In an old abandoned garage in one of the rougher parts of town, Lexington was in the middle of his first major project. He was building his own motorcycle. After his first ride on one of these machines, the green gargoyle had been determined to try again. This time though, he was making sure that the bike was made to be ridden by a gargoyle.

Of course, he wasn't alone as he worked on his little project. Broadway and Brooklyn were both with him, watching in anticipation for their rookery brother to finish. Even Willow was excited to see the result, even if she couldn't drive it due to her injured leg.

"Isn't it finished yet?" Broadway asked impatiently, his clawed foot tapping against the floor. "We've been here every night for a week!"

"Come on, you've ridden one of these before." Brooklyn insisted. "Building one shouldn't be this hard."

"I think you're using the term 'ridden' too loosely, Brooklyn." Willow told him jokingly. "It'd be more appropriate to say that he clung to the handles for dear life before crashing it."

Lexington ignored Willow and slowly pulled the bike upright and setting up the kickstand.

"You've ridden a horse before." He replied. "Could you build one from spare parts?"

Brooklyn shrugged, then walked over to Willow, who was currently holding two biker helmets as well as two black biker jackets. She tossed one of the helmets at Brooklyn, who quickly busted two holes in the top of it so his horns would stick through. He tried it on, happily noting that it fit perfectly.

"Why bother with a helmet?" Broadway asked in a teasing manner. "Your head's hard enough as it is."

Willow chuckled at the comment as Brooklyn wrapped his wings around his waist. He then took one of the jackets from Willow, slipping it on.

"What can I say?" he replied. "It's all part of the look."

He then scooped up Willow, setting her down on the bike and helping her get into the second jacket. She placed the helmet on her head as Brooklyn got into the driving position.

"It should be ready to go now." Lexington declared. "But careful. Remember, you have an injured passenger."

Willow snorted.

"I'll have you know that the doctor said I could remove the cast in a few more days." She informed him.

"Well, let's just make sure that it doesn't get accidentally extended." Brooklyn commented, slipping on a pair of shades. "But let's also have some fun."

He revved the engine and sped out of the garage, leaving Broadway and Lexington in the dust. The two riders both cheered happily as he rode off into the night, Willow clinging to his back.

"This is awesome!" Willow yelled.

"I couldn't agree more!" Brooklyn yelled back. "I love this bike!"

They continued their fast paced adventure down the darkened streets, right past a cop car. Unfortunately, they must have been going above the speed limit for soon, the police flashed their sirens and took chase.

"Uh-oh." Willow muttered. "Brooklyn, we got trouble!"

Thinking quickly, Brooklyn turned down an alleyway, where he spotted a makeshift ramp he could use to get over a short wall. Almost instinctively knowing what he was doing, Willow quickly release him and grabbed the sides of the bike instead (Lexington had installed emergency handles just in case). Brooklyn then took the ramp and spread his wings so he, Willow, and the bike, safely cleared the wall, leaving the cops in the dust.

Once they landed, Brooklyn rewrapped his wings around himself and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Too close…" he muttered.

"Why don't we try to go the speed limit from now on?" Willow suggested, panting slightly but still smiling.

"Now where's the fun in that?" Brooklyn replied with a smile, gunning the engine once more.

Out on the other end of the alleyway, the two heard engines similar the Lexington's bike. When they looked, they saw a gang of motorcyclists speeding towards them. Brooklyn and Willow shared a nod.

"Just be careful." Willow insisted. "We don't want to scare them."

"I got it." Brooklyn replied.

Once the bikers passed, he pulled out of the alley and discretely joined them. One of the bikers saw the duo and smiled.

"Hey buddy!" he called. "Nice bike!"

Brooklyn called out a thanks as the biker gang pulled over to the side. They each got off their bikes to examine Brooklyn's a bit closer. Brooklyn got off the bike, helping Willow off as well. As the bikers took a closer look, Brooklyn removed the shades he was wearing, as well as his helmet. The bikers instantly freaked out.

