Hello everyone! Welcome to the first chapter of my Labyrinth story, Friend or Foe! The Labyrinth is honestly one of my favorite movies of all time, and I really hope my story does it justice. This will definitely be a long term project, although how long still remains to be scene.

In case you're new to my style of writing, I pretty much have a general (and I mean VERY general) idea of where I'm going in the plot, and pretty much leave the rest up to my own imagination at the time of writing it. This means that I absolutely love input on what you guys think of the plot, where you think it should go, etc.

Also, if anyone wants to help me come up with some OC's to add later on in the story, please do let me know in either replies, or private messaging, or whatever!

I plan on making these chapters pretty long, probably stopping somewhere in the 3-5 thousand word mark. Let me know if you guys like or hate that format. I should update about once every two weeks, depending on how much feedback I get from these first few chapters.

***ALSO. PLEASE NOTE: I PRACTICALLY LIVE OFF OF REVIEWS. I don't care whether you're telling me how awful my writing is, just saying hello and letting me know you're reading, or showering my story with praise. I guarantee I read every single comment and reply to as many as I can!***

Anyway, thanks again for stopping by and I hope you enjoy Chapter 1! (Also, I'm planning on keeping the chapters unnamed. I'm really bad at coming up with original chapter names. Hope you guys don't mind!) Talk to you guys later! 3

*I do not own The Labyrinth or any of the Labyrinth characters.*

"4 margaritas and 4 tequila shots to table 8," A tall man called out to the woman behind the bar. "Got it!" She yelled back, pouring the shots and getting to work on the blended drinks.

Sarah Williams. Age 23, in her sophomore year of college, working the night shift at perhaps the sleaziest bar in the city. This obviously hadn't been where she'd wanted to be at this point in her life, but when money's tight, you take what you can get. She had applied for the job only 2 years ago, and having just turned 21 at the time, she was accepted almost immediately. The rest was history, her after-school routine now consisting of peddling drinks and hot wings from table to table for 5 hours a night.

Pouring the blended concoction into a series of empty glasses on the counter, Sarah stole a glance at the clock on the wall to her left. 10:38.

Only 20 more minutes and she'd be home, washed up, and in bed. She sighed at the thought.

Forgetting the way her limbs ached as she carried the full tray to table 8, Sarah set down the drinks in front of 4 middle aged men who seemed to be in a heated discussion about the game on the TV.

Waiting for a break in their conversation, Sarah asked the question she'd probably repeated hundreds of times by now. "Is there anything else I can get you?" Directly in front of her was a man with a scraggly beard who turned to her with a grunt. "Just your number, darlin," He oozed in a voice dripping with intoxication. His equally drunken cohorts were sent into a wave of howling laughter, slapping him on the back for his supposedly 'witty' remark.

Pressing her lips thinly into a polite smile, she ignored his comment, adding, "Let me know if there's anything else I can get you."

She spent the next 20 minutes filling orders and carting out cheap finger foods, and was more than relieved when the clock finally struck 11:00.

Grabbing her purse and coat, she headed outside and waited on the curb where she knew her ride would be momentarily. Stepping into the brisk night air and seeing that she was all alone sent a chill down her spine, and for a split second, she was actually afraid.

This is exactly how it had been when the accident happened. Sarah placed her hand gingerly above her hip, right where she knew the scar was.

It was a little over a year ago when one of her customers who had consumed a little too much whiskey had tried to force himself onto her. He had apparently waited for her to get off of work, and when he saw his chance, he took it at knifepoint.

Or, tried to take it. Luckily, Sarah's sobriety gave her the upper hand, and pushing her attacker away, she screamed as loudly as she could until her coworkers ran outside and dealt with the situation. She had gotten away, but certainly not unscathed. With a gash from her hip to her upper thigh where the man's knife had grazed, she was left with a painful reminder of just how cruel the world could be. The wound wasn't even close to lethal, yet one year later, that scars in her mind and her hip still wouldn't heal.

She exhaled slowly, letting the anxiety and the memories dispel from her. Shoving her hands further into her pockets, she tried to retain as much warmth as she could until the familiarly beat-up looking 2004 Honda Civic pulled up.

Through the driver's window, she saw a familiar face waving at her. Waving back, Sarah quickly opened the door and got in the passenger seat. Kira Ingram, her extroverted, preppy schoolmate and best friend from highschool luckily got out of work at the diner across the street at the same time Sarah did, meaning carpooling was a regular occurence.

"So, how was it today?" The bubbly blonde inquired as they drove off. Sarah sighed. "Let's just say tonight wasn't a good night for tips."

"Ugh, I hear you. But then again, is it ever?" Kira had a point. They had both gotten their jobs at about the same time, but could still hardly afford rent, let alone schooling. But somehow, they were making ends meet.

