Raising the Stakes
By Shadow Runner
Part eight in the series
Not mine, not mine, not mine. No money, no money, no money. Just borrowing, just borrowing, just borrowing. Don't sue, don't sue, don't sue…
Hope you like and happy reading! J
***** ***** *****
"So what do we do now?" Angela asked.
Brooklyn and Lexington had just returned to the Eyrie Building to show the others what they had found.
Amazingly, Goliath wasn't upset when he found out where they were. In fact he'd seemed relieved to see they had found something. He called a meeting so they could begin to formulate a plan before Elisa and Matt left to for work and even Xanatos was present for the conversation. Goliath had asked him despite Elisa's protests since they needed someone who essentially thought like a criminal.
Xanatos was briefing the group as to his findings. "I did some research on the slug Brooklyn retrieved from the roof. It's a type of high powered, long-range ammunition normally restricted for Military or Government use."
Elisa glared at him, "I seriously doubt the Army is involved so I feel pretty safe in ruling them out Xanatos…"
Matt jumped in before Xanatos had a chance to respond, "How would someone go about getting this kind of stuff?"
Elisa gave her partner a smirk, "Matt… Ten year olds can get it at the Seven-Eleven now-a-days… gang members, Mafia, local wack jobs… pick a psycho group and I'm sure they have piles of this stuff…"
Xanatos walked over and was about to place a hand on the back of Elisa's chair but one look from Goliath told him he'd better not try, "True. However this particular type of ammunition has a phosphorous tip, which is not the same as a standard tracer round. These have to be specially made and can be highly volatile. However they are also extremely accurate and nearly subsonic when fired so there's no need for a silencer. That aspect alone causes the government to be very particular about who they sell them too."
Elisa cocked an eye at him, "Get turned down recently?"
He was about to respond but refrained when Owen walked into the room, "I have been running some checks and it appears three shipments matching this description were purchased through private dealers outside the United States." He handed Matt a small stack of paper, "Obviously one of the shipments found its way to back to New York."
"Well that's as good a start as any…" Matt said slowly, "Who placed it?"
Owen adjusted his glasses before speaking, "So far the only name I've been able to locate is 'Carter'…"
Elisa shot out of the chair she was sitting in, "As in 'Jon Carter'?!"
"No. This is a James Carter but I assume you recognize the name."
"Yeah," She sat back down slowly, "Canmore used the name Carter while working at WVRN…"
"Oh, this is just great…" Matt said rubbing his head slowly trying to ward off the incredible headache which was building in him, "Canmore is possibly running around with military grade weaponry… Could this possibly get any worse?"
Brooklyn was mystified by this new piece of the puzzle, "If he was there last night, there is no way he could have missed seeing us…Why didn't he shoot us off the roof?" He tossed the bullet slug over to Elisa, "If what Xanatos said it true, he could have smoked us with this stuff..."
Elisa caught it in the air and picked her words very carefully, knowing she was about to grant Matt's unintended wish. Things were about to get worse and she couldn't help but to notice that Matt had moved a bit further away from Goliath and was making it a point not to look at the large gargoyle as she spoke.
"I think I might have an answer..." She told the others of the packages she and Matt had received and when she finished the others stood there in a shocked silence.
Goliath was livid and had to fight back the impulse to lash out. Instead he turned to lock eyes with Elisa, "Why did you not tell me of this before?"
Elisa somehow managed to hold his stare as she spoke, "Something else came up…"
"What could have been more important then telling me of your contact with the Hunter?" Her cheeks colored slightly and he quickly realized what the 'something' had been. He had to fight back the urge to smile at her, instead he took her hand in his. "I see…"
"Does that mean the Hunter is on our side?" Broadway inquired.
"Probably not. But it does seem like he's willing to stick his neck out for Matt and me at least for the time being…" Elisa ran her fingers through her hair, "Most likely because he believes that it was us who saved his neck from Demona the night he was in the Nightstone database."
She looked at the others, "I fact I gotta believe he may still be monitoring the Nightstone database…"
"How do you figure?" Brooklyn inquired
"I think he knew Demona was up there and was hoping to get a shot at her. We might have walked into his ambush by accident because I doubt he knew we were going to be there… If he had things might have been a lot different..."
"Well," Lexington was thoughtful, "If he is still checking it out, I'd doubt he'd be doing it in a regular way… She'd find him again…"
"So what do we do now?" Broadway asked.
"Me and Matt go back to work…"
"NO!" Goliath roared.
