Jareth is leaving today.

The thought nagged at Terra.

You should say goodbye to him.

"I should," Terra said aloud.

But I don't want to.

Terra sighed. It was hard enough saying goodbye to him once.

Let him be gone and get it over with.

Terra wondered sadly if her broken heart would ever stop aching. She couldn't help but think back to her conversation with Sarah so long ago. She had promised that a heart could change if given the chance. Terra unconsciously glared. What a ridiculous thought. Her heart had never changed, Jareth's heart had never changed. Sarah was a sweet girl, but she was certainly no expert on matters of the heart, having never herself experienced such an intense attachment as love.

A commotion outside caught Terra's attention and she moved to the window. She was surprised to see a vast crowd around her house. What on earth were they doing?

A sudden knock on the door startled Terra. She knew the servants would promptly answer it but she couldn't help but be curious since she rarely ever got visitors. She exited her bedroom and started working her way through the house to the front door. She reached the top of the stairs and stopped, looking down. Her maid was standing next to the door, speaking to none other than Jareth. He had an anxious look on his face. Terra looked down at her casual gown; she had barely had time to get out of bed let alone change into something more suitable for entertaining company. She smoothed out her skirt as best she could before drawing attention to herself.

"Oh, ma'am," her maid said, "Prince Jareth is here to see you. I wasn't sure if you were awake yet or not."

"Thank you, I can take it from here," Terra smiled, descending the stairs.

The maid curtsied and left, leaving Jareth and Terra alone.

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"Well, this is unexpected," Terra said.

"Yes, I can see that," Jareth said, but he sounded mildly distracted when he spoke.

Terra glanced down at her dress again.

"Well, I could have made you wait longer, your highness," she answered cheekily.

Jareth didn't smile, instead letting his gaze meet the floor. Terra waited for him to speak, wondering what the matter was.

"I'm sorry," Jareth muttered.

Terra blinked in surprise, "I beg your pardon?"

Jareth's mismatched eyes met hers, his expression penitent.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, "So sorry, for everything."

Terra stared at him in shock, "What are you talking about?"

"I treated you so foully in childhood—"

"Jareth, those were harmless tricks! I didn't mind taking the blame for them—"

"They may have been intended to be harmless," Jareth said fiercely, "But they put further strain on your relationship with your parents."

Terra rolled her eyes, "Who cares about them?"

"I should have!" Jareth snapped, "I should have cared about you, how my thoughtless actions affected you! But I left you instead."

"That was years ago, Jareth!" Terra protested, "You had ambitions!"

"So did you! Ambitions that I ruined!"

"You didn't know—"

"Of course I knew!" Jareth shouted, losing control of his temper, "I always knew. And I'm not going to repeat my mistakes again. I wanted to tell you this yesterday but I choked. I felt unworthy to ask you the question I am about to ask after everything I'd done to you."

"Jareth, I forgave you for those things years ago!" Terra said.

"But I didn't deserve it!" Jareth objected, "I didn't deserve you! I still don't. But...I have to ask one selfish request before my silence kills me." Jareth stepped forward, taking Terra's hand in both of his. Terra looked up at him, her heart rate increasing slightly with the weight of the tension in the room. "Terra," Jareth said softly, "I want you to come back with me to my kingdom...but as my wife."

Terra's heart skipped a beat.

"What?" she said, hardly believing her ears.

"I don't want to be friends anymore. I want to be so much more than that. You complete me, Terra," Jareth said, almost stumbling over his own words, "If your past feelings have changed, just let me know and I'll leave and never bother you again."

Terra pulled away.

"Let me get this straight," she said, turning away from him, "You want me to go back with you as your wife?"

"Yes," Jareth said pleadingly.

Terra faced him again, a smile spreading slowly across her face.

"And you thought I'd say no?" she asked quietly.

Jareth's expression transformed into one of disbelief and wonder. Terra laughed, closing the distance between them with a few swift strides and throwing her arms around his neck. Jareth's arms entwined themselves around her waist, holding her close as though he were afraid she was a dream that would slip through his fingers if he wasn't careful. Terra beamed up at him, feeling her heart bursting with happiness.

I guess a heart is capable of change after all, she thought as Jareth's lips crashed onto hers.