A few weeks had passed since Xanatos had been arrested. Since then, Willow had been attending multiple court dates as a key witness in Xanatos' trial. On top of that, she had been personally fighting against the Department of Child Safety in order to stay at the Castle. But finally, all the court proceedings were done, the results were in, and more than that, the sun was about to set.
"Come on Elisa!" Willow shouted, practically jogging through the doors of the Eyrie Building. "We don't wanna miss it!"
Detective Maza, who had stood by her side through every step of the way, smiled as she came in after her.
"You sure it's alright for me to be here?" she asked. "After all, Owen is technically in charge, and I did toss his boss in jail."
Willow shrugged.
"Xanatos told Owen to let you come and go as you please." She explained. "He said it was because he didn't want to keep you away from your friends, but I think he's just trying to earn brownie points with me."
The two walked up the steps to the tallest point in the castle where all six gargoyles were roosting, just in time to watch the sun sink below the horizon. That distinct cracking sound echoed across the castle as the gargoyles shattered their stone skin, stretching and howling.
"That never gets old, does it?" Elisa asked.
"Nope." Willow replied. "Still awe inspiring no matter how many times."
The gargoyles turned to the two humans, hopping off of their roosts.
"Elisa, Willow." Goliath greeted them. "What a pleasant sight to greet us upon awakening."
"How did you're- umm… 'Court Date' go, Willow?" Brooklyn asked.
"Well, we have good news and bad news." Elisa began.
The gargoyles gathered closer.
"The good news is, I get to stay at the castle!" Willow cheered.
The younger gargoyles all shouted in joy as Brooklyn hoisted her into the air.
"That's great news, lass." Hudson commented. "How did you pull it off?"
"I convinced the judge that I wouldn't be alone. I told him I had a responsible adult to watch over me until I turned 18 this January. He thought I was talking about Owen, but you guys knew who I really meant."
Goliath smiled, placing a clawed hand on her shoulder.
"Plus, the fact that I actually WANTED to stay here made the judge's decision quite simple." she added.
"We should celebrate!" Broadway declared.
"Definitely." Brooklyn agreed. "We found this interesting place not far from the castle that sells that weird frozen milk, only it's inside that sweet bread you showed us once."
"Ice cream cake!" Willow clarified. "Sounds great."
Brooklyn quickly scooped up Willow, and soon they, as well as Broadway and Lexington were gliding into the night.
"They seem to be getting along well." Elisa commented.
"Willow is part of our clan now." Goliath explained. "It is only natural for them to get along."
"I wish my siblings and I were like that." Elisa muttered off hand.
"You said there was good news as well as bad news." Goliath reminded her.
Elisa's face fell.
"Right… I'd almost forgotten." She took a deep breath and began. "Even with Willow's testimony, Xanatos was only convicted of receiving stolen property. She couldn't reveal his involvement up to that point without revealing you. He only got a six month prison sentence, and we were lucky to get that."
Goliath hardened his gaze.
"What I'm trying to say is that it's not safe here." Elisa explained. "There's no doubt in my mind that Xanatos will to everything in his power to get rid of you guys once he's out of prison. I think you all should try to find a new place to sleep during the day… A new home."
Goliath's eyes flashed bright and he flared his wings in anger.
"No!" he shouted. "This castle is our home."
Elisa shook her head.
"Not anymore." she corrected. "Xanatos bought it, lock, stock, and gargoyle. Every minute you stay here, your entire clan is in danger."
"You worry too much Elisa." Goliath assured her. "Xanatos was defeated. We are safe here."
He stalked away just as Willow and the others returned with the largest ice cream cake they could carry. Willow looked at Goliath's retreating form, then at Elisa's angry face.
"I take it he didn't like the bad news?" she asked.
"I think his head stays rock hard, even at night." Elisa grumbled.
The three gargoyles looked at Willow and Elisa in confusion, then shrugged, walking into the castle.
…
The small group found Hudson settling down into his favorite red easy chair, getting ready to turn on the large plasma screen. Bronx was settled on the large love seat, curled up like a dog on a sofa.
