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?

39. Chapter 39- The Uninvited

** Thank you for reading and reviewing my story! I apologize it's been a little bit since my last post. Between work, family obligations and other stuff, it's taken me a bit longer to get this one edited and uploaded. But thank you all for the support! Enjoy, part II of 'Promises,' the 'Uninvited.' Shine on!

~Sunmoonlight**

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~Chapter Thirty-Nine~

The Uninvited

Rose jumped and gasped out loud at the sight of the bright red eyes looking at them maliciously from the corner of the gardens. Brooklyn froze at her gasp and stopped kissing her immediately, his eye bones raised slightly. He cupped her face in his claws and raised her face gently to look into his to better look at her.

"My love?" Brooklyn asked her, his eyes full of worry. "Did… did I just hurt you?"

"No…" Rose whispered and staring past him as his eyes furrowed suspiciously at her. He then turned around to look behind him to see what she was looking at, and to his shock, he saw what was watching them and he too froze. Suddenly, his protective instincts began alerting him with danger for himself and especially for his new mate.

"Who is it?" Rose asked him quietly, placing her hands upon his chest piece, as Brooklyn slowly lowered his claws from her face, turned around and stood protectively in front of her with a growl forming deep inside his chest.

From where they stood, Rose could swear she recognized the creature somehow and knew that it was a Gargoyle; a female Gargoyle more specifically, but she didn't know who it was. However, Brooklyn did seem to know who it was, and was instantly hostile. He held onto her bare shoulders with both claws, as the dark figure sauntered out from the shadows and came into the soft lighting of the venue.

Once the creature did so and came out into the soft garden lighting, Rose gasped when she saw her. The female Gargoyle was beautifully- ferocious looking, and was eyeing Rose with great contempt. She was tall and slender, but was vastly ripped with muscles. Her skin tone was blue and she wore an immodest two piece rag-like pieces of cloth for clothing. Her red glowing eyes were the same color as her wildly long, fire-red hair.

As Rose gaped at her, she swore that the Gargoyle actually looked a lot like Angela; but obviously did not have the same skin tone, hair color or kind face that she did.

Once the creature was fully in their view; Brooklyn's eyes suddenly lit up bright white; his wings opened up quickly from resting upon his shoulders, and he suddenly pulled Rose behind him, growling viciously. Then to her further shock at his sudden hostility, he drew out his sword from his back and held it in front of them protectively. Rose's eyes widened in horror, as she had never seen Brooklyn actually draw a weapon against another Gargoyle, or have such a strong amount of hostility with one.

As the seconds ticked by, it seemed that he wasn't the only one who didn't approve of her presence. The Clan, as they were exiting the ceremony gardens and saw who was visiting, they quickly jumped up in the air and landed protectively around Brooklyn and Rose offering them immediate back up. Rose looked around with wide-eyes and was amazed by the sudden defensive wall that her new siblings were creating around her, as Brooklyn stood in front of her. The rest of her guests, the Clones, Mutates, and Humans looked shocked, and nervous. Most of them seemed to recognize this new face; but the only one who looked extremely confused was Emily.

Her best friend quickly walked over to her and stayed close to her.

"What's going on?!" Emily whispered in a rush, looking around at the snarling Gargoyles with wide-eyes.

"I don't… " Rose started to say in a whisper, trying to tell her that she didn't know, but stopped when Goliath suddenly stepped forward with true anger etched upon his face. He too was staring at the female with a hard expression, and seemed to match each Clan member's face of distrust, except for Angela. She gasped out loud upon seeing the female and then started to run towards her.

"Mother?!" Angela suddenly cried out, but Broadway held out a protective arm towards her, stopping her from getting closer to her.

"Mother?!" Rose gasped, looking from Angela and this new Gargoyle; as the resemblance now made sense to her. She had heard about Angela's mother and Goliath's ex-mate through stories in which Brooklyn, Elisa and Angela had told her. Stories, which made Rose nervous. She was a Human, and Demona hated Humans. Brooklyn kept Rose protected behind him, as he snarled the Gargoyle's name maliciously.

"DEMONA!"

"In the flesh…" the ferocious-looking Gargoyle sneered at him in a casual response, as if she was used to being greeted by the Clan like they were.

"What are you doing here?" Goliath suddenly demanded, stepping forward with his claws in tight, angry fists. Demona, however, didn't seem intimidated by Goliath's words nor seemed to care about Brooklyn's weapon suddenly being drawn. She crossed her arms around her large chest and smirked at the Clan's angry looks.

"Whatever are you talking about, Goliath?" She asked in a sneering, mocking voice. "I have come to every Mating Ceremony in this Clan. You think I wouldn't miss this one?"

"We didn't invite you!" Brooklyn snarled, his sharp teeth bared at her.

"No, of course you didn't." Demona snapped back at him. "The only one I was invited to was my daughter's." She paused and turned her attention to Angela, and then rested her eyes upon her protruding belly, before continuing to speak. This time however, she spoke in a much gentler tone, as though she wasn't hostile moments ago. "So, it is true then? You are expecting an egg?"

"Yes… it's true." Angela answered her in her same kind voice, smiling slightly. "With my mate Broadway. The egg will be delivered at the end of April."

"This makes me very happy to hear my daughter." Demona said in a motherly tone; full of pride and love and, for once, she looked from Angela to Broadway and smiled brightly saying, "Congratulations! This is happy news indeed."

"Thanks…" Broadway replied in an unfriendly tone, before Angela could speak. "That means a lot coming from you."

Demona, however, smirked at him and didn't seem to care about his unfriendly tone towards her, but turned her attention to Lexington and Akira, who were standing closest to Rose.

"I also came to your guys' ceremony a few months ago." She told them, placing her hands on her hips. "I must give you my congratulations as well."

"You came to ours?" Lexington asked in a surprised voice. "Why?"

"Because, against what you all think of me, I take pride in all of your successes." Demona explained calmly. "When I heard you were getting mated to another Gargoyle, I had to attend and offer my support. So, I perched on the top of the Castle and stayed until your vows were over. I must say I am pleased to see yet another female Gargoyle enter this Clan. Akira… is it? We have never met before; but I am Demona- Angela's mother- and I welcome you to this Clan."

Akira opened her mouth a bit timidly to say something back to her; as she had also heard much about Demona, but didn't quite know what to say. However, before she could, Goliath interrupted their moment of greeting.

"You are not a member of this Clan!" Goliath growled, crossing his arms over his large chest. "You have lost the meaning of the word by betraying us, time and time again. I have told you that you are banished from all contact with us, save be with Angela, under my jurisdiction."

"Oh, Goliath." Demona said darkly, turning her angry expression back to him. "This is my Clan, and while I admit I have made mistakes along the way… I do care about all of them, except for you, of course…"

Goliath growled maliciously at her; as she smirked at him, proud of herself that she threw some shade out at him. She took a deep breath and then finally settled her dark brown eyes upon Rose's once again, and glared at her from over Brooklyn's shoulders. The moment she did, Rose felt the familiar coldness enter her chest, as Kevin's black ones used to when he had the intent to hurt her. She was used to Kevin's black eyes; but seeing the same power and evil in a much stronger creature actually seemed to unnerve her slightly.

Instinctively, she slowly reached out and gently placed her hands upon Brooklyn's back, resting them upon his waist, and naturally leaned closer into his back. She tried to keep her facial expression calm, but her silent desire to be protected was noticed by Brooklyn, who responded more strongly against Demona's presence; and was also noticed by Demona.

A nasty smile spread across her face as Brooklyn's growling became more angry at her, raised the large sword up to Demona, and reached his free arm around to hold Rose against him. But despite his anger, she smirked and stepped closer to him.

"Oh, put that down." Demona laughed mockingly at Brooklyn. "We don't need to cause a scene here…"

"No… let's…" Brooklyn growled at her, his body becoming more tense. "You're trespassing and unwelcome to be here. Leave… NOW."

"Brooklyn, put the sword down." Goliath ordered him seriously. "This is not the time nor place to engage with her."

"Yes, Brooklyn." Demona mocked in a smooth voice. "Listen to your benevolent leader… you wouldn't want to… frighten your little Human whore much more than she is right now, wouldn't you?"

With that, Brooklyn threw the sword to the ground in anger; and pointed a sharp talon at her.

"Do NOT speak to my mate like that! I don't need a sword to take care of you!"

"ENOUGH." Goliath yelled out, stepping in between Brooklyn and Demona, but more to stop Brooklyn from pouncing on her; as she stood strong and unwavered at his growing anger. More than anything, she seemed thoroughly entertained by his anger, as though it was childsplay for her. Brooklyn kept his lit eyes upon Demona, snarling furiously, but doing as his leader was instructing. Then Goliath turned back to Demona with a cold and hard expression on his face.

"Now… back to my original question. What are you doing here?" He demanded.

"Really, Goliath? I've already told you why I've come… " Demona said, grinning maliciously at him. "I've come to all mating ceremonies as of late, and came because I knew Brooklyn was being mated tonight. Although I had no idea who he was being mated with, I wanted to offer my support seeing that Lexington and Broadway have decided to mate with their own kind. I recognized this… Human before, at Akira and Lexington's Ceremony, but I had no idea that she was… romantically involved with him, and the one he chose to be his mate..."

As she said the last words, her eyes lit up bright red once again to show her anger, and then turned her gaze over to Goliath and stepped towards him, showing her great anger and equivalent strength to him.

"I knew you were crazy for being the police woman's mate, and I have been thwarted time and time again in stopping you and her. However, because of your forbidden ways, I feared for the trio's futures, as I did not wish for your example to rub off on them. I have been relieved with our daughter's mating ceremony; and then again with Lexington's."

As she spoke her eyes slowly faded back to normal, but her rage against Goliath was still very apparent and obvious, it seemed to make Rose cower ever so slightly more against Brooklyn.

"Once they were mated, I could breathe easier because they were proving to be smarter and wiser than I gave them credit for." Demona continued in a dangerous voice. "They chose to be mated with their own kind, unlike you. But then, there was still Brooklyn to prove against the rule. And of course, him being your Second-in-Command and in direct contact with you and your example, I have been worried for him. I told myself that he wouldn't be so stupid to do what you've done…" She then stopped talking, threw a nasty look at Brooklyn and snarled, her eyes glowing bright red again. "But I was wrong… I should have known he would have stooped down to your level and settled with a filthy Human, further damning our kind into extinction!"

"Thanks for your concern, but it's not wanted or needed." Brooklyn growled at her, his fists clenched tightly against Rose's back. "You aren't involved with this Clan anymore… so what I choose to do with my life is between myself and my Clan."

At his words, however, her anger seemed to trump his; and she suddenly began to snarl even louder pointing her sharp claw at him.

"As Second-in-Command, you have the responsibility of EVERYONE in the Clan!" Demona hissed back dangerously, eyeing Brooklyn with serious disappointment and rage. "I am ashamed and disgusted by your choice to ALSO become romantically involved with a Human as Goliath has! I have tried to destroy him for his treachery and abominable ways; but I now know that I must destroy you as well!You were always so horribly desperate for love and companionship; but never did I think you would settle for a Human… someone other than your own species… It's disgusting… "

"Who I decide to mate with is none of your concern, nor business, Demona!" Brooklyn growled venomously, and as this argument went on, Rose wanted to say something to Demona to also defend hers and Brooklyn's love, but Demona suddenly let out an unearthly shriek of rage, her wings suddenly spread out; and every Clan member tensed up for an oncoming battle.

"IT AFFECTS US ALL!" She screamed at Brooklyn who instantly tensed and crouched in a defensive position in front of Rose, growling ferociously at her. Rose gasped out, naturally wanting to protect Brooklyn from her rage, but Akira quickly stepped forward, grabbed onto her and Emily and pulled them away from the inevitable fight.

"You damn FOOLS!" Demona shrieked out, her anger rising with every second now lashing out at the entire Clan. "We are very few in numbers and cannot reproduce as often as Humans do! If you choose to be with a Human, we will be even less in numbers. Eventually, our kind will fall into extinction- and it will all because of you and Goliath!"

