All the Years Gone By

by Leva

Thirty years in the future, Elisa is critically injured in an accident.

All The Years Gone By
by
Leva
leva@primenet.com
Oct 96

* * * * *

"Freeze!" Elisa Maza shouted, aiming her gun at the man hunched
over beside her new car. He was stealing her hubcaps, no doubt. In
front of the Police Academy. The thief was bold, if stupid.

The suspect spun around, then bolted. She made a grab for him,
and got an elbow in the gut for her efforts. He leaped clear of her
second attempt to grab him, then spun and fired a gun one-handed
at her. She saw the flash of steel a fraction of a second before he
pulled the trigger and ducked. The bullet whined off the blue paint
of her new car, leaving behind a crescent shaped scar of paintless
steel. Elisa winced internally and returned fire. And missed. The
suspect skidded around the corner of the academy building ...

And screamed and backpedalled, staring at what Elisa knew very
well was a terrifying sight.

Goliath calmly removed the weapon from the suspect's nerveless
grasp. He crumpled the gun in one powerful hand, grabbed the
robber by one arm, and roughly shoved the man towards Elisa's car.
The thief did not have to be told to assume the position.

"Good work, Goliath." Elisa grinned.

The thief shook his head. "Makes my day. Busted by the odd
couple. This really stinks, y'know?"

Goliath rumbled something. The hubcap thief fell quiet. Goliath
asked Elisa, "Are you okay?"

"Sure. Just dandy." She glanced up at him. Her eyes were larger
than usual; she looked a bit spooked. He'd missed her by a fraction
of an inch.

Goliath glowered at Elisa, then reached a hand out, under her
jacket. It wasn't an advance; he was playing "mother". "You're not
wearing your vest."

"It's hot." Elisa snapped.

"I can't protect you all of the time."

It was a very old argument; one that had become habit and custom.
Goliath rumbled, "We'll discuss this later."

She sighed, and shook her head. For a moment, she stared up at his
craggy features, hoping for a sign that he was going to relent. Ever
since Goliath had -- finally -- become a member of the force, paid
to do that which he would do anyway, he'd become a worse nag
than ever. *Officer* Goliath was now a five year veteran and knew
regs, protocols and proper technique ... and when it suited him, he
followed technique.

Except that regs no longer stated that she had to wear a kevlar
jacket. She was a desk jockey and an instructor now, not a
detective; she'd been promoted off the street years ago. One of the
penalties of being the best ... But then again, though she was no
longer in the line of fire (often) she still received at least one death
threat a month, and there had been that molotov cocktail, two years
ago. Her life had never been safe, not once her relationship to
Goliath had become known.

Thirty years. She'd known, loved him, thirty years. It seemed like
less than that, but she could see the signs of all those years in him
now. His dark hair was streaked through with grey; lines tracked
around his eyes. He hadn't aged as much as she had; her hair had
gone wholly white except for a few dark locks at the base of her
neck. She wore it in a bun now, twisted at the nape of her neck and
out of her way.

Goliath cleared his throat, bringing her back to reality. He'd finished
reading the thief his rights, and had none-too-gently cuffed the man.
"Elisa? Are you okay?"

"I will be. I'm getting tired of this. Sheesh, Goliath! I wasn't even
looking for trouble this time! Come out and this ... moron! was
stealing my hubcaps!"

Goliath rolled his eyes. "Fate knew that I was becoming bored and
longing for a little excitement. Elisa, I'll take him down and book
him."

"Yeah." Elisa sighed. "I'll be down for the paperwork later. Love
you." She patted him on the back, then clambered back in her car.
For a moment, she stared through her window at the scar on the
hood. The car wasn't even paid off. She missed the Fairlane. The
Fairlane had thrown a rod during a chase fifteen years ago; she'd
regretfully sold it. She didn't know if the old car had been given a
new engine and a new life, or if it was quietly rusting away in a junk
yard somewhere. Every time she saw a car of that make and year,
she wondered ... she didn't see many like it, any more. Gas was so
expensive it was prohibitive; propane meant an expensive alteration
that took up half the vehicle's trunk. They didn't make them like that
any more.

"Getting old." Elisa muttered to herself, and guided the new blue car
out onto the street.

* * * * *

Goliath never saw the accident; he just heard a screech of tires and a
metallic crumpling he'd review in his daily nightmares for the rest of
his life. Glass tinkled to the pavement even as he spun around to
stare aghast at the intersection a hundred yards away.

Elisa's blue car spun through traffic, glanced again off another car,
and crunched into a light pole. Cars swerved. There was another,
satellite accident. The vehicle that had hit her was -- Good God -- a
garbage truck. He took all this in numbly, jaw hanging open. He
would never remember wrapping a "Yield" sign's post through the
robber's cuffed hands and then around a light pole.

He padded across the street and up the sidewalk. He felt as if he was
stuck in a dream. Distantly, he was aware of the garbage truck's
radiator hissing; of electric sparks from Elisa's car; the sparks were
bright in the darkness. Acid dripped from the car's crumpled trunk;
the batteries were smashed. The acid left a citrusy scent in the air,
and bubbled and steamed as it merged with the water in the gutter.
A horn blew incessantly.

She couldn't be alive. Not after that. He was terrified he'd find her
dead already. No one could have survived that impact, not even
Elisa, who seemed to live a charmed life.

A moan came from Elisa's car. Goliath doubled his pace, breaking
into a lope. "Elisaaaa!" The cry was torn from his throat. He
remembered to slap his radio, "Officer down! Officer down!" He
tried to remember the location, couldn't for a long moment, and had
to look at the street signs.

Elisa's frightened brown eyes stared at him. "What happened?" She
mumbled through torn lips. The airbag was already deflated, a limp
thing, that had left her with a broken nose that streamed blood down
her face. He hoped the blood was from her nose.

"Elisa ... don't move." He tried to restrain her, but she was fumbling
with the door handle. There was no way that the door would open;
it was twisted by the impact.

"Can't move my legs." Elisa muttered fitfully. She gave up trying to
get the door open, and lay back in the seat. "Can't move my legs.
Accident, right? I was in an accident? Car's not paid off. Bet it's
totalled. Miss the Fairlane. Can't move my legs. Goliath, can you get
me out? Please?"

Goliath's heart was in his throat. Blood was beginning to matt Elisa's
silver hair, to trickle down the lines of her face. He guessed that
she'd hit the roof sometime during the accident -- the roof was half
caved in; the car looked like a tin can that someone had hit a few
times with a hammer.

"Feet *hurt* ... Goliath, I hurt." She whimpered.

Goliath was dimly aware of sirens in the background. He seized the
door, and ripped it from its hinges. The jagged metal cut his hands,
but he didn't notice; didn't feel it.

Something dripped on his foot. Elisa's blood. Not good. Good God
... he saw why she couldn't move her legs. The firewall was shoved
down and back by the engine -- modern cars weren't supposed to do
that, but this one had -- it was crumpled, twisted, wrapped around
her legs. He could see one foot, twisted at an impossible angle, bare
of her sensible boot. He cursed and tried to pry the metal apart, but
couldn't get a good angle for leverage. Futilely, he tugged and pulled
and pushed, and only succeeded in making her scream.

His head was nearly in her lap. "Goliath ..." Her hand descended
onto his head. "Tell them ... I love them."

"You are going to live." Goliath ordered.

A soft laugh escaped her. "I'll ... try to obey, big guy. I ... love you."

The paramedics were there, pulling him back. "I love you!" He
cried.

"Can you get her feet free?" One of the medics, well aware of
Goliath's legendary strength, asked quickly.

Goliath numbly shook his head. "Can't ..."

"We'll cut her free. Goliath," The medic said sternly, "They need
you at the other car."

He was led by someone he didn't know -- a bystander? -- to a
pickup that had flipped. The EMTs were trying to extract a victim
pinned beneath the truck. Goliath picked the vehicle up, and the
medics hauled the young man out. Then it was on to direct traffic
for a bit, until a familiar face showed ... "Morgan!" Not Officer
Morgan Sr., who was now Chief Morgan, but Morgan's youngest
son, who had graduated the academy in the same class as Goliath.

"They want you at Elisa's car."

Goliath ran back to her car.

"Where'd you go?" Elisa said, in confusion. Her eyes were huge,
dark, shocky. A fireman was working on the footwell with a cutting
torch. "Don't leave me again."

"I won't." He promised, reaching through the broken passenger
window to hold her hand.

"Sleepy."

"Stay awake." He urged, "Fight."

"Gotta stay awake." She agreed. "We have too little time together."
But she was drifting away, her eyes fluttering. She mumbled, "Tell
them ... I love 'em."

Moments later, they got her free, whisked her out, and into a
waiting ambulance. Goliath watched her go; he was completely
unaware of the tears that ran down his face or her blood mingled
with his on his hands. "C'mon." A hand rested on his arm. "I'll drive
you to the hospital."