"It's a freaky monster!" one of them shouted. "Get him!"

The bikers instantly tackled Brooklyn, punching and kicking him in anger and fear. That is, until he spread his wings, throwing the bikers off of him.

"I'm not your enemy!" he tried to tell them.

One of them came at him with a monkey wrench, attempting to bring it down on his head. Brooklyn caught it with no trouble, snarling in anger.

"You want a fight?" Brooklyn growled, "Fine… Let's fight!"

The bikers came at him, attempting to dogpile him. Unfortunately, they were no match for Brooklyn's strength. He tossed them off of him like pillows, roaring in unbridled fury.

"I was only trying to fit in!" He howled.

The leader of the gang then drew a gun, aiming it straight at Brooklyn.

"Let's see if you're bulletproof." He sneered.

"No!" Willow screamed.

The leader turned just in time to see Willow running at him, twisting on her good leg and striking him in the gut with her cast. She immediately fell to the ground, screaming in pain and grabbing her cast.

"Jalapeña! I should not have one!" She shrieked.

Meanwhile, the blow she'd sent his gun skidding across the ground. It went off, the bullet hitting the gas tank of the motorcycle, causing it to explode. This sent Brooklyn into an even greater rage.

"My bike." he howled, eyes glowing bright.

He turned to the bikers, claws and fangs bared. He fought off the remaining bikers with ease, until the leader grabbed his gun again. He took aim at Brooklyn, who quickly scooped up Willow and made a run for it. He threw Willow onto his back, then quickly climbed the wall of the building. He reached the roof, then transferred Willow back into his arms and took off into the sky.

"I can't believe it…" Brooklyn snarled. "They just attacked me. I didn't do nothin to them, and they attacked me!"

"I'm sorry Brooklyn…" Willow replied. "Really… I am…"

He shook his head, then glanced down at Willow.

"How's your leg?" he wondered.

She glanced down at the cast, and though there was no visible damage to the cast itself, her leg was throbbing painfully.

"I think I screwed up my leg some more." She muttered. "I'm probably gonna be stuck in this thing a bit longer thanks to those stupid bikers…"

"Better get you to a hospital then." Brooklyn remarked, catching an updraft in the general direction.

Brooklyn landed in an alleyway just across the street from the hospital. He set Willow down gently, then looked away, his face hard.

"You gonna be alright?" she asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'll be fine…" He assured her. "I just- I need to be alone for a bit. You go get your leg looked at."

Willow turned, then slowly limped towards the hospital, taking one last look at Brooklyn before walking inside. Once Willow was out of sight, Brooklyn climbed up the wall of the building to the rooftop, where he then angrily punched a brick wall, eyes glowing like fire.

"Damnit! Why! Does this! Keep! Happening! To us?!" He shouted, punctuating each word with another blow to the wall.

"I have wondered the same thing myself, many times." A female voice replied.

Brooklyn turned on his heels to see Demona landing on the roof behind him. The glow from his eyes faded as he stepped back in confusion.

"Demona?!" Brooklyn nearly yelped.

"Do not be afraid." She told him, slowly approaching him. "I just want to talk."

Brooklyn began backing away in slight fear.

"Yeah right…" he growled. "Last time, you just wanted to blast me away with a bazooka."

"That was then…" Demona tried.

"And this is goodbye!" Brooklyn interrupted.

Brooklyn went to jump off the roof, but Demona's cries stopped him.

"Please! Wait!"

He turned towards her, a suspicious look in his eye.

"I never should have attacked you, or the rest of the clan." She admitted, looking away in sorrow. "I was mad with grief and fear. If you only knew a fraction of what I went through for hundreds of years because of the humans."

"Hundreds of years?" Brooklyn repeated. "You said you frozen like we were."

"A necessary ruse." She explained. "You wouldn't believe the truth if I told you."

