Author's Note: Thank you to my anonymous reviewers! Look how productive I've been! There are four more chapters planned after this, and bit and pieces of them are partially written (have been for a while.)

Previously on Gargoyles: The IRC (the Interspecies Relations Council) is cooperating with the clan to hinder the Quarrymen's plans. Jamie is a Quarryman who was spying on the IRC, but then the clan found out and now he's a double agent spying on the Quarrymen. Pilgrim is the clan's priest, and he's in charge of supervising the spy. Jamie and Pilgrim hooked up by playing a sexy trust game. This chapter has lots of action, a scary(?) lady, and more of Pilgrim's secrets!

Fandom: Disney's Gargoyles

Time: Takes place after Brooklyn returns from his time-dancing.

Special Notes: AU with OCs. The story focuses on two author-created characters, but the all of the cannon clan are there too.

Warnings: Caveat lector (reader beware). M/M interspecies SLASH. That means a sexual relationship between a male human and a male gargoyle. Major character death in Chapter 2. The rating is this site's definition of "M." It's not MA, which this site does not allow (even though I know it's not really enforced). There might eventually be a sexually explicit version on my website, but not here.

Genre: Action/Plot; Romance; Angst.

Disclaimer: Most of the content is owned by Disney. Original characters are owned by me.

10. The Lady

The next few weeks were relatively quiet, so Pilgrim began to hope that whatever Lexington had done made Castaway think twice about attacking.

Tonight, though, Pilgrim woke to a heated argument behind him. His fellow clan members peered curiously into the room, where Owen and Xanatos were facing off against Jamie. They were so engrossed in their conversation that they did not notice the entire clan watching from the doorway.

"Look, I just want to talk to him!" Jamie shouted. "I don't see why that's such a big deal!"

Owen adjusted his glasses. "Be that as it may, your presence here is considered a security risk. The receptionist who let you through will be fired post-haste."

Jamie threw up his arms. "Look, you can search me for wires and weapons. I don't care. I just need to talk to him right away, and I didn't want to wait for him to answer his damn phone. Just tell him I'm here!"

Pilgrim glanced at Brooklyn, who shrugged. "Jamie?" Pilgrim asked guardedly. "What's wrong?"

The three humans whirled around. Xanatos smiled. "Ah, good evening. I apologize for the lapse in security. Your friend was very insistent that he see you immediately, Pilgrim. He bribed three guards and flirted with my receptionist. All four will, of course, be looking for new employment tomorrow. It's such a shame, too. Carl was an excellent assistant. The guards will not be missed."

Jamie's face turned red. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause so much trouble, I just . . . Pilgrim, please can I talk to you alone?"

"Of course." Pilgrim led Jamie past his bewildered clan into the office he used to occupy with Lexington. "What is so important that it could nae wait for me to answer a text?"

Jamie ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. The human looked harried, and his eyes darted from Pilgrim to the ground multiple times, as if he couldn't decide where to look. "I need your help. It's . . . it's about the Quarrymen."

Pilgrim laid a hand on Jamie's shoulder. "Ye're in trouble? They did nae find out about . . . us, did they?"

"No. Nothing like that."

Pilgrim released the breath he'd been holding and pulled Jamie closer. "Tell me what is wrong, then."

"It's . . . it's not me who's in trouble. It's . . . ." Jamie looked at him helplessly, as if he couldn't finish.

"I cannae help if ye don't tell me what has happened."

Jamie sighed and leaned against him for support. "It's my dad. He just did something stupid, and I think he's going to be killed."

Pilgrim pulled out a chair for Jamie and waited for him to continue. Jamie cradled his head in his hands, his elbows on his knees. "My dad isn't just a lieutenant. I lied." When Pilgrim didn't say anything, Jamie peeked up through his fingers, his shoulders tensed.

"Go on," Pilgrim said gently.

"He's one of Castaway's chief financial backers. That gets him a spot in Castaway's cabinet. That's what he calls it, anyway."

"He is high in the hierarchy."

"Yeah. That's part of why it's so important to him that I'm active in the group. It makes him look bad if I'm not. God, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I came. I can't ask you to do this."

Pilgrim knelt before Jamie and held his hands. "Jamie . . . love. Is it yer father who's in danger, then?"

