All the characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyright Buena Vista Television/The Walt Disney Company. No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder. All original characters are the property of Zzilly14.

The Ford Chronicles: Mia Ford
II: The Return Part Two
by Zzilly14

I was at the top of the clocktower, a few minutes before sunset, trying to be patient. After meeting Demona and learning that she did indeed have John, as well as my new friends Goliath and Elisa, I worried the day away. I decided to go to the other gargoyles and inform them of my interesting day.

"Come on, sun. SET!"

Finally it listened, and the gargoyles woke from their stone slumber. They noticed me and instantly knew something was wrong.

"What did Elisa tell you?" asked Lex. "Did they find Demona?"

"Elisa told me nothing," I replied. "But Demona has been found."

Brooklyn asked, "How?"

"I met Demona. In human form, of course. She has Goliath and Elisa. As well as John. I'm supposed to meet her at that old computer factory, right now actually."

"I'll take you there," Brooklyn said.

"No... she told me I have to go alone, or else... or else..." I tried to keep from crying.

"We'll go over there after we come up with a plan," said Hudson. "We don't trust Demona, and you shouldn't either."

"I don't," I said, "but I need to get my husband away from that evil creature. And I'll do what ever I can to save him."

...

I walked down the tower and took a cab to the abandoned-looking factory. I looked around, but didn't see anyone.

"You're late," I heard Demona say. "I hope you're alone."

"I came by myself," I replied. "Traffic was bad, that's why I'm a little late."

Demona flew from nowhere and landed in front of me. Although she was intimidating as a human, her gargoyle form made her look scary and evil. Especially since she was carrying a gun. "Follow me, human."

I followed her inside and was quiet while we walked around. Finally she pressed a button that opened a door to a hidden basement.

Down the stairs we went to a secret lair. Demona went over to a console, pressed some buttons, and another door opened.

"Your friends are in there," she said. "Go see them."

I went inside, and saw Goliath and Elisa in separate cages.

"Mia!" shouted Elisa. "You found us! Can you help us out of here?"

I whispered, "Demona is still here, I can't do anything yet!"

"She won't even notice," spoke up Goliath. "Hurry and let us out!"

I scanned the room for some keys – and found some. I unlocked both cage doors so they could get out.

"Where's John, is he around here somewhere?"

Elisa said, "Yes, yes he is... and you're going to join him."

Goliath suddenly grabbed me, holding me still. Demona walked in grinning devilishly.

"You see, spells can do amazing things. You can make people do what you want them to. You can control them. John wanted to stop me from doing this. And he failed."

"Let me see him," I cried, "please! I want to see my husband!"

"Alright... Goliath, bring John in here."

He went to a wall which had a hidden door. He went inside and came back out, holding a weak John.

"John!" I cried. "John! Honey, can you hear me?"

Goliath dropped him in front of me. I sat down and stroked his dark brown hair. "Sweetie, it's Mia. I'm here!" I said through my tears.

"What a touching reunion," Demona said sarcastically.

"Mia?" he rasped. "Dear, I'm so... so sorry... I love you."

"I know, John, I know... it's not your fault, you didn't do anything wrong. You didn't know Demona was using you. You didn't know what she really was."

"I should have," he said sadly. "I'm sorry what I've put you through."

"It's okay... now we're together."

Demona laughed. "Not for long, you pathetic humans. I've put a spell on your mate here, to pay for disobeying me!"

"What spell?" I demanded angrily. "What did you do?"

"Well, at sunrise he's going to change – into stone. And he'll never be human again."

Tears began to fall down my cheeks. "There must be a way to stop it. You can't do this to him!"

"I already did. And there is no way to reverse the spell. All you can do is cherish the time you have left with him. That's my gift to you."

"No! No! Please reverse the spell..." I sobbed. "Please, Demona... what did I do to you?"

"You married this human. That's what you did." She then recited some incantations from the book. "I've had enough fun tonight," she devilishly grinned. "You have your friends back... for now." Then she ran up the stairs, escaping.

"Mia?" asked Elisa. "What happened?"

"Ouch, my head," said Goliath.