"I don't believe you now." Brooklyn retorted. "You're a liar, and a traitor…"

He went to take off once more, but Demona grabbed his arm.

"Brooklyn-" she began.

"Don't touch me!" he shouted, wrenching his arm from her grip.

Demona held up her hands and backed away.

"I know you have no reason to trust me, but you and I have history." She tried again. "We were brothers and sisters in arms. We fought the same battles, shared the same loss. Surely that counts for something…"

Brooklyn relaxed his stance a fraction. Demona had a point.

"I'm not asking for much, just a moment of your time to talk." She practically begged.

Brooklyn sighed, then turned around and faced her.

"Alright…" he relented. "I'm listening."

Willow emerged from the hospital, a new cast on her leg. The doctors had cut her old one off to check for damage, and now she had an extra two weeks added to her recovery time. She was more than a bit upset with that, grumbling under her breath as she made her way out onto the street.

"Stupid bikers." She muttered. "Attacking my friend like that."

She reached the alley where Brooklyn had left her. She was only mildly surprised to find him nowhere to be seen. With a sigh, she stuck her hands in her pockets, leaning against the wall

"I wonder where he went." she said out loud, "Wherever he is, I hope he's okay..."

A limousine pulled up next to Willow's alley, drawing her attention. From the driver's seat, Owen emerged, walking around to open the passenger side door.

"The hospital staff informed me of what happened." He told her, answering her unasked question. "Will you be requiring a ride back to the Eyrie Building?"

Giving the rooftops one final glance, Willow gave a reluctant nod, then slid into the back of the limo.

Demona and Brooklyn were perched on the rooftop of a small apartment on the outskirts of town. She approached Brooklyn slowly, doing her best not to provoke him.

"I saw your battle with those humans down in the streets." Demona stated after a minute. "What did you do to provoke them?"

"Nothing." Brooklyn snarled in reply. "They just attacked me for no good reason!"

"Exactly." Demona commented, placing her hand on his shoulder. "That's what humans are like."

Brooklyn shook his head, brushing her hand away.

"But, Willow defended me…" He told her. "She injured herself further for my sake. She's my friend."

"The Captain called us friend, and yet he betrayed and destroyed us." Demona countered. "The people of Castle Wyvern called us allies, and yet, they persecuted us because we were different."

Brooklyn's face fell. Demona's words rang of truth, there was no denying that.

"You do not know the depths of which humanity can sink to, my young friend… But I do." She told him.

Brooklyn looked up at Demona, his eyes glistening with confusion and curiosity.

"You mentioned your friend Willow." She pointed out. "Surely you have realized by now that she is not truly Xanatos' child."

Brooklyn blinked in surprise.

"What?" He said in utter disbelief. "What are you talking about?"

"Surely you've noticed." Demona continued. "She looks nothing like Xanatos, and that is because she is not of his blood."

"But, if she's not his daughter…" Brooklyn began. "Why is she-?"

"Her true parents were murdered years ago." Demona interrupted. "Slain in a fire caused by a jealous human."

Brooklyn's eyes widened, eliciting a small smirk from Demona, though she kept her back turned so as to hide it.

"Would you like to know the full story?" she asked him.

Brooklyn settled in, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Willow's true parents were scientists, the mages of this modern day." Demona began. "They both worked for Xanatos, and were experts in their field. However, there was a human they worked with that was jealous of their place in the company. He longed to take it from them, but to do so, he needed them out of the way."

Brooklyn couldn't believe his ears.

"This jealous human tampered with the work of Willow's parents. The sabotage he committed caused a terrible fire, one that killed many humans, including Willow's parents."

"What?" Brooklyn exclaimed. "Why would someone-?"

"Humans are selfish, greedy creatures who only care about themselves, and what they can gain from anything and everything." Demona interjected, turning to face Brooklyn once again. "Your friend Willow is no different."