"Mother, please! Stop this!" Angela cried out suddenly, stepping forward, and placing her claws gently upon her arm.

"There are Gargoyle Clans all over the world! We are not the only Clan… and we will not become extinct. Rose and Brooklyn love each other, and she is good… amazing, even! You have to give her a chance…"

"I will give no Human another chance." Demona snapped at her daughter. "They have had more chances to prove themselves, and time and time again, they have betrayed and destroyed OUR KIND!"

"But Rose is not like them, nor is Elisa!" Angela pleaded with her mother. "The Humans who raised me on Avalon were also good. Please mother… there are good Humans out there! I wish I could make you understand… and see..."

"NO, it is YOU who I wish would open your eyes and see the world for what it really is, Angela!" Demona cried out in great frustration, turning to look at her daughter now. " Humans are evil and our kind should no longer protect and defend them! It is this simple truth you must learn, my daughter. But you NEVER will as long as you are under Goliath's care and abominable example. Is is you, who I fear will never see the truth."

"Mother," Angela pleaded, her eyes filling with tears. "I am old enough to make my own choices and to see things how I feel are right… and how I see it is that hatred and holding grudges has blinded you all these years. Please… put the hatred behind you and realize how much good is still in this world. Only then can we be a Clan… and a family… once again."

"There's nothing I want more than that, my darling." Demona said a bit softer, her angry eyes filling with great pain. "But until you have lived the life I have, and seen the horrors I have seen… you cannot tell me to put it all behind me and forgive those who have hurt and wronged me. As long as you and Goliath allow this-" she pointed to Rose and Brooklyn and continued with a disgusted expression, "- abomination of a union to happen. Then, I will never join this Clan."

Angela's eyes filled with tears, and her claws naturally went to touch her small but protruding abdomen, her broken mother-daughter reality coming to the surface. As long as Demona continued down this hate filled path, Demona would never be able to spend time with Angela's child, and once again, she would be missing out on the greatest treasures that life could produce. Family.

Demona's eyes suddenly lit up into blood red eyes; and suddenly turned to Rose, seething. With a growl, she pointed her sharp talon at her, and was hissing in anger and malice.

"You…. filthy Human!" Demona yelled out. "You will never belong to this Clan, as NO Human should ever belong to any Gargoyle Clan! I have no love for Goliath; and I barely tolerate the others, but my daughter is involved in this madness, as well as her unborn egg, and that makes me involved! Brooklyn won't always be there to protect you, especially during the day! He is stone, but I am cursed to be a Human. During the day, I can and WILL deal with you, even if that means that I kill you!"

Rose was frozen, staring at Demona's hatred-filled eyes, and couldn't believe what was happening moments after her beautiful mating ceremony. However, before she could say anything, Brooklyn's eyes lit up in white rage and his sharp teeth were gnashing at Demona viciously.

"YOU'LL HAVE TO GO THROUGH ME FIRST!" Brooklyn suddenly roared out, coming undone, and lurched out to Demona before anyone could stop him. With a shriek of rage, he knocked her off her feet, and his force sent them both flying through the air, and knocked her onto the ground, onto her back. With a loud grunt he raised his sharp claw raised above his head to maim her, but from where Rose stood, Demona wasn't about to let him hurt her.

"Brooklyn!" Rose screamed out in warning, pulling on Akira's grasp who held onto Rose securely and kept her away from the Gargoyle fight.

With roars, shrieks, and gnashing of teeth, the two fought viciously, and Rose watched in horror as Demona shrieked out in rage, and then brought her clawed feet up against Brooklyn's abdomen and kicked him off her, sending him flying off her, where he slammed into the ground grunting out in pain.

"Brooklyn! NO!" Rose cried out, trying again to rush forward towards him but was stopped by Akira who tightened her arms around her, and was struggling to hold her.

"No! Rose, you mustn't!" Akira cried out, stopping her from engaging. "This is between them!"

Unable to fight past Akira's hold, Rose had no choice but to watch in horror as Demona rolled off the ground to her feet to further attack her husband, and as Brooklyn picked himself up, to engage in yet another attack. They faced each other in a challenging way, snarling and growling ferociously- but to her relief, Goliath, Broadway, Hudson, Bronx and Lexington rushed forward and were readying themselves to help Brooklyn the moment he wasn't able to defend himself or his mate anymore.

"Brooklyn, Demona! Stop!" Goliath roared out, tensing to get involved, but Brooklyn came at her again.

"You'll NEVER threaten my mate ever again!" He roared furiously, running towards her and throwing punches which she easily dodged, and then they both began wrestling with each other. With as strong as Brooklyn was, however, Demona seemed to be a force of nature and was easily thwarting Brooklyn's every attack.

"She is NOT your mate; she's a filthy HUMAN!" Demona shrieked out, and with another shriek of rage, she pulled her claws out of his grasp, and punched him in the face as hard as she could. Rose's eyes widened in horror, and screamed out, as Brooklyn flew across the gardens, and fell to the ground with a grunt of pain, temporarily dazed.

"Mother, please stop!" Angela screamed out, and Brooklyn's temporary defeat activated the Clans interventions; and it was Bronx who barked loudly and suddenly bounded forward and leapt upon Demona, snarling and gnashing his teeth into her arm. Demona shrieked out in pain and rage, and punched the Gargoyle-Beast off her, where he slammed into a nearby hedge. Rose's scream of horror never left her as she watched the large puppy fly across the garden, but it had enraged the rest of the Clan, including Talon, who stepped forward to help break up and stop the fight.

"You cannot defeat all of us, Demona!" Goliath called out, standing on one side of her, while Broadway, Hudson, Talon, and Lexington surrounded her on the other side. Brooklyn's eyes stayed glowing white as he shook his head, stood, and then started to stalk forward while facing her head on, snarling ferociously.

Demona looked around at the ground as if searching for her options, and then saw one.

"Yes… I can!" She said coldly, and then suddenly launched herself to the side, knocking Lexington across the gardens, as he was the smallest one and easiest for her to take out; then barrel-rolled across the ground to the sword Brooklyn had discarded. She then launched herself into the air back towards Brooklyn, with the blade raised, aiming to kill him.

"DEMONA!" Goliath roared, now pouncing forward.

"MOTHER!" Angela shrieked out, holding her claws against her mouth in horror.

"NO!" Rose screamed out in horror and couldn't let Demona hurt or kill Brooklyn- her new mate and husband. They had just barely been married, and both had vowed to protect each other, and protection was what he needed at this moment. She fought hard out of out of Akira's hold with a grunt of effort, and before Akira could stop her, she ran forward against the heavy white fabric of her white dress; and threw herself into Demona's strong frame from behind.

Demona cried out in shock as Rose crashed into her, mid-attack on Brooklyn, and knocked her down to the ground. They hit the ground hard; and it took both of them a moment to realize what was going on. The moment they did, Demona's eyes widened at her interference and it enraged her more.

"You stupid girl!" Demona shrieked out, standing up and advancing on her now. "You'll pay for this insolence!"

"Then make me pay!" Rose cried out bravely; standing up from the ground, her long white dress cascading all over the ground. "It's me you wanted to hurt originally, right?"

"Yes… " Demona sneered, smiling nastily at her, realizing that she was right. Then in lightning speed; Demona launched herself from the ground, towards Rose with the sharp blade in her claws, aiming to penetrate her heart. In mad chaos, and at the same time, the Clan and Brooklyn launched themselves all at the same time to stop her.

"NOOO!" Brooklyn roared out, pouncing for Rose to get in between her and Demona's blade. However, before he could reach her, Rose instantly raised her hands up to defend herself and the familiar sensation of tingling and electrifying power shot through her limbs without any hesitation.

Instantly, her magic erupted from her core and ignited the red, wispy power in which she willed to burst out of her hands; inches before the blade sliced through her chest cavity. The power hit Demona in mid-air, blasting her away from Rose in an explosion of red electricity, zapping Demona's nerves and blowing her across the gardens.

Everyone watched in shock, and the Clan froze from their attempts to stop Demona, and were amazed to see the powerful Gargoyle slam into the hedge, across the way, and crumple into a heap at the ground, moving no more. Rose had hit her so hard that it effectively knocked her out.

Brooklyn used his clawed feet to quickly stop from his launch, slid across the ground, and grasped onto Rose, holding her against him as his eyes widened in shock and horror. Many things were going through his head at the moment. One, relief that she wasn't injured, two, was the sudden manifestation of power that they were all still getting used to seeing and being around; but the third was that she had, yet again, tried to sacrifice her life for him. He stared down at his mate with wide eyes, as her power slowly faded from her hands and body. Once gone, she kept glancing over at Demona's still form and placed her hands on her hips.

"That's for trying to ruin my wedding night." Rose said out loud, and the crowd of the wedding party cheered.

"Good job, Rose!" Akira cried out, laughing, and running up to them. "I haven't seen your magic in motion since you healed Bronx! You are like… a natural now! I mean, I was impressed when you told me how you defended yourself against Kevin, but seeing it in real-time, was absolutely incredible!"

Rose chuckled at Akira's encouragement, but couldn't help but keep her eyes on Brooklyn's angry expression and knew that he disapproved. Sighing, she turned to face him and placed her hands on his breastplate.

"My love…" She began to say, but before she could say anything to him, he came undone at her.

"WHY…?! Why would you provoke her like that?" He cried out, grasping her arms tightly in his claws, his eyes full of worry and anger. "You knew that she would try to kill you! Why did you get involved!?"

"Um… excuse me?" Rose asked, not caring that he was angry with her. "I got involved because I wasn't going to let Demona take you away from me."

She then paused from speaking, sighed, and then continued in a gentler tone.

"I can't lose you, Brooklyn…"

Brooklyn's eyes widened as she responded, and suddenly scoffed at her.

"You can't lose me? Hmmm... interesting." He replied sarcastically. "Well, I can't lose you either and I can't relive what I almost lost one month ago! We have that 'fear of losing each other' in common, so, how about we start implementing it and stop being reckless in the face of imminent danger!?"

"Okay…" Rose snapped back. "You first…"

He opened his mouth to argue, but seemed to have been slammed down by her, and suddenly didn't know what to say. However, before she could continue to argue with him- their minds connected- and she saw a flashback of her dead corpse in his mind; and the fear and grief that was attached to that memory went slamming into her heart. The best night of their life of being mated as a couple, was being haunted by that terrible moment and it was still so fresh in both of their minds, as well as the fear of losing each other.

Instantly, she regretted saying that to him and forced herself to deflate and remain calm. He was still being haunted by that memory and still deeply troubled by how close to death they both got. How close they both got to losing each other forever.

Rose sighed, closed her eyes, and understood where he was coming from. Though he was angry with her; it was all based on worry for her. She took a deep breath, and opened her eyes to look into his angry and worry-filled ones, which were moist with tears.

Since she was in his arms, she glanced up into his eyes, and instantly their souls and minds connected- and she could hear his thoughts of worry and anger at almost losing his newly mated wife. Instantly, she began to defend herself against his angry and worried expression, in their connected minds to not let other people around them hear their conversation.

I know what you're about to say, my love. Rose whispered in her mind. But if I did not get involved, she would have killed you. Just like you were stepping forward to protect me, I was only trying to do the same for you. It's what we vowed to do for each other, just moments ago…

I can't lose you, Rose! Brooklyn argued back, instantly, in his mind, as if he hadn't heard her. My love! When will you see what? She could have killed you, and I have just barely gotten you as my wife… as my mate!

I know… I know… Rose argued back in her mind. Sweetheart, I understand… but please… I…

No, Rose… Brooklyn shot back in his mind, his eyes bearing deeply into hers and were moist with tears. Your dead corpse in my arms is always here in my mind, haunting me, from when Kevin shot you last month. Please… I can't lose you again. I can't have you risking your life… especially for mine.

Rose smiled at him, almost wanting to laugh out in frustration, and gently raised her hands up his biceps, shaking her head.

