Hello everyone!

For those of you who have never read this series, you can go ahead and skip this part, as it doesn't really affect you.

For those of you who have started reading this story, or have read everything already posted; this is for you.

As I mentioned in my note in Chapter 1, I have gone through everything I have written, and some changes have been made. But as I also mentioned, the main story has not changed. Some character thoughts have been added or removed, reactions have been altered, but the plot remains the same. So now that I have started uploading completely new chapters, in my mind, you should be okay to just start off here. But then again, it has been so long since I have made an update, that maybe those rewritten chapters will help refresh your memory.

Either way, please enjoy!

I do not own Gargoyles. Disney owns them. Gargoyles is a show that I love, and write stories about. I own Crystal, and any other characters that did not appear on the show.

New Life, New Beginnings: Chapter 8

After awakening that night, Crystal went back to the hotel room to get the backpack and go back to the hospital. She had also planned on apologizing to Fox. She had acted completely out of line, and had never meant what she had said. Finding the room empty, and not really wanting to wait, she left a note of apology on the desk, got the backpack, and made her way to the hospital.

She entered the hospital the same way as she had the night before, and was happy to see Nicole sitting up and watching television. "Girl, I swear, with the speed at which you heal, sometimes I think you're part garg."

"Good to see you back here, Crys." She quickly noticed the backpack. "What'd you bring me?"

She closed the door behind her. "Just some things of yours. Thought you might want them, now that the house is done with being a crime scene."

Nicole took the bag and started rummaging through it. "Looks like you got all the important things." With a heavy sigh, she looked away from the bag and up at her cousin. "I'm sorry about all this."

"Hey, I don't blame you. I'm just happy to know you're feeling better." She pulled up a chair beside the bed and sat down. "So, have you gotten any visitors yet? Or am I the only one that loves you?"

She laughed and slapped her cousin's arm. "You're hilarious, you know that? Of course I've gotten other visitors. My parents came by earlier today."

"They did, huh? I see they finally decided to come visit their injured daughter."

"Crys, I know you and them are on bad terms -"

"Bad terms?" she interrupted. "You call disowning me and pretending I never existed bad terms? I'm the only thing your mom has left to remember of her sister, and she would rather pretend that my mom never had me."

"Crys, you gotta understand, my mom -"

"Is someone that I don't want to talk about. End of topic." She sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that. It's just... you're basically the only family I have left."

"I shouldn't have brought up the topic of my parents. I know how much you hate them."

"I don't hate them, it's more, I hate their views." She lied. She didn't want to upset her cousin, especially since she was only starting to recover. "I'm gonna go pass by the house one last time... just to say goodbye."

Nicole nodded in understanding. "Yeah, sure. Will you be coming back tonight?"

Crystal sighed heavily. "Don't count on it."

Meanwhile, at Pearson International Airport...

"Yo, taxi!" He hollered, trying to catch one before he made the decision of hiking down the highways. Finally hailing one, he climbed into the backseat, placed the large bag with his clothes beside him, and gave the driver the address. The driver muttered for a few seconds about the distance, but was soon on the road, heading north.

He wasn't one that could stand out in a crowd, looks-wise, but he was still good-looking. Standing at an even six feet, he had short black hair, a nicely chiselled body, and a smile that could make a girl's heart melt in an instant.

He watched the scenery pass by him as it slowly changed from a city scape to farmland, but he wasn't really paying attention; he was too busy focusing on this thoughts. He soon grew tired of looking out the window, and decided his time could be better spent focusing on what he was going to say. He searched through one of the pockets of his bag, and pulled out the papers he was looking for. Sifting through them, he sighed in anticipation and anxiousness.

He considered himself lucky; he never had the feeling of being out of place or not belonging when he was growing up, like a lot of adopted kids did. Although once he found out he was adopted, he wasted no time trying to find his biological family.

It wasn't long after his search began that he hit his first snag; his biological parents live just outside of Toronto, whereas he was living on the other side of the country in Vancouver. A few hours on a plane would fix that problem.