"…and try to get to the bottom of this." Elisa continued as if she hadn't been interrupted.
"Elisa right, Goliath." Matt suddenly realized he was going against his own earlier words, "But then again, she might be safer here with you guys…"
Elisa looked at him like she wanted to smack him, "It can't be both ways, Matt. I am going to work."
Xanatos cut them off before the conversation got any more heated, "Might I make a suggestion…?"
***** ***** *****
"I cannot believe I went along with this…"
Matt looked over at his still fuming partner, "Did you have a better idea?"
Elisa shifted again uncomfortably in the seat of the Fairlane. They had just left the Eyrie Building with a state of the art global tracking transmitter strapped to her body and digging into her skin.
The transmitter was an advanced set up similar to the ones used by NASA and the military for tracking the movement of nuclear armaments. Elisa had to bite her tongue to avoid asking how Xanatos had this particular item in his possession and she was relatively certain she didn't want to know the answer anyway.
The up side of the deal was that she could now be tracked anywhere on the planet by a satellite feed as long as the tracker was operational. It seemed to satisfy both Matt and Goliath long enough for her to get out of the castle and Lexington was willing to forgive the broken headset in light of a new toy for him to play with. He was practically drooling all over himself trying to figure out exactly how it worked.
"Goliath knows where I am…" Elisa mumbled. "He can track me just fine with out all this…"
Matt knew what she was trying to imply, but he refused to go over the argument again. "Yeah, well, no one else can track you without it, so just suck it up. Besides, your connection, bond, or what ever the hell it is might be limited."
"Not this limited…" she muttered. She knew Goliath was close by and decided it was best to just let it go since it had been like pulling teeth just to get him to agree to this. She checked her watch, "Damn… We don't have time to hit my place before shift. I'll have to change later…"
"Hey I like the look…"
"Shut up Matt." She said as they pulled into the parking lot. They both quickly went into the station hoping to make a quick escape. "We better hurry… I don't want anyone to see me here like this… Elisa hastily went to her desk and rummaged through it looking for her extra shoulder holster. Her issued gear had been left behind with the rest of her bloody clothing, "Damn, my other rig isn't here… must be at home…"
Captain Maria Chavez saw them as soon as they entered the building. Both of them looked like hell but she'd come to expect it from the pair, "You two in my office NOW!"
Matt looked at Elisa with a grimace, "This is it…" he said under his breath.
"Just remember your lines…" she whispered back.
They walked into the office and stood before her, "One of you had better have a good explanation for this…" she tossed a stack of paper down on her desk as if to emphasize the fact that she was in an extremely bad mood.
Elisa tried to make light of the whole situation, "I know we're late… see I overslept and Matt had to wait on me…"
She cut her off with a waive of her hand, "Shut up Maza…"
"What's up Cap?" Matt started.
"You too, Bluestone. The truth is, I don't really want to hear any of this from either of you!" Neither of them had ever seen Chavez this pissed and both had a feeling the reason for the anger had something to do with the events at the Nightstone building last night.
"Please tell me why I got a visit from the CEO of Nightstone Unlimited asking where to send flowers for the poor, unfortunate officer who was killed in the explosion over at her building last night." Both detective's mouths dropped open in shock as she continued on her rampage, "I would especially like to know why she assumed it was you Maza since Bluestone told me you were nowhere near the place!"
Elisa sucked in her breath. Demona knew she was alive. They both stood in silence before her. They had a cover story, but in light of the visit from Dominique Destine, it was no good now. It never even occurred to them she would come by the station.
Chavez continued, "I tried calling both of you today and got no answer. I left six messages on your machine alone Maza and your not even responding to pages or your cell phone Bluestone. What the hell is going on? And don't even try to give me any lame answers, because anything that remotely sounds like an excuses will force me to have to shoot one of you."
She took a deep breath, and sized the pair up. Once again, something about the partners was off. Elisa was shifting slightly from foot to foot and Matt looked like he was about to run from the room at top speed. They almost appeared nervous about even being in her office.
It was more than just their behavior, and it took her a few minutes of looking at the mute pair to figure it out.
The clothes.
The shirt Elisa wore was obviously not hers and the jeans were way too long. She let her gaze fall over Bluestone. He looked disheveled and out of kilter, as if he hadn't gotten sleep in days, "Where were you all day?" she asked.
Elisa was about to speak when Matt cut her off, "She was with me..."
