The Goblin Queen sat perched in the window sill of her study, her ebony hair twisting wildly in the wind. The night air was cool, and she pulled her feathery black cloak tightly around her shoulders. Perhaps the window was not the healthiest place for her musings, but after two years of living with Jareth, sharing everything with him, certain habits of his had become her own. This was one. Watching the Aboveground through crystals in the middle of the night was another.

And so she found herself again tonight, her summoned crystal reflecting the moonlight, as were the tears that slid silently down her cheeks. She looked up from the glimmering orb, unable to bear another second of the painful images that danced within. She had seen this coming for months now. Countless hours she had spent watching events unfold, powerless to do anything to stop what was coming. And tonight the foreseen culmination had come to pass, while she looked on helplessly from her windblown perch.

Her gaze was drawn to the Labyrinth, its endlessly spiraling and twisting walls a visual reminder of the lessons she had learned there so long ago: life isn't fair, nothing is as it seems. Never had those lessons had more meaning than tonight. As the events within the crystal played themselves out, her emotions had run the gamut of fear, dread, hope, sadness, anger, and regret. It wasn't fair. It didn't seem possible. Yet she had seen her fall, seen her sacrifice everything. She had seen the end.

Fresh tears welled in her green eyes, and she wiped at them absently as footsteps rang down the corridor outside the study. The familiar click, click, click of boot heels on stone brought a reluctant smile to her lips. Jareth entered the room, their bond no doubt telling him where she was without his having to look for her. If he had reached out further to brush her mind, he would have felt the pain in her, but as usual his attention was focused on the tightly wrapped bundle in his arms.

"Sarah, darling, I think the Little Princess is hungry, and I am unequipped to handle the situation." He told her, never looking up from his precious cargo.

Sarah turned to face her husband, smiling despite her pain. He never failed to cheer her up, even when he wasn't trying. "And here I thought there was nothing you could not do, my love." She chuckled.

"Under normal circumstances you would be right, but there some things only a mommy can take care of." He said with a smile, finally tearing his eyes away from his daughter to look at her mother. He leaned to kiss her cheek, and his smile fell quickly when he tasted the salty tears that still lingered there.

"Sarah?" he asked, is voice laden with concern. "Have you been crying?"

Without a word Sarah sighed and held the crystal out before him. He took it with his free and, squinting a bit until the images came into focus. He found himself watching a group of familiar people, huddled together, their shoulders slumped in unmistakable sadness. Giles, Willow, Xander, all stood together, joined by the young witch Tara, whom Jareth and Sarah had met several months ago. In her arms, sobbing mournfully, was Dawn Summers, the slayer's sister. They had only met her once before, and being from another dimension had not had memories of her planted as everyone else had. Still, they had watched her, had heard Buffy speak of her with pride and love, and had grown to love her as well. It tore at Jareth's heart to see the pain in her, and he dreaded knowing the cause of it.

Standing slightly apart from the others was the platinum haired vampire, Spike. Although they had never met, Jareth felt a kinship to the creature. There were tears streaming down the vampire's face as well, and Jareth knew only one thing could have caused such a show of emotion.

Buffy was conspicuously absent from the group, and Jareth knew why, though he longed for it not to be so. Had he not seen this in her future years ago? This path had been laid out for her, and while he had hoped it could be averted, he feared the time had finally come. His fears were confirmed when Spike knelt, his head in his hands. He now had an unobstructed view of the object of their sorrow, and tears sprang to his eyes.

"Oh no." he whispered, looking up at Sarah. She was crying again as well.

"Why didn't she call for us? Why didn't she let us help?"

Jareth looked back at the crystal, willing the image to change. But of course it didn't. The small freshly dug mound was still there, as was the plain marble slab that marked it. The inscription on the marker clouded through his tears, but their words would be burned in his mind forever:

Buffy Anne Summers

1981-2001

Beloved Sister, Devoted Friend

She saved the world…a lot.

Jareth released the crystal into the air, wishing the truth could disappear as easily. With his now free arm he pulled Sarah to his embrace, needing to feel the warmth of the two people he loved most in the world. "Well, pet, if I know Buffy, she was afraid of involving our world in events that could have destroyed hers." He kissed her forehead lovingly as she looked up at him. "As she told us so often, it was her fight. I doubt we could have made much difference anyway."

Sarah looked down at the tiny baby nestled happily in the crook of her father's arm. He was right, of course. Any involvement on their part would have put their world in danger; still she would have risked it all for the chance to avoid this outcome. Of course, Buffy knew that too, it's why she had never given the chance.

Jareth pulled back, handing the baby to Sarah. The young princess whined in protest at being taken from her father, but settled down quickly enough when he put both arms around Sarah, holding them both tightly. Sarah smiled at her daughter. "What made you think she was hungry?" she asked.

Jareth had been lost in thought, and it took him a moment to understand what she meant. "Oh..." he said finally, distractedly, "She was crying a little." This made Sarah chuckle.

"You mean she squeaked in her sleep and you ran to her aid." Sarah said, and he shrugged sheepishly, but didn't deny it. Sarah smiled and kissed the corner of his mouth. The child was not yet a week old, and already she had Jareth wrapped around her finger. Sarah sighed. Silently, she thanked Buffy, hoping that wherever she was now, she knew just how much she had given her. Not only had she helped defeat the demon that wanted to her dead, but she had opened Sarah's eyes to her feelings for Jareth. She couldn't imagine her life without him, and shuddered at how close she had come to throwing it all in his face. She had Buffy to thank for bringing her to her senses.

And now there was a child. Their child. The thought never ceased to bring joy to her heart. She was perfectly happy, perfectly content. She squeezed her daughter to her chest and looked up at Jareth. "I think I know what to name our Little Princess." She said.

Jareth looked down at her, smiling softly. "I loved her too, Sarah, but I won't name the heir to my kingdom Buffy."

Sarah laughed. "No, nor would I." she said. "I was thinking…Destiny."

Jareth stroked his daughter's cheek, and even in her sleep she nuzzled his hand. He smiled. "Destiny…" he said, trying the name out in his mouth. "It's perfect." Addressing the tiny bundle he said "What do you think, Your Highness? Destiny, the Goblin Princess?"

The baby sighed in obvious pleasure, although Sarah expected it was more to do with hearing Jareth speaking in the voice he reserved only for her than at the name itself. Still, it seemed right, to fit perfectly. Jareth was her destiny; it was well that that the daughter he had given her should be called Destiny. Silently, she thanked Buffy for that as well.

A/N: Well, that's it. I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews. Now I'm off to start the next chapter of God Save the King. I hope to see you all there.