Nighttime in Manhattan. By now, most normal people were preparing for bed, or were on their way home. However, for Willow and her friends, it was time for breakfast. Broadway stood in front of a steaming pot of beef stew, the amazing aroma filling the castle. Drawn in by the smell, the gargoyles quickly congregated, Willow in Brooklyn's arms.

"Smells great, big guy." Willow complimented.

"It's almost done." Broadway replied. "You guys take a seat and I'll serve it."

Brooklyn set Willow down in her place at the table, then he and the rest took their spots. It was at that moment that Elisa walked in.

"Hey guys!" she called.

"Good evening Elisa." Goliath greeted, standing so he could pull out a chair for her. "You are just in time for Broadway's beef stew."

"Awesome." Elisa replied, seating herself. "I'm starving."

Broadway brought the heaping pot over to the table and began dishing out bowls of stew for everyone. Elisa and Willow both got regular bowls, but of course, the gargoyles each got much larger bowls considering their larger appetites. As the group settled down to eat, Elisa started up a conversation.

"I see you're doing a lot better, Willow." She remarked.

"Definitely." Willow replied, gently patting her chest. "I'm still nocturnal, but Brooklyn makes sure I get plenty of rest, and he insists on carrying me everywhere."

"The doctor said you shouldn't be walking around a lot, and I know you hate being cooped up." Brooklyn told her.

"I know, and I'm grateful for it." Willow replied. "You're always willing to help out when I get hurt."

"You know lass…" Hudson interjected. "Since you have met us, you've been attacked, you've fallen off the castle, you've broken your leg, and you've been shot. Any normal person would have left us long ago…"

Willow smiled.

"Hudson… I think we've made it quite clear I'm not normal. Sure having gargoyles for friends has its downsides, but the upsides far outweigh them."

"Really?" Lexington asked.

"Yeah." Willow told him. "Xanatos may have adopted me, and I may carry his last name, but you guys are my true family. You took me in, even when you had every reason not to. You've made me feel more at home these past six month then Xanatos did in almost four years."

Elisa suddenly perked up.

"Speaking of Xanatos-" she began.

Goliath suddenly stood up, walking out of the kitchen.

"Thank you for the stew, Broadway." He said as he disappeared.

Willow looked at his stew, which the gargoyle had barely touched, and sighed.

"Nice try Elisa." She told her. "But no dice."

On Riker's island the following morning, Xanatos was meeting with Owen during his allowed visitation period.

"All in all," Xanatos commented through the speaker phone. "I can say that my say has been a learning experience."

"Not much longer now, then you're free." Owen added. "You've never said what you want done with the gargoyles. It would be easy to destroy them in their sleep."

Xanatos shook his head.

"Willow would never allow it." He remarked. "She would get in the way, and she has already been injured enough for my taste. Still, I can't have them under foot when I get home."

The door to the visiting room suddenly opened and an older prison guard walked in. He was rather tall, and had a very muscular frame. Owen and Xanatos faced the man in confusion.

"I believe I still have ten minutes left." Owen pointed out.

"Take all the time you need." The guard replied in a thick Scottish accent, taking a seat next to Owen. "I'm here with a proposal for Mr. Xanatos."

Xanatos looked at him confused, but curiosity got the better of him.

"I'm listening." He announced.

"I'm aware that you are currently suffering from an infestation." The guard explained.

"I don't recall ever phoning… pest control." Xanatos replied, wondering just how much this guard knew.

"I am quite aware of the nature of these pests, and for a price, I'll be happy to remove them." The guard offered. "And barring that, I can at least remove your daughter from their grasp. Safely and unharmed, of course."

Xanatos nodded.

"Alright," he decided. "How would you go about this, mister…?"

"Call me, Macbeth." The guard supplied.

At sunset, Willow hobbled up the steps of the castle on her crutches with the aid of Elisa. As they reached the top, they were surprised to find a strange man standing on the tower where the gargoyles were perched. He had snow white hair, a cropped beard, and was dressed in all black. The two girls instantly didn't like him.

"Hey!" Willow called out. "What are you doing here?"

"You must be the one called Willow." He called out to her, turning to face her. "A beautiful name, for a lovely young woman like yourself."