Elisa whipped around, "Matt!" It wasn't an out and out lie but Elisa didn't want the next words to come out of his mouth to be what she thought he was going to say.
Matt was unfazed by his partner's outburst, "Elisa was with me… all day…"
Chavez looked at Matt trying to process what he was implying. She'd heard the rumors around the station and in light of the meeting she had with him several days ago, it almost seemed plausible the partners might actually be involved with each other. She shifted her gaze back over to Elisa, "Is this true Detective?"
"This cannot be happening to me…" Elisa muttered as she turned five shades of red. She wondered if there was any statement she could make that might get her out of this and couldn't come up with a single one, "In a round about way…yeah..." she stammered.
Captain Chavez gave her a skeptical look, "Do I even want to hear the rest of this?"
"Probably not…"
Chavez shook her head slowly as she sat down, "I don't know what to say…"
"Neither do I…" Elisa murmured under her breath. She thought she was going to puke when Matt gave her a sharp elbow to the ribs.
Chavez leaned back in her chair, "This department has policy concerning partners becoming involved with each other…"
"I'm sure we can keep it professional, Captain." Elisa assured her. She looked at Matt pointedly, "Can't we Matt?" She reached over and squeezed his arm causing him to wince slightly.
"Wouldn't have it any other way…" He knew he was going to catch hell for this later but he didn't care anymore. As long as they got out of the office before the Captain asked anymore questions…
"That still doesn't explain why Ms. Destine came to see me today…"
… Like this one. "A misunderstanding I'm sure. I spoke with her personal secretary last night and the wires must have gotten crossed some place…" he was rubbing his arm where Elisa had pinched him, "I'm sure you were able to straighten it all out…"
"Yes I did..."
"Great!" Elisa realized she was being more than bit obvious about wanting to get out of the office and tried to compose herself enough to speak a bit calmer, "Well, we really need to get out on the streets… Come on Matt..." She turned to leave hoping to escape any more questions.
"Not so fast…"
I knew it, Elisa thought, I hate this…
"You're both late and for future reference, Detective Maza, I doubt it would be wise to show up at the station wearing Bluestone's clothes… Since you said you plan on keeping this professional…"
Elisa looked down sheepishly, "Ah, yeah… Sorry… I ah…" she was stammering again and decided it was best to just let it go. "It won't happen again…"
"Fine. I'd hate to have two split you up over this…Now hit the streets." They practically ran from the room.
Chavez waited until the partners left to consider their account of events. She had the feeling something else was going on and, more to the point, she didn't believe a word of their story.
***** ***** *****
Elisa fumbled to find her keys in the jumble of her pockets. They had just arrived at her apartment and she was desperate to change clothes, "I cannot believe you let Chavez think we're sleeping together…"
Matt knew better than to starting laughing again, "I never said we were sleeping together… I just said you were with me. Besides you were the one who practically confirmed it."
He was using the same tone with her that she had used on him earlier in the evening and Elisa found it extremely irritating. She paused before slipping the key in the lock, "Yeah… well I think the implication was there long before she asked the question…"
"What were you planning on telling her?" he questioned.
"I don't know, but believe me this was not the route I was thinking…" She slipped the other items back into her pockets, "I just hope for Demona's sake Fox can get my coat clean…"
Matt gave her a disgusted grunt, "I'd think you'd be more pissed about her taking pot shots at you…"
"Please. I love that jacket." She opened the door and the walked in. Cagney leaped up into Elisa's arms before she even had the chance to flip the lights on. She realized he must have been starving since she hadn't made it back to her apartment the night before, "Matt feed him for me would you…"
He tried to take the cat from her arms but to no avail; the animal simply would not let go. "Forget it…" she muttered, "Come on cat let's go change…"
She paused at the far edge of the room, "Do me a favor and let Goliath in."
Matt looked over at the balcony, "He's not even here…"
Elisa stuck her tongue out at him, "Check again…"
Matt looked back again. He still saw nothing, but suddenly the lavender gargoyle landed on the balcony. "Smartass…" he muttered as he went to open the doors. He had to step over a pile of discarded clothes to get over and open the door. "Hey…"
"Where is Elisa?"
"Getting naked in the bedroom…" From the look he got, he knew the humor was lost on the gargoyle and stepped back involuntarily, "Kidding… She's changing for work."
"Then all went well?"
"More or less…" In light of the situation he thought it best not to even mention the station at all.
Matt heard Elisa's voice coming from the bedroom, "Matt! Get in here!"
