Double, Double, Toil and Trouble

by Aesop

Gargoyles 9. The clan has a new problem, or is it an old one?

DOUBLE, DOUBLE TOIL AND

This is my ninth fanfic. I gain nothing by writing it and I don't own the characters created by Disney. I'm using them without permission. I'm also making use of some characters created in a fanfic series called The gargoyle Saga. This story begins about three months after the end of Reckoning. This continues the previous story line while starting off in a new direction. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

PREVIOUSLY: On GARGOYLES

"Ah, but was it a dream? Or a prophesy?"

Puck - 'Future Tense'

"All things are real."

Weird Sisters- 'Avalon' Pt. 2

Pulling a sharp turn around the corner, almost skimming the windows of the skyscraper, she found herself praying, to who or what she didn't know. It was a new experience for her. She clutched her burden tighter and tried for greater speed, hopeless though it seemed.

Two more random turns; then through the girders of a new building going up. It didn't help. They were still behind her and gaining. She had to get out of sight if there was to be any chance of escape.

There! That was the way out. She spread her wings wider and turned into an updraft that sent her soaring above her pursuers. Then, at the last moment she folded her wings and dove, straight for the river and the bridge. Shifting her burden entirely to her left arm, she reached out. Passing only a few feet from the bridge, she grabbed the edge of a support girder she swung up under the bridge. The effort nearly tore her arm from its socket.

It wouldn't take them long to find her, but a few seconds out of direct line of sight was all she needed. Protecting the bundle she carried as best she could, she spoke the words of the incantation, and the world dissolved around her.

OOOOOOOOOO

Elisa Maza sighed and stretched before settling back against the wonderfully warm body spooned against hers. Goliath made a low rumbling sound in his chest as he reached around and cupped one breast. Tired though she was Elisa felt herself respond to his touch.

"Mmm. That's nice," she said sleepily. She didn't know if she could go again, but at least part of her was willing to try. Practicality, flavored with exhaustion won out though. Through half closed eyes she tried to focus on the clock. "How long till dawn?"

She felt him rise up on one elbow as his hand left her breast and reached for the clock. "About two hours." As he set the clock down he noticed a box sitting on the night stand next to it. Curious, he picked it up and looked at it in the dim light. "Condoms?"

Elisa bit her lip and berated herself for forgetting about those. "Um, yeah, they're um,..."

"I know what they are," he said, his voice mildly reproving. "I do not remember you ever asking me to use one."

"I ah, realized after I got them that they wouldn't fit you." She was glad the lights were out. Her face was no doubt a bright red. "Somehow I just couldn't see myself returning them."

"Ah, I see," the large gargoyle said in a voice that indicated he did not see at all. After all this time, and with all that he had learned about humans, certain aspects of their behavior were still a complete mystery to him.

Human attitudes towards mating were especially puzzling. There were so many unwritten rules and conditions, many of which contradicted each other. He repressed his desire to sigh in frustration. He knew Elisa would misinterpret. He felt the shift in her mood as her body tensed and she drew slightly away, an unconscious gesture, but one that someone who had spent more than a month in close quarters with her aboard a small boat could not miss.

"What troubles you my love? There is no cause to be embarrassed."

"That's not it." She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Goliath" she took a moment to work up her courage. "Have you ever thought about the future, our future?" There it was, out in the open. He had known the conversation was coming, and he had tried, unsuccessfully to plan for it.

"Yes, often." He hesitated. "What specifically concerns you?" She was silent for a time, not sure how to broach the subject. Finally, she just came out with it.

"We don't even know if it's possible. I mean you and me. We don't know if you can get me pregnant."

"I know," he said hesitantly. "I did not bring up the subject, as I did not want to pressure you." He left the rest unsaid. It had taken some time before Elisa had gotten over her nervousness and they had finally made love. Both had been worried about the physical differences between them and had delayed longer than either had wanted to. Goliath had avoided this topic for fear of frightening her off. He knew what it would mean for her, that all of the risks would be hers, and he was reluctant to put her through any kind of hardship.

"We don't even know if it's possible," Elisa said fretfully. "Humans and gargoyles are so different." She paused, not sure how to continue and not sure she should. "It seems unlikely, but we've seen so many impossible things that it doesn't seem that far-fetched an idea." She suppressed a shudder as unwanted memories of some of the 'impossible' things they had seen came to her. "If it is possible-" she broke off, concerned about the possibilities and not sure how to explain her reasons for not using any protection especially since she didn't understand her reasons herself.

"If it is," Goliath finished, "you are concerned that we have been careless." Elisa pulled away and sat up on the edge of the bed. After a moment she answered softly.

"Yes." Goliath moved to sit beside her but did not touch her.

Neither of them knew exactly how to proceed from there. Part of the problem, Goliath suspected, was the different ways they viewed family structure. Even though he had adapted to the human idea of parent-child relationships, he still found it strange at times. He simply could not picture himself and Elisa and any child they might have as separate from the rest of the clan, or even as a subset of it. The idea was positively alien. He knew that Elisa found the idea of not acknowledging one's offspring equally strange.

"Perhaps," he said hesitantly, barely believing he was thinking along these lines, "the first step would be to find out if it is possible." Elisa looked puzzled for a moment. Then her face cleared, to be replaced a look of astonishment.

"You mean talk to Doctor Goldblum?" Goliath nodded, his face serious, as always. Elisa hesitated. Talking to the geneticist seemed almost too big a step toward making it happen. They would actually be doing something constructive toward that end. She paused and almost laughed.

"What is amusing?" Her lover asked, thoroughly confused.

"I was just thinking that," she snickered, "going to see the doctor would be too much like taking the first serious step toward having children." She looked down at their bodies, so close together and completely bare. 'When actually" she trailed off and looked at Goliath. It was dark in her bedroom, but she could have sworn he was blushing.

"I see your point," he agreed gravely. His tone and the serious expression on his face made Elisa giggle. Goliath merely watched as she carried on for several minutes. Each time she seemed about to stop she would be overtaken by fresh fit of laughter.

This time Goliath did sigh aloud, certain he would never understand females of any species.

OOOOOOOOOO

Elisa made the call shortly after 9:00 that morning. Goliath had returned to the castle after urging her to speak to Goldblum to see if the two of them could make an appointment.

Elisa was still a little leery of the idea. She didn't know how the very conventional medical doctor would react to their questions. It was certainly not something she wanted to discuss with his receptionist.

"No, I can't give a reason for the appointment. Just tell him Elisa Maza needs to speak to him." She listened impatiently to the woman's mumbling as she checked a schedule. Finally she found the appointment book or schedule or whatever she was digging for. The answer was less than encouraging.

"When will he be in?"

Eventually Elisa learned that the doctor would be busy all day and he was doing charity work that night for the Xanatos-Renard Foundation to Help the Homeless. Elisa thanked the woman and hung up. At least she knew where to find him after sundown. Not that it helped, she had duty that night. She wondered if Goliath would approach him alone, but she somehow doubted it.

