Elisa insisted that she be the only one to talk to them, and managed to corner the power couple in David Xanatos' office.

David and Fox Xanatos sat in a stunned silence when Elisa had finished her story.

Fox spoke first. "Goliath was hurt that badly?"

Elisa nodded her head, still afraid to vocalize her fears. It felt as if she spoke it, it would somehow make her deepest fears come true.

Fox leaned against her husband's desk, arms crossed, and closed her eyes as if deep in thought.

David, leaned back in his massive office chair, stroking his chin while thinking over this new development.

"We could always just have him brought here," David said. "We've done it before. It would be a lot less attention getting than dropping someone on a roof in broad daylight."

Elisa looked at the clock. "Is there enough time?" She asked, doubtful.

"Of course," David said, getting to his feet in one smooth motion. "However, if you would like him brought here, we need to begin now."

Elisa closed her eyes. As much as she wanted to shield the clan from what happened, she knew that one way or the other, they would know tonight anyway.

"Let's do it," Elisa said.

David nodded, and reached for his phone.

-{- -{- -{- -{- -{- -{-

Xanato's team made it back to the castle with half an hour to spare, Goliath's stone form encased in a large opaque wrapping and cradled inside a large net of some kind.

At Elisa's insistence, he was laid on the surface of his tower.

Once he was safely back on the ground, and "unwrapped", by an unspoken understanding everyone left the couple alone.

Elisa sat beside Goliath on the cold stone of his tower, truly alone with her thoughts for the first time that day. She reached out and took hold of one of his hands with hers, and waited there as the time slowly crept by.

Eventually, the sky began to darken as the sun retreated behind the taller skyscrapers. What few clouds still hung in the evening sky began to change colors, and Elisa got to her feet.

Any moment now, Goliath was going to wake up and take her in his arms and tell her that everything was going to be alright.

The familiar sound of the stone cracking reached her ears, and she instinctively raised an arm to protect her face from flying debris.

Gargoyle roars split the air…

But not the one she wanted to hear the most.

Elisa dropped her arm, and gazed at her husband's figure, still and cold stone.

"Goliath," Elisa whispered, and knelt by him where he lay. "Come on, big guy."

Still, nothing.

Elisa's legs gave out, and she landed roughly on her knees beside Goliath.

Rapid footfalls sounded from the stairs of the tower. Skyler's voice called from the doorway, "Elisa, how's Goli…" She stopped short, her face a mask of shock and grief. "Oh, god…"

Elisa crossed her arms over her midsection. "No," Elisa screamed and began to sob.

Skyler ran to the edge of the tower that loomed over the courtyard below. She scanned, and spotted the clan. Judging by their expressions, they were probably looking around for the threat after hearing Elisa's scream.

"Brooklyn!" She screamed. "God, Brooklyn, help!"

Brooklyn's head swung upward, the tone of her voice, one he'd never heard before urging him into action. He dropped to all fours, and scaled the outer stairs that led to the top of the tower.

"Skyler!" He breathed, pulling himself over the decorative merlon edge. "What happened…"

He took in the scene then. Skyler was standing before him, her eyes streaming tears, and covering her mouth with her hands. Elisa was on the ground sobbing, and Goliath was still in his stone form, unmoving.

Without speaking, Brooklyn swung an arm out, and swept Skyler into his arms. He buried his face into her neck so that he didn't have to see the body of his leader. His friend. His clan brother.

Brooklyn heard the sound of talons on stone, and knew that the clan had hurried to follow him upwards.

Brooklyn raised his head to see Broadway comforting a weeping Angela, as Hudson and Lexington hurried to help Elisa. Hudson knelt beside Elisa, placing hand on her back as Elisa continued to cry.

There was a commotion at the doorway of the inner stairway leading to the tower, as a few of Elisa's family pushed their way through. Peter came through first, and took it all in with a single glance. While Beth stopped at the doorway, Peter hurried forward, and scooped his eldest daughter up in his arms as if she were still a small child.

He stood with her and began quickly walking her back into the castle. He leaned over to whisper something to Beth, and Beth turned to lead the way back inside.

Brooklyn gave Skyler a final comforting squeeze. "Skyler, go with Elisa," He said softly.

Skyler lifted her head and gazed into his eyes, his sorrow seeming to be mirrored in hers.

After a moment, Skyler gave him a small nod, then turned to follow the Mazas.

-{- -{- -{- -{- -{- -{-

Peter carried Elisa carefully down the winding stairs of the round tower. He had sent Beth ahead to get the Xanatos to call Doctor James for help.

They had to pass the playroom on the way to the elevators. There was no way around it, so Peter quickened his steps as much as he could.

Diane came to the door to see what the commotion was, her hands going to her chest when she saw Elisa and realized what must have happened.

"Keep the kids occupied, Diane," Peter said softly. "They don't need to see this."

Diane, tears in her eyes, took a breath and returned to the room, shutting the door behind her to block the kids from seeing or hearing the hallway.

Fox Xanatos stood in the entry of the elevator, holding the door open so that they wouldn't have to wait in the hall for the car to arrive.

"Thank you," Peter told her.

Fox could only nod and retreat, allowing the doors to close.

"I know, my girl," Peter said, holding Elisa closely. "I am so sorry."

"It's my fault," Elisa sobbed.

"It's not," Peter said firmly. "None of this was your fault."

"But it is," Elisa said. "He was there because of me. If he hadn't been there, he'd still be…" She couldn't even finish the thought.

Peter knew that she wasn't going to hear anything he said now, so he just held her while she cried, watching the numbers slowly count down until they reached the medical floor.

Doctor James, his nurse and Wife Kiersten, and Elisa's nurse friend Margaret met them at the elevators. All three faces reflecting their own shock and sorrow, having gotten the news from Beth.

"Let us take her," Doctor James said, offering to take Elisa from Peter's arms.

Peter shook his head. He was not going to leave his daughter, and asked for them to lead them to where they needed to go.

Doctor James nodded and led the way to one of the treatment rooms.

Peter laid her on the white draped bed, watching helplessly as his daughter suffered a loss that he had hoped to never have his children go through in his lifetime.

Doctor James readied a syringe and gave Elisa an injection of a fairly powerful sedative. Margaret went to the opposite side of the bed from Peter, and took her hand.

"We're here for you Elisa," She said softly. "And we'll be here when you wake up."

Elisa grabbed Margaret's hand with one of hers, and her father's hand with the other, as she let the darkness flow over her.