoping Jareth didn't hear her call him a 'friend'..or old. "Mom was hardly there anyway, I don't get what her problem is."

"I think it's most irresponsible Sarah. I had hoped you were going to use your time in London to sort out your life, maybe work on that novel you've told me is going to solve all your problems and it seems to me that you've just been wasting time and drifting with no direction."

"I'm on vacation." She said in a small voice, hating how her father could completely kill her good mood.

"Vacation from what? Really Sarah, it's just downright immature of you. When you get back tomorrow, we are having a long conversation about your future. It's time you knuckled down and grew up a bit. You're not a little kid anymore, Sarah. I'm done giving you money, your mother says she is too. I'm thinking about asking you to leave the apartment too." Sarah had been living in a small apartment that had once belonged to Irene, rent free, for the past year.

"Fine!" She spat down the phone. "I didn't ask you for your stupid money. Don't bother picking me up tomorrow, I'll find my own way back. I'll be out of the apartment by Monday." Slamming the receiver down, she screamed in frustration, trying to ignore the painful lump in her throat. She sank down against the walls, eyes closed in a vague attempt to stop the tears gathering in her eyes from falling down her cheeks. She felt arms wrap around her, and she leaned against his shoulder, trying to stifle a sob.

"Did you hear that?" She mumbled thickly into his shoulder.

"No, precious. I heard you scream from upstairs, I was worried you were injured." He cradled her in his arms, rearranging her so she was basically sitting on his lap. "Your father?"

"He's cut me off, he wants me out of the apartment, my mom's angry with me for disappearing with you..it's a mess. I've been too busy kidding myself that my life could be great, I've been hiding from all my problems."

"Tell me about them, darling. A problem shared, after all." Jareth probed her gently, and she shook her head.

"I've already told you." She shrugged, thinking of all the times they had stayed up all night talking.

"No, you brushed over them. I didn't realise things had gotten this bad, I thought you'd made up with your father. Talk to me, beautiful girl. Everything you're worried about, even the mildest concern." She said nothing, and Jareth poked her shoulder gently. "Your problems, Sarah. I want to hear them."

They sat on the floor in a tangled heap as Sarah told him everything that had been on her mind; her fractured relationship with her father, her dire financial situation, her lack of college degree but mountain of student debt, her fears that she would be banned from seeing Toby, the fact that she had nowhere to live and nobody to turn to. At her words, Jareth raised her face to look at him.

"Nobody to turn to? My love, I'm a little hurt." His voice was soft, sincere, and his eyes were creased in a frown. She blinked at him. "Surely you've realised by now that I'm here for you no matter what? I've waited for you for so long I'm hardly going to ship out at the first sign of trouble."

"I- I didn't think you'd want the burden."

"Sarah, if I haven't made it perfectly clear already, I love you." She bristled a little at his tone; she still hadn't said it back, believing it was far too soon for her to truly mean the words. He hadn't pressed her, but she knew he was desperate to hear her say them back. "As you pointed out on your birthday, love means sticking around for the tough stuff. I want to make you happy. I want to keep you safe from harm and I most certainly do not want you sleeping on the streets."

"So what would I do?" She asked tentatively.

"It's up to you - you could stay here in London and live here. I do not think it's the correct time for you to come Underground with me, but I would be here as often as I could. If you wished to become more..serious, in the future, then there will always be a place for you in the Goblin City, but not yet. I would come home to you every night, if you wanted. You could write your stories here, and I happen to know a fair few people in publishing that owe me some favours."

"I don't want to be published because of a favour owed to you." She said sharply, stiffening a little in his arms. He chuckled, stroking her hair. "It's not funny. I'm not using you to get a book deal, it's not how I want to do things."

"You're right, precious. But getting them to look over your manuscript wouldn't do any harm, surely? Perhaps you could get a job in publishing whilst you write your own book."

"I guess. But staying in London..I'm not sure." She admitted, thinking of missing Toby growing up. She knew she was being stupid; for a start, she wasn't sure her father would approve of her seeing her little brother at all, and she knew that Jareth would send her there as and when she pleased.

"If you wish to return to America, I suppose I could add to my property portfolio and acquire somewhere for us to live there. I would prefer to live in a city, precious, rather than that little town you're from. I get a little stir crazy if things are too quiet."