"Why did she do this to the only thing that mattered in my life? Why... why is she taking my husband away from me?" I held John tight, crying. "Why?"

"Mia," he said, "I haven't been completely honest with you."

"I know, sweetie, I know..."

"There's more," he said. "Things I haven't told you."

I sobbed. "But there's not enough time, I just want to kiss you and hold you... your mistakes aren't important. I don't want to let you go!"

"Mia! Listen... I'm older than I've told you."

"You lied about your age? Everybody does that, John!" I laughed weakly. "But that's not important, okay?"

"Mia... how many people say their real age is over a thousand years?"

All I could do was stare back at John.

"I was put under a spell a long time ago, Mia. I knew Demona back in the Middle Ages. I knew Goliath and his clan... I used to be in his clan."

"There were no humans in our clan," Goliath said.

"That's my point," replied John. I stared into his eyes, slowly absorbing the information he began to reveal. "I was a gargoyle once. I left that night... and I came back to find you all in stone. I found the Magus and begged him to curse me too, but he refused. Instead, he made me a human – an immortal human.

"I've been roaming around this world for centuries. Demona, as a human, came to me and I didn't realize it was her. I got suspicious when I saw the spells in that book she was wanting me to translate. I confronted her, refused to work for her anymore, when she revealed herself to me. It was then I informed her of my true nature. She couldn't believe it... that's why she did the spell on me."

"How will turning into stone prove to her you're a gargoyle from her clan?" I asked.

"She didn't tell you everything," he explained. "It's true, I'll turn to stone at sunrise. But that's because I'll be a gargoyle once more."

"John... I..." I held him close and kissed him tenderly. I cried again, but this time out of happiness. "This means we can still be together, John. This means I don't have to lose you!"

"You don't care that I'll be a flying creature of the night and a statue in the day?"

"Of course not – because you're still you. I admit, at first I was afraid of the gargoyles. But I learned that they're not the monsters I thought they were. It doesn't matter what shape or form you have. As long as you're the same John Ford on the inside, that's all that matters."

"I love you, Mia!"

"I love you too." We kissed again.

Goliath cleared his throat. "We better get going. Our clan is probably worried about us."

"Yeah, we were – but everything looks okay!" said a voice coming down the stairs. It was Lex, followed by Brooklyn, Hudson, and Bronx.

"Hey guys!" I smiled. "John's okay! He's not hurt badly!"

"Turning into stone will heal me," he grinned.

"Since when did humans turn into stone?" asked Lex. "Not counting the time Demona did that spell a while back..."

"It's a long story," I chuckled.

Everyone headed back to the clocktower, just in time for the Late Show.

Lex sat right in front of the television. Brooklyn was seated on the couch with Hudson and Bronx. Goliath and Elisa were outside talking with us.

"We've got a lot in common," I said to Elisa, "with our significant others being gargoyles. Although John has been human before..."

Elisa laughed. "So has Goliath. Thanks to Demona and Puck. You know, Goliath, you made a pretty nice human for those few minutes!"

"And you made a fine gargoyle," he grinned.

"I think that's a story for another time," I laughed.

"So tell me, John," spoke Goliath, "you were one of my rookery brothers?"

"A long time ago, yes. I hope you will accept me back into your clan."

Goliath grabbed his shoulder. "Of course – you are always welcome into our clan, brother."

"Honey, can you take me gliding?" asked Elisa. "I want some alone time with you," she giggled.

"Of course, my love." He took her into his arms and they glided off, leaving John and I alone.

"Are you feeling better?" I asked him.

"Every minute," he replied. "Are you sure you're okay with me being a gargoyle? It doesn't bother you?"

"Well, I can't say this is a dream come true for me. I mean, I won't be able to wake up with you in the mornings anymore... and we can't hold hands in public and see a movie – everyone would be scared off. But those are just small sacrifices. The bright side is that we can take to the air – without having to pay for an airline flight!"

We both laughed. John took my hands and kissed them.

"You're an amazing woman, Mia. You always like to find the bright side of things."

"The real bright side of all of this is that I still have you, and you still have me. That's all that matters."

We held each other and sat quietly, with the sounds of laughter coming from inside the tower. And I drifted off to sleep, happy to be in my husband's arms.

