STEALING MY HEART
By Niamhgold at niamhgold@hotmail.com
Wouldn't it be just his luck, that, if on Cupid's day of days, he
lost his luggage? For those of you that wanted Oberon in a fic, and for those
of you who just wanted a little bit of silliness in their lives, this is for
you. This one is the fourth in my series, and was first posted on Valentine's
day. So if you've read it, don't feel obligated to do it again, and it you
haven't and wish to send your comments, please feel free! (I tried my best
to edit this better than the first time...). And, well, you should probably
read my past fics to get an idea of what's going on.
**Even though it seems like a short, funny story, this fic is still
going to play a role in the future...
Disclaimer: Gargoyles and the characters belong to Disney and Buena
Vista and not to me. I'm not making any money off this, and I lay no claim
to it. What I _do_ claim are my own characters, like this version of Cupid,
Eddie, Jinx, and Flick.
===========================================================================
PREVIOUSLY, ON _GARGOYLES_:
Oberon: "And Oberon calls _his_ children."
____** THE GATHERING, PART 1 **____
Skinhead: "You spare some change, lady? I'm trying to put myself
through medical school."
Elisa: "Uh...here you go." (Bumps into the darker-haired thug).
"Wha...what do you want?"
Dark-haired thug: "Oh, the usual. Good education, high paying job..."
____** HUNTER'S MOON, PART 1 **____
A human man, an elder like Old Brown, was lying on a park bench, covered
only with a thin newspaper.
_The Old Bum_ (looking down at Bronx): "Aghh, what...Ack! You must
be one of them gargo-whatsits."
============================================================================
============================================================================
________STEALING MY HEART_________
*****************************************************************************
PROLOGUE:
Avalon:
"The throne now recognizes Cupid, son of Ourselves and Our now queen,
Titania. Enter, child, and speak of your wishes." Oberon tapped his staff
three times, bidding entrance. The lords and ladies of the immortal stepped
aside as a golden-haired beauty walked up to his King.
Cupid bowed to Oberon and Titania and was acknowledged. "As you know,
my lord, in the mortal world the day of Saint Valentine is being celebrated."
Hushing whispers broke out across the room as the divinities scorned the foolish
human belief.
Oberon tapped his staff against the floor, and silence once again fell
over the room. "Yes, We are aware of this. But quickly speak of what this
day has to do with your attendance, for Our court has many other matters to
attend."
"Great King, it has been my tradition and birthright for the many
years before our gathering to go out amongst the mortals and deliver unto them
the helpful spark of love." At Oberon's harsh look, he amended, "I am not
directly interfering in mortal lives, as you may believe, but I instead speed
up the process of what Fate has already determined. It was what You bid me
to do."
"As well as that all may sound, We _have_ called our children back to
the isle of Avalon, never to be forced to live amidst the humans again. We
are afraid that We cannot risk another of Our kind being droned by that race.
You may well remember the folly of your cousin Puck."
"My lord--"
"Husband," Titania finally spoke, placing a hand on Oberon's arm.
"Cupid has been one of the most loyal of our court, and has done well for
the fate of humans without actually _breaking_ your divine law. What will
one day of the entire mortal year matter, then?"
Oberon side and rubbed the ethereal blue skin of his temples. "Beautiful
Titania, your words speak truth, but Our gathering has decreed that none of
the Third Race may leave this isle."
Titania's patience prevailed. "Aha, husband. You should do well to
remember the numerous scouts you let come and go from Avalon at will, and
the other exceptions you have made to this rule. Why should not our son
Cupid be allowed the same luxury?" She drew back proudly, watching Oberon's
expression melt into submission.
"Very well, wise Titania, We shall grant Our son this leave--"
"Much thanks, my King," Cupid approbated, bowing once again.
"--With the condition that he return unto this court within thirty
hours of his departure."
"Understood, my lord. My appreciation, Titania." The golden-haired,
fleece-winged man turned from the court, picked up his sling of arrows, and
faded out of sight. Oberon watched him leave and face his court with
determination.
"Let it be known that if any have reason to depart this isle, they
may do so, considering they beforehand deliver a convincing case to Us.
Oberon has spoken!" He tapped his staff three times again, and the Fey returned
to their conversing. Oberon smoothed out his magical cape and sat back down,
so that his chin rested on the top of his staff. Titania smiled at him and
patted his shoulder.
*****************************************************************************
Prague:
Max bustled down the street, hurrying to get back to his home before
his "friend" worried about his absence. He ducked down an alley and through the
market, which had been flourishing ever since the exile of Tomas Brode. He
needed to get back to the Golem now, because it had a tendency to run around
searching for Max whenever he was gone too long.
He looked over his shoulder at a pair of children playing in the street.
It brought him great pleasure to see this, and to know that he had been a part
of making peace a reality. Why, if it hadn't been for the gargoyles and the
discovery of the Golem, no child would ever had led a happy life in the town.
While looking behind him, Max forgot to watch the path _ahead_ of him.
His unknowing form slammed into another, who was carrying an even larger parcel
than himself. Market goods and imports went flying and rolling and scattering
in all directions; Max rubbed the nape of his neck, mentally swearing that
something had struck him there.
He started picking up the mess of goods. "I'm sorry, I wasn't looking
where I was going," he apologized, too red and embarrassed to look the person
in the eye.
His hand reached out to retrieve a box of chocolates, at the same time
the other person's hand reached out to retrieve the same carton. His eyes
started at the hand and his gaze worked up the arm, to a white-cotton sleeve
and the milky shoulders, and into the face of a woman with gossamer hair. She
smiled shyly at him with parted, pink lips.
They both laughed at the situation. "I am sorry," she said with a
voice as tremulous as chimes. She slapped the back of her neck, suddenly, as
if a mosquito had bit her. "That is your box."
Max smiled a goofy smile. "Uh, there's no problem, miss. I didn't
want to eat them myself, anyway. Can I help you carry these to your house?"
All thoughts of the Golem forgotten, he escorted the blushing youth to her
home.
Above them, an invisible force smiled and winked out.
*****************************************************************************
In Paris, France, the Eiffel tower glowed with a sprinkling of its
night lights. Hundreds of couples swooned in its radiance, although each
and every one of them that clung to a boyfriend or girlfriend believed there
to be many biting bugs out this night...
*****************************************************************************
In Ishimura, a very few gargoyles felt the effect of love's darts as
the humans inhabiting the town went plain silly. There's was not but a few
who were unpaired, and the gargoyles just chuckled at the fey-touched mortals.
Kai was one of the few gargoyles to be hit, and he quickly turned at the sight
of a red female gliding by him. All in the clan knew that he had not yet
taken a mate...
****************************************************************************
In Guatemala, Sapphiro and Obsidiana could rest easy in their friends'
absences, for the tree-cutting humans were smitten and on holiday...
***************************************************************************
Central Park, New York
He winked back into existence and shook off his invisibility. Ahh--
now he could feel the cool February air. How good it was to be amongst the
humans again; he would have never admitted that to his King, but he was
more fond of Homo sapiens than he was of his own race. He set down his sling
and just leaned against a park bench, holding his head to the soft wind. His
golden curls fluttered in the breeze.
He heard voices coming from down the park path and quickly transformed
himself into his human persona. In a second he was in a business suit, and
he blinked his arrows into the bushes.
Three women ( one blonde, one sliver-haired, and one black-haired) went
jogging by him, shooting Cupid admiring glances. He nodded, blushed at their
attentions, and all three blew him kisses. They soon disappeared into the
bush. Cupid chuckled. How Oberon didn't trust him! His King had sent those
three witches to make sure he wasn't getting into trouble.
Cupid winked back into his formal attire, a tawny tunic. He stretched
his ethereal wings and went to retrieve his arrows from the bush...
