Lost Kin Chronicles: Mirror Image by garggirl
Disclaimer:
All the characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyright Disney/Bueno Vista Television.
No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized
by the copyright holder.
All original characters are the property of garggirl.
------
March 13, 2003
Soft music could be heard high above the rooftops. Its source, the Eyrie Building. Most of the gargoyles were gathered in their suite. Each night since their return to their ancestral home, the clan would assemble together and visit.
"One, two, three. One, two, three. OUCH!" Elisa began to limp in pain.
"Sorry," said Goliath apologetically "I had no idea that learning to dance would be so difficult."
"Yeah, well, you thought wrong," said Brooklyn, smiling. He jabbed Broadway in the gut jokingly. The trio seemed to relish the fact that their fearless leader had defeated enemies from both the past and future but still hadn't mastered dancing.
"Could we nae have any commentary from thae peanut gallery, please?" asked Hudson, his eyes never leaving the television screen. "I'm tryin' t'catch up on thae thousand yuirs of history we missed." Hudson had a stack of National Geographic videos next to him, a gift from Elisa the previous Christmas. At the moment the elderly gargoyle was thoroughly engrossed in The Life Of Christopher Columbus.
Elisa sat for a moment to massage her sore foot. The human winced with every touch. Goliath leaned in close to his mate. "If you like, we can stop for now and pick the lesson back up when the others are elsewhere," he offered, referring to the trio.
"No, no, no. I said I was gonna teach you to dance," replied Elisa as she began to stand, "and come hell or high water, I'm gonna teach you to dance."
"I hope your medical insurance is all paid up!" called Lex from across the room. He high-fived his rookery brothers.
Elisa took hold of Goliath's massive hand. She always felt dwarfed whenever she stood next to the large gargoyle, after all he WAS nearly twice her height not to mention ten times her weight, and she knew Goliath even went out of his way to be very careful when he and Elisa touched. The last thing Goliath would ever want to do is accidentally break her hand or, god forbid, crush her while she slept.
As the pair moved around the room Goliath began to feel a little more sure of himself. He did his best to move as smoothly as he possibly could.
"That's it. You're getting the hang of it now," Elisa announced proudly. Goliath was feeling a bit more confident now, a sly smile appearing on his face. "Now, let's try a spin." she suggested.
They each released a hand and everything seemed to be going well, that is until Goliath's grip slipped. Elisa flew across the room, crashing into Hudson who was nearly 20 feet away. Goliath ran over to his mate, apologizing profusely, but he too lost his footing, tripping on an errant toy of Alex's, and fell backwards onto Bronx who happened to be napping beside Hudson's chair. Bronx, who didn't take too kindly to being dropped on, huffed impatiently and stomped away -- most likely to find a quiet place to lick his wounds.
Brooklyn turned to his brothers. "Must be his first day on his new feet." A hearty laugh resounded from deep inside their chests.
Just then young Alexander Xanatos barreled into the room, bouncing a ball as he went. Alex stopped briefly in front of Hudson. "Uncle Hudthan," Alex said through his lisp "Whatcha watchin?"
"Nerthin' yer'd be interested in, lad," replied Hudson.
"Can I watch, too?" he asked, using his famous pouting face. It never mattered what Hudson was doing, all the young human ever cared about was spending time with him.
The olive gargoyle smiled. He had become rather attached to Xanatos' son. "I dern't believe yer'll like it, but very well."
Alex smiled broadly and climbed up on the elderly gargoyle, settling himself into the crook of Hudson's arm.
The sound of clicking could be heard coming from the corridor and all motion in the room stopped as two figures stepped around the corner. It was Angela and Fox, Alex's mother. Angela was wearing a sleek black dress, very form fitting and showing all her curves. Broadway took one look at his mate and nearly fainted from excitement.
"How does this look?" asked Angela, modeling her outfit for everyone "I thought I'd wear this to the wedding." Goliath and Elisa's wedding was fast approaching and Angela was determined to look her best for the blessed event.
"You look fabulous, Angela," replied Elisa "Absolutely breathtaking."
Broadway walked up close to his mate and whispered something only Angie could hear. Then, as quickly as she appeared, Angela turned on her heels and left with Broadway following close behind. The large, blue gargoyle stopped briefly in the doorway.
"Don't save us any dinner," was all he said and then, he too, was gone. As the door closed behind Broadway, the sound of realization echoed in the stone walls.
"What did he mean, Uncle?" asked Alex innocently. "Why doesn't Uncle Broadway or Aunt Angela want any dinner?"
Hudson stared blankly at the boy. He looked to Fox for help who only smiled wryly, waiting to see how Hudson was going to dig himself out of this problem.
