To Overcome

To Overcome - Chapter One

Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth. You will not gain anything by pressing charges. I do, however,
own the characters I have created.

For all those Jareth/Sarah fans, fear not. I have no intention of putting any of my original characters
with any of the movie characters

I hope everyone likes the story well enough. I love constructive criticism. Please, review.
Thank you!

* * *

The room was silent save the occasional crunching of a carrot stick as it was consumed. Cassandra
sat at the simple table of the office break room, her nose deep in a book. "Through dangers untold
and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City, to take
back the child you have stolen..." Clear crystalline jade eyes bore into the pages of the novel.
Distractedly, she reached with one caramel hand to grab a squeeze bottle of water. Eyes never
leaving the page, Cassandra picked up the bottle. She nearly missed her mouth as she brought the
bottle to her lips and drank.

"Isn't that a kids book?" Thick sarcasm interrupted her fantasy world. Crystal eyes rolled before
looking up to behold the owner of the offensive voice. He flashed her a righteous smirk as he
poured thick coffee into his mug and leaned against the counter. "Aren't you a little old for
that?"

Cassandra licked her lips before frowning at the black-haired man. "Shouldn't you have grown out of
your dick stage by now, Patrick?" Taking a sip from his mug, he raised a thick black eyebrow,
amused by her choice of language. He should have known she would reserve her most scathing remarks
for him.

"Grade school was a long time ago Cass..." He watched as pools of jade narrowed. Patrick chuckled at
her anger.

"You have no right to lecture me about the past." Chomping angrily on her last carrot, Cassandra
loudly began packing away the now empty Tupperware which once housed her lunch. Her nostrils flared
as he laughed at her reaction. Always careful with her books, Cassandra tucked in the bookmark and
placed the closed book safely in her bag before lifting it to her shoulder.

In haste, she jerkily made her way to the door. Anticipating her desire to leave, Patrick placed
his mug on the counter before barring her path. "Oh, come on." He chuckled and moved his hand to
the door frame conveniently blocking the knob from her itching fingers. "Are you telling me you
still hold a grudge? We were just kids." She shot her old enemy a dangerous glare.

"Get out of my way..."

His chuckle opened into full laughter. "You have got to be kidding. We're different people now,
right?" Cassandra watched as his brilliantly blue eyes washed over her form.

"Go to hell..." Her voice was quiet and dangerous.

Ignoring her comment, he flashed her a handsome grin. Cassandra was disgusted by it. "We've
both...grown." Picking his words wisely, his eyes once again traveled over her lingering in areas
that made Cassandra seethe with anger.

"If I didn't know any better, Patrick, I'd say this is sexual harassment." He chuckled as he
squeezed past her to lean his back against the door. His hand tapped and stroked the knob daring
her to try to twist it.

"What are you gonna do about it?" His smirk darkened as his eyes searched hers.

"My whole family is made up of lawyers and my dad is friends with your boss." Patrick's eye
twitched as his sneer faltered.

Suddenly serious, Patrick glared down at his childhood classmate. His treacherous gaze followed her
as he twisted the knob to release her from the break room. She brushed past him leaving behind the
scent of Egyptian musk. Patrick pressed his lips together and raised his chin as his eye twitched.
He leaned against the door's frame; His azure eyes watched as she quickly fled down the hall to
disappear behind her desk. "Everything is always so easy for you...Isn't it..." He mumbled before
pushing off the frame to return to his coffee.

Cassandra rushed past cubicles until she reached a lone desk beside the boss' door. "Okay Tabitha.
I'm back." She informed her replacement while setting her bag under the cherry-stained mahogany
desk.

"Well it's about damn time..." Tabitha stretched her chocolate arms over her head before rising.
Cassandra smiled shyly at her friend's gruff response. "What's wrong sugar? You look spooked or
something." A chocolate hand gently pressed against Cassandra's upon the desk. "Did he do it
again?" Dark brown eyes widened in dramatic astonishment before narrowing into passionate anger.
"You just tell me next time. I'll kick his ass for you."

Once again, Cassandra smiled warmly at her friend. "It was nothing." She shrugged and traded places
with the taller woman.