"When will you finally trust me to be your equal?" Rose asked him out loud, very quietly, easing her head down upon his chest piece.

"What are you talking about?" He asked her just as quietly, holding her arms in his claws as she rested her head against his chest. "I do see you as my equal!"

"Really?" Rose asked him gently, raising her face slightly to look into his eyes. "Your actions say differently."

Brooklyn narrowed his eyes at her and looked thoroughly confused.

"What?" He asked her, with a slight edge to his voice.

"We vowed to each other, just moments ago, that we would protect each other." She explained gently to him. "You were doing so with me just now, which I am thankful for- and love you with all my heart and soul. But when you were in danger… suddenly I'm in trouble for stepping in to protect you from that same danger? That doesn't seem too fair… nor right… "

Brooklyn held her closer to him, gently placed a talon under her chin and slowly raised her face to look up into his and he sighed, shaking his head slightly. He seemed to be at a loss of words, as part of him wanted to still be angry at her for risking her life like that, but her words also rang out great truth. She was his equal, and her power and bravery was more than capable of defending and protecting him.

"I…" Brooklyn started to say, but then stopped, and sighed again- this time in defeat. He rubbed his claws up and down her arm, as she gazed up into his face. His eyes suddenly were sad, and she could hear the thoughts flow through his mind, and she understood how he was feeling.

Worried. Defeated. Anxious. Afraid to lose her again. They had just barely gotten married, and already they were facing more opposition that sought to tear them apart. She slowly raised her hands up to hold onto either side of his long beaked face and gently caressed it.

"I… I'm sorry, Brooklyn." She whispered gently. "I know what you're about to say…"

"Yeah?" He replied in a choked voice, tears suddenly forming in his eyes. "What am I about to say?"

"You never want me sacrificing myself for you…" She answered bravely, looking into his eyes. He stared down at her, with many emotions flowing through him, and finally he settled on slight defeat from his anger. He exhaled deeply and rested his head down upon hers.

"Yes, now when will you understand that; my love?" He asked her quietly, in a still and almost dead voice. "I need you here, safe, and not sacrificing your life for mine."

"I do understand that, my love. I just don't agree..." Rose responded firmly, and his eyes widened at her as she continued to take her stand against him. "We are married now, and just like you vowed to protect me, I also vowed to do the same. I always will fight for you. Just like you won't let someone harm me… I love you too much… and couldn't let her hurt you…"

Brooklyn kept hold of her, as he stared down in her eyes with a loss of words, closed his eyes, and then took a deep breath.

"Rose…" He sighed, trying to will patience to fill his being. "Please… babe. I have been dealing with Demona for over a Century… and you've just barely met her tonight. You think she was angry then? She'll be a lot worse when she wakes up and will try to come at you again… and when she does, you will not-"

"No." She interrupted strongly.

"-get involved…uh… what?" He asked her in a shocked voice that she suddenly was so defiant to his protection and advice. "Rose…!"

"No," Rose repeated again, placing her hands upon his chest. "Don't, 'Rose' me. We are stronger together, Brooklyn- when will you understand that? We vowed to each other just now that we would always protect each other and be each other's equal. That means you need to please stop treating me like I'm made out of glass. With you by my side; I feel stronger than ever before. With you by my side, I feel that I can do anything."

He stared at her for a few seconds in shock, before he sighed heavily and shook his head, holding her closer to him.

"I always knew you were stubborn, my sweet angel." He teased her, a small smile dawning upon his face. " I just didn't realize it would have grown ten-fold when we got married."

"Is that some sort of a deal breaker for you?" She asked him lightly, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Absolutely not." He said instantly, grinning brightly at her now. "I'm in this for all eternity, just… please. Promise me this one thing?"

Rose stared at him for a few seconds, deliberating what he was asking her.

"Depends on what it is… " She told him, as he smirked at her.

"Don't put yourself in mortal danger for me anymore, okay?"

Rose continued to stare at him, blinked a few times, and then instantly shot it down.

"Nope, sorry. I can't promise you that. I will step in if you're life is in danger…but…"

"Rose… I swear… " Brooklyn warned in controlled anger, his tone serious and his gaze intense in her eyes.

"BUT…" Rose continued to speak a little louder as if he didn't interrupt her. "I can compromise with you. Every battle we face, we face together. And what I will promise you is this… I will no longer be reckless, okay? What I did with Demona, yeah, okay… I admit that was reckless. But I will never stop protecting you and our love."

Brooklyn eyed her for a few moments, before he exhaled in frustration but couldn't help but smile at her, shaking his head at her stubbornness.

"Okay, okay… fine. It's a deal my beautiful, sweet… stubborn, wife." He said teasingly. "I understand what you are saying. I am protective of you, and always will be- and I do see you as my equal. I know you are strong, and especially with your magic I know you are capable of doing amazing things. However, you don't know Demona like I do and don't know what she's capable of. So…" he paused and exhaled sharply once again, and pulled her closer to him, and lowered his voice so he was speaking a lot quieter and gentler to her. "... please my love… my beautiful wife. Stay with me and continue to be safe. I can't lose you again."

Rose stared up into his eyes, and felt her eyes moisten with tears, as the near death of them both, from one month ago, was still very raw in their souls. The fear and grief so close to their memories. She closed her eyes and rested her head against his beak, and began to caress her hands up and down it.

"I understand what you are saying, my love, and how you are feeling." Rose whispered, as he held her tighter in his arms. "I'm sorry for worrying you. But please know that I feel the same way. You forget that I almost lost you as well, and I can't lose you either. We just got married, and yet, we already have enemies trying to tear us apart. I'm sorry for getting involved, but I knew I could handle her with my magic. Next time, I won't provoke her, but I can't just stand by and watch her attack you."

"I can handle her." He mumbled against her face, rubbing his claws up and down her back and arms. "But I understand what you are saying as well. We will take on our enemies together, my sweet mate, from now on. I just can't lose you ever again."

Rose looked up into his eyes and slowly raised her lips to his, breathing against them.

"Thank you, my love." She told him softly, continuing to caress his beak, which made him close his eyes at her touch. "I love you so much… and don't worry. You won't lose me. Never again."

"How do you know?" Brooklyn asked her, opening his eyes and holding her close to him. She slowly raised her eyes to his once again, and gently smiled at him.

"I know it… because I know that you won't allow it." She whispered. "Just like I won't allow someone to take you away from me. You and I are one… now and forever… my love. My mate. My husband. Nothing can tear us apart; and I know that we can live through and heal each other as long as we will it."

Brooklyn's eyes softened, worry slowly fading, and a smile crept across his lips as he inched them towards hers.

"Hmmm…" Brooklyn breathed, relief flooding his mind and being at her words. "I like the sound of that. And I like even more that you are now my sweet, hot, and beautifully sexy wife."

"Me too." Rose whispered, raising her lips to meet his in a passionate kiss. However, before they could kiss, the Clan clapped at her performance, making them jump slightly, having forgotten about the chaos around them. Rose smiled apologetically at him, as she pulled away from his lips.

I'll make that kiss up to you later, I promise… She whispered in her head, and instantly he smirked at her, and held her closer to him.

I know you will. Brooklyn replied back, kissing her on the forehead, and then whispered in her ear, "Tonight… you and I… will be making up a lot of lost time."

Blushing slightly, Rose bit her lip and had to try to hide her slight embarrassment, but was interrupted when Emily suddenly came over and wrapped her arms around Rose.

"OH MY HELL!" Emily screamed out in her ear, holding her tightly, and laughing. When she pulled away from her, Emily's face was amazed and seemed breathless. Rose laughed at her, as Brooklyn slowly shook his head, with a small smile on his face.

"That was incredible, Rose!" Emily exclaimed, taking her by the hands. "Truly! I haven't seen you since before you moved to the Labyrinth, and haven't seen your magic performed like that since the rapist gang! That was SO cool! Have you been practicing?! Do you know who your parents are yet?!"

Rose laughed at all of her questions and raised her hands up.

"Whoa there…" Rose laughed, pushing Emily away slightly to give her and Brooklyn some space. "No. I haven't done any digging into any of that. I've been a bit preoccupied with trying to survive an abusive and murderous ex-husband, Em… " She paused and lovingly gazed up into Brooklyn's dark brown eyes and seemed to melt in them. "... and have been preparing to finally marry the love of my life; my soulmate. I'm in no rush to dig into my past… as I've realized that it does not matter. What matters is already in front of me, and our future together."

Brooklyn smiled down at her with the same amounts of love, endearment and intensity, as a flash of light suddenly broke them from their gaze, and both blinked in surprise at Emily; who had just barely taken a picture of them with her large camera.

"Sorry…" Emily said, lowering the camera. "Wedding photographer, remember? I just… had to capture that moment with you two. I swear… you both just get… so lost in each other's eyes. It's a cosmic moment for sure. A memory I'm sure you'll both, one day, thank me for capturing." She paused and looked between Rose and Brooklyn, who were staring at her blankly.

"You're welcome." Emily said cheekily, grinning at them. "So… I'm just letting you know that I'll be following you two around and will be capturing many more memories of this night. Just so you're aware. So… behave or… don't… I mean, it's whatever you want me to eventually have developed at the photo store."

Rose slowly smiled at her best friend and giggled, as Brooklyn looked a bit unnerved at Emily's warning. Reading his mind, she knew that he only wanted to be alone with her and to finally get lost in the joys of their newly mated life, but couldn't as long as they were at their wedding party. Rose slowly placed her hands upon his breastplate and kissed his cheek.

"Thanks for the warning, Em." Rose said, grinning and teasing her. "Brooklyn and I will have to just find places to hide from you."

"Challenge accepted." Emily teased back, clicking the camera once more in their face, and then walked off, as the others in their Clan came forward. Brooklyn watched Emily go, and groaned slightly.

"Can we just leave already?" He asked her, half-teasing, half-serious.

"I don't think so." Rose answered him, laughing, as the Clan approached them, still cheering her on for knocking Demona unconscious like she did. As she looked around at all of them, even Goliath seemed pleased with her.

Rose was impressed with herself, and the fact that she was getting better at controlling her powers, and wouldn't get dizzy after manifesting them- but knew it was going to take a bit more convincing, on her part, to make Brooklyn feel more trusting and comfortable with her protecting him when need be.

"WAHOO" Lexington shouted out from behind her, pumping his fists. "Now that's how we should deal with Demona from now on!"

Rose smiled and was about to say something to him, when they all suddenly heard movement from the corner of the garden, where Demona lay. She was coming to, and was holding her head, groaning out loud. The Clan turned to face Demona, all standing in front of Rose and Brooklyn, waiting for her to make her next move; when she suddenly looked up and looked as though she was about to freak out once again.

As Brooklyn looked down at his new wife, and thought about everything she said. Rose was strong, brave, and fearless; a force to be reckoned with- and he had to give her that chance to fight alongside him. An overwhelming feeling of love and protection flowed through his being as he held his wife in his arms, and realized that he would do anything for her. He kissed her deeply on the forehead, took a deep breath, and then took her hand in his claw. She suddenly looked up into his eyes, and he tightened his grasp around her hand.

"Together?" Rose asked him quietly, with a hopeful tone.

"Together." He replied quietly, smiling at her, and then hand in claw, they walked past the Clan, towards Demona. The Clan's eyes widened as they did so, and even Demona was watching them with disbelief, her eyes shifting to Brooklyn to Rose and their enclasped hands.

"Alright here's how this is going to go… " Brooklyn snarled at Demona, still keeping Rose at a safe distance from her. "I'm tired of this same damn battle. First with Kevin, then Castaway, and now you! I won't let you hurt her or this Clan anymore… this ends now. Leave now, Demona."

Demona, however, stood up growling; and completely ignored Brooklyn. Her dark eyes shifted over to Rose, and stared at her with a disconcerted expression, as if she was thinking deeply about something.

"How did you do that?" She asked her in a low voice, slowly walking towards her now.

