Jareth's Return

Jareth(16)

The next morning, Jareth felt odd. Something was different. He, or rather his magic, felt more open; larger. He searched inside himself and his heart skipped a beat or three when he realized what it was.

His connection to the Labyrinth wasn't blocked anymore.

He could go back.

But why now? What had changed?

Then he remembered that Theodora and he had professed their love for one another. He also remembered she had agreed to go to his kingdom with him, should the chance arise. That must have done it.

A knock sounded at his door, which then opened to reveal his Little Witch. "Do you feel it, too?" She asked rather hesitantly.

"Yes, my love, I do. Let me dress, and we shall inform the others."

She backed out of the room and they met downstairs. Alex was cooking breakfast, and Sally was reading the newspaper. "Good morning, you two. Alex is making pancakes."

"Chocolate chip?"

"Of course, my dear!" Alex grinned as he flipped the flapjack.

"There has been a development of sorts." Jareth and Theodora sat down at the table.

"What kind of development?" Sally asked, folding the paper.

"I'm not sure how to put this exactly, but-"

"Jareth, I swear if you say you got her pregnant, I will do something unspeakable to you." Sally interrupted him.

Theodora choked on the bite on pancake she had been attempting to swallow. When she could breathe again, she rasped out, "Why would you ask that?"

"Well, what else would you have trouble telling us?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe that the way back to the Labyrinth is open? Jareth, why the hell would that be difficult to say?"

Jareth had the decency to look sheepish. "Well, they've built a life here. They've lived here for centuries. I've no idea if they would want to go back!"

"Of course we'd go back! It's about time for us to move on anyways; the Mardins have lived in this town for decades now." Alex said, sitting down with the last batch of pancakes. "Right, dear?"

"Sounds about right, yeah." Sally agreed. "Plus, with the path open again, we can come back whenever."

I'm a complete fool to keep forgetting that little fact. He wondered if it was because it had been so long since he had gone back and forth between the two worlds.

"So, when should we go? I'm out of school and I don't have a job, but you guys can't just disappear. People will look for you."

Alex thought for a moment. "Well, Sally is technically a house wife, so that's not difficult. I can put in my two weeks notice and 'retire early.' I suppose in those two weeks, we sell this house."

"Shouldn't be too hard, we get offers for it all the time," his wife interrupted.

"Right, yeah." Alex looked at Theodora. "What about you? Even with school being out, people know you, you've got friends. You can't just leave."

"No, the only real friends I have, other than the three of you, is Alicia and Hal. I can just tell them I'm moving abroad, or something to that effect. The word will spread from there."

"Good. So, this is it then, this is truly happening?" Jareth asked, just to clarify.

Slowly, with tentative looks at each other, the other three nodded. Butterflies erupted in Jareth's stomach. I'm going home and she's coming with me. He looked at the witch beside him, still slightly bewildered.