"...By Avalon!" he exclaimed, frantically searching the park. "Where
could my arrows have gone?!" He tried calling them to him, but all that
returned to him was a gust of wind. And that could only mean that someone
else had them...
* * * * * * * *
Elisa watched two officers leave with their respective lovers, and
sighed. She had to work tonight and see all these other couples up and about.
No, she wasn't bitter or anything, but it was nights like these that drew her
mind upwards, to a castle above the clouds, where a certain someone dwelled,
and with that certain someone an almost sickening sense of impossibility....
She was startled by the sound of a man yelling frantically at one of
the desk officers. He was tall, dressed in a business suit and had the most
gorgeous, drop dead looks she'd seen in a while (for a human, that is). Elisa
walked up to aid the flustered rookie, who turned and gave her the "this-guy-
is-cuckoo" gesture with his finger.
"Excuse me," she stated roughly. "If you'd just calm down, then maybe
we could actually _help_ you."
He turned to Elisa and gave her a smile that sent tingling jolts to the
pit of her stomach. He brushed back a head full of luscious curls and said, "I'm
sorry, Miss Elis--Detective. You see, I lost my arrows in Central Park."
"Arrows?"
He shifted for a moment and confidently confirmed. "Yes, my arrows.
I'm a bit of an archery buff, you understand, and so they mean the world to
me. I was hoping someone may have found them and returned them to the local
guardians."
"No kidding," Elisa sighed. She pulled out a form from behind the
desk and along with it, a pen. "Well, I don't think anyone's brought in any...
arrows...today, so they were most likely stolen. If I could have your name
and number...?"
He smiled heartily again, his cheeks flashing rose. "My name is
Cupid, Cupid E. Ros. I don't live around here, so I don't have a number."
"Cupid, huh?" she almost laughed, barely able to hold the pen straight
enough to write the name. "And you say you're an _archer_?"
Mr. E. Ros just nodded and then put his hand over hers, stopping her
from completing the rest of the form. His gentle touch was so warm that
it brought a flush to her face, and she looked up at him in alarm before he
withdrew. "Forget the paperwork," he whispered. "And just go to him. You've
done nothing to be ashamed of. Others have overcome barriers similar to
yours."
He turned on his heel and left, leaving her alone and totally shocked.
The rookie she had relieved earlier came up to her. "What a weird, crazy guy."
"Maybe not crazy," she replied, shaking off the warm feeling she had
been left with. "But definitely _weird_."
****************************************************************************
Central Park:
He let another one go, and another, and another. If only he knew that
every time he released one, they followed the like of his mind to find their
own victims, and he had not the experience necessary to direct them wisely.
He'd just been rummaging through the park trash cans when he'd seen
them. The arrows had just suddenly appeared next to him, as if choosing him
as their master, and it hadn't taken him too long to figure out that they
were self-replenishing. The bow wasn't all that hard to use, either, as
it was as easy to set and pull as taffy. Soon, he'd trade them in for a hot
meal and a night's shelter, but for now, why not have this fun? It brought
him back to the days of innocence, when playing cowboys and Indians was all
he cared about.
Suddenly, a man and woman came walking into the clearing, hand in hand,
each sporting one red dot on the backs of their necks. At their appearance,
the parcel of arrows shuddered and chimed once.
When they saw the homeless bum, fiddling with a sling of golden arrows,
the male stepped forward and tossed over a few bills. Edward looked up and
was about to say something in the direction of this kindly donor, but the
bushes rustled. He hoped for a moment that it might be the same blue spiny
canine that had given him supper a few weeks back, since he had not yet had
the time to thank it, but instead two park-famous goons stepped out of the
shadows.
Skinhead waved a gun at the man who'd thrown the money to the bum.
"Care to spare some of that lettuce in our direction?"
"Yeah," the darker-haired goon continued. "We need to save up for
our...sick grandma."
Edward pulled out one of his arrows, readied it, and fired at the skinhead.
It struck him on the back of his neck, melted into nothingness, and reappeared
back inside its sling. A red dot emerged on the skinhead's neck and the darker
goon fired angrily at Eddie. He missed.
"Don't you think you can run away from us, old geezer!" he yelled,
laughing as the bum abandoned his weapons and stumbled into the brush. The
lovers just held each other tightly.
Suddenly, a red devil with wings swooped down from the air and plowed
through the group, taking out the skinhead and the dark one all in one blow.
It took them a minute to recover; they tried shooting a couple times, and
taking swipes at the beast. But in the end they recognized the hopelessness of
the fight, since they'd dealt with this creature before, and took off.
Brooklyn dusted off his hands and stared at the couple, as they stared
back. He gave them the shoo gesture with his arms and watched as they scurried
off, both too afraid to even speak. The two goons, the same two that were
part of the gang that had tried to rob a disguised Elisa on the subway a
few nights before the Hunter's Moon, were gone.
Brooklyn looked in vain for the old man he had seen, too, but he had
made his own exit. But the bum _had_ left behind what looked like a bow and
a parcel of gold arrows, and Brooklyn would have paid it no more attention had
it not shimmered and shuddered and jingled, like a reflection off water. He
bent down, admired the red-tipped weapons for a moment, and then slung the
bundle onto his back. The bow, half the size of his gargoyle self, was tucked
carefully under his arm.
~Maybe Xanatos could find a use for these~ Brooklyn figured, and as he
scaled a light post, the arrows jingled of their own accord.
******
Still in Central Park...
The two goons Brooklyn had left behind slowly stopped their running
and collapsed against a tree trunk. The skinhead rubbed the back of his
neck and groaned while his darker partner checked the ammo on his gun.
"It's too bad Patterson is still in jail," the darker one started.
"The Goths tried to get him out, but they found _his_ gun...Jinx? Are you
gonna be okay, or do I have to beat the health back into you?"
Jinx, the skinhead, stopped rubbing at the small, red dot on his neck
and watched while his friend practiced aiming with his gun. "Flick?" he said,
dreamily.
"Yeah?"
"I love you, man."
*****************************************************************************
Over Manhattan:
Brooklyn sighed. "Patrolling by yourself _sucks_," he voiced out loud,
spreading his wings to catch a swift sidedraft.
What also sucked was Valentine's Day. It had to be the jippiest day
of the year because it actually had an exclusive quota--you couldn't enjoy it
unless you had a lover to share it with. Valentine's was the day of love
for couples and the day of depression for singles. And even though it was
mostly a human holiday, it still didn't change the fact that Brooklyn had no
mate; the only thing he seemed to have was the worst luck in _finding_ one.
The parcel on his back shimmered once more, alarming Brooklyn so much
that he landed on a building to find the source of the trouble. He quickly
shrugged the sling off his shoulders and watched in awe as the arrows _glowed_.
He picked one up and admired it in its illumination, watching the gold of its
craft glimmer with that same, reflective quality. At the feel of it against
his red-orange skin, he felt an almost giddy sense of power.
His gaze fell upon the bow. At first he nodded off the want, but the
desire to try these arrows grew to such a point that he could not resist.
"Awe, one shot isn't going to kill anyone," he resolved, and used his memories
of watching the castle guards at Wyvern to recall how to set an arrow to the
string.
With a release that was hardly Brooklyn's doing, the arrow arched into
the air, descended, and disappeared from sight. Moments later it reappeared
in the same sling from which it had come. Brooklyn smiled, poked the magical
bag, and felt a great weight of depression rise from him.
The brick-red gargoyle took to the air, now sprinkling numerous arrows
onto the city below him...
*****************************************
Destine Manor:
Demona spread the windows to her terrace and stretched, basking under
the glow of the lonely moon. So like herself, she thought, now that she had
to keep low at night. During the day, as Dominique Destine, she was untouchable,
but she was open season to the Hunters at night.