"It doesn't matter!" Brooklyn yelled at her; holding Rose against him tighter. "You're time here is up! Leave now, or else I and this Clan will force you to leave."

"I'm not leaving until I receive answers!" Demona snarled at him angrily, finally acknowledging him; and continued to walk towards them. Rose didn't know what to say, but suddenly did not feel afraid. She turned her head to gaze up at Brooklyn, and though he kept his eyes on Demona, she heard his voice in her head.

Be careful. He told her quietly. She is capable of anything…

Nodding, she turned back to face Demona and felt calm strength, as Brooklyn and her soul connection flowed into each other, giving each other strength.

"With the use of my magic." She told her calmly. "I don't know… how I have magic, but I do. And I use it only to defend myself and the ones I love from those who threaten our safety."

Demona squinted her eyes at her, as though she couldn't believe that a Human was saying sorry to her; and continued to walk towards her.

"You just performed magic; strong magic.." Demona said to her. "No Human can wield that kind of power… it's impossible..."

"Um… yeah, well it's a new thing to me… and I didn't really believe it was magic for a while..." Rose started to say, but Demona cut her off.

"I know magic when I see it!" She snarled at her. "And what you just wielded is very powerful magic. How did you do it?"

"I don't know-"

"HOW!?" Demona yelled, coming closer to her.

"Enough!" Brooklyn snapped at her, his eyes glowing bright white. "You're done here."

"Oh, don't make me hurt you again!" Demona snarled angrily at him, pointing a talon threateningly at him.

"Demona!" Goliath yelled, stepping close to her. "You ARE done. Leave this place, now!"

Brooklyn quickly stepped in front of Rose once again; holding her tightly against him, but Rose suddenly pushed him away. His eyes widened at her, and his mouth opened to argue with her, but she quickly said, "No… please, my love. I'm not afraid of her…"

Demona smirked at Rose's newfound bravery; but looked a bit unnerved as Rose suddenly walked towards her and faced her with a determined look upon her face. Rose held her chin up high and felt more power flow through her being; recharging her; if she needed to defend herself from another sudden attack from Demona.

She could sense Brooklyn behind her, tensing up, and to her amazement; their connection flowed through both of them, uniting their thoughts and hearts. She could feel his anxiety for her; but to his amazement, he could feel her raw strength and power surging through her, ready to defend herself from Demona without any thought nor any question. At the power he felt through her body, he relaxed slightly and smiled at his mate; trusting her to face Demona.

"I am telling you the truth… I don't know how I did it." Rose shot back, her eyes staring into Demona's with anger. "All I know is that it's always been a part of me; and awakened when Brooklyn was in danger a few months ago. I have used it a little bit at a time, but haven't needed to use it unless I'm defending myself, or the ones I love, or even if they need to heal from wounds." She paused and stepped forward slightly, towards Demona, narrowing her eyes at her. "You were about to hurt my husband just now… and I can't allow that. You were also about to slice that sword through my heart; which I would say was enough of a threat to trigger my defense mechanism."

"I have never heard of such a power in a Human. A Third Race member, yes, but a Human…?" Demona sneered at her, trying to be malicious, but couldn't hide her surprise either. "I can't believe you have powers… especially strong enough powers which can stop me… "

"That's what happens when someone is trying to kill you." Rose snapped back, holding her own. "Human or not… maybe we aren't as pathetic and useless as you may think."

Demona stared at her hard, unblinking, and stupefied that she was talking to her in such a way. Her wide and anger-filled eyes were searching Rose's, as though she was trying to peer into her soul and read her mind. Rose matched her hard gaze; and used an internal power, to push back against her.

Rose didn't know what she was doing, but had only seen mind-reading in movies or TV shows, but whatever she was doing to push against Demona; was enraging her suddenly. Finally, after a few long seconds of trying this, Demona suddenly blinked and turned to face Owen; in the crowd of shocked bystanders and snarled in anger, completely beside herself.

"You know something about this, don't you… Puck?!"

The tall, blond man, with a personality the size of a mustard seed, adjusted his large glasses and kept by Xanatos' side, looking unphased by Demona's question.

"Whatever do you mean?" Owen asked in his monotone voice.

"Don't play tricks with me!" Demona demanded, pointing her talon at him. "You know something about this girl, don't you? That is why she has found herself here, with this Clan, under Xanatos' care!"

"We do not know what you are talking about." Xanatos suddenly said, smiling darkly at Demona, as though he did, but wasn't going to say either way. "Brooklyn is the one who found Rose, and it was him who brought her back to the Castle. Owen had nothing to do with their meeting and courtship."

Demona stared at them with great distrust, seething, and then finally turned her attention back to Rose; who narrowed her eyes at Demona and glared hard, showing she was not afraid, nor intimidated by her. Demona, however; smiled nastily back at her, flashing her white sharp teeth.

"I can sense that there is more to you than meets the eye… Rose. Though I am going against my very desire and nature to thrust my claws through your throat; I am now intrigued by what powers flow your veins… " She then turned from her and stalked towards Brooklyn, grinning mischievously. He eyed her with great disdain as she stooped down, picked up his sword, and then handed it to him, handle up.

"In case you're unaware of this… this is a weapon, not a decoration. Next time, use it." She advised mockingly.

"Don't tempt me." Brooklyn hissed at her, snatching the blade from her claws; and placed it in the holder on his back. He then walked over to Rose, bringing her back into his protective hold; and immediately cupped her face in his claws. They were still connected; and the power he felt, as well as her will-power against Demona, had amazed him tremendously. If Rose could be so brave around Demona, then he would too. He wasn't about to let her hatred of Humans get in the way of him showing his Human wife his true feelings and love. He gently kissed her forehead and held onto her body tightly.

"Awe…" Demona sneered, looking disgusted by the display of affection. "It truly is true love, isn't it?"

"Yes" Brooklyn snapped at her, holding Rose closer to him. "But you wouldn't know anything about that, now would you?"

"No. I wouldn't." Demona said coldly, turning her dark eyes to Goliath with great contempt. Brooklyn felt a sudden pang of shame; as he never meant to bring her and Goliath's broken relationship into the conversation, as they did use to know great and true love for each other. Goliath's face fell at her jab, as she continued to speak maliciously.

"However, I do know power; and your precious Rose has plenty of it… somehow. So, a word of caution for you, Human. You are surrounded by many individuals who would love to get their hands upon your power and exploit it to the world; using it against you and the Clan for their own personal gain. Myself included..." As she said this, her hard gaze glowered over to Xanatos and then continued, staring back at Rose. " I will spare your life tonight… but you've been warned… "

"You'll spare my life?" Rose asked her, challenging her.

"Yes." Demona interrupted, snapping impatiently. "I know it's against your Human nature to be humbled from such acts of mercy; but you're welcome for it. Now go on, and enjoy the rest of your evening with Brooklyn. I promise you this… we will meet again…"

"Don't hold your breath!" Brooklyn growled at her, holding Rose against his chest. Demona flashed another challenging smile at him and her, and turned to leave, but stopped and looked over at Angela; her face instantly becoming soft.

"I hope to see you soon, my daughter. It has been too long since you've come to visit me." She said softly.

Angela's face seemed torn as soon as she said that, and it was clear to everyone that she wanted to go with her mother right then and have that mother/daughter bond she'd always tried for, but the other half of her was grounded in reality. Her mother was straight up dangerous, and couldn't be trusted around the Clan, her or her unborn egg, not until she willingly put her schemes behind her. With that, Angela did not say anything to her, and sadly looked at the ground.

Demona could sense the sadness; and stuck her chin up away from the hurtful silence. She threw one last hateful and filthy look over at Goliath; as if it was all his fault that Angela and her relationship was strained, threw her strong wings open, climbed up the hedge wall, and took off into the night without another word to anyone.

Rose stared into the night sky after Demona, and their party was left in pure silence. She didn't know what to say to anyone; as they were here; fresh from making their wedding vows and already the world seemed to be coming after them, full of hatred and with the intention to tear them apart.

"Brooklyn, are you alright?"Goliath asked, stepping forward, his face inscrutable.

"Yeah… I'll be fine." He answered his leader in a quiet voice, holding his new bride against him.

Goliath nodded in silence and turned his eyes to Rose.

"Are you alright, as well?"

"Yes," she said quietly. "I'm alright."

"I'm sorry that she has come to make a mess of things, especially tonight being your wedding night… I… I wish there was something we could do about her." Goliath said in a low voice, as if he were talking to himself.

"It's okay, really." Rose said, stepping forward and placing a hand upon Goliath's arm. "It's not the worst thing that's ever happened; one way or another, her and I were bound to meet. And as much as she hates Humans; it's safe to assume our meeting wouldn't have gone well any other time either."

Angela took a deep breath, stepped forward and sighed, "We have all tried so hard to include her in our Clan; and to give her chances, but each time she has not wished to part with her hatred and old ways. Not even to have a relationship with me…"

"I'm sorry." Rose said sadly, turning to face her now. "I can't imagine having a parent who refuses to change for the good of a child... "

"It's sad to say… but I'm used to it by now. It is I, who is sorry." Angela said, stepping forward to her. "I'm sorry Demona crashed your guys' wedding night."

"There's nothing for you to apologize for," Rose said kindly, grasping Angela's claw in her hand. "It is not your fault, but all the same, thank you."

"I just wish Demona would finally open her heart up and change…" Angela suddenly said, with great emotion, tears coming to her eyes. "Why must she come and ruin such a beautiful night?"

"Much like Humans have feared us," Goliath explained quietly, placing his claws upon Angela's shoulders. "It is the same for Demona. She has lost sight of what's really important, and has let hatred; as well as grudges and pride, cloud her judgement and blind her completely. I fear she will never see the truth…"

"She loves you though, Angela." Rose said, trying to be more positive. "I can see that… so she can't be all bad."

"Uh… yes she can." Brooklyn said, crossing his arms across his chest. "You've only met her for ten minutes, we've known her for more than a Century."

"Aye," Hudson added, placing his claws upon Rose's shoulders. "Demona has always been a Gargoyle who has struggled in finding her place. When I used to be leader, she constantly fought against my wishes and mocked me for my older age. Her fascination with magic was also something of great worry…"

Rose blinked a few times and then looked over at him.

"She knows magic?"

"Aye." He answered her, narrowing his eyes at the thought of it. "She's a down-right ruthless sorceress."

Rose stared at him, and couldn't help but catch his tone of great distrust and disapproval of the idea of magic.

"Does magic scares you?"

"No, it doesn't scare me." Hudson snapped. "But it is very unpredictable. It's not a very common attribute for a creature with magical powers to have good intentions. All magic comes with a price, and most magical beings let that power consume them, corrupt them, and they think they are better than the rest of us without magic. I have never been a fan of magic-wielding creatures. Most of them are pure evil… "

At his words, Rose blinked a few times and felt her heart sink into her stomach. She must have nicked a nerve with Hudson, but never before had she actually heard of his opinions about magic; but now that she had, it offended her slightly.

"Is that what you think of my magic…? Of me?" She asked him softly, turning fully to look into his face now. Hudson froze, and looked down at her with his good eye was surveying her with great worry. Silence passed between them for a few seconds before he answered her.

"Oh lass…" He began to say, stumbling on his words. "I'm sorry… I never meant to include you in that… I… uh…"

"You think that I am capable of becoming corrupt? Of being evil?" Rose asked him, becoming more and more upset. Brooklyn quickly placed his claws on her shoulders and stopped the conversation before their special night could become any worse.

"No, he didn't mean that… " Brooklyn told her softly, before throwing a very angry look at his elder; but Hudson, stepped forward and took Rose's hands in his.

"Lass, I'm so sorry. No, I do not think you are even capable of such a thing." He said emotionally. "Forgive me. I have been a victim of evil magic for so long; that I forget one simple truth. Much like this world, yes; there is great evil and darkness, but also great light. Just like with magic… there is good and bad, and yours…" he paused and shook his head slightly. "Yours is good because you choose to use it for good, but…"

"But what?" She asked him quietly, fretting with her hands.