"You didn't answer her question." Elisa demanded, flashing her police badge. "Now tell us who you are, and what you're doing in Willow's home!"

"Just wait, Detective." The man replied, looking out at the sun setting over the horizon. "Then I'll answer all your questions."

The sun sank below the horizon, and the gargoyles began to shed their stone skin. They stretched and howled, then slowly turned to see their two friends standing next to the old man.

"Willow, Elisa…" Brooklyn said, moving over to Willow and placing a protective claw on Willow's shoulder. "Who's your friend?"

"You two alright?" Broadway asked, moving in as well with his wings spread in a hostile manner. "This guy bothering ya?"

As the rest of the gargoyles moved in on Willow and Elisa, the old man gave a proper bow.

"My name is Macbeth." The old man explained. "And I come with a proposition."

"Whoa there, hang on. Macbeth?" Willow asked. "As in, the Tragedy of Macbeth? Shakespeare's famous tragedy?"

"The very same." Macbeth answered with a small nod.

"I highly doubt that." Willow replied skeptically. "But that hardly matters right now."

"You said you had a proposition." Goliath remembered, bringing the group back on topic.

"Yes." Macbeth replied with a small nod. "Leave this drafty old castle and be guests at my home."

Goliath growled at that, his eyes glowing.

"First Willow and Elisa, and now you…" he snarled in contempt. "How many times must I refuse?"

Macbeth shook his head, pulling back the sides of his coat.

"I'm sorry, but I must insist." He informed Goliath. "Now, while I wouldn't stoop so low as to attack you while you slept, I have no qualms against battling you head on."

Elisa instinctively stepped back from Macbeth, taking Willow with her.

"I don't like your attitude." Broadway decided as he went to grab Macbeth. "I think you better go."

Suddenly, Macbeth grabbed Broadway's wrist, tossing him towards Hudson. The two fell off the tower and into the courtyard below. He then unleashed several gas bombs, which began to subdue the gargoyles as well as Willow and Elisa.

Macbeth put on a special pair of glasses, allowing him to see through the smoke, and he pulled out a net gun. He aimed it at the group and fired. The electrified net landed right on top of Lexington and Bronx, who began howling in pain.

"Lex!" Willow screamed. "Bronx!"

Willow stumbled over to her friends and grabbed the net, screaming in pain as she yanked it off them. Goliath meanwhile went to tackle Macbeth, but he missed, tackling Brooklyn instead. Their momentum sent the two of them falling off the tower. Macbeth looked over to where Willow was currently lying unconscious, her hands still tangled in the electrified net.

"Normally, I wouldn't dare involve an innocent bystander like yourself, but I fear that any further fighting may injure you further." He told her unconscious form. "That, and I cannot bear to destroy any more of this beautiful castle."

He pulled the net off of Willow, gathering the girl carefully in his arms. Goliath, who had been knocked out by the fall caused by him tackling Brooklyn, looked up just in time to see Macbeth walking off with Willow on his back. He went to stand, but the fall had left him shaken and disoriented. Still, he forced himself to climb the wall of the tower.

Macbeth placed Willow into the back seat of his personal plane, then climbed into the driver's seat. Goliath jumped onto the nose of the craft, hoping to bring it down, but Macbeth quickly rid himself of the large gargoyle by electrifying the hull. Goliath plummeted back into the castle courtyard with a large thud, and could only watch helplessly as Macbeth flew off with Willow in his grasp.

"No!" He snarled.

The gargoyles slowly came to, gathering around their leader.

"What happened?" Lexington asked.

"Macbeth has Willow." Goliath explained. "He took her."

"No…" Brooklyn said in anguish, falling to his knees.

"This is exactly what I've been trying to warn you about!" Elisa exclaimed. "There's not a doubt in my mind that Xanatos sent that guy here to destroy you!"

"I don't want to hear anymore!" Goliath yelled.

"I'm sorry, but you can't keep ignoring the issue!" Elisa yelled back. "You're not safe here, Goliath! None of you are!"

"No, you don't understand!" Goliath argued. "We have lost our clan, our world, our time! This castle is all we have left and we will not abandon it."

"What will take for you to listen, the castle falling on you?!" Elisa screamed in exasperation. "Read my lips, you're not safe here!"

