Chapter Twelve: It's Harder to Talk

Darkness had settled over New York City, and it was that magical time before the city lit up in the sun's absence. That was when Nick got a knock on his locked door, causing him to cringe. It wasn't that he wasn't expecting the knock; in fact, he would have been more surprised if it hadn't come. But that didn't stop him from wincing at the sound. He turned to his glass door, seeing the monsters beyond. Not surprisingly, it was Hudson's fist that beat against the glass.

Nick made his way to the door almost hesitantly, anxiety filling his shoes with lead. Six pairs of eyes followed him as he made the journey to the door. Finally he made it, and allowed them entrance. He gave Hudson a wide berth as he walked in, the others following close behind. "So, yeah, I've got some chairs set up in the back," Nick said, jerking his thumb to the door behind the counter.

"Who says we're here to sit down?" Brooklyn said, cracking his knuckles. Nick's eyes darted around, looking at all of the other gargoyles, trying to read them though their stony expressions. But he couldn't get anything, even from Elisa.

"Don't talk like that, lad," Hudson said, shooting him a look through his yellowed eye. "Lead the way." Nick nodded sheepishly, the bells jingling as he closed the door. Everyone expected him to teleport across the room, so when he walked across, they exchanged looks. And when the boy approached the counter, only to be blocked by Hudson, his lack of magic was really noticeable. It wasn't like him at all. Nick wormed his way past Hudson, his hand shaking as he lifted the hinged counter. They followed him through to the back, noticing his obvious limp. He had already set up several chairs in a circle, but no one sat down.

"I like new look," Lexington commented, motioning to his face. Nick's face was covered in bandages, butterfly bandages around the cuts on his eyebrows and cheekbones, and a large adhesive bandage over the bullet wound on his cheek. Not only that, but his left arm was wrapped in gauze and he favored his right side. He had stopped at the sound, standing in the middle of the room, his fists clenched tight.

"I'm sorry," Nick said, turning around, "To all of you, but especially to you." He looked directly at Hudson, fighting hard not to let his gaze shy away. "I know words don't mean much, so I'll do whatever it takes to atone for what I've done." The large gargoyle raised one hand and pushed the boy into an empty chair.

"We'll get to that later," Hudson replied. His wings wrapped around him like a cape and he took the seat directly across from the one he had pushed Nick into. "For right now, start explaining. Begin at the beginning." The other gargoyles took seats in the circle, but Elisa just leaned in the doorway, studying the boy as he began.

"When I arrived at the tower, Solomon came up and greeted me. He seemed like his old self, I didn't even suspect anything until Xanatos walked in, and by then it was too lat-" he started, but was quickly cut off by a disapproving grunt.

"I said, 'begin at the beginning' and that's hardly the beginning, now is it, lad?" Hudson said, leaning forward in the chair. Nick looked around once more, then nodded with a small sigh.

"I first detected you guys about a month and a half ago," Nick began again. He was hunched over in his seat, his eyes on the floor. "Right about the time the entire city turned to stone. Magic is my forte, so I noticed it. Kind of hard not too. I spent two nights following that female gargoyle around, fixing all of the people she smashed. She's kind of insane, just saying.

"Otherwise, you guys kept a pretty low profile. Since you were doing more good than harm I didn't really keep tabs. But then I decided to stop by, make myself known, maybe even make some allies. When I saw a couple of you leave that night, I just thought I'd do a little surveillance. But that big clock distracted me and well…Broadway can tell you the rest. Can I jump forward a little?" Hudson nodded.

"Solomon was just like he used to be. A little overbearing, but friendly. But according to what he told me, that was an act. He'd played me for years, just to get my blood. I'm not sure how much Lexington and Broadway told you, but Solomon had been hired by Xanatos to take you guys out. Like an exterminator, it's disgusting. He decided to use me as a tool, so he showed me your memories. Showed me what had happened…way back when. I went through his spell book and found the spell he used on me. The only thing he did was cast an impulse spell on me, in addition to the memory spell. It was entirely my fault. I wanted to kill you; the only thing he did was keep me from moving past that feeling. Heck, I'm not even sure he needed to cast the spell. I'd thought that my father's death was my fault for the longest time, and as far as I'm concerned, it still is. But when I saw it, I was so angry. It all made sense and-and…" Nick's hands slowly unclenched as the blood drained back into his knuckles. He hadn't even noticed how tight they had gotten. There suddenly came a knock at the door, even though his shop was closed. "Pizza's here," he said, standing up again.