Then he struck gold; it wasn't a closed adoption! He was easily able to acquire their names and place of residence. Once he had that, he immediately jumped on the phone to book his plane ticket.

The sudden stop of the car brought him out of his thoughts. "Hey, watch how you're driving."

"Sorry, just didn't realize this was the house you wanted," the driver replied. "This place was all over the news yesterday." His passenger looked out the window and could see his hopes being crushed. Half the house had been burned down. "You sure you want to stop here?"

"Uh, yeah." He handed the driver a fifty dollar bill, grabbed his bag, and started making his way up the driveway. He was thinking of changing directions and going to the neighbour's house, but something within him said to go inside the damaged house. He took his time in walking up the front steps and stepping through the knocked-down front door. He placed his bag on the floor, stuck the papers back in it, and took out the mini flashlight on his keychain. He tried to ignore the massive bloodstain in the middle of the floor, and started looking around. It seemed as though everything was still in the house; the couches, television, tables, and every other piece of furniture. He was about to step into the dining room, when pieces of drywall started falling on him. He had barely looked up before he was slammed onto the floor by a growling creature with glowing red eyes.

It snarled, "Who are you and what are you doing here?!"

"M-my name is Christian," he stuttered. "Christian Firelli. I came here to find the DiMaggios."

She - the voice was most definitely feminine - gripped his arms tighter. "What do you want with them?"

He gritted his teeth at the pain she was causing him. "They're my parents."

"Liar!" she hissed. "They had only one child! And it was a girl!"

"I swear it's the truth! I have the papers to prove it!"

She growled in his face and looked down at him. Her growling ceased when she looked into his eyes. There was nothing special about the colour, but they had the same red specks as hers did. She had only known people from her father's side of the family to have the same red specks, and frankly, she was the only one left from his side of the family. The glow in her eyes slightly dimmed. "You..." No, this can't be. She quickly climbed off him. "Show me this so-called 'proof' you have."

Shaking, he quickly got back on his feet and grabbed the papers he had stuffed into his bag. His efforts in trying to stop his hand from shaking as he handed the papers to the creature were futile.

She snatched the papers out of his hand and looked them over. Thanks to her improved sight, she was able to see what was written; even in the dark. They looked authentic, but she had never had the chance to deal with adoption papers. There was a copy of the birth certificate, and there was no denying its authenticity. But what really shocked her was the date of birth. "1987?" she muttered. She had only been three at the time, but as far as she could remember, her mother had never... she quickly moved her hand over her mouth. It was a faint memory, but it was there nonetheless. She remembered her mother having a big belly, and asking why she did. Her parents had told her that 'mommy was sick, but she would get better in a few months.' She had been worried the day her mother had to go to the hospital, but when she came back home, she no longer had a belly, and to her, as long as her mommy wasn't sick anymore, she didn't care about anything else. Years later, she had realized that her mother had been pregnant, and so she asked what had happened to the baby. They had said it had been a still-birth, and they didn't want to talk about it any further. "They... lied to me," she whispered.

The creature hadn't said anything for a while, and Christian didn't know if he should speak up. "I... I hate to interrupt your thoughts, but if you could just tell me where I could find them..."

She pushed the papers back at him. "You're too late."

He cautiously took back the papers. "Excuse me?"

"The DiMaggios... Tony and Gloria... were killed in a car accident three years ago. Sorry you made the trip for nothing." She made sure to keep her head down, so that he couldn't see her eyes.

"You said they had a daughter. Where could I find her?"

"She disappeared a few months after their death."

"Well, uh," he didn't really know how to ask this, or even if she would know. Heck, he didn't even know what he was talking to, thanks to the dark surroundings. "Do you know where they're buried? Or who I could go talk to, maybe other members of the family?"

She quickly glanced at him, not giving him enough time to get a good look at her eyes, as she growled in her chest. His eyes were exactly like her father's; the same soft brown. She had gotten the hazel colour from her mother. "It would be pointless to go to the family. They're just a bunch of bigots. They'd turn you away as soon as they knew who you were."