"You'd do that for me? You'd spend all that money just so we could be together?" Sarah felt like she was in a dream. She shook her head. "I don't want to take your money. I can survive on my own. I just need to go home, get a job, find a new place.." Jareth rolled his eyes at her stubbornness.

"Sarah, I have no real need for money. I could do everything with magic, but I like being above board when it comes to my property, it makes it harder for people to take it away. I have more money than I could possibly spend, and if I want to use a tiny fraction of it to buy somewhere you can live, let me."

"I don't want to be dependent on you." She said clearly. "I need to stand on my own two feet."

"Then look at yourself as a tenant in my property. If you really want to, you can pay me rent, but as I'll be there every second I can manage, I see no point."

"I don't know if there's any point going back to America. What about a visa though? If I want to work here, I have to be living here legally or I'll get in trouble."

"Don't worry about it." Jareth said easily, kissing the top of her head. She glared up at him.

"That doesn't make me feel better."

"I will sort your visa out, precious. Trust me. Everything will be fine. Just let me know what you want to do, and I'll be right there with you."

"Can I think about it? I'm not going to catch my flight, I'll call the airline in a while. I still have a few months left on my tourist visa, I should be alright as long as I don't work."

"Take your time." Jareth sighed, and kissed her on the lips gently. He pressed his forehead to hers, running his thumb over her lips. "I hate to do this Sarah, but I have to go for a few hours. Whilst you were on the phone I received a summons. I've been rather neglecting things, and I should take some time to sort things out so I still have a Kingdom. Will you be alright here?"

Sarah nodded, rolling off of him and onto the floor. She wondered why he never offered to take her Underground, but she didn't like to press the issue, especially when he had been so kind to her. It had only been two weeks, after all, but they had been spending so much time wrapped up in one another that she could hardly remember a time when they had not been together.

"Sure. I think I'm going to do some writing. Oh! I just realised all my stuff is still in Irene's apartment, I need to get it out before they donate it all to Goodwill or something. I need to call my dad and tell him I'm not coming home, maybe if I send him some money he can ship my stuff to me.." She was starting to panic, and Jareth ssh-ed her gently.

"All in good time, precious. Don't phone him now love, you'll just upset yourself. Use my office to write in, you'll find everything you need in there." He helped her to her feet, and pulled her close to him. "Never think you're a burden to me again Sarah. I told you - I would rearrange the universe just so you would love me."

She knew she should tell him that she loved him, and end his misery.

She said nothing.

Sarah wrote until the sky outside was pitch black and her hand cramped painfully. She sat back in her chair and looked at the stack of papers that rested on the side of the desk. She had started a new story, and it had flowed out of her uncontrollably. She quickly counted the pages; fifty pieces of paper, covered front and back in her small, spidery hand writing. No wonder her hand ached. She would need to get a typewriter or a word processor and copy it all out if she was going to attempt to show it to anyone, but she was glad to be back in the groove of writing. She hadn't done any for the last two weeks, being too consumed in Jareth to even consider her work.

It was as if he had given her renewed energy, and her writing seemed to be much more natural. As she browsed through the pages, she realised she had essentially been writing her own story. This was not unusual for her; goblins and magical creatures had been a part of her work for a long time. This piece was different; it was a love story. Her love story.

Out of nowhere, Jareth appeared next to her with a crash of thunder so loud that Sarah fell off the chair with shock.

"What the hell Jareth?!" She asked him angrily, picking herself up off the floor. "You couldn't use the front door like a normal person?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I've just had a hell of a day." Sarah looked at him carefully; he had dark circles under his eyes and he looked as though he would drop with exhaustion right there. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. He held her closely, kissing her hair and murmuring his thanks into the top of her head.

"What happened?"

"Idiots wasting my time." He said bitterly. "My sister has been stirring trouble. She's pregnant, by some miracle, and she's demanding that her unborn child be named heir to my Kingdom. The goblins aren't fond of the elves, and to name a half elvish child as my heir would cause chaos. It simply will not happen."

"Can't you just tell her no?" Sarah asked - if Jareth was King,surely it was his right to name his own Heir.