Something struck her on the neck, and she slapped at it, but nothing was
there. The red-haired gargess contemplated it for a moment, but a beep from
her intercom disrupted her thoughts.
"Miss Destine?" came the all too familiar, dramatic voice, and her heart
began to race at the sound of it. "It's Sevarius. Do I need to wait for
a dumbwaiter, or can I just come up?"
"Yes..." she hoarsed; her voice was throaty. "Yes, you sniveling...
ah, yes, Anton." What was wrong with her?
In minutes he knocked on the door and she opened it, slowly, anticipatingly.
He stood on the other side and said, "Hmmm, a little less vehement today,
Demona?"
She beheld Sevarius, the man with a mind as conniving as her own. His
hair was an odd shade of brown, his eyes sharp, like his tongue. She began to
feel herself slip into what felt like another dimension, and Anton seemed much
less human and much more...appealing. Without any warning, she yanked him
into the room and shut the door behind him. Her posture was improved; she
stood with one hand on her hip and with the strap of her halter on the verge
of sliding down her arm. She purred.
Anton pulled at his collar and swallowed. He held up to her a packet
of papers nervously. "Ah, Demona. I finished the paperwork." He paused and
sneered. "Aren't you going to say something? Like how would kill me if I
weren't so smart?"
She took a step forward and he responded by taking one step back. She
threw the papers from his hands so they scattered across the room. "Anton,
I would never kill one I've grown so close to," she purred.
His eyes widened. "Who are you and what have you done with the real
Demona?"
*****************************************************************************
Brooklyn landed and hunched over the northern turret of castle Wyvern.
So far, possessing these arrows made him feel so much better about being
alone on Valentine's Day that he just wanted to do good for everyone. He'd
long ago discovered that the arrows must have been some Avalonian concoction,
had observed that they had the power to make one person fall in love with the
next person they hear speak. And, seeing Goliath staring out at the horizon,
he knew where there was another couple just waiting for a head start.
He walked into the Great Hall and inspected the scene; the room seemed
empty enough to give it a try. Sliding behind a tapestry as the elevator
doors opened, he readied an arrow as Elisa walked into the room. He aimed
directly at her neck and released. It pricked her square in the jugular, not
penetrating the skin but leaving the complimentary crimson mark. Then he
waited for the magic to happen, when she'd go outside and see Goliath and
they'd talk...
"Evening, Detective," Xanatos said, walking into the room.
"Xanatos, no!" the beaked gargoyle tried to warn, running out from his
hiding place. But it was too late. Elisa had heard Xanatos's voice and the
spell sank quickly into effect. The female detective's eyes flashed pink for
a millisecond, and Brooklyn groaned.
With a determined stride that surprised both Brooklyn and Xanatos,
the female detective strolled right up to the billionaire, wrapped her arms
around his neck, and kissed him. Xanatos, taken aback, tried to push her away.
But he wasn't fast enough, because Goliath chose _that_ moment to walk into
the room.
Brooklyn should have had a Polaroid with him, Goliath's mouth fell open
_that_ far. The lavender gargoyle, usually so composed, raised his voice
into a strangled protest. "ELISA!"
Xanatos tore apart from Elisa, who still managed to grab hold of his
arm and drag herself to the Grecian's side. She faced Goliath. "Don't yell
at me like that!" she scolded, pressing her cheek to Xanatos, who was
absolutely frozen with surprise. "I love him!"
"WHAT?!" Goliath took a threatening step in Xanatos's direction.
Brooklyn's mind incoherently reasoned that an arrow's strike onto Goliath
might reverse the situation, and before any sense of reason could set in, one
of those red-tipped weapons was sailing across the room. Its course seemed
set to Goliath, but, by some force of nature, the arrow splayed into _two_ and
hit both Goliath and Xanatos.
"I said, Goliath," Elisa's voice broke into the scene, loud enough for
both males to hear, "To not yell like that!"
The clan leader's eyes went pink, then bright white as, with jealous
rage, Goliath rammed into Xanatos and pinned him against the wall. Xanatos
fought back as good as he could, using all his martial arts skills, and declared
that Elisa had chosen _him_. And Elisa, still enchanted to Xanatos, beat
upon Goliath's back with her fists in an effort to make him release her "love."
Brooklyn, not knowing what in the Hell to do, left the room in panic,
the sling of arrows _floating_ behind him. He stopped when he saw Angela
teaching Broadway how to read in the library, with Bronx by their sides, and
for a moment his carefree demeanor returned to his normal jealous one. He
again felt desolate and alone. The floating arrows brushed suggestively against
his arm, their power a siren's call. One arrow lifted itself from the parcel
and set itself into the bow, pushing the string into Brooklyn's hand. He gave
in to the temptation and released it, all ready for it to strike Bronx and
make the doggoyle fall in love with Broadway...
The shot hit _Angela_, not Bronx, as he had hoped. So, instead of
interrupting their tender moment by having the watchdog slobber Broadway, the
big aquamarine oaf read a sentence from his "learning" book and Angela's
eyes flickered. She fell into the plump gargoyle's arms and Broadway welcomed
her openly.
Brooklyn had completely lost his will against these arrows! Now they
seemed to control his every movement, suggest every pairing, and as soon as
he saw Fox enter the room, he knew Lexington was done for.
*****************************************
"Anton! Don't fight me!" Demona jumped down from the stairwell
above him, cutting off his escape route. She thrust an ornate pendant in
his face. "Here! A token of my love, accept it, I beg of you!"
She came at him with such desperateness that he just grabbed the necklace
and stuffed it in his pocket. "Please, Demona, don't resort to begging," he
tried to joke. "I mean, I know I'm irresistible, but please!"
The blue female's eyes glowed red, and her tail wrapped steadily around
his hips. He struggled, but her hand stroking his hair urged him even closer.
He closed his eyes just hoped he'd learn something for some future experiments
from this.
******************************************
Cupid saw the signs of the disarray all about him. Couples fighting,
couples who weren't supposed to be together in the first place. Everyone was
running around, and, having carelessly gotten married because of the intense
love spell, were now feeling the effects of a perfectly incompatible relationship.
"Mayhap we should tell our lord about this mess, Cousin."
"We're sure he would be most angered."
"And as such you would never be forced to celebrate this day amongst
mortals again."
The Roman Eros turned to see Luna, Pheobe, and Selene standing in back
of him, all three with their arms crossed. "Are you, then, the pilferers of
my arrows?!" he looked at them in anger.
Selene smiled and laughed. "Ha, God of Love! Your arrows are not what
make you one of Us. You do not need them. Return to Avalon; your work here
only embarrasses your kin."
Cupid tossed his curls. "Return? To have you blackmail me? I'll tell
you this then, sisters, if I do not have my arrows back, for the now possessor
of them will shortly be overwhelmed by their powers, I'll tell the king how
you stole from his hoard!"
The triplets exchanged glances. "Very well," Pheobe replied. "For
the sake of his rage, we will tell you."
"Look in on the Castle of Wyvern, and you may well find your arrows,"
Luna finished, and all three disappeared with mist and three scornful laughs.
***********************************************
And back at the Castle:
Brooklyn pushed the sling of arrows away, but it persistently pressed
against him. He didn't want any part in this, not any more! He looked at
the fight between Xanatos and Goliath and Elisa and sighed. He had given up
on trying to stop any of this, the spell cast upon these weapons of love was
much too strong to stop. So now the white-haired, red-skinned gargoyle sat
glumly on the edge of the battlement. He didn't even flinch when Lexington
and Fox waltzed by and embraced, or when Angela kissed Broadway, much to the
rookery brother's pleasure. Instead, Brooklyn looked up hopefully when Owen,
with Alex in his arms, strolled up to him.