"Hey Hudson." Lexington called. "We saved you some- uh..."
"Ice cream cake." Willow supplied.
"Yeah… what she said." Lexington finished.
Hudson politely held up a hand.
"No thanks, lad." he told them.
Broadway then took the saved ice cream cake and quickly downed it in one huge mouthful.
"More for me then." He said through the wad of frozen cake.
Willow shook her head and smiled, then settled on the rug in front of the TV as Hudson turned it on. Almost immediately, the theme song for their favorite TV show, The Pack, began to play. Hudson tried to change the channel, but it kept playing the same station.
"Man… I love this show." Brooklyn commented.
"Me too." Willow agreed.
Hudson began hitting the change channel button with greater speed, but it still didn't change. Angrily, he dropped the remote and leaned back in his chair.
"I thought you said you would fix this problem a week ago, Willow." Hudson growled in annoyance.
"I thought you liked this show." Broadway commented.
"Aye, but not every night."
On the screen, The Pack, a group of five super heroes, were fighting off a group of evil ninja in a booby trap ridden lair. Even though outnumbered 10 to one, the heroes successfully defeated their opponents with relative ease, posing triumphantly on the pile of their unconscious bodies. That was when a voice-over began.
"See the Pack in person, tonight at Madison Square Gardens! Fox! Wolf! Dingo! Jackal! And Hyena!"
Lexington smiled widely.
"These guys are amazing!" he cheered. "They're warriors, just like us!"
"Your heroes in a rare live appearance, for one night only in Madison Square Gardens!"
The trio exchanged excited looks, then turned to Willow.
"Where is this Madison Square Gardens?" Brooklyn asked.
She just smiled.
"I'll show you the way." she declared.
…
The Madison Square Garden's auditorium was completely sold out for the Pack's appearance. Late arrivals were left stuck outside, or watching from their TVs at home. However, Willow and the Gargoyles not only got in, but they got in for free and had the best seats in the house.
Perched on the rafters above the audience, the four waited impatiently.
"Isn't it time for the show to start?" Lexington asked for the fifth time.
"Relax." Brooklyn assured him. "It'll start soon."
As if to prove his point, the lights dimmed and the announcer got on the intercom system.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! Please welcome… Theeeeeeeeeeee PAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!"
The crowd exploded into cheers as the Pack came out onto the stage. The four watching from the rafters did too, whistling and shouting so loud, Willow was surprised nobody thought to look up. The crowd began chanting Pack over and over again as the five heroes posed dramatically for them. Then, there was movement at the edges of the stage. The Pack turned to see groups of ninjas closing in on both sides.
"Oh no! It's the Eeeeeevil Ninjas!"
The Gargoyles jumped to their feet.
"They're in trouble!" Broadway yelled. "We need to help them!"
Willow quickly grabbed the three, pulling them back onto the rafter.
"It's alright guys." She assured them. "They can handle it. It's just a show after all. Those ninjas are probably actors."
The gargoyles looked at her in confusion.
"Actors?" Brooklyn asked.
Willow chuckled.
"I'll explain later." She promised. "Just watch."
On stage, the Pack began fighting off the ninjas one by one, tossing them around the stage much like the Gargoyles had done the attackers of the castle not too long ago.
"The ninjas don't fight with honor like the Pack do!"
Dingo, Hyena, and Jackal ended up back to back, fighting off several ninjas at once.
"Teamwork! That's the key!"
The gargoyles were enjoying themselves immensely, watching the Pack take on the ninjas.
"These guys are good." Brooklyn commented.
"Aw yeah… wouldn't it be great to meet 'em?" Lexington added.
By now, all of the ninja's were defeated, and the show was over. Brooklyn and Broadway stood up and stretched.
"Well, show's over, and I'm starved." Broadway announced. "Time to go."
However, Lexington stayed seated. Willow looked at him in confusion.
"You coming Lex?" she asked.