He wondered why she didn't holler for Goliath but then realized she had… he just wasn't privy to the initial call because Goliath had already shoved past him, practically knocking him over the couch before Elisa even called out. Matt was getting used to the two of them communicating this way, but it was still unnerving. He was going to have to talk to her about this Bond thing.
"What's wrong? Are you alright?" Matt scanned the room and slowly pulled his pistol from his holster and thought back to when they first entered the apartment, "What the…?"
No wonder Cagney was freaked out, the rampage must have traumatized him for life.
The bed was flipped over and the stuffing from the mattress was all over the place. There were huge claw marks in the walls and a good part of Elisa's wardrobe was scattered across the room. A mirror had been smashed and the pieces lay over the floor.
Elisa walked around slowly surveying the damage, it looked as if a tornado had come though the room. There was a note tacked to the wall with a shard of glass and she walked over cautiously to pull it loose with a still shaken Cagney in her arms.
I WILL FIND YOU
"I don't believe this…" she said through clenched teeth and turned away from the carnage, but not before Matt caught slight flashes of red in her eyes. Goliath picked up on her change as well and pulled her to him protectively as if trying to shield her from the events that took place in the room. Elisa peered over Goliath wings and around the room. The sheer destruction indicated a rage beyond the normal human realm.
Matt tucked his gun back into his holster and walked out of the room. He moved over to the pile of clothing that he'd stepped over earlier in the living room and crouched down to re-examined them. When he first saw them he thought Elisa was just being sloppy.
Now he knew better.
They were much like the ones they had found on the roof of the Airport when they first discovered Demona had returned to New York; at one time this too had been a business suit. Elisa and Goliath walked slowly back into the living room as Matt tossed the tatters to Goliath, "Well I think this pretty much confirms it…" he replied harshly.
"Not now Matt…" Elisa replied quietly.
"There's a pile of shredded cloths in the middle of your living room Elisa! She was waiting on you when the change took place! That means she doesn't even care about the risks anymore! What if you had been here when this happened? There is no way, you can tell me…"
"Matt! Stop it!" she yelled at him, but was looking at Goliath with concern.
Goliath felt waves of anger flowing over him, mixed with an under current of fear. It took a moment to realize the fear was not his but Elisa's. She wasn't afraid of Demona or what had happened, but of she was afraid of the way he was reacting. He tried to calm himself but it was a loosing battle.
Matt watched as the internal struggle Goliath was experiencing manifested itself in visible ways. The lavender gargoyle's eyes flashed white and if he had not been confined in the small room, Matt was certain he would have roared out as well.
"This must end…"
Elisa was finally able to pry Cagney off her and dropped him to the floor and then wrapped her arms around him and looked at Matt over Goliath's shoulder, "Call the others…"
***** ***** *****
"Make a right over there…"
Matt tuned to glare at his partner, "Christ, ya know it's bad enough the woman… gargoyle… what ever she happens to be at the moment is stalking you again, so believe me when I tell you, it's not necessary for you to start barking out orders!"
Elisa didn't bother looking over at him as she knew the look without needing to see it. Matt was ticked off and she couldn't blame him. It had been a rough night for all of them.
Once the rest of the Clan arrived, Goliath had sent Broadway and Lexington to Matt's apartment. There had been no sign of Demona, but they found the same evidence she'd been there but to a lessor degree. They figured when Demona couldn't find Elisa at home, she'd gone looking for her at his place. The focus of the rage might have been Elisa, but Demona had made it clear she was not splitting hairs and that no one was exempt from her rage.
Goliath wanted Elisa to return to the castle with him immediately. She held him off as long as she could but it was a loosing battle. Finally she gave in and promised to return to the castle as soon they finished their shift.
"Matt, I'm sorry… Just trust me, OK?"
"Trust you… I've been doing that for a long time Partner…" She had yet to display any of the gargoyle like traits she'd show before but he felt pushing her right now might not be the best idea.
"Where are we going?" he asked softly.
She finally looked over at him, "Back to the castle just like I promised… but I want to make a quick stop first… Take the next left and pull over…" Matt brought the Fairlane to a halt and Elisa got out, "Come on…"
Matt suddenly realized where they were, "Have you lost your mind?!"
"No…" She paused for moment and watched as Matt began looking around frantically, "What are you doing?"
He looked up, "Waiting for a big purple ball to swoop down a beat the tar out of me for bringing you here…"
"He's more of a lavender color and he's not coming… I shut off the tracker when we left my place… I'll turn it back on when we're done… No one will be the wiser…"
"Yeah right… How can you be so sure he doesn't know?"