Long well painted claws smoothed down thick, straightened hair as red lips pursed with flaring
anger. "You know you could get him fired for doing that stuff. Girl, you gotta stick up for
yourself more. If you don't, I will. You know it." Cassandra's smile widened as her eyes danced
with sarcastic disbelief. "You're my girl, Cassandra." With a motherly smile, Tabitha bent her
muscular body toward her friend. She wrapped her arms around the younger girl's shoulders and
pressed against her cheek. "You know I'll go into ghetto-mode if I have to." After straightening,
Tabitha smacked her friend's shoulder. "That boy don't stand a chance against me. Old Tabitha's got
your back."

Before Cassandra could thank her friend, the older woman clicked her way down the tiled floor
toward the break room. Sighing, she pulled her long black hair from the restraints of the chair's
back before looking about her desk to get her bearings. Opening a black, leather bound booklet, she
peered at her scribbles to make out her boss' next scheduled appointment before getting back to
business.

Tabitha passed through the white door into the break room to find Patrick reading a newspaper. He
sipped at his coffee without paying any heed to his co-worker. Dark brown eyes shot him a dangerous
glare before she passed him to rummage through the company fridge. She had to admit, as she took
out a Styrofoam box and placed it in the microwave, the boy was handsome with his shiny black hair
and brilliantly blue eyes. He was tall and well-built as evidenced by his partially unbuttoned
business shirt. Tabitha concluded that he was the kind of handsome man that knew he was handsome
and exploited it; the kind that didn?t know the word 'no'.

"What are you staring at Tabitha?" His eyes never left the page as he spoke.

"You best stay away from my girl." Tabitha warned. Before taking another sip of his coffee, Patrick
returned her warning with a light chuckle as if to say, "whatever do you mean?"

"Mm-hmm..." Tabitha pursed her lips at his nonchalant laughter and left the room to enjoy her lunch.

* * *

"You're usual Cass?" A perky blond waitress smiled at her customer. Cassandra smiled warmly in
return and nodded with a "Thank you..."

The bar and grill bustled with it's usual small crowd. Cassandra enjoyed watching people mingle.
She produced a notebook and jotted notes and speculations about the more lively characters
decorating the large room. Within a few minutes, the waitress returned with a glass of red wine.
"So how are you doing today?" Cassandra put down her pen and regarded her usual waitress.

"I'm doing okay. Cody's doing better." Placing her pencil behind her ear, the waitress sat at down
in the seat opposite her customer.

"Well, that's good. I was worried when you said he was in the hospital." Crystal jade eyes drifted
to the table.

"Thank you. Oh and Cody loved the picture you gave him. That's his favorite cartoon." Cassandra
blushed and waved her off. "Really! You know, we should go do something sometime." Shifting, the
waitress scooted off the bench.

"Yeah..." Cassandra gave a weak smile as the younger woman waved before returning to work. When the
waitress was out of sight, Cassandra's smile fell. "That's what they all say." Her eyes drifted to
the empty seat. Lightly, her fingers traced the lip of her wine glass. Blinking any sign of emotion
from her eyes, she took a refreshing sip of her drink. Her eyes lowered to the notebook and sighed
in disgust. Reality had always managed to piss her off.

Looking to change her mood, Cassandra reached into her bag. She pulled out the red hardcover and
opened it preparing to bury herself in its pages.

Patrick laughed as the lip of his beer bottle lingered just above his lips. He took a swift swig.
"Yeah. I wouldn't mind tapping into that." He grinned with arrogance as he and his friends watched
a blond waitress walk past.

She stopped and set a glass upon the table. Sparkling blue orbs widened as the girl sat down with
her customer. His eyes drifted to the waitress' companion. Long onyx hair flowed in rivers down the
girl's back until it ended in loose twists. Her skin was dark. Instantly, he recognized the orange,
Indian-style tunic. The girls smiled at each other as they spoke.

Briefly, his mind focused on the words of his friends as they, in turn, appraised the two women.
"Man, I like Asians..."

Patrick scoffed. "She's Indian boys. Besides, you don't want her. She bites." Setting his beer on
the counter, he rubbed his mouth as his eyes roamed over his co-worker.

"Ooo, Kinky..." Patrick shot his friend a glare. Once again, his eyes fell to the dark haired girl.
She was alone now, her head buried in a book. His lips twisted into a smirk. Her mouth opened
slightly silently forming words as her eyes danced across the page. She was so into her little
world, seemingly content to hide herself in her fantasies.

Patrick pushed himself off the bar he had been leaning against. "You guys want me to introduce
you?" Immediately, his friends followed interested in discovering the exotic woman.