"Well, lad, yer aunt an'uncle are a wee bit tired so they're going t'bed early," Hudson explained nervously. The answer seemed to satisfy the child's curiosity.
Lex sidled up to stand beside Fox. Gently he placed a webbed hand on her abdomen.
"How long now?" Lex looked up to meet her gaze.
"Still five months at least," Fox chuckled. Fox had begun to show signs of her pregnancy more and more over the last few weeks. "I know I can handle it, but David is going out of his mind just waiting."
"Yeah," Brooklyn added "His brain is part of a permanent out program!" Everyone, with the exception of Alex, had a good laugh at Brooklyn's remark.
Alex yawned widely, rubbing his eyes.
"Someone's tired, isn't he?" said Fox sweetly as she took the child into her arms. "C'mon little man," Fox stood up "Time for bed."
Hudson watched as Fox and Alex left the room, then turned his attention back to the television.
Elisa and Goliath made their way out onto the parapet. There was a chill in the air and the wind whistled all around them, causing Elisa's hair to twist in the night sky.
"Just think," started Elisa "In less than 48 hours we'll be husband and wife," she paused, taking a long, cleansing breath. "Time goes by so fast, doesn't it?"
Goliath nodded in agreement, yet his expression said his mind was elsewhere.
Elisa looked up at the large gargoyle, concerned "What's wrong?"
Goliath sighed. "There's been no sign of Demona for months, and you know how she feels about humans."
"Vividly," Elisa muttered under her breath.
"I hope she doesn't try to disrupt the ceremony."
"And there's the Quarrymen to worry about as well," Elisa stared towards the horizon, taking in its beauty. "I'll talk to Xanatos about getting some extra security posted. That should make it safe."
Since Alex had been born Fox and Xanatos had resolved their differences with the clan, and when Fox found she was expecting again, the relationship between Xanatos and the clan changed drastically again. Not only did Xanatos offer to host Elisa and Goliath's wedding but he had the gargoyles suite remodeled and invited Elisa to move into the castle, allowing her to be close to her mate.
Goliath pulled Elisa close to him, staring deep into her eyes and ever so gently kissed.
Some distance away, a dark figure perched on the side of a building, binoculars in hand. It was Demona, a scowl spread across her face.
"That is the very last time she will ever touch a gargoyle in such manner!" fumed Demona, her eyes blazing with the heat of a thousand suns. It was widely known among Titania's children of how much Demona despised humans, especially one human in particular. Elisa Maza.
Demona let out a battle cry and launched herself into the darkened sky, flying off in the direction of a towering skyscraper -- her home since she had began becoming human by day. During the night hours Demona was a gargoyle, feared and hated by humans, but by the light of day she was known as the exotic Dominique Destine. Over time she began to use her transformation to her advantage. As Dominique, Demona had money and power, giving her the tools she richly desired to wage her mystical battles.
Demona landed gently on the terrace of her apartment. As Demona burst through the french doors, a stack of papers toppled to the floor from the sudden gust of wind. At that moment a rather muscular, brown-haired gargoyle came through the bedroom door.
"Hello, my love. Back so soon?" he said, looking at Demona "Did you find them?"
"Of course! Was there ever any doubt?" she replied with a slight laugh. "Have you found a way into the compound yet, Fang?"
"Not yet," Fang said with a grunt. "That place is locked up tighter than Fort Knox."
For weeks the pair had been trying to devise a plan to crash the impending nuptials, but so far the floor plans they had obtained from a man on the inside were not being very helpful. Every door, window, and air shaft was either blocked or guarded.
"This is just wasted energy," Demona said, a rage building up inside her. "What we need to do is strike when they least expect it and dispense with all this unnecessary garbage!" she gestured to the papers that blanketed her lavish home.
A malicious grin appeared on Fang's hairy face. "At dusk, we strike!"
------
"Hey sis!" came a familiar voice. Elisa looked up to find the owner of the voice.
"Derek!" elated Elisa. She stood on the catwalk of the castle. Elisa waited for her brother to touch down before throwing herself into his arms, wrapping him in a big hug.
Goliath glided down from a higher parapet.
"Talon, it is good to see you," Goliath greeted Elisa's brother warmly.
"How ya doin', in-law," Derek shook Goliath wrist firmly.
Elisa opened her mouth to speak, but was suddenly silenced by a voice from below.
"Goliath," called Lex from the courtyard. "You've got a phone call."
"Who is it?" Goliath called back.
"You better come see about it. There may be a situation," Lex answered, wavering.
