Gargoyles- The Heart of Everything

by Sunmoonlight

Brooklyn has been living in a very lonely world and yearns to find love of his own. However, his life gets turned upside down when he meets the beautiful, young Human woman named Rose. Rose lives in a very similar world; one full of darkness, loneliness, and is haunted by one dark secret. Will they find the love and strength in each other to rise above the darkness?

31. Chapter 31- Distractions

**Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone had fun during their Holidays! Here's another chapter! Thank you for your reviews! Much love~ shine on**

~Chapter Thirty-One~

Distractions

One week had passed by since Rose was dropped off at the Labyrinth, and while it wasn't horrible for her, it wasn't great either. Brooklyn hadn't been able to return to visit since spending the night with her, and had barely managed to get back to the Castle before sunrise, according to Elisa. Then, when he came out of his stone sleep the next night; he was immediately put to work by Goliath in searching for Kevin and the Quarrymen, all while still tasked with his normal City patrols. She knew he was busy, and would come to visit her when he could, but it still didn't change how much she was missing him, the Clan, and the Castle.

Rose was sitting on her neatly made bed, working on her laptop to get some of her job done. It was a blessing when she unpacked her luggage and was surprised to see the laptop, and knew that it was Xanatos who had snuck a brand-new; high tech laptop computer into her luggage, allowing her to still continue to work at her job online.

And work she did; most of each day and even throughout some nights to keep herself busy, trying not to think of the creeping depression that was surrounding her at all times. Whenever she stopped working or moving, she would lose all energy to do anything. Nights were the worst for Rose; as it brought hope and anxiety that she would be visited by someone from her Clan, including Brooklyn; but then would pass in bitter disappointment as no one would show up. With those terrible night, when the hopeless loneliness or anxiety didn't have her, the nightmares of Kevin coming to kill her, would.

As the week passed by she only left her room to eat, and even then, she tried to hold off on that for as long as she possibly could. Whenever she did leave her room, she would always ask the Mutates about the Clan- but every night seemed to be the same set of answers. They just didn't know. They didn't leave the Labyrinth enough to know what was happening in the real world.

Rose was thankful for the shelter and kindness of the Mutates, but being down there in the Labyrinth seemed like a whole new world to her, a whole new life. The Mutates and Clones were hiding out, away from the people above, and were acting like actual hermits. They had each other's company, the duty in helping and protecting the Homeless, but seemed to need nothing else other than that. For the Mutates; it was enough; but for Rose, it was downright depressing. Because of that mentality, she worked as much as she could to keep herself mentally busy, or else she felt like she would start to go insane.

She hated her job of working for a medical supplies company; but she still worked day and night until she was completely caught up and was forced to find something else to do. Sitting on her bed, Rose sighed and looked at the small date on her laptop. She had been working endlessly for close to four days straight, and got a lot done. However, now that there were no more medical orders to fulfill she was left with nothing to do. And today of all days, was a depressing one.

It was New Year's Eve, one week since Kevin's attack on the Castle, and for Rose, it felt like a lifetime had passed since then. But the worst part of this day was that, if her and Brooklyn had their way, they would have had their mating ceremony at midnight and would finally be husband and wife. However, thanks to Kevin, that was no longer happening.

Rose slowly looked up from her computer with tears in her eyes, and glanced out the window towards the Eyrie Building and thought of Brooklyn, as she always seemed to do. It was close to noon, and knew Brooklyn would be in his stone sleep. But she hoped that he missed her as much as she was missing him.

She sighed heavily and fell back onto her bed and stared longingly out her tiny window at the Castle. At first she was thankful for the chance to see the Castle; but now, she resented it. The scenery of what she lost, and was without, seemed to mock her every time she glanced out. More than ever, she wanted to have the freedom to go outside and to take long walks along Central Park, breathe in the fresh air again, and be able to be free to do what she wished with her time. Now, she felt as though she was locked up in a prison, with no known date of when she would be able to make parole, and the small glimpse of the outside world seemed to mock and taunt her situation.

Sighing again, Rose closed her eyes as a few tears fell down her face, and she clasped Brooklyn's necklace; the one he recovered when Kevin tore it off her neck, and tried to think of him. But, just like every time she did, she felt nothing. He was not near her, and thus their connection had faded into the background.

More tears fell down her face and threatened to completely encompass her in its grief. She quickly sat back up, wiped her tears and tried to distract herself a little bit more. Though she was sick and tired of staring at her computer screen, she opened another tab and began to look at different jobs. Even if she was just searching; she had to keep herself occupied. As she searched silently for a few minutes, there were plenty of jobs working full-time in Manhattan's General Hospital as an ER medical nurse with her paramedic license, but it was impossible to actually leave the Labyrinth. Rose bit her lip, as each job she came across didn't work for her situation, and then it dawned on her that nothing in the real world, would. Her job was an online job, and though it paid very well, it was dull and she hated every single second of it. No matter how much she longed to move on with her life, she couldn't, not as long as Kevin was still out there searching and hunting for her.

Rose slammed her computer shut, exhaling sharply, and couldn't seem to handle being cooped up in her small bedroom anymore. She had to leave and had to do something good with her time here, and to interact with someone before she completely lost her mind. She pushed the computer off her legs, swung her body off the bed, and walked swiftly out of her room, slamming the door behind her. Walking quickly, she walked down the long set of stairs towards the main living area; and passed many homeless people's rooms as she went. A few smiled at her, while some others just stared at her, but she ignored both. Unlike her usual getup, today, she was sporting a more Goth-grunge look to go along with her depressed and melancholy mood. She was wearing a pair of cut up jeans, her favorite black Metallica band tee-shirt, black converse shoes, and an army baseball hat. Her auburn hair was down in a long wave, hitting her lower back; and had put on some darker makeup to offset her own bum-look. Rose normally didn't dress in such a dark and rebellious set of colors; but she was feeling it today.

As she walked down the hallway from her bedroom, her mind wandered and thought about how the Homeless could bear to live in such a dark and dreary place. She slowed down her walking and began to process it. Then, the more she thought of it, the Labyrinth was a huge blessing for the Homeless and their families. If not for this shelter and the Mutate's protection; they would be out on the streets, in the wintry and icy elements, and would have to protect themselves from the merciless thugs, gangs, and other criminals.

Rose passed by one family's room who had their door wide-open and couldn't help but notice what they were doing. Intrigued, but trying not to be a snoop, she stopped walking and peeked in to watch their interaction. It was a young family; with a mother, father, who looked a few years older than Rose, but not by much, and had two young girls. The father was playing a game with the girls on the floor, while the mother was ironing, what looked like her husband's only work suit. Just by looking around, Rose could tell that he had been trying to find work for some time to provide for his family and hadn't had any luck.

They were laughing, smiling, and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying their time together despite their hard circumstances. Their room looked to be the same as Rose, but it didn't have a window, but only had one small sky light in the ceiling to let in natural light. The bed was the same size as hers, and the children shared a small twin sized mattress on the floor. They seemed to have even less than Rose did; and she suddenly felt immensely ashamed of herself for complaining.

Her eyes lowered from watching them, and silently walked away from their door to continued to walk towards the stairs and then rested her forearms over the banister, looking out over the Homeless in the living quarters below, still thinking deeply. So far, this experience was proving to be incredibly humbling for her; both good and bad, as she was being forced to be away from Brooklyn. However, as she saw all the people around her, she realized just how blessed she really was.

The homeless had less than what she had, but unlike her at the moment, they were grateful, thankful, and even happy for their life down here. The man with the young family didn't have a job to provide for his family, all while Rose had been complaining about her well-paying job. Though she didn't enjoy it, compared to her paramedic job; she still had one and it was supplying her with a good amount of income; which was more than the man with the family could say. And although she had been separated by Brooklyn and her new family; they still found a place for her to live and to be safe.

As she continued to realize her blessings, it dawned on her that she still had the breath of life in her lungs and her heart was still beating, despite Kevin attempted murder of her. She was young, beautiful, healthy, had a job, had a family and a love of her own- and now a home; still free of charge. When she thought of what she did have, instead of what she didn't, the good vastly outweighed the bad.

Rose closed her eyes and couldn't help but feel slightly ashamed for being such a brat. Though life was hard right now, and things seemed to be dark and hopeless; she still had much to be grateful for. Reaching her hand up to clasp around her necklace, she took a series of deep breaths. Just by touching it, she could almost feel of Brooklyn's love for her. As she stood in peaceful silence, her mind suddenly remembered her Grandfather, Robert; and what he would tell her about serving other people.

Her adoptive father, who was more like her Grand-father due to his old age, was a prime example of a man with a tough exterior, who was poor, but was rich in his heart. Rose remembered that he worked day in and day out to work hard from her Grandmother and herself; while never complaining about it. Not only that, he was always serving people around him, and would help them with problems in which they were having. He even taught Rose important lessons about charity and helping the weak and weary traveler.

She closed her eyes and didn't know if he was really there with her, but liked to think so. If there was anything he taught her, it was that charity was the sure way to happiness. As she thought of that, she could almost hear his Irish voice telling her one of his daily words of wisdom, and remembered a certain memory of it well…

Rose was eight-years-old, and her and her pop were working past the closing hour in the family store. Rose was cleaning up the counters and mopping the floors, while her Grandfather was fixing a fisherman's broken pole in his side-shop. Even though it was way past the store hours, Rose watched her Grandfather working diligently on fixing the pole.

"Pop, whatcha doing?" Rose asked him, in her small voice.

"I'm fixing this fishing pole really fast, lassie." He answered her, not looking up.

"Why?" She asked him, putting the mop down and pulling a chair up to sit next to him at his tall work table where he fixed most smaller items or did his smaller carpentry jobs.

"'Cause, it belongs to a travelling fisherman. The lad is here in Bar Harbor for the night, and has to leave first thing at dawn." He replied quietly.

Rose blinked in confusion, and watched her pop delicately trying to fix a broken line, with his tired, but strong hands, and was looking through a magnifying glass to better connect the line to the pole. Rose had watched her pop work on boats and run his fisherman store her entire life, and knew a thing or two about ships, fisherman gear, and the correct types of bait for different fish. However, as she looked over the tattered pole, she knew it was really old and wouldn't last a day out in the Ocean.

"That line is absolutely fried, and the wood is all splinted."

Her pop looked up from his glass and glanced over at her with an amused face, his blue eyes sparkling against his tattered face.

"Is that so?" He asked her with an amused voice.

"Yup." Rose answered him.

"When did you become an expert on fisherman gear?" He asked her lightly, smiling proudly.

"Today." She replied proudly, as he chuckled at her, but then she continued to speak, "Pop, I've watched you my whole entire life do this kinda stuff; and you can fix anything."

"Ya think so?" He asked her, his smile and amusement growing even bigger with every minute.

"Yes," she replied with a smile. "But, I've also seen a lot of broken fisherman's gear… and this one is the worst one. It looks like crap."

Her Grand-father immediately began to laugh his throaty laugh, and then immediately began coughing roughly. Rose watched him cough for a few seconds, before he sat up straighter and placed a hand upon her 'mop of red hair' like her Grandmother would always call it, as it was almost messed up and disheveled.

"Who taught you that word?" He asked her, trying to hide his smile.

"You did." Rose answered in her child-like honesty, making him laugh out loud again, again followed by a string of violent coughing. He hit his chest a few times, and then was able to breathe a bit clearer.

"Damn cigarettes." He mumbled to himself, before clearing his throat and then looked over at her, scolding her slightly. "Well, Rose… um 'that word' is a bad, potty word. Young ladies such as yerself don't say those kinds of things. Ya hear me? Yer nana wouldn't be too pleased if she heard that word come from yer mouth. She'll swat yer butt, and then chase ya with a bar of soap to wash your mouth clean."

"Oh," Rose replied, not realizing it was a bad word, and shivered as she had that happened to her a few times before. "Sorry, pop."

He smiled down at her and continued to look back at his work, as Rose continued to watch him fix the line. The work place was dark all around them, except for his few overhead lights.

"Why can't the fisherman just buy a new fishing pole?" She asked him innocently. "We have way better poles and stronger lines than this one, in our store."

"Aye, that we do." Her Grand-father answered her. "But I'm placing some of our strong lines into this one and am fixin' a few broken pieces where the line and pole connect, so it can be stronger to uphold against the strong Atlantic waves.."

"But why?" Rose asked again, getting more impatient. "Why can't he just buy a new one?"

"Because the lad doesn't have a lot of money." Her Grand-father answered her, still tinkering with the line and pole.

"Can't you just give it to him in a discount?" She asked him, placing her chin down on the table and looking tiredly over at him.

"Aye, and I have." He answered quietly. "But this service I'm doin' out of the goodness of me heart."

"Why?" Rose asked again.

Her pop sighed, took his glasses from his face and rested his cheek down upon his palm, looking down at Rose with a raised white, bushy eyebrow.

"Rose, do ya feel good when you help someone out?" He asked her quietly.

"Yes." She replied, smiling. "I like helping people."

"I know ya do, lass." He answered, smiling. "So do I. That's why I'm doing this… I know how hard it is to provide for a family, and how difficult it is to be a fisherman. It's a low-income, under-appreciated job, with a great deal of back-breaking work. But we do it because it brings food home to our communities, families, and grocery stores all around this Country. So, if I help a fellow fisherman and hard-working man out there with something, then I'm doing my part in serving others."

"Oh," Rose replied, grinning at him. "I get it now… he doesn't have money to pay you. So, you're helping him out by fixing his pole for him, so he can bring his family home food?"

"Aye, Rose." He replied, smiling. "That's exactly what I'm doin'. Helping others forces pride out of one's soul and brings humility to yer spirit; which makes a person much happier and content with life. Ya understand what I'm tellin' ya, Rose?"

Then the memory faded…

Rose smiled, with tears in her eyes, as she remembered his words of wisdom and that memory. A momentary moment of grief filled her chest, as she sorely missed her Nana and Pop; but was everything she was today because of them. She slowly opened her tear-filled eyes, looked up at the ceiling at a crack of sunlight, and then felt at peace; as if he were there with her now; telling her to get her 'arse' in check, and help others around her.

"Okay, Pop." Rose whispered to herself. "I understand, thank you."

Whether it was her mind coming out of its depression, or a true intervention from her pop, or both; she knew her behavior and sulking had to stop. While she was at the Labyrinth, there was a lot that she could try to help out with when it came to the homeless. Maggie, Claw, Talon and the Clones were all assisting, day in and day out, in keeping the Labyrinth clean, the people were fed, and things running; as well as protecting their home and all who lived there. There was plenty to do.

Making up her mind, Rose quickly made her way down the stairs, to the main quarters of the Labyrinth to find one of the Mutates. But after searching for for a few minutes, she couldn't find them anywhere, and knew that the Clones were in their stone sleep since it was daytime. Finally, she wandered into one of the lower levels, where she knew Talon and Maggie lived, and searched the doors down the hallway, until she saw them both chatting in what looked their open bedroom. Maggie was folding some laundry, while Talon was writing a list. Rose didn't like to intrude, so she quietly knocked on the open door to get their attention.

"Knock, knock. Can I come in?" Rose asked timidly. At her voice, both Mutates looked up in surprise from talking with each other, and from what they were doing and both smiled at her.

"Rose, hi!" Maggie gasped out. "Please, come in."

"Thank you," Rose answered, stepping cautiously in and looked around. They definitely lived in one of the bigger rooms, but it wasn't too much larger or different than hers was. Their bed was a king, instead of a full-size, and had a larger bathroom. They had two larger ceiling lights and a small window out the side, which was barred from the outside. And a large gated whole in their wall that was most likely duct work. Other than that, everything else was the same. After she looked around and stepped in, she smiled at them.