Elisa had been very surprised when he made the suggestion. Goliath was distrustful of modern science and it's practitioners. He didn't trust Goldblum despite all that the doctor was trying to do. It was a bias he was trying to overcome, but he still had a ways to go.

OOOOOOOOOO

THAT NIGHT

"I'm going to have some fun."

"Oh?"

"Absolutely! Everyone here has been so gloomy lately. It's gotten positively depressing. I mean, the mutates weren't that big of a loss." The trickster grinned. "After all, we've still got the halflings and there are more than enough Unseelie to carry out our conquest of the mortals."

Madoc sighed. He was getting tired of Loki's antics, and he did not really want to explain matters again to the thick headed Norse god. Nevertheless

"Conquest is easy Loki. Holding on to what you've conquered is another matter entirely. We needed the mutates as ground troops and a police force after we'd won. Surely you can't have spent so much time among humans and gargoyles without realizing how stubborn they are?"

"We can always make more mutates," Loki pointed out.

"So can they," Madoc retorted. "To make matters worse, they now know of us. The general public may dismiss what they see or try to rationalize, but my scrying has shown me that the human governments and military are taking the threat we pose quite seriously." Before Loki could raise another point, Madoc fixed him with a fierce glare. "Leave us now. Go and play. Leave strategy to those who have brains to think with."

Loki stepped back, as if slapped. "Of course my lord." He bowed and retreated hastily from his irate king.

He had Madoc's leave to play, which was after all, what he had wanted. He moved to the portal that led from their headquarters in the Brocken to a staging area they had set up in Central Park. It was to have been a stepping stone in their invasion of New York, the first step in conquering the rest of the mortal world.

Since the disaster in New Jersey, however, and the revelation to the general public that the Unseelie existed and were a threat, Madoc had scaled back operations. He was moving much more carefully now. The halflings persisted with their terrorism, but it was getting more dangerous.

Resistance to their efforts was becoming stronger almost by the day. It had surprised Loki that so many people knew what the word Unseelie meant. It had surprised him until he had it pointed out to him that the mortals who knew of them were spreading the word through official and unofficial channels.

More and more people knew what the Unseelie were and how to fight them.

Last week, a flock of wisps had been destroyed by an irate store owner wielding a cast-iron frying pan. Three nights before that, they had lost a halfling. The manner of it would have made Loki laugh if Madoc hadn't been so annoyed.

Loki had kept his amusement to himself. He could see why Madoc was angry. After all of the work and expense to develop the halflings and the time spent training them, it was embarrassing to have one killed by a common street thug.

Loki had not been there, but he had heard the first telling from the quivering group leader who reported directly to Madoc.

It seemed the halfling had been out for some fun. He attacked a group of people on the street, terrorizing and chasing them. The group leader had arrived on the scene and was enjoying the show when a car had screeched to a halt in the street and two men piled out.

The men, the group leader had recognized them as hired muscle that used to work for Tony Dracon, wasted no time. They knew exactly what they were doing. While one rang an iron bell the other tackled the halfling and threw him against a wall. It was such a surprise that neither the group leader nor the victim had reacted fast enough.

The sound of the bell had paralyzed the halfling while one of the men pulled a wooden stake from inside his coat and drove it through the unfortunate Unseelie's heart. It was downright embarrassing.

A wooden stake! Loki could still hardly believe it. Getting yourself killed in such a corny way had to be the ultimate humiliation.

The two humans had escaped, ironically, because of the arrival of New York's finest. The cops had started shooting at the flying group leader rather than chasing the thugs' car, which wasted no time in fleeing the scene.

OOOOOOOOOO

Loki arrived at The Shire Pub, a bar frequented by the halflings. The place was a bit quiet for Loki's tastes, but it did serve good booze. A drink or two, he decided, would put him in the proper frame of mind. It was also a good opportunity to show some of those idiots how it was done. He did so love an audience.

His arrival was met with mixed reactions. Many seemed glad to see him. There had been little for the halflings to do since Madoc had let up on the offensive. There were those among them who were just itching for a good fight.

Not everyone was happy to see him though. There were more than a few dark looks directed his way. He made note of them, knowing he would have to deal with them sooner or later. There were two separate groups of halflings. George Haris and his group gave Loki a collective cold shoulder. They followed orders instantly, as did all the halflings, but they hid their animosity toward their Fay masters poorly.

The other group, led by an increasingly snake like woman named Rita, jumped at the opportunity to get out and play. They were itching for some payback. It had been one of their number, a fool named Rael Loki recalled, that had been killed. Loki and three of the halflings left to see what kind of fun they could find.

OOOOOOOOOO

The spot had been carefully selected. He was meticulous in such details. That was the easy part. Tending to the details of the set-up had almost allowed him to forget the more surreal aspects of it all. Then he remembered the point of all the careful planning and preparation.

It hadn't been easy. First he had had to accept the truth of what his employer told him. Then he had had to learn everything he could about the assignment. The more he learned the harder it was to believe. The only thing that kept him on the job was the challenge. This would be the greatest challenge he had ever faced, and that excited him.

OOOOOOOOOO

The city was strange and familiar at the same time. It was and was not like any of the others she had visited. She knew she didn't have much time, she had to find help soon or it would be too late. The trouble was, she didn't even know where to start looking.

For lack of a better idea she landed on the roof of a tall building to get her bearings. It took a moment, but she recognized several key landmarks. She glanced down at her passenger, cradled carefully in her arms. There wasn't much time left. She would have to risk going to a hospital.

OOOOOOOOOO

He spotted the female gargoyle and her bundle at the same time he spotted the targets. A tap on his radio link set events in motion, then he waited. Curious. What would she be doing with a

Uh-oh! Here we go.

OOOOOOOOOO

"Are you lost little lamb?" The mocking voice made her whirl, eliciting a groan of protest from her passenger. Four not-quite-human figures floated around and slightly above her. She didn't know who they were or how they had gotten so close without her noticing, but it was obvious they meant trouble.

"I don't need anything from you," she said coldly, trying to muster some of her old fire.

"Oh come now, you're obviously lost," the female of the group spoke up. She had sharp, serpent like fangs and hissed slightly when she spoke. "How 'bout we give you directions? I love telling people where to go." The other creatures snickered at this, all accept one.

The apparent leader of the group, a narrow-faced man with long blonde hair and pointed ears, only rolled his eyes.

"Kids," he lamented, "what can you do?"

"You could back off and let me go about my business," her eyes flashed crimson and she snarled, quickly setting down her passenger in preparation for a fight.

"Ooh, scary isn't she?" the female mocked. They started to move in.

OOOOOOOOOO

Calm and focus were the key. Deep breath, hold it, let out half of it, and gently squeeze.

OOOOOOOOOO

Loki gave the female gargoyle his most winning smile as he moved in, as if he was about to reassure her of their honorable intentions. Instead he jerked forward and landed face down on the roof. The others stopped and stared. Then another, the female, jerked and fell to the roof beside the leader. Another, a greasy looking thug of a man fell before any of them could react.

