Hi Guys! I hope that you are liking the story so far, I do have general destination for this story. I have to apologize for the long delay's between postings. I have officially overwhelmed myself by trying to write three stories at the same time as well as trying to revamp and repost a fourth. So please bear with me.

Thanks to you who are reading! Please review often…I want to know just how I am doing!

Darwin

Chapter Three: The Gift

Tanner felt anxiety as sleep overtook him, casting his worried face in a stone grimace. What would the night bring? He was uncertain just what to believe from the Lady of Avalon, if anything. His automatic reaction was to discount all that she had said to him. He had never found a reason to trust her in his short life. His irritation with her mightier than thou attitude tainted him, and to find that she had withheld from him for the past fifteen years of his life a set of memories. Because she thought that he would not have been able to handle them? That had only worsened his distrust of her.

He shook his head, a stubborn part of him denying that Lady Titania was capable of any such feelings. It urged him strongly to forget what had been said, to rest and think no more on it. Still it pricked at the back of his mind. To what purpose would she deceive him with this information?

What if it was true? What if she had some knowledge of a change his adolescence would bring about? She had after all seemed genuinely morose about what she had done, and had seemed to want to atone for her lack of forethought. Tanner looked down contemplating the thought that something was about to happen to him. But what?

These thoughts chased themselves through his mind, transforming into odd dreams about possible results of his waking this evening. One dream had him shed his wings, lose his tail, his nub of a finger lengthening and the horns on his brow disappearing until he was wholly human. It was much the same as the story that he had been told by Goliath about his own gift from Lady Titania. It was a wonderful dream, being able to walk among the humans and be a part of their lives. They accepted him and he joyfully engaged in everyday human affairs. He worked at a steady job working with the electronics he loved, he was able to go to restaurants and visit friends without stares, and without the horror they sometimes encountered even now.

But as in most dreams it transformed into a nightmare as one night he returned to his human job hearing a shriek behind him. He looked over his shoulders to find that his wings and tail had returned, lengthening, stretching, and tearing through his human attire. His horny crown grew from his brow and one finger fell off completely revealing him for what he really was…a gargoyle. People who had been so accepting of him, friendly and carefree in his presence recoiled at the sight.

Others tore their suits from their bodies revealing quarrymen robes beneath, their signature electric sledges appearing from impossibly small crevices in the office furniture. Tanner backpedaled trying desperately to be free of their hammer's reach. He found himself hemmed in on all sides, the sounds of charging hammers whining in his ears. Tanner made to leap to the ceiling to get out of their reach only to find that his feet were mired in some sticky and altogether unbreakable substance. He winced inwardly as the hammers fell on his frozen form.

A disadvantage to being a gargoyle was the fact that there was no relief to the horrid images presented to them in nightmares. As much as he wanted to wake he was unable to and only time was able to clear the images from his mind and let him rest.

It seemed that his dreams had only just stopped chasing themselves in happy and fearful circles when the urge to wake from slumber became strong in him. He felt his blood speed up and his muscles become freer. He flexed strong arms feeling the stony skin surrounding him give a little. He pushed and twisted feeling the last vestiges of sleep fall from him.

Eyes still tightly closed, Tanner stretched grandly his roar echoing and surrounding him. He relaxed his waking stance and opened his dark eyes…to be blinded. He cringed back at the glare around him, suddenly certain he had been singled out for attack his all too vivid nightmares lending urgency to the thought. He blinked peeking out from between protective fingers trying to pinpoint the source of the blinding light.

Tanner heard no rotor blades that would signal the assailants were using helicopters, nor did he hear the whine of hovercraft fans keeping the smaller more agile craft aloft. The glare he had thought were spotlights was wrong as well. Instead of being centered on his form and pinning him down, seemed to surround him with a warm golden glow. Blinking again Tanner took another look about him. His jaw fell open as he spotted the blinding orb still hanging high in the sky.

Slowly his hand fell from his eyes to hang limply at his sides in his shock, "The…Sun?" He whispered incredulously as a wave of fear swept through him. He recoiled again, "What's happening to me?"

He tried to deny the reality of his situation, reminding himself of all the vivid dreams and nightmares that had plagued him throughout the day. That had to be the case now, gargoyles just didn't wake during the day. He straightened again as a thought crept into his mind…could this have been what Titania meant?