"Hey, Rose." Talon said, looking surprised to see her. "I see you've finally decided to come out of your room? Are you gonna finally eat some food and socialize?"

Rose chuckled dryly at his half-joke, half-truth; and shrugged her shoulders.

"Yeah," She said slowly. "I'm sorry I've been so moody and depressed. It's time to stop feeling sorry for myself, and start to pull my weight around here. I've done as much work as I can with for job, but there's more work that I can help with… and I needed to leave my room, so there's that. So, uh… I was wondering if I could help you guys around the Labyrinth?"

Talon blinked a few times in shock and then said, "Oh, uh… sure. Like… what kind of stuff?"

"Anything." Rose answered him, shrugging. "Chores? Laundry…? Uh… cleaning toilets… ? Anything, seriously."

Talon and Maggie looked over at each other with wide eyes, and then Talon stood up from his chair, stepped forward and put one claw on her shoulder.

"Wow, Rose… that's… so awesome of you to offer!" Talon exclaimed, grinning brightly. "If you're willing, then yeah, we actually do have lots of work that needs to get done around here before tonight. With Maggie expecting, and Claw and I pulling more double shifts, we all haven't had the energy to keep up with everything that needs to be done around here for New Year's Eve."

"Not anymore." Rose grinned. "What can I do to help out?"

"Are you sure you're feeling okay to help out?" Maggie asked her a bit nervously. "I mean, you are our guest, as well."

"I'm more than sure." Rose explained, grinning at her. "I've had my time to get caught up with work and to wallow in my own self-pity. But now, I'm done with it. I have been thoroughly humbled, and want to start being of good use to you guys. I realize that I need to be thankful for what I have and help out where I can. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to to pull my head out of my ass, but I have and now and am going to help you guys out. Just say the word, and put me to work."

"You certainly are Brooklyn's equal." Talon laughed, patting her shoulder with his large claw. "The more we speak, the more I can see it. He, too, has a very dry sense of humor, quick-wit, and sarcasm. But, also like him, has a great sense of duty, leadership, and a good heart. Everything you have and are, Rose."

Rose laughed slightly and never thought about her humor being the same as Brooklyn's, but all the same she appreciated the comment.

"I appreciate you all taking me in." Rose said, this time with no sarcasm and all sincerity. "And I am sorry for how I've been acting."

Talon smiled down at her with a grateful expression.

"It's all right to have been depressed, Rose" Talon said gently. "Enduring what you've been forced to endure this whole year, I am amazed at your strength. It's much more than what Maggie and I were able to handle. The whole first year of our transformation, we were in a terrible depression. I spent most of that year blaming Goliath for my transformation and raged war against him and the Clan."

"Yes," Maggie replied quietly. "And I was willing to drink poison in order to not be in this body anymore. I'm so ashamed of what I almost did… I wish I were as strong as you, Rose."

"You're stronger than you know, Maggie…" Rose replied slowly and sheepishly. "And I know that because you are still here today, and are in fact, giving life to another being like you." She paused and smiled at Maggie, who naturally placed her hands upon her abdomen, as Rose continued to speak.

"I guess, you never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice." She then paused and looked down from them. "It's that or die. That was the dilemma I was faced with before I met Brooklyn. Did I let Kevin kill me, or was I to take that control away from him, and do it myself?"

Maggie stayed silent, as Talon nodded his head and replied in a whisper, "Brooklyn told us how you two met. I'm glad he got to that bridge in time…"

"Me too." Rose chuckled in a broken voice, tears having filled her eyes, in which she quickly wiped away. "Me too. Brooklyn truly saved my life that night; and has every night since we met. He gave me another option, which was the chance and choice to live and love again… and I took it. And I'm so thankful that I did."
"So are we, Rose." Maggie said quietly, with tears in her eyes, and then glanced down upon her with sorrow. "You must miss him."

Rose didn't mean to enter their bedroom to just talk about herself and all her current sorrows, but as she did, more grief began spilling in her soul. The more she spoke of Brooklyn, the more she did, in fact miss him. But not only that, the nightmares that contained Kevin and his terrifying hatred and lust for her death, plagued her every other thought. It was a double-edged sword. Think of Brooklyn and how much she desperately missed him, or have her thoughts naturally worry about Kevin and where he was; what he was doing and planning with the Quarrymen. And remember the horrendous night, a week ago, where he almost killed her.

"So do I." Rose managed to say in a whisper, before she cleared her throat, and looked up at them. "So… what can I do to help you guys out around her?"

Talon smiled at her, patted her shoulder and then said, "Follow me, I'll give you a few things that we need help with before tonight."

Rose nodded, as he and Maggie walked out of their bedroom and headed towards the kitchens. When they got there, Talon turned to her.

"Tonight is going to be a very busy night for all of us." He explained to her. "Since it's New Year's Eve; I have a lot of the Homeless' families and friends that come to visit in the Labyrinth, meaning that security is going to be a very huge issue, and will require me to keep on top of that as much as I can. Maggie normally preps the food; but with her feeling more exhausted and run-down; it's been up to Claw and I… but we're running on empty ourselves."

As Rose listened to Talon she could see how exhausted he truly looked. She stepped forward, placed her hand upon his shoulder and smiled up at him.

"You're exhausted Talon. Why don't you go get some sleep?" Rose offered. " I'll take care of all of this. I'll get meals together, clean the place up really fast, and help the residence with whatever they might need. Then, at sundown you'll be fully charged to be up for security purposes." She then paused and turned to Maggie, who also looked exhausted and spent. "You too Maggie."

He looked down at her with wide eyes and a shocked face, as Maggie looked relieved.

"No… I couldn't let you just do this all by yourself." He told her with uncertainty, but Rose could hear the hopeful tone in his voice. Sensing his hope, she smiled even greater, and laughed.

"Yes. I'm sure, Talon." Rose reassured him. "I need to be put to work, and to stay busy… please. You get some sleep before tonight and I'll keep myself busy. I'm not the best cook out there, but I've made my fair share of meals in my lifetime."

Talon stared at her for a long minute before he broke out in a huge grin; and immediately looked relieved.

"Wow, Rose. Thank you- I don't know what else to say… I feel bad kinda for letting you take all this responsibility upon your shoulders, but if you could tend to those things, it would be such a huge relief for me."

Rose waved his comment away and said, "Don't worry about a thing. I've got this."

Maggie looked at her for a moment and then rushed forward and hugged her.

"You're an angel!" She gasped, holding onto her tightly.

Rose laughed at her, and shook her head.

"Nah, I'm not…" She said softly, pulling away from Maggie. "I just like helping people. I miss my job as a paramedic, and though most of the time it was crazy, at the end of the day; I loved it for that exact reason."

"That's how I feel being a protector." Talon said, smiling at her. "I used to be a Police Officer like my sister, Elisa, and was a Pilot. Now that I have wings, I can still get that adrenaline to fly, but protecting those who need my help down here is like I'm back in the good ol' black and blue uniform world."

"I understand." Rose sympathized quietly, knowing how hard that must have been for him to say good-bye to his old Human life, for a hidden world. As it was exactly the world she was currently living in.

"You guys get some sleep." Rose told them quietly, ushering them out of the kitchen. "Don't you worry about a thing. I've got this."

Talon placed his arm around Maggie, turned back to Rose and smiled brightly.

"Thank you so much, Rose." He said. "Truly. This is a blessing for us."

"Think nothing of it." Rose said quietly, smiling back him as they both walked out of the kitchen and disappeared from her view. Once they were gone, she threw her long auburn hair in a messy bun under her hat and quickly got to work prepping pots, pans and food for a large-scale meal for the homeless.

---

For the next six hours; Rose cooked the homeless their meals, using an assortment of food in which she found in the large kitchen pantry, cleaned all the main areas, and managed to get some of her own laundry done. She made them all meat and cheese sandwiches, with chips and fruit for lunch; then made a large spaghetti meal with salad and bread for dinner. She wasn't a professional cook; but it made her day when every man, woman and child came up to her and sincerely thanked her for her meal and told her that it was the best meal that they've had in a while. She also enjoyed meeting more of the people, in whom she was sharing the Labyrinth with.

Talon, Maggie and Claw came walking in from their naps, and looked refreshed. Claw sniffed the air and then came running up to Rose, and scooped her up into his large arms and squeezed her in a hug.

"Hi Claw!" Rose laughed. "Ya hungry?"

He nodded his head frantically, as he placed her back down on the ground. Rose held up a large plate of hot food, and laughed again when Claw's eyes widened in awe. He took the plate with an almost reverent manner and then walked away to slam the food down. Rose giggled as he tiptoed away from her, being extremely cautious with his food, as Talon and Maggie stepped up with wide smiles.

"Wow, Rose!" Talon exclaimed, looking around. "This smells and looks incredible."

Rose laughed again and shrugged.

"Thank you, it's nothing too fancy. It's just spaghetti…"

"It's better than what I could have cooked up." Talon admitted in a small grumble, collecting his plate from Rose.

"This is very true." Maggie added, taking her own plate, smiling lovingly over at her husband. "Thank you, Rose! This looks spectacular! And the rest of the Labyrinth looks and smells so clean and fresh! You're amazing!"

Rose smiled weakly at her, hating getting attention all on her and blushed slightly.

"Thanks. You guys go on and enjoy your food."

"We'll help you clean up afterwards." Talon promised, walking with Maggie towards Claw, sitting down at a long table.

As Rose continued to serve the homeless their dinner, the door to the kitchen opened. Rose looked up and nearly dropped the plate she was holding, as the Clone Clan suddenly came in, and it dawned on her that she had never actually seen or met them before. She knew of them from what Elisa and the Clan had explained to her. Dr. Sevarius, a brilliant but evil geneticist had taken DNA from Goliath, Hudson, Lexington, Elisa, Broadway, and Brooklyn and created the Clones; after using Derek, Maggie and Claw and turning them into Mutates. As Rose stared at the Clones, she was unnerved. Although they had different names; and looked different in coloring than her Clan- they all were still Clones of the Manhattan Clan. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Brooklyn's clone walk in, Malibu. He was holding claws with the clone mixed with Elisa and Angela's mother; Demona. The female, who Rose knew to be Delilah, was his romantic interest. Malibu was teal in color, had red wings, black-almost green hair and red eyes.

She much preferred Brooklyn over Malibu, as he freaked her out a bit. He was still of Brooklyn's DNA; so couldn't be much different than him, but it still freaked Rose out. Rose cleared her throat and began to serve the Clones their food, trying not to let their appearances affect her. If anything about her relationship with Brooklyn had taught, she would and could never judge a creature by how it looked. However; it did make Rose feel slightly better when Brooklyn told to her once, that even he did not like to be near Malibu. He and Malibu did not talk or come near each other if they could help it.

Regardless of all this; the Cloned Clan was very simple in their programming; so it was like she was speaking with children. She smiled kindly at them as they came up to her to gather some food, and they all seemed very thankful of her service to them. Talon had been working with them a great deal to teach them how to think for themselves, write, and read. From what she had heard from Brooklyn, Elisa and Talon- they have improved a great deal and were now very bright.

When everyone had come to eat; and were gathered in the large dining hall, just outside of the kitchen. She lifted her hat up and wiped her forehead with her arm when Talon, Claw and Maggie had just finished eating, and came up to her. Claw was grinning from ear to ear, showing his sharp, pointy teeth, and clapped her on the back. He was thanking her for her good job today, in his muted way, while Maggie stepped forth and wrapped her gently in a hug.

"Thank you so much for all your help, Rose! I can't believe how hard you worked today; you're truly an angel." She gushed, while holding Rose against her tightly.

Rose chuckled slightly and then replied, "Thank you.. It's really not a big deal- I just wanted to be of help. I didn't want to sit back and be useless anymore."

"You were never useless." Talon said, stepping forward as Maggie let her go and stepped back to give her some space, as Talon continued to speak.

"It means a great deal to all of us what you've done today. You've let all of us sleep; and were able to accomplish a great deal of work- I'm seriously impressed; and even more impressed by your meals. We haven't had anything this good since Maggie hasn't had the energy to cook. I wish I could say I cooked; but that's more my sister, Elisa, and my mother's area of expertise. I'm lucky if I can toast a piece of bread without burning it."

Rose laughed and nodded her head.

"I've been there before, for sure." She admitted. " I don't know if I'm a very good cook- but I had to learn. My Grandmother passed away when I was twelve, so I had to learn to cook for my Grandfather. If I didn't; then we would have lived off of frozen meals, military packets and Spam sandwiches."

Talon gazed down at her teasingly and laughed, "What's wrong with that?"

Rose laughed back and shook her head at him.

"Nothing," she teased, grinning cheekily. "Unless you value your taste buds and have a strong stomach."

Talon and Maggie laughed out loud; and even Claw's shoulders shook up and down; his smile wide. He didn't have any voice; but she could tell that he was laughing as well. Rose's heart seemed to melt and was coming to like the Mutates a lot; and was also thankful for her lesson in humility today and for all the work she did. Seeing the homeless smile and sincerely thank her for her efforts; was enough to chase her depression away.

Once everyone had eaten; Rose, Talon, Maggie and Claw helped clean up and do the dishes. They tried to send her away to relax; but she wanted to see this last chore through, and with it getting closer to nighttime; she wanted to stay as distracted as possible.

The depression and pain of being away from Brooklyn on their planned mating ceremony night, was creeping around the corner in her mind and heart; waiting for a moment of weakness in her mind. She couldn't and wouldn't allow herself to be alone or to let that grief and depression overtake her.

For the next hour, she stayed elbow deep in the soapy water cleaning and rinsing off the dishes, and then handed them to Maggie; who dried them off. When Maggie had them dried, Talon put them away; and across the kitchen Claw was taking the trash out. Rose looked up from her scrubbing and smiled at Claw, who she noticed was staring at her. When he was caught staring at her, he suddenly flinched and squeezed the large black bag too hard, causing it to burst open. With a POP, the spaghetti contents of the bag came spilling out all over the floor and all over Claw.

Rose gasped out, alerting Maggie and Talon to the mess, and everyone stared at Claw for a few seconds. Rose pulled her hands out of the water, dried them off and went over to help him. He was soaking wet in red spaghetti sauce; and looked less than pleased.

"Oh dear…" Rose said, biting her lip and trying hard not to laugh at him. "You okay?"

Claw briefly looked at her, obviously embarrassed, and then shrugged his shoulders. Maggie then came over to him, and when he looked at her, his expression sulked and he suddenly looked like a sad cat who'd gotten wet; but this time it was with spaghetti sauce.

At his expression, Rose, Talon and Maggie all burst out laughing, unable to help themselves, followed by his solemn expression melting into a smile as well. Though it was a disaster to clean up; Claw had remained upbeat about it- or at least Rose thought he was- he couldn't speak his mind either way.

"Come on, Claw." Maggie said, leading him from the kitchen. "Let's get you cleaned up."

With dishes done; the homeless fed, and the Labyrinth clean- except for Claw now; Rose was starting to feel tired finally. Maggie escorted Claw towards his room to get cleaned up; while Talon helped Rose mop up the remaining spaghetti sauce mess. They worked in silence and were almost done, when Rose suddenly heard her voice being screamed out.

"ROSE!"

She looked up, shocked, and glanced around at who would be calling out her name. She glanced over to the two large doors of the Labyrinth and suddenly saw her best friend, Emily, running towards her. Rose stood still for a moment, frozen in shock, until her brain connected that it was really her.

"Emily?" She gasped, still standing and holding the mop. Once she could see Emily better; Rose dropped the mop of the ground and immediately started running towards her as well, shrieking.

