"W-What are you?" the small gray bunny stared up at him, her eyes wide with nervous wonder. He stood to his full height, spreading his wings proudly as he gestured with an open hand to the rest of his clan.

"We…are gargoyles."

It had already been a year since Jackson "Savage" Hopps had bought the ancient castle, dismantling it turret by battlement to transport it from their native Spotland, rebuilding it atop a tower higher than any they'd seen before. And when he and what remained of his clan had woken up that first night, the striped rabbit had done his best to explain just how much the world had changed. Predators and prey were no longer at war with each other, at least not to the extent that they'd been, and now lived together in their massive cities. Technology had also advanced greatly, horses and carts having long since given way to cars, planes and trains. They still had ships, though they were more massive than any in their time, made of metal and plastic instead of wood. There had been plenty of other changes as well, but his clan had adapted quickly, as they always had.

"Hey, Nick!"

Now if I could only get used to that name. His kind did not normally possess names of their own, 'Nicolas' having been given to him by the mammals they had served, marking him as leader of the clan, and had later been shortened to 'Nick' by Savage. The others had chosen their own in their first few nights in this city, after they had explored just a fraction of what their new home, their new time, had to offer. He turned from the lit Manehatten skyline to see the smallest of them scurrying toward him on all fours, a bright smile on his green-furred face. The younger male had shown quite a passion for electronics and vehicles, a skill set Savage and their few other friends greatly encouraged. It had also come in quite handy on several of their missions, even if he still wasn't above using the knowledge to pull pranks and cause trouble.

"What is it, Lexington?"

"It's Judy! She's—w-whoa!" his claws skittered across the rain-spattered stones as he tried to stop, sending him careening into the short battlement wall. "Ow…"

Nick couldn't quite hold back a chuckle, offering a hand to help the dazed creature to his feet.

"How many times have I told you not to run while it's wet?"

"Ugh, too many…" he muttered, rubbing the side of his muzzle where it had collided with the wall. He shook his head. "And anyway, Judy's here! She's on her way up right now!"

Nick chuckled again, crossing his arms loosely over his chest.

"She's here nearly every night, Lex," he said. "What makes this time so different?"

The smaller male smirked up at him.

"You'll see!" he just about sang it, hopping on top of the battlement and taking off. Nick folded his wings over his shoulders, his tail waving in a slow arc behind him. Judy was Savage's younger sister, the third of four children. She and their youngest brother, Derrick, were detectives with the NYPD, following in their uncle's footsteps, much to their father's chagrin. She had an older sister as well, though they all seemed reluctant to talk about her, and as curious as he was, he'd learned early on not to ask certain things, and Karina was pretty much at the top of that list. He supposed that, in the grand scheme of things, it really didn't matter, especially when there were so many other thoughts fighting for his attention.

Naturally, many of those still concerned Judy, more specifically how much their relationship had changed. In the beginning, it was clear she hadn't trusted him, or the others, though she hadn't blindly feared them as so many others did; that, at least, was a bit of a relief. Over time, though, and he was sure in part because he'd literally swooped in and saved her from falling to her death, she had come to regard them all as some of her closest friends. And ever since that one night, when a mischievous spell had turned her into one of his kind, he'd started seeing her differently, too.

After having lived among mammals so long, he'd built up a rough idea of what some of them saw as attractive, and while he hadn't thought her particularly pretty beforehand, he hadn't been able to see her as anything but beautiful since. And it wasn't just her large, clear violet eyes, her pink lips that, while thin, always seemed so soft and inviting. She was deceptively delicate, her slim frame hiding a strength bunnies rarely possessed, and a speed that just about rivaled theirs. Her mind was just as quick, drawing accurate conclusions from the scarcest of evidence, being able to decipher riddles and clues many would need a computer to decrypt. It had taken so long to recover from the blow dealt by Skye's deception, how her lust for power, a desire even he hadn't known she kept, had driven her to do unspeakable things. And after what had happened to the rest of their clan so many centuries ago, crushed under a viking's mace during their stone sleep, her disregard for mammals had sharpened to pure hatred.

And that hatred had only grown worse when she'd realized her mate, the very male she'd pledged herself to so long ago, had decided to protect the city, just as they had done with the castle before, she had turned her back on the clan entirely. Vowing revenge on all of mammalkind for taking everything dear to her, either unable or unwilling to see that it had been her own ambition, her own blindness, that had led to it all. He still kept the hope that, one day, she would finally see the error of her ways, and return to the clan, even if he could no longer care for her in the same capacity as before.

