(After "Angels in the Night")
(The Nightstone Unlimited building)
Dominique Destine sat at her mahogany desk. A half a cup of coffee steamed from the blotter. "I think I'll cancel my subscription to the New York Times."
The shredded article lay in the trash. An account of how a small group of winged creatures had saved a train full of people.
"I grow tired of the gargoyle hunters," she muttered. "Operation Clean Slate would have worked if the three Hunters hadn't gotten Goliath involved. Then her hired hitman scheme had fallen apart. An idea came to her. What if I got rid of the three Hunters now? Then there'll be no descendants. The vendetta will finally end. The Quarrymen are falling apart because their leader's in prison, so they're no threat. And I'll finally be free to destroy the humans!" The red haired CEO glanced out the window. The sun was about to set.
************************************************************************************************
Across Manhattan, in a large mansion, was an immortal Scottish king. Macbeth was in his library, reading Tuck Everlasting. Or trying to. He put it back on his shelf impatiently.
It reminded him too much of his own life.
"At least the Tucks had each other," he muttered. He sank into his armchair. "Where do I go from here?" If destroying Demona -- and himself -- wasn't the answer, what was?
It wasn't the immortality itself Macbeth hated. He had always been curious about life outside his native Scotland, and eternal life had given him plenty of time to travel. Reading was also a passion, and there had been no shortage of literature.
It was the loneliness. That ugly, black feeling that hurt more than any physical wound. There were days when Macbeth just wanted to curl up and cry. But no matter how hard he tried, the tears wouldn't come.
Today was one of those days. The calendar on the wall confirmed it. It was his wedding anniversary. His and Gruoch's. The memories cut like a knife. He missed her. Her kindness and courage. Her intelligence and her beauty. The vows of love they had pledged were still unbroken, as if they had been spoken five minutes ago. He recalled the day they had parted. The sun was coming up, but inside his soul was storming.
It seemed in France he had found love once again. What had happened directly before was a total blank. One minute, he had been in the Eyrie Building and the next he was in a boat on the River Seine. He had met a redhead named Dominique Destine, but she was only an illusion. Demona, of all beings. How embarrassing.
And Goliath had almost laughed at his expense: "Next time, make sure you get a good look at her at night."
"We'll always have Paris, ha," Macbeth muttered bitterly. It seemed no matter how hard he tried to escape Demona, they were still 'forever and eternal bound' in ties only severable by the annihilation of them both. He headed down the empty hall to his bedroom, but decided against it. He wasn't tired. "I guess I could take a walk."
***************************************************************
The night was fairly routine. Protecting New York City seemed an eternal chore sometimes, but peace pervaded tonight.
"I guess this city does sleep," Elisa commented to her partner. They were seated in her car, which was parked on a downtown street.
A shadow fell over the car as Goliath glided down. "Elisa? May I borrow your partner? I need to speak with him."
"Sure," replied the policewoman. "Go ahead."
****************************************************************
At the same time, two of the Canmore siblings were in their two-bedroom apartment, eating dinner. Jason was in a wheelchair, Robyn in a chrome chair. A second chair remained empty.
"Isn't Carmella just angelic?" Jason asked.
"She's too insecure for my tastes," replied Robyn. "And too stubborn."
"I can handle stubborn. I've lived with you."
"Be careful, brother. You sound like you're in love."
"Now, what's wrong with love?"
"Nothing, except it's fickle and shallow! Pretty soon you'll be sending your therapist flowers and writing poetry like every other lovesick swain."
"Be careful what you say about love, Robyn. It can sneak up on you."
"Never. And as for Carmella, she's just rebound over a certain detective."
"I still like Elisa, but now it's just platonic. Ebenezer Scrooge didn't believe in Christmas cheer until he met the ghost of Jacob Marley. For all your intelligence and fighting skills, Robbie, you really have a low emotional intelligence."
"Excuse me?"
"Ever since Dad died, you've hidden your emotions. You show the world this cold exterior. And I don't think you've ever really learned to love."
Robyn stood up, glaring. "I loved my dad!" She crossed the dining room to the hall. "I'm going out." She slammed the door behind her.
Jason was still at the table. "Thanks for proving my point."
*****************************************************************
"Elisa won't hear us all the way over here. Now what did you want to talk to me about?" Matt asked.
"Her birthday," Goliath sighed. "Gargoyles don't usually give gifts, but since Elisa's human -- and because she's so special to me -- I've decided to make an exception."
"She broke her watch last week, so I got her a replacement. Only I changed the song it plays. 'Yesterday' doesn't really suit Elisa. Hmm. How about diamonds?"
"I don't have that kind of money."
"Flowers?"
"They'll wilt. I want to give her something more permanent."
"Chocolates?"
"I can't bring chocolates within a mile radius of Broadway."
"Lovebirds?"
"With Cagney?"
"Right. I forgot."