"OH MY GOSH! EM!"

When they reached each other, both girls held onto each other tightly in a hug, and were giggling like they were school-girls once they let each other go; Rose stared at her in disbelief. Emily's short blond hair was down and slightly curled, was wearing jeans and a nice blouse, and Rose could begin to see her once flat abdomen, begin to show the tiniest bump.

"Rose… my God, where have you been?!" Emily exclaimed, letting her go and was looking her up and down. Though she seemed happy to see her; there was great worry and concern as well.

"It's a long story, but I'm happy to see you!" Rose gasped out, tears filling her eyes. She stared at her best friend for another few seconds, breathing deeply, but then felt confused. "How- how did you find me?"

"It's a long story." Emily replied, shaking her head, but collected her back in her arms hugging her tightly. After a few seconds of hugging, Emily let her go and then dove into her explanation.

"I hadn't heard from you since we last went out to the pizza place; and I know you told me to stay away, but I tried to call Xanatos' building to tell you Merry Christmas; but no one picked up. Then, the next thing I knew, that night a buttload of Cops and SWAT were surrounding my apartment building- not allowing any of us to enter or exit… and I don't know… I just knew something had happened with you and Kevin. I called again, and kept calling until someone finally answered. Owen… I believe he said his name was; told me that you were living somewhere else, but wouldn't tell me where or why."

Emily stopped speaking and then shook her head, looking at Rose with wide and worried eyes.

"I have no idea what's going on anymore…" She whispered with tears in her eyes. "I thought that I had lost you again… But then Mr. Xanatos, himself, came to my apartment, picked me up, and told me that he would take me to you. And now here we are… in… uh… wherever the hell we are."

"Xanatos brought you to me?" Rose asked her, tears filling her eyes again, feeling floored that he would do such a thing for her.

"Yeah," She replied, smiling. "He must really care about you. Or must have been really sick of me calling- one or the other."

Rose smiled at her, as tears fell down her face now. Seeing her best friend was the perfect thing to help lift her spirits up even more, and with an exhale in relief, she quickly gathered Emily back in her arms, hugged her tightly and cried. Emily held her tightly, rubbed her back and was also crying. After a few minutes of hugging, Rose looked up over Emily's shoulder, she saw Xanatos in a tuxedo, leaned against the back wall, smiling happily at them.

Rose smiled sincerely back at him, and mouthed, "Thank you so much."

He slowly nodded his head, as Rose let Emily go, and said; "I promise I'll tell you everything- it's been… insane to put it simply."

"I'll say." Emily grumbled, still looking around at the Labyrinth around them with slight disgust. "Why are you living here now? I thought you and Brooklyn were living together in the Billionaire's Castle. You guys were planning on getting married and all that… weird jazz."

Rose sighed, opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted when Emily suddenly gasped and moaned, "Ohhh… no. You guys broke up."

Rose froze and was stunned from speaking for a few seconds and forgot that Emily liked to state false facts; who seemed to thoroughly embrace her facts as the truth. She stayed quiet before she started to chuckle.

"Um… no, Em. We haven't broken up." She told her with a small smile on her face.

When Rose said this, Emily suddenly seemed slightly downtrodden, as though she was hoping that this was the case. Emily liked Brooklyn, but she still couldn't quite get the 'different species' out of her mind. Before they could continue their conversation, however; Xanatos walked up to them.

"Surprise!" He grinned.

Rose smiled at him, let go of Emily, and quickly wrapped him up in a hug, to his own surprise.

"Thank you… you have no idea how much this means to me." She whispered in his ear. She quickly let go of him and stepped back. "It's so good to see you!"

"You're welcome." He chuckled. "And it's good to see you as well, Rose."

"Why did you bring her to me?" Rose asked him. "I mean, not that I'm grateful… just surprised."

"Emily kept calling the main building line- which is still closed for the Holidays; but Owen thought it best to finally answer since it was coming from the same number. We figured, after a few days of the same number calling, that it was either Kevin trying to speak to you, or Emily. Luckily for us, it was Emily trying to get a hold of you. When Owen spoke to her and explained that you no longer lived with us, I had an idea to bring her to see you. With the same discretion in which we used to move you here, of course."

"Thank you so much." Rose said softly, blinked and then looked him up and down as though she was seeing him for the first time tonight."You look nice and fancy- where are you headed?"

"Fox and I have to make a brief appearance tonight at the Four Seasons Hotel for their annual business New Year's Eve Gala." He explained, grinning a bit cockily. " I finished getting ready, so Owen and I took a quick drive out to Emily, pick her up to take her here for a few, and then will pick Fox up in just a few minutes."

Rose nodded her head, and then jumped into asking the questions she was truly dying to know.

"How is the Clan doing?" Rose asked him in a bit of a rush. " How's Angela? How's… Brooklyn?"

Xanatos held up one hand, laughed slightly and then answered, "Fine. They're all doing fine, Rose. They've been quite busy, all of them. Not only have they been patrolling the City; like they normally do, but they've been trying to track down the Quarrymen and Kevin. I've even tried to offer my assistance in using technology to track them down, but we haven't had any such luck in finding them yet."

Rose took a deep breath, feeling her stomach begin to hurt, and nodded.

"Understandable… it doesn't surprise me that Kevin has vanished once again." She said softly. " He is very cunning and sneaky; and I doubt they will be able to find him unless he wants them to find him. I have a horrible feeling that him and the Quarrymen are cooking something up for myself and the Clan. I feel terrible that Kevin has become such a threat to everyone…"

"It's not your fault, Rose." Xanatos interrupted, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "With as dangerous as he is to all of us; we are all glad and thankful that you aren't in his control anymore. Stop blaming yourself for his actions; he's the true monster; you're unfortunately just his bait. You aren't making him do these horrid things; it's all been his choices and his own will-power."

Rose sighed and said, "Yeah, I guess you're right. I just want to get this nightmare over with. The last thing I want is for the people I love to get hurt."

"Don't worry, Rose." Xanatos said, smiling at her. "We'll come out on top at the end- you'll see."

"How do you know that?" Rose asked him, almost begging.

"I don't know it, but I hope for it." He said. "There's a difference-" He paused, looked down at his wrist watch and then said, "Well, I've got to be off now. Our party starts soon. You two enjoy your evening together, I've heard rumors that you might be able to see Brooklyn tonight- but who knows-" he paused again and then winked at her. "Happy New Year, Rose. I hope it's one that is truly new and rejuvenating for you."

With that, Xanatos waved and walked away from her and Emily, shutting the massive Labyrinth doors behind him. Rose turned to Emily who was still standing, with wide eyes at her; and looked as though she was about to burst open with all of her questions.

Rose giggled, hooked her arm through Emily's and said, "Come on, let's go to my room; and I will tell you everything that has happened."

As Rose started to guide Emily away when she caught the eye of Malibu; who looked just like Brooklyn and stopped, staring at Rose with even wider eyes.

"What in the…?" She gasped.

"Just… come on. Trust me… you're going to need to sit down- I have a lot to explain to you." Rose interrupted, laughing slightly; and pulled her best friend along, heading towards her room. Emily continued to stare at the Cloned Gargoyles with shock, and followed Rose silently as she lead her up into her room.

When they finally reached her room, Rose opened the door, and stepped aside so Emily could enter. Once in, she shut the door and allowed Emily to quietly walk around the tiny room. She peeked in the bathroom, then walked over towards her full sized-bed, and then turned around in a circle, taking everything in. She was nodding slightly at the stone walls around them, tiny window, and the small amount of space she had from the door to her bed. Rose stayed quiet as Emily finally sat down, stared at her with wide eyes and was still nodding mechanically, as though she was forcing herself to approve.

"Well…?" Rose asked her, trying not to smile.

"You really should fire the decorator, Rose. They did a horrible job- it looks like a prison." Emily replied sarcastically. Rose couldn't help but laugh and sat down next to her on the bed.

"I know it looks bad- trust me on that." Rose said. "But I haven't gotten around to 'perking' up the place. It's been… um… a really bad week…"

"I can't imagine why." Emily mumbled, cutting her off. Rose laughed some more, shook her head and then continued, "But then… I decided to be grateful for this new home, and to relish in the fact that I'm safe from Kevin, for now. So today, I served the Homeless, placed my own cares and worries behind me, and it has really helped me. I feel happier, and can see hope once again. Though it's hard, I'm going to keep serving those in more need than I, andI know that I'll be just fine."

Emily was looking over at with an impressive look and blew out a breath.

"Wow…" She said slowly. "I was not expecting that answer to come from your mouth… I mean… that's great Rose. I'm very impressed by your ability to stay so positive. I would be… just… losing my mind here." She paused and then said, "You still have to tell me what's going on though and what's happened."

Rose took a deep breath and then asked, teasing her slightly.

"Well, how much time do ya have?"

"All night, if I have to." Emily responded, raising her eyebrows, challenging her.

Rose smiled at her, got comfortable on her bed and then instantly dove into the story covering everything from Kevin finding her on Christmas night, his messages to her in her bedroom, him bombing Elisa's car, their terrifying chase through Central Park, to him shooting her twice which lead her to falling off the bridge, to Brooklyn saving her, to her being hospitalized and going through surgery, Brooklyn and hers connection and her magic combining so he could heal her, them nearly mating, to now- and her new temporary life in the Labyrinth.

Emily stayed silent the whole time and was staring at her with a gaped open mouth and horrified eyes. She couldn't believe what Rose had just told he as it was too much to take in, but it all made sense now. In the late hours of Christmas Eve, before her and Chris went to bed, there was chaos on the news about a potential terrorist in New York City due to a Police Unit being bombed just outside of Xanatos' building; to the SWAT team showing up on her doorstep, in the early mornings of Christmas Day, waking her and Chris up in terror. It all made sense; but it was also a great deal to process.

Emily stayed silent for a few minutes and didn't say anything to her. Rose stayed silent to let her process everything in which she had just told her, as she realized that it was quite the story. She also told her about the Clan, Angela's pregnancy, and the backstory behind the Labyrinth Clan; including the Clones as well. Rose watched as Emily's eyes filled with tears, and then the next thing she knew was her best friend's arms were suddenly wrapped around her, hugging her tightly. Emily hugged Rose for a long time, holding her, and before long Rose could tell that she was crying.

She let Rose go, wiped her tears away and sniffled.

"I'm so sorry, Rose… I can't even believe that all this is happening to you. I can't believe that he shot you, and that I nearly lost you again. Kevin is… ugh… he's such a BASTARD! I hate him…I hate what he's done to you, what he's planning for you, the Gargoyles and even myself and my family!"

Rose smiled sadly at Emily, and let her continue to unwind.

"You know what!?" She suddenly yelled, tears streaming down her face. "Brooklyn really is the best damn thing to happen to you! I'm so happy and relieved that you two are able to find such happiness and love during this time of horror, and that Brooklyn loves you enough to protect you, by keeping you here, and to spend his nights hunting that son of a bitch! I hope he finds Kevin and rips his limbs apart… no… I hope he does more than that. I hope he slowly tortures him into madness… I…"

"Kevin is already mad." Rose said softly. "And Brooklyn would never torture his enemies; no matter how much the enemy deserves to die. The Gargoyles are fair in their dealings with their enemies. They kill during the heat of battle, if they absolutely have to; but normally they leave their enemies to Elisa and the Police."

"Do you really think Brooklyn will let Kevin go to the Police after what he's done to you? And what he is still continuing trying to do?" Emily asked her with heavy sarcasm. "I like Brooklyn and the Gargoyles- but what I saw of him, in trying to protect you and I from that gang full of rapists; he was in full-on kill mode. And I don't blame him at all, those pieces of shit didn't deserve to live."

Rose thought for a moment about Brooklyn, and then answered her best friend.

"No." She whispered, slightly hating this thought. "I don't think Brooklyn will give him any mercy this far into this horrible nightmare. He will kill him. Kevin has slid past their logical sense and has proven to be much too dangerous to continue to live. Brooklyn is angry with him; unbelievably angry with him, and hates him more than anything."

Emily exhaled dramatically and scoffed, "I don't blame him, I hate Kevin too."

"So do I." Rose answered her softly. "But, it is what it is- and for now, I'm alright. I promise. As long as I have you, the Clan, and Brooklyn… I'm happy; and there's nothing that Kevin can do to get in the way of that."

Emily stayed quiet for a few moments, before she glanced up into Rose's eyes, grimly, and then said in a low voice.

"He can still kill you, me, and the whole Clan, Rose. Don't be naive… you said it yourself; the Gargoyles are still vulnerable to fatal wounds. To be quite honest, after hearing all this, I… I'm worried for you Rose. Kevin doesn't even seem like the same person that I've met before… this is just… insane. I… I don't…"

"I know." Rose answered her, placing her hands over her arms. "Trust me, I know what you're feeling all too well. Kevin is not the man I married; nor is he the person who I remember dating. The night of our honeymoon was when the abuse started. It started out slow and small, and he was way more apologetic to me then. Now, when he hurts me, he thinks I deserve it. He has become a serial killer, a murderer and a true monster. I don't even know who he is anymore; and the more this nightmare continues, I don't know if I ever knew him. I mean…" She paused and closed her eyes, unable to get the image of skeletal Kevin out of her mind.

"It was like something out of a horror film, Em." She continued quietly, with tears in her eyes. "You should have seen him when he cornered me in Central Park. Kevin has shaved his head, and looks as though he hasn't eaten since the night I left him. He is so pale, gaunt… and just… looked undead. It was so terrifying to look at; he's almost like a zombie."

Emily stared back at Rose as though she was going to burst into tears and slowly shook her head, still in disbelief.

"What are you going to do now?" She whispered. " I don't even know what I'm supposed to do! I feel like my family needs to go into a protection program or something."

"You already are." Rose said, smiling at her. "It's called the Gargoyle Protection Program. During their nightly patrols, they are protecting the City and have been keeping an eye out of you, Chris and Katie."

"I guess I owe them mine and my family's life then, huh?" Emily asked her gently, smiling gratefully. "At first I was really unsure about the Gargoyles; but they keep impressing me the more I get to know them."

"That's because they are impressive creatures," Rose said. "They are more evolved than we'll ever be. They have more wisdom, love, and forgiveness in their souls than we'll ever know. True, they aren't perfect; but neither are we. They are still learning this new world and its rules- but they are humble and stick to protecting innocent lives. That's who they are."

Emily exhaled deeply, sat back down on Rose's bed, and gently touched her slightly protruding abdomen. Rose watched her for a moment and smiled sadly. Her best friend looked exhausted, and was just barely starting to show. Rose placed her hand on her hand and smiled.

"How is the baby?" Rose asked Emily gently, trying to start up another conversation, and to not talk about Kevin anymore.

"The baby is good." Emily smiled up at her and looked relieved that they were finally talking about something normal- not Gargoyles, mass-murderer husbands, or magic spells involved. "I'm fifteen weeks along; and at my eight week mark, we heard it's little heartbeat. It's been so surreal; and I… I am sorry that I haven't been around to help you. I mean, I feel like you and I are living in two separate worlds right now. But now that I know where you are, I'm here for you, and I will be here for you as often as I can."

Rose looked over at her best friend and felt like bursting into tears again. Emily spoke the truth; they both were living in completely different worlds, but it was more than that. She had tried to stay upbeat and positive; but now, she felt as though she was able to truly be herself around her loyal Human friend.

"Thank you." Rose was barely able to choke out.

Emily smiled back at her and decided to keep talking about something good to distract them both; so she settled on talking about Katie and her new pregnancy. Rose listened quietly to her friend, but also was starting to wish she wouldn't talk about her pregnancy anymore. It was suddenly too raw of a thing to talk about; as it was something that she would most likely never get to have. Luckily, Emily seemed to see the emotions on her face and stopped talking. She then looked around the room and saw a shoebox sitting next to Rose's bed.

