"What's the problem, Cold Fire?" Brooklyn asked. He was confused about Cold-Fire's sudden urgent look in her eyes.
"I need your help to prevent a terrible future." Cold Fire said in a panicked tone that Brooklyn had never heard before.
"What can I do to possibly help? What do you know about the future?" He stammered as Cold Fire stepped closer to him and she gripped his hands in hers.
"I know that Demona will be possessed by the Archangel known as Lucifer." Cold Fire said. Brooklyn stared at her in shock as she continued. "The Fates told me that after a millennia of waiting for Goliath, Demona learns that he is courting a human when she finds him again." Cold Fire wiped tears from her eyes before she continued. "The Fates want me to push her to love another and the best option at this time is you. Will you help us stop what's to come?"
"I appreciate that you want to look after your family. I would probably do the same. You more than any of the others should understand that the future isn't set, and we can stop what will happen." Brooklyn pointed out.
"If Demona doesn't change her fate then the future will be set in stone. I need your help to prove that Goliath is not the one she should be with." Cold Fire replied.
"What exactly would you have me do?" Brooklyn said irritably as his eyes began to glow bright white. "Destroy my bond with Katana and go to Demona and demand she do the same so we can start a bond neither of us believes in?" Demona landed between them and glared at Cold-Fire.
"I told you to drop this. You are going too far now my sister." Demona growled.
"Someone has to convince you that you're wrong." Cold-Fire pointed out. "You were not going to listen to me, so I had to try and speak with Brooklyn."
"I have listened to you. I told you that I will not give up on Goliath and I meant that. If you cannot support me then you can leave." Demona snarled irritably.
"I am trying to save our future. Can you not understand that?" Cold-Fire asked bitterly. "I think you know that Goliath is not the one you're meant for, but I think your devotion to him has clouded your judgment."
"I will decide what is best for me. I am begging for you to just let me choose my own path. I know what I am doing, and I would appreciate it if you would show me that you have some faith in your older sister." Demona stated bitterly. "Can you do that?"
…
Macbeth arrived at Duncan's castle a day ahead of schedule and was greeted by Gil and Drexia.
"What are you doing here?" Macbeth asked curiously. "And how did you get here before me?" Drexia moved closer to Gil and wrapped her arm around him.
"I flew us both here." Drexia replied. "My father wanted to speak to my love about important matters." Gil gave Macbeth a warning glance advising him not to say anything. Macbeth nodded and before he could speak Duncan came outside to join them.
"Macbeth, I am so glad that you could make it. I was so sorry to hear about Findlaech." Gil scowled at that but Macbeth didn't notice.
"Thank you, milord. It has been a trying time for us but we are doing what we can to honor his memory." Macbeth replied.
"As it should be… Tell me my young friend. Have you ever been hunting before?" Duncan asked curiously. Macbeth thought about it for a moment.
"My father took me to hunt boars and deer a time or two." Macbeth informed him. Duncan grinned.
"That's great news. I was hoping you wouldn't slow us down." Duncan winked at him and walked towards him to shake his hand.
"I assure you I won't slow you down. In fact, milord you may have trouble keeping up." Macbeth said with a grin.
"I think maybe we should put a small wager on it. I know that Gil here has told you about his betrothal to Gruoch, but I was thinking that if you win then Drexia here could use a friend and companion like you." Macbeth's eyes grew wide but Gil signaled him to be quiet and he slowly nodded.
"Good, then it's settled and Drexia will be the prize." She growled angrily but held her tongue after receiving a worried look from Gil. Duncan beckoned them to come inside and they followed him back into his study. "Macbeth, I have to admit that I was concerned about you being so young, but you and Bodhe seem to make a good team."
"Yes milord, they certainly do and if I may speak freely, I also believe that they work even better together when Macbeth is courting Gruoch." Gil pointed out. Duncan turned around and looked back and forth from Macbeth to Gil.
"Did you not appreciate my offer when I gave her to you?" Duncan asked curiously. Gil looked surprised by the question.