"As she pointed out, I have no heir, no wife and no consort." Sarah felt a sting of annoyance. "They do not know about you, Sarah. There are reasons I will not allow you Underground, not until you're ready. There are reasons I was reluctant to share your bed at first. I believe if I allow my sister this, she will stop at nothing to assassinate me and put her child on the throne. But you are not ready."

"Ready for what?" Jareth sighed, kneading his forehead. He didn't answer her, and Sarah got impatient. "Shouldn't it be up to me whether I'm ready or not? Tell me."

"Have you not wondered why I have not pressed you to..engage in physical activities with me, Sarah?" He asked her, his voice soft. "Why I have shared your bed night after night, touched you endlessly but not pushed any further?"

"I just thought.." Sarah wasn't sure what she had thought; that he was waiting for her to be comfortable, taking it slowly..maybe even that he had not found her attractive enough.

"That I did not desire you?" He laughed bitterly. "It has been all I could do to restrain myself. I believe I told you of how you could become a Fae, and it would involve the wedding night. The truth is, if I made love to you now, my strong feelings for you would trigger the transformation process whether we were married or not. It wouldn't be instant, but it would start to take you over, and I would be required to repeat the..action fairly often or you would die. If we consummated our relationship and it didn't work out and you left me, you would die quickly. I don't want to force you to be with me. And if I took you Underground, you would be vulnerable as a human. I have enemies, Sarah, and I would not expose you to them if you had no magic to protect yourself."

"So if we..did it," she said, rather unromantically. "I would begin to become Fae straight away?"

"Slowly, yes. I doubt you'd notice it for a year or two, but the magic would be within you."

"Does that happen to any woman you sleep with?" She asked suspiciously. He shook his head, irritated she would even ask.

"You are my chosen mate." He told her quietly, admitting what he had always known to her. "I am bound to you, and my magic would consume you."

"If I was Fae, would that mean we would have difficulty conceiving?"

"Not if we tried in the next thirty or so years. Your body clock would function normally, until the time you would reach menopause, but you would not age. It's confusing, I'm not sure I understand it myself, but I have consulted physicians about it."

"Do you need an heir quickly?"

"No. I have no wish to force you to be my wife, Sarah, not before you're ready. I didn't want to burden you with any of this. I could name a cousin heir in the interim, that would cause a few problems but I'm confident I could sort things out with my father, he's the one who still has a level of control over Juturna."

"This is a lot to take in."

"I know, dearest. I wished to keep this away from you for longer, so we could just enjoy each other, but it is becoming rather a pressing matter. There is no pressure on you, there are other arrangements I can make. I wish you to have the choice."

"So, if we..had sex."

"Made love, Sarah." He corrected her. "Let's try and keep a little romance, shall we?"

"If we made love, would we have to get married straight away? Can I be Fae before I'm married to you, will people judge me?"

"We wouldn't 'have' to do anything. If you had no desire to marry me, we could continue the process until it was complete and you could leave." She shook her head at the idea, and he smiled happily. "There is nothing I want more than to call you my wife, beloved. But as I've said, it has only been two weeks. And no, nobody will judge you for sleeping with me before our wedding. I have heard I can be quite irresistible."

"If you were made of chocolate, you'd eat yourself." She rolled her eyes. "Could we stay Above and live like we planned?"

"You certainly would have to stay up here, at least until we were formally betrothed and your powers begin to develop. I would come home to you every night, just like I said." He stroked her hair fondly. "I love you so much, my sweet thing. I wish things were easier."

"I love you too, Jareth." She said, and his face broke in to the widest smile she had ever seen.

"You've made me so very happy Sarah." He kissed her deeply, holding her so closely and so tightly she felt as though she would shatter. She broke away from his kiss, and whispered in his ear.

"Take me to bed, my King."

A/N: That's it folks! All done! Not sure when the sequel will be up, hopefully next week as I seem to be ploughing through with writing at the moment. I know I could continue in this, but I kind of want to keep this a separate story, and the next one will be much more plot heavy. It may also have an M rating, so add me to your author alerts just to make sure that you see it if you want to.

Thank you so much for your lovely reviews and support, and I hope to see you in my next story! Leave a review if you'd like to!