Goliath turned slowly; it took him a moment to recognize Morgan
Jr.. "Yes." He muttered, and followed Officer Morgan's son to his
squad car.

* * * * *

They called it "the wall of blue".

The waiting room was filled with cops. Goliath sat in the middle of
the officers, certain this was a bad dream.

"Here." Chavez appeared, and shoved a cup of coffee at him.
Chavez had retired ... ten? years ago. "I heard. How is she?"

"Surgery." Goliath mumbled. Once, long ago, she'd been injured
seriously. He'd waited outside, then, out in the cold, only knowing
what was happening by what he could hear by eavesdropping at
windows. This time around, he was allowed in, accepted, but it
seemed that he didn't know any more about her condition now than
he had then. "Know more later."

A hand rested on his shoulder. "Derek's here." Bluestone's voice
said.

Goliath looked up. Derek had entered the room, trailed by his eldest
daughter, who was twenty-five. "How is she?" Derek asked
urgently. "Beth's on her way too."

Goliath stared stupidly at Derek for a long moment. Derek ... Derek
had gone white, over the years; his dark fur had paled to grey and
silver. "I don't know." Goliath buried his face in his hands. The
gouges stung now; Officer Morgan Jr. had made him wash his
hands off in the hospital waiting room's restroom.

"What happened?"

"Accident."

"Who was at fault?" Derek demanded instantly, fists clenching.

"She was." That was the worst part, for some reason. All witnesses
agreed that Elisa had simply run a red light. Her mind had perhaps
been elsewhere, on the fight beforehand, and not on driving. He
could have, should have, stopped her from driving away. He'd seen
that she was shook up. He should have known ...

Another hand descended on his shoulder. "It's not your fault."
Beth's voice said.

"Beth." Goliath glanced up. Beth had almost read his mind.

Was everyone here? It seemed nearly so ... Goliath glanced around
the room, taking it in for the first time. Derek, Maggie and Claw,
plus Derek's eldest daughter, Claw's twins, and Beth, and Beth's
husband, and Beth's four kids. Half the force filled the waiting room
and overflowed into the hall -- he saw Morgan Sr. and Morgan Jr.,
Bluestone, Chavez, and dozens others he knew as friends

More people entered ...

Alex Xanatos.

"Goliath! How is she?"

What, did they think he had a telepathic link to the doctors? Or to
Elisa? Goliath fought down an irrational snarl of anger. "I don't
know. Not good."

"She's a fighter." Alex said, smiling faintly. "Elisa never stops
fighting."

Morgan Jr. laughed. "Yee-ahhh. First time I met her at the
academy," Elisa taught a hand-to-hand class at the academy, "I saw
this little old white-haired lady. I thought it was a joke. She, umm,
wiped the floor with me three times before I realized it wasn't a
joke."

Goliath chuckled softly. He'd heard the *other* side of that story,
when Elisa had come home after the first day of class with her back
out of whack and aching in every muscle and muttering about
Father Time catching up with her. "If it weren't for Elisa fighting for
us, we would not live today. She fought for our lives and then for
our rights."

They fell silent, then, for a few minutes.

Broadway careened through the doorway at a flat-out on-all-fours
run, "Is she okay? What happened?"

"She was in an auto accident. We don't know how bad she is."
Goliath said, as Lexington and Angela trotted in afterwards. Angela
had Kit in her arms; Kit -- Katherine -- was a few months old and
screaming angrily at all the excitement.

Goliath took his granddaughter from Angela, cradled her, soothed
away the tears. Elisa had been wildly ecstatic to be a grandmother;
had babysat and spoiled the infant at every opportunity. Goliath held
the child, rocking back and forth, patting her back. Many years ...
millennium ... ago, helping with the children had been one of his
favorite chores. Not a chore, really.

A doctor appeared in the doorway, "She's out of surgery." He
announced. And then over the babble of voices, he added, "She's
not out of the woods, but she's a tough old lady."

"She's not old!" Came from Broadway.

The doctor smiled indulgently. "I'll brief the immediate family, and
then you can go see her. No children."

Goliath glanced around, looking for the first available trustworthy
friend, and handed Kit off to Chavez. Chavez -- a grandmother
herself -- looked startled for a moment when confronted by a child
with talons, fangs and a tail that wrapped around her arm. She
recovered quickly and balanced Kit against her shoulder. "Yours?"
She asked Angela.

"I said family." The doctor blocked Goliath's passage.

The temperature in the room dropped ten degrees. The doctor must
have felt the sudden chill, or heard the cessation of voices; he added
sternly, "Family is parents, siblings, and spouses."

Goliath let a small amount of growl reach his voice. He loomed over
the doctor, "The only reason I have not married Elisa is because it is
still illegal."

The doctor -- a trauma surgeon -- had patched up more than one
criminal who had been stupid enough to resist Goliath. He paled, "If
that is the case, then you may come. They stay." He pointed at the
other gargoyles.

Goliath looked like he was about to protest. Broadway spoke up,
"It's okay. We'll see her later."

Goliath, who was still rumbling softly, under his breath, trailed
Derek and Beth down the hall. He wanted to rip something,
anything apart ... the rational part of him advised against that.
They'd probably kick him out on the street. He didn't want to terrify
the hospital staff, who were shrinking away from him as it was.
Humans still feared him; that was a regrettable fact of life.

Elisa had brought him into class one day, as a sort of show and tell.
She'd devoted a small portion of the class to Defense Against
Nonhumans. That had been mandated by the department; Goliath
had not been pleased. There were less than a dozen gargoyles in the
city; they were all on the side of the light. The only Child of Oberon
was Puck, and as far as mutants went, there was no way they could
know ahead of time what the mad scientists might cook up. It spoke
of simple paranoia against nonhumans.

Half the class had called in sick that day.

The other half Goliath had thrown around in several one-on-one
sparring matches, and had won all of them easily until Elisa
surprised him with the conclusion of her lesson -- she'd finished the
class by instructing them to all pile on him at once. They'd won that
round, and the moral of the lesson was apparently that teamwork
was sometimes necessary to win a fight. Goliath secretly thought
that he still could have won, but not without damaging Elisa's
cadets.

He should call the academy and tell them she wouldn't be in
tomorrow.

The doctor was talking; Goliath blinked and tried to focus on the
conversation at hand.

"... She has multiple fractures of her right femur." The doctor was
pointing at an x-ray. "And her other leg was basically crushed. We
think we can save it." He sounded doubtful. "She also has three
broken ribs, a punctured lung, and some facial lacerations and
injuries. But our biggest concern is the head injury."

"... how bad? ..." Goliath heard, and then realized that it was he
who had spoken.

The doctor shrugged helplessly. "I've seen worse recover and not
nearly as severe not make it. Head injuries are difficult to judge.
The next few days will be critical. She's in a coma right now."

Goliath heard the word, "... coma ..." And then grayed out for a
second in shock. He distantly heard the doctor talking about
bruising, swelling, a shunt to relieve pressure, something about
paralyzing drugs. His hands hurt -- he realized dimly that he was
clenching his fists, for lack of anything else to crunch and rend and
tear. His talons were digging into the palm of his hand.

Then they were walking through the halls. He entered a room,
looked for Elisa, didn't see her. There was only a strange woman in
the bed ... with a shock, he recognized her; recognized her *barely*.
Her face was swollen, both eyes blacked, a tube down her throat,
head swathed in bandages, one leg up in traction and the other
splinted and swollen grossly.

"Elisa?" He crouched by the bed. No response, not even a flicker.

Beth's hand squeezed his shoulder. "She's a fighter."

He was still crouched beside the bed when dawn overtook him.
She'd stood vigil by his side on many days; only fitting that he
returned the gesture.

* * * * *

"I'll relieve you for a while. Go get something to eat." Derek said. It
was an order.

Goliath had been keeping watch for three days. He'd gone from
shock to grief to anger and then to sheer boredom mixed with shock
and grief. The doctors said that she could wake at any moment ... or
never wake. Head injuries were funny things.

He'd sat in the quiet room, in the dark, all through the first night
after the accident. The only sounds had been the nightly hospital
sounds -- the murmur of nurses making rounds, a child screaming
for a mother that never came, the rattle of a cart of instruments. A
janitor had gone by, mopping the floor with strong-smelling
disinfectant. In Elisa's room, there had only been the steady weep-
weep of instruments and the whoosh-whoosh of the ventilator.
Once, there had been a code blue; twice, a nurse had entered and
checked on Elisa and glowered at him.

Officially, it was well after visiting hours. Officially, Goliath had
permission to stay. That permission had only been granted
*grudgingly*. There were still those who feared, hated, loathed
gargoyles. More who simply didn't know anything about his people -
- Maggie had told him a reporter had been sent to interview him.