"Of course I did milord, but I believe that the young lady should have the right to choose. If she decides that we are a pair that fits what she desires then that will be great, but if she decides that her childhood friend is the better match then I believe it would only be proper to stay out of their way." Gil replied. Duncan scowled but quickly covered it with a wide smile.
"Very well, but remember that she is the lady of Castle Moray and if she chooses him you may have to leave." Duncan informed him.
"I will take that into consideration milord." Gil replied. Duncan nodded then turned towards a map he had hanging on the far wall.
"This is where we will travel to hunt." Duncan informed them. Drexia will come for protection purposes, but we should be alone up there."
"Why go all the way to the top of that cliff?" Macbeth asked after a moment. "That path makes it a very steep climb and getting a carcass back down may prove to be difficult."
"True, but I think Drexia can also help with that and the top of that particular cliff happens to be heavily populated with bucks." Duncan said. "Since no one else will attempt to climb that path then they will all be ours for the taking."
"Sounds like a good plan." Gil said. He kept the panic out of his voice but he suddenly remembered that there was a gargoyle cave built into the side of the cliff and the path would take them right by it.
"I will go and get some sleep then." Macbeth yawned as he rose to his feet. "After all, I did just spend the last two days travelling and I assume you're going to want to head out before the sun rises." Duncan nodded and Macbeth followed Duncan's servant to the guest quarters.
"I must say that I'm a little disappointed by your change of heart regarding Gruoch." Duncan said once Macbeth had left the room.
"I don't understand what the problem is. She loves him deeply and he loves her in return. Why would I wish to interfere with that?" Gil asked. "In my opinion it would only serve to destabilize her family and the people there."
"The truth is that we received a warning from the English. They warned us that if Macbeth married Gruoch and became lord of Castle Moray they would attack." Duncan sighed and placed a hand on Gil's shoulder. "We cannot survive a war with England right now. I need you to do this to save the lives of our people."
"I am his friend and it would not be right for me to do this." Gil replied. Duncan shrugged.
"Very well, I will find someone else who can but I was hoping to have someone there that I can trust." Duncan stated.
"My apologies for putting you in this position, milord." Gil said. "But if I may be blunt, to hell with England. We have Drexia and our armies are stronger than you are giving them credit for."
"I appreciate your enthusiasm but their soldiers would be far too much for us to handle even with her on our side." Duncan pointed out. "If he is your friend and you care about them then I would reconsider your decision not to take her as your own."
"Why in the hell would I do that?" Gil asked irritably. He was growing more annoyed by the second by this conversation.
"If you decline then I will have to send someone else." Duncan sighed. "He may not be as kind to her or Macbeth as you would be."
"I would think very hard before sending a brute to marry her." Gil's voice grew cold as he spoke.
"That's up to you isn't it?" Duncan grinned at him. "You wouldn't dare to cross me."
"You forget what I can do. I am the Hunter, I was Constantine's lead officer, and perhaps it is you that should know better than to cross me." Gil stepped forward with each additional word until Duncan was standing against the wall of his study. "You are my friend, but you cannot continue to play with people's lives. If the English are threatening then I will stall the marriage, but I will not control her and neither will you."
"You have no right to speak to me that way." Duncan whispered fiercely.
"I'm taking the right, unless of course you think you've found a way to stop me." Gil grinned at him and then turned and walked out the door. When he was gone Duncan called for one of his messengers. When he came in Duncan handed him a hastily written note.
"Give this to Jason and make sure that Gil doesn't see you do it." Duncan ordered. The messenger nodded and quickly ran off.
"We shall see who shouldn't cross who." Duncan grinned and sat at his desk to finish writing the orders to his men for the next day.
…
"Milord, you have a visitor." Puck advised Oberon. He slowly opened the front door to the apartment and Oberon slowly rose to his feet.
"Who is it…?" Oberon stopped talking and stared at the door as Titania walked into the room carrying Fox. It was evident on her face that she had been crying recently and Oberon stepped forward to help. She held her hand out signaling for him to stop.
"My being here does not mean that I forgive you…yet. I need you to listen to what I have to say and then I hope we can talk." Titania informed him.