------
"Okay, do I have everything?" Beth Maza asked herself as she peered into her shopping cart. "Oops, almost forgot the crab meat." The woman made her way to the meat section. One package remained. "Just in time," said Beth as she reached for the seafood and tossed it into the cart.
Moments later, after paying for her groceries, the young woman was out onto the street and on her way home. It was late, almost 11:15pm, and the sun had long since set. Her brother was supposed to meet her but he was never very good at keeping appointments. Not long ago Beth's brother was one of New York's finest police officers, Derek was his name, but after a rather unfortunate encounter with the geneticist Anton Sevarius, Derek was transformed into the gargoyle mutate Talon.
Unfortunately, the fastest way home was to cut through the alley, but at night it scared her a little. Beth knew the streets of New York weren't safe at night, despite the presence of the gargoyles, and she wanted to get home as quickly as possible, so she decided to swallow her fear.
Beth steeled herself and started down the long, dark alley. She kept to the centre, trying to avoid the homeless people that lined themselves against the walls. It was then she heard footsteps behind her. Beth began to walk faster and faster, the footsteps matched the speed of her own. Finally she broke into a run.
As she rounded the corner to enter the next street Beth came to a sudden stop. A large bulky man loomed over her, a pistol in his hand. The man forced Beth back into the alley as the footsteps behind her halted. She turned only to find two more men. They grabbed her arms and forced her against the wall, the grocery bags falling to the ground at her feet.
"Please, don't hurt me," Beth pleaded "I'll give you anything you want!"
"You better believe we'll get what we want, or you'll find yourself six feet under," said one of the men. He held a switchblade in his hand, and as the moonlight glinted off the steel Beth could feel her fear swell up inside her.
"Think again," came a voice from the shadows, and suddenly two forms leaped from the darkness. Beth crouched low to the ground as the fight began.
All around her Beth could hear the rattling of chains, gun shots, and the crack of fist meeting bone. When the commotion had died down, Beth looked up to see the attackers running away and her saviours standing over her.
"Thank you," Beth said gratefully, getting up. Without a word the two figures turned to leave and, as they did so, something caught Beth's attention. "Wait," Beth urged as she brushed herself off, "Don't go!" The figures stopped in their tracks "You're gargoyles, aren't you?"
They turned to stare at Beth, still fixing herself from the scuffle. "How do you know what we are?" demanded one, a girl.
Beth's attention was drawn to the one creatures' leg. "You're bleeding!" she exclaimed. Beth gazed around them, a crowd of vagrants was beginning to form. The gargoyle strangers noticed this, too.
"We better get outta here, my apartment is just across the street," Beth suggested. The strangers hesitated. "You were kind enough to help me. The least I could do is return the favour, now come on!" Beth urged.
Beth grabbed a couple of discarded coats she found lying nearby. After covering both gargoyles with the old garments, the three of them started off across the street, Beth's groceries tucked into the crook of her free arm. "My name is Beth," Beth said as she and the other gargoyle guided the injured one."
"I'm Dawn," replied the uninjured creature, "And this is my sister Eve."
As they entered the apartment complex, Eve's breathing became laboured. Fortunately for her they took the elevator to Beth's floor instead of the stairs, which was good since she lived way up on the seventeenth floor, and it was just their luck that there was no one in sight.
"Here we are," announced Beth as she closed the apartment door behind them. Beth and Dawn guided Eve to the couch, setting her down carefully.
This was the first time Beth was able to get a good look at the pair. Both girls had a trim figure and their skin was a greenish hue. Their eyes, a brilliant shade of blue, almost like glass. The wings were brown and, if you look close enough, one could almost see tiny black flecks. The only difference between the girls was the way they wore their hair. Dawn's hair reminded Beth of the Egyptian queen Cleopatra, and she sported an obviously fake beauty mark on her left cheek, while Eve's hair reached all the way down to her knees. It was painfully obvious, even to the casual observer, that they were twins.
Beth made her way over to the phone and dialed a number. Dawn strained to hear the exchange of words but to no avail. Moments passed then Beth hung up.
"I called some friends of mine for some help," Beth said as she pulled out some towels from the bathroom closet.
"Why'd you do that?" Dawn was becoming frantic. "We don't want anyone to know about us."
"No worries," Beth replied, a sly smile appearing, "Something tells me I think you can trust them."
Eve breathed heavily. "You're the first person we've met in a long time that hasn't been afraid of us."
Beth dabbed at the blood that was steadily trickling down Eve's leg. "That may have a little something to do with my brother and sister."
"Why?" asked Dawn, puzzled.
"Well," she answered without looking up "My brother is a genetically engineered gargoyle who use to be human, and my sister is marrying the local clan leader in a couple days."
The two gargoyles looked at each other in shock. They couldn't believe what they were hearing, finally they had found more of their kind.