He hadn't realized until the night she'd been changed just how much of his heart Judy held in her hands, or how willing he was to give her the rest of it. And as freeing as it was, knowing he could still love after Skye, he had kept those growing feelings a secret, unsure of how the bunny felt in return. It would be difficult enough if he were just a different species, as rare as those matches were, but gargoyles were a race of their own, growing in the night and shadows as mammals did in the light and day. In those few times their paths had happened to cross, they had been met with panic and screams, 'monster' flying from trembling lips as those mammals fled. That was until his ancestors had come across the Castle Wyvern, built on a cliff that overlooked the swirling, pounding sea, vowing to protect the ones who lived there, asking only for refuge in return.

Hardly a hundred years had passed until that night, when a dawn attack had decimated his brothers and sisters as they slept, the few that remained being placed under a spell to keep them as stone until the castle 'rose above the clouds'. And ten centuries later, one rabbit's desire to learn if those legends were true had led to the construction of the tower the fortress now crowned, and another chance to prove to the world that gargoyles and mammals really weren't so different. It had been far from smooth sailing so far, but he had no doubt that, eventually, understanding between their kinds would come, and with it, a lasting peace.

"So, why are you dressed like that, Judy?" Brooklyn's voice pulled him from his musings. The red-furred male was a bit of a hothead, as Judy had called him once, and had taken an interest in a new kind of music: rock and roll, and the apparent way of life that surrounded it. Still, despite his temper and rebelliousness, he would make a good leader when the time came, though Nick understood his desire to keep that change as far in the future as possible.

"Yeah, I've never seen you in something like that," Broadway added. A budding chef with a love of detective and western films, the teal youth had been one of the first to embrace their new life, though he spent just as much time eating as he had before the spell. Nick's heart shuddered a bit as Judy laughed lightly in return.

"Trust me, if I'd had the choice, I wouldn't have gone within a hundred feet of this thing," there was a rustle of cloth as she messed with something. "But sometimes undercover work forces me to glam it up."

"You went undercover? Awesome!" Broadway's excitement was almost palpable. "What for?"

Turning his head just slightly, Nick saw her shrug from the corner of his eye.

"Oh, just some guard work for Jack's latest party, don't know why he had to make me wear this though," she pulled at her dress again, which was a strangely familiar color. The design itself was simple: strapless with a skirt that brushed the floor as she walked, a high slit flashing her long legs with every step. He could just see the bottom edge of a holster strapped to her thigh, his gaze being drawn further up as he studied how the gown laid against her figure, the single strand of glistening black jewels at her throat, likely one of the only pieces of jewelry she owned. She'd done up her face as well, though the shades she'd chosen were so close to her natural coloring it would be easy to miss unless one looked for it. And when his eyes met hers, he realized just how intensely he'd been gazing at her, to the point he hadn't even noticed that Broadway and Brooklyn had left. Or that she'd spoken to him until she'd lightly coughed and repeated her question. "I said, 'what do you think of all this, Nick'?"

Shaking his head to clear his mind, he tried to speak, only for his voice to crack like a hatchling's.

"All of-" he stopped, clearing his throat. "All of what?"

"This," she ran her hands down her sides, unknowingly emphasizing the curves her dress clung to. "I've never worn something like this before, and there were so many guys at that party that wouldn't stop staring at me!"

Ears heating in embarrassment at the thought that he'd been one of those males, he looked away long enough to get his bearings, once again taking in the vast, glittering city, drawing in a deep breath edged with the subtle sweetness of her scent. Swallowing thickly, he traced a claw along her cheek before gently cupping it.

"It is a bit shocking to see you dressed this way," he started softly, then smiled. "I don't think you've ever let your beauty shine like this."

Her ears snapped straight up before falling back, the insides a darker pink than they'd been before, and her eyes flicked away from him.

"All my life I was told looks are a female's best asset, and that I was wasting them by following the path I chose," she shook her head and pulled away from him, wrapping her arms tightly around herself. "And all the mammals who didn't say that laughed in my face when I told them what I wanted to do, they said something as 'small and soft' as me had no place in the force."

He cocked a brow, taking a step toward her.

"But, your brother, he's a police offer, as well."

She nodded, still not facing him.

"It's not much easier for him, but he's at least male, and that makes mammals a bit more likely to take him seriously. Me, though?" she shook her head, so hard he could feel the breeze from her ears as they whipped behind her. "I'm lucky if I'm not told to 'get back in my box' and 'let the real cops do their jobs'."

She growled, rather impressively for a prey mammal, stomping hard enough on the ground that she hissed in pain. But it didn't stop her.

