Title: Square One
Rating: PG
Content: Romance. I admit it :-)
Disclaimer: Labyrinth is property of its assorted copyright holders.
Note: Grammar is not my forte. Please overlook my lack of it. Oh, and this is a companion piece to The Morning After
Feedback: Please. :-) Whether you hate it or love it, please just let me know if you've read it :-)



Chapter Two



"...and those would be the common themes in Shakespearan lit!" Dee announced proudly, a bright gleam in her eye as she looked to her study partner.

Sarah smiled wryly as she looked at the pretty face of her friend. It was simply amazing that anyone could so dully recite "The Facts", as Dee usually put it. Sure, the girl had it right... technically... but how could she just treat the great Bard as if he were just some boring...

"Damn, this stuff is sooo boring, Sare. How the hell do you manage to stay as glued to it as you do?" Dee whined, a petulant look coming over her latina features.

With a small shake of the head, Sarah studied her friend carefully. In all honesty, although she cared about Dee very much, the girl was getting to her lately. Oh, certainly, there was no one better to take to a party...if they could find someone to watch sweet Chloe for the time...but when it came to being serious and looking to the future, all Dee could do was worry about relationships. After 2 years of knowing her, Sarah was still left to wonder if Dee realised anything of the world existed beyond the need to find love. And it wasn't as if the 16 year old was a stupid girl, Sarah thought as she examined the generous but pretty features of her friend's face, quite the opposite. Even with having a child, the girl was a senior in high school *and* in Advanced Placement courses. But Dee, as undeniably brilliant as she could be, was one of the most incredibly immature people Sarah had ever met.

Sarah wrinkled her nose in distaste as she looked over the books. "It grows on you. If you let it. I honestly can't see how you could not love the junk. Shakespeare didn't write about just events in some boring old timeline, Dee, he wrote about people... about magic. About love..."

"Figures it always comes down to magic with you," Dee grinned evilly as she rested her back against the bed's carved headboard. "So any more interesting..." this said with a licentious waggle of the eyebrows... "dreams of your loverboy prince...?

"King, Dee! King!" Sarah corrected absently, a bright blush creeping to what seemed the very roots of her hair. She writhed in discomfort as she folded her legs on the bed, Dee taking full pleasure in the tease.

"Whatever. Same thing."

Sarah shot her another icy glare, but the look left Dee utterly unphased. Damn vodka, she grumbled to herself as the false innocence on Dee's face began to get on her nerves. Two years before, shortly after her wonderful Labyrinth adventure, she had met Dee in one of her classes. The girls took to each other right away, both of them seeming to be dissolving a sense of extreme loneliness on the other's behalf.

At that time, Sarah would have been willing to do anything to enjoy a friendship as the ones she created in the Labyrinth. She missed them so very much and it had hurt to live her life without it. And then, Dee came along. She was funny, outgoing, and had one of those personalities that drew people to her like an intense magnet.

One night, early in their friendship, Dee had decided she wanted to get drunk. Stupid kids, Sarah sighed to herself as she remembered the 15 year old girl she once was. And they managed to get totally and completely smashed. Caught up in the spirit of intoxicated comraderie, Sarah had spilled her dreams to Dee. Every moment of the maze, every gesture of the Goblin King poured out of her heart in a desperate rush. And to Sarah's deep consernation, not only did Dee seem to recall every bloody word (and for that alone, Sarah would never really drink alcohol again), but she had the insane opinion that Sarah had a crush on the man. Which, of course, while still being totally incorrect, Dee found absolutely hilarious. A crush on a dream lover... did anything beat that? Dee hadn't thought so and used every excuse to tease her friend about it.

Crush? Bah! I don't even like him, much less like him, Sarah told herself firmly as she readjusted the book in her hands. The girl is just nuts or something. If Dee had only met the man, she'd understand.

"Yeah, anyway... " Dee started, her soft soprano husky as she picked at the split ends in her hair. Uh-oh, Sarah thought as she watched Dee's feigned nonchalance. Here it comes... "Did I tell you what happened with Marcus?"

Frowning, Sarah shook her head slowly, both girls realising perfectly well that no more studying would occur this night. "He didn't handle Chloe so well?"

With a heavy sigh, Dee shook her head. "No. He said..." Dee chuckled roughly to herself as she drew her knees to her chest in a strangely protective, child-like manner, "he said that he just couldn't get involved with someone who had a kid. Can you imagine?"

Sarah leaned her head on Dee's thin shoulder in an unspoken testimonial to her support. "Better to have him tell you now..."

Dee suddenly darted up, nearly causing Sarah to fall over. "Don't you understand, Sarah? He's my *soul-mate*. This is the guy I'm supposed to spend the rest of my life with..." She wiped at her eyes nearly angrily as she stared at the crib. "This is him. I swear to god, this is really it. So why doesn't he love me back?"

Having had regained her balance, Sarah propped her chin up on her hands as she watched Dee pace around the room. A part of her seriously doubted the girl knew what love was, much less had found her soulmate at 16. But something about Dee's words seemed so sincere...

"Dee, girl," Sarah forced her voice into the chaotic silence before Dee could continue, her words jarring the latina's thoughts. "It's better for him to know this now, before you get involved, than..."

"I'm already involved, Sare," Dee sighed, falling back to the bed with a groan. Sarah winced as the tell-tale shininess of tears brightened Dee's eyes.

Sarah shrugged. "Then don't be. It's all up to you. Just ignore the guy. You don't need him..."

Sniffling helplessly, Dee leaned her head against the wall, a mass of short, black curls tumbling over her ears as she pushed the long straggles of bleached, orange strands from her pretty face. "You think, Sare? I don't think I can really do it."

"I know it's what you have to do. Use your sense, Dee!" Sarah smiled encouragingly, watching as the girl slowly accepted her words.

"But..."

"Uh uh. Make up your mind on what course you want to take and take it, Dee. You know you need to forget Marcus, right?" Sarah waited for the girl to nod, ignoring the fact that when it came it was reluctant and uncertain. "So forget him."

Sighing dramatically, Dee looked towards the crib. With a sharp exhale, she dabbed at her eyes half-heartedly. "I guess you are right..."

Sarah suddenly grumbled as she heard the distinctive ringing of the phone echo through the empty house. "Hold that thought, Dee. Be right back." And with that, she left Dee and her daughter alone to contemplate the future.





She ran downstairs, her long, slender legs taking two to three steps at a time. With a slight pout, Sarah glanced back up the staircase to the room where her friend was waiting.

"555-8251," Sarah answered into the onyx phone as she lifted it from its cradle.

"Sarah! Oh, good. You are still there..." Karyn's voice resounded from the receiver, static infusing her words with a surreal quality. "We landed safely in Hartford and your father is renting a car for us right now..."

"A car instead of just taking a taxi? Oooo... the decadence!" she teased her stepmother playfully, a small smile coming to her face.

"I know. Your father surprises even me sometimes," Karyn replied with no small amount of humour. "Listen... I was in such a rush before I left that I don't remember if I turned the iron off."

"Oh, no problem, Karyn. I'll go turn it off now," Sarah assured her as she looked towards the laundry room.

Karyn seemed to chuckle in amusement. "I knew I could count on you, Sarah. Would you mind checking a couple other things while you do that? I wasn't exactly thinking when I left the house earlier..."

With a short sound of impatience, Sarah nodded. A moment later, she realised Karyn couldn't see her. "Oh, yeah. Sure. What do you need?"