June 8, 1997
JFK International Airport
1:00 p.m.

When Elisa picked Beth up at the airport, she waited for her at her gate, and then eagerly embraced her sister when she unboarded.

"How was your flight?" she asked as they hugged.

"Fine. Uneventful," Beth replied. "Spent most of it preparing for my grad school interview."

They walked through the airport, Beth dragging her carry-on behind her.

"I wish the interview was before the wedding and not after, that way I could relax and have fun."

Talon and Maggie were getting married on the 14th, and with a lot of work and effort, they were able to pull it off so that their wedding was legal. Technically, Derek Maza and Maggie Reed still existed. They were even able to find a priest to marry them, Father Byrne who had come to know of the Labyrinth and its inhabitants due to his charity work with the homeless. He provided food and clothing at times as well as spiritual council for those who wanted it. He had come to know Talon and Maggie and their backstory, and he had agreed to officiate their wedding.

The hardest part had been getting a marriage license since neither Talon or Maggie could stroll into City Hall to get one. Peter had managed to pull some strings with some of his connections, though. One of the clerks was an old friend of his who knew the Maza family well when they had been neighbors in the same apartment building when the Maza kids were all really young.

With a great deal of effort, everything had fallen into place, and Talon and Maggie would be getting married the next weekend in the Labyrinth just after sunset so that the gargoyles, both the Manhattan and Labyrinth clans, could attend.

"Hey, you're gonna be great. NYU will be lucky to have you, and if you don't get in, there's always Columbia," Elisa said, trying to alleviate some of her sister's fears.

Beth wrinkled up her nose in response.

"Don't get me wrong, I know you and Derek went there, and it's a great school...but I really want to get into a good program on my own merits. No offense," she said.

"Ouch," Elisa replied snidely. "You know, I got into Dartmouth as well, but I decided to go to Columbia because free tuition is a little hard to pass up."

Their mother, Diane, was a professor at Columbia, and one of the perks was deeply discounted tuition for her children. Beth, as the baby, had wanted to get out from underneath the shadow of her older siblings and blaze her own trail; a scholarship to Flagstaff University had been her ticket to independence.

"You look tired," Beth said. "A certain someone keeping you up all night?"

Elisa gave her sister a harassed look.

"It wasn't Goliath, it was Quarrymen, and I only got a few hours of sleep today because I had to pick you up."

Beth flinched.

"God, I hate that group. You know, your life is pretty damn chaotic, Elisa, I don't know how you deal with it."

Elisa shrugged. Some days, she wondered that herself.

"It is what it is," she replied.

They got out to the parking lot and Elisa's car. Beth put her suitcase in the trunk and then climbed into the passenger seat.

"Are you hungry? Do you wanna grab a bite to eat before I drop you off at Mom and Dad's?" Elisa asked as she got behind the steering wheel and buckled her seatbelt.

"Elisa...about that," Beth said hesitantly. "I know I arranged to stay with Mom and Dad, but...your place is so much closer to NYU as well as all the clubs and shops, and it would really be a lot more fun if I didn't have to stay out in the burbs with our parents...could I stay with you?"

"Beth...I only have one bedroom—"

"You won't even know I'm there, I swear."

"Yeah, I don't believe that for a second," Elisa grumbled.

"Please?" Beth begged. "I'll be out late most nights so you and Goliath can still be alone together." She waggled her eyebrows up and down.

"Stop," Elisa ordered, and then she sighed. "Alright...I get it. But you'll have to sleep on the couch."

Beth squealed and wrapped her arms around her big sister.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed happily.

"Hey! Watch it! I'm driving!"

.

.

.

Elisa'a Loft
9:00 p.m.

Goliath saw that the lights were out in Elisa's apartment as he approached her home, which he thought was odd. It was her night off, and she was supposed to be home. As he landed on her roof and approached the windows, he wondered if she had been called into work, but then he noticed a still form wrapped up in a blanket on the sofa.

Elisa must have been tired and taken a nap. He shouldn't be surprised, last night had been pretty rough on all of them.

He quietly opened the window and stepped in. Then he made his way silently over to the sofa where he crouched down next to his lover's sleeping form.

