High above the roar of the city, seven gargoyles lay frozen in stone, waiting for the sun to set. Slowly the golden sun melted beneath the clouds, leaving the world in the semi-darkness of twilight. As the last rays of sun faded from the faces of the gargoyles, their stony skin began to crack. With a great smashing sound and a deep throated roar, Goliath broke free of his bindings. The same sounds were repeated as the gargoyles surrounding him awakened.
The others leapt off their perches, but Goliath spread his wings to take off. Hudson turned to him curiously. "Where are you off to in such a hurry laddie?" Goliath turned to his elderly friend. "To visit Elisa. She wanted to come with me on patrol." Hudson raised an eyebrow amusedly. "Aye, of course," he nodded. Goliath studied his friend through slightly narrowed eyes. "What is that supposed to mean?" Hudson gave a small cough. "Nothing lad. Have a good time." Hudson turned to go inside. With a last cursory look at his friend, Goliath flew off into the night.
Elisa Maza stood in front of the long mirror on her closet door, frowning. A steadily growing pile of rejected clothes lay scattered on her bed. Elisa sighed irritably. "This dinner is more trouble then it's worth."
Leaning into her closet, Elisa pushed pairs of jeans, t-shirts, and jackets out of the way. So far, her search for a suitably formal, and feminine, outfit had been futile. She'd never really had much a use for dresses and the like. "I knew I should've taken that shopping trip," she muttered, annoyed.
Giving another loud sigh, she threw herself on the bed. She sat staring at her closet as though hoping an outfit would magically appear. Suddenly, her eye caught a shimmer of satin stuffed into one of the shelves. Hardly daring to believe it, Elisa pulled out a satin cocktail dress. It was a bit wrinkled, but after a few shakes it smoothed out.
Elisa eyed the dress thoughtfully. It was pretty, darkest black satin with a delicate line of beads at the top. It was fairly form fitting, small at the waist, flaring out slightly at the hips. With a shrug Elisa pulled her black tee off and removed her jeans. Slipping into the dress, she found it fit well. "I don't even remember getting this, " She said, amazed at her good luck.
Reaching own her back, she began to struggle with the zipper. Having no luck, she gave up and sat down at her vanity. She studied her cinnamon complexion and wide brown eyes. Nothing too extravagant, she thought, looking at her makeup. She finally brushed on a little blush, spread some dusty pinkish eye shadow over her lids. She applied a little mascara and frowned. I never was much of a fan of makeup. Guess it'll have to do. She was just reaching for some lipstick when she heard the window in her living room open. Goliath, she thought.
"In here Goliath!" She called. She heard the sound of footsteps coming towards her accompanied by the click of talons on the floorboards.
As Goliath approached the door of Elisa's bedroom, he hesitated. Elisa sat facing away from him, doing something in the mirror. The zipper on her black dress was undone, revealing a large expanse of skin. He gave a slightly nervous cough and walked into the room.
Elisa turned from the mirror to smile at Goliath. Standing, she turned her back to Goliath. "Hey, can you zip me up? I can't seem to get it." Unseen by Elisa, Goliath shifted uncomfortably. Seemingly unaware of Goliath's discomfort, Elisa lifted her hair out of the way and waited expectantly. He reached out a talon and gently grasped the zipper, sliding it up.
"Thanks, Goliath." Elisa slipped her feet into a pair of heels. Goliath gestured to Elisa's attire. "You're dressed rather formally for tonight," he commented. Elisa looked at him in mild surprise. "I thought I told you-there's a dinner tonight. Some guy donated a bunch to NYPD, so we're having an appreciation dinner."
Goliath frowned. "What will you do at this…dinner?" Elisa shrugged. "Listen to a bunch of speeches, eat some, probably dance with a few guys on the board." The last caught Goliath's attention.
"Dancing?" He asked, curious. Elisa grinned. "Well, kind of. I doubt anyone there will be under fifty." She laughed. Goliath looked at her thoughtfully. Finally he asked, "Do you like dancing?" Elisa shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. With a good partner it can be fun." Goliath nodded. His next question surprised her. "Can you teach me?"
Elisa raised her eyebrows, a laugh on the tip of her tongue, but then after a second look at Goliath she paused. "You-you're serious?" She asked him, astonished. Goliath smiled. "Why not? It seems to be a commonly enjoyed practice among humans; why not gargoyles?"
Elisa pondered for a moment. "Well this is hardly The King and I," she laughed. "But I guess I can try." She smiled warmly and laid a hand on Goliath's forearm. Goliath stiffened slightly for a moment, but then relaxed with a smile.