"Brooklyn?" Owen stated, adjusting his glasses. He frowned as Fox and
Lex bustled by him and kissed, which was followed by a roar and a crash from
the Great Hall. "Do you have any idea what this is about?"
The red gargoyle grabbed Owen around the shoulders, pointing to the
floating arrows. "Puck! Do something about this! Goliath and Xanatos are
gonna kill each other! Lex and Fox, Broadway and Angela, Elisa _kissed_
your boss...and Hudson heard the news reporter from WVRN and is out looking
for her!" His beaked, horned face grimaced. "Just get rid of those damn
arrows! Valentine's Day is much better if left alone!" He shook Owen
violently.
Owen just pulled away and tickled a giggling Alex. "I'm afraid you
know the rules, Brooklyn. I can only use my powers in protecting or training
young Alexander." As the gargoyle opened his mouth to speak, Owen added.
"Besides, these magical instruments can truly only be controlled by..."
"...Me." There was a soft flash of pinkish-blue light, which materialized
first into smoke and then into a humanoid figure. Actually, a humanoid figure
with pointed ears, a human face, and twinkling, feathery wings. The wings
flashed every color of the rainbow as the curly-haired child of Oberon touched
down. He wore a leathery tunic, which offset his golden skin and rosy
cheeks.
"Who are you?" Brooklyn asked, standing up.
"The humans named me Cupid, and Eros, and Love. I am the patron of the
Day of Saint Valentine, and was here to fulfill the terms of that day until
_someone_ interrupted the process." He shot a glance to Owen. "Any ideas,
cousin?"
Burnett squared his shoulders. "None, whatsoever. But I believe those
are yours." Shifting Alex to one arm, he pointed out the parcel of floating
arrows.
Cupid fluttered over to the sling and bow and held out his arms to them.
"Come on, you guys. Fun's over." They popped out of existence and then back
into it, right on Cupid's back. He sighed in relief, then whipped his hands
through the air and created a new, purplish arrow. "Now to fix this mess."
"You can fix this?" Brooklyn repeated, disbelievingly. He pumped his
arms. "Alright!!"
"Just watch," Cupid intoned, and shot the special arrow into the air.
It burst into many sparks, forming the shape of a heart. Glittering beads
of red and pink rained down upon Manhattan, and fell onto all the inhabitants
of castle Wyvern. One by one, they shook their heads and as their eyes flashed
briefly purple, snapped back to reality.
Elisa was the first to do anything. She took one look at Xanatos, got
a completely nauseous look on her face, and cried, "Oh, my God!" She covered
her mouth and backed away. "I think I'm going to _throw up_!!!"
Goliath rubbed his face and went after her, but she just waved him away
and staggered out of the room. Trying to regain his composure, he helped
Xanatos reassemble a broken table (which the two had crashed into during the
fight) while the multibillionaire tried to apologize without laughing.
Fox and Lexington burst apart; she tossed back her hair and they both
shook hands, her with a sly smile, although her face colored to match the hue
of her hair. Then Fox quickly turned away, reached out on her way through the
Great Hall, grabbed David, and pulled him after her.
"Uh, Broadway, I'm sorry about my actions earlier," Angela stated,
shaking his hand. She danced apart from him.
He just returned the gesture, not needing any prodding to give her a
content smile. "No problem, Angela," he replied, blushed, and then said, "I
mean, it's not like it was your fault." The two left, walking right by Cupid
without noticing him; he was invisible to all except Alex, Owen, and Brooklyn.
Brooklyn let out a long breath and then tried to approach Eros. "Um,
I'm sorry about the mix up..."
Cupid just held his hand up. "No need, Brooklyn. Now that I have
my arrows back, I see all that has happened. Their power is great and hard
to control, and the old man from the park experienced the same abandonment."
Eros used his wings to float over to the red gargoyle and put a hand on his
shoulder. With an almost sad expression of acceptance, he whispered, "There
is no need to fret, warrior. What you wait for is coming soon enough."
Brooklyn just looked up in confusion but thanked him nonetheless.
He quickly departed and Cupid turned to Burnett.
"Always wanted to see what the little one turned out like, that's how
much our Queen speaks of him." His glitter-sprinkled fingers plucked at
Alexander's red-gold curls. "Quite the magician, I hear."
Owen made a sound indicating nothing more than agreement. "Yes. He
has already mastered many a trick."
"And yet there is much more to come for the child." He sighed. "Cousin,
we all miss your pranks. Lord Oberon is even stiffer without you."
Owen just gave one of his rare, faint smiles. "Ah, but one must make a
sacrifice to bring good to another. Are you returning to Avalon?"
Cupid looked at the sky and stretched his wings, which momentarily
refracted a sharp cut of green light. "Aye, I should be returning soon enough,
or no doubt those three witches will find a way to sever my ties with Oberon.
But, I have one more stop to make before that..."
Poof! Cupid's form blinked out of space with a shimmer.
****************************************************************************
He reappeared in a beautiful place, one of the small patches of land
surrounding New Olympus. He flapped by a grove of tall and stately trees,
past a crystal water fountain, and up to a palace with pillars crafted from
gold. The air was warm and smelled of honey even as he pushed open the great
ivory doors and beheld the carved walls. There, on the middle of the marble
floor, was a beautiful woman being attended by numerous maidens. He announced
himself with the clearing of his throat, and upon seeing him, the woman sent
her attendants away.
She jumped up from her bed of silk cushions and sauntered right up to
him, into his brawny, tanned arms. Her blue eyes danced mischievously as
she asked, "How went your day, husband?"
Cupid held her at arm's length and stopped her from running a delicate
hand along his chest. "Why did you do it, Psyche? Create so much Chaos?"
He sat down on one of her cushions and put his face in his hands, very
tiredly for an immortal. She sat down next to him and wrapped her arms around
his neck. "For you, my Eros. You have devoted a life's work to the happiness
of human relationships, blamed yourself when they ended in divorce or tragedy.
We have never had a chance for hundreds of years to enjoy our own relationship.
I thought the confusion might lighten your spirits, make you less serious and
old."
He looked at his golden companion and buried his face in her honeyed hair.
"Have I truly been neglecting us that much?" When she nodded, he chuckled.
"Then, I have many hours before I am due back with my King. If you forgive
me, I'd be happy to show you how much I am utterly devoted to you..."
His wings and arms closed around her, sending different refractions
of light across the room like a window crystal. She kissed him deeply, and
if those in the human world watched close enough, they would have sworn that
the northern lights had come to bless the wrong part of the world that night.
===========================================================================
===========================================================================
EPILOGUE:
Destine Manor:
Demona threw Sevarius from her with eyes flaming red. As soon as he
had hit the wall, she had lifted him again, and snarled in his face. "What
in the hell do you think you're doing, _human_?" she demanded.
"But Demona, I..." he started. How was he going to deal with this one?!
She threw him down again, towards the stairs. "If you weren't so smart,
I'd kill you where you stand! Now GET OUT!!" She panted as she watched him
scurry, stumble, and finally fall down the flight of stairs. Moments later,
she heard the door slam shut.
Demona began picking up the papers he had dropped and settled them
on her desk, then burst into hysterical laughter. She bit down on her wrist
to make it stop, but in the end just bellowed out the cackling sound.
**************************************************************************
Central Park:
"Jinx, man, don't you get weird on me..." Flick backed up as his friend
approached with arms outstretched.
"I said I didn't mean it, Flick, just listen to me!"
"You _better_ not have meant it," his dark-haired partner finally submitted,
slowing down so the shaved-haired Jinx could catch up.
After a minute...
"Jinx?"
"Yeah, man?"
"Take your hand off my shoulder."
"Sorry."
========================================================================
========================================================================
End.
Next up: Someone's interested
in a certain, tenth-century
coin...