...

When I woke up, I was alone. The sun was shining brightly in the sky – it had been up for a few hours at least. I got up and went inside, finding Elisa snoozing on the couch.

"Elisa!" I said, waking her up.

She struggled to open her eyes. "Oh, hey Mia. Don't mind me, I'm exhausted."

"Where's John?" I asked. "I fell asleep in his arms, and now he's gone!"

"Remember the spell? He's a gargoyle now."

"I know, I know. But where is he, as stone?"

"I'm not sure." We both went outside and scanned all of the statues. "He's not up here with the others," she said.

"Where could he have gone?" I wondered.

"Come with me, Mia. I'll help you keep busy so you won't have time to worry. And then it'll be nightfall, and John will show up. He's fine, I'm sure of it."

...

After an exhausting day of shopping and going to all the touristy places in the city, we headed back to the clocktower. And finally, the sun set once more, turning the stone statues into real-life gargoyles.

"Where's John?" asked Goliath as he stretched out his wings.

"I don't know," I said sadly. "I woke up this morning and he was gone."

"Don't worry, I'm back!" I heard a familiar voice say. I looked up to see an orange gargoyle flying awkwardly. He miscalculated his landing and ended up tumbling.

"John?" I asked bewilderingly.

"Yes... ow... it's been a while – a long while – since I've had wings." I helped him up as he continued. "I thought it would come back to me easily. Apparently I need to practice some more to get back into it."

I looked closely at the new John. He had beautiful large brown wings. His hair was still dark brown, but longer. His face looked very similar to his human face, except the skin color. And his eyes were exactly the same – bright and happy.

I began to cry, putting my face to John's chest.

"Mia... I thought you were okay with this," he spoke tenderly, brushing my hair with his talons.

"I am, it's just... you still look like my John." I looked into his eyes and stroked his face. "I could recognize you in any form. And I'm just so happy to know you're safe and alive and here, with me." I cried once more, John holding me close.

"Have I told you how amazing you are?" he asked.

I smiled. "Yes, yes you have."

"You're my Amazing Mia," he grinned.

"Where'd you run off to while I was asleep?" I asked.

"Well, the spell took effect. I changed – and I didn't want to scare you," he said, turning his face away from me.

"I thought it was supposed to happen at sunrise."

"That's when I turned into stone. The changing into a gargoyle – it happened at midnight. If you had woken up and seen me looking like this, I was afraid you'd be scared. So I went to the next building over to hang out. That's where I was ever since last night."

Goliath stepped forward. "It's good to see you again in your true form, rookery brother." He shook hands with John. "But you certainly need some gliding lessons!"

"Could you help me with that later tonight? I want to spend some time with my wife."

"Of course. I need to spend time with mine too."

"You're married?" asked everyone, all eyes on Goliath and Elisa.

They looked at each other and laughed.

"Not yet," said Elisa. "But we've talked about it – ever since Broadway and Angela announced their engagement."

John winked at Goliath. "Go for it. It's definitely worth it, to make it official."

We all laughed. Goliath took Elisa and they glided off to be by themselves. The others went inside, leaving John and I by ourselves outside.

The wind began to blow, and John put his hands around mine.

"You're cold," he said softly. His wings opened up and then enclosed around me, blocking the wind from hitting me.

"Now this," I laughed, "this I could get used to!"

John kissed me on my forehead, then each of my cheeks, and finally on my lips. I looked into his eyes and was completely happy. I was more in love with my husband than ever before.

"Mia..." John said seriously, "I've been thinking about something."

"What is it?" I asked with worry.

"I know you want to have children of your own one day..."

"Oh," I suddenly realized. "I forgot about that..."

"I'm so sorry, Mia..." He tenderly stroked my cheek as my tears came falling.

"It's not your fault," I said sadly. "It's just one of the many sacrifices we have to deal with." I rested my head on John's chest, and he didn't seem to mind my tears dripping down his body. "I still love you," I whispered.

Suddenly John roared and opened his wings up, his eyes glowing white.

I backed away from him, frightened. "What... what are you doing?"