****************************************************************
Ann Arky raised her eyebrows at the young woman in her office. "Absolutely not!"
"Miss Arky!" Carmella DeZevalda protested. "Jason Canmore is a thirty-two year old in the prime of his youth. You can't just expect him to sit in a wheelchair the rest of his life. Not with the medical technology we have today."
"That surgery is still experimental, and very expensive!"
"How can you approve it for general use if it's not tested?"
"The HMOs don't see it that way. Not when they can save the money."
"Oh, HMOs can take a flying leap! If every single one of you spontaneously combusted, the whole world would be better off!" Carmella's cheeks were red. "Do you remember what happened to my mother a couple years ago?"
"Oh, yes. She had arthritis in her hands so bad that she need titanium bone replacements. I only wanted to pay for one hand."
"And you remember my brother, Carson, right?"
"How can I forget? He came right over here and threatened to break my neck unless I agreed to pay for both."
"Because Mother wanted to sew clothes for her grandchildren. You can't sew with one hand. HMOs put people over profits."
"You may be right, Miss DeZevalda, but I doubt you could fight me. I probably outweigh you by a hundred pounds. Why is this case so special?"
"If you were a young man," Carmella hissed through gritted teeth, "would you want to be paralyzed from the waist down the rest of your life?"
Ann smirked. "You're in love with your patient, aren't you? You want him to be standing when you--" Carmella slapped her across the face. "My dear, I feel exactly the same way about you. But whether you like it or not, the insurance will not cover the surgery. So unless you can get that money yourself, well, don't come crying to me! Good night." She shoved Carmella out of her office and slammed the door.
******************************************************************
(Castle Wyvern)
"Words of love so soft and tender won't win a girl's heart anymore..." Mama Cass' voice streamed from the record player.
Bronx whimpered and tried to cover his gill-like ears with his paws.
"Do you have to play that so loud?!" Hudson yelled over the music.
"What?" came Brooklyn's voice.
Hudson pressed the off switch. "Why aren't you on patrol with the others?"
"I didn't feel like it. I'll go tomorrow night."
"Is something bothering you?"
"Yeah. Angela and Broadway were getting lovey dovey and it made me depressed. It seems I can't find a girl of my own."
"I had trouble with the ladies once."
"Yeah, right. If that were true, Goliath wouldn't even be here."
"Before Sable and I officially mated, she tried to get my attention. She scratched a message on a rock and held it up for me to see. I couldn't read at the time so I thought she was teasing me. I turned my back, not realizing it said 'I love you.'"
Brooklyn doubled over laughing. "A beautiful female gargoyle declares her love for you and you scorn her? Smooth move."
******************************************
Robyn stood on the rooftop, admiring the city below. Suddenly, she noticed something in the shadows of a neighboring building. Something with wings. She crawled closer to get a better look. Red hair, and a familiar profile. "The Demon!" she cried.
TBC
(The Nightstone Unlimited building)
Dominique Destine sat at her mahogany desk. A half a cup of coffee steamed from the blotter. "I think I'll cancel my subscription to the New York Times."
The shredded article lay in the trash. An account of how a small group of winged creatures had saved a train full of people.
"I grow tired of the gargoyle hunters," she muttered. "Operation Clean Slate would have worked if the three Hunters hadn't gotten Goliath involved. Then her hired hitman scheme had fallen apart. An idea came to her. What if I got rid of the three Hunters now? Then there'll be no descendants. The vendetta will finally end. The Quarrymen are falling apart because their leader's in prison, so they're no threat. And I'll finally be free to destroy the humans!" The red haired CEO glanced out the window. The sun was about to set.
************************************************************************************************
Across Manhattan, in a large mansion, was an immortal Scottish king. Macbeth was in his library, reading Tuck Everlasting. Or trying to. He put it back on his shelf impatiently.
It reminded him too much of his own life.
"At least the Tucks had each other," he muttered. He sank into his armchair. "Where do I go from here?" If destroying Demona -- and himself -- wasn't the answer, what was?
It wasn't the immortality itself Macbeth hated. He had always been curious about life outside his native Scotland, and eternal life had given him plenty of time to travel. Reading was also a passion, and there had been no shortage of literature.
It was the loneliness. That ugly, black feeling that hurt more than any physical wound. There were days when Macbeth just wanted to curl up and cry. But no matter how hard he tried, the tears wouldn't come.
Today was one of those days. The calendar on the wall confirmed it. It was his wedding anniversary. His and Gruoch's. The memories cut like a knife. He missed her. Her kindness and courage. Her intelligence and her beauty. The vows of love they had pledged were still unbroken, as if they had been spoken five minutes ago. He recalled the day they had parted. The sun was coming up, but inside his soul was storming.
It seemed in France he had found love once again. What had happened directly before was a total blank. One minute, he had been in the Eyrie Building and the next he was in a boat on the River Seine. He had met a redhead named Dominique Destine, but she was only an illusion. Demona, of all beings. How embarrassing.