Goliath went to stalk off, but Elisa didn't let up.

"What if the next goon Xanatos hires come with a sledge hammer at high noon?!" she questioned. "I can't protect you during the day, and neither can Willow."

Goliath ignored Elisa and walked over to the rest of his clan.

"Brooklyn, Bronx, you two are going to help me find Willow." He announced. "The rest of you will stay here and protect our home!"

Goliath then grabbed Bronx, jumping off the castle with an angry huff. Brooklyn gave Elisa a sympathetic look, then took off after him. Elisa and the rest of the gargoyles watched them go sadly. Once they were gone, Elisa angrily sighed.

"Why won't he listen to me?" she snapped. "It's obvious you can't stay here!"

"I think Elisa's right." Broadway agreed.

"What you say makes sense lass," Hudson stated, "but, Goliath is our leader. I cannot go against his wishes."

Elisa placed her hand on Hudson's

"Your loyalty is admirable, but he said 'protect our home'." She reminded him.

Hudson nodded.

"It's like Willow said last night." Lex realized. "She said she felt at home when she was with us. She didn't mean the castle."

"She meant the people and gargoyles in the castle." Elisa added. "Besides, you and I both know this castle isn't your home anymore."

Hudson looked up at the battlements with a longing glance, then turned away with a sigh.

Meanwhile, across the bay in a large castle on the Cliffside, Macbeth waited patiently for his "guest" to awaken. He had placed Willow in one of his castle's interior bedrooms. No windows for a gargoyle to smash through. She was currently laid out on the large bed, thick blankets keeping her warm. He had contemplating binding her, but with the condition she was in, he saw no point.

Very slowly, she began to stir, groaning soft as she moved to rub her face.

"Ow…" She muttered as she opened her eyes. "Electrocution while still recovering from a gunshot wound… Not a good idea."

"No it was not." Macbeth agreed. "Count yourself lucky that you only knocked yourself out. It could have been much worse"

Willow sat up quickly, and immediately regretted the action. She clutched her middle in pain, wincing as she looked around to try and get her bearings.

"What the hell?" she hissed. "Where am I?"

"You are in my home." Macbeth answered. "But fear not, I harbor no ill will towards you. I merely needed to give your friends a reason to come to after me, since it was obvious they would not come of their own free will. At least, not without incentive."

"Xanatos hired you didn't he?" Willow guessed.

"Actually, I volunteered my services." Macbeth corrected. "You see, I have history with the gargoyles. A very. Long. History."

Willow tried to stand up, but Macbeth easily pushed her back onto the bed with a soft thud. She grunted on impact, but did not try to get up again.

"I'd be careful now, dearie." Macbeth warned "I know all about the various injuries you have received thanks to your association with the gargoyles. I even promised Mr. Xanatos I would try and remove you from their, for lack of a better word, care for your own safety."

"I'm safer with them than I am with you, or him." Willow snapped. "At least they actually care about me and my well-being. Xanatos only cares about three things: money, power, and himself. And not exclusively in that order."

Macbeth shrugged, then walked towards the door.

"You know that when the gargoyle's get here, they're gonna beat you into a bloody pulp." Willow called out to him.

Macbeth chuckled, opening the door before giving her a confident smirk.

"Dear girl, I was able to best them in their own home." He reminded her. "Do you honestly think I wouldn't be prepared for them here in mine?"

He closed the door behind him, locking it for good measure. Willow heard that unmistakable click, then leaned back against the headboard, sighing in irritation.

"I hope Goliath tears you in half." She swore.

Back at the castle, Elisa and the gargoyles walked through the maze-like corridors, all of them deep in thought.

"Goliath's not going to like this. Hudson said with a mournful sigh.

"He doesn't have to like it." Elisa responded. "He just has to realize that he has no choice."

"Elisa's right." Broadway replied. "We're sitting dorks here."

"It's sitting ducks." Lexington replied.

"Come now." Hudson finished. "If we are to do this, then we best hurry."

Goliath, Brooklyn, and Bronx flew over Manhattan. Bronx was sniffing the air, snarling and growling in certain directions. The two gargoyles followed Bronx's nose through the downtown district of Manhattan, and all the way out to the bay. Soon, they spotted the large castle on the Cliffside.