"It worries me that your magic has grown in such a short amount of time. If it becomes too powerful, without training, it could consume you."

Rose stared at Hudson for a few seconds, when Brooklyn suddenly cleared his throat, and took her in his arms.

"Well… on that happy note." He said sarcastically, snarling at his elder slightly. "How about we move onto the rest of this night, shall we? You know… celebrate our wedding?!"

Rose blinked a few times and felt like she had been through a lot in just a short amount of time, as Emily was flashing her camera around, taking pictures. Rose groaned slightly, and wanted to just rewind the night to where her and Brooklyn were in complete bliss from having just vowed their promises to each other.

Just then, Elisa stepped forward after she sent her parents towards the other hedged garden, where their wedding party was to take place, and then urged everyone else to follow.

"Okay," Elisa said loudly, taking charge. "Everyone to the wedding party! Come on, let's go."

When the Clones, Mutates, Elisa's parents, Emily, and the Clan began to file into the next garden, she then turned to Rose and Brooklyn and urged them, silently, to take a deep inhale and exhale.

"Okay, you two." She said softly. "I want you two to stay out here, and do whatever you need to do to get past this hump in the night, and come back to that romantic and loving aura that you two had after your vows. We'll start having the guests eat their dinner, and won't start the dancing or anything until you two arrive."

Brooklyn took a deep, calming breath, and looked immensely relieved and thankful for her.

"Thank you, Elisa." He said softly, wrapping an arm around Rose's waist. Rose smiled at Elisa, but was still bugged at how the night had gone, but thankfully, they were about to have that chance to be alone, where she knew they would make up for lost time. Elisa winked at her, and then turned away, but froze when Xanatos and Owen were standing still. Fox was holding Alex, looked over at Rose with a jealous gaze, almost, and made her way into the hedged garden. Rose's eyes narrowed slightly at Fox's look at her, and had no idea what that was about.

When she looked back over at Owen and Xanatos, she was curious why they weren't following the other guests. She could feel Brooklyn's anger at their choice to stay behind, and Elisa took notice.

"All right, you two." She said, stepping towards them. "Brooklyn and Rose need a minute alone…"

"Of course," Xanatos said, grinning brightly going to leave after Fox; but Owen stepped forward, and he stopped. "Owen?"

"Allow me one more moment with Rose." He said in his monotone voice, and once he reached them, he looked over at Brooklyn. "Alone."

Brooklyn laughed a cold and humorless laugh, held her closer to him, and bore his teeth slightly at him.

"Not a chance in hell…" He whispered. "Whatever you have to say to my wife, you can also say to me. And if you're planning on making this night even worse, then I'm going to have to suggest you turn right back around and not even think about it."

"Noted." Owen replied dryly, smiling slightly at Brooklyn, and then turned his bright blue eyes to gaze into Rose's hazel ones, as Elisa walked away.

"I'll see you all in there." She said quietly, and gave Owen an angry look. Once she left, leaving only Rose, Brooklyn, Xanatos and Owen alone, Owen stared at Rose with a calculating look and finally smiled slightly at her.

"That was a very impressive show you put on, Rose." He told her in his emotionless voice. "Every time I see you, I see your magic growing at amazing rates. I can feel it's aura and power about you, and it's a wonder to behold."

"Um… thank you." She laughed nervously, wrapping her arms around Brooklyn to help keep him calm. "But uh, the more people tell me that Humans can't have powers, the more convinced I am that they can't be magical powers. I am a Human… I would think I would know if I wasn't. "

"Oh… but that's where you're wrong." Owen suddenly spoke up, smiling at her more widely. "It is magic and is a very powerful kind."

Rose blinked at Owen and shook her head slightly, chuckling.

"What do you know about magic, Owen?" Rose suddenly asked him, curious. "So far, the Clan and you've told me that you're 'Puck' a trickster Third Race member, but so far, I haven't seen that other half.

"Oh, you will, soon enough; I'd wager." He answered her, smiling, as Brooklyn stepped forward, looking as if he was losing all patience.

"Can we please get back to our wedding… please?" He asked irritatingly. "It's bad enough that Demona had to come to screw things up, but to have you continue to drag this out, is making me very upset. I'd really rather not get into this right now-"

"Well if it is magic," Rose interrupted Brooklyn, challenging Owen further. "Then how could I be a Human and have magical properties?"

"Who says you're truly a Human?" He came back at her slowly, as Brooklyn groaned, and Rose stared blankly at him.

"Um… I do." Rose said, laughing slightly again. "I grew up in Bar Harbor with my grandparents and…"

"But both grandparents adopted you as an infant, which means that you not a biological 'Connelly'. And you have no knowledge of your biological parents… nor have you heard from them. It's a bit ironic for you to be… so alone in this world... "

Rose narrowed her eyes at him, and felt herself becoming slightly upset. She had told Brooklyn and the Clan about her past, but never had she actually spoken to Owen about it.

"She's not alone!" Brooklyn snarled, clenching his claws into tight fists; his anger becoming more and more apparent. "She's got me! Now, you're upsetting my new bride. Time for all of this bullshit to end, and for me to try to turn this night around and make things right. Alright?"

"My apologies to you, Brooklyn and Rose." Owen said, stepping back slightly from them. "I was merely suggesting that…"

"How did you know that?" Rose suddenly asked him in a whisper, starting to become upset. She felt her magic and connection to Brooklyn swirl uncomfortably in her being, making Brooklyn feel the same thing she was feeling, and it was further stressing him out. "I never told you that I was adopted…"

"I believe I owe you that explanation, Rose." Xanatos said suddenly, stepping forward. "When Brooklyn first brought you to the Castle, I had to be sure that you weren't going to be a danger to myself, my family and the Clan. Owen is my right-hand man and whatever he knows, I know; and vise versa. I asked him to dig into as much background information about you as he could. And so he did finding that you were quite alone in this world."

"So? What's your point?" Rose asked him, quite bugged that they would do such a thing. "There are plenty of people in this world who've lost their families… apparently I'm no different."

"True," Xanatos replied slowly. "However, it appears that your background is a bit of a mystery, even under normal circumstances."

"What do you mean?" She asked him, distrusting him suddenly. Xanatos looked at her, then over to Brooklyn's angry face, and held his hands up in surrender to his death glare.

"That's a great question for another night, perhaps. For now, Owen and myself are going to head into the next venue and enjoy the rest of this joyous night." He said loudly, taking Owen by the arm and forced him away. However, Rose wasn't finished with him just yet.

"What do you know about me? About my magic?" Rose asked them, picking up her long dress and trailing after them, before Brooklyn could stop her. Owen stopped walking and turned to face her, his face inscrutable. His vibrant blue eyes bored down into her; with not a single trace of emotion to be seen.

"Let's just say… I have… a hunch about who you truly are… " He replied dryly, with a small hint of humor. "But I fear if I continue to speak that your new husband will tear me to shreds."

"No, he's fine." Rose quickly said. "I'll make it up to him later… but you said you have a hunch about who I truly am? What does that mean? What do you know about me?"

"Nothing." Owen said smoothly, not showing any emotion. "This is a conversation we shall have later, when I train you with your magic… perhaps…"

At that, Brooklyn made a very loud noise as if Owen wasn't supposed to say anything to her, but did anyway.

"What?" Rose asked, thoroughly confused. "Train me?"

"Oh… perfect." Brooklyn muttered to himself suddenly, before turning his angry gaze over to Owen, gritting his teeth at him. "Brillant… smoothly executed! Thanks so much for that…"

Rose suddenly turned to face her husband with an inquiry and narrowed her eyes at him. It was clear that she was in the dark about something; and Brooklyn was purposely keeping that truth away from her, despite their connection. Which meant that he had been working very hard at distancing his thoughts from her, so that she wouldn't know of a secret he was keeping from her. At that obvious fact, Rose slowly backed away from brooklyn, feeling utterly betrayed and instantly he held his arms out to her, shaking his head at her thoughts. He walked over to her, lowered his gaze to her face and was met with her glare.

"Rose…" he sighed quietly, trying to keep their conversation to themselves. "Please, it's not what you think. Don't look at me like that."

"You're keeping something from me…" she breathed back, not backing down.

"For a good reason." Brooklyn whispered softly, trying to reassure her, but it wasn't working. Xanatos stepped forward and joined the conversation, against both of their wishes.

"Owen is full of surprises." Xanatos said with a smile, grabbing onto Owen "But, I fear we've done more damage here. Perhaps we should put this conversation behind us and continue with the wedding ceremony? Perhaps some dinner? Some dancing? Then, you two- Rose and Brooklyn, can be on your way to begin your honeymoon. Demona was right about that; enjoy your time together; there will be plenty of time to discuss things after you come back."

"Things like what?" Rose asked Xanatos with an explosive voice. "What is everyone keeping from me?!"

To her further irritation, Xanatos smirked at her, as though he was scheming something in his brain, raised his eyebrows and shook his head.

"Nothing. Absolutely, nothing. Enjoy tonight you two. Congratulations on your marriage." He then turned and walked away with Owen.

Rose glared at them as she watched them walk away; finally leaving Brooklyn and Rose alone.

Silence passed between Rose and Brooklyn, as they stood together alone, in a romantic setting, but it was anything but that for them. Brooklyn exhaled sharply, still very hot and bothered that their night had been ruined. He placed his claws gently on Rose's arms to hold her against him, but she instantly whipped around and looked lost.

"Why won't you be honest with me? What's going on?" She asked him in a hurtful voice.

"Nothing… it's just…"

"No!" Rose cried out, tears filling her eyes. "You're lying to me! What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing that I want to get into right now." Brooklyn answered her, with a small sigh. "My love… we just barely got married, can't we please just… press pause on this drama… and go back to how we were feeling before Demona came and screwed things up? You've been my mate for all of five minutes, and we've already had someone come along to crash things. I promise I will talk with you about this later, but right now I just want to finish out this night with you. Bring the romance back…"

"Kind of hard to do that, when my mate is already lying to me." She grumbled, turning from him.

"Oh… come on, Rose." Brooklyn said, becoming more irritated as well. "Seriously? I'm not lying to you! I'm just choosing to not divulge every single tiny detail in my mind over to yours… "

"But why?!" Rose snapped, turning back to him. "Brooklyn, that bothers me…"

"Or maybe I'm doing it to protect you…"

"No," She gasped out, shaking her head as tears entered her eyes. "Lying and being deceitful isn't protection. After what I've gone through, you of all people should know this!"

"Oh no… please…" Brooklyn moaned, stepping forward and taking her in his arms; hating the fact that he was holding the truth back from her, and it was what Kevin used to do. Everything about him triggered Brooklyn, and wanted to be one hundred-times the mate for Rose that Kevin was.

"Rose, please don't cry. Honey, okay, you're right. I'm sorry. But, please, trust me on this, okay? If it was significant, I would have already told you… but for right now…" He paused from speaking, and lifted her chin up gently to have her look into his eyes. The hurt in her eyes was more than he could take and he sighed heavily.

"Okay, okay…" He finally said irritatingly. "Fine, you win. Owen, as Puck, is going to train you with your magic when we come back from our honeymoon. He approached me before tonight, and asked my permission to do so. I didn't want to to tell you anything, because you were so busy with deal with your own issues with burying Kevin and with the courts, your apartment and moving… and I just… I asked him to not mention anything until we came back, nor to ask you until then, but obviously didn't listen to me. I just wanted to have tonight be about us… and nothing else for once."

Rose glanced up into his eyes, and didn't know what to say.

"He's going to train me with my magic?" She asked him quietly, as he looked irritated.

"Yeah, he wants to, if you're up for it that is." He answered irritatingly. "I told him that it was completely your choice… but…"

"You don't approve." Rose answered for him, feeling more upset. He watched her face for a few moments and then exhaled sharply.

"I uh… it's not that I don't approve of him training you." He answered her. "It's just that I don't trust him."

"Why not?" She asked him lightly.

