If I could go back in time, believe me I would. I would change everything I ever did to stop what has happened to my friends and I all those years ago. But then, I wouldn't be who I am right now. And I wouldn't be able to do what I do.

Nor what I'm about to do.

The warehouse was quiet for the first time in a long time. The men stayed silent as their boss came up to the cage in the center of the room, eyeing the small creature that was trying to get away from him.

"Has Subject 5 been able to manifest anything with its abilities?" The man asked, pulling on a pair of gloves.

"Negative sir." A scientist beside him replied, looking over the subjects records. "Subject 5 is nowhere near the levels of ability to do so than her predecessors Subjects 2 through 4 at this age."

"I see. What about Subject 1? Any word on its location?"

"Again negative sir." he said, opening the cage door. "Subject 1 has once again eluded us with its trickery. Everytime we seem to get close, it slips away with one of its tricks."

"I see. No matter." His superior replied, grabbing Subject 5 by the arm. "She'll do quite nicely for this test." Subject 5 looked up at him bitterly with her jade colored eyes. She was twelve years old with waist length magenta hair. She was wearing a dusty pink jumpsuit with her hands and feet in shackles. Her teeth were bared, growling at him like she was a wild animal.

"Now now Subject 5, that's not going to do you any good." He said, handing her off to two guards. "It's just going to hurt more when I put this on you."

She shuddered in fear as she saw what he was holding. It was a shock collar, the same ones she had seen on the other subjects save Subject 1, who escaped so long ago that she barely remembered her.

'She said she'd be back.' She thought as he came closer with the collar. 'She promised she'd return to stop this.'

"Now hold still." He said grabbing her neck. "You're just as squirmy as the last one."

'I don't want this!' She thought as the collar came closer. 'Please someone help!'

Glass shattered from the skylight in the ceiling; the lights went out as a lone figure jumped through the broken window.

"Aw crap it's here!" One of the guards yelled as he pulled out his gun.

"Well don't just stand there!" Their superior screamed, turning away from Subject 5. "Get it! But leave it alive!"

Even with the moonlight above them, the guards were no match for this person. It seemed like whoever it was took to the shadows like a natural, attacking only when the guards got too close. Soon, all were knocked out save the two holding Subject 5. "I know you're there my dear." The man said, pulling out a stun gun. "You may as well come out."

There was no reply except the groaning of a few conscious men. He glanced around, knowing that this person would not leave without her colleague. He didn't expect the arrow that pinned him to a support beam. Nor the ones that followed.

"You little bitch!" He exclaimed, trying to break free. "Come out and fight me!"

"There's no point." A feminine voice replied. "You've already lost tonight."

The two guards watched as a seventeen year-old girl walked out of the shadows holding an arrow to her bowstring. She had pure black hair with a pink streak that was in a high ponytail, leaving the ends at the nape of her neck. Her eyes glowed orange at the top and yellow at the bottom, looking like a blazing fire. Her clothing was an orange t-shirt, a yellowish green hoodie, blue jean shorts with white tights underneath, and black combat boots.

"What're you standing there for?! Get her!"

The two looked back and forth between their boss and the girl with the arrow. Which were they more afraid of? The man who could have them fired, or the woman who could have them killed?

The answer was obvious.

They fled before they could get fired at, dropping Subject 5 as they left. She immediately got up and ran to the other girl, who enveloped her into a tight hug.

"You came back." Subject 5 said as she cried.

"Did you ever doubt me?" The other asked, wiping away stray tears. She quickly pulled her bow over her chest and turned to kneel down as if to give her companion a piggyback ride. "Come on Angel Quartz. We're getting you out of here." As Angel got on, her captor struggled to get free.

"You won't get away with this!" he yelled, trying to aim the stun gun at her. "You won't save the others!"

The girl looked at him blankly, and then smirked. "Wanna bet?"

And in a single jump, she was gone.

The castle was just one place Brooklyn couldn't find himself to be right now. Not with so much love going on.

It started with just Xanatos and Fox since they were married. Then it escalated to Broadway and Angela-who he thought would be his. Then Lexington bonding with Alexander in a fatherly way. And of course there was Goliath and Elisa-not that they'd admit it. Sure Hudson didn't go through this, but he still had Bronx. It was him

that always ended up alone.

That's why he was out here tonight. To be alone. But then, he didn't count on seeing a human girl carrying another human on her back.

Or at least what he thought was human. He couldn't tell for sure from the distance he was at. And for some reason, he felt the need to get closer.

As he swooped in closer, the runner skid to a halt and collapsed, making the one on her back fall off. He hid on a taller building not too far away, allowing him to hear what they were saying.

"Are you okay?" The younger asked, kneeling beside her.

"Yeah." The other replied, shakily getting to her feet. "We're cutting it close."

"Maybe we should just stay put. I mean, it's not like they can find us here."

The older girl chuckled at her companion's naïve comment. "Trust me, they'd find us."

"How do you know?"

"Because they've got the Quarrymen on their side. And while those guys can't catch gargoyles, they can catch up to us."

"What's a gargoyle?"

Brooklyn couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could someone not have heard about them? There were open debates about them all the time on television. But the older girl just knelt down and started picking at the other girl's chained hands and feet.

"Gargoyles are these statues that come to life at night and turn back at dawn." The older replied, getting the younger's ankles free. "I've seen them flying around from time to time, but I've never gotten a good enough look at them to believe they're monsters."

"Is that what everyone says they are?"

"Mostly yes." She said, getting the last of the chains off. "But you and I both know there's more to someone than what meets the eye. So we have no right to judge someone by the way they look or the things people say about them right Angel?"

"Of course." Angel said, rubbing her wrists. "After all, those idiots misjudged me."

The two laughed as if they'd been holding it back for a great while, making Brooklyn realize that they had been separated for a long time. Then what happened next scared him almost as bad as it scared the black haired girl.

The younger of the two immediately began coughing and keeled over; blood dripping from her lips. The older of the two was immediately by her side, holding her hair back as vomit came out. Brooklyn found himself not able to hang back anymore; he had to go in.

The older of the two looked up in time to see a red gargoyle swoop down to them. He looked about her height with a white mane of hair behind him and a blue loincloth around his waist. His beak startled her a bit, but she wasn't afraid of him. She was more afraid of losing Angel.

"Everything all right?" He asked getting closer.

"My friend." She stated, watching as more blood and vomit came out. "She's sick. I didn't know she would be this bad when I found her."

"What do you mean when you found her?"

"I can't explain here." She said looking around. "Too many wandering eyes and ears."

"I know a place." Brooklyn said, kneeling down to them. "But how do I know you're not with the Quarrymen?"

"You don't. Just like I don't know if you're with the Gem Cutters."

Brooklyn chuckled a bit. "Point taken." He gave her a hand up. "I'm Brooklyn."

"The girl on the ground's Angel Quartz." The black haired beauty replied meeting his dark colored eyes. "And I'm Amber. Amber Child.

Okay. So I fell into the Gargoyles franchise. No biggy. Well, this is what happens sometimes. ArywnandCole, I promise to update my other story soon. I just had to get this out of my head!