"Sniper!" the last one shouted as he seemed to rocket up and away, trying to escape in his panic. The round took him in the center of his mass as he headed away from the roof. He made a soft grunt as the round lodged in his heart. It was the last sound he made until he hit the street far below.

As soon as she realized what was happening she threw herself down to cover and protect her charge. Now she saw what she hadn't before.

A red point of light moved back to the bodies. Each received two additional rounds. The leader, still alive, raised his hand and a shimmering wall appeared around them.

CLANNNGGG! The shield burst like a bubble. Again the bell sounded. The gargoyle looked up frantically, craning her neck looking for the source. She found it in an unfamiliar gargoyle landing a few feet from her. He continued to ring the iron bell he carried. The bodies, she now saw, seemed to vibrate almost in sympathy with the bell.

She watched, amazed, as the vibration of the bodies grew more intense until they literally shook apart. All that remained of the three bodies on the roof was a glowing green substance that almost looked like sand. Then the glow faded, and there was nothing left to indicate that there had ever been anything there.

OOOOOOOOOO

Beautiful! Four targets, four shots, and one of them in motion. He grinned as the adrenaline rushed through his system. And here he had been worried that this would be difficult. I'm still the best, he thought with satisfaction as he left the scene.

When the sniper had seen the gargoyle land on the roof he had put away his riffle and quickly vacated his hiding place. He had been told that under no circumstances was he to shoot at them. He wasted no time in leaving, but was careful not to hurry. There had been no sound of shots thanks to the silencer, but it wouldn't pay to hang around if any of the target's friends had seen what happened.

Every precaution was taken in leaving the scene. There was no sign that anyone in the high-rise apartment building knew what was happening, but he had been instructed to take absolutely no chances.

It had been a bit wearing, having to listen to the intermediary remind him of the precautions he needed to take. He was after all, a professional. Annoying, but given the bizarre nature of his targets he could understand the client's nervousness.

On the up side, the special rounds had done their work well. As he made his escape down the shaft of the service elevator, he thought back on how skeptical he had been about the effectiveness of the ammunition.

OOOOOOOOOO

TWO WEEKS EARLIER

"I'm telling you it will work," his contact assured him over the secured line. "The targets are only vulnerable to iron. The bullets I've provided," the sniper looked skeptically at the special rounds, "are made of iron. They are designed not to penetrate the target, but to fragment on impact. It will become lodged in the first solid body it encounters, no through shots. It has to lodge in the target or it won't be effective. I've seen them take regular bullets before. It only annoyed them. These iron bullets are different."

"I'm going to need something special in the way of a gun to handle these." He fingered the round he held, carefully estimating what it would take to deliver the round from a suitably safe distance and still achieve the results his client sought.

"I've already anticipated that. The weapon will be at the agreed rendezvous by tomorrow night." With that, the intermediary had hung up.

The assassin knew he was dealing with an intermediary. His client was taking no chances. It was quite likely, he reasoned, that the nervous, Japanese intermediary had never met the client either. Smart, there would be no direct connection by which he might be tracked.

OOOOOOOOOO

Tony Dracon gave his most disarming smile. A potential customer with a large bank account always made him happy.

"What is it I can do for you Mr.?"

"Smith," the man smiled. Tony raised an eye-brow, and the short, pudgy, Japanese 'Smith' chuckled. "I'm sure you understand the need for discretion." Tony nodded, understanding only too well.

"Of course, but Smith?"

"You prefer Jones? Either is good." Tony laughed out loud.

"I like you. I can tell we're gonna get along. Now, what is it I can do for you Mr. Smith?" The nondescript Asian in the brown suit handed him a piece of paper.

"I need a specialty item. I am told that you are one of the few people who can provide it." Dracon looked at the order and gave a low whistle.

"Specialty item indeed. That's military hardware. I can get it, but it's going to be expensive."

"My employer is prepared to meet your price or to offer an exchange. We have information you might find valuable."

Tony had heard this sort of thing before. Inevitably, the money was always the better deal, but he could often learn interesting things by hearing counter-proposals like this. "What sort of information?"

Smith looked around nervously, as if not trusting to Dracon's security measures. "There is a war going on Mr. Dracon. Sooner or later, everyone will have to choose sides." Dracon's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Are you talking about the Unseelie?"

"Yes Mr. Dracon. I am aware that you have already chosen which side to fight on, but there is much more at stake than you know."

"What do you mean?"

"They do not fight merely to attain territory for business ventures. They are not interested in 'a piece of the action' as they used to say in the old gangster movies."

"So what do they want?"

"Conquest Mr. Dracon, nothing less than good old fashioned military style conquest. What you have seen so far, the vampires as you call them, are only the tip of a very large and dangerous iceberg. They have no interest in us other than as potential slaves or sources of amusement."

Dracon was liking the sound of this less and less. What have I gotten myself into? He motioned for Smith to continue.

"These people have proved time and again that they cannot be trusted in anything. As powerful and as treacherous as they are though, they have weaknesses. Those weaknesses can be exploited to bring them down. My employer is offering the full story. He wants you to know the truth, to understand what you are fighting." Smith paused, noting Dracon's look of doubt. "And he wants you to know, as he does beyond a shadow of a doubt that there can be no compromise with the Unseelie. There can be no deals. My employer has already tried that and suffered for it."

"I saw what happened in Jersey. If those things were Unseelie" He didn't finish immediately. He thought back on the men he had lost to those flying pointy-eared freaks. There was no way he was going to share territory with things like that, let alone give everything up to them. "The whole story." he demanded. Smith nodded.

"You'll have it. I promise."

"Then," he couldn't believe he was passing up the fee on that item, "you have a deal. The gun for the information."

OOOOOOOOOO

For Dracon, the day of his meeting with Hunter proved to be a long one, full of surprises. In the end though, he had been convinced to put his full support behind the war effort.

OOOOOOOOOO

His mysterious employer had been as good as his word. The rifle was a real beauty. A long range sniper's weapon, the very best the U.S. military could produce. This, the assassin mused, must have cost a pretty penny.

OOOOOOOOOO

Joey turned from watching the halflings melt and looked at the female gargoyle huddled in one corner on the roof.

"Demona isn't it?" The gargoyle blinked in surprise, but then nodded. He noticed the blanket wrapped figure lying next to Demona and came closer. The briefings he had received on Demona had led him to expect something quite different.

She wasn't the snarling spitting creature Felix had described, and she didn't look at all the part of an arrogant sorceress. If anything she looked lost and very frightened. His doubts resurfaced when he saw who Demona was standing over.

"Oh God," he dropped to one knee next to the woman and examined her. She was in bad shape. He turned suddenly, prepared to fight her off if necessary. Instead of attacking she jumped back, a look of alarm on her face.