Somewhere an alarm went off. Elisa jumped, and glanced at her watch. "Shoot! I'm late. Sorry Goliath, the lesson will have to wait till later." With a last smile, Elisa gave Goliath's arm a light squeeze and left the apartment.
Goliath stood in Elisa's apartment for a few minutes more, thinking. Finally, he opened the window he had come in through and set off in the direction of the taxi Elisa had gone in.
Back in Wyvern castle, Hudson, Brooklyn, Broadway, Lexington, Angela, and Bronx sat in front of the large screen tv. Angela watched with a frown on her face. "I haven't seen Elisa investigate crimes that way; do people really do that?" Hudson shook his head. "Remember lass, you can't believe everything you see on tv. Those people are actors; they're paid to do that stuff. They do whatever is appealing to the audience."
"Don't I know it," Lexington muttered darkly, thinking of The Pack. Angela shook her head wearily. "I don't know that I'll ever be able to understand these humans." Hudson nodded sympathetically. "Aye, they can seem pretty strange sometimes."
Brooklyn turned away from the tv to look at Hudson. "Where'd Goliath go? I thought you said he was just checking in on Elisa. It's been a while." Hudson grunted. "Aye. I guess he decided to do a bit more visiting then planned."
Angela listened to their conversation thoughtfully. She had long since noticed a connection between her father and Elisa. She had considered it slightly odd at first, love between a human and gargoyle, but then she thought of the motherly love of Princess Catherine. It was indeed possible for a human and gargoyle to have a relationship; she just hoped it worked out well for them. After all the things her father had gone through with Demona, she wanted him to be happy. Overtime she had come to see Elisa as a sisterly figure, and a close friend. Perhaps Goliath would find in Elisa what he had lost with Demona. She smiled. Whatever Goliath and Elisa were doing, she hoped it was going well.
Goliath glided high above the street, following the yellow taxi below him. He wanted to see this dinner…and dancing. He had noticed, despite her reluctance to admit so, a spark come into Elisa's eyes at the mention of dancing. He was intrigued by this human practice that obviously pleased her so. Perhaps if he could learn….Goliath sighed. He still felt confused about his feelings for Elisa. He was sure they both cared deeply for each other, but he was unsure how to progress.
He was broken out of his reverie as he saw Elisa park her car in front of a large hotel. Elisa, followed by her partner, Matt Bluestone, stepped out of the car. Goliath gave a sharp intake of breath as he saw her. Even from on top of a roof, Goliath noted Elisa's beauty. Her sleek black dress accentuated her sleek, curvy form well. Her ebony colored hair flowed off her shoulders in smooth waves, reaching to almost her waist.
Goliath watched as Elisa laid her hand on Matt's offered arm as he led her up the stairs to the hotel entrance. He couldn't help but feel a small twinge of jealousy as he watched their progression. He knew that Matt didn't have any romantic interest in Elisa, but he envied Matt's ability to take Elisa places that he never could. Sighing, he settled down to wait.
Elisa clicked her fingernails impatiently on the surface of the table in front of her as she listened to the mayor speak. She hated speeches. "And so we present this award to Mr. Hendriks for his outstanding generosity…" he droned on and on.
Just as she thought she might escape into the hall, the speech ended. With a sigh of relief, she put on a smile and applauded politely with the rest. "Now the real fun begins." She told Matt, who was sitting next to her. He grinned and offered a hand to help her up. She accepted it and followed him to the buffet.
Is this stuff even food? Elisa poked a mushy piece of meat suspiciously. "That would be the calamari," Elisa snatched her hand away. A voice laughed behind her. She turned to find a tall man smiling at her. "Thanks, I've never been that adventurous with seafood," Elisa admitted ruefully. The man nodded with a smile. "No problem miss…?"
Elisa took his offered hand and shook it. "I'm Elisa, Elisa Maza." Wow, he's handsome. Elisa thought as she studied him. He was tall, easily towering over her. His short, dark hair framed his strong face nicely. His eyes were particularly enchanting, a light shade of shimmering green.
"I don't know about you, but I'm ready to get away from this stuff," John laughed as Elisa gestured to the less than satisfactory display of food items. They walked away from the buffet together to sit down.
After a few minutes of talking, John stood up. He offered a hand to Elisa. "Care to dance?" He asked innocently. Elisa hesitated for the briefest of seconds. Finally, she grasped his hand and allowed him to help her up. "I'd love to," She replied.