"No… You're wrong…" Brooklyn insisted, his eyes betraying the amount of emotional pain he was in. "Willow, She-"

"She lied to you, Brooklyn." Demona finished for him. "She withheld the truth from you, from your clan. If she was truly your friend, then she would have told you the truth from the beginning, wouldn't she?"

Brooklyn wanted to defend Willow, he really did, but in the end, he just couldn't. He sighed and looked away.

"Yes…" he muttered reluctantly.

"This is the truth, Brooklyn." Demona insisted. "A truth that Goliath is too blind, too stubborn to acknowledge… We must make him see the humans for what they truly are."

"Even if what you say is true, there are exceptions." Brooklyn tried. "Elisa is our friend. She's never lied to us, not even once."

"Maybe the police women is the exception, but she is just one human in a world of over ten billion." Demona countered. "Do you really think she can protect us all?"

Once again, Brooklyn could only shake his head no.

"We are the only ones who can keep each other safe." Demona informed him. "We must be united and strong, and willing to deal with the humans as they would deal with us. Goliath thinks we can hide amidst the humans like mice, hoping for their understanding. But this is not possible."

"There has to be another way…" Brooklyn insisted.

"Lexington tried to do things Goliath's way when he attempted to befriend the Pack, and you know how well that went." Demona argued.

Brooklyn looked up in surprise.

"How do you know about that?" he asked her.

"If you think I'm wrong, then go." Demona insisted, gesturing down below them while simultaneously dodging Brooklyn's question. "Show yourself openly to the humans."

Brooklyn just looked down at the streets, a defeated expression on his face.

"A wise choice, Brooklyn." She told him. "They would shoot you down like an animal."

Brooklyn looked at his hands, then clenched his fists.

"Even if you're right what can we do?" Brooklyn said eventually. "Goliath still believes humanity will accept us in time."

"Goliath must be made to see the truth, for the greater good of us all." She explained.

"How?" He questioned.

"There is a way, Brooklyn." Demona promised. "The Grimorum contains a spell of truth that will open Goliath's eyes. Once Goliath understands, the rest will follow him."

Brooklyn looked down at the street, watching the humans walk beneath him like ants. He sighed one again, admitting total defeat.

"Alright…" he decided. "I'll do it."

Willow sat with the gargoyles out on the wall of the tallest tower, waiting for Brooklyn to return. She was getting worried since it was almost dawn and he wasn't back yet. However, Brooklyn's silhouette soon appeared on the horizon, much to her obviously relief.

"Brooklyn!" Willow called. "There you are!"

He landed in front of her, a confused and hurt expression on his face. When Willow approached, he avoided her gaze.

"Brooklyn?" she asked hesitantly. "Are you alright."

"Yeah…" he replied in a tone that was anything but fine, "Just tired."

He walked off to get on his roost, just as Elisa came running up the steps.

"Goliath!" she shouted.

"Elisa…" Goliath replied. "Is something wrong?"

"There will be soon." Elisa replied. "Xanatos' sentence is almost up, He'll be out of jail in less than a month."

"So you have said before." Goliath replied, a note of annoyance in his voice. "Why does this concern you?"

"It concerns YOU." Elisa clarified. "You and the others will have to find another place to live. But don't worry. I think I found the perfect place."

"There is no need for that." Goliath insisted. "Xanatos has been beaten, the castle is ours now."

As Elisa and Goliath went at it, Willow went after Brooklyn.

"Brooklyn, what's wrong?" she asked. "Is it about those bikers?"

She put her hand on his shoulder, only for him to pull himself from her grip.

"Yes. And no…" he said, still not facing her.

Willow got onto the wall, sitting next to the gargoyle.

"Come on Brooklyn, talk to me." She insisted. "I'm your friend, remember?"

Suddenly, Brooklyn snapped. He turned towards her, his wings raised and his eyes flowing brightly.

"Are you?" he asked harshly. "Are you really my friend? Because the last time I checked, friends don't lie to each other!"