At noon.

Under any other circumstances, it would have been funny.

The second night had gone slower than the first. She was breathing
on her own now; they'd removed a few tubes and she looked a little
more like Elisa. Somehow, that was reassuring. Halfway through it,
he'd snapped on the TV and watched late-night shows until all he
could find, towards 3 AM, was informercials and old movies with
humor that was universal across species lines ... but he wasn't in the
mood for the Three Stooges.

He'd talked to Elisa a lot, hoping that she would answer. But no
answer had come. They said she'd not stirred during the day, either.

Sighing, he rose from the oversize chair that someone had found
him. He held Elisa's hand for a moment, and assured her, "I won't
be gone long."

His heart skipped a beat then, for he thought her eyes had flickered.
"Elisa?" He said hopefully. But no answer came.

When he returned, after scarfing down several candy bars from the
machine with speed that would have done Broadway credit, Derek
was asleep in the oversized chair. Derek's hand was loosely clenched
around his sister's right hand. Goliath crouched at her left side,
whispered, "Elisa?"

Her eyes flickered again. It was *not* his imagination.

"Elisa!" He cried.

Derek jumped awake, "What?"

"Her eyes opened!" Goliath clutched her hand.

"Elisa? Elisa? Elisa?" Derek bent over her. "Can you hear me?"

Those brown eyes opened, flicked from Derek to Goliath and back.
A faint smile tugged at her lips. And then they slid shut. Despite the
fact that the pair shouted at her until an intern stomped in and told
them to 'Shut up or get out', no response came.

When informed of what they'd seen, the intern bit his lip. "Well,
that's something." He said, "We'll evaluate her in the morning."

* * * * *

The neurosurgeon glanced at the large brooding statue filling an
entire corner of the room, and shook his head. He'd regarded the
creature with a bit of misgiving at first, but ... well, the creature was
loyal beyond a fault. That was something. And the love that Goliath
felt for Elisa was so obvious that it was painful.

Her eyes were open now, and her gaze roamed around the room.
The surgeon had seen the look before -- confused, frightened, not
sure of what she recognized.

She gazed at Goliath, and a tiny smile played at her lips.

He crouched, "Elisa, do you hear me?"

Her eyes flickered away from Goliath. Vacantly, she studied the
doctor for a minute, before her gaze returned to Goliath.

Well, that wasn't going to work. He wanted her attention. "Close the
curtain." He ordered the nurse who accompanied him. The nurse
reached up and pulled the curtain shut.

That got a response, but not one that he'd been expecting. Her
mouth opened, "Goliath ..." She whispered, urgently. "Goliath ..."

He grinned at the nurse, who returned his look. She could talk!

"Elisa." He said, "Elisa, look at me."

Her eyes refocused on him.

"Do you know where you are?"

She frowned with intense thought. "Doctor."

"Do you know where you are?"

"You. Tell. Me." A stubborn look in her eyes, plus confusion.

"Do you know where you are?" He repeated.

"Don't. Play. Gameswithme." Her voice was so quiet that he could
barely hear it, but though she was hoarse, her speech was not
slurred.

"You're in the hospital."

"What ... happened?"

"You were in an auto accident."

"Where is everyone?" She asked.

"Goliath's ... asleep."

"I *know* that. It's daytime." She grumbled.

"Your brother went home to sleep." The nurse said, "He isn't back
yet."

"Call ... him. He must be worried. And Beth. Where am I?" She
repeated, looking confused again.

The nurse nodded. "I'll be sure to call him."

"I have a better idea." The neurosurgeon said. He had a ridiculously
silly grin on his face.

* * * * *

The sound of a telephone woke Derek from a sound sleep. He
glanced at his watch, cursed, and sat up. It was past eleven AM, and
they were going to do the evaluation on Elisa at ten. He'd missed it.
He almost ignored the telephone to rush to the hospital, but realized
it could be *about* Elisa. He snagged the phone up, "Yeah?" He
said, as he shook Maggie awake with his free hand.

"Hi."

He nearly dropped the phone. "ELISA!"

A soft, tired laugh. "Hi. Good ... to hear a voice I know."

"Ohmygod! Maggie! Elisa's on the phone!"

Maggie gave him a sleepy look. "Huh?"

"Elisa's awake! She's on the phone!" Derek hunted through his
drawers, found a pair of shorts, and then grinned like an idiot.
"Elisa! I was so scared I'd never hear your voice again!"

"I was in an accident, I think."

* * * * *

Goliath awoke with a snarl, and sprayed stone flakes in every
direction. A nurse in the room yipped, then glared at him. "You're
going to clean that up."

Goliath ignored her. Elisa lay still, motionless, on the bed. "No
change?" He asked Beth, who was sprawled in the oversized chair,
a "Life" magazine open on her lap.

"She's just asleep. Keep it down." Beth said, grinning at him.

"... asleep?"

"Yeah, Weird Brother. She's asleep. She's been awake all day,
sort've."

Goliath had a silly grin on his face. "She's going to be okay?"

"Well, they don't know that yet." Beth said, sighing. "She's
conscious, but her short-term memory is shot to hell. And she
recognized Derek and me but not Chavez. Or Xanatos."

"Xanatos was here?" Goliath said.

"The Xanatoses were here." Beth nodded at an enormous flower
display. The arrangement was so big, it took up the entire top of the
table, and all the other displays had been moved to the floor and
windowsills. She sighed. "She also seems to have some paralysis --
loss of small motor control. They don't know if that's temporary or
permanent. And ... her legs."

"Yeah." Goliath ran a hand through his hair. "Go on home, Beth. I'll
take over."

"Say hi for me if she wakes up." Beth gazed at her sister for a long
moment before she picked her purse up and left.

Goliath claimed the chair. She looked peaceful; the swelling had
gone down and she was smiling a crooked smile. The black eyes
were slowly turning interesting shades of blue and yellow. Most of
the tubes were gone; she had an IV in either arm and her neck, and
that was it. Her leg was still in traction. Would be for weeks to
come, they said.

It was well past midnight when she moaned and jerked awake.

"Elisa?!" Goliath said, alarmed, as her panicked brown eyes roamed
the room.

"Goliath?" She searched his face. "Where am I?"

"The hospital."

"Oh." She frowned. "What happened?"

"You were in an accident. Do you remember?"

"No."

"What's the last thing you remember?"

She frowned harder. "I don't know ... taking Kit to the park. Was I
in an accident taking Kit home? Is Kit okay?" She said, panicked.

Goliath tried to remember when she'd last taken Kit to the park.
"You've lost at least a week. Kit's fine."

Elisa blew a breath out. "I feel so weird. Where am I?"

"The hospital." He slid his hand into hers. She was terrified; he
could see it in her eyes.

"My feet hurt." She grumbled, sounding suddenly normal. "Goliath,
when can I go home?"

"They don't know."

"Where am I?" She asked, looking vacant again.

"I just told you, the hospital ..."

"Oh. Yeah. My feet hurt."

He stroked her forehead. "Try to sleep."

"My feet hurt. Take me home." She said, stubbornly.

The nurse came back in. "You're supposed to be asleep." She shook
a finger at Elisa.

"Who the hell are you?" Elisa shrank into the bed.

"Can you get her something for the pain?" Goliath asked, squeezing
her shoulder.

The nurse sighed, and glanced at her watch and Elisa's chart. "She's
not scheduled for another hour."

"My feet hurt." Elisa mumbled.

"I'll talk to the doctor." The nurse padded out, and returned a few
moments later with a syringe on a tray.

After the nurse left, Elisa mumbled something incoherent and slid
back to sleep. Goliath stroked her hair, kissed her on the forehead,
then leaned back in his chair. It was going to be a long night.

* * * * *

"Can I talk to you?" Bluestone pulled Goliath aside, later that night,
and led him out of the room. His tone indicated, 'business'.

"What?"

"Elisa has some powerful enemies." Bluestone said, "Including ...
well, they're building a case against her."

"*WHAT*?" Goliath said, incredulously, wings flying open. "That's
... arrrrrghhh!" He slammed a fist down on a gurney. "For what?"

"Vehicular homicide. The kid in the pickup ... he died last night."

Goliath's eyes grew dark. "This ... was an accident."

"What are you going to tell Elisa?"

"Nothing." Goliath said, fists balled. "Not ... now. Bluestone ..."
Goliath shook her head. "I've never seen her so vulnerable. It hurts.
Me. I can't ... tell her. It would destroy her. It was an accident." He
repeated, teeth gritted.

"I know." Bluestone rested a hand on Goliath's forearm. "But ... if
she recovers, there will be a trial."

* * * * *

When he woke on the fifth night, Elisa was watching him. She had a
dark, frightened look on her face; he could see the tracks of dried
tears. He crouched by her bed, "Elisa?"

She turned her head away, wordlessly.