"Because he's a trickster, Rose." Brooklyn answered her, sighing heavily again, rubbing his claws up and down her arms. "He's not been a very reliable ally to us in the past…"

"But he trains Alex." Rose told him quietly. "If he wants to help me with my magic, then maybe it's best to let him help me. So ya know…" She paused, turned away from him and held her arms out dramatically. "I don't become consumed into an evil being because I have magic."

"Oh, my sweet Rose…" He whispered, wrapping her up into a tight hug. "Hudson didn't mean that… I'm sorry that tonight has been messed up. This is exactly what I was trying to avoid…"

"But he's not the only one who thinks that." Rose suddenly said, turning back to face Brooklyn with tears in her eyes. "You aren't a fan of magic either…"

"No, I'm not." He answered honestly. "But that's the sorcery that I've seen in the past, and it's mostly been from Demona, Puck, or other past beings. True, Puck has redeemed himself, I will admit, and uses his magic to train Alex. But my opinion on past magic has been changed… ever since seeing yours, and especially since I love you as much as I do. Yours is different… good… and is very impressive. I trust you with all my heart and soul, Rose. Magic and all. I just want you to have the best chance with it. That's all… and I didn't want to get into all this before our Honeymoon. Please, trust me and don't be mad. I was going to tell you about it, but only wanted tonight to be about you and I. We've been selfless for so long, letting other things get in the way of our love… but tonight… I am being very selfish with you. I should apologize… but honestly, I won't, because tonight was supposed to be all about us. I just wanted tonight to be perfect; and am upset that it has been less than that… because you deserve the very best."

Rose stared at him for a few seconds, and then slowly smiled at him with un-shed tears in her eyes.

"And I have the very best…" Rose answered quietly, taking his claws in her hands. "I'm sorry for reacting to you like I did. You'll have to be patient with me… I came from a spouse who lied to me, all the time, and while I know you need your space on occasion- I don't do well with secrets." She paused, gently placed her hands upon his breastplate and stepped closer to him; her eyes searching his intensely.

"I never thought about that." Brooklyn said quietly, understanding where she was coming from. "I'm sorry, Rose. No more secrets… I promise."

She smiled up at him, and felt the familiar connection of their souls and love tingle through them, and a heat of their desire to love and mate with each other came creeping up into their chests.

"Thank you, my love." Rose whispered, inching her face closer to his, as his gaze relaxed and they slowly intertwined their fingers together. "Thank you for telling me, but you're right, this is something that we can discuss later. What's important now is you… and me…"

Brooklyn's eyes melted into her gaze, and his breathing started to quicken, by the mating desire he felt off of her. He cupped her face in one claw, while he secured her body to his with the other, and pulled her to a more hidden part of the hedged garden.

"Yes… you and I. Together at last." Brooklyn breathed against her lips, and once they were hidden, he urged his face forward, and crushed his lips against hers, kissing her deeply and passionately. His tongue immediately entered her mouth, and claimed her in a way that seemed brand new to her. It was intensely passionate, as though she was the very air he breathed, and had been without for so long. Rose took a few deep breaths in through his kiss, and then closed her eyes; melting against his touch.

Once she had relaxed into his kiss, his claws dropped from her face, and slid down her bare shoulders, and wrapped strongly around her waist; pressing his body to hers. His lips moved slowly and intimately against hers, his tongue sliding sensually in and out of her mouth. He held her body tightly against his, and even began to slowly rub his pelvis against hers; surprising her by his suddenly intimate actions. However, she did not mind nor fight him off; as he was exciting her. She responded to his touch and motions and willingly danced her tongue against his; deepening their kiss. She pressed herself against his body; needing to feel every part of him, and longed to finally feel him inside her.

He slid his claws up and down her back; finding her bare shoulders and skimmed his talons across her skin, with the lightest of touches, sending shivers down her spine. Rose's breathing started to become shallow and wanted him to touch her more. When she broke her lips away from his, she closed her eyes as he claimed her neck and upper chest, and moaned.

"Oh… Brooklyn!" She gasped out, holding onto him tightly, allowing him to kiss and taste her more. "You're right…I'm so sorry for making you wait! This is all that matters, and all I should have been focused on. I should have been more selfish with this night… I'm so sorry! This night has been ruined because of me… "

However, to her surprise, he pulled away from her neck, stared down upon her face and offered her a soft smile.

"No, you didn't ruin anything, my love." He said softly. "I love you, Rose. Let's not worry about what happened tonight, or anything else. Okay? Right now, I want us to enjoy the rest of this evening. It's our wedding night; and though Demona came and intruded rudely… your actions didn't ruin anything. That is the second time you have shown great strength in trying to protect me, and I am in constant awe of you."

"So… my bright red powers don't bother or scare you?" She asked him lightly.

"Well," he started to say slowly. "No, not really. I actually think they are pretty cool, you're like a superhero or something. But… the only worry I have is that it's an unknown thing. We don't know why these powers are all the sudden manifesting themselves; but they seem to only come when you are defending yourself or others in which you love and care about. So… with that in mind… no, I am not worried. I am more in awe of you and just want you to be safe. It enraged me tonight when Demona was threatening your life, as you are now finally my wife. We've only been official mates for a few minutes before another threat came out of the shadows; threatening to take you away from me. I do apologize for engaging with her… I just… I can't stand her. She has threatened our Clan and have betrayed us too many times for forgiveness to be an easy thing. It is almost an impossible thing now…"

"I know." Rose said quietly, resting her hands on his breastplate. "I don't fault you at all. You were also trying to protect me; as you have vowed to do."

"That I did… and I will always keep my vows." He whispered, smiling gently down at her. He then slid his face closer to hers and kissed her again, deeply and intimately. Rose brought her hands up into his thick hair and pressed her body against his and to her dismay, her thick dress was offering too much of a barrier between her body and his. They kissed passionately for a minute, before Rose pulled away, against his will; and smiled up at him.

"Come on, my love." She whispered. "Let's go have dinner, dance a little… and then you can finally take me to our secret honeymoon destination; where you and I can finally become one."

His dark eyes seemed to light up like an inferno flame, and burned deeply into her eyes.

"You know… we are married now." He breathed back, his lips against hers. He slowly and lightly ran his claws down her neck, to her breasts, and then lower to her abdomen- tempting her. "I can take you somewhere private and make that dream a reality if you wish, if that's really what you want… there's nothing to stop us now."

"There is," she sighed, her breath catching in her throat slightly. "It's called a wedding party; and they will grow very suspicious of us and what we are doing if we don't finish out this ceremony the right way."

"We don't owe them a damn thing." Brooklyn breathed, pressing his forehead against hers, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"No… but it is still the right and more polite thing to do." She answered him, smiling at his argument, trying to calm the inferno building up inside herself.

"I don't care about being polite," Brooklyn breathed in her ear, his claws making their way to the front of her abdomen. Though she was wearing a dress; she could still feel the warm trail he seemed to leave upon her skin. He trailed his lips down the side of her chin, along her jawline, and was claiming her neck once again.

She closed her eyes, holding him tightly against her and gasped, trying to fight her own desires, "It's what I want, Brooklyn. Please… it's still our wedding night. I want to do it the right way."

With that, he breathed hard against her skin, and reluctantly brought his face back up to smile at her. He shook his head slightly at her and growled, "Fine… we'll go and make our appearance. But, I'm giving us a max of two hours, since Demona took some precious time away from our night."

"Deal." Rose grinned, feeling strangely relieved that he listened to her wish, weaving her fingers through his talons and forcing him to start walking with her. "Two hours; and then we'll become one."

Brooklyn took a deep breath, as though calming himself at that thought, and grinned mischievously at her.

"I thought you wanted to go back to our wedding party?" He asked her in a low voice, slowing their walking back down to a stop, to face her.

"I do…" She answered, smiling at him.

"But then you just teased me again, saying you also want us to finally become one…"

"I want that too…" She breathed against his lips, only for him to let out a growl.

"You want a lot…" He teased, stopping her from walking, and held onto her body tightly.

When she giggled in response, he growled out in frustration and desire; grasped onto her arm and guided her quickly over to a private section of hedge, and thrust her back against the solid wall. Though it didn't hurt, she gasped out as he immediately pressed his body and pelvis against hers, kissing her lips passionately; as rubbed himself against her.

Rose gasped at his strength; but had never felt more safe than she did in that moment. Brooklyn stooped down slightly, found the bottom of Rose's knees, and picked her up in his arms. She wanted to straddle his waist, but couldn't to her dismay and frustration, as the dress was too long and had too much fabric.

Despite the barrier; Brooklyn held her up against him, with great ease. His lips found her once again, with so much passion it nearly took her breath away. He used the solidity of the wall hedge, to keep her secure, as he let his body do the rest. He kept one arm under her, holding her up, while another claw skimmed up her side to touch her chest; finally touching her so privately. His tongue was dancing feverishly with hers; and the moment he touched her chest, she nearly cried out. Sensing her desire; he deepened his kisses and touch, wanting to please her. She instantly wrapped her arms around his neck and allowed Brooklyn to kiss and touch her so, as she wanted nothing else but to finally feel him.

His lips broke away from her mouth, and frantically began to claim her neck again, his claws still holding and massaging her breasts; doing miraculous things to her. She threw her head back and wanted to scream out all of a sudden, as she was gasping out in desire.

"Brooklyn…." she gasped, but knew they couldn't continue this. Not here. More than anything, she wanted to skip the party and give into their desires. However; she still wanted to have the rest of her wedding night. She grit her teeth in anger with herself, and began to curse herself for daring to stop him. She pushed him away from her slightly; making him stop kissing her.

He looked deeply into her eyes, panting frantically.

"Sorry…" She whispered, as he brought his lips back down to her skin and skimmed across her neck; creeping his lips closer to the top of her chest. She grasped his thick hair and closed her eyes in desire ad he tried to find skin under her thick dress; but there was too much in the way. "Darn dress is too thick…but we… we've..."

"Good thing you have me to help you out of the dress…" He gasped, his hot breath against her skin. His claws went for the back of her dress; where the buttons were fastened securely; and with one strong rip, he could have her dress off.

Rose bit her lip at his words and continued, struggling against his beautifully intimate actions. "I know… just… not here. Okay? Please?"

Once she said that, he exhaled deeply in full defeat, resting his forehead against the nape of her neck, breathing deeply. Rose closed her eyes, almost hating herself for making him stop, but she didn't want people to come looking for them. After a few moments of him gathering his thoughts and calming his breathing down, he finally raised his head off her to gaze into her eyes. His eyes were filled with passion and love for her; and it made her feel even more ashamed in forcing him to stop. She reached her hands up and gently took hold of his beak, caressing it softly.

"I'm sorry…" she breathed, loving him back.

As he could see her love for him in her eyes, he smiled gently at her. With a smooth motion, he let her feet slide back down to the ground where a gasp caught in her throat, as she could feel his incredible arousal, as she pressed against his body.

"There's nothing for you to apologize for, my love. I'm the one who is sorry." He said calmly, trying to breathe deeply, to calm himself down even more. "Apparently, I am not very good at trying to mate with you in a private place."

"A romantically lit, private garden is leaps and bounds above in improvement from a hospital bathroom... " She teased him lightly; taking his beaked mouth in her hands, smiling at him. He gasped slightly, in shock at her comment, and stared at her with an open mouth; as she started to laugh.

"I'm sorry." She laughed, harder and harder at his shocked face. "I couldn't resist…"

"Wow…" he teased back, smiling at her laugh, coming back from his shock. "That was… wow…."

"I'm sorry, I just had to."

"Yeah, yeah…" he smiled at her, taking her hand in his claw, guiding her back towards the party. They walked slowly; taking their time, enjoying the scenery and serenity in which the gardens offered at nighttime. He had seemed to calm down; and wasn't aroused anymore, but was watching the side of her face, as they walked. She smiled at herself, seeing him watch her out of the corner of her eye.

"What are you staring at?" She giggled.