Suddenly Eve cringed.
"The wound is superficial," Beth noted "But the bullet must be touching a muscle. Just lay still." Beth looked out onto the balcony as several creatures touched down. "Well, what d'ya know. The cavalry's here."
Dawn and Eve followed Beth's gaze.
The patio slid open and several new arrivals entered the spacious apartment. Ten figures stood in the archway: Goliath, Hudson, the trio, Angela, Fox, Xanatos, Elisa, and Talon.
Fox stepped apart from the group and she carried with her a small medical kit. The red-head approached the fallen gargoyle. She worked quickly and before long Fox was able to dislodge the bullet. As she bandaged the wound Fox spoke soothingly "Now, just lay still and try to rest." She rose and went to rejoin the others.
"What happened?" inquired Elisa, growing ever concerned for her sisters safety.
"I got jumped in the alley on my way home from grocery shoppin' and..." Beth was suddenly cut off.
"Oh no!" said Talon, slapping his clawed hands to his head. "I was supposed to walk you home! I'm so sorry, sis." Talon embraced his little sister, as if never wanting to let her go. "Were you hurt?" Talon squeezed tighter.
"Uh...Derek. Oxygen becoming an issue." Beth tried to gasp for air. Quickly the mutate released her. "Fortunately, no, I wasn't hurt. I was surrounded by these huge guys, and then from out of nowhere these two appeared and fought the thugs off." Beth motioned to Dawn and Eve.
"I told you this neighbourhood was too dangerous," Elisa chided.
Goliath turned his attention to the uninjured female. "My name is Goliath, leader of the Manhattan Clan. Tell me," he looked into her young eyes, "who are you, and how did you come to be in Manhattan?" The others listened intently to the exchange.
Dawn became nervous over the sudden attention. "My name is Dawn, that is my sister Eve," she motioned to the figure laying on the couch.
"But t'is impossible!" Hudson exclaimed "In all o'gargoyle history there has ne'er been twins."
"Actually, we are a part set of triplets but our other sister was lost when our home was raided by bad people," Dawn replied. "They wore masks over their faces with a symbol on it...a red hammer."
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Elisa glanced at Goliath.
"Quarrymen," he replied simply, a low growl rumbling deep in his chest.
"You are the first gargoyles we've ever seen other than each other. We thought we were the only ones of our kind," Dawn said as she gazed around her.
"Nae child," interjected Hudson calmly "There are more, much more all over thae world."
"Where are you from?" asked Xanatos, slowly stroking his beard.
"Canada," Dawn said simply. She eyed everyone, looking for a reaction. When she saw none she continued "We never knew our parents, the fact is we were hatched and raised among humans. The three of us were very close, so close in fact that we hatched from the same egg."
Hudson looked on curiously.
"There was me, Eve, and our lost sister was named Emony. The human who found the egg was named Stanley Curran. He found it where the forest met the edge of his farmland. Stan and his wife, Annie, raised us with their four daughters." Dawn paused long enough to sigh.
"When we were three years old the farm was raided and Emony had been kidnapped, or killed. We don't know which cuz we never found a body. There was really nothing Stan could do. He couldn't call the police, they would ask a lot of questions that he didn't want to answer and they'd end up taking us away. He didn't want to risk our safety a second time. As soon as Eve and I came of age we set out on our own to search for what became of Emony. This is the first time we've encountered other gargoyles."
"How long have you been travelling?" inquired Angela.
Dawn stared thoughtfully "Let's see. We hatched in 1970. We were 18 when we left..." Dawn trailed off.
"16 years," wheezed Eve "You were never very good with math." She looked at Dawn wryly.
"Lass, by gargoyle standards yer only 18," piped Hudson.
"That's right," Goliath nodded "Gargoyles age at half the rate of humans."
"Really!" breathed Dawn.
Goliath turned back to Hudson as if an after thought occurred to him "That means they are due to rise soon," Goliath smiled slightly as he and Hudson eyed Brooklyn and Lexington a moment.
"And Angela has yet to make her flight," remarked Hudson thoughtfully, stroking his beard slightly. Suddenly the Angela and the Trio had the feeling their entire future was being mentally mapped by their leader and elder. They exchanged a four-way worried glance.
"If I may interject here," said Fox, raising her index finger "It's late and Eve really does need her rest."
"You could come back to the castle with us!" Brooklyn exclaimed, his voice squeaking slightly at the prospect of more females.
"No," Fox shook her head "Eve must not be moved. She needs rest. A good solid day of stone sleep should set things right."
"They can stay here," Beth suggested.