"I'm sick of being underestimated, of being pushed around and treated like a kit. I gave up almost everything for this job!" she breathed sharply, and Nick smelled tears. "I never had friends, a social life, I barely have my family, and what do I get for all those sacrifices?"

He didn't try to respond, actually shrinking back when she whirled to face him, the fury in her eyes blazing hotter than he'd ever seen.

"I get ridiculed, belittled, pushed aside, my own partner barely cares what I have to say!" she stormed toward him, the floor seeming to shake with every step. "But I suck it up and do my job anyway, because this city needs good cops, and I have to prove smaller mammals like me can do the job just as well as lions and bears!"

He hid a wince as her voice rose, going stiff when she dropped her face against his lower chest, gripping his fur as she soaked the spot with tears. Unsure what else to do, he put his hands on her shoulders, his tail draping around her of its own accord.

"You are an amazing officer, Judy," he said at last. "And an even better mammal. Anyone who doesn't see that the minute they look at you is a fool."

She sniffled, scrubbing her damp face further into his chest before tilting her chin back, barely enough to look at him.

"I'm not just saying that," he went on, his voice just as low. He took her hand, holding it to his heart. "I believe it with every ounce of my being."

Her breath caught in her throat, her eyes slowly starting to shine with more than tears. She pushed away from him, her ears deep red against her back as she hugged herself again. Reaching out, he took a step toward her, stopping when she held up a hand.

"Don't. Nick. I…" her next breath shuddered. "I have to think."

Slightly confused, he stepped back, keeping an equal eye on her as he did the vast city below. Her words had stung, but he understood her hesitation, and he would give her all the time she needed to sort out her thoughts. That didn't mean watching her restlessly pace was easy, though, especially once her thin shoulders started shaking, her long front teeth soon clicking against each other. He locked down the desire to scoop her up and hold her, to protect her as his kind were meant to do. It was a harder fight than he'd thought it would be, and he'd just about lost against himself when she finally stopped, looking at him for the first time in what felt like hours.

"J-Jack called his limo to bring me here," she said at last. "A-And I don't really feel like t-talking to him right now…"

She shivered again.

"C-Could you take me to my apa-partment? We can talk there."

He waited until she'd approached him, lifting her arms expectantly before he took her in his, letting her recline in his grasp as he spread his wings, feeling her tense when he jumped, catching the night breeze and gliding effortlessly. It wasn't the first time they'd traveled this way, and while she was light as always, he couldn't shake the feeling of being weighed down, the fear he rarely felt latching on, refusing to let him go. There were plenty of places at the castle where they could speak alone, she knew that as well as he did, and the fact she'd asked to leave made a stone settle in his stomach.

Whatever she wanted to talk to him about tonight, he was sure their lives would never be the same.

Judy kept her arms clasped tightly around his neck, her face pressed against his shoulder. The soft rustle of cloth and the soothing sensation on her heated ears as they sailed on the wind, it all felt so amazing. She was sure the city glittered beneath them: a shifting golden carpet cut through with streaks of red and white, truly a sight to behold, but one she just couldn't. Since the first night she'd met Nick and the others, she'd overcome many things, fears and a prejudice she hadn't even realized she possessed, but not heights. It was a perfectly rational fear, she tried to tell herself, a survival instinct all living things had, but it still bothered her.

Here she was, laying in the arms of the most majestic male she'd ever known, her heart thrumming like mad if he so much as stepped near her, and she couldn't even work up the courage to properly enjoy these times with him. It felt like she was betraying him somehow, as silly as that sounded. He glided like this every night, had learned how to just weeks after he'd hatched, and she couldn't trust him not to drop her if she so much as peeked out from her furry cover. She knew it wouldn't happen, his grip on her firm and warm, and were it not for the breeze rushing past, she could've sworn they weren't even moving at all, smooth as it all was.

She felt him shift, heard the light click of claws on stone as he landed, and finally dared to lift to her head. He stood on the long, narrow balcony of her apartment, the planes of glass in the sliding door reflecting them against the dark inside. Setting her down, he folded his wings, each as wide as he was tall, back over his shoulders; she leaned against him a moment, fighting against her blush as she felt him breathe, managing a small giggle when she heard a low rumble.

"I don't have any meat," she grinned apologetically, knowing his kind needed as much protein as the average male tiger. "But hopefully I'll be able to whip something up for you."

She laughed when his stomach growled again, his ears folding back as he playfully glared at her.

"I can hunt later," he told her, then quirked a small smile. "I believe you wanted to speak with me about something?"