"Of course, I would like nothing more than to talk with you." Oberon said as he used his magic to form a large chair next to his for her. She sat down with Fox and began to rock her back and forth as she spoke.
"I know now why I loved Halcyon. He was human, but he was as much like you as a human can be." Titania admitted. Oberon looked surprised for a moment by her admission. "I've always wanted a child but we couldn't have one. I am also pregnant with another that we must be rid of as soon as possible."
"What do you mean? I thought that this is what you wanted." Oberon pointed out.
"It's Lucifer's," She replied in a voice that still shook when she said it out loud.
"Why would you…? How could you…?" For the first time since his creation Oberon found that he was speechless.
"It was the only way I could keep my soul. I know that this is completely my fault, but we can fix this." Titania sighed and looked at Oberon hopefully. "The question is… Do you want to fix it?" Oberon stared at her and the baby for several minutes that felt like hours to the two of them. Then he waved his hand and part of the apartment walled itself off. They got up and opened the door to the new room and Titania realized it was a large nursery.
"We will make it work better this time." Oberon grinned down at her. Fox was asleep so Titania laid her down in the new crib and they gently closed the door before she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him passionately. Oberon began to loosen her dress and she let it fall from her shoulders and to the ground. Puck stepped out of the apartment and gently shut the door. He was grinning wide as he disappeared.
"I've missed this so much." Titania said as she once again felt Oberon using her. After getting used to Renard she found that being with Oberon again really hurt but something about the pain made it even more exciting for her and soon she was the one controlling the pace as she pushed herself into him as hard as she could and soon she began to scream uncontrollably before Oberon rolled over to lay next to her. "I still haven't forgiven you yet you know." She grinned at the confused look he gave her. "I really missed that though and I truly missed you." Titania kissed him again and they laid there to relax not letting the worries from the outside world to intrude upon them if even for just a few minutes.
…
"They are back together as you ordered, milord." Puck advised Lucifer who was in Avalon planning her next move.
"Very good, have you acquired the creature yet?" Lucifer asked while she put a few markers on a map.
"Not yet, she is difficult to control." Puck replied. Lucifer glared at him and he rushed to continue. "I am trying to negotiate with her but she is very stubborn." Puck pointed out.
"She is the only one that can defeat him and we need her on our side. If she continues to refuse then you'll have to kill her." Lucifer replied.
"How do you suggest I do that?" Puck grinned at her. "She is powerful enough to be a danger to your child and perhaps even you." He pointed out.
"I don't care how you do it. Get her back here as soon as possible. We cannot delay in our plans much longer." Lucifer snapped irritably.
"I will do what I can." Puck replied and vanished from the room. Lucifer stabbed a pin on the map of New York.
"When you awaken I will destroy you." Lucifer said out loud as she put more pins on various parts of the map.
…
"I don't understand you." Drexia said in a menacing tone. "We had each other to lean on through the years and you threw it away to join this crusade." Drexia walked into an open window that led to Macbeth's high-rise patio. He glared at her and then returned his attention to the glass of wine he had just poured for himself.
"What do you want now?" Macbeth asked irritably. He went back to his living room and sat on the couch as he turned on the television and started to flip through the channels.
"You're so infuriating. I should just kill you." Drexia's eyes began to glow bright gold. Macbeth laughed at that.
"You should but you won't." Macbeth pointed out. If you kill me then you and Demona will also die. You do remember that do you not?" He laughed again before taking another drink.
"Why did you leave?" Drexia asked irritably. Macbeth halted with the cup to his lips and slowly lowered his arm back down.
"You know the reason I left." He replied bitterly. "I had a calling to join the Crusaders and I answered it." He said and quickly gulped down his wine.
"I think you were scared." Drexia said bluntly. Macbeth looked at her for a moment and considered what she was saying for a moment before he responded.
"What exactly am I so afraid of?" Macbeth asked in a mocking tone. Drexia crossed her arms over her chest.
"I saw your face when I first brought up the idea of joining our souls together. You're terrified that you might actually be able to love again and revenge for what happened to Gruoch won't occupy your every thought." Drexia growled.