"Then we will see you tomorrow night," said Goliath as he picked Elisa up and glided away. Soon the balcony was empty.
As the girls watched the menagerie fly out of sight Beth glanced sidewardly at Dawn. "C'mon, I'll show you where you can rest."
------
March 14, 2003
Matt Bluestone, Elisa's police partner and long time friend to the gargoyles, watched as the sun set over the horizon. The air was chill but he didn't mind cuz this was going to be one wild night. As the last ray of light disappeared from the sky the gargoyles began to awaken. Matt turned to Xanatos, who stood nearby, and nodded.
"Are you ready?" Matt asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be," replied Xanatos, he held a cassette player in his arms.
Suddenly bits of rock sprayed in all directions. Goliath stretched, letting out a ear-splitting roar, and before he knew it he was engulfed in a tidal wave of music and falling confetti. Xanatos had pressed the play button and the song Celebration resounded from the tape player's speakers.
"What's all this?" Goliath asked, scooping up a bit of confetti.
"What's it look like?" replied Xanatos, clapping a hand on the lavender gargoyles' shoulder "It's your bachelor party."
The beginnings of a smile appeared on Matt's face. "C'mon, let's get stupid!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.
The noise was soon matched by the other men around him. The guys grabbed Goliath and heaved him up onto Hudson and Broadway's shoulders then turned and marched into the castle shouting "Party, party, party."
Down on the next floor the girls were having a party of their own.
"Okay, gift time!" announced Beth, guiding her sister to the couch. The other guests gathered around the bride-to-be. Angela, Beth, Fox, Dawn, Eve, and Maggie Reed were all in attendance.
"This one's from me," said Fox as she handed Elisa a small, delicate box.
Elisa opened it carefully, but when she saw what it contained her jaw swung open like a rusty gate. In her hands Elisa held a shear, and very reveiling, black nightie. Giggles filled the room. "I can't wear this!" Elisa gasped "What would Goliath think of me?"
"He'd probably be thinking Yippee!" offered Beth. There was another barrage of laughter.
"Here's another," said Angela as she reached forward, presenting her gift. This one was much heavier than the negligee box.
Setting the smaller box aside Elisa began to open the new parcel. Inside sat a rather large, rather old book. Elisa looked at Angela curiously. Since the first time Elisa had met the gargoyles she had slowly been studying magic. A task that hadn't been easy considering that she had no one to learn from.
Elisa immediately recognized the object, "Where did you ever find this?" a puzzled look crossed the humans delicate features.
"The Magus once told us that shortly before he had first cast the sleep spell on the remaining clan he had transcribed a second copy of the Grimorum-Arcanorum just in case anything happened to the original." Angela paused to take a breath "He also said that if any of us ever left the island that we should look for it."
"Let me guess," Elisa smiled "It was hidden somewhere in the castle and..."
"And Xanatos never knew about it," Angela laughed.
"David never was very good at hide and seek," Fox added "He looked for that thing for months."
"Wait..." Elisa interjected "Way back then, the reversal spell for the stone sleep was ripped from the book, right?"
"Right," replied Angela.
"Then if there was a second book why didn't the Magus retrieve the spell back then?"
"Not all of the Magus' spells were copied. The castle was invaded before he could finish. He also assumed it had been stolen during the attack when he couldn't find it in his chambers."
"Then where did you find it?" asked Maggie, speaking up for the first time.
"A hidden compartment in the kitchen," Angela laughed.
"Alright, alright," said Fox, putting the rest of the gifts aside "The other presents can be opened later. Right now it's time for the entertainment," a sly smile appearing on her face. Angela hit the play button on the CD player and hard bumpngrind music filled the room. Suddenly a rather muscular young man appeared, wearing nothing but a skimpy pair of speedos.
Elisa felt herself flush.
------
March 15, 2003 - 6:00pm
The warm sun streaked into the spacious offices of the Nightstone Unlimited building. At the top of this structure sat the office of the president and C.E.O, Miss Dominique Destine.
"Miss Destine," came a soft voice from the intercom "Your 6 o'clock appointment is here."
"Send them in," replied Destine. Dominique's long red hair had been pulled back into a loose pony tail, just the way she liked it.
The door slowly creaked open and three figures stepped inside. It was the thugs Beth had the unfortunate run in with the previous night. Dominique stood with her back to the men and stared out the window. "Did you get her?" she asked calmly.
"Well..." the big one started.
"Did you get her?" Dominique repeated more forcefully "Yes or no...this is not a difficult question."
"We were ambushed by a couple of monsters," one of the smaller men replied.
"You imbeciles!" Dominique spun on her heels, her eyes blazed with anger.
"But it wasn't our fault!" the big one protested "We had her and all, but..."