"Um, maybe later…" he answered. "I'll meet up with you guy at the castle."
Willow shrugged, then Brooklyn scooped her up and glided through the open skylight they had entered from.
…
It was almost dawn before Lexington finally arrived back at the castle. The second he landed, Goliath began to chastise him.
"Where were you?" he demanded.
Lexington smiled widely.
"I made us some new allies." He chirped happily.
Brooklyn stepped forward in surprise.
"You showed yourself to someone?" he asked.
"It was the Pack wasn't it?" Willow asked.
"It sure was." Lexington replied. "They're just like us. They defend the innocent. And they do it on television."
"You let them see you?!" Goliath demanded.
Lexington's smile faltered for a minute, as did his confidence.
"Y-yes I did…" He muttered, then looked at Goliath angrily "And why not? You made friends with Elisa. And we all made friends with Willow."
Willow held her hands up.
"Leave me out of this one, Lex." She requested.
"Yes, Willow and Elisa are different." Goliath commented.
Hudson pointed to the slowly rising sun.
"This argument will have to wait until nightfall." He said.
Angrily, Goliath pointed a claw at Lexington.
"This isn't over." Goliath growled.
Then sun's light hit them, and they all froze to stone, with Goliath and Lexington still glaring at each other. Willow looked at the statues in utter amazement.
"Well, I am definitely getting myself some popcorn before sunset tonight." She announced to the statues of her friends.
…
"You bet it isn't." Lexington said the second he wasn't stone. "Why are Elisa and Willow different? These guys are defenders of the realm, just like Elisa. They're also kind and supportive, just like Willow."
"He may be right, Goliath." Hudson said in Lexington's defense. "I've seen them on the television. They are constantly attacked by these 'evil ninjas'…"
"Maybe they could use our help." Broadway suggested.
"Look, it's not like I revealed all our secrets." Lexington added. "I'm not stupid. They don't know we turn to stone, they don't know about the castle. They don't even know how many of us there are."
Goliath crossed his arms as Lexington continued.
"Please, will you at least meet them before you judge them?" he begged.
"I think if anyone would understand us, they would." Brooklyn commented.
"We can't hide from the whole world up here." Lexington argued. "There are kindred spirits out there, but we have to find them and we have to give them a chance, or else… we'll always be alone."
Goliath sighed and uncrossed his arms.
"Alright…" he relented, "Take me to meet them. If it's safe, we'll arrange introductions for the rest of you."
Smiling widely, Lexington eagerly leapt off the tower with Goliath on his tail, flying out into the sky. As they did, Willow came out, holding a large tub of popcorn.
"Did I miss it?" she asked. "Darn it… Stupid microwave…"
Handing the popcorn over to Broadway, she looked around.
"Where did Goliath and Lexington go?" she asked.
"Off to meet the pack." Brooklyn explained.
"Wait, what?!" she exclaimed.
"The lad managed to convince Goliath to meet with the heroes, and see if they were truly as honorable as they are on the television." Hudson explained.
"Oh no… I never explained actors to you, did I?"
"No, you didn't." Broadway replied through mouthfuls of popcorn.
"Jalapeña." She swore. "Actors are people who pretend to be different people in order to entertain. They aren't really what they are seen as on TV. They're regular people."
"So… the Pack aren't heroes?" Brooklyn asked.
"No." Willow replied with a shake of her head. "Just actors playing a part."
"But what about those moves they were doing on the stage last night?" Broadway pointed out. "Those looked real to me."
"And all those ninjas they keep fighting." Hudson added.
"The ninjas are actors as well, probably with basic karate training to make it believable." Willow guessed. "And as for the members of the Pack, I'm sure if we look them up on the internet, we can figure out their true identities."
…
The remaining gargoyles gathered in Willow's room, where she pulled out her laptop and began her search.
"Alright, let's see what we can find…" she muttered aloud, her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth.
She looked up the Pack and brought up their individual files on the show's wikia page. She opened Fox's first.