"What?" Lexington started, leaping onto the back of his chair, "You ordered pizza?"

"Yeah," Nick answered, making his way to the door. He leaned some of his weight on every steady surface he came across. "You guys haven't eaten since that spaghetti dinner a few nights ago. I'm not totally sure about your eating habits, but I'm sure at least one person will eat it." When he reached the door, he only opened it enough for him to slip out.

"What do you think, old friend?" Goliath asked. He had his own opinions, of course, but this had been his mentor's deal from the beginning.

"There are holes, no doubt about that," Hudson replied, "But let's just let the lad finish his tale. We'll deal with him after that."

"Seven large Loaded Supreme pizzas," came the sound of the delivery woman. "Oh my God," the woman said. She must have just seen the boy's bandages, "What happened to you?"

"I got into a bit of a scuffle," they heard Nick say, "It's nothing, really. If you think this is bad, you should see the other guy." Hudson and Goliath exchanged looks. The course of the evening could very well hinge on what he said next. Any form of dishonor would sour this encounter, as well as their relationship. "He was really big and scary. Now, how much do I owe you?" The elder smiled as he leaned back in the chair. Not a minute later, Nick limped back in, his hands full of pizza boxes. Broadway quickly relieved him of his burden. "Now where was I? Oh yeah…

"So I shot Lex, sorry about that, and I stormed off to come over here. Xanatos stopped me, and Solomon gave me the Sword and that vial of black stuff. Then I went to the clock tower, and, yeah… Those robots, by the way, were not my idea. But that's all I can think of. Broadway and Lexington have probably already told you the rest. I'm sure you have questions."

"Many," Goliath said. He shot Broadway a look, causing the gargoyle to swallow loudly. "Broadway followed you. How?"

"You mean how does a gargoyle with no magical training cast a spell from a page of the Gremorum?" Nick smiled lightly, then pointed to Hudson and then to Broadway. "Father, and son, right? It wasn't that hard to figure out, you guys are basically built the same. Now, you have to understand that I respect the whole 'father of the clan' thing that you guys do, but there's something that you have to understand. There is nothing like a blood tie. It was the blood relation that caused Broadway's will to kick into overdrive and, no offence, but at that time, none of you would have been able to do that. I mean, that just wasn't possible otherwise. Magic is largely about will, and with his will enhanced, he was able to lift the magic off of the page and use it in a way that I'm sure wasn't intended." He stood up, stretching out a cramped leg. "Anything else?"

"Yes, there's quite a bit more," Elisa said, agitation seeping into her voice. "So far you haven't told us anything new. For one thing, you said that you were trading a life for a life last night, yet here you both are."

"I have your wife and daughter to thank for that," Nick said, looking at Hudson. He wasn't ready for the elder's explosive reaction. As Hudson stood up, his wings flaring wide, Nick was knocked right back into his chair.

"What are you talking about, lad?" Hudson growled, taking a large step forward.

"When I tried to pull you back from the other side, it didn't quite work out. Both of our souls would still be there if your significant others had saved out butts. They showed up and sent us home. She said you wouldn't remember," he replied, doing his best to match the stare.

"You lads take your leave," Hudson commanded, grabbing Nick by the shirt and lifting him to his feet.

"Hudson, I understand you're angry, but I can't let you do this," Elisa said, approaching him.

"Don't worry, lass. I only want to talk. But what we're talking about isn't anyone's business but my own." Hudson's wings settled down a little, and he took a step back.

"Come, Elisa," Goliath urged, "I trust him, he will not hurt the boy." She finally nodded and took his outstretched hand. As soon as they were up the steps, and the door to the roof closed, Hudson collapsed into a chair.

"Are you alright?" Nick asked, standing up so quickly that his legs very nearly gave out from under him.

"Fine, lad, fine," Hudson pinched the bridge of his nose. "I want to know everything about what happened on this 'other side.' Everything." Nick nodded, sitting back in his seat. So he told everything that happened, explaining it in as much detail as he could. While he had taken a few knocks to the head, he wasn't stupid, and he knew what this was about. So he talked about the two late females as much as he could, describing everything he could think of. He described sound of their voice, what they looked like, but especially how they had interacted with Hudson. Though out his tale, he could see the gargoyle across from him fighting off what seemed like some pretty strong emotions. But not once did Hudson break down, all thanks to years upon years spent hardening his heart. "That's enough, lad," he finally said, holding up one tan hand. They both stood up, and Hudson put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Just one more question. Why were you so willing to sacrifice yourself, lad?"