"That's the place." Goliath surmised. "It has to be."

The three gargoyles went to land, and Goliath put Bronx on the ground. The gargoyle dog smashed through the doors of the castle, where Macbeth stood waiting.

"Don't bother knocking." He said sarcastically. "After all, we are friends."

"Brooklyn, you find Willow." Goliath ordered. "I'll deal with Macbeth."

"Miss Willow is atop the stairs, down the hall to the left." Macbeth supplied. "The door is brown with golden emblems on it, and the key is above the frame."

Bronx and Brooklyn ran passed Macbeth, who turned to face Goliath.

"Can we not simply settle this peacefully?" the man questioned.

Goliath's eyes began to glow and he bared his fangs. Macbeth drew his net gun and aimed it at him.

"Shame." He said with a smile.

Goliath backed away slowly, the angry expression on his face growing even angrier.

"Smart beast." Macbeth said, inching towards the hallway. "Let's see how smart you are."

He took off down the hallway, and Goliath quickly followed him. The elegant hall quickly turned into a stone tunnel, and as Macbeth darted through an archway, a large wooden door slammed down after him. Goliath pounded on the door in anger, his punches not making a dent. His howls echoed through the castle as he scratch at the wood.

Up in Willow's room, she perked at the sounds of an angry Goliath.

"Jalapeña!" she said with a smile, "They're here!"

Goliath finally managed to bust through the door, and he quickly took off down the stairs on the other side. He stalked through the hallways like a panther, peering through the different archways before continuing on his path.

As he went to go through one arch, a large metal gate suddenly slammed shut in front of him. He went to grab it, only to find that it was electrified. Angrily, he grabbed a nearby suit of armor and chucked it at the gate. As he did this, he heard movement behind him.

Macbeth laughed at Goliath before letting off a shot with his net gun. Goliath grabbed a roman bust and tossed it, using it to deflect the net. Macbeth then took off down the hallway he'd come from, Goliath hot on his tail.

A large metal door cut him off once more, but Goliath made quick work of it, tearing through the metal is if it were tissue paper. However, all he found on the other end of the door was a large brick wall. The howl Goliath let out was so inhumane, so bestial, that anybody would have instinctively thought to duck, cover, a pray whatever made that sound never found them.

Now even more enraged, Goliath tore through the wall brick by brick, claws ripping the stone into rubble. He could see light on the other side, and that only added fuel to his proverbial fire. Once he'd cleared the wall, he found himself standing in a large room full of full body mirrors.

He walked in slowly, examining the mirrors closely. He then spotted what he thought was Macbeth and went to charge. All he ended up doing, however, was rebounding off the glass hard.

"It's not that easy, monster." A different reflection of Macbeth explained.

"Why are you doing this?" Goliath asked, genuinely confused. "Did Xanatos pay you?"

Macbeth's reflections all began laughing.

"Aye, I asked him for money." Macbeth replied honestly. "If I had offered to do this for free, he'd been suspicious."

"Then why?" Goliath demanded. "We've done you no wrong! Neither has Willow!"

"It's not you I'm after, nor the girl." Macbeth admitted. "You're all just pawns. I want your queen!"

"Queen?" Goliath repeated, thoroughly confused. "We have no queen."

"No?" Macbeth questioned confidently. "What about… Demona?"

Goliath's eyes widened in shock.

"You know Demona?" he gasped.

"Know her?" Macbeth laughed loudly. "I NAMED her!"

The floor underneath Goliath opened up and he was sent falling down a dark hole into the darkest recesses of the castle. As Goliath lay on the ground panting, Macbeth approached with a single lit torch.

"If I capture you, the last of your kind, she will come to free you." The man rationalized. "It's her I want."

Now it was Goliath's turn to laugh. He stood up and faced Macbeth, a smile on his face.

"You are a fool!" Goliath laughed. "She is our enemy. She wouldn't lift a talon to save us."

Angry at this sudden shift of information, Macbeth tossed the torch into a vase of oil. It immediately lit the room, revealing a medieval dungeon and torture room. Goliath tackled the man, who quickly freed himself. Macbeth then grabbed a large spiked table, flipping it and tossing it at Goliath. The gargoyle jumped up, avoiding the table, and quickly grabbing onto a gibbet hanging from the ceiling. He swung towards Macbeth and tackled him once more.