Jamie nodded but did not look at him. "He's planning to steal the relic from Castaway and attack your clan himself. He thinks it'll discredit Castaway and help him take over."

"Yer father wants to run the Quarrymen? Do ye know what the relic is, then?"

Jamie tangled his fingers in his hair. "Yes. No. Yes, he wants to run the Quarrymen. No, I don't know what the relic is. I don't think my dad knows, either. I'm not sure Castaway's told anyone at all. I don't know how it's supposed to help kill your clan. But we know where it is."

"When is this attack? If my clan is in danger, we must tell the others."

"No, we can't! I don't know. It's not planned yet. But my dad's gonna steal it tonight. That's why I needed you now. I tried to make him wait, make him see reason, but I think he's gonna die trying to get this thing because he doesn't have enough people with him. Please, you've got to keep Castaway's men from hurting him. And you can't tell anyone!"

Pilgrim stood and folded his arms. "Ye cannae think I would fall for that."

Jamie gaped at him. "What?"

"I cannae trust anything ye tell me about the Quarrymen. Why should I trust this? If yer father wants to gain loyalty with troops all he must do is ask ye to get one of us alone, and attack. No. This is a trap."

"That's . . . okay, it looks suspicious. I get that. But I'm telling the truth."

"Ye must think I'm a fool."

"No. I think you're the only chance I've got to keep my dad from being killed."

"The only evidence I have that this relic exists at all is yer word. There was no recording of the rally. There is no proof yer father is even in the Quarrymen. Xanatos found nothing."

"Then he wasn't looking hard enough! I can't believe this. Pilgrim, please."

"Nay."

"He's a human in your protectorate. You have to protect him. It's what you do, isn't it?"

Pilgrim glared.

"And I'm going to be there, too. I'm in just as much danger as he is. Look, if I wanted to get you alone somewhere so Castaway could grab you, I'd have done it a long time ago. We're alone together all the time, aren't we? I said I'd never hurt you, and I meant it."

"Then why do ye not want me to warn my clan?"

"Are you kidding? You seriously think I want to walk up to Brooklyn, tell him my dad wants to be the next John Castaway, and ask him to help save his life?"

"Ye just asked the same of me."

"Yeah, but he'd tell Maureen."

"I could do that too."

Jamie faltered. "I know you could. I just don't think you would really do that to me."

"Nay," Pilgrim said after a moment's thought. "I will nae tell her. Or Brooklyn. But I will nae do this thing for ye, either."

"Pilgrim, please. If you care about me at all, please help me."

"What could I do, even if I tried?"

"Help him steal it."

Pilgrim blinked. "Help him steal it. That is yer plan?"

"I know how that sounds, believe me, but hear me out. Take out a few guards, stay out of sight, make sure he gets out alive. If you wanna try to talk him out of it, then fine, but he'd probably shoot you before you got a single word in."

"Or I will steal it myself. Let neither of them have it."

"Don't you think I thought of that already? If neither of them has it, they'll know it was you, and they'll know I told you where it was. Then I'd be dead."

"I can protect ye."

"That's very romantic of you, but no, you can't. Not every second of the day."

"We will go to Xanatos. He can hide ye here."

"Pilgrim, I can't live like that."

Pilgrim growled in frustration and started pacing in the small room. "When will this theft occur?"

"Soon." Jamie checked the time on his phone. "Fifteen minutes."

"There is nothing for it, then. Brooklyn would argue for at least an hour about it." And if it was a trap, Pilgrim thought, he didn't want to drag his clan into it with him. And he couldn't risk losing Jamie if the human were telling the truth. "Let's go. We will sneak through the east tower so no one will see."

"Really?"

"Aye."

Jamie pounced on him and kissed him thoroughly. "I love you," he breathed against Pilgrim's lips, then tensed. Evidently he had not planned on saying those particular words. "I mean, thank you."

Pilgrim smiled and gave his human a second, softer kiss. His misgivings about the plan faded considerably. "I love ye, too. Follow me and be quiet."

Luckily, the clan had stayed in the main hall as they waited for Pilgrim to return with some sort of information. The hallways leading east and west were clear. Pilgrim took Jamie's hand and led him through the dark hall, staying as close to the wall as possible.

After they ducked into a room at the base of the east tower, they were no longer in danger of being seen. Pilgrim ran up the spiral staircase, careful not to outpace Jamie by too much.