"Real name, Janine Renard." She read. "Born the daughter of wealthy entrepreneur Halcyon Renard, she ran away at a young age, legally changed her name to Fox, and became a mercenary for hire until signing on as the Leader of the Pack about a year ago."
"Mercenary…" Hudson growled. "Even lower than Vikings."
Willow began to get a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She opened the next file, Dingo's.
"Real name, Harry Monmouth." She recited. "Raised by his mother until her strange disappearance, when he was adopted by John Oldcastle, notorious Australian thief, into his guild. Arrested multiple times for petty theft and armed robbery, Harry was given the choice of joining the Military, or prison. He served two tours in Central America before being dishonorably discharged after being accused of stealing military funds."
"A thief…" Brooklyn snarled. "What's next?"
Willow pulled up Wolf's file.
"Real name, unknown. Wolf was a pro-wrestle for a time, until he was banned from the sport due to the large number of near fatal injuries he inflicted on his opponents." She had to gulp a bit at the next bit. "He was also a skilled hunter until he was caught poaching protected animals and had his license revoked."
Nobody had any real comment by then. Almost fearfully, Willow opened the final file, Hyena and Jackals'.
"Real names, unknown. Hyena and Jackal are twin siblings who grew up in the roughest part of New York City. At the young age of 11, they both joined a notorious gang, where they made a name for themselves through their violent and erratic behavior. Eventually arrested, they served 3 years each in a juvenile detention center, then as well as another three under parole. They later signed on as the last supporting members of the Pack."
All of the Gargoyles stared at the screen, expressions of shock and anger in their faces.
"Who in their right mind would gather these nut jobs together?!" Brooklyn demanded.
"Yeah!" Broadway added. "These guys aren't heroes! They're villains!"
Willow quickly did a second search, and her heart skipped a beat.
"Umm, guys?" she squeaked.
The gargoyles leaned in closer.
"According to this, The Pack is owned by Pack Media Studios…" she informed them. "Which is owned by Xanatos Enterprises."
The gargoyles looked at each other in absolute horror.
"We need to find Lexington and Goliath!" Hudson declared. "Now!"
Willow slammed her laptop shut as Brooklyn picked her up.
"I know the way." She said quickly. "Now let's go. There's no time to waste!"
…
The gargoyles arrived at Pack Media studios, just in time to hear the sounds of gunfire and warping metal.
"It was a trap!" Willow shouted at Brooklyn set her down on the roof of the building. "The Pack led them straight into a trap!"
Through the skylight of the building, the gargoyles could see Goliath and Lexington trapped in some weird metal maze with traps and hidden passageways. At the moment, two metal walls were pushing them together in an attempt to crush them.
"That's the gauntlet the Pack's always running through." Brooklyn realized.
"Is anything about the Pack true?!" Broadway exclaimed.
"Only that they are our enemies." Hudson replied.
From inside the building, they could hear Fox's voice on a loudspeaker.
"Welcome to the Gauntlet!" she said to the two trapped gargoyles. "Normally, the traps in here aren't lethal, but we juiced them up a bit, just for you two."
In his inhuman rage, Goliath tore through the thick metal wall as if it was made of paper. He soon located and ripped the mechanism pushing the walls together out of the floor, throwing it into another metal wall. He and Lexington then used the improvised escape route, landing right in the center of the studio.
"Come on, we gotta help them!" Willow screamed, grabbing a nearby metal pole and smashing the glass of the skylight.
"Lads!" Hudson called through the hole. "Up here!"
Goliath and Lexington wasted no time climbing the wall of the building. Below them, the Pack quickly gathered, and were shocked to see the gargoyles had suddenly increased in number.
"How many of those freaks are there?" Dingo questioned.
"No time for that now." Wolf interrupted. "Our prey is escaping."
"They won't get far." Jackal assured him.
…
Once Goliath and Lexington were safely on the roof, they wasted no time taking off, the rest of their clan hot on their trail.
"What are you all doing here?" Goliath asked.