She winced, reaching through the slit in her dress to grab her keys from where she'd stashed them in her holster.

"I really hate your memory sometimes, you know that?"

He chuckled, waiting a moment before he followed her inside, having to duck down to fit through the door. He pushed it shut with his tail, looking around curiously; he'd brought her home more than once, but he'd never come past the threshold before now.

Come to think of it, I think Broadway's the only one who's really been here before, I never really thought to invite them here…

She shook her head, knowing it wasn't important now. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at him, taking hold of her nerve before it slipped away again.

"I'm just gonna go change real quick," and she was already running from it. "So go ahead and do…whatever it is you do to make yourself at home."

He chuckled again, and she dashed to her bedroom, trying not to slam the door. Swallowing hard, she slumped against it, wishing her ears would just hurry up and cool down already. It was just Nick for crying out loud! Nick, the calm, proud, collected leader of a clan of gargoyles living in New York City, who was protective, sweet and incredibly thoughtful, who always put others' needs before his own. He also had an almost alien-like beauty, with intense, deep green eyes under small horns on his brow, a long, tapered muzzle with thin black lips that hid sharp, gleaming white teeth. Nick, who had believed in her when almost no one else did, who sent her very blood fluttering with so much as a glance.

Groaning in defeat at her wayward thoughts, Judy shoved away from the door, stripping off her dress and throwing it over the back of a chair, dropping the necklace and holster on her dresser. She pulled open the top drawer and dug through it, grabbing a pair of sweats and an old shirt, slipping them on as slowly as she could, taking her time to straighten them before heading back out. Only to stop short when she saw Nick curled up on her living room floor, watching the fireplace she didn't think had ever been lit before now, even if she did buy a new supply of wood for it every winter. He wasn't asleep, lying so still she could barely see him breathe, staring so intently into the flames she wondered if he'd gone in some kind of trance; at least, until she sneezed.

His short, sharp ears flicked her way, and he lifted his head from where it had rested on his hands, his wings dragging on the floor as he got to his feet. Ducking back a second, she chided herself for being so shy, stepping out from behind the wall, looking him up and down as she made her way toward him. She'd never noticed it much before, but standing alone with him like this, it was impossible to miss just how big he was. Twice her height with broad shoulders, a chest she could barely get her arms around, narrowing to a sharply defined stomach and lean hips, his long tail as bushy and soft as it was whiplike and strong. His wrists alone were the size of her waist, his upper arms as thick as her hips, and his legs were just as sturdy. He walked with them bent, his feet arched so only the front pads touched the ground, and she suddenly felt a small surge of jealousy. Whether fighting or gliding, any move he made was always smooth and graceful, and she couldn't remember ever seeing him stumble or trip. Was he even capable or something like that, of something so…mammal?

"Judy?"

She blinked, wishing she could just disappear when she realized how hard she'd been staring at him, unable to even look him in the eye.

"S-Sorry, Nick," she turned away and stalked stiffly toward her small kitchen. "Y-You like blueberries, right?"

A pause.

"Yes," he drew out the start of the word, but she still wouldn't face him. Grabbing a large bowl of them from the fridge, an impulse buy after Brooklyn had let the fact slip the night before, and two bottles of water, she kicked the door shut, speed-walking across the room and setting the stuff on her low coffee table. Nick had sat down on the other side, resting an elbow on his bent knee, his other foot tucked in front of him. Like most of his clan, he didn't wear much beyond a large, rough cloth around his hips, kept in place by a thick belt of reptile leather, and until recently, that had been all. But since it was almost a year exactly since that spell had been broken, she'd decided to get each of them a gift.

Brooklyn had gotten an acoustic guitar she'd bought from one of her few friends on the force, for Broadway, a cookbook written by his favorite TV chef. Lexington had been a little more difficult, but she'd eventually settled on a kit that would let him build his own remote control car. Hudson, who'd been the leader before Nick, had been a cinch to shop for: a book that outlined the history of his favorite television program. Bronx had been a breeze, too, even if she still wasn't quite as used to him as she was to the others, since he acted like canines did before mammals had evolved higher intelligence. The chew toys she'd picked out were really meant for large rodents, but from how he'd jumped on her and licked her like crazy, she was sure he liked them anyway.