"Believe me… I know…"
"Oh yeah… right…" Matt didn't sound so sure.
"I swear… Do you think we'd have gotten this far if he did?" Elisa walked over to the building and pulled the doors open.
Matt paused and then reluctantly followed her into the Nightstone Unlimited building.
***** ***** *****
They walked out of the elevator and into the office area. The woman behind the desk stood up slowly and started around the desk attempting to cut them off, "This is a restricted area. Your not permitted up here…"
"Stow it lady… Where is she?" Elisa demanded.
Jan Reading looked at the pair before her. Matt stood just behind Elisa, who was obviously very irate, and quickly composed herself before speaking to the officers, "I assure you I have no idea of who you're talking about."
Elisa took one step forward, "Don't jerk me around because I'm totally not in the mood for it…"
Matt's tone was equally condescending, "Please don't piss my partner off… She's had a rough day… You know… Dying and all…" He walked closer and addressed Jan directly, "Just tell us where we can find her and we'll be on our way…"
She looked non-pulsed by his words, and for a moment the woman reminded him of Owen Burnett.
Jan Reading sized Matt up. She thought back to his comments the night before and decided ignorance might not be the best course of action to take, "Ms. Destine is not here at the moment… Nor are any of her associates…"
Elisa stared at her until the other woman finally looked away, "When she comes back… tell her if she EVER pulls this shit again she wont have to come looking for me... I'll come looking for her and God help her when I do…" She turned and stormed out of the office.
Matt had to scramble just to keep up with her. Once they were in the elevator, he turned to look at her, "That went well… let's strike another one up to the famous Maza Temper… At least you didn't completely amp out on her. That would have been fun to explain."
Elisa refused to be baited by his comment and when the elevator reached the lobby, she continued to storm out the doors heading to the car. She slipped her hand into the pocket of her jeans forgetting for the moment that Matt had driven over, "Give me the keys…"
"No." Matt looked at her hard, "Not until you talk to me… What are you trying to prove?"
"That I'm still alive. Now are you going to give me the keys or not?"
Matt wasn't about to let her off the hook that easily and grabbed her by the arm, "It's more than that and you know it!"
She pulled her arm away from him, "She threatening my Clan!"
She turned and continued on to the car with Matt running after her again, "Don't give me that crap, Christ you sound like Goliath! Your Clan?! What the hell is that supposed to mean!?"
It was a rhetorical question, but she answered him anyway, "She threatened me, the lives of the others, and you too…"
"Me?!" Matt practically yipped in surprise at the words Elisa spoke. "What the hell do I have to do with you going half cocked?"
She locked eyes with him, "My Clan… includes you too, Matt. She going after anyone and everyone and I will not let her take her problems with me out on the rest of the world."
Matt gave her a condescending look, "Oh, I think we are way past that…"
"Look, I needed to shake her up and it was the only way I could think of to buy some time."
"Time for what?"
"If she looking for me, maybe she'll quit looking for the Hunter." Elisa took a deep breath, "I have to get to Jon before she does."
"Now I know your nuts… We'll be luck to get to the castle at this point…"
"My point exactly," Elisa walked around to the driver's side waiting no him to toss her the keys. "Demona is still out there which is why I still need to be out on the streets."
He started to cut back in but she stopped him, "Look, I can't afford to have Goliath, you, or anyone else treating me like I'm gonna just… disappear. I still have a job to do…"
From the look on his face Elisa could tell he was having some serious doubts and for a split second she thought he was going to walk away from her, "Matt… I know I haven't always been real open with you, and I've always asked you to trust me and you have… but this time I'm asking for your help…"
Matt could read the determination on her face and knew she was going to do this no matter what, but would rather do this with him than without. He also understood what she was saying and he could even rationalize it to a certain degree.
No matter what she was still his partner and he wasn't about to let something else happen to her. He sighed and tossed her the keys to the Fairlane, "I swear Elisa, if Goliath pulls my arms off, I'm holding you personally responsible…"
***** ***** *****
Elisa stood on the edge of the castle looking out over the city. She heard the last dying reminisce of the voices from inside the Great Hall, and knew her moment of truth was coming. Eventually, Goliath would come out and the argument would start again.
When they returned to the castle, Goliath had been waiting on them. As soon as Elisa saw him she knew she hadn't been able to mask what she had done entirely from him. She thought he was going to have an aneurysm when he realized where she had gone.