"SILENCE!" screeched Dominique. The noise echoed in the walls. "Why is it I can't even trust you enough to kill a human?" her voice levelled off.
The three men caste their eyes to the floor.
"Human!" remarked the burly man under his breath.
"Leave," she turned back to the window. The men filed out, closing the door tight behind them. Dominique sighed. "When you want something done right, do it yourself."
Dominique watched as the sun set far beyond the tall buildings, a growl resounded from deep inside her. Suddenly her impeccably manicured hands twisted and became claws, her beautiful face contorting. Miss Destine was once again becoming Demona. After the transformation was complete Demona gazed down at her torn dress suit. Without a second thought she reached across her desk and pressed the intercom button.
"Marie, arrange for a dress suit to be delivered from Valentino's promptly."
"Of course, Miss Destine," came the reply, without question.
------
7:25pm
"Is everything ready?" Goliath asked nervously.
"Don't worry," Brooklyn replied, straightening Goliath's tie "Everything is going fine. The guests will be arriving shortly and Elisa's in with Beth getting ready."
Goliath found himself breaking into a cold sweat, which was odd since gargoyles didn't have any sweat glands. Elisa had insisted on a human ceremony, to please her mother, so the two love birds had opted for an outdoors wedding. The ceremony was to be held in the courtyard followed by the reception in the throne room.
There came a knock at the door. It was Hudson, all decked out in his wedding garb. "How dae this look?" he asked warily.
"You look smashing baby, smashing," said Brooklyn in his best Austin Powers impression.
Hudson looked at the clans second-in-command wryly "Ha, ha, very funny." Hudson eyed Goliath like a proud father "Well, ye got an hour left, ye nervous?"
"Is the Pope catholic?" Goliath chuckled weakly. He signed and gazed into the mirror before him "I wonder how Elisa is doing?"
------
"You look beautiful!" gasped Beth as her sister paraded around the room.
"I feel beautiful, too!" Elisa replied "And nervous."
"Well, that's to be expected," added Beth as she smoothed out Elisa's lily white dress. Elisa sat down in front of the mirror to put the finishing touches on her hair.
"Beth," started Elisa, gazing into the mirror at her sister's reflection "Am I doing the right thing?"
"Let me ask you this, do you love him?" Beth asked.
"Yes."
"And does he love you?"
"He must if he asked me to marry him."
"And can you see yourself spending the rest of your life with him?"
"I see what you mean." Elisa smiled and re-focussed her attention on her hair. "It was silly of me to ever think otherwise."
Unbeknownst to either of the girls a small, green sphere flew through an open window and bounced several times before coming to a stop under Beth's chair. Suddenly the room began to fill with smoke, it was emanating from the ball. Beth and Elisa began to cough.
"Elisa..." Beth called out to her sister as she gasped for fresh air. Not long after, Beth fell unconscious. Elisa was able to keep her eyes open long enough to see two figures enter through the window, then nothing more.
Sometime later, after the air cleared, Beth awoke to find Elisa no where in sight but in her place the young woman found a letter. After briefly scanning through it a look of horror appeared on Beth's face and she raced from the room.
------
"Goliath, Goliath!" Beth shouted as she ran down the hall.
The large gargoyle stepped out of the groom's dressing room and Beth almost ran him down.
"Calm down," Goliath said, taking hold of her shoulders "What is wrong?"
Hudson and Brooklyn appeared behind him.
"Elisa's gone!" she said exasperated.
"What do you mean she is gone?" Goliath asked frantically. Beth handed Goliath the note. "If this abomination of a wedding is not ceased immediately you will never see your beloved Elisa again." Goliath crumpled the paper up, letting it fall to the floor. Rage coursed through Goliath's body.
"XANATOS!" he screamed as he burst into the throne room. Xanatos was overseeing the final decorations. He looked surprised to see his old friend in such anger.
Goliath leaped upon the ex-con and forced him to the ground. He had the human by the scruff of the neck, shaking him furiously. "You said you had posted extra security in the building!" Goliath fumed.
"I did, it's three times larger than it was yesterday," replied Xanatos, gasping for air. He tried to overpower the gargoyle. Nothing short of a nuclear blast could've pried Goliath off the human, not with the adrenaline rush he was receiving. Just then Hudson and Brooklyn bounded through the double doors. At this point Xanatos was turning the most brilliant shade of purple.
"Will someone please get him off me!" was all he managed to say. Hudson and Brooklyn each took hold of Goliath's arms and heaved him off the tiny human. Xanatos stood and brushed off his suit. "Now," he breathed "Will somebody b please /b tell me what's going on here?"