"You…" he said quietly. "You're the most beautiful woman… I'm so lucky…"

She grinned at herself, stepped forward and released her hand from his claw, and then spun around, letting her long dress twirl stunningly around her.

"I look like a princess, huh?" She grinned happily. He watched her spin was a look of awe and then laughed at her comment.

"I was thinking more of a goddess, or angel, perhaps."

"And you…" she said fiercely, springing forward to hold onto him once again, placing her hands upon his breast plated metal armor piece. "Are my sexy and handsome warrior- my defender in the night- my beautiful guardian angel."

He laughed at her comment and then took her hand back in his claw, as if trying to get them back to the party as soon as possible. It seemed like, the more time they spent with each other alone, was becoming more difficult to fight off their mating desires.

"Thank you my sweetheart. I love you." He said warmly, sliding his talons through her fingers.

"Not as much as I love you…" She challenged, grinning mischievously. He snorted in laughter and looked over at her with great humor.

"Darn it, how is it that you always thwart my loving intentions with that impossible comeback?"

Rose threw her head back and began to laugh hysterically. She loved his sense of humor and how dry it could be sometimes. He grinned at her laugh; and his ability to make her happy. They walked together in silence for a few seconds; when Rose stopped laughing and turned to face him once again.

"So… do you like it?" She asked him. "I picked it out specifically for you…"

"Do I like what?" He asked, blinking a few times.

"My dress…"

"Oh… yes, I do. I love it." He said quietly, smiling warmly. "You're so beautiful… I still can't believe you're mine. It feels like we've been married for many months now. You take my breath away."

"Aww… thank you, my love. I'm glad you like it. For once, in a very long time, I feel beautiful." Rose said happily

"That's because you are beautiful. Inside and out." He complimented her, holding her hand tighter in his.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

They finally arrived at the wedding party; where the sound of people laughing and conversing resonated from inside the garden. They both stopped at the entrance and both seemed to freeze.

"We were gone a while." Rose whispered, almost as if to herself.

"Eh, it's okay." He said, not bothered. "They probably just started eating, we can just sneak in, I'm sure they won't notice us."

"What if they do?" She mumbled, staring ahead, not wanting to be the center of attention all the sudden. Brooklyn smiled down at her frozen face, and cupped her face in his claws, forcing her to face him.

"Then throw on that beautiful smile of yours, and embrace it. This night is about us after all…"

"What if they think we were… you know…?"

"But we didn't…" he grinned humorously at her. "We uh… started that flame, but there's nothing to hide. We are married now. Who cares if we did make love? We have that right to do so now..."

She smiled weakly at him, and then turned to face the entrance again; pure terror on her face. He blinked a few times, watching her face; and couldn't help but feel slightly hurt by her reaction. Her actions mirrored that she was embarrassed of him or the situation. He took a deep breath and then gently touched her face.

"Do you regret it?" He asked her quietly, almost sadly.

Rose had been staring at the head at the entrance, blinked in surprise at his vague question and then looked over at him, in slight confusion.

"Regret what?" She asked him, drawing blanks as to what he was asking her.

"Marrying me." He replied quietly, not looking at her now, and Rose's mouth fell open, truly blown away by his question.

"What?…" she gasped, her eyes wide and serious now. "That's ridiculous! Why would you ask me such a thing?!"

"I just have to be sure." He replied calmly, looking back up at her. "You seem quite nervous to walk inside there, where everyone will see us... I just wanted to be sure you were feeling okay with our union, and not embarrassed by us… or me."

Rose's mouth hung open as he said that, and couldn't believe her ears.

"Oh… my… God!" She said, truly alarmed. His eyes were sad; but widened at her reaction.

"Brooklyn, no." She said firmly, almost angrily. " I regret nothing. I am not embarrassed to be seen with you. My God, where did you get that idea? Did you listen to our vows at all? I'm with you, for the rest of my life. I love you; now and forever. It has been through your eyes and heart in which I have learned to trust and love again. It has been you who I have been destined to be with, and always will be you, in whom I believe I was meant for. I love you with all my heart and soul."

Instantly, he relaxed and hope rose back up inside his being and eyes.

"Thank you, my love." He said softly, leaning his face closer to hers. "I'm sorry, I just had to be sure…"

"Never question my love for you, Brooklyn." Rose said firmly, pressing her cheek against his lips; while stroking his beak. "I love you... why did you ask me that?"

"You just… seemed really nervous all the sudden to enter our wedding party."

"Yeah," she said dryly. "Because I don't particularly like being the center of attention. I can get pretty shy, believe it or not… it's nothing to do with you."

He stared at her for a few seconds before he huffed out a laugh; and it was him who looked a bit embarrassed with himself.

"Oh…that's right, you are shy in front of crowds. I'm sorry… who you are in front of crowds is very different than who I see when we're alone. I guess this whole marriage experience is starting, huh? We're really gonna get to know each other…"

"Oh yes," Rose said, laughing slightly. "You and I are going to get to know each other very, very well…"

"Can't wait." Brooklyn teased, grinning at her as she smiled back. She then chuckled to herself, slightly, before her face fell and she shook her head, exhaling softly.

"I can't believe you thought I regretted getting married to you." Rose mumbled, ignoring his comment. His face fell slightly, took a deep breath and ran his claws around her waist.

"You're right, that was super dumb. I'm sorry." He said sincerely, holding her. "Forgiveness has been our forte tonight, already, hasn't it?"

She grinned at him after a few seconds, shook her head and laughed slightly.

"I guess it has been. But, you've forgive me, and I now forgive you." She said softly, peering into his eyes with love. "Just never question my love for you, ever again."

"Yes, ma'am." He breathed against her lips, after leaning his face forward towards her. With that, he kissed her again, deeply and soundly; running his claws around her beautiful frame.

"I love you, Brooklyn." Rose breathed, through their sweet and deep kiss.

"I love you too." He whispered against her soft lips. "Always and forever."

He pulled away from her after a few seconds, smiled at her, and then said, "Come on… let's go. If we don't get in there, they truly might send out a search party."

Rose laughed at his comment, took his claw in her hand, faced forward and took a deep breath.

"Let's do this…" She said fearlessly, and together they stepped through the threshold and raised their intertwined hands together in the air. The instant their guests saw them, they burst out into applause, as Xanatos suddenly stood to the microphone at the small stage and announced their arrival.

"The newlyweds have finally decided to arrive! Congratulations to Brooklyn and Rose!"

Rose laughed at his comment; and ignored the teasing looks from the guests all around them. Brooklyn was right, they hadn't done anything too naughty, so she wouldn't let anyone embarrass her. And even if they did, it was in their right now. Now that they were there, they could begin their party, celebrating the rest of their life spent together.

Rose looked around in awe of the beauty of this new venue. Lights were streamed everywhere; and a large canopy tent hung above the hedges to offer protection from the icy cold night air. Tables were lined up all throughout the tent; but offered a wide open space for dancing. Rose blinked a few times at that, and felt slightly anxious by the idea of dancing in front of everyone. Brooklyn squeezed her hand a bit with his claw, offering her a bit of silent support as they made their way further into the venue. Xanatos hired the same wedding people to serve dinner for the guests tonight, that helped with Akira and Lexington's ceremony, and seemed unnerved to have Gargoyles around them. However, because she was a Human who married a Gargoyle, Rose still caught some glances of shock and some even disgust over at her. She tried to ignore their stares as well, and knew that the spotlight would be upon them no matter what.

Brooklyn helped her sit down at the table meant for them, and they immediately took to conversing with their guests all around them, as well as eating the delicious chicken dinner that was being served. They ate for a few minutes in silence, and Rose only got a few bites in when Emily came walking over, pulled up a chair and sat next to her, smiling.

"Hey there." Emily said softly, and Rose placed her fork down and greeted her back.

"Hi, how's it going?"

"Good," Emily replied. "I've been taking as many pictures as I can of you two, the ceremony and this party. It's beautiful here…"

"Thanks to you." Rose said, laughing slightly. "You planned most of this."

Emily looked around at the softly lit garden, with party tent and smiled at herself.

"I did do a good job, didn't I?" Emily asked her, grinning.

"Yes, you did." Rose replied, giving her a side hug. "Thank you so much."

"Of course, it's what best friends are for."

As the two girls talked, Brooklyn held Rose's hands under the table and gave her a soft smile to the side, and conversed with Broadway, who was sitting next to him eating large helpings of the food provided. Rose ate another bite of chicken, and looked back over at Emily, who looked nervous all the sudden.

Rose furrowed her eyes at her, and gently set her fork down, and wiped her mouth with her napkin.

"Em?" Rose asked her quietly. "You okay?"

"Um… yes." Emily replied unconvincingly. "I'm good…"

Rose raised her eyebrows at her and tilted her head, completely unconvinced.

"Uh-huh, sure." Rose replied, laughing slightly. "Come on… what's wrong?"

Emily stared at her for a few seconds, obviously deliberating something. After a few moments, she grabbed Rose's hand, leaned across her body and got Brooklyn's attention.

"Hey Brooklyn?"

Brooklyn was laughing with Broadway and Lexington, finishing up his food, when he turned around and faced Emily.

"Yeah?"

"Do you mind if I borrow Rose for just… one moment?" She asked him kindly. He blinked a few times, glanced between Rose and her, and then back to Rose. She smiled at him, and shrugged her shoulders at him. He chuckled to himself and nodded his head.

"Sure thing." He answered her, keeping Rose's hand interlaced with his for a moment and then brought it up to his lips to kiss the top of her hand. "Just don't keep her too long…"

"Wouldn't dream of it!" Emily answered, smiling at him while pulling Rose to her feet. "We'll be right back."

Rose let Emily pull her away from her new husband, the wedding party, and away from the large white party tent, so that they were in a more private and quiet part of the garden. When they reached a good spot to sit down, Rose turned to Emily and laughed at her.

"Okay, you got me away from my husband." Rose said lightly. "What's going on?"

"I just um… well… wanted to make sure that you were doing all right since that Gargoyle's visit." Emily said. "In all the excitement with using your magic and such, I'm sure it put quite the divide into the night. I'm sorry… your vows were so heartfelt and beautiful, I felt so bad when that… Demona character swooped in and ruined it all."

"It's okay." Rose said, shrugging her shoulders at her. "As long as I'm with Brooklyn, then we seem to make things better."

Emily raised her eyebrows at her and giggled.

"That's hot…"

"Oh, not like that!" Rose laughed, pushing Emily in the arm. "Well… not all of it, anyway."

"I'm so proud!" Emily laughed back. "You are getting into the spirit of your Honeymoon already."

"Of course!" Rose grinned, blushing slightly and looked away from her best friend and over to the tent. "I love him so much, Em. He really is the best thing to ever happen to me…"

"Ouch." Emily teased, sitting next to her and laughing.

"Oh, you know what I mean!" Rose said, shaking her head at her. "You're my best friend, and have been the only normal thing in my life and have been that glue in my crazy world. He's been my lighthouse in the darkness and rock. I am thankful for both of you."

"Oh, I know." Emily said softer, smiling at her. " I was teasing you. I know where I stand…"

"Where you will always stand." Rose said, placing her head upon her shoulder and closed her eyes, letting herself rest for one moment. Emily stayed silent for another few minutes, before she cleared her throat.

"Rose?" She asked a bit more timidly, which was not anything like how Emily normally acted.

"Yeah?" Rose answered, raising her head back up to look into her eyes.

"You know I'm happy for you, right?" Emily said.

"R-right…" Rose answered her a bit slowly, not sure where she was going with this conversation.

"And I love Brooklyn… he's wonderful for you." Emily said again, trying to keep positive. "As are the rest of the Gargoyles-"

"I hear a 'but' in this conversation." Rose told her, getting straight to the point. "What's up, Em?"

"I just want to make sure that you're making the right decision for you, is all." Emily answered her. "I know you two are already married, but the way you acted tonight, with Demona… it uh… was amazing to see your magic, but so… unnerving to watch you willingly provoke her to kill you like that."