"You're treading on thin ice." Macbeth's tone grew cold as he rose to his feet to face her.
"Dammit, can't you see that I'm in love with you?" Drexia nearly shouted. "I would still be by your side if you would just trust me instead of this group of maniacs." Macbeth grabbed her roughly and kissed her passionately.
"I wanted to keep you out of this." Macbeth said irritably as he tried to catch his breath. Drexia stared at him in shock.
"Keep me out of what?" Drexia hissed.
"There are gargoyles that have joined Lucifer's side and we have been actively hunting them down. When Renard first recruited me, his plan was to only kill the one's that turned against us." Macbeth sighed and walked over to pick up a bottle of scotch and opened it. "I intended to kill the woman that is carrying the spawn of Lucifer but something moved my hand."
"You really expect me to believe that?" Drexia asked irritably.
"You can believe what you wish, but you've come here demanding the reason so I am telling you the truth." Macbeth replied.
"Why would you try to kill a pregnant woman?" Drexia asked in shock by his admissions.
"Did you miss that this is Lucifer's child that we're talking about here?" Macbeth asked surprised that she didn't understand why it was necessary.
"So, then why did you tell Renard that it was coming after he started protecting gargoyles?" Drexia asked still not believing what she was hearing.
"I know that you're in shock but you need to listen to what I'm saying." Macbeth said firmly before grabbing her shoulders and forcing her to sit down. He sat down next to her and continued. "Lucifer is turning humans and gargoyles into his servants." He informed her. "The woman I nearly shot is having Lucifer's heir. We cannot allow that." Macbeth added.
"There has to be a way other than killing her to stop it." Drexia pointed out.
"We need to put a stop to it no matter what it takes." Macbeth said trying to keep the irritation he felt out of his tone. "No method is too much when it comes to stopping that monster from being born." Drexia thought about what he said for a few minutes. He was worried for a moment that she would attack him but after another moment she sighed.
"I suppose you are right. If I choose to believe you and work with you again I need to know two things." Drexia informed him.
"What are those two things then?" Macbeth asked as he sat next to her and held her hands in his own.
"I need to know that we will try to avoid killing the woman if possible." Drexia began.
"We may try to find another option and your second condition?" He asked curiously. She held his hands tighter and looked him in the eye before she continued.
"I want to know that you love me. I want to know that now that you don't need to protect me from this that you will continue with our courtship." Drexia looked into his eyes hopefully as she spoke.
"If I say yes then I need to know if you can trust me. I need to know that I can count on you to help me if it comes down to having to kill her, and last I need to know if an eternity with me is truly what you want." Macbeth said returning her hopeful stare.
"Of course I will." Drexia hugged him tight to her and then she started to feverishly kiss him and started to remove his shirt as he reached into her loincloth. She purred and moaned deeply when she felt his touch. She quickly removed her halter top and reached down to try to remove his jeans. She started to growl in frustration because her claws made it difficult to undo the button. Macbeth grinned and pushed her gently down onto the couch and took them off himself before he joined her. She purred loud in his ear as they became one and she wrapped her arms and wings around him holding him close as he slowly made love to her. She kissed him again and then looked him in the eyes as they calmed down and Macbeth reached down to brush her hair out her eyes and over her ear. "What took us so long to get this right?" Drexia asked dreamily.
"I wanted to keep you safe my darling." Macbeth told her before he leaned down and kissed her again. She smiled wide and then a thought occurred to her.
"You told me that I need to trust you and that is true, but you also need to trust me." Drexia said. "I know you love me but I don't need to be protected my love." She reached up and breathed a small stream of fire to light the candles on the table next to the couch.
…
David Xanatos was working on a project when a blond haired man wearing glasses and a blue suit walked into his office at Xanatos Incorporated.
"Who are you and how did you get in here?" David asked while pulling a gun from the top drawer of his desk.
"I'm here with a gift Mr. Xanatos." Owen laid down the Grimorum. "My master has asked for me to give this to you."
"Before I kill you tell me why the hell I would be interested in an old book." David pulled the book from Owen's hands and looked it over.