"It's so easy to get lost in your fantasies. Isn't it Cass..." Patrick thought to himself as he waded
through the crowd, his entourage in tow. "You haven't changed at all. Locking yourself up in your
little corner; hiding from the rest of the world. How about I give you a little reality check?"

Cassandra turned the page, lost in the words. As she read, her mind imagined the characters acting
out the details of the book. Jareth, his mannerisms imposing and cold, taunted the young Sarah as
she unsuccessfully tried to mask her fear and fascination in the man. Cassandra's educated mind
reeled, trying to read between the lines to discover hidden meanings and literary references. The
story entertained her, but the story behind the story fascinated her. What was the author thinking
when they wrote the words? Where did the ideas behind the story come from?

"Are you following me?" She heard a familiar voice interrupt her thoughts. Cassandra felt her
cheeks flush as she lifted her eyes from the page. Sure enough, Patrick stood beside her table. She
pressed her lips together at the smug flirtatious expression on his face and felt sick to her
stomach. Behind him Cassandra found two men staring expectantly at her.

Patrick sneered. "You're still reading? Here?" Cassandra gasped angrily as he rested his knee
against her seat. On impulse, revolted by his lack of manners, she scooted away from him only to
realize what she had done. His smirk widened as he sat beside her and laid his arm on the seat's
back. He watched her shoulders slump and her eyes seethe with anger. Patrick scooted closer just to
watch her cross her legs in an effort to put some distance between the two of them.

"What the hell do you think you?re doing?" She hissed as her eyes darted across the table at the
two men sitting opposite her.

Patrick chuckled as if she had engaged him in pleasant conversation. "This is Matt and Todd. They
wanted to meet you." He pretended not to notice her anger, yet smiled at the faint flush of her
cheeks. "Guys this is Cassandra Patil." Once again, he inched a little too close for her comfort.
Tauntingly, his hand left the seat's back to run a finger down an out of place lock of hair. She
visibly shivered and pressed her shoulder against the wall hoping it would swallow her whole.

"That's a pretty name." The hulking blond man named Todd flashed her a handsome grin and leaned
against the table. Matt's chocolate brown eyes wandered over her nervous form as he drained his
beer.

As his comrades tried to spark the woman into conversation, Patrick plucked a notebook off the
table. He scanned the contents smiling at the scribbles. "What do you do here? Get drunk and spy on
people?" Crystal jade eyes flashed with fury as surprisingly strong hands desperately grabbed at
the notebook.

"Give that back!" His smirk turned to a full grin. Furious, She leaned against him trying to get
her prized belonging. He let his arm drop from the back seat to wrap around her waist. Horrified,
Cassandra felt as his hand slid from her waist to her hand where she held her book. His hand
covered hers teasingly before wrenching the hardcover from her grasp.

"Got it! Now let's see..." He dropped the notebook and turned away from her as his friends laughed.
Thinking Patrick was joking in the name of fun, Todd ducked under the table to retrieve the
discarded notebook. He flashed Cassandra a small smile as he placed it on the table. She didn't
seem to notice however with Patrick mockingly holding the red hardcover just out of her reach.

Cassandra growled in frustration while desperately reaching over his shoulder. "Listen-Listen to
this..." He roared with laughter. "You're ... him, aren't you? You're the King of the Goblins."
Patrick's voice was thick with velvety sarcasm as he read the line aloud.

"Come on man. Give her the book back." Suddenly serious, Todd reached his hand across the table
gesturing for his friend to quit his teasing. Patrick sent the blond an icy glare while Matt leered
at the woman unashamedly pressing against his friends back in an effort to retrieve her property.

"Yeah..." Matt licked his lips and reached across the table. "Gimme the book Pat." Visions of the
exotic woman pressed against him flashed in the brunette's mind.

"Give me the damn book!" At her outrage, Patrick reached behind to the woman pressed against his
back. His hand brushed over her thin, beaded blouse. Horrified, she recoiled against the wall
covering her chest with her hands. He turned to find her on her knees upon the seat gaping at him
in anger and disgust.

"What's the matter Cass?" Still holding the book, he rested his wrist against the table while his
other hand slid dangerously along the back of the seat toward her thighs.

"Hey man." Crystal Jade eyes darted to the furrowed brow of Patrick's blond friend. "It's not funny
anymore."

"Shut up Todd." Arrogant pools of blue darkened into a predatory gaze. "Matt why don't you go get
our friend, here, another drink."