Hand in hand, John and Elisa walked towards the dance floor. He placed his hands on her slim waist and began to expertly lead her in the dance. After a few moments, Elisa's original hesitancy lessened as she realized the skill of John's dancing. They glided across the floor effortlessly. And to think I thought I'd be stuck dancing with some bumbling old guy the rest of the evening, she thought with a slight smile.
Goliath watched Elisa with a frown through a window on the balcony. He noted her contented look as she danced with a handsome man. He couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy rush through him. Someday Elisa, He thought, his words a promise to himself. He moved quickly back into the shadows as he saw Elisa break away from the man she was dancing with and head towards the balcony.
Well, that could've gone worse, Elisa thought satisfactorily. She remembered John's parting smile with a fluttering in her chest. Strange. with a What is it about this guy? I feel like a little girl with a crush. She sighed, thinking of Goliath. She was unsure what to do about him. She liked him a lot, even loved him, but if he was unwilling to move further…
She started as she heard something move in the shadows behind her. "Who's there?" She called. "Goliath?" She heard the slight flap of wings in the breeze, and knew swas right. "Enjoying the party?" Goliath asked as he stepped towards her.
She shrugged, slightly uncomfortable. More than I should be, she thought. "It's alright I guess." She said instead. Goliath studied her carefully, but didn't comment.
Elisa walked forward and leaned down to look at the city. "Pretty peaceful tonight." She commented. Goliath nodded. "It's quiet." He agreed. He shifted nervously. Elisa noticed. "Something on your mind Goliath?" Goliath considered. He wasn't sure what to say to her. "Who was the man you were dancing with? New partner?" He asked, feigning disinterest.
Elisa shook her head. "No, I just met him." She paused before adding, "He invited me to dinner tomorrow." Goliath's eyes widened. He fought to keep his face calm. "Really? Didn't you just meet him?" Elisa shrugged. "It's just a friendly gesture Goliath." Of course, Goliath thought, irritated. "What did you tell him?" He asked, trying to sound nonchalant. Elisa looked up at him. She was about to answer when she heard someone call her name.
"Elisa?" John's voice came towards her. Goliath backed into the shadows, his hands clenched tightly behind his back. "I wondered where you had gone off to," John took Elisa's hand and led her back inside. Unable to watch anymore, Goliath flew off into the night.
Elisa glanced behind her, searching for Goliath. To her disappointment, she saw only the tips of his wings disappearing into the night. With a heavy sigh, she let herself be led back inside by John.
Several hours later, a black car stopped in front of Elisa's apartment. Inside the car, Elisa grabbed her purse to get out. "Thanks John, you really didn't have to drive me." John grinned. "Believe me, it was my pleasure. I had a good time tonight, Elisa." Elisa's eyes softened. "Yeah, me too," she answered truthfully.
Elisa opened the car door and began to get out. As she walked up the stairs to the entrance to into the building, she felt a light hand on her arm. She turned to find John staring at her intensely. Before she realized what he was doing, John leaned forward and lightly brushed her lips with his own. After a surprised second, Elisa broke away.
"I'm sorry," John said quietly. Elisa hesitated slightly, but then smiled at him. "It's alright. But I don't really know you yet." John's lips turned up at the corners. "Well, we'll just have to fix that, won't we?" Elisa laughed, then nodded. "Goodnight Elisa," he nodded to her and went to his car. "Goodnight," She answered softly. She sighed guiltily as he drove away, thinking of Goliath.
Far above them, Goliath watched Elisa. He turned away angrily, hating himself for his jealousy. Shaking himself, he flew off for a second time into the night.
Stepping into her apartment, Elisa flipped on the lights. She was slightly disappointed to see that the room was free of any visitors. She glanced at the sky and saw it that it wasn't far till dawn. Deciding to visit Goliath tomorrow, she settled in for the night.
Hudson was waiting when Goliath arrived back at the castle. "You were out late tonight laddie," he commented. Goliath grunted. "I thought you were going to bring Elisa on patrol?" Goliath's face darkened. "She was otherwise occupied." He said, facing away from his friend.
By this time, the other gargoyles had joined them on the balcony. Angela noticed her father's disgruntled look. "Something wrong father?" she asked concernedly. Goliath took a moment before answering. "It's nothing Angela." Angela raised an eyebrow disbelievingly, but declined to comment.
Seeing the sun just beneath the clouds, and coming up fast, the gargoyles jumped up to the ledge and assumed various fearsome poses. All save for Goliath, who crouched in a thoughtful pose, staring out into the sky.