This certainly wasn't the Demona he had been warned about. "Explain this," Joey growled. The blue-skinned gargoyle actually cowered away from him. She pulled herself together after a moment though.

"She needs a doctor. Explanations will have to wait." Joey nodded succinctly. She was right. He knew Goldblum was in the labyrinth tonight. Given how jumpy people were becoming about non-humans in general, that was probably the best option. Ever since the 'outing' of the mutates and the Unseelie, people were becoming more and more leery of anything different.

He picked up the woman, nearly curled in a fetal position, and got another surprise.

"What the hell?"

"Hurry," Demona urged. "We don't have much time." Joey looked again at the woman in his arms, seeing how pale she was. He leaped from the roof, and made a bee-line for the nearest Labyrinth entrance. He radioed ahead to tell them he was coming and to get ready.

OOOOOOOOOO

Talon, Maggie, Sharon, and Goldblum were waiting when he arrived.

"What happened?" Talon demanded, as Joey laid his sister on the gurney.

"Ask her," Joey gestured at Demona as he pushed the gurney into the Labyrinths make-shift operating room so Goldblum could start working.

Talon turned on the unfortunate gargoyle with a deep growl. "What did you do? Why attack her?" He shoved her roughly against the wall and started to throttle her.

"I don't think she can answer if you do that," Maggie pointed out, trying to calm him. Talon relaxed his grip somewhat. Demona took a deep breath and sank to the ground gagging. "Explain," Maggie addressed the gargoyle in an even tone, too even for Demona's comfort.

"I-I didn't. The soldiers, they caught up with her at the old Lincoln Tunnel exit. I didn't get there in time." She broke into a fit of coughing. "I'm sorry. I tried to keep my promise to Goliath. I really did."

The two mutates only stared at her in confusion. "What is she talking about?" Maggie wanted to know. Talon shook his head, equally bewildered.

"You better call Goliath, and my folks." He turned his attention to Demona. "And you can come with me." He pulled her up roughly. "We've redecorated your cell since the last time you were here. I'm sure you'll just love it." Much to his surprise, Demona didn't struggle or protest as he took her to the cell and shoved her in.

When he reached the door of the operating room Maggie was waiting.

"I called your folks and the clan. They're on their way." A thought struck her. "I should call Matt too, let him know what happened. He might have some details." Talon nodded absently; his mind was already elsewhere.

Maggie looked around for Joey, but Hunter's second-in-command was already long gone. She felt a brief flash of annoyance. Hunter's group had become more and more secretive of late, more withdrawn than usual, and she had thought that impossible. She wondered briefly what they were plotting at now, but dismissed it as unimportant at the moment.

OOOOOOOOOO

When Goldblum managed to get her to uncurl from the tight ball she'd made of herself he found something he really wasn't expecting. He didn't waste time though. Carefully he removed the small bundle from her arms and passed it to an equally startled Sharon. Then he set to work assessing the detective's injuries.

OOOOOOOOOO

Goliath, Brooklyn, Sata, Broadway, and Angela made the trip from the Aerie to the Labyrinth in record time.

Goliath was frantic, demanding to see Elisa at once. Claw had to physically hold him back. Goliath subsided when he realized that barging into the operating room wouldn't help Elisa.

OOOOOOOOOO

Even as Goliath was arriving the phone was ringing at the 23rd precinct. Matt picked up the phone. "23rd precinct, Bluestone here."

"Matt, it's Maggie."

"Maggie? What's up?" He tucked the phone between his ear and shoulder and went back to sorting the files on his desk.

"Its Elisa Matt, someth-"

"Elisa? Hold on." He passed the phone to his partner. "It's for you." He returned his attention to the disaster area on his desk. Chavez had given him an ultimatum, organize the landfill or else. The captain's 'or else' could get pretty unpleasant.

Elisa shot him a quizzical look as she set down the case folder she was reviewing and accepted the phone. "Hi Maggie, its Elisa, something wrong?" There was silence at the other end of the line.

"Hello?" She tried again.

"Elisa?" Maggie asked hesitantly, clearly confused. "Is that you?"

"Who else would it be?"

"What are you doing there?"

"I work here. Is there somewhere else I should be?" Maggie was silent for a moment, clearly trying to work something out, what, Elisa couldn't begin to guess. She waited patiently.

"Right now," Maggie said, not sounding at all sure of herself, "I think you need to be here. Something very strange is going on."

Elisa frowned, it was not a good night for riddles. She sighed. "Can it wait till I'm off shift?"

"I don't think so." There was some sort of ruckus in the background. Elisa thought she heard Goliath's voice. "In fact," Maggie added. "I think you'd better hurry."

"All right. I'll be there as soon as I can." She hung up the phone and turned to find Captain Chavez standing behind her.

"Be where detective?"

"That was a friend of Dereks. There's some sort of emergency at the shelter they run. I've got to go." Chavez sighed and nodded.

"All right," she moved to another desk and gave the folder she was carrying to a detective with a pile only half the size of Matt's.

OOOOOOOOOO

Hunter looked incredulously at Joey, not sure he had heard his second-in-command correctly.

"You're certain it was Maza?"

"Absolutely."

"I don't see how that's possible. I spoke to her on the phone ten minutes ago. She's at the precinct house and has been all night." He drummed his fingers on his desk as he thought hard about the possibilities. A clone perhaps?

"All right, find out what you can. I'm in the middle of something delicate at the moment and can't get away. I'll pay them a visit when I can. Is there anything else you can tell me now?"

"One small thing," Joey admitted. Hunter felt a headache beginning just behind his eyes as Joey told him what else he had brought to the Labyrinth.

OOOOOOOOOO

The drive to the warehouse that served as a front for the Xanatos-Renard foundation was a fairly short one, but it seemed to take forever. Even late at night, New York traffic was unbelievable.

Elisa let herself in and went to the concealed elevator that would take her to the Labyrinth. Everything seemed to be taking forever. Maggie had sounded very confused. A voice stopped her as she was stepping in to the elevator.

"Hold on! Wait!" Elisa grasped the door and kept it from closing. She was surprised to see her parents getting on to the elevator after her, not nearly as surprised as they were to see her though.

"Elisa?" Her mother stared her, as if not quite believing her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm getting asked that a lot tonight for some reason. Where should I be?"

Her parents looked at each other in confusion. Finally her father said, "We got a call from Maggie. She said you were hurt, and that doctor Goldblum was taking care of you." It was Elisa's turn to be confused.

"I haven't been out of the station house all night. The only danger there is that the stack of files on my desk will fall on me." The joke did not go over well. They all knew that Maggie would not have called them without a good reason. It was not as if she was prone to practical jokes, especially cruel ones. She supposed they would find out soon enough though.

OOOOOOOOOO

"I do not understand," Goliath growled. "You spoke to her on the phone, but she is in the operating room?"

"I don't get it either, but I recognized her voice."

"She said she was on her way," Talon put in. 'We should know soon enough. He thought a moment. "There is one person who can tell us what this is about. Demona is in her old cell."

