Hello, dear readers, and welcome to my first attempt at a Gargoyles fanfiction! I'm still feeling out the series, and I can't tell you exactly when in the timeline this story takes place, but I CAN tell you it's before the Avalon World Tour... So, somewhere between the beginning of Season Two and then.

That being said, this story will probably stray into AU territory, but hey, what are fan works for?

Also, quick disclaimer: I do not own Gargoyles. Only Katie and any other OCs that pop up belong to me

Now then, enjoy the story!

Chapter One

"No one sees, no one sees,

Nobody sees me."

'Nice Day', The Romanovs

The robbery happened at quarter to five in the morning on a Saturday. Three thieves had broken into the American Irish Historical Society and tried to make a quick getaway on foot through Central Park. The alarm bell screamed out into the night, and they left only broken glass and fading footsteps in their wake.

Another trio had been out that night, and it was Lexington who first heard the alarm. It was Broadway who spotted the men running off into the trees, and it was Brooklyn who led the chase onto the Upper West Side.

They acted fast; dawn was only an hour away, and the pursuit was not an easy one. The thieves were quick and agile, using the thickets and shadows of the park to throw the gargoyles off. Brooklyn, Lexington, and Broadway weaved in and out of branches, soared over pathways, and dove at the criminals, but to no avail.

And, just when they thought they had finally scared their targets out into the open, a getaway car was waiting for the crooks on Columbus Avenue.

Brooklyn almost groaned aloud when he realized what this development meant: He either had to call off the chase now or go for it with no holds barred.

Perched on a streetlight, he glanced up at the sky. Stars were still visible, and the moon was still peeking out at the scene from behind the skyscrapers. There was still time.

"Broadway, Lex, we'll follow them until they get on a quieter street or until their next check point – Whatever comes first."

His rookery brothers nodded and murmured in acquiescence before spreading their wings and gliding after the car.

They hovered a few meters above the street, following the old sedan South, until it took a sharp right down a seedy-looking alley. The thieves and their driver leapt out of the car and made a run for the other end of the narrow street. Brooklyn, Broadway, and Lexington flew over them and landed hard on the pavement, blocking the way. Their eyes glowed, and both talon and fang were bared for all to see.

Naturally, a spectacular fight ensued.

With no where left to run, the men threw themselves at the gargoyles. Fists flew, feet kicked, bodies were thrown into walls, and clothing tore on claws and teeth. At some point, one of the robbers shot off a gun, and though the bullet buried itself in the side of a dumpster, Broadway's furious roar rang louder than anything on the street.

In no time, all four guns had been destroyed, and that gave Brooklyn enough breathing room to find restraints for the increasingly desperate criminals.

He settled on some old lead and copper pipes, which he found discarded behind the dumpster. As he and Lex held down the frightened and stunned men, Broadway did the honours of binding their wrists and ankles.

Suddenly, the scrap was over, and the alley was quiet. Only the sounds of panting from both the humans and the gargoyles could be heard.

With the thieves taken care of, Brooklyn was finally able to take stock of how his brothers were doing: Lexington looked worn out, and Broadway was still scowling, but otherwise, they were unharmed.

"Good job, guys," he said, surreptitiously grinning at them.

Broadway made his way back over to the robbers and stood over the one who had been leading the escape: A dark-haired, light-eyed man in a grey long-sleeve.

"All right, what'd you do with the cash?" he demanded.

"Cash?" the crook said. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He smirked up at the three gargoyles, only to be hauled up by the front of his shirt. Brooklyn glared into the man's eyes, a growl churning in the back of his throat.

"What, do you think we were born yesterday? No one breaks into a place just for fun."

A bitter laugh burst from the man's throat. "Listen here, monster, we didn't take any money from anywhere."

"Uh… I think he might be telling the truth," came Lexington's voice from down the alleyway.

Brooklyn and Broadway turned to see their companion ease himself out of the getaway car, a small bundle cradled in his claws.

Dropping the man, Brooklyn joined Lexington at the car and leaned in to take a look at what he had found. It was a small, velvet bag, with the initials 'C.N.H.' embroidered into the fabric with gold thread.

"There's no money in the trunk, backseat, or glove compartment. Just this," Lexington murmured, holding up the bag.

"What's inside?" Broadway asked as he joined them.

Squinting at the little satchel, Lexington gently pulled on the drawstrings and tipped the bag over. A dainty ring fell into his waiting palm.

It was a pretty thing, the ends of the golden band meeting at a heart-shaped emerald in the middle. A hand had been carved on each side of the precious stone, so that the gem appeared to be lovingly cradled. A crown of gold sat atop the glittering heart, and despite the dim light in the alley, it almost appeared to glow.

A beat passed before Brooklyn said what they were all thinking.

