Sarah looked up at the scorched trees in the twilight. Their encounter with the dragon seemed so long ago now. She stooped to gather up a few more branches of firewood before returning to the camp. As she neared the bridge, she slowed. She could hear something; it was a soft, lilting voice, rising and falling with the melody of a song. At first, she thought it was Jareth. That is, until she got a little closer and recognized Terra's voice. Terra was sitting on the bridge as Sarah remembered her doing before, with her feet in the water and the glowing daisy clutched in her hands. Sarah crept closer, curiosity getting the better of her. She started to make out the words of the song.

But I'll be there for you as the world falls down

Sarah felt a sudden chill. So it had been Terra who she'd seen in the forest the night she and Jareth had...

She pushed the thought away.

Falling

Falling down

Falling in love

Sarah let the firewood fall from her arms, alerting Terra to her presence. Terra turned her face quickly to see the intruder and as Sarah caught sight her face she saw the stain of tears on it.

In that instant, something clicked in Sarah's mind. She straightened, stepping forward and looking Terra directly in the eye.

"You love him, don't you?" she asked, "You're in love with Jareth!"

Terra simply stared at her, making no effort to hide the fact that she'd been crying.

"It all makes sense now," Sarah continued, "The reason you keep that daisy with you everywhere you go. The reason you chose to be his protector without him ever knowing. The reason you were crying in the mirror portal. What were you going to say?"

Terra drew a shuddering breath, "He's lonely, and I can't make him happy."

"So you brought me back, thinking I could make him happy instead!" Sarah gasped, "You tried to manipulate me into falling in love with him! That's why you burned the carriage, so that we could have more time together! You thought if I was forced to get to know him that I would end up choosing to stay so we could be together." Sarah shook her head sadly. "But that's not what I want! I love my family! I love my home! This isn't my place."

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Terra looked desperate, "It could be. All you'd have to do is say the word, and you and Jareth could live in absolute bliss."

"But I don't love him!"

Terra's eyes clouded with confusion, "But you kissed..."

"It was a mistake!" Sarah insisted, "I was confused! It didn't mean anything! Jareth is a wonderful person, but a life with him would only lead to misery!"

Terra suddenly leapt to her feet, her eyes ablaze.

"You toyed with his feelings!" she spat.

"No, you did that by bringing me here in the first place!" Sarah shot back, "And even if things had gone according to your plan, where would that have left you? Nursing a broken heart for the rest of your life!"

"Better me than Jareth!" Terra shouted willfully.

"Don't you understand?" Sarah said, "You could both walk away happy! Tell him your true feelings!"

Terra shook her head vigorously, "He loves you, not me! He's never seen me as anything but a friend!"

"His feelings could change!"

"A heart never changes!"

"It can! If you give it a chance!"

"You can't tell him! You can never tell him!"

"Tell me what?"

Terra's eyes widened, focusing on something just behind Sarah. Sarah turned to see Jareth standing there, looking intrigued.

"You...heard us?" Sarah asked.

"Not really. I heard you two shouting but I couldn't make anything out. What did you want to tell me?" His gaze wandered to Terra's face and his expression became worried. "Terra, what's wrong? What is that flower you're holding?"

Terra stared in astonishment, "You don't...recognize it."

Sarah opened her mouth quickly, taking the opportunity to set things to right, "Jareth, Terra—"

"No!" Terra sprang forward, seizing her by the collar and shaking her roughly, "You can't tell him! You can't!"

"Terra, stop!" Jareth stepped forward and yanked her away from Sarah.

Terra suddenly grabbed hold of him instead, bursting into tears. Jareth looked down at her in stunned silence while she weakly clung to him, shaking with sobs. Sarah wanted to say something but her voice had abandoned her. After all the time they had spent together, she had come to see Terra as such a resilient figure. It was hard to see her so utterly broken now.

But what else could have been expected? She had spent her whole life keeping secrets that should have come to light years ago.

Sarah swallowed the lump in her throat, "Jareth, that flower is one you gave her. She kept it all these years."

"I kept it," Terra choked, drawing sharp breaths to quell her tears, "So that I could look at it and remember you, Jareth."

"Terra..." Jareth murmured, sinking into the long grass and enveloping his friend in a tender hug.

"I became your protector," Terra pressed on, "So I could feel close to you." Terra buried her face in Jareth's chest, stifling another sob. "I did it all," she said, "Because I love you."