It had been an impulse visit and might very well have made matters worse. But in her anger she hadn't been thinking clearly and she knew she was going to have to get a hold of herself quick. After tonight things were going to be bad.
Matt was right, she was pushing it.
She heard him walk out and turned to him and knew he was still highly pissed. "I would apologize but I doubt it would do any good, would it?"
Goliath could feel the turmoil building in her. Matt had filled him in on the details she'd attempted to block from him. "True…" he replied softly. Elisa stiffened slightly but said nothing, "But… I do not think there is a need for an apology…"
She wasn't accustomed to being so out of control and didn't care much for the feeling either, "Oh yes there is… Goliath, I took a big risk tonight, one that could have gotten Matt killed. I don't know what I would have done if Demona had actually been there."
She felt herself beginning to shake and walked slowly to him and wrapped her arms sound him. She was relieved when he slowly pulled her into his embrace. "I gotta wonder if I'm not loosing it…"
Goliath kissed the top of her head and spoke softly, "This is all very new for you…" When he tilted her head up, there were tears in her eyes, "We will work through this together, but you must not continue to take such risks…"
Elisa knew what he was getting at and allowed him to calm her fears. He held her for a long time and stroked her hair softly. He whispered reassuring words to her and gradually her shaking stopped but she was still tense. Slowly reached out to her though the Bond in an attempt to reassure her.
She took a deep breath, feeling his presence in the back of her mind. He was moving in slowly, not trying to push. She felt her heartbeat flutter and beat in time with his. After a few minutes it returned to its normal pattern, but it still raced. She tipped her head back and was met by his lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave into the Bond fully. It was like a spark going off in the deepest part of her soul. The kiss finally broke and she looked deep into his eyes, "I am sorry…"
Goliath pulled his love closer and capped his wings around her. He held her tight and softly kissed her again, absorbed in the feelings she sent out to him. He shut out the night and everything else but the woman he held in his arms.
***** ***** *****
She watched them.
She was prepared to swoop down on them both, bent on destroying the woman, but stopped. Someone else had walked from the castle and approached the pair.
Angela…
She watched as the young woman approached the pair. They broke their embrace, embarrassed to be seen in such a compromising position. Angela laughed at something one of them said, hugged Goliath and then turned to hug the Human.
In a rage, Demona flew off into the night.
***** ***** *****
They stood on the parapet of the castle, Angela had walked out several minutes before and caught the two of them kissing and Elisa was just now getting over the embarrassment. It was going to take a while to get past the fact she was with someone who, by all accounts, had a daughter that was only a few years younger than herself. Thankfully Angela didn't appear to have any problems with the current situation and seemed genuinely happy for her father and Elisa.
The others, curious as to what was happening outside, walked out just behind Angela, "What going on?" Broadway asked.
Goliath was about to speak when he noticed Elisa staring off at the city skyline "Elisa… what's wrong?" He pulled her closer to him in a purely reflexive manner. After tonight, he didn't dare let anything slip past without careful scrutiny.
"I have no idea… I just got a funny feeling…" Elisa finally pried herself loose from his hold but stayed close to him.
"Funny feeling? What kind of funny feeling?" Matt questioned.
Elisa shook her head, "I'm sure it was nothing… Just nerves strung too tight…" she looked at the others seeing the disbelief on their faces, "Everything is fine… Really…"
Goliath didn't seem as sure, "You will stay here tonight." He looked over at Matt, "That includes you as well."
"Are you crazy?" He exclaimed, "We are not staying here."
Elisa looked up at Goliath, "He's right. You know how it will look it two cops were known to be staying at the home of David Xanatos."
Goliath stood firm by his earlier statement, "No, the risk are to high. If you return home Demona may be laying in wait for you…"
Matt rubbed his head, the lack of sleep was taking a toll on him, "Maybe there's a holding cell open down at the station…"
Elisa shook her head, "No Matt… We go home." She turned to cut off the protests she knew would be coming, "We can't allow Demona to run our lives. Right now the ball is in her court and she's calling the shots. The longer it stays that way the harder it's gonna be to get a grip on this." She looked at Goliath, "I'm tired of hiding from this…"
"Elisa…"
"No… Nothing changes. Matt and I go to work just like normal and you all resume your patrols. It's the only way we can get past all of this."
