Chapter Text
It didn't help that Cassandra and Stone were fighting. Just little tiny squabbles, they'd probably jumped into living together too soon. And when the initial rush of feeling for each other wore off, little tensions from not knowing each other that well became greater than they should have been. They both really wanted things to work and given another week or two, those little tensions would have evaporated. But they hadn't counted on Baird's riding them so hard.
After yet another failure (from Baird's perspective) of a training exercise, Baird was lecturing them as they walked toward the Annex. This time, Stone was actually attempting to take Cassandra's side as he was just as angry at Baird as she was. Only he chose to say the wrong thing.
"I'm here to do science and math and occasionally hallucinate. You're just not being fair."
"Exactly!" Stone exclaimed. "You're ridin' her way too hard, Baird. Especially with her hallucinations. We can't . . . ."
He was cut off by Cassandra turning on him angrily. "Oh? So now you think I can't do this job either? Because of my tumor? Thanks a whole lot."
She stormed in front of him.
"Cassandra, c'mon! What did I say now?"
"Oh and that's another thing," Baird said with a sigh. "I don't know what's been going on with the two of you, but until you learn to keep your personal life at home . . . ."
"We do!" Stone lied pretty unconvincingly.
"It's fine." Cassandra huffed.
They walked into the Annex and Jenkins mentioned the clippings book. Baird again shot down their pleas to investigate whatever the pages said and took off after Jenkins.
In the main room, the three LITs were eying the clippings book. Cassandra and Stone trying to avoid looking at each other.
"We're doing this right?" Ezekiel finally asked.
"Hell yeah, we're doing this." Stone said, completely fed up with Baird.
Cassandra just smiled and rushed over. As they leaned over the book, Stone brushed his hand across the top of Cassandra's and they declared a momentary truce.
They did manage to talk Baird into letting them take the case. And, with the help of Jenkins' magic door, they were in Boston at Golden Axe Foods.
Soon, separated from Baird, they were in the basement, looking for human resources.
Cassandra was complaining about a headache and Stone was getting increasingly concerned.
"Are you sure it's not your brain grape about to pop?"
"Jones . . . ." Stone muttered his tone dangerous.
But Cassandra was already irritated and headachy. She snapped, "Okay, new rule. How about we not refer to the tumor that will one day kill me as a 'brain grape'?"
And that's when they opened the door to Human Resources and discovered it was full of human skulls. Then Baird called to fill them in about what she found in the server room and Stone and Cassandra came to the conclusion they were in the labyrinth from Minoan myth.
They started running, but Cassandra's head was pounding.
"Guys, wait, I need a minute."
Stone looked frustrated but if Cassandra's head hadn't been hurting so much, she would have seen the fear too. "Honey, we don't have time. We have to get the hell out of here."
"Oh, come on, don't say because a monster is coming!" Ezekiel proclaimed. "Because in your myth, didn't what's his name . . . ."
"Theseus." Stone snapped.
"He killed the minotaur, right? So if he killed the minotaur, it's not down here. Right? Right?"
"Just c'mon!" Stone yelled, grabbing Cassandra's hand to pull her forward down the hall.
But very soon she dropped his hand and stood still, her pounding head in her hands.
Ezekiel was complaining about the halls not making sense.
Stone was muttering to himself, driven by frustration and fear. "Just great, I'm stuck in a magic maze. With a thief. And . . . ." He stopped himself abruptly, eyes wide. What the hell had he almost said?
"And what? Damn it Stone. What is wrong with you?"
"Cassandra, I didn't mean. . . look, you're not feelin' your best right now. And I need to get you safe. Alright? Out of here."
"Look, I'm sorry okay? I cannot help that I have a headache. I can't help that I have a brain tumor! I know I'm slowing you down. I know I let you down before."
"What are you talkin' about? And can we not do this now?"
"Oh, okay, so you can say little things about me but if I bring them up, it's not now?"
"This is not the place to talk about them. And I haven't . . . .okay, I get I keep sayin' the wrong thing. But there's never a right damn thing with you!"
"Tell me how you really feel then."
Stone shook his head. "How I really feel? I love you, but right now . . . Cassie? Are you okay?"
Cassandra had gasped. "There's a pattern. Pattern, pattern, pattern, pattern. Circles inside squares inside triangles. . . ."
"Cassandra . . . ."
"That's why I have the headache. My brain knew we were in a maze before we even noticed it ourselves. I can see it. Kind of."