He found himself unable to move waiting anxiously to wake from this nightmare. The waking never came. Still he stood for long drawn out hours praying that he would either wake or that the sun would finally sink behind the horizon and release him. Tanner's heart leapt as the sky began to stain with color knowing his torture was almost at an end. He had only moved a few inches from the spot where he woke, but he was very careful to resume the pose he had gone to sleep in. He was sure that if he didn't one of his clan would notice the disparity. For a reason he could not explain he was scared to have the Clan know there was something else wrong with him besides his hands and his half-human heritage.

It seemed to take forever for the darkness to take over the light, for the day to give way to the night.

The statues surrounding Tanner slowly cracked apart to reveal the living beings hidden beneath stony countenances. Tanner carefully feigned awakening with the rest of his clan, trying not to be apparent when it came to his early awakening. He watched carefully from the corners of his eyes at the process of them freeing themselves simultaneously around him. He wondered at the process, it was fascinating to see something that he had only experienced himself.

As interested as he was his anxiety level was rising again. Should he tell the others? He felt about to burst, and felt a heady need to confide in someone. When the rest had relaxed and started to move off to take up his or her own pursuits, Tanner approached Goliath. If anyone would be willing to listen to his plight it would be his father. As he neared however Brooklyn approached the towering gargoyle and Tanner stopped dead in his tracks. He did not want to reveal another oddity about himself with Brooklyn listening in. But perhaps he could pull his father away for a few moments. Steeling his courage he stepped up to his father.

"Father?" Tanner started. Both sets of eyes turned to face him and Tanner got the distinct impression that he had interrupted a fairly important discussion.

"What is it Tanner?" Goliath asked his face showing concern for the expression his son wore, was it fear?

"Father I need some advice," Tanner added feeling very embarrassed.

"About?"

"Um," Tanner stumbled seeing that Brooklyn had not taken the hint, and that his father made no attempt to ask for more private conversation. It was expected, there were no secrets within the clan all discussions were open, "This is something that I want to talk to you about privately if I may."

"Of course," Goliath said, "Brooklyn, I will get back with you about your report when I am done."

"Right," Brooklyn said and then nodded, he threw Tanner a glare before moving off to speak with Broadway.

"What…" Goliath began to ask when Xanatos interrupted him.

With a heavy sigh, Goliath turned toward their benefactor, "What is it Xanatos?"

"I just received a report that the Quarrymen have attacked another gathering for interspecies tolerance. They've taken several hostages."

Tanner looked up seeing Goliath close his eyes in frustration, "Will they never just let us be?"

"You know that answer as well as I do, Goliath," Xanatos said evenly.

"Aye," He agreed, "But I do not have to like it!"

Tanner frowned a moment seeing his opportunity to talk to his father privately evaporating with every second that passed, and that frustrated him. He sat on that knotty feeling in his gut, knowing it would sound selfish of him to insist on discussing his own problem. The others began to gather seeming to sense the tension now in the air with the knowledge of their impending mission.

"Surely this another ploy to get us into their clutches," Brooklyn said earnestly as the clan gathered.

"What else can we do?" Broadway added, "We can't let them just beat up a bunch of innocents, just because they want peace with us."

"Point well said," Goliath added, "We will help. We have outwitted the Quarrymen before and this time will be no different," He said, then began to dole out their orders, "Angela, go with Brooklyn and Broadway, approach the building from the back. Tanner, Lexington and Bronx, you come with me, we will cover the front. No one is to move in until I give the signal, understood?"

Everyone nodded or spoke their assent and then the group dispersed. Xanatos spoke to their retreating forms, "We will keep you up do date on their movements and any other civil involvement."

"That would be most appreciated," Goliath said quietly.

They took silently to the air soaring out over the city and headed discreetly the direction of the newest in their seemingly never-ending crisis.

The fight lasted throughout the night. The Quarrymen were well dug in by the time the Gargoyles arrived. The problem with fanatics was that they always felt justified no matter how drastic or appalling their actions. Tonight's events were no different, using women and children as human shields as they fired mercilessly in their direction. Only their well-honed teamwork and high sense of caution kept them from serious injury. By the time that they were able to free the hostages and scatter the Quarrymen it was near dawn. Now there was no time to return to Tanner's problem before they were forced to ready for sleep.

With a heavy heart and a lot of dread, Tanner resumed his position on the wall wondering and hoping that his early awakening had been a fluke and that his life would return to as normal as it had ever been.