This time, when Macbeth worked his way free, he attempted to battle Goliath in hands on combat. The two traded punches, dodging and weaving through the dungeon. One punch send Macbeth right into the oil container he had set ablaze, knocking it down and setting the floor on fire.

Using the flames to his advantage, Macbeth made a break for it. Goliath followed after him, but only found an iron maiden in front of him. Expecting a ruse, Goliath quickly pried it open, revealing an escape route on the other side. He ran through and found a stone staircase leading upwards, Macbeth's shadow already halfway up the staircase. Goliath quickly gave chase.

Back in the main part of the castle Brooklyn and Bronx ran down the hallways of the castle, until they spotted the door that Macbeth had described. Bronx sniffed at the door, then let out a growl, chuffing slightly as he nodded at Brooklyn.

"Looks like that Macbeth guy wasn't lying." Brooklyn commented. "Now, where did he say the key was?"

Bronx tore through the wooden door, eliminating the need for a key. Brooklyn gave a small shrug.

"That works too." He declared.

In the room, Willow looked up from her bed, greet her two rescuers with a big grin.

"Bronx!" She exclaimed. "Brooklyn!"

The gargoyle dog leapt onto the bed, careful to avoid landing on her body. Almost immediately, he began licking her face. Brooklyn approached her as well, shaking his head in relief and in amusement.

"You just can't stay out of trouble can you?" Brooklyn said with a smile.

Willow shrugged, then gently pushed Bronx off of her. Brooklyn scooped her up as carefully as possible, then turned to Bronx.

"Come on boy, let's get out of here." He announced.

The secret passage led up to Macbeth's weapons room, where he immediately went for a well-preserved sword hanging on the wall. He turned just as Goliath reached the top of the stairs, and the two charged at one another. Macbeth swung at Goliath, but the gargoyle ducked, then leapt into the air, landing on one of the chandeliers. The fixture swung towards the wall, where Goliath grabbed a mace, which he then used to sever the chain holding the chandelier. Macbeth moved to dodge the falling fixture as Goliath leapt off it towards Macbeth.

The two warriors clashed, sword versus mace, smoke from the fire downstairs spreading upwards, filling the room. Fire began to lick at the tapestries hanging on the walls. Still the two clashed, the ringing of their weapons echoing over the roar of the fires. Soon, Goliath managed to snap Macbeth's sword in two, the blow also knocking Macbeth to his knees.

"Blast you!" Macbeth shouted.

He pulled out a gun and went to open fire on Goliath. However, Goliath knocked the gun out of his hand with his tail, then hoisted the man into the air by his wrists. Crushing the gun in his hands, Goliath then grabbed Macbeth by his coat.

Thinking quickly, Macbeth ditched the coat, dropping to the ground and bolting for the exit. Goliath would have followed, but the flames by now had spread throughout the building.

"Goliath!" Willow shouted from the main entrance. "This way!"

Goliath ran towards Willow's voice, escaping just as the flames completely consumed the castle.

Outside, Goliath, Brooklyn, Bronx, and Willow all watched as Macbeth managed to escape in his jet. The castle began to crumble into itself, and was soon reduced to nothing but a burning pile of wood and stone.

"Come…" Goliath said after a moment. "Let's go home."

They flew back into the city, Bronx in Goliath's arms, and Willow in Brooklyn's. However, as they got close to the castle, they were surprised to see Hudson, Lexington, Broadway, and Elisa standing on a different rooftop, the one Goliath had set as his meeting place with Elisa. Confused, the group landed on the rooftop.

"What are you doing here?!" Goliath demanded. "Why aren't you guarding our home?!"

"You don't live there anymore." Elisa told him.

Goliath angrily turned to her.

"What?!" he howled at her.

Elisa was unfazed.

"I found you a new home." She continued, maintaining her even tone.

Goliath got straight into her face, his anger causing his words to sound almost like growls.

"How dare you! I told you before! That castle is our home, and I will not abandon it!"

Broadway quickly stepped in.

"No Goliath!" he yelled. "She's right! It's suicide to stay there!"