"Elisa? What's wrong?"

"Goliath, can I talk to you?" Beth beckoned him out of the room.

He kissed her on the cheek, "I shall return."

"She's been like that all day." Beth said, "The doctors ... they think
she's going to get better, but she won't *talk* to me."

"What do the doctors say?" Goliath said.

Beth shrugged. "They say mood swings are normal in cases like this.
But she won't *talk*!"

Goliath fell silent for a moment. "I'll talk to her. Go get some rest,
Beth."

"It's okay. I'll stay." She said, stubbornly.

Goliath squeezed her shoulder. "I'd like to be alone with her."

Beth looked up at him. "Very well. See you in the morning, then,
Weird Brother-in-Law."

Goliath returned to the room, and sat in the oversized chair. Elisa
looked away, silent. He folded his hands around hers, and spoke
softly, "All these years have gone by, Elisa, and I still remember the
first time we met. I could see how scared you were, of me, but yet
you did not panic, as I expected. Though you did fall off the
building ..." He chuckled softly. "I think ... I saw the strength in
your soul even then."

"I don't remember." She said, flatly.

"What?" He blinked.

"I don't remember the first time we met." She turned her head to
face him. "I ... there's holes. In my memory. I have fragments of
memories in my head, and I don't know if they're real, or if they're
dreams. I don't know where they belong half the time. Goliath, I'm
so scared." She clenched his hand in a grasp that was reassuring in
its fierce strength.

He stroked her cheek with a knuckle. "Elisa, tell me what you
remember, then, and we can begin to ..." His voice broke, "piece
your life back together."

She smiled at him faintly. "But I won't remember what you tell me. I
forget ... things. I'm so scared!" She wailed.

"They say that will get better with time."

"No it won't!" She sobbed.

"Elisa, where are you?" Goliath asked.

"In the hospital."

"Two days ago, you could not remember even that." He smiled at
her. "Hour by hour, day by day, week by week, you will recover.
And I will be there with you."

"... thank you." She looked away from him for a moment. Then
turned back. "I ... must know. Why did I try to shoot you?"

He blinked, "What?"

"I pulled the trigger, but there were no bullets. Why? Why did I do
this? I know that I trust you, love you, why?"

"Do you remember Nokkar?"

She gave him a blank look.

"You were captured by an alien and your memories stolen." Goliath
said.

Elisa chuckled softly. "Funny thing to remember, then. I think ... I
must not have known who you were ...?"

"Correct."

"That ... would be worse than this. I at least have *you*." She
squeezed his hand.

"You're getting stronger."

She made a face. "Yeah. I want to go home. Goliath, I remember us
kissing many times, but I can't ... remember the first time."

He fought back tears suddenly. So much had been taken from her,
in a split second.

"How did it happen?" She demanded.

"Oh, Elisa. I ... loved you with all my heart, but I thought you did
not return my love, except as a dear friend. But ... you never cease
to amaze me. You ... caught me by sunrise, after a battle with
Demona and the hunters; you kissed me as the sun rose and left me
to dream of it all day long." He stroked her cheek.

"I think ..." Her brow furrowed in concentration. "Maybe ... I can't
remember." She closed her eyes. Tears tracked down her face. "I
can't REMEMBER!"

"You will." He leaned over, kissed her. "I will be here to help you
remember."

A trembling hand touched his jaw, "I love you Goliath ... thank
you."

"For what?"

"For ... everything."

*Ahem*. The nurse entered the room. "You should be asleep." She
gave Goliath a dark look, for keeping her awake.

"A little longer ..." Elisa begged.

"You should sleep." Goliath agreed. "I'll be here."

The nurse clicked her tongue. "Where do I find a man that loyal? I
don't think he's left your side at all."

Elisa frowned, trying to remember. "Goliath, when was the last time
you ate?"

He shrugged. "Derek brought me something yesterday."

She pointed a trembling finger at him; it didn't quite uncurl. "Go
home and get some of Broadway's cooking. And bring me back
some. They're feeding me jello and applesauce and I'm hungry."

"I am fine."

"Go!" She ordered, strongly.

Goliath sighed. "I'll be back as fast as I can."

The nurse snagged him in the hall. "She's on a special diet."

Goliath sighed, "I know. She probably won't remember asking for
food when I get back, anyway. SueAnn," The nurse was Susan
Annie Smyth, "How's she doing? Really doing? She's so scared."

The nurse ran a hand through her greying hair. "Really? The man
upstairs must have plans for her, because she's doing damn good for
a headcase. I can't ... promise she won't get better than she is now,
but ... if I were a betting woman, I'd place money on her recovery.
We ... haven't told her about the kid in the pickup. We thought it
would be best if you told her."

Goliath sighed heavily. "Thank you."

* * * * *

"I can't *read*!" Elisa threw the book at the wall in frustration.

Three weeks had passed. Elisa was allowed to sit up, and though she
still had a trace of "clumsiness" in her movements, her long-term
memory had improved greatly. There were still holes in her
memory, but not as bad as before.

Her short term memory seemed slower to recover. "By the time I
get to the third page, I can't remember what was on the first." She
complained. Goliath wisely didn't tell her that it was a good sign that
she could read at all -- she had retained her education virtually
intact.

"Do you want to play checkers?" Goliath asked. Checkers required
planning ahead and analytical thought -- it was good exercise.

"Aaarghhh! You've been talking to the therapists!" She snagged a
checker off the bedside table and threw it at him. It nailed him in the
chest, to her surprise and Goliath's delight.

"Well, that's an improvement." He picked the checker up.

"Yeah. I've been batting a damn balloon around the damn building
all the damn day long." Elisa said, then tilted her head. "Hey. I
remember."

He grinned at her. "I keep telling you, you're getting better."

"Doesn't feel like it. Yeah, I'll play checkers." She glared at the
board. "Red or black?"

"Black." Goliath said, then beat her five games out of five.

"It would be nice," Elisa set the board back up for a sixth round,
with shaking fingers, "If you'd let me win once in the while."

"You will beat me when you do it on your own."

She glared at him. "Some sympathy would be nice."

He move a checker. "You're going back to work in two months."

"*what*?"

He glanced up at her. Didn't say anything.

"I'll never be able to work again!" She burst into tears.

Goliath said, "It's your move."

She shoved a checker forward at random. "Goliath, that's nuts.
You're dreaming. I'm a head case! Brain damaged! I can't work!"

"You will." He countered her move.

She glanced at the board, and moved a checker. "Not as a cop!" She
paused. "I hate administration anyway. I'd rather fly with you than
fly a desk."

"You don't hate the academy."

"The students will never take a handicapped little old lady
seriously."

Goliath snorted. "Fight back for what you've lost. Elisa, I've seen
you do incredible things. You can do this too!"

She made her move. "Yeah. Maybe. I dunno. But not in two
months."

"In two months. When they take the pins out of your legs, you'll go
back to work. Just in time for the spring semester." He shoved a
checker forward.

Elisa hopped her checker over his. "That was a dumb move." She
claimed his checker. "You're nuts, Goliath."

"Kit's learning to climb." He changed the subject.

"When are you going to bring her in?"

"They don't allow children here." Goliath said, sadly. "We're
shooting videos for you."

"Bring them tomorrow!" She said, eagerly.

"I will, but you'll have to remember to ask me for them."

She glared at him. "You don't play fair, do you?"

He grinned at her.

"Elisa." A quiet voice said, from the doorway. "... Goliath."

"Jason!!!" Elisa pushed the checker board away, disrupting what had
been a winning game in Elisa's favor.

"Am I interrupting anything?"

"Goliath and I were going to have wild sex on the floor, but
otherwise, no." Elisa grinned at him.

He turned an interesting shade of scarlet. "... what?"

Elisa blushed as well. "Sorry, Jason. Sometimes I say things I never
would have ... before."

"Yeah." He limped into the room. "I came as soon as I heard --
Robyn saw the news stories about your accident, but I was down in
Guatemala, way back in the boonies. The clan down there has a two
toddlers, did you know that?"

"You can walk!" She was staring at him.

He laughed. "Should have told you, sorry. Nerve regeneration,
about five years ago. Works ... sort've. Learning to walk again was
the hardest thing I've ever done. But worth it. I've been all over the
Amazon basin, and Central America. I think there might be more
clans down there, but they're hiding pretty good. I want to tell them
that the world is safe for gargoyles, that they can come out of hiding
... but I have to find them first."

She held her arms open. "I haven't seen you forever!"

He hugged her gingerly. She winced anyway, when his touch jostled
her broken ribs.

"What's this about other gargoyles?"

"Yeah. I've found skin fragments, and seen a lot of clawed-up trees.
Maybe ... I dunno." He shrugged. "I'm taking Kai next month;
maybe they'll not hide from another gargoyle. I was going to invite
you, Goliath, but ... maybe you won't want to leave her."