"Elisa's been kidnapped." said Brooklyn before Goliath had a chance to speak.
Xanatos looked like he had been hit with a forty pound weight. Do you know who it was?" he asked, becoming quite concerned.
"Demona," snarled Goliath.
"We'd better call out the troops," suggested Brooklyn.
Hudson nodded in agreement, then turned to Xanatos "Stall thae guests for as long as possible. We're goin' t'rescue Elisa."
------
8:15pm
"Hey, she's waking up." called Fang as he rose from his chair.
Elisa gazed around the room as she tried to focus her eyes. She couldn't see much, though. It was way too dark to really focus on anything. She looked down to find herself tied to a chair. Elisa moved her wrists to try to loosen her bindings but to no avail. Thankfully, she wasn't gagged.
Demona appeared from the shadows to stand by her mate, shooting a menacing look at Elisa as she moved.
"What do you want with me Demona?" Elisa asked warily. "I'll give you whatever you want, just let me go."
"You're in no position to bargain, sweetheart," growled Fang as he stroked her cheek.
Elisa shuddered as Fang slowly traced his nail down along her soft skin. Suddenly the mutate twitched his wrist, sending his long, sharp claw burrowing into her flesh. Elisa shrieked in pain, sobbing, as blood began to trickle down her face.
"Down boy," Demona said soothingly to her companion, scratching Fang behind his ear. "Don't damage the merchandise." Fang began to purr.
"Did you really think you'd get away with tainting gargoyle the bloodline?" asked Demona, moving around Elisa's chair. "You and your kind are going to pay for what you were about to do."
Fang leered at Elisa.
------
8:35pm
Brooklyn flew across the night sky, Goliath swooped down beside him.
"Found anything yet?" came Hudson's voice from a walkie-talkie that hung on Brooklyn's belt. The message was filled with static.
"All clear from up here." replied the red gargoyle. Brooklyn glanced at his friend. He could see the pain and anger in Goliath's eyes. It was painfully obvious that Goliath was out for blood, in the most literal sense of the word.
Suddenly, Goliath looked down sharply.
"What do you see?" Brooklyn inquired, flying closer.
"Trouble!"
------
Somewhere in Central Park Hudson, Dawn, and Eve darted in and out of the tree line. Goliath had sent them to search on the ground. "Lass'," started Hudson slowly "I was wondering something," he continued to survey the park as he spoke.
"Hmmm?" replied Eve.
"Dae ye recall thae colour of thae egg ye hatched from?" he asked, growing ever nervous.
"Yes, it was green with lavender speckles. Why do you ask?" answered Dawn.
"I was remembering thae other day when ye told us yer ne'er knew ye parents. Ye wouldn't know this but none, if very few, e'er know who their parents are. Hatchlings are raised by thae entire clan."
"Really?" said Dawn in wonderment.
"There is but one way t'match child with parent. Tis thae colour of thae egg shell." Hudson continued "I wish to tell ye a story...when I was a young lad I fell in love with a beautiful lass. Very few of us in thae clan took names, I myself didn't take a name until we woke up in thae New World. Anyway, this young lass' name was Amara. She had thae most beautiful an'unique colour I had e'er seen. Lavender with dark purple speckles she was. I had thae fortunate luck to have caught her during thae Mating flight."
Dawn and Eve listened intently to Hudson's story, but continued to move throughout the park.
"Several months after we had...er...consummated our tryst, Amara birthed an egg." Hudson began to look uneasy, his eyes glossing over "T'was abnormally large by gargoyle standards, and nae one in thae castle could figure out why. Thae castle was raided by warriors from thae east a few weeks later. I tried very much to protect both Amara and thae egg but we had been separated during thae fight. Many eggs in thae rookery were destroyed and several adults either slain or smashed in their stone sleep. I had always believed that she an'thae egg had been destroyed."
"I don't think I understand the meaning of your story?" replied Eve, looking very puzzled.
"Thae egg ye described of having hatched from matches thae one Amara birthed. Green, because of my skin, and thae lavender specks, due to Amara. Though I should nae be tellin' ye this, as it is nae thae gargoyle way, but I believe you two, as well as yer missing sister are thae offspring of Amara an' myself."
Dawn and Eve stared in astonishment at Hudson. They couldn't believe what they were hearing, but before they had time to react to this sudden revelation they were attacked.
------
8:45pm
"Looking for us?" mocked Demona, a sly smile appeared on her face. She and Fang touched the ground and stood ready to fight.
"What have you done with Elisa?" growled Dawn, furious over her new-found friends' disappearance.
"That's for us to know," mocked Fang "And you to find out."