"Because I owed it to you," Nick explained, but the elder's look told him that his explanation wasn't good enough. "It's basic math," he said, turning away and walking to the table where he fixed his watches. He picked up one of his fake Rolexes, the band still severed from last night, "You're old, I get it. But you're old according to gargoyle terms. You've still got a good, what? Sixty, seventy years? That's not the case for me. This blood that runs through my veins, the same blood that gives me these powers, also burns me. The older I get, the faster I age. Ha, I'll be lucky if I make it to fifty. But you want to know what the real kicker was? Your sixty years will be spent with those guys, up there. Your family. My time will be spent alone. You tell me, which is the life better spent?" He looked up with a small smile. "But, hey, that's not the case is it? We both survived. And when I get my powers back, I'll put my memories in your head for a change. That way, you can remember your wife and daughter."

"Lost your powers? You lost your magic, lad?" Hudson repeated in surprise. He'd faced magicians several times in the past, and he never thought that he'd feel bad for a mage who'd lost his magic.

"Yeah, you overuse 'em, you lose 'em. I figure I've got three weeks before I can cast even the most simple of spells, and another four before I'm back to full power," Nick said offhandedly. He dropped the watch and leaned against the table. "Listen, I can't say it enough, I'm sorry."

"You said so yourself, lad, words don't mean much, so stop saying them," Hudson replied. "Now you listen to me, until you get your magic back, you've got the protection of the clan."

"No, I can't accept that," Nick said with a weak shake of his head, "Not after what I've done."

"After what you've done," Hudson shot back, using the boy's own thoughts against him, "You don't have the right to deny me anything." Nick couldn't help but smile at the rhetoric. For once in his life, he was speechless. An offer like this, could Hudson really be forgiving him? To his utter surprise, the gargoyle put out his hand and they clasped wrists. "You don't mind if I'm taking this?" Hudson asked, picking up Solomon's spell book as he made for the stairs. Though the edges were blackened, the book was mostly intact. "I'm thinking Broadway deserves a trophy." Nick nodded with a smile, still a little dumbstruck. "I'll be seeing you tomorrow, lad," Hudson said before he disappeared up the stairs.


'I've waited two weeks for this,' the robber thought as he looked though the glass windows of the clock shop, 'It's time to get my balls back.' He slowly approached the door, pulling a pistol from his jacket. It was about ten thirty pm, and he'd been watching the place for hours. No one had entered or left since the shop had closed at eight o'clock, so he figured that it was safe. While he wanted his pride back, he wasn't stupid, and he had done his best to make sure that the monster was gone. Now was the time. Using the butt of the weapon as a club, he smashed door's window. As pieces of glass clattered to the floor, he reached in though the empty space and unlocked the door from the inside.

Just as he crossed the threshold, the door behind the counter opened and that damn punk walked through. "You so much as twitch, and I'll blow your brains all over the wall. Now we're going to do this the right the right way, so give me the money," the robber demanded. Yeah, that felt good. The boy walked over to the cash register, rolling his eyes as the drawer opened. "What is it?" the robber growled.

"I've put the money in the back already," he said, scratching at a bandage on his cheek.

"Well then," the robber ordered, walking around the counter and prodding him with the gun, "Let's go back and get it." With the barrel of the weapon pressed into the boy's back, they both walked into the back room. Two chairs were set up in the middle of the room, with a glass of some kind of drink on the floor in front of each. "Who else is he-" was all he managed to get out. Hudson came from behind the open door, grabbing and crushing the gun before the robber could even think. An elbow smashed into his stomach, and he doubled over in pain. Then, a tan hand grabbed him by the face and tossed him like a piece of trash up and over the counter. He landed in the middle of the show floor, and wasted no time in getting to his feet and running for his life. As he looked over his shoulder, he saw a pair of white eyes glowing back at him. One thing was for sure; he wasn't coming back, because not even his balls were worth facing that thing again.

"That was enough excitement for one night, don't you think, lad," Hudson said as the light drained from his eyes. He took his seat, picking up the large glass of iced tea.

"Yeah, really. Looks like I'll be ordering a new window tomorrow morning. Anyway, you were telling me about your friend, the author?" Nick said as he took his seat.

"Ah, yes, Robbins…"


Hey all, that's the final chapter. Just like all of those 'I saw it in theaters but I should have waited to see it on DVD' movies, I've left it open for a possible sequal, should the fan's want one. But judging by the number of reviews I've gotten, I'm not sure that's going to happen. But we'll see, won't we? Hope everyone enjoyed it. Until next time, all.