Authors Note: Two chapters in one day aren't you guys lucky little readers. I will say only this about my reviews—one; 641 reviews?! HOLY SHIT! and two; please remember that I am a real, feeling person behind this and your comments of "I'm done" and "stagnant" are hurtful. To you this is just a story but I pour my heart and soul into this.

Anyway, this story is about the SLOW BURN. I'm not going to resolve all the issues right away. It wouldn't make any sense to have Jareth suddenly be well again or for them to automatically fall in love. The whole movie is competition against each other why should now be any different? It would go against their personalities to make them madly in love with each other right away.

Everything has a purpose. Don't worry, you won't be disappointed. We're reaching the end….maybe. Don't give up just yet!

Chapter 28: The Red Necklace

Valentine felt her soul breaking, her heart had just been ripped from her body and thrown on the floor to be swept up with the rest of the dirt. Not ten minutes ago, Jareth, the love of her life, the sexy Goblin King whom she shared her bed with for the last four decades, told her he never wanted to see her again. All for the stupid, damned human.

Standing in front of the mirror taking in her reflection was one of Valentine's favorite activities. She was so beautiful. Her rust colored hair flowed in gentle waves towards her navel, her bright blue eyes shone like the stars and her skin so pale and pink was softer than any baby's skin.

She prided herself in her appearance and took great care of her body. Fae were known to be vain and scars could be a devastating social disaster which is why some Fae expelled so much energy to use glamour like Jareth did. But Valentine was perfect. There was not a mark on her skin, not a single flaw or scar or pimple to mar her perfect flesh.

She selected a gown to wear choosing a simple gown of silver silk that hugged her curves and pooled in a shimmering mass at her feet. Expecting Jareth soon, she wanted to look her best for him. She always did. He made her feel in ways she never thought possible. She loved him so much that the very thought of him made her heart swell to almost bursting.

A soft knock sounded on the door and her heart skipped a beat. He was here, her love, her stallion. She practically skipped towards the door but composed herself running her hands down over her dress before opening the door.

There he stood in all his magnificent Goblin King glory and he looked absolutely delicious. His white breeches hugged his body like a second skin and the sky blue shirt he wore opened at the neck with a peek of a perfectly chiseled chest like always. How Valentine adored this new obsession with blue he appeared to have. The color complimented him more than any other.

His posture, however, stopped her in her tracks. She wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him and to kiss his lips tasting the sweetness of his essence, the muskiness that made him so delectable. But he was upset she could tell that much from the grave expression on his face.

"May I come in?" he asked in a harsh whisper. His eyes looked past her into the room. He wouldn't even meet her eyes. Valentine felt a lump form in her throat.

"Of course, darling," Valentine said grabbing his hand and pulling him into the room. He tugged his hand gently almost regrettably away when they reached the center of the room. He turned to face her and his face was a blank mask, a face that Valentine dreaded seeing. The face Jareth wore when he was hiding his feelings.

"I am not here for a social call, Valentine. I've come here to tell you goodbye. I can no longer continue our relationship together. I'm sorry," he muttered quickly, emotionlessly.

Valentine's knees wobbled and she almost collapsed. "What do you mean you want to end our relationship? We've been together for forty years."

"And now we're done. I have a wife now and I must be faithful to her. We're about to have a child and it's not fair to her if I continue this. I have a duty to my family. Please understand." He took her hands and squeezed them silently pleading with her to understand.

"But why? You've been married for a year now and we've still been together. I don't understand the sudden change of heart. We laid together just last night." She used their joined hands to pull Jareth closer to her which angered him. He pushed her away rougher than he intended. Valentine looked at him with wide eyes. He had never been violent with her before.

"That was a mistake. This cannot and will not continue. I don't love you and I never have," he replied harshly. He hoped for a bitter sweet parting but as always nothing ever turned out like it should.

"You don't love me? But I suppose you love your whore wife," Valentine spat as the tears pooled in the corner of her eyes. How dare he! This was all the human's fault. He would not be saying this if she wasn't in the picture. She'd ruined everything. And to think she'd been remorseful about trying to poison her!