He should move her to the bed where she could sleep more comfortably, he thought.

But...then again...perhaps if he gently woke her, she might be inclined to engage in some non-sleeping activities, perhaps finish what they had started the night before?

He slipped his hand under the blanket and ran it lightly over her leg. She was wearing shorts, so his hand skimmed over bare flesh.

"I hope you're dreaming of me," he purred as he pulled the blanket away to kiss her neck and breathe in her sweet scent as his hand slid up over her backside.

It was then he noticed Elisa had cut her hair short.

And she didn't smell like Elisa.

He pulled back in shock but not fast enough before the female bolted upright, screamed, and connected her hand with the side of his face with a resounding slap .

"Goliath?!" she shrieked.

"Beth?!" he replied, shocked and horrified to find his mate's sister instead of his mate. He pressed a hand to his cheek to lessen the sting her hand had left.

He knew Beth was flying in earlier today for the wedding, but Elisa had told him she was staying at Peter and Diane's.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Beth demanded as she pulled the blanket up to her neck protectively.

"What are you doing in Elisa's apartment?!" Goliath threw back.

The door to the apartment opened then, and a light flipped on.

"God, I should have just paid for delivery," Elisa muttered to herself as she dragged in a large box.

Then she noticed Goliath and Beth and the odd tension and awkward body language they both exhibited. She looked back and forth between them uncertainly as she shut the door behind her.

"What's going on?" she asked, concerned. "Why are you both being weird?"

"I–I didn't know Beth was here. I thought you were asleep on the sofa," Goliath began to explain.

Elisa shot him a confused look.

"and I….I…" Goliath, always eloquent and articulate, stumbled over his words and his ears turned a deep shade of purple.

Elisa's brows rose as she began to understand what had occurred.

"He grabbed my ass!" Beth squeaked out from the blanket.

"I thought she was you!" Goliath said defensively, holding up his hands.

"Oh my god!" Elisa chortled, and then she burst into laughter, her arms around her stomach as she doubled over.

Goliath ignored his mate's outburst as he turned back to the young woman who sat huddled on the sofa, her face red with embarrassment.

"Beth, I am dreadfully sorry. I did not mean to violate you or make you feel uncomfortable. I assumed only Elisa would be here, I should have been more careful," he said with grave sincerity.

"It's ok. No harm done," Beth squeaked over the edge of the blanket that was still pulled up to her chin. "Let's never mention this again, ok?"

Goliath nodded solemnly in agreement.

"I thought you were going out tonight?" Elisa asked her sister.

"I am. I was just catching a power nap before I meet up with friends," Beth replied timidly. "I'm just gonna...I'll just go get ready now."

Beth slunk away hurriedly as she retreated into Elisa's bedroom.

"I can't believe you confused me with my sister!" Elisa said incredulously once Beth was out of ear shot. She was grinning so he knew she was not actually mad about his faux pas.

"I did not know she was staying here! Besides, you have to admit, you share striking similarities," he replied defensively.

Elisa snorted.

"When did you figure out it wasn't me? Before or after Beth slapped you?" She gestured at the reddish mark on his cheek.

"I realized just after I, uh…"

"Grabbed my sister's ass?" Elisa offered.

Goliath dragged a hand over his face.

"Yes. I noticed then that her scent was wrong...and her hair."

"The hair should have been a dead give away," Elisa said with a grin.

"Do you think she'll ever leave the bathroom while I'm here?" Goliath muttered, his wings drooping. "Or look me in the eye again?"

"Eventually, but maybe I should send you on an errand to get you out of the house for a bit while she calms down."

"An errand?"

Elisa indicated the box she had brought up.

"I was going to take it with me tomorrow for the baby shower, but would you be willing to take it down to the Labyrinth tonight for me so that I don't have to lug it down there?"

"I'd be happy to," Goliath said as he looked at the box, and as he did, he frowned.

On the box was a picture of a crib.

Elisa was still looking at the box as well and hadn't noticed the shift in his demeanor.

"Thanks. Do you think it would be tacky if I just slapped a bow on it and called it good? It might be kind of tricky to wrap," she asked him.