E-mail comments, suggestions, and
criticism to niamhgold@hotmail.com
By Niamhgold at niamhgold@hotmail.com
Wouldn't it be just his luck, that, if on Cupid's day of days, he
lost his luggage? For those of you that wanted Oberon in a fic, and for those
of you who just wanted a little bit of silliness in their lives, this is for
you. This one is the fourth in my series, and was first posted on Valentine's
day. So if you've read it, don't feel obligated to do it again, and it you
haven't and wish to send your comments, please feel free! (I tried my best
to edit this better than the first time...). And, well, you should probably
read my past fics to get an idea of what's going on.
**Even though it seems like a short, funny story, this fic is still
going to play a role in the future...
Disclaimer: Gargoyles and the characters belong to Disney and Buena
Vista and not to me. I'm not making any money off this, and I lay no claim
to it. What I _do_ claim are my own characters, like this version of Cupid,
Eddie, Jinx, and Flick.
===========================================================================
PREVIOUSLY, ON _GARGOYLES_:
Oberon: "And Oberon calls _his_ children."
____** THE GATHERING, PART 1 **____
Skinhead: "You spare some change, lady? I'm trying to put myself
through medical school."
Elisa: "Uh...here you go." (Bumps into the darker-haired thug).
"Wha...what do you want?"
Dark-haired thug: "Oh, the usual. Good education, high paying job..."
____** HUNTER'S MOON, PART 1 **____
A human man, an elder like Old Brown, was lying on a park bench, covered
only with a thin newspaper.
_The Old Bum_ (looking down at Bronx): "Aghh, what...Ack! You must
be one of them gargo-whatsits."
============================================================================
============================================================================
________STEALING MY HEART_________
*****************************************************************************
PROLOGUE:
Avalon:
"The throne now recognizes Cupid, son of Ourselves and Our now queen,
Titania. Enter, child, and speak of your wishes." Oberon tapped his staff
three times, bidding entrance. The lords and ladies of the immortal stepped
aside as a golden-haired beauty walked up to his King.
Cupid bowed to Oberon and Titania and was acknowledged. "As you know,
my lord, in the mortal world the day of Saint Valentine is being celebrated."
Hushing whispers broke out across the room as the divinities scorned the foolish
human belief.
Oberon tapped his staff against the floor, and silence once again fell
over the room. "Yes, We are aware of this. But quickly speak of what this
day has to do with your attendance, for Our court has many other matters to
attend."
"Great King, it has been my tradition and birthright for the many
years before our gathering to go out amongst the mortals and deliver unto them
the helpful spark of love." At Oberon's harsh look, he amended, "I am not
directly interfering in mortal lives, as you may believe, but I instead speed
up the process of what Fate has already determined. It was what You bid me
to do."
"As well as that all may sound, We _have_ called our children back to
the isle of Avalon, never to be forced to live amidst the humans again. We
are afraid that We cannot risk another of Our kind being droned by that race.
You may well remember the folly of your cousin Puck."
"My lord--"
"Husband," Titania finally spoke, placing a hand on Oberon's arm.
"Cupid has been one of the most loyal of our court, and has done well for
the fate of humans without actually _breaking_ your divine law. What will
one day of the entire mortal year matter, then?"
Oberon side and rubbed the ethereal blue skin of his temples. "Beautiful
Titania, your words speak truth, but Our gathering has decreed that none of
the Third Race may leave this isle."
Titania's patience prevailed. "Aha, husband. You should do well to
remember the numerous scouts you let come and go from Avalon at will, and
the other exceptions you have made to this rule. Why should not our son
Cupid be allowed the same luxury?" She drew back proudly, watching Oberon's
expression melt into submission.
"Very well, wise Titania, We shall grant Our son this leave--"
"Much thanks, my King," Cupid approbated, bowing once again.
"--With the condition that he return unto this court within thirty
hours of his departure."
"Understood, my lord. My appreciation, Titania." The golden-haired,
fleece-winged man turned from the court, picked up his sling of arrows, and
faded out of sight. Oberon watched him leave and face his court with
determination.
"Let it be known that if any have reason to depart this isle, they
may do so, considering they beforehand deliver a convincing case to Us.
Oberon has spoken!" He tapped his staff three times again, and the Fey returned
to their conversing. Oberon smoothed out his magical cape and sat back down,
so that his chin rested on the top of his staff. Titania smiled at him and
patted his shoulder.
*****************************************************************************
Prague:
Max bustled down the street, hurrying to get back to his home before
his "friend" worried about his absence. He ducked down an alley and through the
market, which had been flourishing ever since the exile of Tomas Brode. He
needed to get back to the Golem now, because it had a tendency to run around
searching for Max whenever he was gone too long.
He looked over his shoulder at a pair of children playing in the street.
It brought him great pleasure to see this, and to know that he had been a part
of making peace a reality. Why, if it hadn't been for the gargoyles and the
discovery of the Golem, no child would ever had led a happy life in the town.
While looking behind him, Max forgot to watch the path _ahead_ of him.
His unknowing form slammed into another, who was carrying an even larger parcel
than himself. Market goods and imports went flying and rolling and scattering
in all directions; Max rubbed the nape of his neck, mentally swearing that
something had struck him there.
He started picking up the mess of goods. "I'm sorry, I wasn't looking
where I was going," he apologized, too red and embarrassed to look the person
in the eye.
His hand reached out to retrieve a box of chocolates, at the same time
the other person's hand reached out to retrieve the same carton. His eyes
started at the hand and his gaze worked up the arm, to a white-cotton sleeve
and the milky shoulders, and into the face of a woman with gossamer hair. She
smiled shyly at him with parted, pink lips.
They both laughed at the situation. "I am sorry," she said with a
voice as tremulous as chimes. She slapped the back of her neck, suddenly, as
if a mosquito had bit her. "That is your box."
Max smiled a goofy smile. "Uh, there's no problem, miss. I didn't
want to eat them myself, anyway. Can I help you carry these to your house?"
All thoughts of the Golem forgotten, he escorted the blushing youth to her
home.
Above them, an invisible force smiled and winked out.
*****************************************************************************
In Paris, France, the Eiffel tower glowed with a sprinkling of its
night lights. Hundreds of couples swooned in its radiance, although each
and every one of them that clung to a boyfriend or girlfriend believed there
to be many biting bugs out this night...
*****************************************************************************
In Ishimura, a very few gargoyles felt the effect of love's darts as
the humans inhabiting the town went plain silly. There's was not but a few
who were unpaired, and the gargoyles just chuckled at the fey-touched mortals.
Kai was one of the few gargoyles to be hit, and he quickly turned at the sight
of a red female gliding by him. All in the clan knew that he had not yet
taken a mate...
****************************************************************************
In Guatemala, Sapphiro and Obsidiana could rest easy in their friends'
absences, for the tree-cutting humans were smitten and on holiday...
***************************************************************************
Central Park, New York
He winked back into existence and shook off his invisibility. Ahh--
now he could feel the cool February air. How good it was to be amongst the
humans again; he would have never admitted that to his King, but he was
more fond of Homo sapiens than he was of his own race. He set down his sling
and just leaned against a park bench, holding his head to the soft wind. His
golden curls fluttered in the breeze.
He heard voices coming from down the park path and quickly transformed
himself into his human persona. In a second he was in a business suit, and
he blinked his arrows into the bushes.
Three women ( one blonde, one sliver-haired, and one black-haired) went
jogging by him, shooting Cupid admiring glances. He nodded, blushed at their
attentions, and all three blew him kisses. They soon disappeared into the
bush. Cupid chuckled. How Oberon didn't trust him! His King had sent those
three witches to make sure he wasn't getting into trouble.
Cupid winked back into his formal attire, a tawny tunic. He stretched
his ethereal wings and went to retrieve his arrows from the bush...