Curious, Emily picked it up, opened it and then stopped talking. Rose watched her as she picked it up.

"What this?" Emily asked her.

"Just a few keepsakes." Rose explained, silently wiping some tears away.

Emily looked up at her, had her hands on the top and asked, "May I?"

Rose nodded, and she immediately opened it. Once she saw what was inside the box; she suddenly burst out laughing, seeing all their old photographs from college.

"No way!" Emily exclaimed, laughing. "These are from our dorm days in college! I can't believe this… you've kept all these?"

"Of course," Rose told her, smiling and glanced down at the photos they took of them partying and goofing off, still trying to remain under control. "I have kept as many important photos as I could. This was the box I retrieved from my apartment when I first left Kevin. I had to make sure I got it. It had a couple thousand dollars in cash for an emergency, and had all my important photos and keepsakes."

For the next few minutes; Emily flipped through her photos and both girls remeniced and laughed at the fun times in which they had in college. Emily pointed to one, where they were celebrating Emily's bachelorette party, before she married Chris, and was the only night where Rose had actually managed to get drunk.

Looking back, that was her first and last time she ever cared to drink, as the next day she woke up, unable to stand; and was battling vertigo, nausea and vomiting. Rose shuttered at that memory; and never picked up another drink again, and the desire to get drunk again was something she never wanted, as she had never felt more ill in her entire life. Her Grandfather used to drink on occasion, but never got to the point where he would get hung over. As Rose though about him; he smoked more than he drank, both habits in which her Grandmother hated.

Emily was laughing hysterically, wiping tears from her eyes and sighed, "Oh man, those days were the best. We had so much fun with our roommates."

"Yeah," Rose chuckled. "I don't miss that night though. I had never been drunk before and it was the worst feeling in the entire world. Never again…"

"Oh, that's right!" Emily laughed again. "You got so sick! Oh my gosh, I totally forgot about that. I felt so bad for you; you were still hung over at my wedding."

"It was the worst…" Rose grumbled. "I have never touched alcohol since then."

Silence passed between them for a few minutes, and Emily sighed.

"That was the best night for me though. All of us girls partying, and having fun… and then I got married to Chris. He's been literally my guardian angel, has given me Katie… and now this little baby."

Rose smiled sadly again, and whispered, "I am so happy for you, Em. Truly."

"The wedding night was so much fun too, remember how we all danced?" Emily continued to talk, suddenly not aware of what she was saying. "And how I kept trying to set you up with guys and then you met…" Then she paused and froze, eating her words almost instantly.

"That's the night I first met Kevin…" Rose finished for her, shrugging numbly. "It's okay. You can say it. It is what it is, Em."

Rose hated this; everything good that Emily and her could relate and talk about, somehow came back to Kevin. She and Kevin had met through a mutual friend at Emily's wedding, but she hadn't started to date him until she almost done with college. They kept in contact with each other; but he would stalk Rose and would keep coming back to her. He charmed her until she relented and began to date him. They dated for one full year before they got married, and it wasn't until they married in February, when he started to physically hit her. As Rose looked back, there were many red flags and danger signs, but she was too 'in-love' and stupidly naive to have noticed them.

Emily bit her lip, and didn't seem to know what to say at that point, so she put the pictures down, and then looked around the room for something to do.

"So…" she started slowly. "We've both caught ourselves up into each other's lives, what now? How are you and Brooklyn really doing?"

Rose smiled at her, knowing she was digging for 'dirty details.'

"I… um… we are fine, Emily. We are making the most of this situation. It's hard for us to be apart from each other."

Emily smiled at her sadly, but then slowly began to grin a more mischievous smile.

"And uh… how is it when you two are together?" She asked her lightly. "Are you… uh… thoroughly enjoying each other, and being safe?"

Rose blinked, could feel herself blush, and began to laugh uncomfortably.

"Of course, we are." She replied. "He's brought me to this Labyrinth for that very reason. To be safe from Kevin…"

"That's not what I was meaning." Emily grinned, knowing that Rose was stalling.

"What do you mean then?" Rose asked her lightly, having a hard time hiding her smile, while Emily raised her eyebrows at her and then grinned mischievously.

"You know damn well what I am really asking." Emily laughed, enjoying making Rose blush. "You two have such a hot and sexy connection, with your magic and all that. How is it when you're… ya know… together?".

Rose laughed out loud, shook her head, feeling her face heat up.

"Emily, I love him, and he loves me." She explained, not looking at her. "We are both the happiest when we are together; what more do you want to know?"

"Okay, okay…" Emily laughed, grinning even more. "Not what I'm asking, love, so I'll make it more obvious here. How is the sex!?"

Rose stared at Emily with her mouth gaped open; and didn't know what to say. Emily was extremely open and blunt; and though she was used to it, it was surprisingly difficult to talk about this topic with her. She already shared her entire soul and thoughts with Brooklyn; and this was a very sensitive topic between her and Brooklyn. Even though Emily was her best friend, she didn't want to talk about it so casually. Rose blinked a few times, closed her mouth, and then answered her honestly.

"I… uh… I wouldn't know."

Emily gasped and grabbed her hand.

"No… freaking… way!" She nearly shrieked out. "You two haven't… done it yet?"

Rose felt herself start to blush fiercely, shushed her, and answered her quietly.

"No, we haven't."

Emily stared at her with wide eyes, and seemed floored.

"Rose!" She gaped out. " You guys have to know what it's like before you make that commitment to be together! He's completely different than you! What if sex is different for him than it is for us? What if you two aren't able to enjoy each other that way in the way you wish? There are so many things to consider…"

"We'll be just fine." Rose told her a bit sharply, remembering this same conversation with Dr. Sato and didn't want to repeat it with Emily. "True, we haven't consummated our relationship yet, but believe it or not, we want to save that commitment for marriage. I know it's a bit outdated…"

"It's ancient." Emily muttered.

"BUT… " Rose continued as though she didn't hear her, smiling now, "It's what we have decided. It's important for us to wait. Trust me, we've had plenty of people telling us their opinion about our relationship. But, just so you know, I have zero doubts and fears about being with him. Our strong bond has made it clear to us that we are meant to be. We have had intimate moments with each other… and in those moments nothing has felt more right. That's all you need to know."

Emily was looking her over, with raised eyebrows and giggled suddenly.

"What do you mean you've had intimate moments? How can you have intimate moments without it leading to sex?"

"Em… seriously." Rose laughed, exhaling in slight frustration. " I'm not getting into this with you. You're my best friend; but some things just need to be private with me, okay? And this… topic is one of those things. Brooklyn and I share thoughts and emotions through our soul connection- and because of that, nothing feels private anymore to me. So, for once, I want what Brooklyn and I have, to stay between him and I."

"Alright, alright." Emily said, holding her hands up in surrender. "Girl, you know I have your back. You're a lot more reserved than I am, and I've always known that, despite my efforts to bring a more 'wild child' out of you. But, I am happy that you've found someone who completes you. It sounds like a dream; I hope that it continues to be exactly what you need it to be."

Rose smiled, relaxed, and was grateful that Emily finally took the hint and backed off. The beautifully intimate moments, in which her and Brooklyn had with each other, was something so special to her, that she didn't want to share it, and wanted it to be experienced between herself and Brooklyn. More so, she would have felt extremely betrayed if Brooklyn chose to share them with the Clan. He said so himself to her that some things were meant for mates and not the rest of the Clan; and what him and Rose did together was one of those things.

"Thanks, Emily." Rose finally said, smiling widely at her.

Emily playfully rolled her eyes and then said, "You're welcome… so… have you guys talked about a date? When are you planning on getting married?"

Rose froze as her question sank into her heart; punching it slightly. She tried to pretend that it wasn't bothering her, but it was. It was disappointing and hard to realize that her and Brooklyn wouldn't be getting married tonight, and that she hadn't seen him for some time. She actually didn't know when she would next see him again, it had already been a week and hadn't seen him since he dropped her off and slept next to her.

"Well… we had originally planned a date on Christmas Eve, before Kevin attacked the Castle for… um… tonight." Rose explained quietly, looking down. "But, then Kevin came in and ruined everything. So, now; I don't know when we'll be able to be mated. We feel it's best to get Kevin out of the picture first, before we get married. Then, and only then, will we be able to start our lives together."

Emily gaped at her in disbelief and then, without warning, she swatted Rose's arm, making her jump slightly.

"Ouch!" Rose exclaimed in anger, rubbing her shoulder. "What the hell was that for?"

"Did you really think you could have gotten married, ONE WEEK after setting a date?" Emily snapped. "I know we talked about me being your maid of honor, before you banished me from your life, but GOD, you were only going to give me one week's notice?!"

Her words punched Rose in the stomach, and tears instantly sprung into her eyes.

"I did not banish you from my life." Rose whispered. "It was the only way I felt I could protect you and your family."

"Yeah…I know, I know." Emily sighed, calming down. "But Kevin still came at you, hard and fast. Now, it doesn't matter. From this time forward, I'm here for you. No more getting rid of me, you're gonna need your own army against him. We are stronger together…"

Rose blinked and whipped her face up to look at her with wide eyes. Emily looked nervously around the room and then back at her.

"Uh… did I say anything wrong?"

"No," Rose said, shaking her head and blinking. "You just um… that's something Brooklyn and I always say to each other. We are stronger together; and weaker apart. That's why I hate being away from him. But, we feel it's the only way until Kevin and the Quarrymen are found. That's why we are putting our marriage on hold…"

"Yeah," Emily sighed, "Well, as long as you give me longer than one week; I'll be there."

Rose grinned happily and wrapped Emily up in a tight hug.

"Thank you so much for understanding! Seriously; I couldn't have my wedding without you as my Matron of Honor, that's just crazy talk."

"Damn straight!" Emily joked, pulling back from her hug and smiling. "I'm glad you haven't completely lost your sense of reality here."

Rose relaxed her back against the wall, laughed. "I know, this all seems crazy."

Emily scoffed and said, "Ya think!?"

They both started laughing at each other; and Rose was thankful for her best friend's understanding and support. Even though she was brash and outspoken, her loyalty and friendship was unwavering. They stayed quiet for a few moments before Emily looked over at her and grinned a mischievous grin.

"So… you keep calling your up-coming wedding, a mating ceremony. What is that all about?... And please tell me beforehand if it's going to be anything animalistic and barbaric… I mean, I'm all for being wild and all… but I don't think I could come and participate in something like that…"

Rose suddenly laughed out loud, harder and louder than she had in a long time. Tears formed in her eyes, but it wasn't from sorrow. Rose fell back on her bed and was trying to gain her sense of control back from laughing so hard.

"Em… no!" She laughed hysterically. "Oh my gosh… no."

Emily was smiling down at her and started to join in her laughter."Well, you gotta explain it to me; I'm so confused."

Rose sat up, wiped the tears from her eyes, and tried to control her laughter.

"A Mating Ceremony is the same thing as a Wedding to them. Female and Male Gargoyles, call each other their 'mates'. Yes, there is the action of 'mating' and sex is involved in those relationships; but it's the same thing as calling Chris your husband or spouse and you make love to him. Same thing. He is your mate; it's just different terms is all."

Emily nodded and then said, "I figured that out as much; I just didn't know the culture of the Gargoyles. They seem to have Human emotions; and similarities in their physicality; I just… I didn't know for sure, is all."

"Yeah, Em. That is going to be our greatest test of our friendship." Rose laughed and teased. " You'll attend my Mating Ceremony; it'll be birthday suit dress code and other freaky things will happen there. Be prepared to have your mind blown."

Emily burst out laughing just then, and then both of them burst out laughing hysterically. Rose didn't know why this was so funny to her; but it was crazy talk. After a few minutes of setting each other off into round after round of laughter; the girls finally calmed down.

"Okay, okay." Emily said breathlessly. "In all seriousness now, where are you going to have your wedding?"

Rose was breathless from laughing and slowly wiped tears away from her eyes. She then straightened her hat on her head, laid back down on her back, and placed her hands behind her head.

"Great question, I have no idea, yet." She answered quietly. "We haven't gotten that far in planning it. Lexington and Akira's Mating Ceremony was at the Castle, Angela and Broadway had theirs in Central Park… and… well, for Brooklyn and I… I've had the thought to maybe get married in the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. That's where he took me on his Motorcycle for a romantic getaway, before Kevin attacked the Castle, and it was the best date we've ever been on." She paused from speaking, and thought about that night with a smile on her face. The night before Kevin's attacks that is…

"It's beautiful there," Rose continued to explain. "And it's his namesake, so it's almost like it's fate or 'meant to be', much like our relationship. But I don't know, I still have to ask his opinion on that location, though I'm sure he wouldn't care. He's really sweet to me; and usually desires for me to be happy."

"How precious," Emily said smiling at her, but then her eyebrows suddenly furrowed. "Wait… hold the phone. Did you just tell me that Brooklyn drove you to the gardens on a Motorcycle? Don't Gargoyles have wings so that they can fly?"

Rose giggled, but corrected her.

"They don't fly; Em. They only can glide on the wind currents with their wings, but yes. You heard me right; he has always loved motorcycles and used to drive one, when they first came to this world. So, I bought him a used one for Christmas."

"Goddamn." Emily said slowly. "That's a lot of money for someone who doesn't have a driver's license! Rose, what are you thinking?! He doesn't even know how to drive… how can he…?"

"He actually can, and he's really good at it." Rose smiled at her, correcting her again. "Him and his brothers spent a lot of time, before we met, trying to learn how things operate in this Century. Back in Medieval Scotland, they only had horses and wagons. So when they came here and saw the moving vehicles; they went to junk yards and tinkered with engines, cars, motorcycles... I mean, you name it, they tried it out. They read up on how to put together an engine; how to take care of cars, and re-built a motorcycle. They are really smart, read up on a lot of things, and Lexington actually helped rebuild this one I got for Brooklyn. He did a great job with it."

"Wow. Really?" Emily asked her, clearly more impressed. "That's awesome; I didn't know they were literate."

"Hudson and Broadway are still learning how to read and write." Rose explained kindly. "But as different as the Gargoyles look, Em, they are just like us. They are just as smart and capable of learning new things as we are."

"Hmm." Emily said, thinking of something. "It's no offense to them; I just never thought of it that way… well, hey, I've got an idea. Since they can read, you should write Brooklyn a letter, or maybe a series of letters, and then surprise him with them when you see him next, or use it for your wedding as a gift. It's sweet and thoughtful; and he would seem to enjoy that gesture from you."

Rose smiled, sitting up; and felt very excited.

"Em! You're a genius! That's a great idea."

She sat up, grabbed her computer to pull open an open document before Emily placed her hands on it and said, "No. Handwritten is always more romantic. Plus, I need your computer."

"You're right." Rose smiled; but then paused and looked at her with slightly suspicious eyes. "What do you need my computer for?"

"To search for wedding dresses, duh!" She answered simply, taking her computer from her and opening it, grinning. "It's my duty as your Matron of Honor to help you search for the perfect dress."

Rose immediately sat up excitedly, jumped off the bed, and sat down next to Emily.

"I'll write my letters later… you've got my attention now." Rose gushed, smiling at her best friend. "I don't want it looking anything like the large and overly large ballgown I had at my wedding with Kevin; this wedding has to be completely original and special."

"It will be, because you are." Emily said softly and sincerely. "Kevin wasn't right for you, but Brooklyn is! So this wedding will be your actual, true wedding. You're marrying the love of your life; and there's nothing more special than finding true love."