All of a sudden, from out of nowhere, there came a ear-splitting screech. It was Goliath, jumping into the fray. Goliath barrelled straight into Fang, knocking him head over heels. The lavender gargoyle started to pound on the mutate furiously. Goliath spoke as he fought.
"Where punch is punch Elisa!punch" he said with each blow that connected with Fang's face.
Demona lunged at Eve, dagger in hand, slicing at the girls' arm "You're new," Demona snarled "Let's see if we can change it to dead!"
"You don't honestly think you can scare me, do you?" Eve replied, her arm beginning to bleed "I've coughed up scarier things than you." She reached behind her and withdrew a long double-edged steel sword from its sheath. "You've got a pretty big blade there," commented Eve as she swung her sword in front of her with only a flick of her wrist "Mine's bigger."
Soon the park was filled with the noises of clanking metal and the crunch of fist meeting bone.
As Eve kept the red-haired gargoyle distracted, Dawn found herself able to circle around behind Demona, taking up a position directly behind her. Carefully Dawn reached into a small leather pouch at her hip, withdrawing a long, heavy piece of leather. Attached to the ends were two small rubber balls. It seemed to be a crude version of a nunchuck. Dawn began to swing it above her head, trying to get enough momentum to release it.
Demona ducked under Eve's swinging sword and kicked her in the stomach. Hudson rushed to Eve's side, broad sword in hand, but before he could do a thing Fang came out of nowhere.
Dawn glanced over to see Goliath and Brooklyn sprawled out on the ground, barely moving. Dawn could wait no longer. She let the leather fly, hooking it around Fang's neck. The balls hits him squarely in the face, knocking him unconscious. Quickly she retrieved another such weapon, this time aiming at Demona's legs.
Demona's legs buckled under her allowing the leather strap to wrap itself tightly around them, sending her crashing to the ground. Eve stood over Demona, sword aimed at her throat. "Now do you wanna tell us where Elisa is?" she asked innocently.
------
9:00pm
Elisa could barely lift her head. She was weak, and not just from lack of sleep, but she had been rather badly beaten. A bit of blood trickled out of her split lip, it's copper taste leaving its flavour lingering in her mouth. Elisa's throat was dry and hoarse, she could barely manage a whisper.
A door creaked open behind her and light spilled into the room. As the door slammed shut Elisa could hear the pattering of footsteps on the cement floor.
Elisa tried to ready herself for another round of torture, but she was in no way prepared to see who was in the room with her.
"Oh, Matt. I'm so glad to see you. I..." came Elisa's hoarse voice.
"Shhh. Don't talk." the man interjected soothingly. "You're much too weak to speak right now." The pair made their way out onto the street and were greeted by the sound of police sirens.
"What? Didja call out the SWAT team just for lil'ol'me?" Elisa said jokingly.
Matt chuckled "Would you've expected anything less?"
------
9:30pm
"Dearly beloved," began the minister "We are gathered here to witness the union of these two beings in holy matrimony. If anyone here objects to this wedding, let him speak now or forever hold his peace." Goliath peered behind him nervously, half expecting Demona or some other threat to come crashing through the balcony doors. The minister continued "Goliath and Elisa have written their own vows." He nodded at Goliath to begin.
"Elisa, love of my life. You are my sun, my moon, my starlit sky. I promise, in the presence of our friends and family, that from this day forward I will protect you from anyone who dare harm you." Goliath stroked Elisa's hand as he spoke, she smiled back at him.
Now, it was Elisa's turn. "Goliath, you are my best friend and confidant. Ever since we met all those years ago on the castle parapet I dreamed of the day that we'd be together, and even aside everything that has happened it'll be a day I'll never forget."
After the rings had been firmly placed on the bride and grooms hands, the minister looked at the pair and said "You may now kiss the bride." A sigh of pleasure resounded from the spectators.
------
Later, at the reception, everyone was congratulating Goliath and Elisa. Hudson had just finished his turn when Dawn and Eve approached him. "Father," began Eve "May we speak with you?"
"Aye, lass." he answered in return.
"Do you remember that story you told us about mother?" asked Dawn, slightly cocking her head.
"Aye." Hudson replied.
"We'll, Goliath told us that it takes only ten years for a gargoyle egg to hatch..." Dawn said before Eve cut her off.
"Why did it take so long for us to hatch?" Eve finished.
"When I knew ye mother she was highly skilled in the ways of magic, a student of the Magus she was. She must've had a spell to slow thae passage of time." Hudson speculated "Tis entirely possible that when she passed aw'y time resumed it's course."
The sisters nodded their heads in satisfaction.
"C'mon," Hudson said proudly as he put an arm around each of his daughters. "Let's go get a wee bite."
THE END