"The Pack aren't heroes." Willow explained quickly. "They're thugs and mercenaries gathered together by Xanatos. This was one of his schemes."
Goliath's eyes began to glow bright white, but Lexington's were even brighter.
"They attacked us! They tricked me, and they attacked us!" He howled in sheer fury. "I can't believe I trusted them! They're no better than animals!"
"It's worse than that." Goliath replied. "An animal hunts because it's hungry. The Pack hunts for the sport of it."
The clan landed on a nearby rooftop, where Lexington began pacing angrily.
"I'm never trusting anyone again…" he muttered.
Willow went to comfort him, but all he did was roughly shake her off.
"Lexington…" she began.
Before she could finish her thought, a strange sound came from out in the distance. They turned to see a metal boomerang headed their way. The second it struck the wall, it exploded, sending the gargoyles and Willow flying. They ended up falling to the ground hard, a large piece of rubble landing hard on Willow's leg with a sickening crack. She screamed in agony, trying to get the stone off of her.
"Willow!" The gargoyles shouted.
Goliath ran to her side, but was caught in Dingo's lasso. Luckily, Goliath tore through the ropes with ease, then grabbed the chunk of rock on Willow's leg and lobbed it at him. While Dingo dodged the rock, Brooklyn practically materialized next to Willow. Her leg was bend in the wrong direction, and blood was pouring through her jeans. Tears were in her as she tried to focus through the pain.
"Willow…" Brooklyn whispered.
"We- We need to go…" she said through gritted teeth, "We can't stay here…"
He quickly scooped her up and the clan took to the air. However, Jackal was waiting on a different rooftop for them. When the group flew past, he threw a small dagger, severing the power lines in front of the gargoyles. The frayed ends struck the group, nearly electrocuting them all. They all went plummeting to the ground, until Goliath grabbed onto a nearby building, and caught Lexington by his wing. Brooklyn managed to keep ahold of Willow as he thrusted his claws into the stone of the building. Hudson and Broadway also succeeded in grabbing the wall as well.
"Keep moving!" Goliath ordered, tossing Lexington onto the wall.
The group began their ascent, with Willow clinging to Brooklyn's back. Once they reached the top, Hyena stood there waiting for them. She laughed maniacally before tossing a grenade at them. It exploded, sending them all flying backward and off the edge of the building once more. Brooklyn wrapped his wings around Willow, then positioned himself so he'd take the brunt of the damage from the fall. They all landed hard on the pavement, each and every one of the gargoyles knocked unconscious.
Brooklyn's wings loosened around Willow and she was able to sort of sit up. Her leg was throbbing painfully, along with other various parts of her body. She knew instinctively she wasn't getting out without a gargoyles help, and it was clear that wasn't happening anytime soon.
"Come on guys… wake up…" she said nervously, shaking Brooklyn, then Lexington, then Goliath.
"Yes…" Hyena's voice called from the shadows beside her. "Wake up. It's no fun if they just lay there like dead rats."
Willow looked up to see the Pack surrounding her and the gargoyles. They stalked closer, and Willow could only flinch and wait for them to attack.
"Hey look!" a child's voice called out. "It's the Pack."
Both the Pack and Willow turned to see two little kids running their direction. The kids jumped for joy at the sight of their heroes, asking for autographs, photos, and tickets to their next show.
"Oh great." Fox moaned. "Our adoring public…"
"Perfect timing…" Hyena groaned.
It was then that the gargoyles slowly began to stir. As they pulled themselves from the rubble, the two children backed away in fear.
"What are those things?" one of the kids asked, pointing at Goliath's rising form.
The mother and father of the two kids quickly spoke up.
"Susan, Billy. Come away from there." The mother called.
"They're shooting a movie. Or something." The father surmised. "You'll get in the way."
With the gargoyles waking up, Wolf scooped up the two kids, quickly running them over to their parents.
"Be careful kids!" he said in a dramatic tone. "These are horrible creatures sent by the evil ninjas! We'll protect you!"