"And how about you?" Sarah returned, knowing her friend would undoubtedly have some wild story about one of her coworkers to tell.

And that is how they spent the ride to Sarah's apartment. Kira proceeded to tell Sarah all about Becca, the rambunctious new girl, fresh out of high school, who somehow knew how to make her life a living hell. After every sentence, Sarah would either nod, or give the obligatory 'mmm-hmm' that let Kira know that she was still listening. Eventually, they pulled over in front of a building to their right that Sarah recognized as her apartment.

"Hey, you wanna come in for a drink or something?" Sarah asked her friend, as she almost always did. The two of them would usually catch each other up on all the latest gossip floating around for at least an hour, before Kira headed back to her own apartment. "Not this time," The pretty blonde yawned, "Tonight really worked me." Sarah immediately saw through her lie. "You've got a boy waiting for you, don't you?" Kira giggled, face flushing red at being found out. "Just wait until you meet him! You're really going to like this one, I can tell!"

Kira had always been the more popular one of the two. It wasn't uncommon for the vivacious young woman to have a man over every once in awhile, but they tended to leave just as often as they showed up. "I'm sure I will," Sarah responded, giving her silly friend a half hug, stifling a yawn of her own.

"I'll see you Monday!" Sarah called from her front door, waving at her friend as she drove off. Grabbing her keys from her purse, she unlocked the door, and stepping inside, she flopped onto the couch in her living room. Letting her head roll back against the armrest, she closed her eyes for a moment until she heard a 'meow' to her left.

Looking down, she saw her "roommate"; a gigantic, long haired tuxedo cat, looking at her expectantly.

"Ah, there you are, Bigs!" She called out affectionately, patting her legs and granting him permission to hop up. The fat cat's real name was Briggs, but after he grew in size, his name adjusted naturally. He jumped up immediately, laying himself down directly where Sarah had patted.

Sarah sat there with Briggs, petting him for several minutes until her attention was drawn to the flashing light on her landline, which showed that she had a message. Standing up (much to Briggs' disapproval), she walked over and pressed the button to replay the message.

Immediately, the voice of an excited boy filled her apartment, subconsciously sending a smile across Sarah's features.

"Hey Sarah! It's Toby," the voice said, as if Sarah hadn't already guessed. "How are you? Anyway. Mom and Dad wanted me to call and ask if you wanted to come over to our house this weekend. They really want to see you. And I do too!" She giggled at this. "So call us tomorrow morning if you can make it. And hey..." He paused. "Can you bring the book, too?"

The sound of an older woman from somewhere near Toby called to him, telling him it was time to hang up and that dinner was ready. Toby said goodbye, and with a final 'click' that told Sarah he had hung up, she was left in silence.

Sarah heaved a sigh at his final request. Everyone in that household knew about 'the book', The Labyrinth. The story that had captivated Sarah as a teen, but after one fateful night, she never picked up again.

She hadn't read the book since her return to the Aboveground, but from what she could recall (Some aspects of her adventures had begun to fade from her memory), everything in it was true. Sarah would never admit it to anyone else, but she felt an immense sense of embarrassment at how juvenile and selfish she had been at the time, and if she was as bratty as the book had depicted, then she had good reason to be embarrassed.

Despite never reading it anymore, she kept the book at her bedside. There was something deeply unnerving, yet also calming about the book's presence. It gave her a sense of solid ground, like a security blanket.

As the years went by, and Sarah's baby brother grew, so did her relationship with him. While she was still living with the rest of her family, she gave the book to her dear little brother to read as he grew older (although she eventually snuck it back when she went off to college). But, before she had left, Toby and Sarah spent many an hour discussing the contents of the book. Tales of Ludo, Hoggle, Didymus and Abrosious; the heroine's knights in not-so-shining armor. And of course the loathsome Goblin King, with his scornful demeanor and haughty superiority.

Although all scenes were loved deeply by the boy, there was always one scene that Toby talked about the most. The magical chapter where that evil king had shed his high-and-mighty skin, and danced with the unnamed girl through a masquerade of disillusionment and splendor. Sarah's skin had goosebumps every time she thought about that scene. Since that was where her memory loss was the most severe, she based it purely off of Toby's recount from the book, and the way he had phrased it made the Goblin King seem far more charismatic and loving than how she remembered. He even made it sound like Sarah was the antagonist for, quite literally, shattering his fantasy.

His fantasy. Or was it hers? Throughout the years, she could never find the answer.

She remembered there was dancing, but the small details escaped her. Were there other people at the masquerade? Had The Goblin King said anything to her as they had danced? Perhaps these were questions that were never meant to be answered.

Sarah was brought out of her reverie by Briggs, who meowed demandingly at his empty food bowl. She looked at the clock. 11:24. Far past feeding time.

