Chapter 1

Demona, in her guise of Domonique Destine sighed in annoyance as she rubbed her temple.

Demona was, whether in her human or gargoyle form, an attractive female. Though her natural form was more muscular, with light blue skin and an appearance that matched her name, her aristocratic features, emerald green eyes, and deep red hair remained constant.

As did her ferocious temper.

She had no idea what was causing this headache. But it was most certainly annoying her, even as she tried to focus on the monthly reports her division managers had sent her. It had started around an hour ago and just wouldn't go away.

Finally, the CEO of Nightstone Unlimited gave up on reading the reports and looked at the time.

It wasn't even noon yet.

Taking a deep breath, the redhead pressed her intercom to the outer office.

"Yes Ms. Destine?" her secretary, Candace, asked.

"Hold all my calls until I say otherwise," Demona instructed sharply. "I'm not to be disturbed, at all."

After getting the affirmative reply from Candace, Demona pressed the button to open the entrance to the secret office. There was a couch in there, and the gargoyle in disguise prayed that laying down to relax for a bit would rid her of the damned headache.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Macbeth paused in his lecture once more as his headache spiked again.

The old king was currently, under the alias of Lennox Macduff, working as a college professor. Specifically a history professor. But his current lecture, ironically about his actual reign as king as opposed to what Shakespeare had portrayed him as, was being disturbed by this damn headache that had started an hour or so ago.

Though he was physically 51, Macbeth was in very good physical condition. And aside from his white hair, maintained the rugged handsomeness of the days before his deal with Demona.

Finally, Macbeth couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm sorry," he apologized to his class, rubbing his head. "But I'm afraid we'll need to finish this lecture another time. Class is dismissed."

As soon as his students were gone, he wrote a note, canceling all his classes for the day, and taped it to the door of his classroom. Afterward, he made his way to the street, where he hailed a taxi so that he could go home and lay down.

He could come back for his car later.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000

It was only once both Demona and Macbeth had lain down that their headaches faded as they fell asleep. And as they slept, memories from a life were neither was Macbeth or Demona entered their minds.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Macbeth woke up.

Looking at the time, he realized that he had plenty of time to go to Nightsone and speak to Demona. If what he'd suddenly remembered was true, Demona and he needed to speak.

And even if it wasn't, he doubted Demona would attack him as Domonique.

It would blow her cover.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Demona's awakening brought, not the determination of Macbeth, but the full impact of what she'd done over the years.

Though she'd only lived as Lily for twenty-two years, as a human, those years were happier than all the years she'd spent alone. The new memories also enabled her to realize just, exactly, all the harm she'd caused to her own kind throughout the years.

And though Demona wanted nothing more at that moment than try to find her son, she couldn't help but weep in shame.

Macbeth had been right. The clan had been right.

She was a monster.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Stepping into Domonique Destine's outer-office, Macbeth didn't give the secretary a chance to say anything before saying, "I need to see Ms. Destine, now. Tell her Lennox Macduff is here."

"Ms. Destine asked not to be…."

"Damn it woman! Just tell her!" Macbeth thundered, his patience worn thin by his headache this morning and now his resurgence of memories.

The woman paled slightly, but pressed the intercom.

"Well?" Macbeth asked.

The woman gulped. "I need to wait for Ms. Destine to acknowledge the call," she explained.

Macbeth growled, and began to pace. After a few minutes, Demona's voice angrily cut across the room from the intercom. "I said I didn't wish to be disturbed!"

"I know," the secretary acknowledged, nervously. "But there's a Lennox Macduff here to see you."

There was a few moments of silence before Demona said, "Send him in."

Macbeth didn't even wait for the secretary to acknowledge him as he strode to the door of the main office. Stepping through it, the old Scotsman made sure the door was securely closed before looking at the woman sitting behind the desk. To those that didn't know her, Demona looked perfectly fine.

But Macbeth knew Demona better than anyone, perhaps even better than she herself did. The slight tenseness around her eyes, and the way she didn't meet his own eyes, ensured that Macbeth knew that Demona was shaken.

Her tense question of, "What are you here for?" only confirmed his suspicions.

"Do you remember?" he asked simply.