"Well, Mr. Xanatos you want this book because within it is the secret to where you received the coin you sold to build your entire fortune." Owen replied.
"How did you know about that?" David asked suspiciously.
"It's all in the book. Now, the book also tells of a way to wake a clan of gargoyles that has been frozen in stone for near a millennia." Owen advised.
"This is the eighties, why would I care about waking more gargoyles when the ones already here cannot be trusted?" David chuckled and tossed the book on his desk.
"My master also told me that these gargoyles are not only instrumental in bringing you to the time to get the coin, but they will also help you win the war to end all wars in the future." Owen told him. "However, if none of this interests you then I can take the book back to him." Owen went to pick it up but David quickly snatched it.
"There's no harm in at least reading the book now is there?" David grinned at him.
"None at all Mr. Xanatos, This is my cell phone number. Please give me a call if you decide to break the Wyvern Clan's curse." Owen requested. He turned and left leaving David to sit at his desk as he began to read the book. A door opened that led to a side room that was attached to his office and the azure gargoyle walked into the room.
"You were right. He did come here just like you predicted he would." David said admiringly.
"When you awaken the clan let me know and then I will fulfill my end of our agreement." She advised him.
…
Hercules and Xena decided that night that they would need to get married, because they didn't know when they would get another chance. Demona, Cold-Fire, and Alcmene stood on the left side of the raised platform. Brooklyn and Iolaus stood on the right side. Gabrielle stood on the platform and Hercules stood slightly in front of her and to the right. Xena came into the room as the music began. Hercules gulped and froze when he saw her walking towards him. She stepped up onto the platform and faced her husband to be as Gabrielle started the ceremony.
"We are gathered here in this place to bring together my best friend in this world Xena with one of the greatest men I have ever known. Xena, you've been my friend for many years now and to be honest I have been dreading this day because I didn't want to lose you, but when you told me that you were marrying Hercules I couldn't have been happier for you." Gabrielle turned towards Hercules then. "Hercules, you're an amazing man and I'm so happy that after all the tragedies you've had to endure that you managed to find a way to love again. Now, if you would like to say any vows this would be the best time."
"Hercules, I never imagined myself being here. When I first fell in love with you I was so terrified that I ran from it. You never gave up on me and I will always love you for that. I promise that no matter what the future brings I will face it by your side. I will love you until my dying breath. This I swear to you." Xena vowed and began to blush as she accepted a gold wedding band from Demona. She put it on Hercules's left ring finger.
"Xena, since the day we met I knew that there was something special inside you. You're heart and spirit is uniquely genuine and after all the time we've known each other I can't express how happy I am that we are finally here. I have loved you from the first moment I saw you but I couldn't express it. The first time we made love I knew that we shared something special and I always hoped this day would come. I vow to you to do everything I can to make you happy for as long as we both live." Hercules swore as he accepted the ring from Iolaus and slid it gently onto Xena's left ring finger.
"By the power granted to me by Aphrodite, goddess of love, I now grant your marriage and bless your union." Xena leaped into his arms then and kissed him passionately to the applause of her friends that had gathered around them.
"Let's start drinking." Iolaus said with a wide grin and hugged Xena before shaking his friend's hand.
"Congratulations Sister." Demona smiled and hugged Xena close to her. "May the power of the moon bless your union." Alcmene walked forward and hugged Xena and then her son.
"I'm so excited to have grandchildren." Alcmene said happily.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Hercules laughed. "It'll happen when it happens, but I promise you'll be the first to know."
…
"I gave him the book as you ordered milord." Puck said as he entered the apartment that he shared with Oberon and Titania.
"Good work Puck, now we just need to wait for his interest in this to lead him the way we want, and our army will finally be complete and we will destroy Lucifer once and for all." Oberon grinned. Titania sat next to Oberon and kissed him.
"I think I found a spell to rid myself of the infection." Titania said happily.
"You mean Lucifer's…" Puck began.
"Stop, I can't do what I need to do if I think of that. After the spell the infection should be gone." Titania advised.
Oberon looked over the piece of parchment that she handed him and nodded. "Very well, let's get started and collect the ingredients that we need."