If Willow and her friends weren't in mortal danger, she would have laughed so hard. The Pack then began to dramatically attack the gargoyles, wrestling them to the ground. Wolf grabbed Goliath, who struggled to throw the man off. Dingo went after Lexington, stunning the gargoyle. Fox tackled Broadway, who picked up the slender woman in a large bear hug. Jackal went after Hudson in a claw versus sword fight, and Hyena went after Brooklyn, who was doing his best to protect Willow.
"Look." Billy pointed out. "The monsters have a prisoner!"
"The Pack's trying to save her!" Susan replied. "We need to help them!"
The two kids began picking up small stones, lobbing them at the gargoyles.
"No!" Willow shouted. "Stop!"
One of the rocks his Lexington, who snared loudly at the kids. They quickly ran to their parents, who gently ushered them away.
"It's amazing how realistic their costume designer made those monsters…" the dad muttered.
"Looks almost too realistic…" the mother replied.
Once the family left, the dramatic fight ended, and the real fight began.
"Now! While the streets are empty! Finish them off!" Fox ordered.
With the gargoyles otherwise distracted, Willow had to think fast. She threw a rock at Hyena, knocking her aside for a second.
"Brooklyn!" she shouted. "The hydrant!"
He grabbed the end of the hydrant and wrenched it off, spraying the Pack and knocking them off of the gargoyles. The gargoyles scrambled to their feet, and immediately began climbing the fire escape. Once again riding on Brooklyn's back, Willow watched as the Pack quickly came after them. Dingo attempted to knock them down with another exploding boomerang, but he only succeeded in shortening the ladder.
"They're getting away!" Hyena snapped.
"Not for long." Wolf growled, drawing a grappling hook from his belt.
One by one, the Pack grabbed their own grappling hooks, shooting them up at the roof and using them to pull themselves up. Almost immediately, a gargoyle was right in their faces, snarling loudly. In a panic, Dingo lobbed another boomerang. It exploded on impact, shattering the gargoyle to pieces. As the stone head bounced along the roof, it became clear that it was not one of theirs.
"A statue…" Dingo declared.
"You don't say?" Jackal muttered sarcastically.
Fox glanced around the rooftop, noting the large number of stone gargoyles dotting the rooftop.
"Needle in a haystack…" she swore under her breath.
The Pack slowly began wading through the sea of gargoyles, not far from where Hudson was hidden. As they made their way past, Hudson's silhouette whizzed through the darkness, snatching Hyena up before she even had a chance to react. Her disappearance didn't go unnoticed for long.
"Where's Hyena?" Jackal asked, a split second before his sister's gauntlet hit the ground at his feet.
Instinctively, the Pack moved until they were back to back. However, Dingo thought he saw movement and went to investigate. What he found was Lexington, who quickly swooped in and grabbed the large man, tossing him into a wall.
Now thoroughly frightened, Jackal made a run for it.
"Jackal, don't!" Wolf yelled.
"Forget it!" Jackal snapped, waving his hand dismissively. "This wasn't in my contract!"
He rounded a corner, right into the waiting arms of Goliath, who made quick progress in subduing the man. With three of their members down, Wolf and Fox did the only natural thing to do. They ran. They prayed they would get away, but they turned one corner, and there stood Broadway, his eyes glowing bright white.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
The two quickly turned around and ran down a different path, which was being guarded by Brooklyn.
"I don't think so." He snarled.
Trying one more time, they almost made it, before they were once again stopped. This time, by Willow. She was leaning against a statue, doing her best to keep her weight off of her bad leg.
"I wouldn't if I were you." She warned them.
Wolf took one look at her mangled leg and laughed at her.
"And who's gonna stop us?" he asked. "You? You can barely even stand."
Willow nodded.
"You're right, I can't stop you." She admitted before gesturing to the wall behind the two Pack members. "But he can."
That's when Goliath came through the wall with a loud crash and an even louder roar. He grabbed them both, shoving them hard into an adjacent wall. It crumbled behind them, causing both Pack members, Goliath and Willow to go tumbling into the building, right into the middle of a model shooting.