"...By Avalon!" he exclaimed, frantically searching the park. "Where
could my arrows have gone?!" He tried calling them to him, but all that
returned to him was a gust of wind. And that could only mean that someone
else had them...
* * * * * * * *
Elisa watched two officers leave with their respective lovers, and
sighed. She had to work tonight and see all these other couples up and about.
No, she wasn't bitter or anything, but it was nights like these that drew her
mind upwards, to a castle above the clouds, where a certain someone dwelled,
and with that certain someone an almost sickening sense of impossibility....
She was startled by the sound of a man yelling frantically at one of
the desk officers. He was tall, dressed in a business suit and had the most
gorgeous, drop dead looks she'd seen in a while (for a human, that is). Elisa
walked up to aid the flustered rookie, who turned and gave her the "this-guy-
is-cuckoo" gesture with his finger.
"Excuse me," she stated roughly. "If you'd just calm down, then maybe
we could actually _help_ you."
He turned to Elisa and gave her a smile that sent tingling jolts to the
pit of her stomach. He brushed back a head full of luscious curls and said, "I'm
sorry, Miss Elis--Detective. You see, I lost my arrows in Central Park."
"Arrows?"
He shifted for a moment and confidently confirmed. "Yes, my arrows.
I'm a bit of an archery buff, you understand, and so they mean the world to
me. I was hoping someone may have found them and returned them to the local
guardians."
"No kidding," Elisa sighed. She pulled out a form from behind the
desk and along with it, a pen. "Well, I don't think anyone's brought in any...
arrows...today, so they were most likely stolen. If I could have your name
and number...?"
He smiled heartily again, his cheeks flashing rose. "My name is
Cupid, Cupid E. Ros. I don't live around here, so I don't have a number."
"Cupid, huh?" she almost laughed, barely able to hold the pen straight
enough to write the name. "And you say you're an _archer_?"
Mr. E. Ros just nodded and then put his hand over hers, stopping her
from completing the rest of the form. His gentle touch was so warm that
it brought a flush to her face, and she looked up at him in alarm before he
withdrew. "Forget the paperwork," he whispered. "And just go to him. You've
done nothing to be ashamed of. Others have overcome barriers similar to
yours."
He turned on his heel and left, leaving her alone and totally shocked.
The rookie she had relieved earlier came up to her. "What a weird, crazy guy."
"Maybe not crazy," she replied, shaking off the warm feeling she had
been left with. "But definitely _weird_."
****************************************************************************
Central Park:
He let another one go, and another, and another. If only he knew that
every time he released one, they followed the like of his mind to find their
own victims, and he had not the experience necessary to direct them wisely.
He'd just been rummaging through the park trash cans when he'd seen
them. The arrows had just suddenly appeared next to him, as if choosing him
as their master, and it hadn't taken him too long to figure out that they
were self-replenishing. The bow wasn't all that hard to use, either, as
it was as easy to set and pull as taffy. Soon, he'd trade them in for a hot
meal and a night's shelter, but for now, why not have this fun? It brought
him back to the days of innocence, when playing cowboys and Indians was all
he cared about.
Suddenly, a man and woman came walking into the clearing, hand in hand,
each sporting one red dot on the backs of their necks. At their appearance,
the parcel of arrows shuddered and chimed once.
When they saw the homeless bum, fiddling with a sling of golden arrows,
the male stepped forward and tossed over a few bills. Edward looked up and
was about to say something in the direction of this kindly donor, but the
bushes rustled. He hoped for a moment that it might be the same blue spiny
canine that had given him supper a few weeks back, since he had not yet had
the time to thank it, but instead two park-famous goons stepped out of the
shadows.
Skinhead waved a gun at the man who'd thrown the money to the bum.
"Care to spare some of that lettuce in our direction?"
"Yeah," the darker-haired goon continued. "We need to save up for
our...sick grandma."
Edward pulled out one of his arrows, readied it, and fired at the skinhead.
It struck him on the back of his neck, melted into nothingness, and reappeared
back inside its sling. A red dot emerged on the skinhead's neck and the darker
goon fired angrily at Eddie. He missed.
"Don't you think you can run away from us, old geezer!" he yelled,
laughing as the bum abandoned his weapons and stumbled into the brush. The
lovers just held each other tightly.
Suddenly, a red devil with wings swooped down from the air and plowed
through the group, taking out the skinhead and the dark one all in one blow.
It took them a minute to recover; they tried shooting a couple times, and
taking swipes at the beast. But in the end they recognized the hopelessness of
the fight, since they'd dealt with this creature before, and took off.
Brooklyn dusted off his hands and stared at the couple, as they stared
back. He gave them the shoo gesture with his arms and watched as they scurried
off, both too afraid to even speak. The two goons, the same two that were
part of the gang that had tried to rob a disguised Elisa on the subway a
few nights before the Hunter's Moon, were gone.
Brooklyn looked in vain for the old man he had seen, too, but he had
made his own exit. But the bum _had_ left behind what looked like a bow and
a parcel of gold arrows, and Brooklyn would have paid it no more attention had
it not shimmered and shuddered and jingled, like a reflection off water. He
bent down, admired the red-tipped weapons for a moment, and then slung the
bundle onto his back. The bow, half the size of his gargoyle self, was tucked
carefully under his arm.
~Maybe Xanatos could find a use for these~ Brooklyn figured, and as he
scaled a light post, the arrows jingled of their own accord.
******
Still in Central Park...
The two goons Brooklyn had left behind slowly stopped their running
and collapsed against a tree trunk. The skinhead rubbed the back of his
neck and groaned while his darker partner checked the ammo on his gun.
"It's too bad Patterson is still in jail," the darker one started.
"The Goths tried to get him out, but they found _his_ gun...Jinx? Are you
gonna be okay, or do I have to beat the health back into you?"
Jinx, the skinhead, stopped rubbing at the small, red dot on his neck
and watched while his friend practiced aiming with his gun. "Flick?" he said,
dreamily.
"Yeah?"
"I love you, man."
*****************************************************************************
Over Manhattan:
Brooklyn sighed. "Patrolling by yourself _sucks_," he voiced out loud,
spreading his wings to catch a swift sidedraft.
What also sucked was Valentine's Day. It had to be the jippiest day
of the year because it actually had an exclusive quota--you couldn't enjoy it
unless you had a lover to share it with. Valentine's was the day of love
for couples and the day of depression for singles. And even though it was
mostly a human holiday, it still didn't change the fact that Brooklyn had no
mate; the only thing he seemed to have was the worst luck in _finding_ one.
The parcel on his back shimmered once more, alarming Brooklyn so much
that he landed on a building to find the source of the trouble. He quickly
shrugged the sling off his shoulders and watched in awe as the arrows _glowed_.
He picked one up and admired it in its illumination, watching the gold of its
craft glimmer with that same, reflective quality. At the feel of it against
his red-orange skin, he felt an almost giddy sense of power.
His gaze fell upon the bow. At first he nodded off the want, but the
desire to try these arrows grew to such a point that he could not resist.
"Awe, one shot isn't going to kill anyone," he resolved, and used his memories
of watching the castle guards at Wyvern to recall how to set an arrow to the
string.
With a release that was hardly Brooklyn's doing, the arrow arched into
the air, descended, and disappeared from sight. Moments later it reappeared
in the same sling from which it had come. Brooklyn smiled, poked the magical
bag, and felt a great weight of depression rise from him.
The brick-red gargoyle took to the air, now sprinkling numerous arrows
onto the city below him...
*****************************************
Destine Manor:
Demona spread the windows to her terrace and stretched, basking under
the glow of the lonely moon. So like herself, she thought, now that she had
to keep low at night. During the day, as Dominique Destine, she was untouchable,
but she was open season to the Hunters at night.