Goliath nodded. "I wish to speak to Elisa first. We will tend to Demona soon enough." Angela turned to look at her father, clearly worried by his tone. Before she could say anything though, the door to the common room where they were gathered opened and Elisa and her parents came in.

"Elisa, you're here." Goliath went to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, while he looked her over, making sure she was truly safe and unharmed.

"I'm fine Goliath," she said, slightly annoyed. "Do you know what this is about?" The big gargoyle shook his head. Talon stepped forward and looked her over himself while Elisa rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"I don't get it," he said. "I saw you I mean her.. I mean-" He shook his head. "Joey and Demona. Whoever it is she looks exactly like you, and she was hurt, bad."

"Demona?" Elisa was becoming more confused by the moment. "What does she have to do with this?"

"We don't know," Talon shrugged. "Right now she's in a cell. We can always ask her. Frankly though, what little she has said doesn't make any sense."

"What has she said?" Goliath wanted to know.

"She said something about soldiers attacking her near the Lincoln Tunnel and that" he paused, concentrating, " that she had tried to keep her promise to you. Do you know what she's talking about?" Goliath shook his head, equally puzzled.

"We will speak with her after we hear from Doctor Goldblum. Perhaps he can shed some light on this matter."

"Father," Angela stepped forward. "I'd like to look in on her, she might tell me things she wouldn't tell you." She hesitated a moment. "You don't exactly bring out the best in each other." Goliath frowned for a moment, then nodded.

"Very well. Go speak to her." Angela nodded and left. The rest settled down to wait.

OOOOOOOOOO

At first she didn't look up when Angela came to the cell door. She sat on the bed staring at the floor, and Angela's first impression was that she had never seen her mother look so defeated.

"Mother?" Demona didn't look up at first. When she did Angela could almost read her thoughts by the emotions so openly displayed on the familiar face.

First Demona's face split into a delighted smile and she rushed toward the front of her cell, then the smile faded and was replaced with a downcast look of utter misery. After a few seconds she seemed to rally and looked at Angela resentfully, as if rebuking her for something. This took only a few seconds and left Angela more baffled than ever.

"Hello Angela," she said in a neutral tone.

"Are you all right?" Demonal looked around.

"As well as can be expected considering my surroundings."

"What happened? What happened to Elisa?"

"She was ambushed by the soldiers coming out of the Lincoln Tunnel. I didn't get there in time to prevent the attack. Will she be all right?" Angela was growing more confused.

"Soldiers? Do you mean the Unseelie?" It was Demona's turn to look confused.

"Who?" Then she dismissed the question, and began to pace, and she started to talk to herself. "This is different. It's not like any of the others I've been to, but-" She broke off and looked at Angela. "Tell me about Xanatos."

"Xanatos? What about him? You know everything about him I thought."

"Pretend I don't. Tell me."

"He bought Castle Wyvern and brought it from Scotland. He was the enemy of the clan for a long time, but he's changed, reformed I suppose, although we still have doubts about some of his motives. We live in the castle again after hiding out in the clock tower above the police station for a long time."

Demona nodded, thinking hard. "What about Reynard?"

"Fox's father? He runs Cyberbiotics. They compete with Xanatos and with you." Angela studied her carefully. "None of this is familiar is it?"

"Some." She looked thoughtful, and Angela suddenly realized why,

"I think I need to make a call." She turned and headed for the kitchen and the phone there.

OOOOOOOOOO

It was only about half an hour before Sharon emerged from the operating room. She looked very tired. "Goliath," she nodded at the clan leader, "Doctor Goldblum will be out in-" She broke off when she caught sight of Elisa. She blinked owlishly at the detective and looked back toward the O.R., then back at Elisa. "What?" It seemed to be the only word she could manage at the moment.

"Were right there with you," Brooklyn assured her. She was still trying to find the proper words to express her confusion when Doctor Goldblum emerged from the O.R. He looked very tired. His eyes fixed on Goliath.

"Goliath." The clan leader stepped forward, unintentionally obscuring Goldblum's view of Elisa. "Goliath, I'm sorry. I did all I could, but there was just too much damage. She's dead."

"Who's dead Doctor?" Elisa stepped around Goliath.

Goldblum stared, open-mouthed. Then he glanced back at the O.R. doors, just as Sharon had. Elisa pushed past him and went in.

On the table a sheet covered form beckoned to her. She didn't know what was happening, or what she would see. Pulling back the sheet Elisa found herself staring down at her own face. For a full minute she didn't move; she just stared down at the dead body on the table. The body with her face.

Elisa had seen plenty of death in her line of work, but this wasn't like that. She wasn't looking at a stranger or even at a fellow officer. She was looking at herself. But it wasn't her. She felt Goliath standing behind her offering silent support. Finally she found her tongue.

"I'm confused."

"I think that makes it unanimous," Brooklyn commented from the end of the table. Elisa didn't even look up. Finally, Goliath took the edge of the sheet and covered the face.

"That is not you." She looked up at him, her expression unreadable. "It is not, and it will not be," he promised her. He gently coaxed her away from the table and back to the common room. There they found something new to be confused about.

"-to Delihla. She must be around here somewhere." Sharon looked at the door that led down the hall to the kitchen. "Maybe-"

"What's going on?" Brooklyn asked, seeing everyone's confused faces.

"There was another patient brought in. I should see to him." Elisa blinked at him. Another?

"Who?"

"Him." They all turned to find Delihla coming in from the direction of the kitchen accompanied by Joey Cowen. In Delihlas arms was a small child, little more than a baby, wrapped in a towel. He was clutching a cup of water and trying to drink. Mostly he managed to spill it over himself and Delihla.

When he saw the people gathered around he dropped the cup and reached out with two stubby arms.

"AAA!" the child said imperiously.

Joey managed to catch the cup before it hit the floor and broke. The rest were too busy staring to react

"AA-AA!" the child said again reaching out toward them, toward Elisa in particular. Hesitantly, she stepped forward and reached for him. He practically squirmed out of Delihla's arms to reach the detective. Elisa caught him up and held him carefully, staring down at the odd looking baby.

"He was frightened and dirty," Delihla offered. "I cleaned him up. He's not hurt." Elisa nodded acknowledgment and returned her gaze to the little boy, who looked about a year and a half old. He had taken a fist full of her jacket and pulled himself close to her.

Elisa pulled away the towel he was wrapped in, already suspecting what she would find. She was greeted with a collective gasp when she turned to face the group that had crowded around her. The small, but well formed wings flared and the stubby tail twitched as the press made the child nervous.

"Ama!" he protested as he tried to draw even closer to Elisa.

"'Ama'?" Dianne Maza repeated, unable to take her eyes off the child in her daughter's arms. "Mama?" she wondered aloud.

"I, ah, don't think so," Elisa protested as the child snuggled close, apparently settling in for a nap. "I mean I think I would remember if-"

"Look at his hands," Sata pointed. "What gargoyle has five fingers?" Goldblum stepped forward and examined the child's wings.