When they reached the rooftop, Jamie stopped short.

"Wait. I can't fly, remember?"

"Neither can I."

"Glide. Whatever. I can't do that either."

"I will carry ye."

"No way. Not that I don't trust you, but I've got this thing about heights. And falling from them."

"Where is the relic?"

"QHQ. Quarryman Headquarters."

"The only way we will get there in time is by air. And Xanatos will notice if we steal a helicopter. And kidnap a pilot, too, unless ye know how to work one of those things."

"But . . . ."

"Trust me."

"I can't believe I'm doing this."

Jamie grumbled some more, but he allowed Pilgrim to pick him up. The human was light cargo, but his grip was painfully tight as Pilgrim spread his wings and jumped off the rooftop. He was top-heavy now that he had a passenger, so the drop was sharper than he expected, causing Jamie to squirm, which made it worse.

Eventually he achieved his usual equilibrium, though, and Jamie gradually relaxed his death grip. He refused to look down, no matter how pretty Pilgrim claimed the view was.

At Jamie's direction, he dropped them off onto a building a few blocks from their destination. The Quarrymen usually watched the air, Jamie explained, but not the alleys.

They paused in a shadowy doorway to plan.

"I can't be seen with you. I'm going to help my father with the theft."

"I do nae want ye in there. If there will be fighting, I'd rather ye be safe."

"No. I'm not hiding while you risk your life for my asshole of a father, okay? Now they'll be going into the southwest entrance. There are several of them, but they're not taking a big group. I'm afraid they'll be overwhelmed by the security inside. Follow us in, take the first right while we go straight. It'll lead you around in a loop, away from the room the relic's in, but that's where they station a lot of the guards. They're the ones I think you need to take out. Make sure they don't see you if you can help it. I don't know how we'll explain you if they know you were there. At the end of that hall, take a right. We'll be in the next room. I'm worried we'll set off an alarm, so be ready. Take out anyone you can so long as you remain undetected; otherwise don't do anything unless it's life or death, okay?"

Pilgrim signaled that he understood, and he followed Jamie at a distance.

Just as Jamie said, a small contingent of Quarrymen was waiting nearby. He saw Jamie greet a taller, stockier human that must have been his father. After the group started moving, it was difficult to tell which hooded figure was Jamie.

The team took out the lone guard at the door and advanced inside. As instructed, Pilgrim followed silently behind, catching the door before it closed. The hall inside was familiar since Pilgrim had been there before, but this time he did not have the comfort of knowing his clan and a small army of Xanatos Enterprises employees were waiting nearby.

His heart was pounding in his chest as he tried not to think about how easy it would be to die in that building. Instead he focused on finding the hallway that Jamie told him about. It was not difficult; he opened the door and immediately saw a guard leaning against a wall.

Castaway might be keeping a private army in Manhattan, but they were not as well-trained as they could have been. That gave Pilgrim the advantage he needed; otherwise it would be nearly impossible to take down a man without first being seen.

He slunk to the ground and approached the first guard from behind. He pulled one half of his kilt from around his waist and flung it over the human's head, holding just tightly enough to block the man from breathing. From practice he knew how hard to hit a human head to cause unconsciousness but not death, but pulling it off was risky and never a sure thing. Blacking out from lack of air was another story, however, and Pilgrim made certain the man was still breathing before he moved to the next station.

He repeated the process seven times, then found himself at the end of the corridor. It was time to see if Jamie's group had managed their part in the caper.

He could hear muffled voices a short distance to his right, and a peculiar light was coming from a door that was ajar. A Quarryman lay on the ground in front, his head twisted at what must have been an uncomfortable angle.

Pilgrim approached as quickly as he safely could, then lifted the man's hood. He was relieved to see that it was not Jamie, first of all, and also happy to find that the man was alive.

He peered into the room through the crack in the door. Jamie's group was there—Pilgrim counted to make certain no one was missing, and relaxed. Two were standing near a safe in the middle of the back wall, the taller one working the combination lock. The other was approximately Jamie's height, but since Jamie's stature was average Pilgrim could not be certain if it was him. It made sense that his father would be opening the safe himself, though.

Pilgrim held his breath as the man turned the knob to open the safe, but to his relief no alarm sounded.

The man retrieved a small, golden object from the safe.