Rose blinked at the point at which Emily was originally wanting to talk to her about, and it was nowhere near where she thought the conversation was going to go.

"What are you talking about?" Rose asked her, in confusion.

"You know I support you and Brooklyn, one-hundred and ten-percent… and I have never heard more heartfelt and beautiful vows than I did tonight. You guys both had like… a glow… around your bodies; and I swear we had a taste of Heaven or something seriously divine. But because a Human and Gargoyle married couple is unheard of, I think the 'normal' Human, as you call me, naturally sees your relationship and ..."

"Fear it?" Rose offered, giving her a small smile.

"Yeah," Emily said, looking into her eyes, smiling sadly. "I guess I do fear it; but not because you're with Brooklyn… but it's this new life of yours. It unnerves me, Rose, especially when I hear that you've nearly died three times, in a matter of months, and all those times I had no idea. You hide your demons from everyone, including Brooklyn… hell, even from yourself, and I worry for your mental health… especially with what you've endured from Kevin."

"What are you talking about?" Rose asked her, feeling more and more confused at where this was coming from.

"I've seen it, Rose; and I'm truly worried for you. You've gone through so much pain, hell and abuse from Kevin… I just want to make sure you're receiving the proper help you need; so that one day, I don't find out that you've killed yourself, or have done something heroic and selfless for someone else, sacrificing yourself… and die.." Emily explained in a tearful voice.

Rose's eyes widened at her words, and her mouth stayed gaped open at Emily. A few seconds passed by and Rose exhaled that breath she was holding in and shook her head.

"I'm fine, Em." Rose told her with a tone of disbelief. "I promise you…. I know what I've gone through, and sure, I sometimes struggle with it, but that doesn't mean that I am emotionally or mentally unstable."

"I know you aren't…" Emily said quickly. "I just worry about how you sacrifice yourself all too often. You could have died tonight; moments from giving Brooklyn your vow to be his mate."

As Emily talked, Rose couldn't help but feel personally attacked. First Brooklyn had an argument with her, and now Emily. She didn't see what she did with Demona, as such a bad or terrible thing, since he was doing the same for her.

"Would dying for a selfless cause really be such a bad thing?" Rose asked her. "How I see it, if I'm meant to die, and it was my time to go, then maybe that's not a bad way to go. Dying for the ones I love."

At her words, Emily blinked and then suddenly her eyes filled with tears, and she looked bothered and slightly disturbed.

"See?" Emily asked her in a whisper. "That's what I'm afraid of... right there."

"What?" Rose asked her, a bit confused.

"How easily you're able to talk about dying, Rose." Emily said a bit louder. " It's so casual to you, and that frightens me. I know that it was your escape route from Kevin forever, and I know that now you're with Brooklyn and are happy; but I fear that when life gets hard again, you'll revert back to your demons and sacrifice yourself to them."

"No I won't…" Rose scoffed back, pushing that truth far away, but Emily kept coming at her.

"Yes, you will, and you know it!" Emily argued quietly. "Don't pretend that I haven't seen how dark and empty you were, back when we worked together, all those months ago. How often I would ask you what was going on with you, how scared I was for you. I could see how depressed and suicidal you were becoming..."

"True, back then; yes I was. Because that was my only choice from escaping Kevin!" Rose nearly yelled, hating returning back to this topic, and felt like she was suddenly trapped. "When I left him, that night at the Gala, he cheated on me; and then chased me with a gun- threatening to kill me. When I climbed up to the Brooklyn Bridge… I knew I was going to die either way. So, I chose to take control for once and do it myself…" She paused and then wiped her tears away, a sob threatening to claim her heart and stop it cold once again. She closed her eyes and willed the pain to settle deep within her soul; but as she did so, she couldn't help but activate her soul connection to Brooklyn, and couldn't stop herself from feeling the way she did, and knew that he would come for her soon.

"But that was then; and this is now, and I'm not suicidal!" Rose finished, pushing that pain away, far into the depths of her soul.

"Maybe not; but you still don't give yourself a fighting chance." Emily said quietly. "Just like tonight, with that Gargoyle… you threw yourself in front of her sword for Brooklyn like your life was so easily disposable. You didn't give him a chance to fight her for you; nor let the Clan to step up and fight. They would have and were about to; but you didn't give yourself a thought to remain alive. That's why Brooklyn reacted so strongly with you throwing yourself in front of that danger… because you don't see yourself as of great worth. You don't fight for yourself… so maybe this magic is a gift. It defends you against those who want to hurt you, and give you that fighting chance in which you refuse to give yourself. "

As Emily said those words, it seemed to hit Rose right in the center of her heart; and was beyond speaking. Emily was always one to tell her like it was, and as harsh as she could come across, she knew she cared for her deeply. Rose blinked a few times in shock; and didn't have any words to defend herself, because deep down, that was the truth. She glanced down at the ground, and didn't know what to say, and hated the raw darkness that was threatening to devour all goodness and happiness from earlier, until she felt her husband's presence many seconds before she actually heard his voice. She was right, after feeling how in distress she was inside, he had come to her aid.

"That's why she has me now."

Emily jumped slightly at Brooklyn's voice, and then laughed slightly.

"Oh, Brooklyn, it's just you." Emily said, placing her hand upon her chest and smiled at him as though she did him a favor, but he didn't return it. In fact, his facial expression to Emily was quite cold and icy in nature.

"Emily, if it's alright… I would like to spend some time with my wife now." He said in a carefully low voice. "I know there is much that needs to be discussed between you two, and there will be plenty of time for that later. However, tonight is the night in which I wish to forget all woes; and focus on the happiness and joy of my marriage to the love of my life."

Catching his hint, Emily nodded and said lightly, "Oh… sure, of course."

Turning back to face Rose, who still seemed to be shock; she took her hands and urged, "Hey… I'm sorry for bringing all this up. Brooklyn is right; tonight is a night of joy, and there's already been a ton of drama. I'm so sorry for adding to it… I just… you're my best friend; my sister. I love you and care for you so deeply… I only wanted to make sure that you were alright; and with the crazy things I'm continuing to see and hear about… I wanted to make sure you were doing okay."

"I am okay," Rose finally managed to reply, smiling at her with a fake smile. "I understand why you brought all this up; and it's okay, really." She paused, and as she said that, she eyed Brooklyn slightly; telling him to silently stand down.

"Really?" Emily asked her, unsure.

"Yes, really." She replied, taking her hands and forcing herself to be sincere. "When Brooklyn and I get back from our honeymoon; we will continue to talk and have our girl time. We've got most days, when I won't be at work… and besides, I would love to come and visit Katie. It's been too long since I've seen my baby girl."

"I know," Emily smiled at her, standing up and bringing Rose up with her. "I'm sorry I didn't bring her or Chris… but… like you tried to do with me, I gotta ease them in this… whole situation."

"I understand, and it's okay." Rose said, smiling at her. "I'm just thankful to you for always supporting me and coming tonight; though it has had its… uh… moments; I've never felt more happy than I do right now."

"And I'm happy for you." Emily grinned, pulling Rose into a tight hug, in which she returned. From behind Emily's back, Rose glanced over at Brooklyn, who was standing patiently; waiting for them to finish their conversation. Knowing him as well as she did, she could tell he was still bothered; and wasn't sure how much he heard from their conversation.

Emily pulled away and glanced over at Brooklyn now, with an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry for pulling her away from you and the celebration; that was pretty damn selfish of me. But all the same, thank you for allowing me to."

"You're always welcome to her." Brooklyn said, crossing his arms across his chest. "You're her best friend, and I'll never keep you two apart; however, I can see that my wife is in distress, and I guess I would only like for her not to be. Especially on her wedding night."

"I know, and I'm sorry again." Emily said to him, then turned to face Rose. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."
"It's fine," Rose answered, smiling at her; but both Emily and Brooklyn could see through that wall.

"It's not, but… but I'll leave well enough alone," Emily replied. "So, I'm gonna head back and finish taking pictures of your guys' night. We still have dancing!"

"Oh… yay!" Rose exclaimed, sarcastically, and a bit over-exaggerated, which made Emily laugh.

"Oh Rose, come on…" Emily teased her, walking away from them. "It'll be fun!"

"Yeah," Rose said, shaking her head and walking over to Brooklyn. "Go on, we'll be right behind you."

With that, Emily walked away, past the celebration tent and exited the gardens, leaving Rose to still stand there, feeling a bit unsure and empty inside. She had brought up many painful things, and as much as she didn't want them to ruin her special night with Brooklyn, the pain of her demons, depression, and abuse from Kevin would still be fresh in her life. More than anything, she wanted to just forget her past; and focus on her present with Brooklyn, but in this moment, she didn't know how to best move forward.

Closing her eyes, she turned away from Brooklyn and tried to pull herself together; as the raw pain and fresh memories still threatened to eat her soul alive. Now that she was committed to him; he would surely see the demons which were truly tormenting her soul; and she didn't know if she was ready to be emotionally trusting again. She had so many walls up around her heart; and though she had allowed Brooklyn in. But it was tough to actually let him in, when she was faced with the true, raw demon that was her reality.

"Do you wish to be alone?" Brooklyn suddenly asked her quietly. Rose closed her eyes tightly, held onto herself, as tears streamed down her face and the dam of grief began to pour out, making her tremble.

"Not in the slightest." Rose answered him, her voice breaking.

To her relief, Brooklyn immediately stepped up behind her and gently touched her bare shoulders, with an extremely tender and careful touch, instantly enveloping her cold soul with his strength and warmth. Their tingling sensations flowed through both of them, making Rose inhale sharply, and she immediately relaxed against him; with her tears still falling down her face. He rested the side of his face into her hair, pressed his body into her back, and slowly and tenderly held onto her by wrapping his strong arms over her chest, holding her to him. Naturally, she leaned back into him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and continued to cry.

"I'm so sorry, Brooklyn!" She cried. "I'm sorry for crying, and for this night being less perfect than what it should have been… but, Emily is always able to fight past my defenses and then shows me my true self. It's something I do need sometimes… but she always goes about it the wrong way."

"She doesn't allow you to tell her on your own time." Brooklyn said quietly, his voice heavy with emotion, as though he was masking his anger. "I like Emily… but… I don't think she always has the correct way of handling things, nor does she truly have what's best for you at heart. She expects everyone to bend down to her wishes, whenever she wants; and that's not always a good thing." He paused from speaking and gently raised her chin up, so that they could gaze into each other's eyes.

"I'm all for honesty, but there's also a time and place for everything… and bringing up your darkest and most painful memories and feelings on our wedding night was definitely the wrong thing to do. Her upsetting you, despite your obviously wanting to not discuss things; is what truly upset me."

"I know," Rose smiled at his words, and then turned to face him, loving him. "You're always looking out for me, my angel."

"And I always will." He whispered, holding her body closely to his and brushing his lips against hers. "I'm your protectorate… not just physically, but emotionally and mentally. I know that you have many things in your mind and soul; thanks to Kevin's wretched actions. And I am worried for you, as Emily is… but just know that I will always be here for you to talk to, and trust you to come to me with your needs and issues, whenever you feel ready."

"How much of the conversation did you hear?" She asked him, curious; feeling like he already heard what he needed.

"Enough." Brooklyn answered, gazing deeply into her eyes. "But it doesn't matter now… all that matters is us. If you're wanting and ready, we can go back and allow you to finish eating your dinner; and then it'll be time for dancing and cake cutting. After that, we can leave."

She smiled up at his face, having a deeper love and respect for him; and responded by kissing him deeply. He kissed her back, moaning slightly and holding her tightly against him.

"Thank you, Brooklyn." Rose whispered against his lips, after kissing him deeply for a few minutes. He cupped her face and wiped the remaining tears away.

"You're welcome," He breathed back, kissing her briefly again; before he reached his claws down and held her hands. "Enough of the uninvited nuisances… let's go celebrate the best night of our lives."

Smiling sincerely now, she gazed up into his eyes.

"Yes... I'm more than ready…"