Either Demona was truly shaken, or already knew what he was talking about, as she simply looked away from him.

It was all the answer Macbeth needed.

"We need to talk?" he said bluntly.

Demona sighed, resigned, "Yes, we do."

What followed was a conversation that lasted several hours. During this time, for the first time, Demona and Macbeth civilly discussed the breakdown of their alliance at Moray, and admitted that they both made mistakes. Macbeth, keeping his meeting with Bodhe secret, despite Demona being his chief advisor and knowing her history. And Demona for jumping to conclusions, and acting without confronting him over what she had heard. They also discussed their various encounters over the years, along with their lives as Lily and James Potter.

And they discussed the attraction between them. Demona had, at the time since she had believed she'd never see Goliath again, become enamored with her ally. If he weren't married and human, she may have pursued that attraction. But his perceived betrayal had reversed that attraction into hatred at the time. Macbeth had, though he didn't realize it was Demona at the time, pursued and married Domonique. And of course there was their life as Lily and James Potter, where they lived as husband and wife for several years before their 'death,' and at the time genuinely loved each other.

Finally, they discussed their son. And agreed that they would both use their resources to find what they could about him, and to meet again in three days to finalize their plans for retrieving him.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Four Days Later

Demona had just finished all the arrangements she needed in order for Nightstone to run without her while she traveled to Britain with Macbeth to retrieve their son.

Her eyes began to glow red as she remembered that her private investigators had discovered he was being raised by Petunia. She remembered how spiteful the woman was, and was incredibly thankful that they were not actually related. But the suspected treatment he was receiving from her and her fat whale of a husband was enough that, should it in fact be true, she knew she would have a hard time restraining herself from outright killing the woman.

Macbeth would likely have the same trouble.

She took a deep breath. They needed to wait two more weeks before they could actually retrieve Harry. Both she and Macbeth felt it best to wait until he returned home from Hogwarts, and they both needed to make their own preparations so that their sudden disappearances didn't draw any unwanted attention.

Speaking of unwanted attention, there was one last thing she needed to do.

The redhead stared at her phone for a moment, silently debating if it was worth it. She knew that, whether she told them or not, the clan would believe her up to something, especially after the events of the Hunter's Moon, something she actually regretted now.

Since they returned, she didn't know at times whether to be thankful for her memories as Lily Potter 'nee Evans, or curse them. On one hand, she still had a thousand years of memories, but on the other, her memories of Lily had allowed her to see that many of her beliefs had been wrong.

Still, perhaps she finally had a chance of getting close to her daughter, provided she prove to the clan, Angela specifically, that she had changed.

Picking up the phone, she dialed Xanatos' private line (something she only knew because of her previous partnership with the man).

"Domonique, I wasn't expecting you to call," Xanatos' voice said after several rings. Said voice was calm and cool, no doubt despite the billionaire's wariness of her after she turned the city to stone.

"I need to speak with the clan," she said bluntly. "I'd like to meet them at the castle, but I'd rather not be shot down as I approached."

There was a slight pause, before Xanatos asked, "And what do you wish to speak to them about?"

"Personal business," she replied coolly. "I assure you I have no intentions of harming the clan, your family, you, or even Puck. I merely wish to inform them of something, and what they, or even you, choose to do with it, is not my decision."

"One moment." The line went silent, and Demona knew Xanatos had put her on hold. No doubt to discuss her request with either his wife or his assistant, perhaps even both. After about fifteen minutes, his voice came back on the line. "Demona?"

"Well?" she asked, slightly annoyed with how long she waited.

"Be to the castle an hour and a half after sunset, unarmed. Land only in the courtyard. If you don't, I'll have no guilt over unleashing the steel clan on you. And as long as you abide by the terms, I'll ensure that none of the clan will start a fight, and you'll be allowed to leave peacefully."

"I'll be there," she sighed.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

The line went dead, and Xanatos raised an eyebrow at his wife.

"That was interesting," Fox said flatly. "I wonder what she wants to tell the clan."

"As do I my dear," Xanatos agreed. He picked up his phone again, "Could you go over our defenses with Owen? I'll join you both in a minute, but I need to call Maza."

"Playing messenger boy David?" Fox asked amused.