"Yes, I love her. And it's time that we move forward with our relationship and to do that I must end this, whatever it was. Don't fool yourself, Valentine, our "love" was simply lust and desire. I desired your body and you desired the power that came with my position."

Valentine felt her blood boil as she stared at the man in front of her. How dare he speak to her like that? "Get out," she said quietly.

He had left without another word. Had that been a flicker of regret that passed over his face or was she imagining it? It didn't matter anymore anyways. He was gone and he wasn't coming back to her. At least he hadn't kicked her out of the castle.

That woman, Sarah Williams, with her ugly dark hair and oddly blotched skin. The hate Valentine felt for her was infinite. No longer did she feel regret about trying to poison her. She regretted being too spineless to carry it out in the first place.

Roman was right. The Goblin Queen must die.

….

Valentine blinked into the dark being startled out her slumber. She had cried herself to sleep but something had waken her. She sat up slowly eyes searching every corner of the dark room. She lit the candle beside her bed and nearly fainted in shock.

Sitting in the middle of her sitting area was the little man she'd bought the potion from in the market. Rumplestiltskin sat poised with his hands on his lap staring at her. His skin was dark, unnaturally dark and an odd color not normally found on bipedal people.

"What are you doing here?" Valentine shrieked as she fought to control her breathing. Her mind raced with the implications of his visit but mostly what would happen if he were found here.

"Did you know that your precious King went to see the guardian Lillith?" Rumpelstiltskin asked ignoring her previous question. The reason he was there would be revealed shortly. This impertinent vain fae may be impatient but Rumpelstiltskin had been waiting lifetimes for this moment.

Valentine was taken back. What possible reason could he have for going to see her? Something was wrong. She wracked her brains for reasons why he could possibly want to see that odious woman he'd imprisoned so long ago.

"What? Why?" she questioned as she left her bed to move closer to the little man sitting on her couch.

He waved her questions off irritably. "What matters is that he did go to see her. The vial that I gave you, he drank it." Rumpelstiltskin told her as he knew it to be true already. Valentine simply nodded. "Perfect, dearie, simply perfect. The Goblin King will die very soon and by your own hand."

Valentine jumped, startled. "I would never kill him. I love him."

"Your love means nothing to me. We had a deal."

"We had no such deal!" Valentine tried to think back to their exchange in the market. She'd given him one of Jareth's crystals in exchange for the vial of poison. That was it. End of contract. When she said this to Rumpelstiltskin he tilted his head back in laughter.

"You are a foolish woman who is ruled by your emotions. The agreement was for your help in obtaining the Goblin King's magic."

"Yes and I brought you one of the spheres he uses. That crystal is a physical manifestation of his power."

Rumpelstiltskin rolled his eyes. "Don't be foolish, dearie. I had no intention of being content with such a little trinket of power. The Goblin King's power is great, one of the greatest in the Underground. His source of power is the Labyrinth. I want to wield this power."

"The only way to absorb the power of the Labyrinth is to defeat the Goblin King." Valentine replied slowly as she realized the implications of what Rumpelstiltskin asked. "But why, I don't understand. What possible reason could you have for wanting this power?"

"My reasons are my own. Now you will do what I ask, dearie, or your fate will be the same."

"How do you even know he went to see the Guardian? Why should I believe you?" Valentine asked. She did not for one moment trust this imp of a man. Perhaps he was lying. Surely, he had to be lying.

"I was there. I heard the entire conversation. The King went to her for help in prolonging his life. He's been quite sick thanks to you, dearie." Rumpelstiltskin told her gladly. How it gave him pleasure to know the master of Labyrinth was living his last days. The pleasure it brought him was incomparable.

"So she cured him?" Valentine sank into the seat beside him relieved. Jareth would live after all but his next words halted her joy.