"Can you kinda get us out of here?" That came out more sarcastic then Stone had intended and he winced. If they ever got out of this alive, he owed her so many boxes of chocolate and flowers. So many. And he knew he'd be on the couch for a month. If she didn't move out in the meantime.
"Oy!" Ezekiel shouted. "Can you save your domestic for when we get out of here? I say we follow the brain grape."
"We are not calling it a brain grape!"
Then they heard the creature roaring. "Follow the brain grape!"
Cassandra and Jacob had figured out that Baird had signaled them in Morse Code. For a moment, they just beamed at each other. Cassandra's heart skipped a beat, her Jacob was back as opposed to the stranger she'd been seeing in his place all day. Then she realized how much he was acting in fear. She squeezed his hand and he came back to reality.
He sighed, "Let's go."
"Anyone else worried that the monster heard those gunshots too?" Ezekiel asked.
"I'm hoping we find Baird first," Cassandra said, her hand still firmly in Jacob's though he was bringing up the rear.
That was not quite how it happened because they rounded the corner and came face to face with the monster. Stone threw Cassandra behind him, though she didn't stay there and he gave up and made sure he was a little in front of her.
Baird though had their backs, shooting the Minotaur, though that didn't do much other than slow him down. They were able to outrun him and thanks to Jenkins were back in the Annex. But they soon realized that they never really had left the labyrinth at all.
The Minotaur, now in the guise of a large man, attacked them outside the Annex. Both Baird and then Stone got thrown over a car and across the street.
"Jacob!" Cassandra screamed but Baird was equally screaming at her and Jones to run.
Jenkins was able to buy them a few minutes of safety as they tried to work out a plan.
Between the three of them, the Librarians realized what they'd have to do to shut down the maze and end Golden Axe Foods' plot. Cassandra was able to figure out the design of the maze and drew a map.
"That's a map back to the Annex. Maybe, probably," Cassandra said, handing it to Baird.
"Whoa, where are you going?"
"We're going to have to split up. You don't want to be in the Labyrinth when it goes poof."
"I'm not letting you out of my sight again," Baird said.
Stone was shaking his head behind her. He had a really bad feeling about where this was going.
Ezekiel realized where Cassandra was going about the same time. "If we don't split up, then he's got us. This plan doesn't work unless someone distracts Mister Stompy."
"Fine, then I'll distract him."
Stone walked forward, locking eyes with his girlfriend. He didn't like this one bit. Not a single one. But he knew she was right. And for the first time in his life, he was going to have to trust someone else to do the right thing.
He took a deep breath. "On your own, you don't stand a chance. And if he kills you, he's gonna chase us down."
"So we send these two in on their own?"
"Don't like it any more than you do. But . . . ."
Ezekiel nodded. "Cassandra to find the center, me to grab the thread."
"It's the only way," Cassandra said, looking from Stone to Baird. "You can't protect us all."
Baird nodded, knowing when she was beaten. "How much time do you need?"
"Ten minutes to find the center," Cassandra said.
"Five minutes to crack the case."
"Fifteen minutes. Check."
"Don't jump the gun," Stone warned Jones. "And if she gets hurt, so help me . . . ."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, the Minotaur is the least of my problems. So don't lose the bull."
"And don't stray off the path," Cassandra warned them. "Jacob . . .be careful."
Stone didn't say anything, instead he did something he'd promised Baird he wouldn't do. He grabbed Cassandra and kissed her. Quick and hard. Ezekiel and Baird just exchanged glances and rolled their eyes.
When the kiss broke, they just looked at each other, everything they needed to say, exchanged in a look. I love you. Be careful. I'm so sorry. I'll make it up to you. Come back to me.
Baird cleared her throat and readied her gun. They pulled apart. Stone coming back to stand by Baird, Cassandra by Ezekiel.
"Good hunting," she nodded to Cassandra and Jones. Then turning to Stone. "And remember . . . ."
"I know . . .smarter not harder. I got it."
The Annex's doors opened to wind and nothingness.
"Cassandra!" Stone yelled, his voice bleak and terrified.
"Jones!" Baird echoed, both of them looking at each other with dismay. Then suddenly a ball of thread came flying through the door. It knocked Stone over but he was able to catch it and with Jenkins' help was able to avoid being pulled back through the door. Baird also grabbed the thread and they were able to pull Cassandra and Ezekiel back through the door.
As soon as Cassandra was able to breathe, she just melted into Stone's arms. Jenkins, Jones and Baird decided that maybe it was a really good time to start balling up all of that twine.