Elisa had been laid out on the oversized couch in the library. Goliath had set her down, hurried out and came back with a large blanket from one of the nearby bedrooms and sat with her for a few minutes.

He asked if he could get her anything, and Elisa had asked for something to eat. Goliath had smiled down at her, promising to bring her a plate of food from the clan's dinner, and had left again.

Elisa laid there, her eyes closed and watching the pattern of the flickering light from the fireplace made on her eyelids.

She heard the door open and close behind her.

"That was fast, Big Guy," Elisa said, her eyes still closed.

"Goliath has not returned, just yet," came a heavily accented voice. Elisa opened her eyes to see Chun-Hei walking towards her.

Elisa tried to push the blanket away, so that she could sit upright. Of all the Gargoyles to find her like this, it had to be the one most vocal about not wanting to 'pollute the Gargoyle way with human interference'.

"No, no," she said, holding her hands out to stop Elisa's struggles. "You do not need to sit upright just now. I do not know much about what has happened this night, but you must be in need of rest."

Elisa stopped, and laid back down and groaned. It was too late to show any kind of decorum anyway.

Chun-Hei walked forward in that graceful way of hers, making only the barest tap of footfalls on the stone floor.

"I will not apologize for having concerns about this council and what it will mean for my clan," She said, not unfriendly but honest. "After all, it is my responsibility as the leader of the clan to protect them."

Elisa nodded. "I understand that," she said.

Chun-Hei paused, seeming to try to form the words before she said them. She moved to sit on the end of the couch, beside where Elisa's feet lay under the blanket.

"I had hoped to get you alone to talk to you," Chun-Hei said.

Elisa did sit up then. She was not going to have a conversation laying down like an invalid, no matter how tired she was.

"Okay," Elisa found herself saying as she swung her legs off the side of the couch. "What would you like to talk about?"

"You," Chun-Hei said plainly. "And your relationship with the Manhattan clan leader."

Elisa felt her breath catch. She'd been so afraid that their relationship would ruin any chances of the Gargoyle council before it even had a chance to get started.

"What do you want to know?" Elisa asked.

"How long have you two been…?" Chun-Hei waved a hand in the air as if trying to find the right word. "Involved?"

Elisa struggled with that one. Her brain was a little fuzzy. "Uhm. Romantically? Let me think…Our son is six, and we got married two years before that, but it was about two years before that that I kissed him the first time, so ten?" Elisa didn't mean for it to sound like she was asking a question, but she honestly wasn't sure she could do simple math right now.

"Married?" Chun-Hei burst out.

Elisa brought her hand up to her mouth. Damn. She really didn't have a filter tonight.

"Uh," She said, feeling her face flush. "Yeah. We were married in a combination gargoyle and human ceremony eight years ago on Christmas Eve."

Chun-Hei seemed to be at a loss. "But… How is such a thing possible?" Then she seemed to latch on to something else Elisa had said. "Wait. You said 'our son'. You have a child?"

Elisa nodded, defeated. "Liam is our son, and we adopted him when he was only a few months old."

Chun-Hei seemed to take that in, and relaxed a bit. "Of course, he would be adopted into the family. It is not possible for a human and Gargoyle to have a child together."

Elisa frowned at her. "Blood relation isn't the only way to make a family."

"Is it not?" Chun-Hei asked.

"No," Elisa said firmly.

"Hmmm," The female sat back against the couch, tapping a finger against her mouth. "How long have you known the Manhattan clan?"

The abrupt change of topic made Elisa frown. "About thirteen years," She said.

Chun-Hei cocked her head at this. "Thirteen years is a long time. In all that time, you have not shared their existence or location with anyone?"

"There are obviously more humans who know about them," Elisa said. "The Xanatos family, for one, since they live here."

"Yes, but I am talking about you."

Elisa sighed. "Yes, but most of the time I got their permission first."

She seemed taken aback by that. "You mean you've told people without the clan's approval?"

"Only one time," Elisa said, then thought about it. "Maybe twice. No, it was only the once with Matt, my partner at work. But I didn't tell him where they were, just that I knew them. Goliath met with him and told him the rest."

"They have not always lived within these walls, have they?" Chun-Hei asked.

"No," Elisa frowned. "For a few years they lived in the old clock tower above the police station where I work."

"And I suppose you suggested they move there."

"Yes," Elisa said, agitated. "They had been asleep for a thousand years, and woke up to this place. I wanted to help them as much as I could, and make sure that they were safe , and where they wouldn't have to worry about some insane person shattering them during the day."

"They were lucky," Chun-Hei said, "to have someone there to help them."

"Thanks," Elisa said cautiously.

Chun-Hei got to her feet slowly. "Knowing that you are… more than a friend to Goliath, I am concerned at how that will appear to the rest of the clan representatives here. There have been a lot of discussions on this, and the integration of so much human influence among the clans."

"Not all humans are bad," Elisa hurried to point out. "Like not all Gargoyles are good."

"That is true," Chun-Hei said thoughtfully. "But I believe that this must be brought up to the other members for further discussion."

"No," Goliath said from the doorway, his voice almost trembling in anger. "I will not have my mate brought before anyone and have to defend herself."

"Goliath," Elisa began, but was cut off.

Goliath put down the plate of food he had retrieved with deliberate slowness, when what he really wanted to do was to throw it in anger.

"Elisa is my mate, my love," He said, drawing himself up to his full height. "She has placed herself in danger on more than one occasion to ensure our safety, and has shown to have the same protective instinct as any Gargoyle. I will not stand idly by while anyone, including a Gargoyle council, questions her loyalty or motives."

Elisa tried to get to her feet, to get between them.

"I will leave you now," Chun-Hei said. "I must speak with the others."

Goliath nodded, his jaw tight and his eyes beginning to glow in rage.

Once Chun-Hei had left, Goliath sat beside Elisa and took her hands in his. "I am sorry, my love. I know that you wanted this council to work, but I would not stand for any kind of inquisition of you."

Elisa smiled at him. "It's alright, Big Guy," She said, placing a gentle hand against his cheek. "I wanted it for your protection, most of all. I'm sorry that I messed that up for you."

"No," Goliath said, turning his head to kiss the palm of her hand. "You did not do this, Elisa. I have been fighting with myself over the dishonesty of keeping our love a secret, and now I will no longer have to worry about it."

Goliath placed an arm around her shoulder, pulling her in close so that Elisa laid her head against his shoulder. "I had no desire to begin the council with a lie."

"Honestly," Elisa said with a yawn, "I'm kinda surprised that Demona hadn't already told them all already."

Goliath frowned, "As am I."

Elisa yawned again, and he lowered her again so that she lay on the couch again, her head pillowed on his leg.

"Rest," Goliath said, running his fingers through her hair. "There is nothing else than can be done tonight, and the sun will rise shortly. You should rest."

"Thank you," Elisa said sleepily, her eyes drifting shut.

His hand stilled in her hair for the briefest of moments. "What do you thank me for?"

"For loving me," Elisa said, feeling herself finally beginning to drift off.

She felt and heard his soft chuckle. "Loving you is easy, My Elisa."

Elisa didn't hear the rest.

She'd fallen deeply asleep.