When Goliath didn't respond she looked up at him. His brow was furrowed, his mouth pressed into a thin line, and the lines on his face appeared deeper.

"Goliath?" Elisa asked, concerned.

"Oh, uh," he said, and he shook his head, relaxing his face. "I don't know what the proper protocol for things like this are."

"Are you alright?" she prodded gently.

"I'm fine," Goliath said after a moment, his tone melancholy.

"Please, talk to me," Elisa pleaded gently.

Goliath took a deep breath.

"That crib is the exact same crib we purchased for our unborn child...in the dream," he admitted.

"Oh," Elisa said. She didn't know what else to say, so she just gazed up at him sympathetically, and waited for him to talk.

"The dream is starting to fade. I don't remember much, but then something will trigger a memory, and then it all comes back."

The image of a heavily pregnant Elisa lying dead at the hands of Demona flashed before his eyes, and he shook his head as if to dislodge the graphic image.

Elisa took his hand in hers.

"I'm sorry," she said compassionately.

Goliath took a deep breath and resettled his wings around his shoulders.

"You don't need to apologize to me, Elisa," he said quietly. "I'll make sure your gift is delivered safely tonight."

"You don't have to, I know—"

"It's alright. I'm ok," he reassured her.

"Thank you," Elisa said sincerely. "While you're there, could you do me another favor?"

"Certainly."

"Try not to fondle my other sibling, OK?" she said with a wry smile as she attempted to lift the heavy mood.

Goliath sighed wearily.

"You are never going to let me forget about this, aren't you?"

"Not a chance," Elisa said as she patted his arm.

...

...

Goliath held the wrapped present under one arm as he approached the underground entrance to the Labyrinth. Two large burly looking men guarded the door. They were hard and intimidating looking, the types you might find in a biker gang or as bouncers at a club.

Last winter, Sevarius had disguised himself and infiltrated the Labyrinth, abducting four members, two of which had been children.

And then he mutated them.

One of the adults, a woman named Tasha, had committed suicide when she could not handle her transformation and the prospect that she would remain a mutate for the rest of her life. She'd done it right in front of the kids. A trauma that would likely haunt them for the rest of their lives.

It had been a tremendous loss to the Labyrinth community, and the traumatic events, the abduction and the death of Tasha, had left the residents all feeling afraid and vulnerable. Goliath and his clan had stepped up their visits since then in hopes of helping them to feel like there were others who were looking out for them, but Talon had taken steps to increase security as well. In addition to a camera that had been there before, there were now guards at the main entrance, but Goliath didn't recognize these two. They must be new.

"I am here to see Talon and Maggie," Goliath addressed the two men. Although he was not intimidated by them, he was at least respectful.

"No worries, Goliath. We know you're on the friends list," one of the men said in a thick Brooklyn accent.

Goliath nodded appreciatively, and the pneumatic doors opened, and he walked through.

He made his way towards the heart of the Labyrinth where he hoped to run into Elisa's brother or his fiancée.

"Hey, Goliath!" a voice he recognized called out to him.

Goliath paused and turned towards the sound of the voice. A short woman with dark brown curls and a baby on her hip stood two yards away.

"Nita," Goliath said, acknowledging the woman. "You and Mateo are up late."

Nita bounced the baby slightly. He had more than doubled in size since the day Goliath and his clan had saved him from Pal Joey and his sister, Julia. He had a nearly cherubic appearance with his mother's curls and dimpled cheeks. Mateo was currently chewing on his fist, and his long dark eyelashes were thick with tears.

"Yeah...I think Mateo is cutting teeth," Nita sighed. "I can't get him to sleep."

"We used to put whiskey on the gums of hatchlings when they were cutting teeth," Goliath said. "Though I imagine that would be considered unconscionable now."

Nita laughed.

"I'm about ready to try anything," she said.

"Have you seen Talon or Maggie this evening?" Goliath asked her.

"Hmm, I last saw Talon talking to Thug about some security concern they have with one of the tunnels, and Maggie is tutoring the clones in the classroom. Come on, I'll take you to her. I'm assuming the gift is for Maggie, after all."

Goliath nodded and walked in step with the petite woman, which meant he had to slow down considerably.