Something struck her on the neck, and she slapped at it, but nothing was
there. The red-haired gargess contemplated it for a moment, but a beep from
her intercom disrupted her thoughts.
"Miss Destine?" came the all too familiar, dramatic voice, and her heart
began to race at the sound of it. "It's Sevarius. Do I need to wait for
a dumbwaiter, or can I just come up?"
"Yes..." she hoarsed; her voice was throaty. "Yes, you sniveling...
ah, yes, Anton." What was wrong with her?
In minutes he knocked on the door and she opened it, slowly, anticipatingly.
He stood on the other side and said, "Hmmm, a little less vehement today,
Demona?"
She beheld Sevarius, the man with a mind as conniving as her own. His
hair was an odd shade of brown, his eyes sharp, like his tongue. She began to
feel herself slip into what felt like another dimension, and Anton seemed much
less human and much more...appealing. Without any warning, she yanked him
into the room and shut the door behind him. Her posture was improved; she
stood with one hand on her hip and with the strap of her halter on the verge
of sliding down her arm. She purred.
Anton pulled at his collar and swallowed. He held up to her a packet
of papers nervously. "Ah, Demona. I finished the paperwork." He paused and
sneered. "Aren't you going to say something? Like how would kill me if I
weren't so smart?"
She took a step forward and he responded by taking one step back. She
threw the papers from his hands so they scattered across the room. "Anton,
I would never kill one I've grown so close to," she purred.
His eyes widened. "Who are you and what have you done with the real
Demona?"
*****************************************************************************
Brooklyn landed and hunched over the northern turret of castle Wyvern.
So far, possessing these arrows made him feel so much better about being
alone on Valentine's Day that he just wanted to do good for everyone. He'd
long ago discovered that the arrows must have been some Avalonian concoction,
had observed that they had the power to make one person fall in love with the
next person they hear speak. And, seeing Goliath staring out at the horizon,
he knew where there was another couple just waiting for a head start.
He walked into the Great Hall and inspected the scene; the room seemed
empty enough to give it a try. Sliding behind a tapestry as the elevator
doors opened, he readied an arrow as Elisa walked into the room. He aimed
directly at her neck and released. It pricked her square in the jugular, not
penetrating the skin but leaving the complimentary crimson mark. Then he
waited for the magic to happen, when she'd go outside and see Goliath and
they'd talk...
"Evening, Detective," Xanatos said, walking into the room.
"Xanatos, no!" the beaked gargoyle tried to warn, running out from his
hiding place. But it was too late. Elisa had heard Xanatos's voice and the
spell sank quickly into effect. The female detective's eyes flashed pink for
a millisecond, and Brooklyn groaned.
With a determined stride that surprised both Brooklyn and Xanatos,
the female detective strolled right up to the billionaire, wrapped her arms
around his neck, and kissed him. Xanatos, taken aback, tried to push her away.
But he wasn't fast enough, because Goliath chose _that_ moment to walk into
the room.
Brooklyn should have had a Polaroid with him, Goliath's mouth fell open
_that_ far. The lavender gargoyle, usually so composed, raised his voice
into a strangled protest. "ELISA!"
Xanatos tore apart from Elisa, who still managed to grab hold of his
arm and drag herself to the Grecian's side. She faced Goliath. "Don't yell
at me like that!" she scolded, pressing her cheek to Xanatos, who was
absolutely frozen with surprise. "I love him!"
"WHAT?!" Goliath took a threatening step in Xanatos's direction.
Brooklyn's mind incoherently reasoned that an arrow's strike onto Goliath
might reverse the situation, and before any sense of reason could set in, one
of those red-tipped weapons was sailing across the room. Its course seemed
set to Goliath, but, by some force of nature, the arrow splayed into _two_ and
hit both Goliath and Xanatos.
"I said, Goliath," Elisa's voice broke into the scene, loud enough for
both males to hear, "To not yell like that!"
The clan leader's eyes went pink, then bright white as, with jealous
rage, Goliath rammed into Xanatos and pinned him against the wall. Xanatos
fought back as good as he could, using all his martial arts skills, and declared
that Elisa had chosen _him_. And Elisa, still enchanted to Xanatos, beat
upon Goliath's back with her fists in an effort to make him release her "love."
Brooklyn, not knowing what in the Hell to do, left the room in panic,
the sling of arrows _floating_ behind him. He stopped when he saw Angela
teaching Broadway how to read in the library, with Bronx by their sides, and
for a moment his carefree demeanor returned to his normal jealous one. He
again felt desolate and alone. The floating arrows brushed suggestively against
his arm, their power a siren's call. One arrow lifted itself from the parcel
and set itself into the bow, pushing the string into Brooklyn's hand. He gave
in to the temptation and released it, all ready for it to strike Bronx and
make the doggoyle fall in love with Broadway...
The shot hit _Angela_, not Bronx, as he had hoped. So, instead of
interrupting their tender moment by having the watchdog slobber Broadway, the
big aquamarine oaf read a sentence from his "learning" book and Angela's
eyes flickered. She fell into the plump gargoyle's arms and Broadway welcomed
her openly.
Brooklyn had completely lost his will against these arrows! Now they
seemed to control his every movement, suggest every pairing, and as soon as
he saw Fox enter the room, he knew Lexington was done for.
*****************************************
"Anton! Don't fight me!" Demona jumped down from the stairwell
above him, cutting off his escape route. She thrust an ornate pendant in
his face. "Here! A token of my love, accept it, I beg of you!"
She came at him with such desperateness that he just grabbed the necklace
and stuffed it in his pocket. "Please, Demona, don't resort to begging," he
tried to joke. "I mean, I know I'm irresistible, but please!"
The blue female's eyes glowed red, and her tail wrapped steadily around
his hips. He struggled, but her hand stroking his hair urged him even closer.
He closed his eyes just hoped he'd learn something for some future experiments
from this.
******************************************
Cupid saw the signs of the disarray all about him. Couples fighting,
couples who weren't supposed to be together in the first place. Everyone was
running around, and, having carelessly gotten married because of the intense
love spell, were now feeling the effects of a perfectly incompatible relationship.
"Mayhap we should tell our lord about this mess, Cousin."
"We're sure he would be most angered."
"And as such you would never be forced to celebrate this day amongst
mortals again."
The Roman Eros turned to see Luna, Pheobe, and Selene standing in back
of him, all three with their arms crossed. "Are you, then, the pilferers of
my arrows?!" he looked at them in anger.
Selene smiled and laughed. "Ha, God of Love! Your arrows are not what
make you one of Us. You do not need them. Return to Avalon; your work here
only embarrasses your kin."
Cupid tossed his curls. "Return? To have you blackmail me? I'll tell
you this then, sisters, if I do not have my arrows back, for the now possessor
of them will shortly be overwhelmed by their powers, I'll tell the king how
you stole from his hoard!"
The triplets exchanged glances. "Very well," Pheobe replied. "For
the sake of his rage, we will tell you."
"Look in on the Castle of Wyvern, and you may well find your arrows,"
Luna finished, and all three disappeared with mist and three scornful laughs.
***********************************************
And back at the Castle:
Brooklyn pushed the sling of arrows away, but it persistently pressed
against him. He didn't want any part in this, not any more! He looked at
the fight between Xanatos and Goliath and Elisa and sighed. He had given up
on trying to stop any of this, the spell cast upon these weapons of love was
much too strong to stop. So now the white-haired, red-skinned gargoyle sat
glumly on the edge of the battlement. He didn't even flinch when Lexington
and Fox waltzed by and embraced, or when Angela kissed Broadway, much to the
rookery brother's pleasure. Instead, Brooklyn looked up hopefully when Owen,
with Alex in his arms, strolled up to him.