Goliath glanced at Elisa. "No. I can't leave Elisa."

Elisa responded instantly, "You're going. I don't need a babysitter!"

"I'll ask the others." Goliath temporized. "I know Brooklyn has been
complaining of boredom." And while Lexington seemed to have no
desire for a mate, or had at least buried those dreams deep inside of
him, Goliath knew that Brooklyn ached for a soul-mate. Perhaps ...
but that was a wildly remote chance.

He was grateful, for Elisa; he would have gone quietly mad if he
had been alone for the last thirty years.

Jason laughed. "But boring is good!" He ran his hand through his
hair, which was balding and going grey; Jason was now in his late
fifties. He was a few years younger than Elisa. "You know, I never
would have thought this day would come, Goliath. They said you
were at the hospital with Elisa, and I half expected to find you sitting
vigil on a window sill."

Elisa laughed. "I know. It still seems strange, some days. I ..." She
paused, frowning, trying to remember a memory lost. "... Goliath, I
remember us going to a restaurant. Somebody's birthday. I think ...
there were six candles on the cake." She shook her head, grimacing.
"DAMNIT!"

Goliath rested a hand on her shoulder. "I remember. Dee's birthday
party, at Pistol Pete's Pizza." Dee was Derek's eldest daughter. "I
remember. It was the first time we ever ate in a public place, and we
only went because Dee would have been heartbroken if we had not.
She rather insisted strongly on a pizza party for her birthday. It had
to be at Pistol Pete's. We were so afraid that something would
happen to ruin it, but nothing did."

"Well, they kept asking for our autographs." Elisa laughed, relief on
her face as she dredged up the memory at last. "Jason, you were
there, weren't you?"

He was looking at her sadly. He nodded. "Yes. I saw Dee earlier
today. It's strange to think of her as ever being a child."

"I'm going to go to her graduation. It should be soon, right?" Elisa
decided, with grim determination.

"Elisa ... she graduated last week." Goliath said, gently.

"Oh, hell." Elisa sighed. "I keep losing time. Damnit."

"She was head of her class." Goliath said, in an aside to Jason.
"Majored in genetics."

Elisa sighed.

* * * * *

A week later, they let her go home for the weekend.

"Are you certain you want to fly?" Goliath asked Elisa. It was
October, and cool for the month. He'd helped her into a sweat shirt
and a jacket, but the only thing she could fit over the casts on her
legs was a skirt. He was afraid she'd freeze by the time they got to
her apartment.

"Yes!" Elisa said, "I'll be fine! Stop worrying!"

"You're not going to fly with her." Nurse SueAnn said, sternly,
overhearing the discussion. "If you do, I'll start kicking you out after
visiting hours are over." She shook a finger at Goliath.

That decided Goliath. SueAnn didn't bluff, and she was an ally he
didn't want to alienate. "Elisa, not this time. Later, when you're
stronger." He temporized.

Elisa muttered something cranky and let him carry her outside and
flag a taxi.

The driver's eyes widened when Goliath stuck his head through the
door. "Sir!"

Goliath gave the driver the address of Elisa's apartment, and added,
"Drive careful!"

"Yes sir!"

* * * * *

The driver got caught in traffic, and Goliath beat him to Elisa's
apartment. He scooped her out of the cab, paid the driver with his
card, and then carried her up the elevator. She snuggled against him,
"Goliath ... thank you." She whispered.

He kissed her, stroked her jaw. "You know how I feel."

"Yeah." She sighed. "I've never been more sure."

"Don't," he warned, "start crying."

She sniffed. "Sorry. You realize today's our thirty-first
anniversary?"

"Huh?"

"Fell off the damn castle thirty-one years ago today."

He laughed aloud. "You remembered!"

"No, David Xanatos called and reminded me." Elisa said, with a
trace of chagrin. "... never would've thunk he'd be the friend he is.
Or that I could ever forgive him."

"He regrets." Goliath pushed her apartment door open.

"... WELCOME HOME!"

Elisa jumped half out of Goliath's arms in suprise; he made a grab
for her, then ducked as something loudly buzzing and rubbery
nailed him square in the face. He identified the rude noise a
deflating balloon made, after a moment of eyes-glowing sunrise.

Elisa shrieked something wordless, laughing; she threw her arms
around his neck and beamed at her family. "Wow!"

They'd decorated her apartment with banners and streamers and
balloons -- many balloons. Thousands of balloons. A presumably
empty helium canister leaned against the wall; it was a wonder
everyone wasn't squeaking like Mickey Mouse.

"Wow." Elisa repeated, at a loss for more intelligent words.

Maggie hugged her and Goliath both. "Welcome home, sis."

"Good god ... you guys put a lot of work into this!"

"We had fun." Alexander said, dismissively. "Welcome home, Aunt
Elisa. My dad said he'd be here, but he called to say he was stuck in
traffic."

Elisa vented an unladylike snort. "Yeah. Tell me about it."

Goliath waded through the crowd and settled Elisa onto the couch.

"Aunt Elisa!" Haley Xanatos, Alexander's daughter, sat down beside
her. "I was so worried! They wouldn't let me see you!"

"Yeah. They don't let kids into the wing I was in." Elisa ruffled her
red-blond hair. "Sorry about that."

"Oh."

"Elisa." Broadway said, gravely, "I baked you a cake."

For some reason, Elisa found that funny. She laughed and
Broadway's face fell. "Broadway ... come here!" She held her arms
open. "Give me a hug!"

Gingerly, as if she might break, he hugged her. "You look well." He
said, smiling at her.

"Yeah. I'm starting to feel well again. Angela, get over here. Let me
see that baby!" Elisa ordered.

Angela chuckled, and pushed her way through the group of well-
wishers. "Elisa, we're so glad to see you home."

Kit burbled something and struggled to get down. Angela ignored
the young gargoyle's protests, and handed her to Elisa. Elisa held the
child for a moment; Kit stared up at her with eyes the green of
emeralds. Kit had red hair, as well, and a promise of great beauty in
her baby features. Elisa wondered if Goliath saw Demona in Kit ...

Goliath returned, and Kit gurgled, wriggled out of Elisa's grasp, and
toddled to him. Goliath scooped her up, tossed her gently into the
air, and grinned at her shrieks.

No. Kit was Angela's daughter, a daughter of the clan; her biological
grandmother was almost forgotten. They hadn't heard anything out
of Demona in over a decade ... a fact which made Elisa uneasy
when she stopped to think about it. What plan would take Demona
a decade to hatch?

Elisa was distracted from her dark thoughts by the arrival of David
and Fox Xanatos, and Owen Burnette. The room was instantly
polarized -- the gargoyles had forgiven Xanatos long ago, Elisa's
coworkers didn't know the full story, but the mutates had never
quite forgiven Xanatos.

And the children of the mutates ...

Dee sniffed as if she smelled something rotten and left the room
pointedly. Alexander Xanatos gazed after her for a moment, rather
sadly, before greeting his father.

* * * * *

Much, much later, after the welcome-home party wound down, the
clan efficiently cleaned Elisa's apartment, then excused themselves
with parting hugs. Elisa sighed, smiled, and watched Goliath do the
last of the dishes. She had a good view of his tush ...

"You should sleep." Goliath said, hanging the dish towel up.

"I'm too wired to sleep." She patted the couch. "Sit down."

He sat, smiled at her. "It's good to have you home, Elisa."

She yawned. "It's good to be home." She reached for the remote.
"Couldn't get the news channel in that damn room."

Goliath frantically struggled to think of a distraction, and had just
settled on something ... diverting ... when Elisa found the news
channel.

"... Elisa Maza, long time friend of the gargoyles, was allowed
home from the hospital for the first time today. Her recovery is
hailed as miraculous by some, though her doctors attribute her
recover, at least in part, to her fighting spirit. Critics claim that Miss
Maza was at fault in the accident, which resulted in the death of a
sixteen year old boy ..."

Elisa went very still. "Goliath ..."

"I'm sorry." He said, quietly, snapping off the TV.

"You didn't tell me."

"We thought it best that you be stronger."

"I ... killed a child." She said, numbly. "Goliath ..."

He said softly, "I wish that you had not seen that. You should have
heard it from me. I'm sorry."

"And I can't even *remember* the accident ..."

Goliath wrapped his arms around her, pulled her into his arms, held
her. She didn't cry, but she clutched at him fiercely, with a strength
he had not known she possessed yet. "I was really at fault?"

"You ran a red light." He said, as gently as he could. "Elisa, I'm
sorry. I'm sorry."

She was silent, motionless, in his arms. There were no tears, she
made no sound. Concerned, he lifted her chin up. "Elisa?"

She looked away.

"I love you." He whispered into her hair.

She sat up, hugging herself. "That ... I can't *remember*! Damnit,
Goliath! I can't *remember*!"