"Kinda anticlimactic, huh?"

Before Broadway or Lexington could answer, there was a shout from the other end of the alleyway. The three of them turned to see three figures rushing towards the captives, their faces blurred by early morning shadows.

At the sight and sound of his allies, the dark-haired thief shouted, "Over here! Hurry!"

"These guys never stop coming, do they?" Broadway muttered.

Just then, the wail of a police siren cut through the dying night. It heralded the time for another decision: Stay and fight, or let the police do their job.

All things considered, this was an easier one for Brooklyn.

"Come on."

He motioned towards the nearest wall and dug his claws into the brick. Without a second thought, the three of them ascended the wall as quickly as they could. They disappeared up onto the roof, just as the thieves' accomplices reached the other end of the alley.

Safely hidden from the human eyes, the gargoyles silently glanced heavenwards. The stars had disappeared, and the sky had faded from black to an ever-lightening shade of navy blue.

"It's nearly dawn," Lexington whispered.

"How long do you think it'll be until the police arrive?" Broadway asked, glancing at the ring in Lexington's claws.

Brooklyn watched his brothers carefully, weighing the options in silence. He wanted nothing more than to go home for a good day's rest, but there was still the matter of returning the stolen ring to the proper authorities. He wasn't about to leave the jewelry at the scene where the robbers' buddies could snatch it up, but he didn't want to directly approach the police with it while they were working on a crime scene.

With a sigh, he held out his palm and said, "Give me the ring, Lex. I'll stay here and wait for Elisa to arrive. Once the ring's safe with her, I'll meet you at home. Tell Goliath where I am, and that I'm safe, okay?"

"Are you sure?" Lexington asked. "The sun's going to come up any minute."

"Elisa's usually pretty fast – She'll be here in no time," Brooklyn said. "Worst case, I'll sleep here and give her the ring tomorrow. At least it's not going to fall into the wrong hands."

Broadway and Lexington glanced at each other. Both looked for something to say, but the insistent look on Brooklyn's face suggested he had made his decision. Covering a yawn, Broadway said, "All right, if you say so. Just be careful."

With the plan set, the other two took off, and Brooklyn perched on the edge of the roof to watch the police pull up to the alleyway. Suppressing a yawn, he gently gripped the stolen ring in his claws and kept his eyes trained on the street. Minutes passed, and the sky was starting to bleed pink and red, but there was still no sign of Elisa's red cruiser.

What Brooklyn didn't know was that Elisa was being held up at the office, and by the time she arrived on the scene, the morning light had forced him into a still and silent rest.

XXX

After hearing about what happened at the American Irish Historical Society, Elisa had gotten into an almost-argument with Captain Chavez about going to the crime scene. While her boss was right in saying that neither the AIHS nor the back alley where the criminals were apprehended were in Elisa's precinct, the detective insisted on going to see. She had used the excuse that the robbery might be tied to one of her own cases, and in the end, Chavez had let her go. The only downsides were that she was late on the scene, and she had to bring Matt along with her.

In truth, Elisa had wanted to go because the details sounded odd: The robbers had been restrained with pipes (no doubt a gargoyles' handiwork, she thought), but there was no loot at or around the crime scenes. Since the likelihood of one of the Manhattan clan's involvement, she wanted to see if they had left any clues that a cop who wasn't acquainted with gargoyles would miss.

She tried not to crowd the police officers as they hauled the AIHS thieves into the cruisers. Quietly, she surveyed the alley for clues, contraband, or stolen goods, but she couldn't find anything. That was unusual for a crime scene, and it made Elisa a little uneasy.

With a sigh, she glanced over her shoulder and saw Matt talking to a young woman, who was standing in the doorway of the bar that flanked the alley.

She looked a few years younger than Elisa, and about a head shorter. Her straight black hair fell past her jaw, and her bangs framed a pair of hazel eyes that were ringed with sooty eyeliner. As she spoke to Matt, her eyebrows pulled together in concern, and she gnawed on her full lower lip each time he asked her a question.

After a moment, Matt left the girl and approached Elisa.

"The barmaid was the one who called the police," he explained, gesturing with a shake of his head. "She said she saw some men fighting out here and ran for the phone when a gun went off."

"She didn't see anything unusual, did she?" Elisa asked, hoping against hope.

Matt shook his head. "She said it was dark, and I don't think she was about to step out to check."

Elisa nodded and glanced over her partner's shoulder, just to make sure the young woman was all right. She couldn't help but notice the girl looked shaken and a little dazed while Matt was questioning her.

But, the doorway was empty, as if there had never been a lone barmaid standing there at all.

Thank you for reading! I'm going to aim to post a chapter a week (which shouldn't be so hard to do, considering the situation of the world right now), so keep an eye out. Until next time, dear readers...