He calmed down, turning away from me. "I'm sorry, hon. This is just so hard. You're so wonderful about all this, when you should be mad at me. I don't deserve to have you."

"John," I said as I walked back to him, turning his face to look at me, "people make mistakes. But there's a thing called forgiveness. And the one who needs it is Demona – not you."

John began to cry. "But I lied to you, Mia. I didn't tell you who I used to be, or about my long life."

"True..." I said, thinking for a moment. "But I'm not angry with you about that. I wouldn't have believed you if you told me, say, on our honeymoon. You had reasons to not tell me, and when you finally did, was I angry with you? No! I was too happy to have you in my arms to be mad."

I wiped the tears away from John's eyes as my own tears began falling once more. And once again John cradled me with his wings as we held each other close.

After a few minutes, I began to feel sick.

"John... I'm not feeling so well..."

"What's wrong?" he asked in a panicked voice.

"I don't know..." Suddenly I collapsed into his arms.

...

I woke up ten minutes later, finding myself on the couch, with everyone staring me.

"This is deja vu," I remarked.

John was holding my hands, his face full of worry. "I'm so glad you're awake! You scared me to death!"

Elisa and Goliath had returned from their glide to see if I was okay. The former walked over to me. "I'm going to take you to the hospital so they can make sure it's nothing serious, okay?"

"That sounds like a good idea."

"John," Elisa said, "you can meet us there. I'll meet you on the roof once I know what room she's in so you can check up on her."

...

A half hour later I was in a hospital room, sitting on the bed waiting for the doctor. I heard a knock on the window and saw John. I quickly went over to it and opened it, so he could come in. He hugged me carefully and softly, and then folded his wings to make a sort of cape.

"What do you have? Is it just a cold? Or is it serious? Are you going to be okay?"

"John, calm down!" I said. "I don't know yet."

Suddenly the door opened and the doctor walked in. He was looking at my file so he didn't notice John.

"Uh, Doc," I said, "please don't scream or anything, okay?"

"Why would I..." He looked up and his mouth hung open. "Wha... wha... what is THAT?"

"Doc, please! He's my husband!"

"But he's not... he doesn't look..."

"It's a skin condition," John quickly said. "A rare skin condition."

The doctor darted his eyes back and forth between us.

"DOCTOR!" I practically yelled. "What did you find out?"

He finally had a big sigh and looked back at my chart. "It appears that you are five weeks pregnant, Mrs. Ford."

"Repeat that again," both John and I spoke in surprise.

"You're pregnant. You're going to have a child."

I started laughing hysterically. "Can you give us a few minutes alone, please?" I told the doctor. He looked cautiously back at John before leaving.

"John, can you believe it? We're going to have a family after all!"

He took me and swung me around, laughing with me. Then he put me down, kissing me passionately.

"Whoa," I said after our long and passionate kiss. "I think somebody's happy about this!"

"Of course," he smiled, "I know how much you've dreamed about this. And to have our own son or daughter... it's going to be wonderful."

...

When we got back to the clocktower, we informed everyone of the good news.

Goliath came up to me and put his hand on my belly. "When the little one is born, we will protect it. You are a part of our clan, Mia. And that means we are family now."

"Thank you, Goliath," I smiled, patting his arm. "It means a lot to me."

Everyone went inside, leaving John and I alone again.

"Our first child... Do we have to wait eight months?" he asked.

"Yes... but it'll be worth it. And we've got a village to help raise him... or her," I said, holding my belly. "I've never been so happy in my life – ever. I have a wonderful husband, great new friends, and a child on the way. All my dreams are coming true. Not the way I imagined they would, but everything's going right. I've never been so happy."

"Me too, Mia. I couldn't have asked for anything better."

After celebrating the night away with the others, it was almost time for sunrise.

"Have a good rest, my love," I said as I kissed John on the forehead.

"You too," he replied, kissing my forehead. "And you too," he smiled as he kissed my belly.

Then he turned to face the city along with the others before turning into stone.

"So many people love you," I said, holding my belly. "You don't know how lucky you are... or how lucky your parents are." And I smiled as the sun shone on my face, looking forward to a joyful future.