"You may never get those memories back." Goliath settled a wing
around her shoulders, and pulled her back into his arms.
Unresisting, she let him hold her. It was her silence which scared
him the most. She was deathly still, wordless; she made no cry. Did
not cry. He had expected tears.

He kissed the top of her head, and padded to fetch a bottle of pills --
Beth had brought Elisa's things from the hospital, and the doctors
had included sleeping pills among her prescriptions, along with stern
instructions to Goliath to make sure that she got enough sleep. Elisa
was notoriously bad about bedtimes.

She stared at him, her expression flat, as he made her tea in the
microwave. "Here." He handed her a pill and the cup of tea. A
week ago, she would not have been able to handle the tiny pill -- he
saw improvement in her almost by the hour.

Without comment, she chased the pill down with the tea, then
stretched out on the couch. Goliath settled on the floor beside her,
leaning his back against the couch.

"I wonder," She whispered softly, and ran her hand through his
hair. "How many of these grey hairs have I given you?"

He barked a surprised laugh, turned to face her ... and sobered
when he realized there was no laughter in her eyes. "Elisa?"

She stroked his cheek. "Someday I'm going to be gone, Goliath.
You'll outlive me. What will you do then?"

"Half of me will die when you do." He kissed her forehead.

A faint smile tugged at her lips, a ghost of her former grin. He
realized he hadn't seen that grin -- really seen it -- since before the
accident. He wondered if he would ever see it again. "I know." She
said, quietly. "When ... I go, promise me something."

"What?"

"Go look for those other gargoyles."

"Elisa, you're not going to leave me for a long time yet."

"Not without a fight. Could never ... hurt you." Elisa said, groggily.
The pill was taking effect. "Love you." She said, sleepily.

Goliath picked her up, careful of the twin casts on her legs, and
carried her into her bedroom. He tucked her in, kissed her on the
forehead, and paused a long moment. Elisa had never looked so ...
so old. They'd shaved her hair after the accident; what had grown
out was short, white, and thin. The lines on her face were deeper;
she'd lost twenty pounds and she'd been skinny to start with. Most
of what she'd lost had been muscle.

Goliath heaved a sigh. She was only fifty-seven. She wasn't old, by
the standards of the 2020's. Not old at all. Just sick.

And getting better by the day.

He comforted himself with that thought.

* * * * *

Elisa awoke to the smell of burning pancakes, the sound of Beth's
cussing, and Dee's laughter.

"Good morning!" Elisa called, producing an instant response.

"Aunt Elisa!" Dee trotted in. "Good morning!"

"Beth cooking?" Elisa grinned.

"How did you guess?" Dee made a face. "I think she's given up,
though."

"Yeah." Beth agreed. "What do you want from Mickey Dee's?'

Elisa made a face. "Wish I could forget about McDonalds'
breakfasts. Umm, Egg McMuffin."

"Egg McMuffin it is." Beth hunted in her purse for her wallet. "Dee,
you want to help me move Elisa into the other room?"

"I can carry her." Dee said, with confidence. Derek's daughter
scooped Elisa up, carried her into the living room, and deposited her
on the couch. Dee grinned at Elisa. "I was so worried about you."

Elisa sighed heavily. "I'm sorry I missed your graduation."

Dee ruffled her wings. "Aunt Elisa, it was rather understandable. I
know you wanted to attend."

"You don't know how much I wanted to attend ... first Maza to
graduate from Stanford. Head of her class, no less."

"First mutate, too. The news media made a big deal about it. Be
nicer to have the achievement recognized for what I did, not what I
am." Dee snorted. She flicked an ear back. "I wish grandma and
grandpa could have been there."

Elisa's eyes saddened at the mention of her mother and father.
"They were there in spirit, I'm sure. So. Do you have a job yet?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. I'm working for Cyberbiotics."

Elisa laughed aloud. "I should have known!"

"Hey, anything to poke the man in the castle." Dee said, lightly, but
Elisa knew there was anger underlying.

"He regrets."

"Not enough." It was a very old argument, and one which Dee
brought up at every possible opportunity. Dee had never had
anything close to a normal life ... and she believed in placing blame
where blame was due.

"Go get breakfast." Beth handed Dee several bills.

Dee huffed a sigh, ran outside, and leaped off the balcony.

"Wonder what she would do if she knew Xanatos paid for her
tuition?" Elisa sighed.

"Probably rip her diploma up." Beth said, without hesitation, "Hey,
Goliath told me ... you know. How are you doing?"

Elisa was strangely silent for a moment. She changed the subject,
"Beth, will you get me a newspaper?"

"Yeah, sure." Beth studied Elisa for a moment. "I'll be back in a
moment. You need anything before you go?"

"Just the phone. I want to talk to Morgan."

* * * * *

"Elisa!" Morgan exclaimed. "How are you doing?"

"Okay. Listen, Morgan, I have to know -- have they checked my car
over?"

Chief Morgan blew a sharp breath out. "Yeah. That was the first
thing we had the shop do. I mean, sabotage crossed my mind right
aways. You and the big guy are living, breathing targets, if you
know what I mean."

"What did they find?"

"I take it Goliath has told you ..."

"No, I heard it on the news."

"Hell. Elisa, I'm *sorry*."

"Out with it, Chief."

"They didn't find anything. The shop said there was nothing wrong
with your car that they could find."

"Hell." Elisa said, quietly. "Thanks, Morgan." She hung up, cradled
the phone. "I've never been in an accident in my *life* ..." With
black humor, she added, "That I remember, anyway. Damnit.
Damnit. Damnit. How am I going to live with this?" She glanced at
the balcony. "No. I can't do that to Goliath."

Someone rattled her door.

"Beth? That you?" Elisa called.

No response.

Her gun was locked up and stored in the kitchen halfway across the
room. She couldn't even stand up, much less fight ...

Someone kicked the door.

Well, definitely not Beth. Elisa's heart skipped a beat; terror sent a
hot adrenaline rush throughout her veins. She grabbed the phone
and tried to pound "911" into it, only her frantic fingers hit "991"
instead.

The door flew open.

The guy was wearing a ski mask ...

Elisa's fingers finally managed "911". She threw the phone at the
intruder, grabbed for the lamp, but threw it short. She cursed her
poor coordination, cursed the intruder, then let loose with a frantic
scream as he grabbed her arms. She kicked him in the shin with one
cast, jabbed him in the eye, screamed again.

A white missile shot through the air and nailed the man in the face.
He screamed, clawing at his eyes, as the missile exploded and
sprayed brown liquid. Elisa identified "coffee" just as Dee
catapulted through the room, grabbed the man by the lapels, swung
him around, and pitched him against the wall, overhand. The man
left a sizable dent in the plaster; he didn't move except to twitch
once or twice.

"Ohmygod." Dee clapped a hand over her fangs. "Ohmygod."

Elisa slumped back in the couch. "Well, go see if he's alive ..."

"What if I killed him?" She whispered, eyes frightened.

"Then you'll have the testimony of a headcase that he was assaulting
me." Elisa sounded tired, but not particularly surprised by the attack.
"And make sure he's not armed." She watched over the back of the
couch as Dee warily approached the intruder.

"He's still breathing." Dee reported. "I think I'm going to be sick ...
Aunt Elisa, who is he?"

"Take the mask off." Elisa suggested.

"I've never ... attacked anyone before. Never even wanted to." Dee
was shaking visibly.

"Yeah. We never figured you'd grow up to be a cop." Elisa said,
drily.

Dee yanked the mask off, and danced back.

"Don't know him." Elisa frowned. "At least, I don't *think* I know
him ..." She shook her head. A memory was there. She couldn't
*remember*. It was so very frustrating.

"Elisa!" Morgan Jr. skidded through the doorway, gun drawn,
followed by his partner. "I heard the call go over the radio! What
happened?"

Elisa filled them in. "... ask Goliath if he knows the guy." She
concluded, frowning. "I think ... I dunno. He seems familiar."

Morgan Jr. slapped his radio, and summoned an ambulance. He
raised an appraising eyebrow, "Nice throw, Dee."

She said, uncertainly, "I couldn't let him hurt Elisa ..."

* * * * *

"Yeah, Macbeth. I'm doing better." Elisa had the phone tucked
under her chin. She was crocheting. Crocheting was a suitable
activity for little old ladies with granddaughters ... Elisa heaved a
sigh. "Though I don't think I'm ever going to be up to tackling your
evil twin again."

Macbeth snorted. "I haven't heard anything from Demona in ...
ages. Maybe she's mellowing out in her old age."

"I doubt it." Elisa frowned at the little dress for Kit. She crocheted
badly, but she was bored enough to make the attempt. It was at least
an hour until dusk. "Goliath thinks she's up to something. I half
expect her to show up with a whole army of clones of herself or
something."