Hurriedly running to the cupboard and grabbing a can of his favorite wet food, she plopped the mess down into the dish and pet him apologetically before walking into her room. She'd forego showering until tomorrow morning, before she left. Glancing at her nightstand, she saw the book sitting there. Deciding to ignore it, Sarah got herself ready for bed. As she did so, she began to hum a familiar tune, later singing the words quietly to herself. Softly, the words floated from her mouth in a hauntingly chilled tone.

"There's such a sad love, deep in your eyes,

A kind of pale jewel, open and closed

Within your eyes, I'll place the sky

Within your eyes."

She knew every lyric by heart. Sarah had heard tons of love songs in her time, but there was something different about this one. The composer was unknown, and there was this feeling that she couldn't quite place whenever she heard it's melody. It was a heart wrenching song, full of pleading, unrequited adoration.

Never hearing the song anywhere on the radio, she'd later assumed and eventually accepted that those words were something of her own creativity. But, even if that were true, she felt like those words held some great importance.

Turning off her bedside lamp, she sunk her head into the pillows, letting the aches and pains of the day sink deep into her bones. Replaying the song in her head, she let the gentle verses lull her to sleep.

The next morning, Sarah called her family to let her know she'd be there that afternoon. Making another call, she arranged for a taxi to be there to pick her up in an hour.

Packing up her things, Sarah was about to leave her room when her eyes once again found the book on her bedside table. Remembering Toby's request, she slid it into the front pocket of her bag.

She had just grabbed her keys and was about to lock up when a familiar meow stopped her in her tracks. Briggs stood in front of the door, demanding his owner's attention.

"Crap…" Sarah grumbled. She hadn't thought about Briggs being alone for 2 nights, and it was certainly too late to call a sitter. Who'd feed the little fatty? Seeing no other option, she threw up her hands in mock surrender. "Oh, alright! I'll get the cat carrier."

Locking the door behind her, the taxi driver helped load her bags into the trunk. He gestured to the cat carrier in Sarah's hands, and she quickly added, "Oh, no, it's fine! I'll keep him in the back with me."

That was how they spent the next hour, driving along in a smelly taxi. Sarah looked out her window and began to recognize the streets they went down, an indication of how close they were to her childhood home. She was becoming a little anxious.

Throughout the years, her relationship with her parents had never really improved, and in all honesty, it might be worse at 23 than at 14. Her father had established very early on that he would always side with his wife over her, and that certainly formed a wedge in their relationship.

Karen, it seemed, mellowed as time went on. In her youth, Karen was the source of many arguments within the family (mainly about things Sarah did), but now the two women had a mutual agreement that they would avoid getting on each other's nerves.

The only reason Sarah truly wanted to visit her childhood home was to see her little brother again. She loved every bit of that 10 year old boy, a true contrast with how she had felt when she'd made that fateful wish. Yes, things really had changed after her return from the Underground. In a way, she was thankful for it the experience. The rude, snide Goblin King was a very hatable being, but he HAD helped her learn to love her baby brother.

The shabby car pulled to a stop in front of the Williams' household. Every detail was exactly the same as she remembered, from the picket fence to the patio deck out front.

As she stepped out of the car, the front door of the house swung open, and she was met immediately with a hug around her waist by her little brother, only he wasn't so little anymore. His face was muzzled into her as he spoke. "You're here! I missed you so much!"

Sarah set her bag down to return the hug. "Oh, you're getting too big for me, Toby!" Laughing, she added, "I missed you too. How've you been?"

The little blonde boy began to fill her in on all of the adventures the 4th grade had to offer. To anyone else, the conversation would have been purely to the child's benefit, but Sarah truly loved hearing her little brother's stories.

Their conversation was cut short by her father's calling from the front door. "Ah, right on time! Come on in! Here, let me take that," Mr. Williams said, getting Sarah's bag.

The afternoon and early evening consisted of the family of four crowded in the living room, asking all sorts of questions about how Sarah was getting by. Toby sat on the carpet, messing with Briggs' tail, who didn't appreciate the disturbance in his slumber.

"So, any men in your life?" Karen broached. It seemed every time the family reunited, that was the first and only question out of her mouth.

"Oh, um, I just haven't had the time." Sarah replied, glancing at the young boy playing with her cat.

"Understandable. Those late shifts must be doing a number on you." Her father gruffly added. "I still don't like you working at that bar, Sarah. You know it's dangerous."

"I'm a big girl now," Sarah added with a chuckle. "I've worked there for 3 years now. I promise you, I'm perfectly safe."

Mr. Williams' eyes lowered. "Come on, I know that's not true. You remember what happened with that drunk, don't you?" Sarah's hand went subconsciously to her side. "What if your coworkers hadn't gotten there in time, and worse yet, what if something like that were to happen again?"

He brought this up every time they discussed her work, and to be honest, it got on her nerves. Ever since she graduated, Mr. Williams had always been demanding that she find work, and now that she had, he still wasn't happy.