Nick had been the hardest, but at the same time, the easiest. She couldn't see him learning an instrument, he'd never cared much for cooking, television or building, and he had all the books he could ever want in Jack's library. It had taken some time, but she'd eventually settled on a pair of sturdy leather gauntlets, a custom order from an archery shop she'd found near the precinct. It had been easy to get the measurements while they were stone during the day, and she'd passed out the gifts when they'd first woken up two nights ago. As she'd expected, Lex and broadway had hugged her, Brooklyn slapping her a high-four. Hudson had briefly petted her head, none of them able to hold back a laugh when she'd let out a churr. She'd waited until they were alone to give Nick the gauntlets, smiling when she'd seen the joy in his eyes. She'd helped him tie them after he'd pulled them on, and he hadn't taken them off since. It was the first time he'd hugged her like that, and she'd learned how soft his lips were when he'd pressed them lightly to her cheek. And she'd been lost in a swirl of emotion ever since.

"I'm sorry I've been acting so strange lately, Nick," she finally faced him, deciding it was now or never. "I've just felt…confused, since I gave you those gauntlets."

He looked down at them, such a dark shade of brown they were almost black, ending just before his knuckles, cutting diagonally across his palms and reaching almost half-way to his elbows.

"I don't understand," his eyes met hers again, but she didn't let herself get lost in them again, otherwise she'd never get this off her chest. She swallowed, clasping her hands tightly in front of her to keep them still.

"To put it simply, because that's the only way I'll ever get this out, I've been feeling…differently about you, Nick, than I used to," taking a shaky breath, she closed the distance between them, putting her hands on his chest, swallowing when she felt him tense slightly. Every inch of his iron-hard muscle was covered in dusky lavender fur, the short, silky strands a perfect contrast to the tough skin beneath it. The only breaks were the leathery stretches between the ribs of his wings, a darker shade than his coat, letting him blend almost perfectly into the dark sky. "I-I don't mean in a bad way, more like…"

She trailed off, trying to word it in a way he would understand. She brushed her limp ear over her shoulder, her hand straying to rub the back of her neck.

"Like…what you and Skye used to have…" she cringed as she said it, seeing the shock that had come over his face, sure he didn't feel the same way. How could he, when they were so different? As the silence started to drag on, she pushed down the desire to flee, to bury her face in her pillows, anything if it meant not seeing his face as he rejected her, as he told her his heart would always belong to Skye, no matter what the female did to him.

"Judy…" his voice was low as he leaned forward, cupping her cheek in a hand as large as her face, each finger tipped with a claw that could rip cleanly through steel. He tilted her head toward him, his eyes boring into hers as he moved to kneel in front of her. He brushed one of those claws so lightly beneath her eye, his next words so quiet she could barely hear them. "Thank the gods…"

She wasn't sure which of them moved first then, only that the next moment, she was back in his arms, her lips pressed firmly to his. The kiss lingered, his tail draping across the backs of her legs, her hands grasping at the thicker fur at the nape of his neck. She didn't pull away until her lungs screamed for breath, her head spinning as she looked up at him, her mouth curled in a small, dreamy smile.

"Never been kissed like that before…"

He flashed that smug grin of his.

"I doubt you've kissed a gargoyle before," he picked her up, cradling her in one arm as he carried her to her bedroom, pausing in the doorway to steal another kiss, ending this one with a slow lick to her lips. "It'll be dawn soon, though, and I doubt you've gotten much rest the past few nights."

Her ears colored, and she pushed at his chest.

"I'm either with you guys or on duty, so of course I haven't," she bit back a yawn. "And I don't want to sleep right now, anyway, there's so much I still have to-"

He caught her lips again, taking advantage of their slight part to tease her tongue with the tip of his.

"There's still tomorrow night, Judy," he whispered, then knelt down to lay her in her bed. He nuzzled her forehead, his nose lingering as he took a long breath filled with her scent. "And so many more after that."

She slipped a hand out from under the blanket after he'd folded it back over her, cupping his muzzle.

"I know, but I still want to spend every…" she couldn't hide the yawn this time. "Moment I can with you."

"And we will, Judy," he took her hand and held it to his heart, the steady thrum sending her even further into sleep. "But right now, you need your rest."

He nuzzled her one last time.

"And when you wake up, I'll be right here, waiting for you."

She nodded, watching him settle against her bed, the same posture he'd had in the living room, close enough she was able to scratch behind his ear. He inched closer, a deep purr rumbling from his chest, making her whole body hum in pleasure. Finally, her arm went limp, and she drifted off, just as the first rays of the sun peeked through the window, the content smile freezing on Nick's face as he succumbed to his stone sleep.

"Sweet dreams, Nick," she curled up as close to the mattress' edge as she could get, tracing the seam of his lips with one tiny claw as she lost the fight against sleep. "I know I'll have them."