All the characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyright Buena Vista Television/The Walt Disney Company. No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder. All original characters are the property of Mouse. Thanks to my brother who helped edit and thanks to Neva who inspired the concept for this story with her story "The Inside Story."

Nick O'Malley trembled as he climbed the stairs. Why oh why had he picked this week to stop drinking? "Last time I take my sister's advice on anything," he muttered.

Nick moved cautiously because behind the door awaited the woman who was to be his latest interviewee: Demona.

Her very name made his blood run cold. Nick had heard very nasty rumours about her and unfortunately many had turned out to be true. Still, this could be the interview of a lifetime. He would be a fool to turn down an opportunity like this. "Just think it'll be something to tell the grandkids."

He opened the door. There, stretched out in an easy chair, was Demona, the being who had turned all of New York to stone and continued to be a source of terror for its inhabitants.

Demona smiled as he entered the room. "Come, sit," she said. She studied him. "You know, you're not quite what I'd expected."

Nick smiled nervously. "What exactly were you expecting Miss Demona?"

"Please, there is no need for formalities. Just call me, Demona." She tilted her head, as though trying to get a better look at him. "I am not quite sure what I was expecting. I am surprised you chose to visit me without guard. You must have tremendous faith in me."

"Actually, the magazine was too cheap to buy me any form of protection," Nick replied. "I spoke to you earlier on the phone but that brief conversation still didn't answer my question: Why do you want to be interviewed? In the past, you responded to every request for an interview by shoving the mic down the reporter's throat."

"I wanted my story told. I read in your magazine that you would be doing interviews for a series entitled "Gargoyles in Popular Culture" and I decided I had to make my views known."

"No offense, but you've made your views quite plain what with turning us to stone and trying to gas us."

"First of all, I didn't try to gas you; I tried to wipe out humanity using a deadly virus I'd been working on for the past five hundred years. Get your facts straight. Besides, I didn't ask for you to come here to talk about my views on humanity; I was hoping to discuss fanfiction."

"Fanfiction? Why would you be interested in the ravings of thirty-year-old virgins with too much time on their hands?"

Demona sighed and raised her hand to her forehead. "It used to be different for us. We used to inspire epic poems and wonderful artwork. Alas, that has fallen by the wayside and all we have left is the series and fanfiction."

"So you didn't like the television series?" Nick asked.

"It did capture well how a gargoyle thinks and moves, I'll admit. I watch it on occasion to see what they did right and what they got wrong. I was never consulted for the series so much of what's said about me on the show comes from the accounts of my enemies." Demona hissed and then continued. "Still whenever a series has more than five people watching it, fanfiction is sure to follow. I mean, there is Pong fanfiction, for crying out loud."

"So your experience with fanfiction has been an entirely negative one?"

"For the most part, yes. Occasionally you find a few good ones but they seem outnumbered by dreck. I'd say there are ten bad fics for every good one but I may be being too generous."

"What are your main complaints about your portrayal in fanfiction?"

"It varies between two extremes: I'm either TouchyFeely Demona or I am Snidely Whiplash."

Nick paused to write this down. "Care to elaborate?"

"I'd be glad to. I'm not sure which is more galling. Snidely Whiplash is annoying because I am reduced to a cackling crone who's thrown into the story merely to serve to force two characters to realize how much in love they are." Demona gagged. "In those stories, it's a wonder Goliath fears me at all. I am reduced to so little a threat that a gaggle of brain diseased five-year-olds armed only with their safety scissors can take me out."

"What irritates you about TouchyFeely Demona?"

"With those stories, what usually happens is I get a good dose of lovin' from some stud and/or studdette and that magically changes my views on humanity. I am turned from someone who nearly brought New York City to its knees to someone who smiles at strangers and is kind to puppies. Gag me with a shovel. Over thirty years after the feminist movement of the sixties and women are still stuck with those stereotypes."

"You didn't strike me as a bra burner, Demona."

Demona's eyes flashed red. "You're skating on thin ice."

Nick's flesh lost all colour and he fumbled his notes. "Sorry, shouldn't have said that." He shook his head as he collected his materials. "God, you sound so much like my sister sometimes."

Nick cleared his throat. "Back to the interview. Any men in your life?"

"No. After Thailog, I've sworn off men for awhile. They're nothing but trouble. They come into your life and screw with both body and mind." Demona turned pale as though remembering something from long ago. "You don't forget men like Goliath but how quickly he forgets you."

"I see." Nick made a mental note to back away from any more questions about her love life. It seemed to be a sensitive subject and he did not want to be on her bad side. "I've noticed they've seemed to really have latched onto the events of 'The Reckoning'. There seem to be page after page of stories where you and Angela reconcile."

"I don't mind those too much. They manage to at least portray my feelings towards her accurately. Many times I had entertained the notion of having someone to follow in my footsteps. I was hoping that she was merely naive from her years on Avalon and would soon see things my way once she got a taste of the real world."

"Do you think there can ever be reconciliation?"

"I really do not know. It doesn't seem likely since stubbornness seems to run on both sides of her family. I hold out hope that one day we'll rule over humanity together but I am realistic: Angela has made her decision and once she has come to one, it is difficult to sway her.

I like the reconciliation stories because they at least show me with some ambiguity, a rare thing in fanfiction, and they do have some basis in reality."

"What don't you like about those reconciliation stories?"

"What I don't like is how damn simple they make them. What usually goes down is all of a sudden I am hit with a pang of guilt and decide to patch things up with my daughter. She, of course, is not the least bit suspicious and then we take off and go shopping."

Nick sputtered. "Shopping?"

"Yes, shopping. Tell me do I look like a girly girl? Does Angela?" Demona paused. "Can you picture Angela turning to me and saying this: 'Oh mother, this Gucci dress is so delightful. Oh how badly I wish my wings and tail didn't prevent me from wearing this,'" Demona said in the most high-pitched falsetto she could muster.

Oh great, thought Nick. As though this interview didn't provide me with enough nightmare fuel.

Demona turned towards Nick. "Bottom line, I don't expect Angela to forgive me anytime soon and I would lose all respect for her if she did."

"Why?"

"Letting go costs you an invaluable weapon. Anger serves its purpose: it makes you stronger."

"Okay," Nick said. He decided to steer the interview away from the subject of Angela. It was obviously a tender subject. Demona had risen from her chair and was pacing around the room.

"I've read some fanfics where you and Elisa are paired up. What's your opinion on those?"

The room fell dead silent. "Demona? Demona?"

The last thing Nick O'Malley saw before he lost consciousness was a pair of glowing red eyes coming towards him.

Note from Jess O'Malley: My brother was rushed to the emergency room suffering from severe internal and external bleeding. Basically he looks like and he feels like he's been through a meat grinder. The doctors are confident that he'll make a complete recovery but are advising that he do something safer for a living like test parachutes or dangerous food additives.