Hudson was the first to speak, "I agree with the lass, tis not our nature to hide from the enemy… No matter who it might be…"
Goliath was slow to agree with him, "Aye… but tonight… I would feel better if neither of you were in a location readily known to her…"
She looked over at Matt and cocked her eye, "I think I have an idea… One I think we can all live with…"
***** ***** *****
Goliath wouldn't leave until Elisa and Matt were inside. Satisfied they were safe and no one was lurking in the shadows, he turned to Brooklyn, "Let's go home…"
"We're not going in?" For some reason he felt disappointed about it.
"No." Goliath gave the entrance one last look, "Dawn is approaching, and I think this is a conversation Elisa would be better off having without our presence."
***** ***** *****
"It looks like we have company."
Derek looked over in the direction Maggie indicated, "Elisa! What are you doing down here?"
"Well you said I should stop by…"
He rushed over to her and hugged her tightly, "I'm glad you did…" he looked over her shoulder and saw she was not alone. Matt was standing behind her, "Ah… Hi Matt…" He looked at his sister, "What's going on…?"
"It is a long story Little Brother… a long story…"
Derek shook his head, "With you, Elisa, it always is…" He leaned over and shook Matt's hand, "Welcome to the Labyrinth."
***** ***** *****
Elisa and Maggie sat on the tattered couch and listened to the silence of the Labyrinth. Derek and Claw had left to scout out one of the lower tunnels, and Matt was curled up in a ball on one of the many cots. He'd tried to stay awake as long as he could but sleep finally overtook him. Elisa thought he looked peaceful for the first time in a long time.
She could feel her body going limp and knew she was exhausted but fought the sleep anyway. She shifted slightly on the couch and noticed Maggie was looking at her with a curious expression, "What's up?" she asked trying to stifle a yawn.
Maggie cocked her head at Elisa, "Why didn't you tell Derek?"
"About what?"
Maggie reached over and flipped at the collar of the flannel shirt Elisa still wore, "That."
Of all the injuries she had, the hickeys were the only ones that hadn't been healed as a result of her link to Goliath's Stone Sleep. Elisa blushed, "Oh. You saw 'em…"
"As soon as you walked in." Maggie didn't want to pry but she was curious why Elisa didn't mention it to Derek. She knew her mate quite well and doubted he would have reacted badly to the news his sister had finally found love with someone who genuinely cared for her.
"It's not something I'm quite ready to 'discuss' with my baby brother… not yet at least…"
"Why not?" she inquired tentatively.
"I'm not sure it's a good idea just yet…" Elisa shifted to a more comfortable position on the couch as if to indicate this portion of the conversation was over.
Maggie smiled, Derek often did the same thing when she touched on area he didn't care to discuss. She had often wondered what her mate was like as a human and realized he would have been much like his sister… in fact, he still was.
"You two are so much alike…" Maggie stated softly.
"I wouldn't tell him that… as kids he hated it if someone suggested he might be even the slightest bit like me…" The memory brought a pang of remorse. Elisa thought back to their childhood and found herself looking at the stone form of Delilah. "What's she like?"
Maggie followed her eyes, "Quiet… withdrawn sometimes…"
Elisa nodded absently, not really hearing the words but responding anyway, "Derek said she reminds him of Beth…"
Maggie stood up and allowed Elisa to stretch out on the couch, "You should get some rest…"
The yawn finally slipped out as Elisa shifted around, "OK… Maybe I'm a 'little' tired…" she was asleep before the words even got all the way out of her mouth.
***** ***** *****
"Is this some type of conspiracy just to piss me off?!" In the fine tradition of the Maza family, Elisa stood in the middle of the room arguing with her brother.
"No, I just don't think it's a good idea for you to go home right now…" He turned to Matt, "Back me up on this… Tell her how unreasonable she's being…"
"Derek, this is between you and me!" Elisa retorted with a look that dared Matt to even try and interject himself into the argument.
Derek glared at his sister, "I can't even believe you would even think of going home after what happened…"
"Oh really? I told you this morning it was just for the day. I can't believe you want to even debate this with me!" Elisa threw her arms up in disgust, "Man, it's like living at home again…"
Derek narrowed his eyes to slits, "Don't even start comparing me to Mom…"
"Well then quit acting like her!" Elisa shot back.
"Derek, please," Maggie interjected softly, "You upsetting the others with all this arguing…"
"Maggie, we are not arguing! We are discussing…" Derek retorted.
"Then take the 'discussion' some place else!" Maggie snapped back.