"The hell is that?" the short man asked, and Pilgrim was gratified to hear that it was Jamie's voice.

His father—Pilgrim decided it was a safe assumption—turned the object over in his hands. "It's supposed to summon a spirit. Somehow."

"Have you tried rubbing it three times?"
"Don't be glib." The man paused, sighed, and brushed his sleeve over the surface.

Jamie snickered but immediately stopped when the relic began to glow. "Um. I didn't really expect that to work."

"It doesn't really," said a female voice. "I just think it's great fun to pop out when people try that old gag."

Jamie and his father jumped back a couple paces to make room for a woman who was now standing between them. The remaining group shuffled nervously. She was wearing an ankle-length dress and a head-scarf, and she appeared human for the most part. Pilgrim had seen fae before, and this creature certainly held herself like one, as if the silly mortals in the room were props or toys. She grinned as she swept her dark eyes over the room.

"What's the matter, boys?"

"You're a genie," Jamie's father said.

She sighed. "I am one of the jinn, yes. I recommend you get over that hang-up quickly."

"So you . . . ."

"Grant three wishes? No. Everyone gets that wrong. Sure, there might have been one or two of us imprisoned in lamps or pocketwatches, doomed to grant wishes to mortals until a selfless person frees him or her. Sorry, but I'm not one of them. I just like living in a shiny lamp."

"Oh. Well. So you're not capable of killing the gargoyles, then?"

"What, the guardians that Castaway fellow kept going on about? I suppose I could. For the right price. He couldn't pay it, though. I doubt you could afford it, either."

"Right. Well, we can talk terms later. Do you have any objection to my taking this?"

"What, my house? Oh sure, why not? Castaway was a bore, anyway. At least you're funny."

Even under the hood, Pilgrim could tell that Jamie's father was not pleased with this assessment. "What do you find so amusing about me, Ms. . . . ?"

"Lady. It's what everyone who's got any sense calls me. You, James Nichols Sr., the man who thinks it's more important to be in charge of killing your own guardians than for the job to be done in the first place. And you!" She turned to Jamie, and in the low light her smile looked wicked. She slid a sensuous arm around Jamie's neck and whispered something in his ear. Jamie staggered backward as she laughed quietly. "It's not every day I see so many liars, thieves, and killers in one place."

She swept her gaze across the crowd, and for one terrifying moment Pilgrim swore she paused to look at him in the doorway. He might have imagined it, though, because she turned to Jamie's father again without changing her expression. "I'll stick with you for the moment. But don't get your hopes up; I'm not promising anything."

She snapped her fingers and disappeared, presumably into the lamp, which had stopped glowing.

The room was silent for an uncomfortable time. A few of the men shifted their weight, waiting for the next order. Finally Jamie's father said, "Let's just get the hell out of here."

Pilgrim retreated to a dark corner while the group made their escape. He had to take a detour once or twice to prevent a roving guard from seeing them.

Once he was outside, he tracked them to their initial meeting-place in the alleys, but it appeared from their conversation that Jamie was going to be with them for a while yet. He could find no way to get Jamie's attention, so he simply sent a text message saying he'd be at the castle.

Pilgrim turned a corner only to come face-to-face with a cross-looking Brooklyn.

"Ach, brother. Ye scared me," Pilgrim whispered, ushering Brooklyn away from the Quarrymen.

Brooklyn seemed to understand the situation, so it was some time before he spoke again. "What's going on?"

"I am sorry. There was nae time to explain, or plan."

"Pilgrim, you can't just take off like that. You have a GPS tracker, remember? What was I supposed to think happened when I saw where you were?"

"I know. Jamie . . . was in trouble. I needed to make sure he was safe, but he could nae delay without breaking his cover. I was nae sure if he was telling the truth, and I did nae want to risk anyone else's life if it was a trap. I could nae tell ye."

"I don't want you risking your life for this guy, either."

"It was my choice. He appears to have been telling the truth."

"So his cover's safe?"

"Aye."

Brooklyn gave him a hard look. "Tell me what's going on. That's an order."

Pilgrim leaned against the brick wall of the alley. "I am nae sure, exactly. I found out what the relic is, though."

"You did? That's what this is about?"

"Aye. It was worth the risk, brother, I assure ye."

"What is it?"