Completely thrown off by this sudden shift in mood, Willow was speechless for a moment.

"Why didn't you tell us…?" He demanded. "Why didn't you tell me the truth about Xanatos?!"

"Brooklyn, I didn't know that he was-" Willow tried.

"Don't give me that!" Brooklyn howled. "You knew damn well that Xanatos wasn't your true father!"

Willow went pale.

"Who told you that?" she stammered. "How do you know about-?"

"I know that your true parents were murdered." He informed her, coldly. "I know that their work was sabotaged by jealous human! Why didn't you tell us that? Were you afraid we'd think less of the humans? That we would think less of you?"

Willow was dumbstruck, and her silence only seemed to enrage Brooklyn even more.

"You claim to be our ally, and yet you lie about something like this!" he screamed. "If you're willing to lie about your own parentage, then what else have you been lying to us about?!"

He would have said more, but the sun soon rose above the clouds, turning the gargoyles to stone where they stood. Willow looked up at the statue of her friend, wincing at the anger etched into his face.

"Oh Brooklyn…" she whispered. "What happened to you out there?"

That night, Brooklyn didn't bother going to breakfast, despite his brothers' invitations. He didn't even bother looking for Willow, still angry with her about her lies. Instead, he made his way to the small museum a few floors down where the Grimorum was kept. He lifted the glass up and gently removed the Grimorum, then leapt out the window into the night. He flew all the way to the edge of town towards the Cloister, where Demona was waiting.

"I've got the book." He told her once he'd landed.

"Excellent." Demona praised him, pulling the book from his hands and holding it close. "Now all I need is Goliath, though I fear I do not know how to get him here."

"Leave that to me." Brooklyn insisted.

"Take all the time you need." Demona told him. "The spell is complex, and I will require time to study it."

Brooklyn gave a nod, then took off back towards the castle, leaving Demona to her spell.

Not an hour later, Brooklyn returned to the Cloister with Goliath beside him. Once the two landed, Demona came out of the shadows, gripping the Grimorum.

"Goliath, I'm so glad you could make it." She called out.

"Demona…" Goliath gasped. "So, you did survive."

"I always survive." She replied.

That's when Goliath noticed what she was holding.

"The Grimorum…" he let out. "Brooklyn, what is going on?"

"Just listen to her." Brooklyn pleaded. "Please Goliath… She has something very important to tell you."

"He's right Goliath… Listen and obey." Demona ordered, raising her hand up and wiggling her fingers. "Sine Dubio Instantium!"

A ball of green energy gathered around Demona's hand, which she quickly shot at Goliath. It enveloped him, seeping into his eyes, nose, and mouth. Goliath then fell to his knees as the spell took hold over him, his eyes becoming a solid green, almost the exact same color of the mist. He slowly got to his feet, just standing there like a zombie. This unnatural behavior instantly freaked out Brooklyn.

"What's going on?" he demanded. "I thought you said the spell would open his eyes!"

"She lied to you, Brooklyn!" Willow's voice suddenly called out.

Both Demona and Brooklyn turned to see Willow emerging from the shadows, staring down the two gargoyles.

"Willow!" Brooklyn called out, surprised to see her here. "What are you doing here?"

"After what happened last night, I knew that someone had to have given you that information." She explained. "Xanatos had that file sealed, and Owen would never tell anyone about my past. That left only one suspect. Of course, I had to make sure, so I followed you here."

"Foolish human!" Demona screeched. "You should have remained home."

"And let you trick my friend and use a mind control spell on Goliath?" Willow snapped. "Not in this lifetime, Demona."

"Mind control?!" Brooklyn exclaimed.

"Yes." Demona admitted with a nod "Now whatever I tell him he will take as the only truth that exists in this world."

"You're insane!" Brooklyn yelled, tackling Demona in an attempt to snatch the book free. "I was a fool to trust you!"

Demona kicked Brooklyn off of her with ease, maintaining her grip on the Grimorum. Meanwhile, Willow ran as best as she could over to Goliath, shaking him desperately.