The Mutate Leader physically jumped when she yelled at him. Maggie rarely raised her voice and it took a lot to push her into a position where she did and Derek had a sinking feeling he'd just crossed the line. His sister was already on her way out the door hot on the heels of Bluestone. "Maggie…" he started.
"Out!" she demanded. When he started to speak again she cut him off, "NOW!"
Maggie was doing her best to keep the peace, but in the end throwing them all out had been her only recourse. Derek walked over and kissed her on the cheek lightly and followed his sister out the door.
They had been forced to the outer limits of the Labyrinth, which was probably better. Elisa looked at her brother hard. His role of Talon might work with the others, but to her, he was still the same little brother she used to try to lock in the closet for pestering her when they were kids. She smiled to herself at the thought of trying it again but figured it wouldn't be worth the effort. He wasn't six anymore.
"Derek. Listen to me…"
Derek's voice was low and threatening, "Let her find the son-of-a-bitch."
"Oh, yeah, that's a healthy attitude to have." Matt muttered under his breath.
"Stay out of this Bluestone!" Derek snapped, quickly stepping back into the role of Talon.
Elisa cut him off, "Wrong answer, bro. Matt put his ass on the line for me and I'll be damned if you or anyone else is going to talk to him like that." She voiced was laced with an underlying threat and Matt caught brief flashes of red in the corner of her eyes. "Brother or not, this is not going to get you anywhere… We are going home."
"Elisa…" Derek started again.
"Derek, if someone finds out we're here, the danger will be brought down on you, Maggie, and all the rest… You have a responsibility to them…"
Derek grew somber at this thought. He knew he had no right to interfere with any of this, as it had nothing to do with him or the other Mutates. In fact very few people knew the Mutates even existed and his only connection to the current situation was his sister. This was about the Gargoyles and in order to keep his Clan safe, he was going to have to stay out of this. "If anything, and I mean anything, comes up…"
"We'll come back…" Elisa whispered.
"Promise…?" he asked tentatively.
"Cross my heart…" she said softy.
"And hope to die…?"
"And hope to die…" She smiled at the childhood vow, relieved to have finally gotten through to him, "Come on Matt."
Derek called out to the pair as they left, "Be careful…!"
"Yes mother…"
Derek couldn't be certain but it sounded like both Elisa and Matt had responded at the same time.
With the exact same words.
***** ***** *****
Allen Jenkins stood outside the door waiting for the right moment to report in. It had been several days since the botched attempt at Nightstone Unlimited and he was eager to report his latest findings to the boss. After several minutes he heard his name called out and walked in and placed several files on the desk, "Maza is involved with them."
John Castaway looked up at the young man thoughtfully, "And how did you come to this hypothesis?"
Jenkins was taken back for a moment, "Well… we continued the surveillance of the Beast's building as you directed. Maza and her partner went there a few days ago. We saw them go in and come back out, and have been tailing her ever since. She's also made several trips to the Eyrie Building and we still suspect Xanatos is harboring the rest of them there, despite the search by the GTF. She's got to be working with them."
Castaway was thoughtful as he flipped through the files the young man dropped on his desk, "Did you see her with any of them?"
"Well we've had reports of…"
Castaway cut him off, "Did you personally see her with any of them?"
"No…"
"Pull back on the surveillance..."
Jenkins felt his temper flare, once again his leader was making excuses for the woman detective. He forced himself to remain calm, it wasn't wise to upset the Boss but in this case he felt it might be justified in doing so, "Why?"
John Castaway stood, the irritation more than evident on his face, "Are you questioning me again Mr. Jenkins?"
The young man stepped back slightly, "No Sir."
"Good." He picked up the files and placed them in his desk drawer, "If you haven't seen her with them physically then there is no proof yet. I don't want anyone doing something that might tip our hand so for now we wait." He turned to the window and looked out over the city, "What about the other issues?"
Jenkins pulled a small notebook from his pocket, "So far everything is going according to schedule. A few loose ends but they should be tied up by the end of the week."
"I want them tied up by the end of the day." Castaway continued without turning to face the man behind him, "Is that clear?"
He nodded without really understanding and tuned to leave the office. Once he was outside, he actually took the time to think about what the leader of the Quarrymen had asked him to do. Maza clearly had ties to the gargoyles, yet Castaway was refusing to recognize the best chances they had of destroying the beasts was through her.
He was getting a bad feeling about the situation.
Jenkins paused, hoping he was wrong because if he wasn't, this was going to become a problem later on down the road.
***** ***** *****