Rose felt herself tearing up once again, this time out of pure joy.

"Yes." She said softly. "He is my true love. My soulmate"

"Then let's find a killer dress to blow your soulmate's mind away." Emily grinned, getting to work, typing away on the computer keyboard, finding dresses perfect for Rose's perfect night.

---

Brooklyn hadn't been able to come back to visit Rose since leaving her at the Labyrinth, one week ago, and it was driving him insane. He was standing on a rooftop and was thinking of Rose, as he always did. He was crouched on his perch at the Castle, having just woken up, and was gazing out over the large, brightly lit, and loud City, with a firm jaw and deep anger and hurt in his heart. Leaving Rose after sleeping next to her was the hardest thing he's ever had to do in his life, and the more he was away from her, the more he thought of her. His heart grieved and was filled with rage at Kevin, because it was because of him that they were being forced apart.

He closed his eyes, exhaled and thought about what it was like leaving her that night…

Him and Rose had spent six hours sleeping next to each other, and it was the most intimate and beautiful experience. Then every moment they were awake, they were kissing, touching, and nearly claiming each other as mates. But when sunrise was upon him, he had to leave Rose at the cold and dark Labyrinth. She had begged him to kiss her like he would miss her, and more than anything, he wanted to strip her down and make sweet love to her.

However, instead, he literally had to fling himself off of her beautiful body across the room, and claw himself out of the Labyrinth, away from Rose. He could feel her pain with every step he took, and it was close to torture for him to keep going. The worst part of that night was not his own grief; but when he slowly felt their connection fade into the background, into a dormant and distant phase. The only way he kept it active, to make sure she wasn't in any mortal danger, and to keep that comfort of her love near him, was to think of her every moment of each night, which seemed to kill him. The happy and light part of him stayed in the Labyrinth with Rose, and he was left with his depressed and dark part of his soul. That night, he couldn't contain his own grief, as he cried all the way back to the Castle; barely making it back before the sunrise.

He had touched down on the stone, turned away from the questioning stares of his clan, and the scolding look from Goliath, as he cut it too close to sunrise. However; Brooklyn didn't care about anything in that moment and ignored everyone's looks. He jumped up onto his roosting spot with his head down on his knee, and gratefully let the sunshine encapsulate his body and grief in stone. The instant the warm rays hit his skin as tears fell down his stone face.

The next night when he roared awake, felt energized; and also felt more enraged than ever before. The hurt and grief of having to leave his love was tremendous and he wanted to stay focused in ridding Kevin from their life for good. He wanted Kevin to suffer as much as he was suffering right then, being forced to be away from the woman he loved with all his heart and soul.

The Clan had gathered around him, and Goliath placed a claw on his shoulder, offering silent comfort to him, almost as if he was pardoning his close-call in returning back home before the sunrise.

When Brooklyn turned to face his Clan; he could see that their faces and eyes were all focused and set in motivation in finding Kevin. Brooklyn slowly stood up on his roosting spot, setting his jaw firmly and then growled, with his eyes lit up in rage.

"Let's catch this bastard."

Brooklyn blinked, and exhaled in great frustration, and shook his head. Since then, the Clan had spent the next few nights for a week straight searching and patrolling. But it was Brooklyn who did not stop, who did not pause. The others would search, but then return back to the Castle to rest, but he wasn't about to give up. Kevin, and now possibly the Quarrymen, were out there somewhere and were plotting against them all, and for Rose's death.

He could feel more rage building inside him for the situation, and hated Kevin more than any Human he had ever hated before, even more than the Vikings that destroyed his old Wyvern Clan. If he didn't get his revenge against Kevin; then the hatred would run his blood cold, and he didn't want to become empty like Demona had, where her revenge was all that was left of her.

Luckily for him and unlike her, he had something and someone to live for; he had Rose and her love. But, if he lost that, then he feared that he would lose himself; as Demona had. Brooklyn grew more frustrated with each passing hour, and now, with each passing night. It had been one full week since he last left Rose in the Labyrinth, and it had become true and unbridled agony to be away from her. He hadn't stopped searching for Kevin, and would only stop when the sun would rise, encapsulating him in his stone sleep. But even then, his mind did not rest. Nightmares of Rose's death would haunt him and torment his every nerve. When he would wake up, some nights, while the others roared away- Brooklyn screamed himself awake, feeling frightened and in more agony.

. Tonight was different in a worse way; when he had burst to life from his stone sleep, he stared out at the City skyline with a truly dark and depressed expression. He had another dream of Rose's death, and tonight was one night where he couldn't seem to handle it.

Tonight was a night in which he was absolutely dreading; it was New Year's Eve.

He brought his claws up to his mouth and was deliberating a lot of things. If Kevin hadn't gotten in the way, tonight would have been his mating ceremony to Rose, the start of his dream, the start of their life together, and now that it was ripped apart, he couldn't seem to bear the pain he was feeling in his heart; as it was mixed with pain, grief and rage.

The more he was away from Rose, the less light he felt in his heart and soul; but the more he was unsuccessful in finding Kevin, the more of a failure he felt. He couldn't bear to return to her without being able to tell her that she was truly going to be safe. He promised her that he wouldn't let anything ever happen to her; and that Kevin would never hurt her. As he sat up-top the Castle; and thought of all the things he was failing at, all the promises he was breaking, it was eating him up alive.

Immediately, he clenched his fists up, and growled out in true rage at Kevin; his eyes lighting up. He was being denied everything, Rose was suffering as much as he was, and it was all Kevin's fault. Brooklyn wanted to find him more than anything, and tear him limb from limb. He was feeling enraged that he was coming up empty, with no sign of him every passing night. Even worse; Brooklyn had vastly underestimated Kevin. Had he only followed his intuition to kill Kevin when he was at their apartment, all those months ago; it would have all been over.

Brooklyn blinked a few times as he heard claws stepping towards him, tearing him away from his brooding and extremely dark thoughts. From the heavy claws on the stone ground, he knew it was his leader. Goliath stepped up and placed a claw on his shoulder getting straight to the point of his visit.

"Brooklyn." He said in a calm voice. "Go and see her."

Brooklyn was growling and half expected Goliath to give him a lecture about not getting lost in his vengeance; or something along those lines. However, that was not what Goliath said. Brooklyn's eyes stopped glowing, and looked back at his leader with wide eyes.

"What?" He inquired a bit confused, and taken back.

Goliath stepped closer to him, wrapping his large wings around his broad shoulders, like a cloak, and said, "You've been searching tirelessly for Kevin, for many nights now. You haven't eaten, haven't hardly rested and… I know that you and Rose were planning on getting married tonight. That must be very difficult on you, as it would be on me if I were in your position… "

When Goliath said this, Brooklyn took a deep breath and wanted to hide his sudden grief from his leader, as he did not want him to see his pain. However; Goliath knew Brooklyn better than that, clasped his large claws on both shoulders and forced him to face him head on.

"Go to her." Goliath urged him. " You've done a good job in fulfilling your responsibilities, but right now you need to take time to heal and rest your mind. Myself and the rest of the Clan will split up our Patrols and will make sure all stays sound tonight. Take Rose out for a date, surprise her with something good. It may not be your wedding, but make it romantic. Tomorrow night, we will restart our search; and will refocus our focus on Kevin. For now, we all need a break. You more than anyone."

Brooklyn stayed silent for a few minutes and let Goliath's words slowly sink into his depressed soul. Nothing would make him happier than to see Rose once again; to hold her in his arms. Seeing her once again would bring his soul peace, her light would take away his darkness, and her touch would begin to heal his troubled heart and mind. Goliath was right; tonight was supposed to be the best night of his life, but it wasn't- however; as he thought of things, he suddenly felt more downtrodden.

"I…" he said, hating the words he was about to utter. "I probably shouldn't."

Goliath looked utterly shocked. He wasn't expecting those words to come out from Brooklyn's mouth, especially when it was about seeing Rose.

"Why not?" He asked him, thoroughly confused.

Brooklyn gazed depressingly over to the North, towards the Labyrinth and thought of his love, there; by herself and began to hate himself for his failure in protecting her.

"Because Kevin is still out there somewhere, Goliath, and knowing him he isn't resting either until he finds and kills Rose." He explained in a low voice. "And as long as he's out there, he's a threat and danger to her. I… I cannot face Rose knowing that I haven't been keeping my promises to her. I promised her that I would keep her safe; and that as long as I was there, he wouldn't find her. I have failed, Goliath. So… as much as I long to see her, I… I don't think I can until I've found him."

Goliath stayed silent for a few seconds, thinking of what to say to his Second-in-Command and then finally settled on words of wisdom in which he learned through the betrayal of the Clan at Castle Wyvern all those years ago.

"Brooklyn…" Goliath started. "I can't imagine how you are feeling right now, and I am sorry for how things have turned out for you and Rose. While things seem dark right now, it's not over. She loves you still, and I know you love her. But… when it comes to having a responsibility to someone, and then you fail… well… no one knows that feeling better than I. When I came back to the Castle Wyvern and found all of our Clan smashed dead, I felt guilty. More than that; I felt betrayed and responsible. I had failed my Clan."

"That wasn't you, though." Brooklyn shot back at him, turning towards him now. "Demona admitted it herself. It was her who worked with the Captain and allowed the Vikings to come back during the day, destroy our kind, and capture the Humans… it wasn't your fault."

"It's not a matter of fault… but of responsibility." Goliath said quietly. " It was my duty, as leader, to protect my Clan and the Castle, as well as the Humans… and I failed. The situation grew out of my control. I still feel a pang of failure, from time to time, but there is one thing I have learned from that experience."

"And what's that?" Brooklyn asked him, allowing his words to sink into his soul, to help and guide him.

"Failure is the greatest teacher." Goliath finally said, turning to face him. He placed a claw on the side of the Castle and continued to speak, looking out at the City. "You say that you feel responsible in protecting Rose from Kevin; and feel as though you have failed…"

"Because I have." Brooklyn said darkly, shaking his head. "I have failed her. Kevin is still out there somewhere! I underestimated him; and now I won't rest until I find him and…"

"But you haven't failed, Brooklyn." Goliath urged him, looking back over at him. " Rose is alive, she is hidden somewhere safe and is a location unknown to Kevin, and we are searching for him without his knowledge of us doing so. I would say those are the only things that matter right now."

"But… " Brooklyn tried to argue.

"No." Goliath said flatly. "No more buts. We haven't failed; and you haven't failed. True, Kevin found her a week ago, but he didn't kill her. She survived his attack, and now we know that we cannot continue to pretend that he isn't a large threat. His attack has become a lesson in which we now have learned from. We will continue to do our best in protecting her, our home and family, and the innocent Humans out there in the world. That's our duty and responsibility, and although some nights we do not conquer over all our enemies; that doesn't mean we have failed. As long as we pick ourselves back up and keep protecting and fighting for the ones we love and care about; we can never fail. We only fail when we stop trying and give up."

Brooklyn exhaled sharply, closed his eyes for a moment, before turning back to gaze out towards the direction in which the Labyrinth was located and felt his heart internally scream out to him. Goliath was right, he needed to see her once again. He needed to hold Rose in his arms again and smell the sweet scent of her hair and feel her heart beat again his chest. Only then, would his world feel right again.

Goliath placed a strong claw upon Brooklyn's shoulder and smiled at him.

"Are you planning on giving up on her, Brooklyn?"

Instantly, Brooklyn set his jaw firmly and turned to Goliath with a serious and firm motivation.

"Never…."

"Then, you're not failing. Keep protecting her, keep trying to find Kevin, and rely on us, your Clan and family, when you need more strength. We won't let anything happen to her, for together, we will take him down for good."

"I look forward to that…" Brooklyn said darkly, still hating Kevin's existence.

"Brooklyn…" Goliath said a bit more seriously. "You also should mind the grudge you have against him… while there is a time and place to have justice, it can easily become Vengeance. Vengeance is a vicious beast that you know I have dealt with, it does not bring justice and happiness, but only brings on more pain and hatred. I learned that the hard way when I thought the Hunters hurt and nearly killed Angela. I sought them ought only to endanger Elisa's life. After Elisa fell, to what I thought was her death, I left that dam feeling the worst I have ever felt in my life. I don't wish those feelings of true failure and pain, upon my worst enemy. When I let my grudge and vengeance towards the Hunters settle into my heart and soul; it ended up blinding me completely, from what I should have been doing, and what was right." Goliath said. "And I know you've struggled in your feelings towards Demona, for that exact same reason."

"Yeah," Brooklyn said through gritted teeth. "I understand my hatred towards her was blinding me; and I tried to work on that. But this is truly the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with, Goliath. This… Human…no… " He paused and shook his head, unable to speak about him. "This monster… hurt her every single moment when she was in his care. He dared to raise a fist to her and make her feel fearful for her life; so much so, that she felt her only way out was to kill herself."

Brooklyn took a deep breath, and immediately felt a large weight of grief settled into his heart. Tears filled his eyes as he thought about those evil things, and Demona was right about one thing, when she tried to tempt him a few years ago. Some things in this world, would blast his soul, and this was one of those things.

"Rose has endured so much pain from him." He continued to lament through enraged tears. "I love her too much to let it happen anymore… Kevin deserves to die; and with every passing moment knowing that he is out there hunting her to kill her, it's tearing me apart. I don't understand how a man could harm his wife… "

Brooklyn stopped speaking as his tears suddenly broke through, and streamed down his face. Grief and sorrow were ripping at him so hard, it was suddenly bursting through. To his surprise and shock; Brooklyn felt Goliath's strong arms wrap around his shoulders, giving him a side hug.

"I don't understand it either," Goliath said quietly. "Their ways are certainly not ours… and there is great evil in this world. But… not all Humans are like that. We've seen countless goodness from them; and t is our burden as Gargoyles to constantly see and defend the good against the evil. It is a rewarding effort, but it can be a very heavy burden. That is why we stick together as a Clan. We cannot face this world, and its hidden evils, by ourselves. Take heart in knowing that what we do is good; and for our efforts we are rewarded. You have found love in Rose; and it is the truest and most beautiful form of love, I have ever seen. Take heart, Brooklyn… and seek for the good things in life. If you dwell upon the darkness and evil; it will surely consume you, like it has Demona, and you'll live a half life, an unhappy life."

When Brooklyn didn't say anything to him, tears still falling silently down his face, Goliath continued to speak to him.

"Go, Brooklyn." He said softly. "Take a step away from the darkness and go to the light. Go to Rose, and give her our best. We will start back up searching for Kevin tomorrow night. For now, give yourself a rest and stop beating yourself up. You're doing all you can for her; and that is enough. If you don't go for you, at least go for her. She probably misses you as much as you miss her. Love… is a selfless thing. Remember that."

After a few seconds of gazing out to the North, Brooklyn finally looked up with tear-filled, grateful eyes and whispered, "Thank you, Goliath."

Goliath smiled back at Brooklyn, nodded his head, and squeezed Brooklyn against him slightly

"Go… make tonight a night to remember, for both of you. You deserve it."

Brooklyn, wiped his eyes clear of tears, smiled at Goliath, and then turned away from his leader. He spread his long wings, jumped off the ledge over Goliath's head and ran into the Castle to gather his brothers and their mates. He would need everyone's help to make this night perfect. Running into the living room, where his brothers and their mates were, he got their attention and they all looked up at him in surprise.

"Brooklyn!" Angela said, smiling at him.

"Hey, buddy!" Broadway exclaimed. "Where ya been? It's New Year's Eve… we are all gonna go watch the fireworks at midnight; at Times Square. Are ya in?"

"Yeah," he said, walking up to them. "Rose and I will be there."