"Goliath, wake up!" she pleaded. "Brooklyn's in trouble!"

"He can't help you, human child." Demona taunted. "Goliath, restrain her and Brooklyn."

Goliath suddenly grabbed hold of Willow, nearly crushing her against his chest. He then did the same to Brooklyn. The two wriggled out of his grip, trying to talk some sense into him.

"Goliath!" Brooklyn shouted. "It's us! Brooklyn and Willow! We're your friends!"

"He won't listen to you." Demona told him. "So long as I hold the spell, I hold sway over Goliath. But I swear, this is only temporary. Once we reach our goals, I shall release him."

"You mean your goals!" Brooklyn retorted, trying to stay out of Goliath's reach. "I never wanted this!"

"In here!" Willow shouted, pushing open the doors of the Cloister's main build.

Brooklyn ran inside, grabbing Willow as he did. They hid themselves in the shadows as Demona and a spellbound Goliath came in after them. Brooklyn set Willow down gently, making sure not to make sound, then silently stalked through the shadows and up to Goliath. The instant Goliath saw him, he grabbed Brooklyn's arm.

"Goliath." Brooklyn begged quietly. "Please, listen… You can't let Demona control you. You need to snap out of it."

Goliath tossed Brooklyn into a wall, inches from where Willow was hiding. Demona approached, flipping through the pages of the Grimorum.

"I hate to do this to you, but you leave me no choice…" Demona declared, raising her hand a second time. "Sine Dubio In-"

"Yoink!" Willow shouted as she yanked the book from Demona's hands. "Goliath! Stop Demona!"

Demona's eyes began glowing a bright red as she went to attack Willow. However, Goliath quickly intercepted her. The way he fought, it was almost as if he was himself again. Unfortunately, the green glow remained in his eyes. As Goliath held Demona at bay, Willow approached Brooklyn, who was slowly stirring.

"Brooklyn, you alright?" she asked nervously.

Brooklyn nodded, then saw the book under her arm.

"You got it!" He cheered. "You hold the spell!"

Demona then snatched the book right out from under Willow's arm. The girl let out a yelp and immediately tried to recover it. However, Demona simply grabbed her arm, tossing her into Brooklyn.

"Not anymore." The she-gargoyle taunted, "Goliath! Stop attacking me and destroy them!"

However, Goliath continued to go after Demona. Confused, she dodged the blows while examining the book.

"How is this possible?!" she demanded. "I hold the book!"

Willow smiled, then pulled out a sheet of paper from her coat pocket.

"But I hold the spell." She taunted.

With no other option, Demona quickly scaled the wall of the building in order to get away from Goliath. She smashed through one of the stained glass windows, gliding into the night. Goliath was hot on her trail, and not long after that, so was Willow and Brooklyn. When the two finally caught up to Demona and Goliath, they were battling it out by a cliff side overlooking the ocean.

"Even with no will of your own, you're a force to be reckoned with." Demona reluctantly admitted.

Brooklyn swooped down, hoping to get a good shot at Demona, but she grabbed the Grimorum and tossed it over the cliff.

"You win!" she shouted. "This time!"

"Goliath! Catch me!" Willow screamed as she leapt from Brooklyn's grip. "Brooklyn! Get the book!"

Brooklyn dove after the book, swooping to catch it mere seconds before it hit water. However, by the time he got back up to the top of the cliff, Demona was gone. He watched her disappear into the night, then turned to Goliath and Willow.

"Come on, let's go home…" he said in defeat.

"Goliath," Willow ordered sadly. "Follow Brooklyn."

The two gargoyles jumped off the cliff, gliding for home.

Willow scanned every last page of the Grimorum, praying she'd find a counter spell to free Goliath's mind. Everyone else was gathered around, watching her hopefully. Even Elisa was there to support her friend. Unfortunately, Willow's search proved to be a futile one.