"Lad…" Hudson said softly, acting as the voice of reason. "She's right you know. The castle is just a place of stone and wood. Home is more to that. Home is the six of us- nay, the seven of us, wherever we can be together and safe. That's our home."

Goliath howled in rage and frustration, then turned towards the castle, which was just visible in the distance. Though he didn't want to admit it, Hudson's words rang with truth. He'd felt it for a while now, but had been too stubborn to admit it. He had lost so much already. His clan, his Angel of the Night, even his time. He didn't want to lose the only home he'd ever known.

"Brooklyn, can you put me down for a minute?" Willow requested quietly.

Brooklyn set Willow down right next to Goliath. She then reached up, taking his hand in a sympathetic gesture.

"You gonna be alright, big guy?" she wondered.

He let out a sigh, then nodded.

"Just give me one minute." He requested.

He went to fly off, but Willow maintained her grip on his hand.

"Take me with you." She pleaded. "I have some things I need to get."

Down in the Eyrie Building's museum, Owen was quite surprised when Goliath came barging in, Willow in his arm, and a large blue suitcase in the other. He took a glance at the suitcase, then he looked up at Willow, adjusting his glasses.

"Planning a trip, are we?" Owen asked.

"We are leaving the castle." Goliath explained, "But I'm taking a few things with me."

He set down Willow and walked over to the case holding the Grimorum. Though Owen tried to stop him, Goliath merely pushed the man aside, then smashed the glass around the book. He tossed the book to Willow, who in turn slipped it into her suitcase.

"May I inquire as to what else it is you are taking?" Owen asked, straightening up and dusting himself off.

"Yes." Goliath replied, picking Willow up again. "Her."

Owen's eyes widened at that and he moved to intercept the pair.

"I'm afraid I must inform you that you cannot leave with Miss Willow." He informed Goliath. "Mr. Xanatos still has legal custody over her until she turns 18. If you take her, it will be kidnapping."

"Look at your calendar, Owen." Willow retorted. "Today's January 4th, my birthday. I'm 18 as of a few hours ago."

Owen blinked, then looked down at his watch and at the date. Sure enough, it was indeed Willow's 18th birthday.

"I'm now a legal adult, and can leave home whenever I please." She declared. "So guess what? I'm leaving."

"But know this." Goliath warned. "We will return to claim what is rightfully ours."

Owen gave a curt nod.

"I shall deliver your message to Mr. Xanatos." He promised.

"Make sure that you do." Goliath growled.

With that, Goliath stalked out of the room, Willow in hand and a heaviness in his heart.

Later that night, Goliath, the rest of the gargoyles, and Willow all gathered above the police precinct in a large clock tower set up there. The interior of the clock was completely empty, with enough room to house the six gargoyles, and their one human member. They all examined the space intently, Lexington focusing on the large clock that hadn't been working in years.

"With a little work, I might be able to get that going…" he muttered.

"This place isn't so bad." Hudson remarked. "There's a spot right over there for a television."

"That little alcove over there would make a perfect bedroom for me." Willow declared. "There's even a working toilet up here."

Elisa shrugged.

"I know it's a fixer upper, but throw a couple of rugs down, grow a few plants… and it could begin to feel like home." Elisa suggested

"Yes," Goliath agreed. "As long as we're together, we're home."

The next morning, Xanatos arrived at the Eyrie building with a slight spring in his step. He went up to the museum to see Owen sweeping up shards of glass from the carpet. Looking at the empty display next to him, it wasn't hard to deduce what happened.

"Good morning Owen." Xanatos greeted.

"Welcome back, Mr. Xanatos." Owen replied, standing up with a dustpan full of glass. "I have some bad news. The gargoyles left the castle, but they took the Grimorum with them… as well as Willow."

The last comment threw Xanatos off.

"They took her?"

"More like, she went with them willingly. She told me to inform you that she was a legal adult as of this morning, and Goliath told me to warn you that he would return."

Xanatos digested this, then nodded.

"Very well then. Thank you Owen."

Owen walked off to dispose of the glass as Xanatos peered out the window out in the city. It didn't matter what it took, or how much it cost. He would destroy the gargoyles, and he would get Willow back.