"You're going to see Rose!?" Akira gasped out, smiling widely, as his brother's looked relieved and happy.

"Yes, I am." Brooklyn said, smiling at them. "I want to surprise her with a nice date, since tonight was suppose to be our mating ceremony."

"Oh, how sweet." Akira said, clutching her chest with her claws.

"Cool!" Lexington chirped in. "Do you need any help?"

Brooklyn looked over at his brother and grinned.

"Actually, I'm glad you asked. I do need help; I want to make this night a romantic and perfect date."

"We're in." Broadway said, stepping up to him. "If anyone knows about romance, it's me."

A few scoffs were made by Angela, Akira and Lexington; which made Broadway frown slightly, as Brooklyn raised an eye bone at him in disbelief. Broadway grinned at him, placed a claw upon his shoulder and then continued, "Anything to make you happy again, bro. We've been concerned about you."

"I know, and I'm sorry." Brooklyn said. "I… I love Rose. And I have been way too obsessed with trying to find Kevin lately; that I am sending myself into a frenzy of hatred and vengeance. For tonight; I want to see her. I want to surprise her with a nice and beautiful date."

"Anything you want, we'll help with." Akira said, stepping forward and placing a gentle claw on his arm. "We love Rose too, and we want both of you to be happy."

"Thanks Akira." Brooklyn replied warmly, appreciating his new sister more and more.

"What do you have in mind?" Lexington asked him.

Brooklyn smiled devilishly at him and replied, "Oh… something nice. If you're all in, let's get started. I want to be done before midnight. Broadway…?"

"Yeah?" Broadway answered a bit unsure.

"I'm gonna need your best dinner recipe and your amazing culinary skills, you're gonna teach me how to make food… better than what I'm able to make it as..."

"What?" Broadway teased. "You don't wanna serve her burnt toast?"

"Hey, that was one time." Brooklyn argued back. "But… yes. Please, I need your help to make an awesome meal."

"If it involves good food; then you've come to the right Gargoyle." Broadway said, holding his giant belly.

"Perfect." Brooklyn said, smiling at him. "Let's get to work then."

---

They spent the next hour making his surprise date location look perfect. Once it was, they headed back to the Castle so he could practice his culinary skills with Broadway. After an hour of cooking, they were ready for the date- Brooklyn took off towards the Labyrinth to retrieve Rose. The closer he got to the Rose, the more relieved and happy he started to feel. He remembered that his motorcycle was still down in the Labyrinth, as was his biking jacket, helmet and wanted to take her out for a ride. As long as Rose was with him; he wouldn't let anything bad happen to her.

Brooklyn glided for ten minutes, towards the Labyrinth, and felt himself become even more excited to see her. He wanted to keep his emotions under control so that he wouldn't alert her to his presence; and wanted tonight to be a surprise for her. As he kept gliding, he finally saw the flat surfaced ceiling of the Labyrinth and started his descent towards it. When he touched down, he quickly made his way inside the secret entrance, and then took off running down the long tube of concrete until he came to the two large concrete doors, in which Talon was standing guard in front. He met Talon at the door and greeted him by shaking his hand firmly.

"Brooklyn!" Talon said happily. "It's so good to see you again! We've begun to wonder when you would come back again to visit. How are things?"

Brooklyn smiled up at him and felt like his heart had wings.

"Hey Talon." He said breathlessly. "Things are about to get a whole lot better."

Talon grinned down at him, put a large claw on Brooklyn's shoulders, and guided him inside the Labyrinth.

"Yeah? Things are going rough for ya too, huh?" He asked him. " Have you found Rose's husband yet?"

"He isn't her husband anymore." Brooklyn growled maliciously, then looked over at Talon and cleared his throat, forcing that rage down and gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry… I uh… didn't mean…."

"No, no." Talon said, holding his claws up. "No need to apologize. I touched a nerve. I'm sorry."

"You're fine." Brooklyn sighed, turning to him. "And to answer your question, uh… no. I'm afraid to say that it's not going as well as I would have hoped. I wish I had better things to report in regard to him. We have searched night after night, all night along; and have come up empty-handed. There aren't any signs of Kevin or the Quarrymen anywhere."

They kept walking as Talon shook his head slowly.

"It's horrible. I'm sorry for Rose, you, and the Clan. He sounds like a dangerous piece of work."

"Oh… he is." Brooklyn answered darkly. " I've underestimated his strength and will-power in attempting to hurt and kill Rose. However; he'll find that my will is equal- if not stronger than his. He won't hurt Rose anymore, I refuse to let it happen."

"You're strong, Brooklyn." Talon said quietly, as they stopped walking at the base of the stairs, and turned to face each other. "I don't know what I would do if something bad happened to Maggie; or if anyone was actively searching for her and wishing death upon her. We will help you guys out in searching. Once we get this night over with, being a Holiday, the Labyrinth will calm down and it'll make things easier in helping search."

"Thank you, Talon." Brooklyn said gratefully. "It hasn't been easy and the Gargoyle in me doesn't want to stop searching until he is found and is stopped. But… tonight…"

He trailed off and gazed up the stairs towards Rose's room and sighed, he was so close to her, yet so far away.

"Tonight, Rose and I were planning on getting married. That was the plan before Kevin attacked the Castle and found Rose. Now we are putting all of that on hold… and… well… I'm taking a break and am going to surprise Rose and take her on a date. I still want to be here for her and ring in the New Year together. It's the least I can do to hopefully raise her spirits. I can't imagine how depressed she's been. I know I have been…"

Talon smiled widely and said softly, "That's sweet. I'm sure she'll absolutely love to see you again. She uh… has been quite depressed and isolated for the past few days… poor thing wouldn't eat for days..."

Brooklyn glanced over at Talon with wide and concerned eyes, and his heart leapt painfully. He didn't know that she hadn't been eating or having such a tough time. Had he known that she would have that hard of a time living in the Labyrinth, then he would back have come back for her much sooner.

"What?" Brooklyn gasped, his mind now going straight for Rose.

"Before you freak out, she has been a lot better." Talon said, holding his claws up. "She came down this morning and asked all of us what she could do to help out around here. I wasn't going to put her to work, since she is our guest, but she insisted. So, myself, Maggie and Claw went to get some much needed rest; and she did everything around here. She cleaned, served the Homeless food, and attended to all of their needs." Talon explained as Brooklyn's eyes went wide.

"She did all that today?"

"Yes." Talon said, smiling down at him. "And… you will be pleased to see the difference serving others did for her. It's like a light was turned back on inside her. I am truly grateful and appreciative of her help. She served these good people down here with strength and great kindness Forgive me for saying this about your betrothed… but… she is a light to everyone that meets her, us included. I can see why you were drawn to her so strongly; she is a beautiful soul."

As Brooklyn heard all this about Rose, his heart started to melt.

"No, it doesn't bother me, not in the slightest." He explained to Talon kindly. "Thank you for telling me this… you have no idea how relieved I am to hear that she's doing well. I feared so much that she has been unhappy; as I have been, but to hear that she has risen above the darkness, to shine her light and help others in need; shows me that she does have tremendous strength. A strength… that only one can learn. She has had to be strong through serious darkness, when living with Kevin…"

"I cannot imagine the pain she's been through." Talon said quietly. "It breaks my heart that being strong was the only thing she had left in that life."

"Yeah," Brooklyn said, staring up at her door, ready to see her now. "Rose has a light about her that shines incredibly bright. It does not surprise me that she searched for ways to turn it back on. That's one of the many things that I love and admire about her. She has a strength, kindness, and huge heart… it's humbling to see."

"She's been incredible." Talon said gently. "She's really doing well now. Xanatos just showed up and brought a blonde-headed Human female. They seemed to be friends."

"Xanatos brought Emily here?" Brooklyn asked him, shocked; his attention back on Talon.

"Yeah," He answered, placing his claw on his chin. "He mentioned that she had been calling the Eyrie Building since Christmas, wanting to know why SWAT was outside her house. So, he brought her here. They've been up in her room for about three hours now. I've heard laughing, and they seem to be having a great time up there."

Brooklyn smiled warmly and glanced up the stairs. He was happy that Emily was brought to Rose by Xanatos; he didn't know he did that. It was nice to know that he wasn't the only one who was trying to look out for Rose's well-being during this hard time.

"Well, I won't keep you any longer." Talon said, clapping his shoulder. "I've got to get back to my post. One of the Mutates can take Emily home if you are unable to- just let us know. Have fun on your surprise date tonight."

"Thanks." Brooklyn said watching him walk away from a moment. Then he immediately began climbing the stairs, three to four at a time, heading towards Rose's room. When he approached the door, he found that it was open ajar and heard both Rose and Emily talking excitedly about something. The moment he heard Rose's laughter, he closed his eyes and had to brace himself against the wall with his arms, as the connection to her slammed through his body, as if a dam had broken open, and suddenly the connection to her soul was as strong as the first night he laid eyes on her. He was now complete again, his soul was being stitched whole by her presence. With her so close to him, he could finally breathe, and wanted more than anything to wanted to burst into the room, gather his love up into his arms and show her how beautiful he thought her to be. For now, he gently pushed the door open a few more inches so he could see her once more, even for a few seconds. What he saw made him absolutely want to do just that.

His claws started to sweat; and he now wanted to burst in and kiss her senseless. He closed his eyes again and willed her to feel the same connection he felt and smiled as it touched her soul; awakening it once again, telling her that he was there before knocking on the door…

---

Rose and Emily had spent the next hour chatting on her bed about wedding dresses and the more they looked at gowns, the more excited she felt to marry Brooklyn. Emily was now looking at bridal salons in the City and began to plan a day for them to go and actually try on some.

"Since you're schedule is relatively open, let's try for Saturday! That gives us one week… we can go in, you can try some dresses on and see how they fit you, then we can debate whether or not you wanna buy one then or if we wanna go somewhere else…"

Rose smiled as Emily kept rambling on about making a dress appointment, but as she talked, Rose suddenly had a thought, and slowly her smile faded. She couldn't leave, not until Kevin was found. Her face and demeanor fell, so much so that Emily noticed and stopped talking about making an appointment, placed a finger under Rose's chin and gently lifted her face to look at her.

"Hey," She said softly. "What's wrong?"

"Kevin," Rose responded angrily, not skipping a beat. "Kevin is what's wrong."

"What about him?" Emily asked her, shocked that this came up so randomly. They hadn't been discussing him for the past hour, and now he was being brought up again, Rose looked miserable.

"I… I can't go to try on wedding dresses Saturday, Em." Rose said in a devastated voice. "Or ever for that matter…"

As Rose looked up at Emily, she looked shocked and annoyed.

"Why not?" She demanded.

"Because if I go, Kevin will find me." Rose told her, feeling emotional again. "That's why I'm here in the Labyrinth. I'm in hiding… and I don't think it would be smart for me to jeopardize that; especially when Brooklyn and the Gargoyles are sacrificing their evenings to try to find him. I can't be stupid and reckless, I must stay hidden. I… I really was looking forward to it, but I'm sorry. Until he's found, I can't go anywhere."

Emily blinked a few times and exhaled sharply, scoffing.

"If Kevin really finds us in… oh, I don't know… Kleinfeld Bridal or… God knows what other bridal store, for a one hour appointment, then you weren't safe to begin with." She snapped slightly. " If he found you that quickly, then he is watching you now, and knows where you're hiding. I mean, I get that he found you at the Castle and really messed with your mind; but let's be real, Rose, you were always out with Brooklyn, and that Castle is a popular attraction being a medieval Castle on top of the largest skyscraper in the entire world. It's meant to be seen and looked at. I didn't even know that this… Labyrinth existed and is well guarded. To make you feel better, I'll pick you up tomorrow and…"

"No." Rose suddenly said, looking terrified. "You can't pick me up. What if he's still following you around? Don't forget that you're still a target and he'll be watching you like a hawk. He knows how good of friends we are; and he'll play that card. If he finds your car, then he'll find me. Especially with being out during the day. If he attacks me, then I'll have no one to lean back on because the Gargoyles are in their stone sleep."

Emily narrowed her eyes, sighed and exhaled angrily.

"God, you're paranoid…"

"You're damn right, I am!" Rose shot back at her, standing up, feeling rage pulse through her suddenly. "I have been fighting Kevin every single day, since I got married to him, Em. And… every single day, I have prayed that I would live to see another day. Whenever he came home from work and went straight for the booze, I mentally, physically, and emotionally had to prepare myself for what was about to come when he was drunk. I had to endure the wildness in his eyes when he would find me; and would either hold me down and rape me, or he would physically beat me, until I couldn't feel my body, and scream in my face until he decided I had learned my lesson." She paused and was seething, with tears streaming down her face.

"Em… you have no idea what's it's like to be hurt every day, to live in such fear of him, hatred for him… and to now be… hunted down like a dog!" She cut off, crying now and shook her head now yelling.

" I mean… I'm supposed to be his wife, for God's sake! He's supposed to take care of me and love me! Now, I am in hiding from him. I thought I was safe up in the Castle, but he found me… regardless of Xanatos' security measures, regardless of the Gargoyles being there. He. Still. Found. Me. So, YES! I am paranoid… and terrified."

Emily's eyes were wide as she sat still on her bed, letting Rose vent what was truly being hid away in her core, and the truth finally coming out.

"When I faced him on that bridge, over a week ago; I was sure I was going to die." She whispered, through tears, her voice full of emotion and rage. "I tried to survive his attacks, to run and out run him, but the whole time he kept up to me. His desire and will to kill and torture me is so strong, it was terrifying. When he pointed his gun at me; even with Brooklyn so close to saving me, I knew he would be too late, and Kevin finally had his way. He shot his gun, and shot me twice. When I fell off the bridge, towards the icy waters below, I thought that I was done for and wouldn't get the chance to live a happy life. And when I slammed through the ice, Brooklyn had saved my fall and both of us nearly drown! But Brooklyn refused to give up on me and literally breathed air back into my lungs and used our connection to keep me alive.

Brooklyn's love and sacrificed has changed me. And I thought I lost that forever… but I survived thanks to Brooklyn; and through our connection he healed me. So, call it magic, destiny or whatever you want, but I'm calling it a third and final chance. I'm not going to blow it; or press my luck anymore. I'm placing my faith and trust in Brooklyn and the Gargoyles to find him. Until that happens, I need to stay here. I need to stay hidden. No matter how depressed I am, no matter how much worry and anxiety I have for Brooklyn's safety, I promised to stay here and stay safe. So here, I'll stay. I won't chance it again… I'm sorry for appearing panicked or cautious, but I have to if I am so survive this nightmare and live out the rest of my life with Brooklyn."

Emily continued to stare at Rose, and all teasing was out the door. Tears were in her eyes and she shook her head slowly, staring at her best friend in shock and horror.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, tears falling down her face. "Rose… I'm so sorry for what he's done to you, and the hell you've endured. You're right. I can't imagine that, and I feel sick to my stomach when you tell me what you've endured…" She paused, stood and then walked over to her, placing a hand upon her arm. "Have you told these things to Brooklyn? About what Kevin used to do to you?"

"Some." Rose answered, wiping the tears from her face. "Not all; but he doesn't need to know the dirty details. He knows enough; the rest… I choose not to remember. I'm choosing to forget."

"Rose…" Emily started to say, but she shook her head.

"No, Em." She stated numbly. "Trust me. Some things are best left unsaid. Brooklyn reacts very strongly to what I tell him about Kevin, and he's already beyond angry and full of hatred for him. He's a good, kind and gentle soul- and sees enough evil in this world- I can't burden him with more."