"It's no use…" she sighed, "I can't find the counter spell. I've gone over this book page by page…"

"Maybe the spell will wear off?" Broadway suggested, hopefully.

"But what if it doesn't?" Lexington asked. "What if he's stuck like this forever?"

Brooklyn, who hadn't said a word since they returned, sadly looked up at Goliath.

"I don't know if you can hear me, but… I'm sorry." He said softly, turning to look at the ground. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't let Demona talk me into stealing the Grimorum, none of this would have happened."

"Don't give up hope, lads." Hudson assured the group. "We'll find a way to beat the spell. We have to."

Elisa thought for a moment, then an idea struck her.

"Willow, I want to try something." She announced. "Can I have the page?"

Willow slipped the page out of her pocket, handing it to Elisa. She walked up to Goliath, spell in hand as she stood in front of him.

"Alright big guy, I'm holding the spell. And that means you have to do what I say." She took a deep breath. "Goliath, from now on I want you to act exactly as you would if you weren't under a spell."

The gargoyles waited for something to happen, praying Elisa's idea worked. Finally, Goliath blinked and shook his head, his eyes returning to normal. He looked around, then smiled.

"Very clever, Elisa." He complimented her. "It worked."

The gargoyles and Willow all cheered happily, hugging Goliath. Brooklyn also gave Elisa a big hug.

"I knew Demona was wrong about you at least." He said "Any species that has you for a member can't be all bad."

"Thanks." Elisa replied. "I think."

Brooklyn turned back to Goliath, and his face fell again.

"Goliath, I'm sorry…" he began again.

"You've already apologized." Goliath informed him. "Even if I could not respond, I did hear you."

"What Demona said sounded true at the time." Brooklyn admitted.

"Of course it did." Goliath replied. "It's a half-truth that she has thoroughly embraced. But it's not the whole truth."

Those words reminded Brooklyn of another he needed to apologize to. He turned to Willow and looked down.

"Willow…" he began, rubbing the back of his head. "About last night… about what I said…"

Willow put her hand on Brooklyn's shoulder.

"Brooklyn, I understand why you were mad." She told him. "You had no reason to trust humans, and Demona caught you at a time where you were emotionally vulnerable."

"But why didn't you tell us that you weren't Xanatos' true daughter?" He asked, this time out of genuine curiosity rather than malice. "Why didn't you tell us about your real parents?"

"Honestly, it's because I don't remember them." Willow answered. "My memories of my life before Xanatos are fuzzy at best. I don't even remember my parents' names or faces."

"You forgot your family?" Brooklyn wondered.

"The doctors can't explain it." Willow replied. "The best they can figure is that it was a combination of PTSD and carbon-monoxide poisoning from smoke inhalation. Even after nearly four years, my memories have not returned."

She pulled Brooklyn into a hug.

"But that's no excuse for keeping the truth from you." She told him. "I am sorry I didn't tell you."

"No, I'm sorry…" he whispered, holding her tightly. "You didn't deserve me yelling at you like that."

"So, forget this entire thing ever happened?" Willow suggested.

He released her, giving a small nod. He then turned, jumping onto his roost just as the sun was about to rise. He paused for a moment, then turned back to Willow.

"Hey, how about tomorrow we go and get some of those tiny cakes you like." He suggested. "Just you and me."

Willow smiled.

"I'd like that a lot." She replied.

The gargoyles turned to face the sun, then Lexington suddenly remembered something.

"Hey, whatever happened to the motorcycle?" he asked

Brooklyn looked sheepish.

"Umm… It… Blew up." He admitted.

"Oh." Lex replied before registering what Brooklyn said. "Wait, what?!"

With that, the sun rose, turning the gargoyles to stone. Willow and Elisa smirked at the look frozen on Lexington's face.

"Well that's one way to avoid a conversation." Willow remarked.

The two girls shared a laugh, then made their way into the castle for a well-deserved rest.