Macbeth laughed. "Now there would be an interesting question, lass
... would the link apply to all the clones or just to her?"

"I don't even want to think of that." Elisa gave up the crocheting as a
bad idea, at least for the moment, and tossed it into the basket
beside the couch. Beth had supplied her with a whole basket of
amusements -- books, a sketch pad, crossword puzzles, video
games, and an ancient Rubik's Cube from their childhood. An
antique Nintendo was loaded with Tetris and hooked up to the TV.
All were guaranteed Good Therapy. She didn't feel like doing any
of them.

"Aye. Nor do I. I'd hate to have to kill off the whole bloody lot of
them." Macbeth snorted. Well, lass, I just wanted to call and see
how you were doing. If you need anything, give me a ring ..."

"Thanks." She said, with feeling. She eyed the little dress. She
loathed needlework. She was bored. It was a tossup as to whether
the loathing or the boredom would win out. She'd think about it for
a while.

"Elisa!" Chief Morgan Sr. entered her apartment without knocking,
since the door was still off the hinges. "They identified that guy who
attacked you."

"Yeah?" Saved from an earthshattering decision, she eyed him.
"Who was he?"

"The guy you arrested for trying to steal your hubcaps."

"Huh?" That didn't ring a bell.

"You got in a shootout with the guy, right before your accident."

"Oh. That, I don't remember. What's he doing out?"

"Bail." Morgan Sr. shrugged. "Listen, Elisa, he's out again."

"... what? How?"

"Snafu. Bail. He's gone. We can't find him. Hell, Elisa, I'm going to
wring a few necks down in booking, but we thought we'd gotten the
real story out of the guy when he said he'd seen the news reports on
TV and was robbing your place because he thought you were still in
the hospital and got scared when you threw something at him."

"Threw the telephone at him." Elisa remembered.

Morgan Sr. raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, it was the first available throwable object!"

"He might try to go after you again." Morgan Sr. frowned. "We're
moving you to Wyvern. It's safer; Xanatos has good security. He's
having his staff get an apartment ready."

"Uggh. Not sure I want to be under the same roof with Xanatos."

"Thought you were on good terms with him now."

Elisa made a face. "There's limits to everything." She sighed.
"Xanatos has actually been after me to move there for years. He's a
romantic at heart. Wants me and *Goliath* under the same roof."

Morgan Sr. snickered. "Not that you two don't spend plenty of time
here ..."

Elisa pitched a throw pillow at him. "You've been reading too many
Enquirers."

Morgan Sr. ducked the pillow. "Wow, Elisa, good aim!"

* * * * *

Goliath met her taxi at the curb in front of the Aeyrie building. "I
heard." He said, grimly.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" She let him lift her out of the
taxi.

"Yes. But the shop found no mechanical flaws with your car."

"So they say. Where's my car?"

"Police impound yard, pending a possible criminal trial." He backed
through the front doors and entered the lobby. His talons clicked on
the marble floor.

Elisa swallowed. "Do you think they'll really ...?"

"Elisa, we have powerful political enemies." He stroked her short
hair, as they waited for the elevator. "I would put nothing past
them."

"Damnit, it's been thirty years. Can't they give it a rest?"

"Thirty-one, since we awoke in this strange time." Goliath said,
softly. "I do not think I shall live to see the day when we are
universally loved."

Elisa sighed. "Yes. Damnit, I wish I could *remember*!"

They were silent the rest of the way up to the castle.

* * * * *

"Shh." Lexington hissed at Brooklyn, when Brooklyn landed noisily
in the bed of a crumpled pickup. "There's Elisa's car." He
scampered towards it; he had a knapsack in one hand and a dark
flashlight in the other.

"Sheesh." Brooklyn scrambled across various wrecks to reach the
blue electric car. "Not much left of it."

"No. They had to cut her free. Goliath says he thinks Elisa has
divine protection." Lexington crawled under the crumpled dash and
made a harrumphing noise. "Computer's still intact."

"Good. Right?"

"Right. Hand me my laptop." Lexington held a hand out.

Brooklyn obediently fished the computer out of Lexington's
knapsack. Lex switched the flashlight on, hooked two wires to the
laptop, and made interested noises. "Lookit this."

"What?" Brooklyn peered at the glowing screen. It was covered in
cryptic numbers.

"That." Lex pointed with a talon. "This indicates velocity. This is the
sensor for the brakes. Here's the GPS position." He typed rapid
commands into the computer; it displayed a map. "Elisa was
stepping on the brakes for a full four seconds before the impact,
starting ..." He punched a button, and a dot appeared, "... here, a
good twenty yards before the light. Sixty feet. More than enough
time to stop. But she never slowed at all. Her brakes
malfunctioned!"

"So it's not her fault."

"No. And the shop would have to have been either nuts or rather
well paid to overlook this ... this is *elementary*." Lexington's voice
trailed off. "Elisa thought someone was trying to steal her hubcaps.
There's a relay, in the wheel well, that controls the brake circuits.
Betcha anything he tampered with it."

"So the question becomes: why?"

"Hey!" A voice shouted.

"Hell. The security guard!" Lexington and Brooklyn bolted for the
skies.

* * * * *

"What were you doing in the police impound yard!" Goliath roared
at them.

"Trying to help." Brooklyn snarled back.

"You just complicated matters!" Goliath snapped at his second.

"Someone messed with Elisa's car!"

Goliath took a deep breath. "This isn't like the old days! We can't
just fix things any more!"

"Sorry, Goliath, but if someone's messing with Elisa, I'm not going
to wait for the official solution! The official bureaucracy let the
crook out!" Brooklyn snarled back.

Goliath's voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "After you left,
Chief Morgan Sr. had them check the car over again. They found
damage to the main brake controls, and they looked at the computer
record. They found what you found."

Lexington looked momentarily triumphant. "Someone tried to kill
her!"

"... And now they have two conflicting reports. Both from the
official shop. What does that look like to you?"

"Oh ... hell." Brooklyn ran a hand through his hair. "Like we
tampered with the evidence. Made it look like Elisa wasn't at fault. It
was my idea, Goliath. How much trouble are we in?"

Goliath shook his head. "I'm not happy with either of you."

Brooklyn ducked. Lexington looked distinctly unhappy.

"... but Chief Morgan doesn't suspect either of you. He's going to
look for other evidence to implicate the man. The computer records
will never hold up now."

* * * * *

Elisa bit her lip with determination and took a shaky step forward.
She glowered down at her legs, which were pale, wrinkled, skinny,
scarred. She definitely wouldn't be wearing a miniskirt for the next
lifetime or so ...

"Concentrate, Elisa." The therapist said, startling her back to reality.

She *still* had a frustratingly short attention span. Three months
had done little, it felt like, to help that. Goliath swore up, down, and
sideways that he saw improvement. She wanted to believe him, but
...

"Pay attention!" The therapist reminded her, gently.

She took another step. Gasped in pain. Beads of sweat ran down
her forehead. "Enough!" She begged.

"Ten more feet to the end." The therapist said, then grabbed for her
as she swayed between the bars.

"Sorry." Elisa bit her lip, and forced her feet to shuffle forward.
Knifing pains sliced through her legs; the crushed bones had healed,
but the mangled cartilage, tendons and muscles were slower to
mend.

"You're doing great!" The therapist cheered when she reached the
end of the bars.

"Feel like ... walking on coals."

"Yeah. That'll get better."

"Get better, get better, always get better ... be a little old lady by the
time I get better." Elisa groused, slumping into a wheel chair.

"Squeeze my hands." He said, holding his fingers out towards her.

She muttered something grouchy, but complied.

"No difference in strength, coordination, muscle tone, between your
limbs. Your reflexes are *normal*, Elisa. You're getting better."

"I was the best shot in the department four months ago." Elisa snorted.

"Elisa ... oh, good evening, Goliath. She's ready to go home." The
therapist straightened up. "She's quite a lady."

"I know." Goliath said. "Are you ready?"

"I've never been more ready to go home."

Goliath pushed her to the elevator, then pushed "roof".

"What?" She straightened in the chair, when the elevator car moved
upwards instead of downwards.

"You're stronger." Goliath rumbled at her. "I go back to work
tonight, at midnight."

"I know. You've been complaining about it enough."

He stroked her hair. "Elisa, you know I shall never complain about
protecting this city. It is leaving you that is difficult."

"Because I'm a damn invalid."

"Because I love you." He said, softly. He lifted her out of the chair,
just as the elevator doors slid open. He broke into an easy run,
spread his wings, and leaped from the roof.

Elisa wrapped her arms around his neck, and favored him with a
grin. It was that open, honest grin he saw so seldom now. More,
recently, despite her impatience with the pace of her recovery. And
now he was going to have to destroy that grin ...

"Elisa, they're not going to press charges."

"That's a relief." She sagged in his arms.