"This from Elisa?" She gestured to the gift.

"Yes, for the…baby shower tomorrow," Goliath stated, perplexed by the idea that a party was called a shower.

"And you're bringing it for her?"

"She asked me to," Goliath replied.

"You and her are awfully close," Nita said as she eyed him thoughtfully.

"She means a great deal to me."

"Yeah, that totally means you're doin' her."

Goliath stopped mid stride.

"I am not—" he began to say indignantly, and then he stopped trying to deny it as Nita looked skeptically at him. She clearly wasn't going to buy any excuse he gave her.

"It's not like that," he amended.

"Come on. I'm a former prostitute. I've heard every weird sex thing in the book. This isn't even in my top ten," she said dismissively.

Goliath rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. He had no idea what to follow that up with, so he started walking again.

"I'm sure you can understand why the true nature of my relationship with Elisa is not something we share with many people," Goliath said discreetly.

"Yeah, I get it," Nita replied.

"And it's not like we're—" he stopped and huffed out an uncertain breath. "We're not just—"

"You love her."

"With every fiber of my being, yes," Goliath admitted, shocking himself with how openly he was talking about this with Nita.

"Well, I don't really care who you're doing it with, but I owe you and Elisa a lot, besides, you're both consenting adults, and I think it's…kind of sweet. Anyway, here's the classroom."

She gestured at a room, and then she stepped through the doorway.

"Hey, Mags. Ya got a visitor," she said grandly.

Goliath followed her through into the space that was used as a classroom for human students during the day, and a classroom for the clones at night.

Maggie looked up at him from a workbook she was going over with Hollywood. The large clone of Broadway looked up at him warily. They all did, in fact. When they saw him, they saw Thailog, and it made them all leary and hesitant to trust.

"I'm not really here on a social call, I am here to deliver this to you ahead of your baby shower tomorrow. It's from Elisa," Goliath explained, indicating the gift.

"Oh!" Maggie said as she eyed the large present. "She shouldn't have gone to such trouble!"

Goliath knew by the broad smile on her face that she did not mean what she said.

"What is present?" Hollywood asked curiously in his broken way of speaking.

"I don't know," Maggie said, smiling. "We'll have to wait and find out tomorr— oh !"

She paused and clutched her large belly, her golden eyes widening.

"Maggie? Are you alright?" Goliath asked her, concerned.

"I don't know. I think I just had a contraction."

Nita suddenly thrust Mateo at Goliath who stood closest to her.

"Take him," she instructed.

Goliath reached for the child before he realized what he was doing as he wondered how such a small woman could be so intimidating. He gingerly took the infant from her, holding him awkwardly.

"Are you having any other pains, Maggie?" Nita asked the mutate, taking her hands in hers.

"I'm having another one right now, I think," she said. "It feels weird. It doesn't really hurt that much."

"That's how they start, but trust me, they get a lot worse real quick. Breathe through it. Don't hold your breath. I'll go get Talon," Nita said, and then she quickly left the makeshift classroom.

Goliath realized at that point that he was still holding the child.

The baby babbled and roughly grabbed a lock of his hair. He winced and tried to withdraw the hair from the child's fist which only made Mateo wail angrily, and he desperately tried to come up with a solution to pacify the child.

When Nita returned eventually with Talon hot on her heels, she found Goliath lightly bouncing Mateo in his arms while he contentedly gummed the hard talon on his index finger. His eyes were heavy, blinking slowly and unevenly as if drunk, like he was about to fall asleep.

"Hey, look at that! You wanna take him the rest of the night?" Nita said, grinning.

Goliath looked at her like she had just asked him to donate a kidney.

"I'm kidding. You're a natural with him, though. Do you have kids?" Nita asked as she took Mateo back from him. The baby reluctantly let go of his finger which resulted in a fresh round of wails. "Oh, wait, I suppose you couldn't if you're with Elisa…" she corrected herself.

"I have a daughter...from a previous relationship," Goliath replied and left it at that.

"Crazy ex situation, am I right?" Nita asked.

"Something like that," Goliath said wryly.