With a snicker, Matt gestured for the larger man to follow him and leave the two alone. "No. Come
on man. You're scaring her." Todd knocked his friend's hand away. "I'm not goin' anywhere." Shoving
through his comrade, he rose from the seat. Cassandra tore her bag from behind her in the hope that
removing the obstacle would allow her to scoot farther away from her adversary. Patrick's hand
lashed out burying it in her lush hair. A slow smirk formed on his lips as clear cerulean eyes
narrowed with ferocious lust. Hugging her bag, Cassandra's breath caught in her throat.

"That's enough Pat!" Todd growled. He grabbed Patrick's arm and wrenched him from the seat away
from the frightened woman. Ignoring his friend's icy glare, he sat with a sympathetic frown. "Hey..."
Awkwardly, he shook his head and pressed his lips together while sliding the notebook to his left.
"I know you probably don't want to be here, but I wouldn't leave until he calms down." Todd nodded
toward the man standing aggressively to his right.

Clenching his jaw, Patrick watched as Todd slid Cassandra's wine toward her. Todd's features
softened into a careful smile when she cast him a look of confusion. "Fine. You want her?" Patrick
rolled his shoulders to regain some level of dignity. "Take her." The red hardcover gripped firmly
in his hand, he strode toward the bar. Like a lost sheep, Matt wavered between the beautiful woman
huddling in the corner of the seat and his best friend. He pressed his lips together and shot a
look of warning to his blond friend before retreating to the bar.

"Sorry about that." Todd whispered through the continuous banter of the crowd. "He's not usually
like that..." Crystal eyes flashed with disbelief.

"Why are you friends with him...?" She finally spoke, her voice muffled by her black leather bag.

"Usually, he's not that bad of a guy...maybe a little arrogant...but not that bad. Actually, he's
pretty fun...usually..." Still huddled in the corner, Cassandra felt her shoulders loosen so that she
was merely leaning against the wall. Noticing her relax slightly, Todd shot her a friendly smirk.
"What do you have against him?" Cassandra frowned. "I mean, you didn't seem to like him even before
he started doing all that...Well, you know."

Slowly, her legs slid off the seat until her feet touched the floor. She twisted her body so that
she remained propped against the wall preferring to keep her eyes completely on Patrick's friend.
"We have history..." She stated simply, an edge of disdain in her voice.

Todd nodded in understanding. "Ex-girlfriend..."

Cassandra narrowed her eyes into a venomous glare. "No." She hissed surprising her table companion
into raising his hands in defense. "We went to grade school together. He wasn't very nice." Her
expression darkened. Apparently, "wasn't nice" was putting it mildly.

Patrick squeezed his new beer with contempt. Todd was convincing the woman to relax. Blue eyes
narrowed. "Let me see the book man." Patrick jerked the hardcover away from his curious friend
before opening it. He skimmed the pages while taking a calming swig of his drink. Briefly, he
stopped, running his eyes over one line in particular.

He turned to see Cassandra flush as Todd ordered her another drink. Patrick pursed his lips into a
frown. "Dude she's just a chick." Azure orbs darted toward the owner of the voice.

"Yeah..." Patrick replied curtly. "I wish this Goblin King would take you away, right now..." Before he
knew what he was doing, he had thought the words. Patrick shook his head to remove the absurdity
from his mind before taking a long drink.

Cassandra blushed as Todd handed her a fresh glass of wine. "I-I can't-"

"I'll pay your tab. It's the least I can do for..." Cassandra's jade eyes darted toward the offensive
man in question. He watched her with a bitter glare before regarding the stolen book. She blinked
and returned her attention to the man sitting beside her. Todd was handsome. He had broad shoulders
and thick arms. His hair was a sandy blond color and his eyes were stormy gray with thick black
eyelashes. Before she knew it, Cassandra found herself smiling at him. He was being so kind to make
up for his friend's earlier actions. Kindness had always been attractive to her. Actually, that's
usually all it took for a man to stay in her thoughts.

She wasn't used to men being kind ever since grade school...ever since him... Once again, her eyes
darted toward the man in question. She watched his blue eyes narrow. "If only he didn't exist..." She
thought to herself. "I wish the goblins would take him away, right now." Cassandra smiled sadly at
her jest. "Too bad it'll never happen."

* AUTHOR'S NOTE *

Well, that's the first installment. I hope you liked it. Constructive criticism always welcome!