Her growl was certainly a reaction he didn't expect. "Well, seeing as I don't care if they're bigots or not, could you please tell me where I could find them?"

"No."

It seemed like he was going to have to play hardball with her. "Look, it's either I find out from you, or I go to City Hall and check their records. It's up to you."

She growled again, and narrowing her eyes, looked straight at him. "Listen here! I'm trying to save you from the heartache and grief that they are going to cause you! Why are you willing to put yourself through that?!"

He somewhat expected the outburst, but he wasn't prepared for what he saw. "Your eyes! They're..." He had been told a while back that only direct family members would share the similar speckled eyes that he had. It was then she realized her mistake, and her eyes widened at the fact. Christian quickly bent down and picked up the mini flashlight he had dropped when he had been pushed to the floor. He pressed the button and inhaled sharply. The sight that met him nearly made his jaw drop. "You... you're a... a..."

"Yes, I'm a gargoyle, alright?!" She turned away from him and tried to keep her emotions in check. She didn't want him to find out. She had wanted him to give up and go back home, and never find out about the family he came from. "Are you happy now?" she choked out. "Happy to know that you're related to a gargoyle?"

His head was spinning. There was so much information he was taking in, and now... well, he had coming looking for his family, hadn't he? "Does it really matter, you being a gargoyle?" he stated. "I came looking for family; my real family, and I found you. Frankly, that's all that really matters."

She turned back towards him, the confusion clear on her face. "You... don't care about the fact that I'm not human?"

Christian couldn't help but chuckle. "Of course not. It's only an appearance, right? And since when do appearances mean anything?"

She couldn't help but smile at his words. "You don't know how good it feels to find someone who doesn't hate or isn't afraid of a gargoyle."

"I really don't see how someone could be. There have been rumours of there being a group of gargoyles in California, and I always thought that's the closest I'd ever get to one."

She frowned. "You make us sound like animals."

His eyes widened and he shook his head. "No, that's not what I meant! It's just cool knowing that I have a gargoyle for a... a... you know," he smirked. "I still don't know your name, or how you're related to me."

"Oh." She giggled at his realization. "My name's Crystal, and I'm..." She hesitated in telling him. Even though he accepted what she was, there was still the chance he was lying, just so that he could find the rest of his family. "I'm your big sister."

"My sister? I have a sister?" His eyes began to well up. "I have a sister."

Not wanting to see her brother cry, she stepped closer to him, and hesitantly, wrapped her arms around his neck, and gently pushed his head down to rest on her shoulder. He too was a little apprehensive, but he returned the hug, and rested his head comfortably on her shoulder. Crystal leaned her head against him, and soon became reluctant to let him go, fearful that if she did, that he would disappear, and she would realize that it had all been a dream. "I always wanted a sibling," she whispered. "I never thought I'd actually get one. But I'm so happy that I have."

He hugged her tighter as a tear escaped from his eye. "I know how you feel, and I can honestly say, this is the happiest day of my life."

"Mine too."

They spent the rest of the night getting to know each other; they had a whole 19 years worth of catching up to do. And although she was unwilling, she answered every question Christian had about their family. She tried her hardest not to include her bias against them, and by dawn, she was pretty pleased with how she described her excuse of a family.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

It was an hour before sunrise when she realized how late it was. "My gods, look at the time! What hotel are you staying at?"

"Uh, actually," he rubbed his ear. "I didn't get a hotel. Didn't really plan on needing one."

She smiled and shook her head. "Guess I get to play the role of big sister sooner than I thought. There's a hotel that I know you can stay at, and I have a friend there who may even pay for the room."

His eyebrows went up at that comment. "You have a friend that would pay for my hotel room?"

Crystal smirked. "Maybe I should explain on the way there."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Oh my god." Christian kept repeating those three words as he shook hands with Fox. "Oh my god."

Crystal shook her head and smiled. "And to think, he accepted my appearance a whole lot faster."