Xanatos chuckled. "I simply figured that since no one gets under Demona's skin like the good detective, it would beneficial that she be here. Especially since Goliath is likely to tell her what happened anyway."

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

That Night, Sunset

David Xanatos stood beside Elisa Maza as they waited for the clan to awaken from their stone sleep. Currently, the two were standing on the tallest tower, facing the stone form of Goliath.

Soon, the sun set below the horizon, and cracks started to spread over the stone. Both Elisa and Xanatos shielded themselves with their arms as Goliath threw the stone fragments off of himself. Turning from his perch, his expression remained neutral as he spotted Xanatos, whom he still held a slight distrust of.

Goliath's name was certainly a fitting one. Standing just over seven-feet tall, with a broad, upside-down triangle frame that was virtually pure muscle, the leader of the Manhattan clan was easily one of the strongest sentient creatures alive.

Especially when you considered that, as a gargoyle, he was already stronger than most humans. Even Lexington, the smallest of the clan standing a little under four feet, was able to claw through solid stone.

Stepping from his perch, he gave a brief smile to Elisa before turning to Xanatos. "What do you want Xanatos?" he asked, tensely, but not impolitely. As much as he might distrust the man, Xanatos had allowed them to return to their ancestral home when the clock tower had been destroyed.

"We're going to have a visitor later," Xanatos said, smirking slightly.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

The clan was gathered around the courtyard as they waited for Demona to appear

Goliath, Elisa, and the Xanatos' stood together. A short distance away, on either side, stood Angela, Goliath and Demona's daughter, and then Hudson stood with Bronx. The elder gargoyle kept a hand on the gargbeast to keep him calm in the tense atmosphere. On the other side of the courtyard stood Brooklyn. The reddish-brown, beaked gargoyle's eyes had been in an almost constant state of glowing white ever since being told Demona would be visiting, and that they wouldn't be locking her back up. A little bit away from Brooklyn, Broadway and Lexington stood.

Only Owen was absent, staying in the nursery to protect Alexander, Xanatos and Fox's son, should Demona be lying about her intentions.

The steel clan robots remained hidden, but were ready to launch at Xanatos' command.

A screech announced Demona's approach, and soon the light-blue gargoyle was seen above them, diving down to land in the courtyard. Upon landing she kept her wings open, and her arms up.

"As agreed, I'm unarmed," she said, turning so that everyone could see she wasn't hiding anything. Satisfied that everyone had seen that she had indeed kept her promise, the female gargoyle cloaked her wings about her and, after a brief glance at her daughter (who's hard expression the gargess had expected after the last time she'd seen her), turned to face her former mate. "Goliath," she greeted, her voice lacking its usual hostility present when they spoke.

"Demona," he returned the greeting. "What do you wish to tell us?" he asked suspiciously.

She sighed, "What do I wish to tell you? Many things. What I'm here to tell you however, is that I'm leaving Manhattan for a little while."

"Why?" Brooklyn demanded angrily.

Demona glared over her shoulder at the clan's second before turning back to Goliath and saying, "Personal business."

"Why tell us?" Goliath asked.

The blue gargoyle stood straighter, and made sure she looked Goliath in the eye. "Because things have come to light recently that…," she hesitated, before continuing, "I have no more desire to destroy humanity."

"Yeah right!" Brooklyn snarled. "You just tried to wipe out humanity a few months ago."

"And you have no idea how much that now haunts me!" Demona snarled, her eyes glowing red as she spun around to face Brooklyn. "You have no idea what that would have cost me if it had succeeded!"

"What would it have cost?" Elisa demanded.

Demona clenched her teeth and turned to face the detective. Her eyes retained their red glow, but she didn't answer. Instead, she took several deep breaths, and the glow faded from her eyes. Looking back to Goliath, she said, "I don't trust humans, I doubt I ever will. I have been betrayed and hunted by too many. But, unless they first try to harm me or mine, I will no longer attack them or you." She paused, and looked down. "You were right Goliath, but you were wrong as well."

"What do you mean?" he asked, confused.

"You told me that Wyvern wouldn't have happened if it weren't for me." She looked up, and Goliath along with Xanatos, Fox, and Elisa, could clearly see the tears on her face, despite her emotionless expression. "I was a fool Goliath, a terrified fool. And I misinterpreted your warning."