"The wing-hand has an extra finger as well. The only other gargoyle I've seen with similar traits is Eve. Could this be one of Sevarius' creations?"

"I don't think so." Dianne Maza stated authoritatively. "I think he's half human." This statement was met with open skepticism and no little apprehension on the part of her daughter, conversation stopped when Angela spoke up.

"I think she's right." No one had seen her come in behind Joey, whom the others were only starting to notice. She was holding a portable phone in one hand and staring at the baby who was now dozing contentedly, though he still maintained a death-grip on Elisas jacket. Then a small tinny voice came from the receiver and Angela remembered she had been in the middle of a call.

"Oh. Sorry, things are a bit strange here. Um, I was just calling to see if you were all right." She clicked off after a moment and went back to staring at the child.

"Who was that," Elisa asked, desperate to change the subject.

"My mother," Angela answered simply. "Shes at her house.

"Two Elisa's, why not two Demona's?" Broadway grumbled.

"We have seen this before," Angela reminded them. "We met that other Demona that came here accidentally." Goliath nodded

"I remember. Is that what is happening here? And is this the same Demona?"

"I dont think so," Angela shook her head. "She must be from another alternate world entirely. Shes nothing like the Demona we know or the other we met." Talon, suddenly remembering that Joey had brought them in turned toward him, but before he could speak he was interrupted.

"Um, excuse me," Peter Maza interjected. "Exactly what are you talking about?" A brief and rather confused explanation ensued. Finally, the retired police officer raised his hands in surrender.

"Let me get this straight. There are alternate worlds, like on some of those bad sci-fi shows. Maybe theres even one for every choice anyone ever made?" The others nodded. "Okay, I got it." He clearly didnt, but he wasnt alone in that.

"Maybe," Talon interjected, "we should ask someone who was there." He turned toward Joey, as did everyone else in the room. "Well Cowen? What happened, and where did you disappear to anyway?"

"I went to report to Hunter. Hes otherwise occupied and cant come himself. He sent me to give you whatever help I can and to get some answers for him." In point of fact Hunter hadn't said anything about helping them. Occasionally, Joey mused, he overlooks little things like common courtesy. Joey had made it part of his job to pick up the slack in that area. Hunter probably didn't want them to know all of the details of what he was doing, but some information sharing would be necessary.

"I see," Goliath nodded. "Very well then, tell us what happened." They settled in as Joey began a carefully edited version of events.

"You killed four Unseelie?" Brooklyns eyes were wide. They all looked a little stunned at the news. "Who? How?"

"I dont know their names, and with iron. It is the one thing the Fay are vulnerable to, as far as I know." They obviously wanted more. He sighed.

"Hunter has become frustrated with your defensive posture. He had weapons designed that would kill them and then he devised strategies that would allow us to make the best use of them. If we're attacked we now have a much better chance of coming out on top. When I saw a gargoyle being attacked, I took the opportunity for a practical test. Hunter was happy with the results. Those four were only the beginning."

"Are you mad?" Goliath demanded. "You know the Unseelie will retaliate. We do not have the means to stave off a full scale assault."

"Im not here to debate his methods. Hunter does as he sees fit."

"He puts us all at risk," Goliath stated flatly.

"How many direct assaults have they made Goliath?" Joey waited only a second for an answer. "Not many. Despite their power, they prefer sneaking around and using indirect magic to attack us. We've had very few stand up fights with them, just with their minions, like those rotten little Redcap things." Goliath looked as if he might still argue but Joey pressed on.

"A week ago, they cast a spell that put half the city down with some magical sickness. It only lasted a few hours, but they used that time to loot magical artifacts from all over the city. Theyre conducting a bizarre type of guerrilla warfare, sticking to the shadows for now. That is where we have to meet them. If we wait for them to come out into the open theyll be too strong for us to stop."

"Dont you think I know that?" the clan leader snarled. "I dont like this any better than you do, but we have to be cautious. We dare not provoke a full scale attack."

"Like I said, Im not here to debate his methods. Hunter is calling the shots, and I agree with him. Even if we can't stage an all out attack on Unseelie central, wherever that is, we should at least defend ourselves effectively." Elisa surprised everyone by speaking up at that point.

"I agree." Brooklyn nodded, meeting Goliath's eyes, and silencing his protest with a look.

"They're right Goliath. We should at least defend ourselves effectively if we're not going to take the fight to Madoc." Joey softened his tone and tried to mollify the clan leader.

"Hunter didnt consult with you about his plans, and he probably wont in the future. This is a mistake on his part. If we are going to win, we have to work together. Make sure that our efforts are coordinated. Hunter should know your plans and reasons and you should know his." He had argued this with Hunter and his leader had, reluctantly agreed. He considered Goliath too staid and old-fashioned. The clan's failure to exploit obvious weaknesses like the Fay allergy to iron was only one example. The gargoyles were definitely behind the times, even Lex the computer jockey, but Hunter was not one to waste resources.

Joey had winced when Hunter had said that, but it was better than nothing. Hunter hadn't decided anything definite about how to involve the gargoyle clan, but his agreement was a step in the right direction. Now Joey took the opportunity to bring the cooperation about.

"Are these his words or yours?"

"Mine," Joey admitted, "but Hunter does want to work more closely with you in this war. We can all benefit by talking to each other more, by making plans together. Tonight was just a warm up. If we are ever going to win a major confrontation with the Unseelie we have to be able to pick our time and place with them. Hunter thinks he knows how to do this, but we're going to all have to work together." Goliath was silent for a moment, but finally he sighed and nodded.

"Very well. I will speak to Hunter about ways to coordinate our activities, and about this plan of his. Right now though we have other things to worry about, our guest for instance." The abrupt change of topic caught Joey by surprise. His tone made it clear that the subject was, for the moment, closed. It took Joey a second to remember that this was a good thing.

"Let us go and talk to Demona." Goliath rose, and the rest of the people present took their cue from him. Together they made their way to the cell in which Demona was waiting.

The group that formed outside Demona's cell was rather intimidating in its size. But if she was disturbed, she didn't show it. She rose and approached the front of the cell, where the energy field installed courtesy of Xanatos Enterprises blocked her exit.

"Are you this world's Elisa Maza?" she asked without preamble. Elisa nodded. The baby was fast asleep in her arms. Every attempt she had made to put him down had provoked a crying fit. A crying fit and a new set of puncture marks in her jacket where the baby had dug in his talons.

"She's dead then?" the idea actually seemed to cause her distress, which surprised everyone who knew the history between the two females. Again Elisa nodded. "How is Tom?" she indicated the baby.

"Tom? Is that his name?" She looked down at the slumbering infant.

"It was Angela's suggestion. He was named after the Guardian who cared for the eggs on Avalon." There was an almost tender note in her voice. This, Elisa realized, definitely isn't our Demona.