"I think it is a fae, or something like it. She is tethered to an object, a gold . . . thing. I did nae recognize it. But I saw her. She said she was a . . . jinn."

"She's a jinni? How the hell did Castaway get a jinni?"

"I take it ye've met one before, then?"

"Well, no, not really. They're from a story."

"I think Puck may be able to help us. The . . . Lady said unusual things. Things I did nae understand."

"Good idea. I'm gonna fill everyone in. Where's your human?"

"Jamie is with the Quarrymen. There is one other thing you must know."

"What?"

"The Quarrymen have at least two factions. Jamie's father is leading one of them. He just stole the relic from Castaway. Jamie and I helped bring that about."

Brooklyn uncrossed his arms. "Come again?"

"I did nae know the details until tonight. I will explain why it was necessary later, but now I must find Jamie. I will meet ye when I have made sure he is safe."

Brooklyn looked supremely unimpressed. "That better be a damn good explanation, Pilgrim."

"It will nae be, I'm afraid. But I got us information, remember that."

"I'll call you once we've got Puck and everyone ready, okay? Bring Jamie. I want to talk to him."

Pilgrim did not like the angry undercurrent he heard in Brooklyn's voice when he said that, but he could think of no way to convince Brooklyn of Jamie's trustworthiness, except to bring Jamie to the meeting as requested.

Jamie texted him a short time later: I've gotten rid of them. Please come. I'm at home.

Pilgrim was already in the living room as Jamie's key turned in the lock. He greeted Jamie with a nod, and Jamie joined him on the sofa. The human sagged against him. Pilgrim waited for Jamie to stop shaking before broaching the necessary topic.

"I told Brooklyn most of what I saw. I know ye did nae want that, but it is my duty." Jamie shrugged. "I will try to keep it from Maureen, if it is possible. The important thing now is Brooklyn wants to talk to ye. We are meeting with Puck tonight."

"Puck?"

"Xanatos' personal assistant, Owen. His other name is Puck. He is one of Oberon's children, and he may know something about the jinn. Ye're going to meet with everyone soon."

"I have no idea what you just said. I just want to go to sleep and forget this ever happened. Can't it wait?"

"Nay. I'm sorry, Jamie, but Brooklyn will nae wait. And neither will I."

"I guess that's fair."

"What did she say to ye?" Pilgrim asked.

Jamie shuddered. "It doesn't matter."

"Did ye tell yer father what she said?"

"God, no. I said it was gibberish. Some other language."

"Was it?"

"No. She . . . she can read minds or something. I don't like her."

"What did she say?"

"She told me to ask you something."

"Ask me what?"

Jamie snuggled closer. He seemed to be struggling to find the right words. "Did you ever try to kill yourself?"

Pilgrim managed to stay still enough despite a sudden urge to run away. "She said I did?"

"Technically," Jamie said, his voice low, "she said that I should ask my friend why he saw fit to slice his wrists with a crooked dagger on a Scottish hillside. I assumed she meant you."

"Aye. I did. A long time ago."

"With this knife? The one that . . . ?"

The one that Pilgrim had stabbed him in the shoulder with, he supplied in his thoughts. Jamie's hand had found the hilt of the dagger to make his point. "Aye."

Jamie let out a weary breath and hugged Pilgrim tightly. "Promise me you'll never do that again."

"Ye do nae plan to ask me why I did?" Pilgrim asked, returning the embrace, but more gently.

"Do you want to tell me?"

"Nay. It was a long time ago. Before my life with Clan Wyvern. As far as my clan and I are concerned, it did nae happen."

"And won't happen again?"

"Nay. Never again." And because Jamie seemed to need to hear it, he added, "I promise."

"Then you don't need to tell me why. Not just because some stupid genie thinks it's funny."

Pilgrim let Jamie hold him for a few moments more, but eventually the inevitable interruption came. His phone buzzed with a new message from Brooklyn. "We should go now."

"'Kay." Pilgrim was surprised to hear Jamie sniffle, but he did not comment on it.

"I meant what I said," Jamie told him as he paused before the window.

"Hm?"

"That I love you."

Pilgrim caressed Jamie's cheek with a free talon. "And I meant it, as well. I will meet ye downstairs. There is a car waiting to take us to the castle."

To be continued! Reviews are appreciated—and if they're not anonymous, I'll even respond to them!