Goliath's eyes widened.

"I became that which I feared," Demona continued. She sighed, "But even if I hadn't, Robbie came to me after he'd already spoken to Hakon. If he'd never told me, never tried to elicit my help, I could have never warned you or any of our clan of the threat. And while I know now that I should have warned you, or the rest of the clan, I was afraid of your reaction to my own part in it."

The tears were now freely falling down her face, even if her expression betrayed nothing. "I loved you once Goliath, and I was so afraid of the humans smashing us and our eggs while we slept, of smashing you while we slept, I agreed to convince you to get us all out of the castle. But I was more afraid of losing you, while we were still alive. I knew your opinion of the humans, and protecting them, and I was afraid that after I told you of what I had agreed to you would be so disgusted that you left me. I was afraid that you would leave me, and banish me from the clan."

"And then, I discovered you had been frozen in stone," the millennia old gargess continued. "What I feared most had come to pass, I had lost you, and it was my own fault for agreeing to Robbie's plan and not warning you of it. And for a thousand years, I have hated myself for it." She looked back to the ground. "I still hate myself for it," she admitted. Looking back up, she said, "And I let that hatred consume me until it was all I had. And when you were awakened, I was still so full of hate."

"When I found out about Angela, fear joined that hatred. If I was…If I was unable to protect the one I loved, who was a more than capable warrior, how could I possibly protect our daughter? THAT is why I conceived that plan on the Hunter's Moon. If there were no more humans, none of them could harm my daughter. But if I had succeeded, I know now that I would have lost the two things left in this world most precious to me. My daughter would likely never look at me again, let alone spend any time with me, but she would be safe. I could have lived with that. But…," she stopped, unwilling to explain further.

"Mother?" Angela asked, somewhat concerned.

"I think it's time for me to leave," Demona said at last. "But before I do, I know I am no longer your Angel of the Night Goliath, in fact I never can be again. So I wish you and…Maza good luck." She shuddered and muttered, "I cannot believe I just said that." Without another word, she jumped onto the wall and began to climb up to the ramparts of the castle. Once there, she jumped off, and glided into the night.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Two weeks later, Macbeth and Demona were on a plane to the UK.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Please Review and Checkout the Challenges in My Forums and the stories I have up for adoption, posted under the title Please Adopt Me!

Also, below is an out take that was originally part of this chapter. I loved it, which why I'm sharing it, but I didn't think it fit with the serious nature of the chapter, so officially, it is not part of this story. I hope you enjoy it.

OUT TAKE

But, before she jumped off of said ramparts, she paused.

Demona grinned. She may not wish to be the clan's enemy anymore, but that didn't mean she couldn't embarrass the detective. Besides, Maza needed to know this information, if she didn't already, so really, she was helping her.

Even if it would embarrass Maza.

Turning back to the courtyard she yelled down. "And Detective!" Once she was sure she had Maza's, and everyone else attention, she said, "As a sign of good faith, if you don't already know, 11 inches long, 3 thick." Without another word, she jumped off the building, and began the glide back to her manor.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Elisa blushed at Demona's words, as did Goliath.

A smirking Fox asked, "I have to know if she meant what I think she meant?" As the blush on Goliath and Maza's face increased she said, "I knew it."

"What did she…," Broadway began to ask, but was cut off by Angela, who apparently got the meaning.

"NO!" she yelled. "As far as I'm concerned, mother never said that last statement. Now if no one minds, I am going to go watch television in the hope that I will find something that allows me to forget it." Without another word, the lavender gargess wandered off to the television room, leaving the rest of the clan to discuss Demona's words.

"I still don't get it?" Lexington stated.

Brooklyn placed his hand on his rookery brother's shoulder. "Don't feel bad Lex," the second assured him. "I don't either."

"She was commenting on how big…." Fox began, only to be cut off by Goliath.

"I think that perhaps we should all go inside and discuss Demona's apparent change of heart," the large Gragoyle said, obviously changing the topic. "Come."

"Spoilsport," Fox muttered as she followed the clan, a grin still on her face.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000