"You're from an alternate world aren't you?" Demona cocked an eye-ridge at Brooklyn. "Some things there're the same, but some, like you for instance, are very different." Demona spent a moment trying to decide if she should be offended, but decided against it.

"Correct. Things are different in my world." She spared Talon a glance. "My reception here made that clear." It was stated matter-of-factly with no particular ire or recrimination, but it was obviously intended as a reprimand all the same. Goliath looked uncomfortable, but he wasn't prepared to let her out.

"How did you get here?" he asked instead.

"I used this." From inside her skimpy top she drew a very familiar talisman.

"The Phoenix Gate!" Brooklyn took an involuntary step back. "How could that bring you here?" And why haven't you used it against us? he finished silently.

"You know of it? Good. That saves a lot of time and explanation. The gate can do more than travel backwards and forwards in time. The Xanatos of Earth One discovered that it could also be used to travel, for lack of a better word, sideways in time." The mixed group of humans, gargoyles and mutates looked at each other in confusion. This was something that had never occurred to them.

"Sideways?" Brooklyn finally asked.

"Between alternate worlds."

"How did Xanatos get his hands on the gate?" Elisa asked.

"I don't know the full story, but Xanatos somehow got his hands on the gate and experimented with it. He discovered how to travel to alternate worlds." She sighed regretfully, "including mine unfortunately."

"Woah, wait a minute." Brooklyn raised his hands in a slow down gesture. "You're not from that world?" Demona looked at him impatiently.

"No. There are an infinite number of alternate worlds. This one makes the eighteenth that we have found. We suspect that the Triad knows of many more."

"Who is 'we'?" Talon asked, "and what is the Triad?"

"On each of the worlds we have found gargoyles have always led the fight against Xanatopia." Goliath inhaled sharply. He hadn't heard that word in a long time. He had hoped never to hear it again. Elisa saw the look on his face and took his arm.

"Goliath?"

"The dream again, Puck's dream." Elisa suddenly understood. Goliath had been reluctant to tell her the details of the dream, but eventually she had gotten it all out of him. Xanatopia. Xanatos' twisted vision of the perfect world.

Most of the rest only looked on in confusion, and Elisa wasn't in any mood to enlighten them. "I know you're worried Goliath. I am too, but we need to focus on what is happening, not what may happen." Goliath drew a deep breath and collected himself.

"You are right my love." He turned to Talon. "Let her out. I have a feeling this will be a long story. We should continue somewhere more comfortable." Talon looked dubious, but he opened the cell.

OOOOOOOOOO

Once all of them were assembled back in the main living area and made as comfortable as possible given the crowd, Demona began her story.

"I'm not sure how it began. The stories are confused. Xanatos had always lusted after power. That seems to be something that all the versions of him have in common. Somehow, and no one is really sure how, he came to possess the Gate and he began to experiment with it."

"We have learned that history cannot be changed," Goliath put in. "How much use could it be to him?"

"Your personal history, history as you know it cannot be altered. Small changes though, can be made. An account opened at a bank in another country 100 years ago, resources placed just where he needed them when he needed them, and of course information could be gathered, about enemies and allies alike, little things like that were possible. It wasn't enough though. He started to experiment." She had their full attention. The entire room hung on her every word. She found it slightly unsettling.

"When he discovered that the Phoenix Gate could take him to alternate worlds he sought out other versions of himself on those worlds, and he made bargains with them."

"What sort of bargains?"

"They shared resources, and information. They plotted together, and finally they combined all of their power to overwhelm one world at a time. At first there were only three. Those three Xanatos's became the Triad."

"What about the gargoyles on those worlds?" Demona looked at Talon in mild surprise. She hadn't expected the question to come from him, not that it mattered. It wouldn't change the answer.

"No survivors. Lexington and Angela made it out, I don't know from which world. They stole a Phoenix Gate and traveled to worlds that the Triad were already making plans for. They warned the people there, but they died protecting those worlds." No one said anything for a very long time.

"This, this is difficult to accept." Goliath turned away and paced the room. Elisa rose to approach him, but Tom whimpered in protest and she settled down again.

"You said 'clans' plural. How many?"

"Every clan on the worlds attacked by the Triad has joined the war against them. We have approached others, but convincing them can be hard."

"How did you get involved?" Goliath asked her, the suspicion in his tone was clear to everyone, especially Demona.

She turned to him, showing a trace of the fire they knew so well in the Demona of their world. "I don't know what happened between you and your world's Demona, but I'm not part of it." Her tone was mild, but there was iron behind her words. "I've stood with my clan from the beginning. I stood with them even when they were trapped in stone sleep with no one else to protect them." She moved toward him until their faces were only a few inches apart. "Don't question my motives." Her words came out in a soft growl that made even Goliath hesitate.

"Ahem," they both looked around to see Elisa approaching them, moving carefully so as not to disturb Tom. "Why don't you skip ahead to the part where you came here." Demona looked back at Goliath for a few seconds, her eyes glowing faintly. Then she turned away. After a few seconds she settled down and began to speak again.

"You want to know about the other you and Tom. All right." She took a moment to calm herself and gather her thoughts.

"They are from Earth 9. That world, my world, is a battlefield right now."

"The baby, Tom, he's-"

"Goliath and Elisa's son, yes. He was born before the invasion started. I've never seen Goliath happier, before or since." She stopped and lowered her head, a look of profound grief crossing her face. "He was killed two months ago during a battle with the cyberneticaly enhanced mutates that the Triad uses as shock troops. I lead the clan now, what's left of it that is."

"It does not go well then." It was a statement, not a question. Demona looked up at Goliath and shook her head grimly.

"He has almost infinite resources. We fight on, but at this point it's only a holding action. Even the most powerful among us can only do so much."

"How did you come to be here?" Elisa looked down at Tom again, a look of wonder and no little terror crossing her face. Demona saw her expression and smiled slightly. She remembered much the same look on the face of her world's Elisa when she had found out she was pregnant. She sobered quickly though, remembering that that dear friend was now lost to her. Another debt she owed to Xanatos, one that would be repaid in blood, she silently vowed.

"We were planning an evacuation. We were going to use the gate to move the children and wounded to a safe place. Elisa and I were to go ahead to Earth 12 to prepare the way." She closed her eyes, a pained expression crossing her face.

"I was delayed, hiding from a patrol. By the time I got there, Elisa had been cornered by Xanatopia's soldiers. I broke it up quickly, but she was wounded. We might have made it to safety, but the soldiers had called for backup. The Steel Clan, Xanatos' robots, are equipped with devices that allow them to track the gate's energies. I had to get us away and safely hidden before I could risk using the gate. They would have tracked us, and followed us here once the Triad was informed." Demona shook her head, clearly disgusted with herself.

"It took far too long to lose them. Then when I got here" She shook her head in disbelief. "What were those things? Fay? I've never seen anything exactly like them."

"Halflings actually," Brooklyn said. "They used to be human but were changed by a renegade Fay named Madoc. He wants to overthrow Oberon."