"But honesty is important in a relationship; as is trust. You must tell him, or talk to someone about Kevin. If not him, then a psychologist counsellor or…"

"Eventually, I will." Rose answered. "But for now, Brooklyn knows enough. He gets the gist of what Kevin's done to me, and we leave it at that. Brooklyn wants him dead, and is facing the darkest parts of him to do that. I woke go stoking that fire with unnecessary facts."

Emily stayed silent for a moment, before she finally nodded and looked miserable.

"I hope for this nightmare to be over soon, for your sake." Emily said, holding Rose's arms. "You have been so strong for so long. That light I see in you is fading. Soon it will burn out; and I fear for you if it does. I can't wake up one morning to find out my best friend has killed herself… okay?"

"Emily, I wouldn't." Rose said strongly. "I… I just felt I had no choice on the bridge. I didn't want to die but just wanted to be free of the pain…"

"But will that be enough when he's gone?" Emily asked her in a whisper. " Surely you won't still have some lingering PTSD, or… depression?"

"I might, I don't know." Rose said, shaking her head. "All I know is that when I'm with Brooklyn, my world feels right again. I am happy; and that's the hope and light I'm holding onto."

Emily sighed again, and then offered her a small smile."Okay… just… promise me, you'll seek help if it becomes too much for you to bear?"

"I promise." Rose said, smiling at her. Emily took a deep breath and then collected her in her arms, hugging her tightly.

"I'm sorry." Rose said in Emily's shoulder.

Emily pulled away, offered her a small smile, and said, "Hey. It's not your fault at all… this is all Kevin's fault. Okay? And… we'll go shop for wedding dresses when it's safe for you to go out into public once again."

Rose smiled sadly, and nodded, as she fell backwards and lounged on her bed once again, looked over at her and didn't say anything. This day was full of highs and lows much like a roller coaster. She didn't know what to make of it nor how to react. Sighing heavily, she checked her watch and was surprised when it said that it was almost ten o'clock at night. Though she was happy to have Emily here with her, she missed Brooklyn, and wished with all her heart that he would come to see her tonight. The knowledge that their wedding was supposed to be tonight was becoming more and more unbearable.

Emily also looked down at her own watch and sighed.

"Um… I'm sorry, Rose, but I do actually need to get going." She told her quietly. "I don't want to leave you like this; but I promised Chris that I would go out with him tonight."

Rose smiled sadly at her friend, and tried to ignore her own feelings of the familiar loneliness in which she'd been feeling every night since she came to the Labyrinth. They were creeping upon her melancholy heart and was threatening to devour her the moment Emily left.

"No worries, I understand. Go, have fun" Rose told her, sitting up. She wrapped her best friend up into a large hug and finished, "I really appreciate you coming. I hope you have a Happy New Year… and uh… feel free to visit me here, whenever you can or want to. You know where to find me now."

After a moment of hugging, Emily pulled away.

"Happy New Year, Rose. I pray with all my heart that you guys find Kevin soon and put his abuse behind you. And of course, I'll come and visit you. You're my best friend, I love you."

"Thanks, Em." Rose muttered, offering her a small smile. "I love you too."

Emily smiled at her, standing up to leave, but before the two could continue to speak to each other, Rose felt an overwhelming awakening of hers and Brooklyn's connection. It felt like a dam was being broken, and suddenly his light and love was flowing into her body, into every limb, every crevice of her soul; making them one once again.

She gasped out, and couldn't help but sink down to the ground, momentarily overwhelmed by how much power and strength she was feeling. The white power flowed through her and seemed to awaken all of her magic, and she could feel him there with her, in the Labyrinth, just outside her door. She gasped again, and looked up towards the door, as Emily slowly lowered herself to the ground and was looking at her with great concern.

"Rose…?" Emily asked, taking hold of her shoulders. "What's wrong?"

Rose slowly looked over at Emily, with tears in her eyes and whispered, "It's him. Brooklyn… he's here. I can feel him…"

"Brooklyn?" Emily gasped as her eyes widened. "How can you be so sure?"

Rose closed her eyes, smiling in relief, and let tears stream down her face.

"Because my soul is now complete, and I can feel him close by." Rose whispered, and then after a second she laughed at herself. "Oh, Emily. How could I be so foolish to think that he would forget what was to be tonight? And think that he would leave me here without seeing me?"

Emily slowly began to smile, helped Rose to her feet and quickly pulled Rose over to her bathroom. "Then get refreshed up, shower and all that fun stuff. I'll pick you out an outfit, and then will be on my way to leave you two hotties alone."

Rose smiled at her, as Emily walked quickly over to Rose's closet and picked her out an outfit to wear. After a few minutes, she came back to her and tossed some clothes at her, as someone suddenly knocked on her door. Rose held the clothes against her chest and looked into Emily's eyes with a wide expression.

"He's here!" Rose exclaimed breathlessly. "Em…!"

Emily quickly gathered her up in her arms and kissed her on the side of her face.

"Breathe…" Emily whispered in her ear. "You shower and get ready. I'm going to answer the door and ask him to take me home, really fast. Okay? Is that alright? I know you want to see him, but I need to go home. So, relax and get ready to make out with him so hard you two will give in and finally have sex!"

Rose laughed and shook her head, as Emily let her go and grinned at her, half-teasing her.

"Relax. Shower and get ready, and I'll send him back to come pick you up, okay? I'll tell him to wait for you in the lobby."

"Thank you, Emily." Rose whispered, smiling at her.

"You're welcome." Emily said softly. "Just remember that I'm always here for you.. We'll see each other soon and get your wedding dress. Okay?"

"Sounds like a plan." Rose said smiling with tears in her eyes. "Thank you for coming. It's meant the world to me."

"I love you, Rose. We'll see each other soon" Emily said, smiling, giving her another hug.

"I love you too, Em." Rose whispered against her ear.

Emily let her go, as Rose shut and locked her bathroom door, and then Emily quickly unlocked and opened her bedroom door. Brooklyn was on the other side, and had waited patiently as he heard both girls saying good-bye to each other.

When Brooklyn saw Emily's face, he smiled.

"You two didn't have to say good-bye to each other on my account." Brooklyn greeted, grinning brightly.

"You heard all that?" Emily asked him with one eyebrow raised.

"Gargoyles have really good hearing." Brooklyn said, looking amused and overall really happy. He paused from speaking and then shook his head slightly, "Emily, thank you for being here with her. She struggled so hard saying good-bye to you the first time, it broke my heart to see her have to lose you."

"But she hasn't lost me." Emily said, smiling at him. "And she isn't losing me now. From now, I'm going to be here for her." She paused and then quickly stepped towards her and shut the door behind her. Brooklyn watched her with wide eyes and listened as Emily turned back to him.

"Rose knows you're here and is showering. Okay? I know you want to see her really bad, but give her a moment to doll up for you. She's had a really bad day, and I need to tell you a few things."

"Bad day?" Brooklyn asked her, raising his eye bone at her. "Talon said that she was struggling, but then ended up serving the Homeless down here, and was in a good mood."

"That's true." Emily said quietly. "And that did happen, but I know my best friend. And she's not doing well. I know you and her are dealing with a lot; but when all is over with Kevin, you need to encourage her to seek out professional help."

Brooklyn stared at her, his confusion becoming even more apparent.

"What… are you talking about?" He asked her.

Emily took a deep breath, had tears in her eyes, and looked nervous.

"I would never share Rose's secrets if I didn't feel it was important. Okay? But this is important..." Emily told him in a whisper, then grabbed onto his arm and pulled him in the corner just outside of her bedroom door. Emily looked around quickly before looking back at him, and held his claws in her hands. "Brooklyn, have you guys found Kevin yet?"

At the mention of his name, Brooklyn's eyes darkened and she could immediately sense his anger.

"No," he said in a low voice. "We've been searching for him and the Quarrymen all week long, and have come up with nothing. You better believe it's been driving me into an uncontrollable amount of rage and darkness; and it was against my better judgement to come here. But, I needed to take a breather and a step backwards and be with Rose again. She and I are stronger together… we are soulmates and she's my light."

"And you are hers." Emily whispered, smiling at him for a moment before it faded. "And I'm glad you're here to see her. I know you two are better when you're together. But, Brooklyn, I have to ask this… what are your plans when you find him?"

He stared at her for a long hard moment, thinking deeply about if he could trust her to not judge him or not, but then decided to be completely honest with her.

"Gargoyles do not kill outside the heat of a battle." Brooklyn began to explain quietly, his voice low. "And our way of justice is not the same as Humans. In normal circumstances we catch criminals and leave them for the Police to take care of them- but-"

"Are you going to kill Kevin?" Emily asked him bluntly, grasping his claws tightly, her blue eyes piercing his dark brown ones. A few seconds went by as he thought about what he was going to say, then firmly set his jaw and nodded after a moment, anger pulsing through him.

"Yes." Brooklyn finally answered. "Kevin has surpassed any chance for mercy or justice from me. He is going to die for doing what he's done and is continuing to do to Rose."

Emily stared deeply into his eyes, and then her mouth suddenly began to twist up in a dark smile.

"Good." She whispered, tears filling her eyes. "Because after what Rose told me about what he's done to her just last week, and in the past- that bastard deserves to die. I hope you rip him apart, and really make him hurt."

Brooklyn didn't say anything to her but simply stared back into her eyes, and suddenly looked nervous, but nodded, nonetheless.

"I promise you, I will do everything I can to rid him from Rose's life and to protect her from him." Brooklyn said softly.

Emily slowly nodded and smiled at him. Then, after a few seconds, she looked like she was about to burst into tears. Brooklyn's eyes widened as tears suddenly streamed down Emily's face, and then she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him tightly. He gasped out slightly, and didn't know what to do as another Human was hugging him. However, before he think about what to do; she slowly released him and was biting her lip.

"I'm sorry-" she said softly. "I just… I have been side-lined for this whole thing and I can't tell you how thankful I am for you and the Clan. What all you are doing for Rose. I… she is my best friend, my sister, and to see how much you love her; it makes me feel so much better for this whole damn situation. I feel responsible for all of this, you know."

"What are you talking about, Emily?" He asked her, chuckling slightly. "It's not anyone's fault, except Kevin's. Rose does this same thing… as do I. I feel like I've failed her by not catching him by now, or killing him that night when he had her kidnapped. So trust me… there's a lot of the blame game going around here- but-."

"But her and Kevin met at my wedding, four years ago." Emily breathed, crying harder now. "And I encouraged her to pursue him, and to let him court her. I encouraged her, over and over again; and after a couple of months, she began to date him. And… you wanna know what's worse?!" She paused and started to become hysterical. "When her and I would see each other every day at work, I could sense that something was very wrong; and asked her every day, but I never pushed her harder. I never saw the abuse… I never heard anything wrong in her marriage… but knew in my gut that something was wrong, but still did nothing…"

Brooklyn exhaled deeply and closed his eyes.

"Did you know he was abusing her?" Brooklyn asked her quietly, looking at her once again, holding onto her arms to offer comfort, and Emily quickly shook her head.

"No," she replied shakily. "But something was wrong… that much I knew. But I'm her best friend, I should have known! I would have taken her from that hellish marriage- I"

"There's no point in beating yourself over the past." Brooklyn offered her quietly. "You didn't know, and if you would have taken her from Kevin- without her and I meeting- I would never have met her. And Kevin would have tried to kill her, you and your family. Trust me; from what I'm seeing out of him, it wouldn't have been a good situation… that much I am certain of."

Emily slowly nodded, while she wiped her tears away.

"You're right." She sniffed. "I'm sorry for being such a big baby. I just- I can't believe all this is happening to my best friend. She's so strong, and I know you two are amazing together, but she will need to seek out some counselling for her mental health, after all this is over. Okay? She's endured more abuse than I think she's even told you. She kind of… vented and let loose at me tonight, and it scares me. How much do you know about what he did to her?"

Brooklyn exhaled, shook his head and suddenly wanted to run from her.

"Some." He said painfully. "Knowing Rose, she has told me enough. How he would beat her and such… but… Emily… I don't think I can know anything more. It sickens me too much to hear what he would do to her, but I promise- I will always be there for her if she needs to talk to me; and I will listen and out for her, I promise. But for right now, I'm choosing to focus on our love and finding Kevin. That's all I'm able to handle at the moment. Okay? And if she trusted in you with some dark secrets that I don't know, then that's fine. As long as she heals from this nightmare and his abuse, then I don't care who she talks to. But, I will do everything I can to help her heal mentally, physically, and emotionally. You have my promise."

Emily nodded, and smiled sadly at him, wiping the remaining tears from her face.

"Thank you, Brooklyn." She said softly. "You know… you are the best thing that has happened to Rose. I mean that in the most sincere way. It only makes me feel better, with her going through his hellish nightmare with Kevin, because she has you in her life. You are the coolest Garg… guy."

"Garg-guy?" Brooklyn laughed, grinning at her.

"Yeah, yeah." Emily sighed, elbowing him in the chest slightly. "Don't let it go to your head with my made-up words. Just continue to take care of my best friend. Okay?"

"I will." He said gently, smiling. "But… she's taking care of me."

"She'll do that." Emily said laughing slightly. "But um…" she paused and turned back to Rose's closed door and both of them could hear running water from Rose's shower, through the pipes in the walls. She then turned back to face Brooklyn and gave him a small smile; and batted her eyes.

"What… are you doing?" Brooklyn asked her, laughing slightly, not understanding what she was doing.

"Um…" Emily started to say and began to play with her fingers. "I have a favor to ask of you… "

"Depends on what that favor is." He teased her, making her smile and giggle.

"Well, since Rose is showering and wants to get stunningly gorgeous for you and your guys' hot date… which I am assuming you're gonna take her on a date?"

"You would assume correctly." He replied, grinning at her.

"Cool, cool." Emily said, biting her lip. "Well, since she's still needing to get ready… would you be willing to glide a pregnant lady home for her hot date with her husband?"

He smiled brighter at her and chuckled slightly.

"Sure." He replied. "I can do that."

"Thank you, Brooklyn!" Emily said thankfully, grinning at him. "And do you like how I said 'glide' and not fly? Apparently there is a difference."

Brooklyn laughed at her, offering his arm to her and walked with her down the stairs.

"Rose corrected you, didn't she?"

"Yup." Emily said, grinning even brighter. "I'm so happy for you two. And don't take this in a wrong way, but you are so lucky Gargoyle to have her. I know she's lucky to have you as well, but she is a rare gem. That's the biased friend and sister in me, but I just had to tell you just in case you didn't realize…"

"Oh… Emily." Brooklyn sighed, shaking his head. "Trust me, I know how lucky I am. I thank the Gods and the universe for Rose in my life on a nightly basis. She's my light and my life. I realize my very nothingness compared to her. I love her more than anything in this life. She is the warmth and light in my soul, the wind beneath my wings and the very beating of my heart."

Emily stopped walking and turned to face him with wide eyes, and then clamped her hands to her chest, as tears came to her eyes.

"Oh my God, that was so sweet!" She whispered. "You came up with that just now? Just… out of your mind? That poetic compliment just flowed right out of you?"

"Uh," Brooklyn chuckled. "I guess so… yeah? It's just the truth."

"Oh boy…" Emily swooned, taking Brooklyn's arm once again. "I can see why Rose loves you. You've got this whole bad boy routine going, you're mysterious and buff, different and sexy, and you are sweet, poetic and romantic. God, that was hot."

"Um… thank you?" Brooklyn laughed, turning to face her.

"Sorry, excuse my mouth." Emily said. "These pregnancy hormones make everything worse."

"You're fine." Brooklyn laughed, walking her to the main Labyrinth doors. He, then reached under her legs and scooped her up in the bridal carry, making her gasp out and grab onto his neck.