Fox chuckled and allowed Christian to continue shaking her hand. "But he'll snap out of it soon, right?"

Crystal shrugged. "He may be my brother, but I've only known him for a few hours."

After a few more minutes of repeating the same three words and shaking hands, Christian finally shook himself out of his daze, and released Fox's hand. "Sorry, it's just... I can't believe it's really you!"

"Let me guess, you watched The Pack as a kid, right?"

He nodded eagerly. "That, and it's just too cool to be meeting the woman who married one of the richest guys on the planet!"

"Good to know I'm known for more peaceful things." She smiled at him and turned to the gargoyle in the room. "So this guy needs a room until he can get his bearings here?"

Crystal nodded. "Yeah, little bro here assumed he'd be staying with family, and never thought to have booked a room as a backup." She shook her head as he grinned sheepishly.

Fox nodded in understanding. "I'd be happy to help out. It's Christian, right? Why don't you go grab the elevator while I get my purse."

"No problem."

As soon as he was out the door, Crystal let her smile drop. "Fox, about the other night, I'm sorry about what I said. I didn't mean..."

Fox held up her hand to silence the girl. "I know. I read the note you left. You were just running high on emotions. It happens to the best of us."

Crystal nodded, the smile back on her face. "Thanks. And thanks for everything that you're doing. It means a lot to me."

"Don't mention it." Fox motioned towards the balcony door, and the fast approaching dawn. "You better hurry if you don't want to scare the neighbours tonight."

Nodding, Crystal walked out onto the balcony and leaped off, gliding into the approaching sunrise. She hoped her brother had enough smarts to go to bed as soon as he got his room. He'd had a long, interesting night, and she figured he'd need all the rest he could get if she was going to have him meet their cousin that night.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Christian flopped onto the bed in his room. In all his life, never did he think so many things could happen. He found his family, or at least part of it. His sister was a gargoyle, for reasons even she didn't know, and her clan - as she had called it - was now his extended family... in a way. All the information he had received was almost overwhelming, but it was great nonetheless.

Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a photo of his adoptive family. He had told them the day he had found out he was adopted, that he was going to search for his real family; and if they accepted him, he was going to stay with them. It was a hard decision, but the people that had raised him supported him in this decision. As long as he was happy, they were too. Of course, he was required to keep in contact. He didn't want his nonna's threats to become reality.

Placing the photo on the nightstand, he stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed. He'd need all the sleep he could get, if this day was going to be as interesting as the previous one had been.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Crystal returned to the hotel shortly after sunset and having done a quick little patrol as well. Not knowing which room her brother had been given, she decided to go to Fox's room, and maybe meet up with him in there. But to her surprise - and delight - she found the two humans sitting down at the table, each with a mug of coffee in their hands.

"So I says to Mabel, I says..." Christian stopped when he noticed his sister walking in the room. "Well, look who finally decided to join the party."

"Hey, you'd be late too if you had no control over when your alarm clock goes off." Crystal pulled out a chair from the table and sat down. "So how long do you figure it'll take you to get ready?"

Christian stopped drinking mid-sip and put the mug back down. "Get ready? For what?"

Crystal smiled. "To start meeting your family, of course."

His eyes widened in shock. "Really? But I thought you said you hated the family."

She nodded. "True, I did say that. But I also said that we have a cousin that's been helping me out, and I think she'd like to know she has a long lost relative."

The two females watched in slight amusement as Christian tried to hide his joyous surprise. "Give me ten minutes." He quickly gulped down the rest of his coffee, instantly regretted it, and ran out of the room.

Crystal let out a chuckle. "Never thought I'd see someone so excited about a family reunion."

Fox had stayed quiet during their little conversation, but now that the new 'acquisition' had left the room, she thought it would be the best time to voice her opinion. "Crystal, are you sure about all this?"

The gargoyle raised an eye ridge at her. "Of course I am; he's my brother. Why wouldn't I bring him to see Cole?"