"Good for him," Demona smirked.

"Bad for us," Brooklyn returned. "We're the ones caught in the middle."

"Indeed," Goliath put in. "Oberon won't face Madoc."

"Which is a good thing," Joey interrupted, "considering what happened the last time they faced off." Goliath nodded, acknowledging the point.

"We have had to face them alone. Madoc and the Unseelie Court are a great threat to us. We too have been fighting a holding action. Our foes are so powerful that confronting them directly is very dangerous. We have won only a few battles." Demona nodded in understanding.

"I have not seen a member of the Third Race in many years, but I remember all too well, what they are like." She thought for a moment and looked hard at Elisa and Goliath. When she spoke, her tone was soft, and infinitely sad.

"I promised Goliath that I would take care of Elisa and Tom if anything happened to him. I failed to keep that promise. Now I have to go back and tell her family." Again she fell silent. "Elisa," the words came haltingly. Clearly she was not sure how to proceed. "My world is a very dangerous place right now. New York is in ruins, many of its inhabitants killed." She trailed off, her eyes moving to Tom. Elisa looked down at the baby and then back at Demona.

"What are you thinking?" the detective asked suspiciously.

"The war hasn't come here. It may never come here if we can keep this time line a secret. Tom would be safe here, with you two." She looked back and forth between Elisa and Goliath.

"What about her family back on your world?" Elisa asked, trying to conceal her nervousness at Demona's suggestion. "Wouldn't they object?"

"Only Beth, who lives in Arizona and her sister-in-law Maggie are left. I believe they would both feel better if they knew he was somewhere safe." Her look was pleading.

Goliath and Elisa looked at each other and then down at Tom. All of this was striking a bit too close to home for their comfort. "It seems," Goliath rumbled, "that yesterday's discussion was somewhat prophetic." Elisa nodded ruefully.

"What do you mean?" Talon asked, being the only one close enough to hear the remark.

"Ah, well," Elisa admitted, "Goliath and I were talking about it and"

"Elisa," Diane Maza prompted, "is there something we should know?" Her daughter blushed.

"No mom. I don't think so anyway."

"We had intended to approach Dr. Goldblum and ask his counsel in this. We did not even know if it was possible." Goldblum, who had been sitting through this with a glassy look in his eyes, like a man who'd had one too many shocks, shook himself and leaned forward when he heard his name.

"Ah, what now? Oh, yes, the baby." Taking a moment to rerun the last part of the discussion in his mind he nodded, thoughtfully. "Well, clearly it is possible for a human and gargoyle to conceive, but there are a great many unanswered questions. No doubt you could answer many of them." He looked at Demona. "For instance how-?"

"I'm afraid my time is running out. I must return to my clan and tell them what I've found." She looked thoughtful. "The discovery of this world may change everything for us."

"What do you mean?" Goliath asked suspiciously.

Demona rose and smiled at them. "I think that we may be able to help each other." She moved toward Goliath and Elisa and was hurt to see the way they tensed up at her approach. "May I speak to you two alone?" Goliath nodded and moved toward the kitchen, careful to stay between the two females. Elisa managed to pass the sleeping Tom to her mother without waking him, before going with them.

"What do you need to say?" Goliath's tone was only moderately more polite. He knew this wasn't his Demona, but he couldn't help the emotions that seeing her brought out in him.

Demona started without preamble. "I will understand if you cannot take care of Tom, especially if you are planning for a baby of your own, but believe me when I say he would be safest here. I don't want to risk Tom's safety by taking him home. We were planning to evacuate precisely because there was no safe place to tend to the wounded or care for the children. Even Earth 12, our most fortified world is in danger, simply because the Triad knows of its existence. They don't know about this place though. I came here by accident. The Gate's ability to travel to alternate worlds is somewhat haphazard."

"Coming here was an accident? How do you plan to get back?"

"I can travel to any world the Gate has been to before with the proper command."

"You want to leave Tom with us and go back to your war," Elisa said flatly.

"I don't want you to think I'm running out on you or him. I wouldn't leave him if I had a choice and I wouldn't leave my godson with just anyone. I know you Elisa." She turned to Goliath. "And I know you. I know you will care for him, you will love him just as they would have."

"Will you come back for him?"

"I'll be back. I know Maggie will be happy to have him, when it's safe. I'll be coming back regardless though. I think we can help each other."

"You said that before," Goliath interrupted. "How?"

"By sharing resources. I may be able to bring you information you can use to defeat your enemies." She paused to let them absorb this idea and then pressed on.

"The Fay are the only constant in all of the worlds we've found. Conflicts with them are not uncommon. I can find you people who are experienced in fighting them. Perhaps I can find you a weapon against them."

"That would be most welcome," Goliath said after a moment's thought. "When must you leave? We still have many questions about Tom." Demona smiled.

"When Alex was born Fox had no end of questions. She even asked me for advice." She shook her head ruefully. "You'll manage." Her manner changed then, becoming solemn. "As to when I have to leave, I'm afraid I must leave at once. I'm overdue at our headquarters on Earth 12. They will be worried and might send people to look for me. We have so few gates that that would be very dangerous. I must go."

After making brief explanations to the confused crowd in the main room, Demona drew out the Phoenix Gate, but paused to reassure them.

"I will be back, or I'll send someone who can answer your questions better than I." She stepped over to Tom who had awakened and was snuggling contentedly in Diane's arms. The human drew back slightly as the gargoyle approached. Demona stopped and stared, taken aback by the reaction. "I don't think I'm looking forward to meeting my counterpart here." She made another abortive effort to touch Tom but thought better of it. "Good-bye. Take care of him for me." She turned toward the infirmary. "I will take Elisa's body back for burial. The clan will want a proper good-bye." She started to move away and motioned for them to let her go alone. "I want to do this alone. We've known each other for years. I just-" she broke off, her voice choked. Then, without another word, she went into the room where the other Elisa lay on a table under a white sheet.

Everyone watched her go without speaking. They found it difficult to believe that any version of Demona would grieve, especially for Elisa. A few moments passed and then they all saw a brief flash of light from the room. No one spoke for some time after she had gone.

"Well," Sharon spoke up finally. "That was interesting."

"You have a gift for understatement," Dr. Goldblum shook himself like a man coming out of a dream. "I ah, suppose there are some practical matter to tend to now." He looked at the baby who was sucking his thumb and staring at the place Demona had been. Diane glanced down at the baby.

"Yes. Of course." This was something she knew about and could deal with. "Tom here should have a complete check-up, to make sure he's all right." They began to bustle away toward the small infirmary taking Elisa in tow. Goliath waved them on and then turned to address the clan.

"I have no concrete answers for you. We may have just made a powerful ally in our fight against the Unseelie, but if even half of what she told us is true, we may be on the brink of another, much larger conflict as well." He shook his head. "I suppose only time will tell."

THE END OF YET ANOTHER BEGINNING