"Sorry…" He said softly. "I probably should have asked or warned you…"

"No, no…" Emily said, immediately relaxing. "This is fun. It's not every day I get swept off my feet. Keep this up and I might convert over to Gargoyle lovin'."

Brooklyn glanced down at her as she burst out laughing.

"Oh honey, I was kidding. I have a feeling you're gonna get to know me really well in this flight." Emily said patting his chest. "You're either gonna love me, or think I'm insane… or a little bit of both."

Brooklyn laughed at her and began to climb the outside Labyrinth wall to take them outside.

"Don't worry," Brooklyn said, spreading his wings and getting ready to take off into the night with Emily in his arms. "I don't get scared away that easily. You're Rose's best friend, which makes you mine."

"I like the sound of that." Emily said, smiling warmly at him, then reaching into her pocket and pulled out some money. "Here, take this and buy her some flowers. No roses, she hates that. But I'm sure you knew that."

"Thank you." Brooklyn answered her, taking off into the air. "That's a great idea. Thanks for being so supportive of her and my relationship. It means a lot to us."

"Hey, that's what friends are for. Right?" She asked him lightly.

"Right." He replied, smiling, gliding her back to her home.

---

Back in the Labyrinth, Rose finished up her shower and her beauty routine. She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and then brushed and dried her long auburn hair. Emily had picked out a pair of light blue skinny jeans, tan ankle boots, and a light pink long-sleeved blouse which fit loosely off her shoulders and a strapless bra. It was soft and almost silky and complimented her skin tone nicely. Rose quickly dried and loosely curled her hair, applied a small amount of makeup, and then finished off with some sweet smelling perfume.

A half-hour had passed by as she walked out of her bathroom and looked around her bedroom. Everything was clean and put away; so she walked to her closet, grabbed a tan jacket to match her outfit, and saw Brooklyn's black leather jacket in the corner of her floor. Smiling, she grabbed it, took it to her bathroom and quickly wiped the dried blood off of it. Once it was clean, she grabbed her room key, left her room; locking her door, and then took off down the hallway towards the lobby.

She had no idea if Brooklyn had returned to the Labyrinth from taking Emily home, but she walked towards the stairs, through the main lobby and then walked for the Labyrinth doors. Talon was standing there, gave her a bright smile and whistled slowly at her.

"You look beautiful Rose!"

"Thank you," She replied sweetly, looking down and blushing slightly. "Has Brooklyn returned yet?"

"Actually yes." He answered, smiling even brightly. He's just outside these doors, waiting for you." As he said that, she suddenly felt Brooklyn's presence nearby. All at once, she felt the familiar electricity flow through her hands, arms, torso and legs; connecting her soul to his. The sensations flowed steadily, gently, and seemed to provide her with an extra layer of warmth. She smiled at Talon as he opened the doors for her, and she slid past him. Right as she left the Labyrinth, there right in front of her, standing next to his motorcycle was Brooklyn.

Tears filled her eyes, and she couldn't stop smiling as he was standing there holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers in his clawed hands. He was dressed in a different loincloth than his normal blue one, and was the darker colored one with the heavy metaled belt, and Rose recognized it as the same one he wore at Lexington and Akira's mating ceremony.

His eyes widened at the sight of her, as she stepped out from the Labyrinth doors, which slowly closed behind her, leaving them alone. The moment their eyes met, she and Brooklyn suddenly felt the electricity intensify and pull each other towards one another, and she was vaguely aware of herself as she started to step towards him, and he towards her. He was gazing upon her the way she loved- as if she was the most precious and beautiful thing he'd ever laid eyes on.

Before he could react, she took off running towards him, laughing as she went. It didn't take him long before he too lunged forward and scooped Rose up tightly into his arms. She gasped the moment their bodies touched once again, and felt like her heart was about to explode. She buried her face into the side of his neck; breathing in his familiar scent, while wrapping her legs securely around his waist.

He spun her around a few times, both of them laughing, before he stopped and forced her to face him. She slid down from his waist and both of them stared into each other's eyes with deep love and intensity. No words were said yet, as Brooklyn tenderly took her face in his claws, and pulled her lips to his. She grasped both sides of his beaked face and willed herself to kiss him as he was guiding her face to his.

Once their lips touched, they both felt the electricity shoot powerfully through their bodies, which seemed to ignite the flame within both of them; and it was suddenly burning in an inferno. They craved, needed, desired and felt the uncontrollable need to be with each other. They began to kiss frantically and desperately, running their hands all over each other. Brooklyn kept one claw around her jaw, while the other held onto her back; securing her body to his, and slid his claws up the backside of her shirt. As he stopped near her bra-line, she felt as though a fire was being held near her skin where he was touching her.

She ran her fingers through his long white hair and gasped as his tongue entered her mouth, dancing sensually with hers. The claw which was holding her chin, slid lightly down her neck and touched the skin of her collar bone, shoulders, and stopped before touching the soft and silky fabric of her thin sweater. After a few breath-taking moments of making out powerfully and passionately, Brooklyn finally broke free from her lips, and gazed upon her. He slowly lowered his claws to either side of her hips and gently pulled her hips to his. Rose closed her eyes at the feel of him, and then gently pulled on the back of his neck, so that they rested their foreheads against each other.

He closed his eyes and breathed in her beautiful scent. She looked stunning to him- she was wearing a different pair of jeans, a pair of ankle high-heeled tan boots, and a light pink shirt that rested off both her shoulders, offering him easier access to her soft and luscious skin. Her long deep auburn hair was curled lightly and was resting near the bottom of her waist. Her makeup was softly done and accentuated her beauty.

He gasped out loud as he explored his claws around her backside, up her shirt, and then he started kissing her again, needing to kiss her again. He wrapped both arms under her shirt, kissing her desperately, and slid his lips from her lips, to her neck, and then started to kiss and taste her collarbone and exposed shoulders. Rose had her eyes closed and was breathing deeply, allowing him to explore and claim her as his.

"Oh, Brooklyn..." She breathed suddenly, holding onto the back of his head tightly, keeping his lips to her skin. "I've missed you."

As suddenly as she started to speak, he stopped kissing her, and quickly raised his head to face her. His dark eyes were full of fiery passion; one of which Rose desired to gaze into those same eyes for the rest of her life. There was so much love and passion; it was something she thought she'd never get in her life.

Brooklyn suddenly picked Rose up by her thighs and rested her pelvis over his waist. She wrapped her legs around his waist and back, held onto his neck, as he walked her over to a wall and gently pressed her body against it as he claimed her lips with his once again, pressing his body into hers, and felt every available inch of her body with his claws.

Rose was nearly breathless from their powerful making out; before he stopped, let her safely slide back down to the ground, and instantly pulled her to him in a rib-crushing hug. He rested his face into the crook of her neck and was breathing very frantically and deeply. He kept his claws under her shirt, needing to feel her skin against his.

He turned to his face into her neck, kissing his, as he breathed, "Rose, my love… I can finally breathe again. I've missed you terribly."

Rose smiled to herself, as tears came to her eyes, and pulled away from his hold slightly, just enough to see his face. She cupped his beak with her hands and forced him to look into her eyes; and found that they were glazed over with tears as well. She smiled gently up at him, raised her hands to the top of his head, and skimmed her thumbs over his eyes forcing the un-shed tears out of his eyes.

When he opened them again, she pressed her lips against his and kissed him. Their tongues danced once again for a short moment, before she pulled away and whispered, tearfully, "I love you… I've been so lonely and lost without you. I… I don't know how I survived this long without you by my side."

Brooklyn let out a broken chuckle, as more tears came to his eyes. He rested his forehead against hers and somehow managed to speak.

"I love you too- I have no idea how I have survived this long without you as well, my love. The more I am near you, the more I feel that all of our hardships have shaped, molded and prepared us for our life together." He paused, took his forehead off hers and gazed deeply into her hazel eyes. "All I know is that I have waited for over one thousand years for you."

"I'm sorry that I made you wait that long." Rose teased him slightly, smiling up at him. He chuckled at her comment and lightly ran his claws through her hair.

"My love," Brooklyn said, pulling her against him, holding her. "I would have waited for another thousand years, if I had to. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you."

"There's nothing I wouldn't do for you as well." Rose whispered back, gently stroking his face. He smiled and closed his eyes at her touch, and when he opened them again, he took a deep breath, and continued to smile and stare at her.

Suddenly, as if he remembered where they were, he suddenly said, "Oh… hang on."

He let her go, turned around and then stooped down to pick up the bouquets of flowers he flung on the ground when he ran for her.

"These are for you."He said softly, giving them to her.

Rose laughed, stepped forward and took them from him. Naturally, she sniffed them and immediately loved their scent. Brooklyn always picked out the most beautiful bouquets for her and seemed to take great thought when thinking of her.

"Thank you, I love them, and I love you." She said, nestling herself against his bare chest and holding onto his waist tightly. "When I felt our connection, when Emily was in my room, I was so relieved that you were coming to see me, especially tonight. I did not want to be alone."

Brooklyn gazed down into her eyes and suddenly looked very sad.

"I know." He whispered. "I, too, was dreading tonight, and did not want to be alone either. Tonight was suppose to be the start of our lives together and thanks to... " He trailed off, and suddenly his eyes glowed white as rage entered his being. "Thanks to him, we will not be able to be mated tonight and…I… I'm sorry, my love. I have failed you. I haven't been able to find him; I wasn't visiting you because I wanted to get rid of him for you, and I… the hatred for him… I couldn't bear the thought of him finding you again… I…."

"Shh, please." Rose suddenly hushed him by placing her finger over his mouth. "Let's not focus on that. Let's just enjoy this moment."

His eyes stopped glowing as he looked down upon her face as she kept her one hand, holding the flowers around his neck, while the hand near his mouth trailed lightly over his beak as she rested her forehead against the bottom of his neck.

"I just want to feel peace." Rose whispered, trying to conceal the tears from her eyes. "I don't want to think or discuss Kevin tonight… I know that you all haven't any luck in finding him; and I don't fault you at all. I just... I want to forget about him for one night, please. I have been separated from you due to him for too long; and I don't want our night filled with thoughts of him."

As she said this, his eyes softened. He took her face in his claws, raised it to face him, placed a gentle kiss upon her soft lips.

"Okay, my love. You're right. Tonight is about us; and nobody else." He whispered, and Rose immediately felt relief flow through her, as she smiled back up at him.

"Thank you." She breathed against his lips, before kissing him once again, forcing her tears away. They stayed like that for the next few minutes, kissing soundly, before she pulled away.

"I also have this for you." Rose said, breaking away from and walked near the Labyrinth doors where she dropped his leather jacket. She picked it up, walked back to him and grinned at him. "I figured you were gonna take me out on your bike, so I cleaned all the blood off this, and thought you'd want to complete your look."

"Of course." He said, grinning at her. "Thank you, my love."

Grinning back at him, she placed her flowers down on his motorcycle seat, and held his jacket up as he spread his arms out, wrapped his long wings around his chiseled chest, and then put his leather jacket back on.

"You're so handsome and sexy." Rose said, as he pulled her back into his arms.

"Thank you," He grinned, holding her close to him in a tight hug and smelled her sweet hair. "Emily said the same thing…"

Rose laughed out loud and gazed up into his face, instantly placing a kiss on his lips.

"Thank you for taking her home." She whispered, still keeping a few inches from his lips. "I'm sure you got to know her a bit more than you would have liked…"

"That's for sure!" He laughed. "She's a firecracker, but I like her. I was happy to take her home; as long as I was able to come back here and return to your arms."

"I'm thankful for your safe return as well." Rose whispered. "I've missed you so much, and was half-alive."

"Me too." He breathed back, gazing deeply into her eyes. Then, he cupped her jaw and kissed her passionately, but modestly. Rose wrapped her arms around his neck and secured herself to him, as he kissed and held onto her tightly. After a few moments, he released her and pulled away from her smiling warmly down at her.

She held onto him, smiling, and then asked, "So… what did you have in mind for us?"

"Hmmm… well… I was thinking we enjoy a quick bike ride to our next destination, then have a nice candle-lit dinner with just the two of us." He told her quietly, moving some curly hair away from her shoulder, so he could feel her soft skin. "Then we'll meet up with the other couples, play a few games, and then we'll all somewhere special for the midnight New Year fireworks. How does that sound?"

"Sounds perfect." Rose smiled sweetly up at him.

He kissed her briefly on the lips, before taking hold of her hand with his claw and guided her to his bike. When they reached the bike, she placed her helmet on her head, as he did the same thing. However; as he straddled his bike, he did not sit in the front, but in the back.

"Wanna drive?" He asked her, placing his aviator sunglasses on (or moon-glasses as Rose teased him). She smiled and nodded, stepping forward. She swung her legs around and sat down in front of him. Once she did that he slid down the seat closer to her, she moaned out quietly and smiled to herself. She loved feeling his body tightly against hers, and with his lips close to her skin, she leaned her head back and longed to get lost in him, his touches and kisses. He wrapped his arms around her waist, just below her breasts, and held her tightly to him. Then he slowly moved her long hair away to her side and kissed her neck gently and exposed shoulders.

Rose closed her eyes and placed her hands on his chiseled upper thighs, wanting to savor and enjoy this moment with him and the feelings of intense intimacy which were flowing through both of their bodies. Brooklyn's hot breath was breathing down on her skin, as his lips grazed her skin leaving trails of pleasurable fire, and slowly she raised her hand to hold the side of his jaw to guide his lips over hers.

Smiling at her, he closed his eyes and did as she silently commanded and pressed his lips against hers, their lips and tongues danced sensually, moving ever so slowly and deeply. He then released her lips, smiled down at her, placed the flowers next to them and then whispered in her ear.

"I'll guide you where we are going- just don't throw me off again."

Rose laughed as she roared the engine to life and loved the sound it made as well as how it made her feel. The last time they had ridden together was on Christmas Eve before Kevin's attacks, and it seemed more than a week ago. Brooklyn used his clawed foot to kick the side stand away, and helped Rose balance the bike.

With his past training, she eased the clutch out while holding down the gas and they took off easier than they had in the past down the concrete tube of the Labyrinth towards the outside air. The closer they got to the outside world, the faster Rose held down the gas, forcing the bike to go faster and faster.

Brooklyn could feel her exhilaration and desire to leave the dark Labyrinth, so he placed his claws over her hands and slammed the gas down so they took off even faster. Rose laughed out loud, and knew what he was doing. Their connections flowed through each other and both were excited for their night of freedom. When the bike burst past the metal gate, Rose closed her eyes as the fresh wintry air blasted her and she couldn't help but yell out.

"YES! FREEDOM!"

Brooklyn whooped and hollered out as well, pumping his fists, and both of them began to laugh. He lowered his claws back down to hers on the handlebars and yelled over the roar of the engine.

"Great job, babe! You nailed it this time!"

Rose smiled and yelled back, "Thank you; I had the best teacher."

Brooklyn rested his head down on her shoulder and kissed her neck, holding her impossibly close to him.
"I love you, Rose." He mused in her ear. "Let's get this night started… shall we?"

Rose let go of the gas and let Brooklyn take over the handlebars, closed her eyes and leaned into his chest and rested her helmet against the side of his neck, unable to stop smiling as tears filled her eyes.

"I would like that very much…" She said, looking up into his eyes, and touched the side of his jaw with her hands. Though he was wearing his moon-glasses, she knew he was feeling the same relief and utter happiness as they were finally back together, alive, and passionately in love with each other. He smiled down at her, gently pressed his lips against hers briefly, and then pulled his claw harder on the gas, making the bike pick up speed. He kept his eyes on the road, held his love against him, as they sped off into the night to enjoy their night of freedom together.