"Brooklyn?" Owen stated, adjusting his glasses. He frowned as Fox and
Lex bustled by him and kissed, which was followed by a roar and a crash from
the Great Hall. "Do you have any idea what this is about?"
The red gargoyle grabbed Owen around the shoulders, pointing to the
floating arrows. "Puck! Do something about this! Goliath and Xanatos are
gonna kill each other! Lex and Fox, Broadway and Angela, Elisa _kissed_
your boss...and Hudson heard the news reporter from WVRN and is out looking
for her!" His beaked, horned face grimaced. "Just get rid of those damn
arrows! Valentine's Day is much better if left alone!" He shook Owen
violently.
Owen just pulled away and tickled a giggling Alex. "I'm afraid you
know the rules, Brooklyn. I can only use my powers in protecting or training
young Alexander." As the gargoyle opened his mouth to speak, Owen added.
"Besides, these magical instruments can truly only be controlled by..."
"...Me." There was a soft flash of pinkish-blue light, which materialized
first into smoke and then into a humanoid figure. Actually, a humanoid figure
with pointed ears, a human face, and twinkling, feathery wings. The wings
flashed every color of the rainbow as the curly-haired child of Oberon touched
down. He wore a leathery tunic, which offset his golden skin and rosy
cheeks.
"Who are you?" Brooklyn asked, standing up.
"The humans named me Cupid, and Eros, and Love. I am the patron of the
Day of Saint Valentine, and was here to fulfill the terms of that day until
_someone_ interrupted the process." He shot a glance to Owen. "Any ideas,
cousin?"
Burnett squared his shoulders. "None, whatsoever. But I believe those
are yours." Shifting Alex to one arm, he pointed out the parcel of floating
arrows.
Cupid fluttered over to the sling and bow and held out his arms to them.
"Come on, you guys. Fun's over." They popped out of existence and then back
into it, right on Cupid's back. He sighed in relief, then whipped his hands
through the air and created a new, purplish arrow. "Now to fix this mess."
"You can fix this?" Brooklyn repeated, disbelievingly. He pumped his
arms. "Alright!!"
"Just watch," Cupid intoned, and shot the special arrow into the air.
It burst into many sparks, forming the shape of a heart. Glittering beads
of red and pink rained down upon Manhattan, and fell onto all the inhabitants
of castle Wyvern. One by one, they shook their heads and as their eyes flashed
briefly purple, snapped back to reality.
Elisa was the first to do anything. She took one look at Xanatos, got
a completely nauseous look on her face, and cried, "Oh, my God!" She covered
her mouth and backed away. "I think I'm going to _throw up_!!!"
Goliath rubbed his face and went after her, but she just waved him away
and staggered out of the room. Trying to regain his composure, he helped
Xanatos reassemble a broken table (which the two had crashed into during the
fight) while the multibillionaire tried to apologize without laughing.
Fox and Lexington burst apart; she tossed back her hair and they both
shook hands, her with a sly smile, although her face colored to match the hue
of her hair. Then Fox quickly turned away, reached out on her way through the
Great Hall, grabbed David, and pulled him after her.
"Uh, Broadway, I'm sorry about my actions earlier," Angela stated,
shaking his hand. She danced apart from him.
He just returned the gesture, not needing any prodding to give her a
content smile. "No problem, Angela," he replied, blushed, and then said, "I
mean, it's not like it was your fault." The two left, walking right by Cupid
without noticing him; he was invisible to all except Alex, Owen, and Brooklyn.
Brooklyn let out a long breath and then tried to approach Eros. "Um,
I'm sorry about the mix up..."
Cupid just held his hand up. "No need, Brooklyn. Now that I have
my arrows back, I see all that has happened. Their power is great and hard
to control, and the old man from the park experienced the same abandonment."
Eros used his wings to float over to the red gargoyle and put a hand on his
shoulder. With an almost sad expression of acceptance, he whispered, "There
is no need to fret, warrior. What you wait for is coming soon enough."
Brooklyn just looked up in confusion but thanked him nonetheless.
He quickly departed and Cupid turned to Burnett.
"Always wanted to see what the little one turned out like, that's how
much our Queen speaks of him." His glitter-sprinkled fingers plucked at
Alexander's red-gold curls. "Quite the magician, I hear."
Owen made a sound indicating nothing more than agreement. "Yes. He
has already mastered many a trick."
"And yet there is much more to come for the child." He sighed. "Cousin,
we all miss your pranks. Lord Oberon is even stiffer without you."
Owen just gave one of his rare, faint smiles. "Ah, but one must make a
sacrifice to bring good to another. Are you returning to Avalon?"
Cupid looked at the sky and stretched his wings, which momentarily
refracted a sharp cut of green light. "Aye, I should be returning soon enough,
or no doubt those three witches will find a way to sever my ties with Oberon.
But, I have one more stop to make before that..."
Poof! Cupid's form blinked out of space with a shimmer.
****************************************************************************
He reappeared in a beautiful place, one of the small patches of land
surrounding New Olympus. He flapped by a grove of tall and stately trees,
past a crystal water fountain, and up to a palace with pillars crafted from
gold. The air was warm and smelled of honey even as he pushed open the great
ivory doors and beheld the carved walls. There, on the middle of the marble
floor, was a beautiful woman being attended by numerous maidens. He announced
himself with the clearing of his throat, and upon seeing him, the woman sent
her attendants away.
She jumped up from her bed of silk cushions and sauntered right up to
him, into his brawny, tanned arms. Her blue eyes danced mischievously as
she asked, "How went your day, husband?"
Cupid held her at arm's length and stopped her from running a delicate
hand along his chest. "Why did you do it, Psyche? Create so much Chaos?"
He sat down on one of her cushions and put his face in his hands, very
tiredly for an immortal. She sat down next to him and wrapped her arms around
his neck. "For you, my Eros. You have devoted a life's work to the happiness
of human relationships, blamed yourself when they ended in divorce or tragedy.
We have never had a chance for hundreds of years to enjoy our own relationship.
I thought the confusion might lighten your spirits, make you less serious and
old."
He looked at his golden companion and buried his face in her honeyed hair.
"Have I truly been neglecting us that much?" When she nodded, he chuckled.
"Then, I have many hours before I am due back with my King. If you forgive
me, I'd be happy to show you how much I am utterly devoted to you..."
His wings and arms closed around her, sending different refractions
of light across the room like a window crystal. She kissed him deeply, and
if those in the human world watched close enough, they would have sworn that
the northern lights had come to bless the wrong part of the world that night.
===========================================================================
===========================================================================
EPILOGUE:
Destine Manor:
Demona threw Sevarius from her with eyes flaming red. As soon as he
had hit the wall, she had lifted him again, and snarled in his face. "What
in the hell do you think you're doing, _human_?" she demanded.
"But Demona, I..." he started. How was he going to deal with this one?!
She threw him down again, towards the stairs. "If you weren't so smart,
I'd kill you where you stand! Now GET OUT!!" She panted as she watched him
scurry, stumble, and finally fall down the flight of stairs. Moments later,
she heard the door slam shut.
Demona began picking up the papers he had dropped and settled them
on her desk, then burst into hysterical laughter. She bit down on her wrist
to make it stop, but in the end just bellowed out the cackling sound.
**************************************************************************
Central Park:
"Jinx, man, don't you get weird on me..." Flick backed up as his friend
approached with arms outstretched.
"I said I didn't mean it, Flick, just listen to me!"
"You _better_ not have meant it," his dark-haired partner finally submitted,
slowing down so the shaved-haired Jinx could catch up.
After a minute...
"Jinx?"
"Yeah, man?"
"Take your hand off my shoulder."
"Sorry."
========================================================================
========================================================================
End.
Next up: Someone's interested
in a certain, tenth-century
coin...
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