"That's what's bothering me." She thought over her words carefully. There was no need to get into another argument. "I can understand how excited you are at the idea of having a brother..."

"The idea?" Crystal interrupted. "It's not an idea, Fox. He is my brother."

"So say the papers. But you know as well as I do that those can easily be faked." Fox shook her head. "And I know you said that red-speckled eyes is a family trait, but don't you think that with so many people living in the world, someone else's family could have that exact same trait?"

Of course she had thought that. Upon 'meeting' Christian, that was one of the first things to go through Crystal's mind. "I did think that, Fox. But he looks too much like my father to not be related to me."

Fox studied the young woman's face. As far as she could tell, Crystal wasn't simply grasping at straws, trying to convince herself that this boy was related to her. She audibly exhaled, and nodded. "All right. I believe you. Just don't let your guard down completely around him yet, okay?"

Crystal smiled at the ex-mercenary's concern. "I promise I'll keep an extra eye on him."

Fox didn't get a chance to reply, as Christian came barreling through the door. "So when do we leave?"

Crystal gave Fox a reassuring smile, and stood up. "Right now."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Not too long after leaving the hotel, Crystal quietly landed in a dark corner of the parking lot and let down her luggage. "You remember what I told you?"

Christian just felt like shaking some sense into her. "For the hundredth time, yes! Fifth floor, room 551. I am to wait for you outside her room. I got it, I got it!"

After a moment's hesitation, Crystal finally nodded. "All right, I'll meet you there." She couldn't remember the last time she was so nervous. Wait, yes she did. There had been many moments since discovering the clan that had left her feeling nervous. After Christian had already started walking towards the main entrance of the hospital, Crystal climbed up the burnt out lamppost. Taking a look around to make sure the area was still empty, she opened her wings and launched into the air, making her way to the building's roof.

Christian didn't think someone could worry so much, or be so protective. But from what Crystal had told him, he could see why she acted the way she did.

The elevator arrived after about a minute, and just as the doors were closing after him, he heard a voice call out, "Hold the elevator!" The thought of letting the doors close had crossed his mind, but he had been taught better. Christian shot his hand out, forcing the doors to open.

"Thank you," the woman panted as she climbed onto the lift. A man entered right after her. From what Christian could gather by just looking at them, they appeared to be a couple. Both looked to be around their late forties, early fifties, and for some reason, there was something recognizable in the woman's face...

Christian nodded in response to the woman's thanks, and turned his sights to the slowly climbing numbers. The couple soon started conversing, and Christian couldn't help but smile. He always found it humorous when people started talking in another language, thinking whoever was around couldn't understand them. Sure, they were speaking in dialect, but it was easy for Christian to pick-up on what they were saying.

But it didn't take long for Christian's smile to vanish. He kept his expression neutral, and pretending he couldn't understand what the old couple was saying, but at the same time paying closer attention to what was being said. Oh frag, this isn't good, he thought.

The elevator finally reached the desired floor, and Christian decided to be a young gentleman and allow the older couple to exit first. That way, not only would he look polite, but they wouldn't notice when he walked to the stairwell, instead of a room.

Christian followed the couple down the hall, staying a good distance away and going at a slow pace. As soon as they had walked into a room and closed the door, Christian bolted down the remaining length of the hall. He pushed the door to the stairs open, and at the same time, nearly knocked it into Crystal.

"Jeez! I said meet me outside the doors! Not knock me into a coma with them!"

He made a motion for her to be silent. Looking back into the hall to make sure their commotion hadn't alerted anyone's attention, Christian pushed his sister back into the stairwell and closed the door behind him. "Didn't you and auntie and unkie agree on some kind of schedule on when to visit?"

"Schedule?" she asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Your - our," Christian corrected, "aunt and uncle are here. As in, visiting our cousin."

"What?!" Crystal made a move for the door, but her brother blocked her path. "What are you doing?!"

"There's something you gotta know before going in there."

"Well then," Crystal said impatiently. "Tell me."

Christian hesitated a moment before finally speaking again. "I think you better sit down for this."