"Did I say she cured him? No. She prolonged his life. Added a few more threads to his fate line to give him an extra month of two. She granted him enough time to see the child born. Then he will die and nothing can stop that. The potion saw to that. His very essence, the magic he holds so dear is poisoning him, turning his insides to mush and when it consumes his heart the Goblin King will die." Rumpelstiltskin was joyous at this. How he'd waited to so long to see the waste of man die. To suffer as he suffered for so long. Magic corrupted by evil turned even the noblest man to mush but an evil power wielded by the dark one? Glorious.

Valentine started to cry again. "I wish I had never come to you. I was foolish and now my love will pay with his life. This is all Sarah's fault." Valentine had been angry with Jareth earlier but now she was faced with his impending death she had forgiven him.

Rumpelstiltskin rolled his eyes. "This is your fault, dearie. You caused this. Your jealousy of the young queen baited you, made you an easy target to command at my will. No one is quite as foolish as a jealous woman. And for your arrogance your love will die. You are nothing but a pawn."

Valentine scoffed, her teary eyes flashed angrily at Rumpelstiltskin. "I will go to the High Queen and tell her of your plans. She will stop this and find a way to cure him."

Rumpelstiltskin laughed, a sickly sweet sound of bubbling laughter that crawled down Valentines spine. "Ah yes, the High Queen, she almost ruined everything. Coming to dear Sarah to warn her of the King's ailment. Luckily, I was there to put an end to that. A nice memory wipe for poor little mortal Sarah. She really never suspected a thing. And she won't, not until the end. But by then it will be too late. As for Estrella, you even think of summoning her I will kill you. You may value the life of your lover but I think the value of your own is far greater."

Valentine put her head in her hands and wept. His words rang true. She wouldn't jeopardize her own life even for Jareth's. She loved him but she loved herself more. She was stuck. There was really nothing she could do. She suspected that Rumpelstiltskin had spies within the castle. He must to know everything he did. Jareth would never allow him to roam freely in the halls. Rumpelstiltskin was known for his dark ways.

But she had to do something. She couldn't let Jareth die not when she could stop it. If she couldn't tell Estrella or Flavian maybe she could tell someone else. Anyone. Maybe she would go to Ardeth. Would he believe her? Would he help her? Or would he punish her for what she had done? Again, she valued her own life first. Self-preservation. No, Ardeth probably wasn't the best idea. He was Jareth's closest friend and no doubt would have her hanged for treason.

Perhaps, she could go to the one person she hated the most… Sarah. The two women despised each other but they had a common thread; their love for Jareth. Valentine was loath to admit but she knew the young queen loved him. She could tell by the way Sarah watched him and smiled at the silly little things Jareth did like rolling a crystal over his hand when he was bored.

It was the same expression she'd seen on her own face hundreds of times. Sarah and Valentine now had a common enemy; Rumpelstiltskin. Sarah would be forgiving of Valentine for the young queen was wholesome and nonjudgmental. And it killed Valentine to even think that but she knew it to be true. Her hate stemmed from jealousy and not on character.

She would go to Sarah soon. But first, she needed to get her story straight. Maybe it would be better if she didn't tell the Queen everything? Like the fact she'd tried to poison her. Valentine climbed back in bed as Rumpelstiltskin left. She had a lot of planning to do and in the morning, after a good beauty sleep, she'd hash it out.

…

Rumpelstiltskin left Valentine sobbing in her bed. Disgusting woman. He shut the door to her chambers and paused outside the door sneering of the sound of her hiccupped cries. He felt positively giddy inside. Everything was falling into place.

He took a few steps forward consumed his thoughts when his face itched. Bringing his hand up to scratch the offending itch he realized his skin was scaly. Oops, he forgot to apply the glamour. He couldn't go traipsing about the castle in this form. Jareth would discover his plan in no time. With a quick wave of his hand he replaced the disguise he'd been using for so long. No one would ever suspect him.

Walking down the hallway towards his room in the castle, he sang softly, "there's such a fooled heart beatin' so fast….as the world falls down."

…

Well, well, well. What do we have here? Plot development? Finally, you say? And is Valentine turning over a new leaf? We shall see. You know what to do, click review!