Their elevated tones caused Toby's ears to perk up, and he was now trying to listen in on the adults' conversation.

"Can we please not do this in front of Toby?" Sarah quickly asked, slightly vexed. Mr. and Mrs. Williams had almost forgotten that Toby was there, and that he didn't know about the attack. Mr. Williams looked down guiltily.

Recognizing the awkward silence, Karen came to the rescue. "I think dinner is just about ready," She stood up, gesturing for the family to follow. "It was Toby's choice tonight. I hope you don't mind spaghetti!"

Their meal was filled with more idle chit-chat about the lives of the Williams'. When they had finished eating, Karen announced that it was bedtime for Toby. Any normal child would have grumbled and begged for more time, but his eyes simply widened and he turned to Sarah frantically. "Did you bring The Labyrinth?!" He eagerly inquired. Sarah nodded, smiling at the boy's excitement. "I'll go grab it. Brush your teeth and meet me in your room." Toby nodded excitedly and stood up without a moment to lose.

Snuggled in his bed, Toby waited impatiently for his sister to read the familiar words once more. Sarah, fronting a calm exterior, was equally as excited. Admittedly, it had been quite a while since she had read the magic book last.

Running her fingers over the worn red leather of The Labyrinth, she opened the book and allowed herself to be taken away to a world of magic and mischief once more.

"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful young girl whose stepmother always made her stay home with the baby. And the baby was a spoiled child, and wanted everything for himself, and the young girl was practically a slave. But what no one knew is that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl," She always paused at this spot, but she couldn't quite tell why. "…and he had given her certain powers. So one night, when the baby had been particularly cruel to her, she called on the goblins for help! 'Say your right words,' the goblins said, 'and we'll take the baby to the Goblin City. And you will be free.' But the girl knew that the king would keep the baby in his castle forever and ever and ever, and turn it into a goblin."

She read on and on, even doing the voices of Hoggle, Didymus, and Ludo, earning much laughter from her little brother. Somewhere along the way, Toby began to nod off until he was fast asleep. Sarah noticed this, but continued reading, not for the child, but for herself.

Sarah reached the part where the Goblin King danced with the girl. As her eyes searched the pages, there was an alarm that seemed to be ringing in her head. This was where her memory was skewed. She read on, eager to see the book's take on it.

"Wondrous music filled the air, and the room began to swirl in rhythm to the gentle beat. The girl locked eyes with her masked counterpart from across the room. She had no idea how or why, but she knew one thing to be true. This was their dance, and he was waiting for her.

The girl broke through the crowd, maneuvering her way around the dance floor, but her fellow dancers began to snicker at her and mock her, for every time she felt herself nearing him, he would disappear. She became almost desperate.

When she was about to give up, there he was, mask off, and there they were, face to face.

No words were necessary as they got into waltz position, and he took charge. Leading her gracefully around the room in perfect time to the music that flowed through the hall, she felt her eyes unable to stray from his.

His lips were moving, and she pieced together that he was singing to her. The words of love pouring through his lips seemed to envelop the entire room in their protective embrace.

'There's such a sad love, deep in your eyes,

A kind of pale jewel, open and closed,

Within your eyes, I'll place the sky,

Within your eyes.

There's such a fooled heart, beating so fast,

In search of new dreams, A love that will last,

Within your heart. I'll place the moon,

Within your heart.' "

She stopped reading there, her head entirely overwhelmed. This was the song! The song that had followed her for years and years, constantly playing in the back of her head. The unknown composer… It was the Goblin King?

Closing the book, she put her hand over her head, jumbled memories suddenly flooding back into place.

He had tried to distract her with the dancing, that must have been it! The Goblin King had put her in a trance, and tried to ensnare her until her 13 hours were long gone. She suddenly felt far less guilty for shattering the illusion with a chair.

Sarah was beyond angry. The book had phrased it so romantically, like every girl's dream was to be in that ballroom. How twisted they had made it! The Goblin King had tricked her, yet again! Sarah felt like a fool.

She decided that she had read enough of the Labyrinth for one night. Sarah set the book onto Toby's nightstand with a little more force than was necessary, and the sound caused the 10 year old to stir in his sleep.

Upon seeing her sleeping brother's face, Sarah calmed and bent down, brushing the hair from his eyes. Kissing his forehead, she turned out the light before heading into her own room for some now much needed rest.

That's all this time, folks! Sorry if I cut it off rather abruptly, I actually continued to write for a good half hour after this, but the chapter was getting so long that I had to split it in two (hence the 'Pt. 1). Thank you all for joining me on this journey, and I can't wait to hear how you guys like it! (Translation: YOU GUYS BETTER REVIEW OR I SWEAR I WILL KIL- give you all hugs because you're my viewers and I love you)