"Yeah. But they want you to retire."

She went quiet.

"I was thinking ... we could go visit everyone. The Guatemala clan.
Princess Katherine. The Japanese gargoyles. Nokkar. See how they
are doing."

"By boat?!" She said, lightly.

"Yes. Xanatos has said he will supply a boat. He owes us."

"Yeah." Elisa said, quietly. "I don't want to retire."

"The ... enemies have made it clear that they'll bring the case to trial
if you try to return to work. We have no defense. They can bring
the clan into it, too. Because of Brooklyn and Lexington."

"They were trying to help."

"I know. Times are changing. We are part of this world, now. We
must live by the laws of this world."

"You once argued to me that they were man's laws, and did not
have hold on you."

Goliath hugged her closer. "I know. The laws are useful, I have
learned, but I must follow them to use them." He landed easily in
the castle courtyard, and carried her inside, to the apartment that
Xanatos had lent her.

"I'm a cop. I've always been a cop. How can I stop being a cop?"
Elisa whispered, into his shoulder.

"You will find other ways to change the world." Goliath settled her
onto the bed, and brushed a knuckle along her cheek. "I have always
thought you became a cop because is was a practical way for you to
right wrongs. You have that fire in you. You did not become a cop
just to become a cop. There are other ways, Elisa."

"Yeah." She said, softly. "Shouldn't you be going to work?"

"It's only nine. My shift begins at midnight." He sat down beside
her. The bed sagged, and she toppled into his arms, burst into tears,
buried her face in his chest.

"Goliath, this is a nightmare."

"I know. I live it with you." He lifted her chin up with a knuckle.
"And it will get better."

"Right wrongs, huh?" Elisa sniffed.

"Yes."

"Xanatos is giving us a boat?" Her eyes were beginning to gleam
with an idea. "What can we do with a boat?"

"It's a sailboat. Not much."

Elisa burst out laughing. "But we can!" She was grinning. "We can.
Let's go right what once went wrong again ... only this time, I've
taking a change of clothes!"

Goliath hugged her. "Avalon. Those were magical days. I would
certainly like to return to them." He pulled her into his lap, and
kissed her. "But I was thinking of something a little less ...
dangerous."

She pushed away from him. "You think I can't do it!"

"Do what?"

"Get it *all* back!" She had a defiant gleam in her eyes. "I can.
Watch me!"

"I shall." He said, gravely.

His co-conspirators were in the Great Hall, waiting, when Goliath
left Elisa asleep on her bed.

"Well?" Alexander Xanatos demanded.

Alexander's father added, "Did plan C work?"

Owen Burnette commented blandly, "Elisa is quite susceptible to
reverse psychology."

Goliath scratched his head. "She's vowed to get it all back. I suspect
that she shall."

"Told you so." Xanatos said, grinning. "One thing I learned a long
time ago -- never tell Elisa she can't do something.

* * * * *

"Got you!" Goliath roared, stooping out of the sky. He'd been
patrolling for weeks, watching for a familiar saboteur.

The man screamed, tried to bolt, then howled in terror when
Goliath snatched him up by one arm. "I should kill you!" Goliath
roared in his face.

The man wet himself.

"Why?" Goliath snarled.

The man gibbered.

"WHY?!" Goliath wanted to rend this man limb from limb.

"Pa-pai-paid!" He stammered.

"You tried to kill her for MONEY!" Goliath roared. "WHY?!"

The man gasped, "I don't know! They just paid me! They just paid
me to do it! First time I ever did anything like that, but ... but ... she
had dirt on me!"

"Who is she?"

The man clammed up.

"Who!"

"I'd rather die than tell." The man said, with pastey-faced
determination.

"But you tried to kill Elisa?"

"Yes!"

"How?!"

"I ... rigged the brake relay on her car. Cracked the case and put a
piece of lint between the contacts. But she didn't die." The man
whimpered. "Was supposed to look like an accident! She's trying to
kill me now! I tried to kill Elisa again, but she's still after me!"

"Who is she?"

The man closed his mouth. "I want to go to jail. Safe, there." He
said.

Goliath dropped him. "You will. I am, as they say, wired."

The saboteur stared up at him. "You're wearing a bug?"

"It is Elisa's justice." Goliath held a hand out, palm up, in a gesture
of acceptance. "Not mine."

* * * * *

"One ... more ... lap." Elisa puffed, hitching herself along on
crutches.

"You've gone around the building three times." Goliath followed
her.

"One more time." Elisa pointed a crutch at him. "Gotta get better."

"As you say."

"Reverse psychology." Elisa snorted. Goliath grinned at her. It had
taken Elisa all of two weeks to figure out their ploy, but by that
time, she'd been out of the wheelchair and on crutches. The doctors,
who were amused and not wholly disapproving of the plot,
attributed it all to Elisa's righteous indignation.

"We leave in a month. I'm taking a year's leave of absence. It will be
just you and me." Goliath followed her slow pace.

"Think the city will survive without us?"

"I know that it will." Goliath said, "The others will keep it safe."

She negotiated a tricky stretch of grating. "Sounds like ... heaven."

"Yes." He steadied her when her crutch caught in the grating. "And
maybe, if we're lucky, Avalon won't send us anywhere too
dangerous ..."

Elisa whapped him in the shin with her crutch. "Stop that!"

He laughed, "Stop what?"

"The reverse pyschology thing!" She threatened him with the crutch.

He gave her an innocent look. "I have no fondness of danger."

"Yeah, right. You guys thrive on it." Elisa had made it all the way
around the aeryie building. She eyed the steps. There was a ramp ...
she didn't need it.

"Do you require assistance?"

"No." She said, with grim determination. One step at a time, she
made it up to the lobby. She negotiated the slippery marble floor,
then slumped against the wall of the elevator. "Whew. What time is
it?"

"Eight."

"Plenty of time for other exercise."

"Yes." Goliath agreed.

"It's been a long time."

"I know." He bent over and kissed her.

* * * * *

Moonlight transformed Hudson bay into a gleaming silvery mirror.
Slowly, the mists of Avalon began to come up, cutting off the view
of the city.

Goliath glanced up from fiddling with the instrumentation to study
Elisa. She stood on the bow of the boat -- stood proudly, tall, feet
braced against the deck, hands gripping the railing. A ring glittered
on her hand -- though legally, they were not married, they'd
exchanged private vows many years before. The last four months
had felt like a lifetime, but they'd survived.

They didn't know who had paid the saboteur, though the whole clan
had strong suspicions. An investigation was underway to determine
how Elisa's car had been declared clean of sabotage. Morgan
suspected a technician of accepting a bribe; if so, there would be a
trial still, and perhaps if the technician was convicted, Elisa could
get her job back.

If she wanted it back. Perhaps it was time for both of them to retire,
while Elisa was still young enough to do the things she'd always
wanted to do. Their plans included visiting Jason in South America -
- they had word that he had indeed discovered a whole clan hiding
in the jungles of the Amazon basin -- and looking up many other old
friends. And between visits, they would go where Avalon sent them.
Right those wrongs. Elisa wasn't as fast, or as tough, as she had
been thirty years before, but Goliath trusted Avalon not to send
them to impossible missions.

He gazed at her, smiling. He had no need for revenge against those
who had harmed her. Elisa's justice, the laws and court system that
she believed in, would take care of that.

It was an incredible feeling to see her on her feet again. The end of
her scarf whipped in the wind; she had her arms wrapped around
her chest and the collar of her jacket turned up. She looked chilly,
but strong. She looked *young* despite her wrinkles and white hair;
her eyes were glittering with excitement, a smile tugged at her lips.
She'd resurrected that old red bomber jacket, or had found a close
clone of it, and despite the fact that it was currently very
unfashionable, she wore it now, as a link to those days long past.

He padded across the deck and wrapped his wings around her. She
leaned back against him, and glanced up, with a grin that was
familiar.

He echoed her grin. "It's good to be underway." They had decided
that this would be a rather better provided trip than last time. They
had food, water, supplies enough for months. It had taken weeks to
get ready.

She twisted around to face him, and ran a hand through his hair.
"How many of these grey hairs have I given you?" She asked, with
laughter in her eyes.

He ruffled her hair, which was still short, and white as the
moonlight, "I believe you're in debt to me, if you wish to count grey
hairs. It appears that I have given you more."

She threw her head back and laughed at the stars.

He echoed her laugh, hugged her close, and rocked her back and
forth. He knew then that things were back to normal.

... the air was suddenly warmer. The water began to glow and
bubble around them. Lights danced in the sky.

"Where are we?" Elisa said, startled. She limped towards the GPS
display, but Goliath was faster.

"Bermuda." He read the instrument. "I think ... I'm not sure." He
tapped the instrument; it was displaying garbage numbers now. "It
did say Bermuda ..."

... Or as normal as life could ever be for the two of them.

~The end