The models all screamed loudly and ran for the doors at Fox and Wolf got to their feet. Fox then grabbed Willow from where she had fallen, pulling her up onto her broken leg. Willow screamed in pain as Fox pinned her arm behind her and pressed a gun against the side of her head.
"Shut up, and you just might live through this." Fox hissed.
Goliath slowly got to his feet, and Brooklyn, who was still on the roof, immediately panicked.
"Willow!" he shouted.
Goliath looked to see Fox and Wolf with their hostage. The two Pack members began to slowly make their way to the door, dragging Willow with them. With each step, Goliath stalked after them, keeping close enough that he could still see Willow, but not getting close enough as to provoke Fox into shooting her.
Unbeknownst to any of them, the model photographer was snapping pictures of the whole affair. He ignored Goliath entirely, instead focusing on the Pack and the girl they were holding hostage.
Once they were outside, Fox pushed Willow into Wolf's arms in order to get a clear shot at Goliath. However, Brooklyn swooped down angrily, tackling Fox to the ground. Wolf dropped Willow unceremoniously and went to grab at him, but a pissed off Lexington stopped him in his tracks. He grabbed onto Wolf's face and began clawing at him in a blind rage, but Wolf easily pried the gargoyle off of him. He tossed Lexington to the side, then went to face Goliath.
"Finally." Wolf declared with a smile. "A real challenge."
Wolf tackled Goliath, who quickly tossed the man off of him. However, Wolf quickly recovered, and went for another go. He went to punch Goliath in the face, only for the gargoyle to catch his fist and begin crushing it in his hands. He then sent Wolf flying once more, only this time, he didn't get back up.
"Willow… You alright?" Brooklyn asked
Willow nodded, though her smile was incredibly strained.
"My leg's in horrible shape, but aside from that, I'm okay." She informed him.
Off in the distance, they could hear police sirens getting closer.
"You guys better scram." Willow said. "Leave the Pack to the police, and you better leave me too."
"Why you?" Brooklyn asked.
"Someone's gotta explain what happened here so they'll be locked away." Willow rationalized. "Besides, I am in desperate need of a hospital."
The gargoyles nodded and quickly ran off. However, Lexington wasn't quite convinced. Goliath, however, gently grabbed his shoulder.
"Come Lexington." He insisted. "We don't have much time."
Reluctantly, Lexington follow Goliath out of the alleyway just as the police pulled up.
…
Later that night, Willow was returned to the castle by Elisa, a large blue cast on her leg, as well as a few scattered bandages on her face and arms. With Elisa's help, Willow managed to get up to the tower, where the gargoyles were waiting.
"Willow!" Brooklyn cheered upon seeing her. "Glad to see you're okay."
Willow smiled, tapping her new cast.
"The doctors said it was a clean break, so I'll be back on my feet in no time." She declared.
"And the Pack?" Broadway asked.
"A witness came forward with photographic evidence of the Pack holding Willow hostage." Elisa explained. "Iron clad case. They'll be sitting in prison for a long time."
However, one gargoyle still seemed upset. Lexington sat on the wall, facing away from the group. Willow hobbled over to him.
"You alright Lex?" she asked.
"I feel like a fool." He replied. "I let the Pack talk me into bringing Goliath into a trap. Because of me, you got hurt, and we all almost got killed."
Goliath spoke up.
"Because of who we are, we have to be cautious about trusting strangers." He told him.
Lexington angrily face palmed.
"I was so totally wrong!" he growled.
"No, you were right." Goliath countered. "We cannot hide from the world, we must live in it. We must search for allies."
"Yeah." Willow agreed. "But next time, let's try someone who doesn't work on TV for a living."
With that, the gargoyles let out a much needed laugh, one that even Lexington joined in, then took their positions on the tower just as the sun rose. As the gargoyles turned to stone, Willow slowly hobbled towards her own bed for some well-earned rest.
"See you tonight guys." She called as she descended the stone steps.