Meanwhile, Talon was trying to comfort Maggie and assess the situation. He was trying to sound calm and confident, but Goliath could see the fear in his eyes, the way any male did when their mate was about to give birth and place themselves on the threshold between life and death.

Goliath shuddered at unbidden memories. Of the night Demona labored to bring forth their egg. Her screams of agony and the blood.

He felt a cold chill and pushed the dark memory away.

"I've called Dr. Sato. He'll be here soon." Talon said reassuringly.

"Ok," Maggie nodded, her face looking fearful as Talon put his arms around her protectively.

...

...

When Dr. Sato arrived, he examined Maggie privately. Goliath waited for news before he decided to rush home to his mate and inform her of the impending birth of her niece or nephew. While he waited, the two young mutated children, Benny and Erin, approached him.

"Is Maggie ok?" the young male who looked like a giant woodlouse asked.

"We heard the doctor was here. Is the baby coming?" the adolescent female who looked like a turtle said.

They continued to lob questions at him at a rapid fire pace, and he held up a hand in a request for patience.

"The doctor is with Maggie right now. I do not know if the baby is coming or not, but she's in the best hands possible."

Talon and Dr. Sato emerged from the room at that moment, neither appeared to be anxious or concerned, and Goliath released the breath he had been holding.

"Call me if the contractions get worse or if she starts bleeding, anything unusual like that, and make sure she doesn't overdo it," he said.

"Have you met Maggie?" Talon said with a laugh.

"Do the best you can," Dr. Sato replied amused. "I think we're getting close, but we're not there yet. I'll come check on her again in a couple of days."

"Thanks, Doc. I'm sorry we called you down here on a false alarm."

"Better safe than sorry," Dr. Sato said reassuringly. "I'll see myself out."

"Thanks again, doc," Talon said.

"Hello, Goliath. Glad to see you in non-exigent circumstances," Dr. Sato said to him as he passed. Goliath slightly tipped his head in greeting to the doctor.

"It's always a pleasure, Jay, especially if I am not the one on the receiving end of your care," he replied with a slight grin.

Dr. Sato chuckled and clapped him on the arm as he left the way he came in.

"Is everything alright with Maggie?" Benny piped up.

Talon turned towards the young mutate and crouched down to be on the child's level.

"Yeah, she's fine. She has what's called Braxton Hicks contractions. It's just her body's way of practicing for the big day."

"Can we help with the baby when it comes?" Erin asked.

"I'm sure Maggie will really appreciate that," Talon replied affectionately. "Now, aren't you two supposed to be in bed?"

"Yeah," Benny said glumly.

"Go on, or Maggie will be upset that you didn't get the rest you need."

"Come on, Benny," Erin said as she tugged on her brother's hand.

"Good night, Mr. Talon. Good night, Mr. Goliath," Benny said as he followed his sister out.

"Sleep well," Goliath called after them amused.

The smile on Talon's face immediately fell as soon as the children were out of sight.

"I swear to God, if I ever get my hands on Sevarius, there won't be anything left of him to be forensically identified," Talon growled under his breath.

"Aye," Goliath replied, the simple word edged with dark promise.

"Maggie is well then?" he asked Talon.

"Yeah, just false labor. She's fine. For now," he sighed heavily. "The closer we get, the more anxious I feel. We have no idea what to expect."

"I am sorry. It must be difficult."

"Yeah, uh, thanks for sticking around to help hold down the fort while I was with the doctor and Maggie."

"Of course. I wanted to ensure all was well before I informed Elisa. She would want to know."

Talon nodded.

"Hey, listen...we're having a little gathering tomorrow night, while the ladies are doing their baby shower thing for Maggie in the evening." He rubbed the fur on the back of his neck absentmindedly. "It's just me and my dad. We're going to play poker and have a drink or two, and well, I thought maybe you would be interested in joining us?"

Goliath's brows lifted slightly in surprise. Talon, Elisa's brother, who only a few months ago thought he was the worst thing to happen to his sister, was inviting him to a social gathering? With Peter?

Goliath felt his palms sweat at the thought of being alone with the two Maza men without Elisa as a buffer, but he nodded graciously.

"I will be there."

"Good," Talon said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "Nine o'clock at my parents'."