And Goliath had almost laughed at his expense: "Next time, make sure you get a good look at her at night."
"We'll always have Paris, ha," Macbeth muttered bitterly. It seemed no matter how hard he tried to escape Demona, they were still 'forever and eternal bound' in ties only severable by the annihilation of them both. He headed down the empty hall to his bedroom, but decided against it. He wasn't tired. "I guess I could take a walk."
***************************************************************
The night was fairly routine. Protecting New York City seemed an eternal chore sometimes, but peace pervaded tonight.
"I guess this city does sleep," Elisa commented to her partner. They were seated in her car, which was parked on a downtown street.
A shadow fell over the car as Goliath glided down. "Elisa? May I borrow your partner? I need to speak with him."
"Sure," replied the policewoman. "Go ahead."
****************************************************************
At the same time, two of the Canmore siblings were in their two-bedroom apartment, eating dinner. Jason was in a wheelchair, Robyn in a chrome chair. A second chair remained empty.
"Isn't Carmella just angelic?" Jason asked.
"She's too insecure for my tastes," replied Robyn. "And too stubborn."
"I can handle stubborn. I've lived with you."
"Be careful, brother. You sound like you're in love."
"Now, what's wrong with love?"
"Nothing, except it's fickle and shallow! Pretty soon you'll be sending your therapist flowers and writing poetry like every other lovesick swain."
"Be careful what you say about love, Robyn. It can sneak up on you."
"Never. And as for Carmella, she's just rebound over a certain detective."
"I still like Elisa, but now it's just platonic. Ebenezer Scrooge didn't believe in Christmas cheer until he met the ghost of Jacob Marley. For all your intelligence and fighting skills, Robbie, you really have a low emotional intelligence."
"Excuse me?"
"Ever since Dad died, you've hidden your emotions. You show the world this cold exterior. And I don't think you've ever really learned to love."
Robyn stood up, glaring. "I loved my dad!" She crossed the dining room to the hall. "I'm going out." She slammed the door behind her.
Jason was still at the table. "Thanks for proving my point."
*****************************************************************
"Elisa won't hear us all the way over here. Now what did you want to talk to me about?" Matt asked.
"Her birthday," Goliath sighed. "Gargoyles don't usually give gifts, but since Elisa's human -- and because she's so special to me -- I've decided to make an exception."
"She broke her watch last week, so I got her a replacement. Only I changed the song it plays. 'Yesterday' doesn't really suit Elisa. Hmm. How about diamonds?"
"I don't have that kind of money."
"Flowers?"
"They'll wilt. I want to give her something more permanent."
"Chocolates?"
"I can't bring chocolates within a mile radius of Broadway."
"Lovebirds?"
"With Cagney?"
"Right. I forgot."
****************************************************************
Ann Arky raised her eyebrows at the young woman in her office. "Absolutely not!"
"Miss Arky!" Carmella DeZevalda protested. "Jason Canmore is a thirty-two year old in the prime of his youth. You can't just expect him to sit in a wheelchair the rest of his life. Not with the medical technology we have today."
"That surgery is still experimental, and very expensive!"
"How can you approve it for general use if it's not tested?"
"The HMOs don't see it that way. Not when they can save the money."
"Oh, HMOs can take a flying leap! If every single one of you spontaneously combusted, the whole world would be better off!" Carmella's cheeks were red. "Do you remember what happened to my mother a couple years ago?"
"Oh, yes. She had arthritis in her hands so bad that she need titanium bone replacements. I only wanted to pay for one hand."
"And you remember my brother, Carson, right?"
"How can I forget? He came right over here and threatened to break my neck unless I agreed to pay for both."
"Because Mother wanted to sew clothes for her grandchildren. You can't sew with one hand. HMOs put people over profits."
"You may be right, Miss DeZevalda, but I doubt you could fight me. I probably outweigh you by a hundred pounds. Why is this case so special?"
"If you were a young man," Carmella hissed through gritted teeth, "would you want to be paralyzed from the waist down the rest of your life?"
Ann smirked. "You're in love with your patient, aren't you? You want him to be standing when you--" Carmella slapped her across the face. "My dear, I feel exactly the same way about you. But whether you like it or not, the insurance will not cover the surgery. So unless you can get that money yourself, well, don't come crying to me! Good night." She shoved Carmella out of her office and slammed the door.
******************************************************************
(Castle Wyvern)
"Words of love so soft and tender won't win a girl's heart anymore..." Mama Cass' voice streamed from the record player.
Bronx whimpered and tried to cover his gill-like ears with his paws.
"Do you have to play that so loud?!" Hudson yelled over the music.
"What?" came Brooklyn's voice.
Hudson pressed the off switch. "Why aren't you on patrol with the others?"
"I didn't feel like it. I'll go tomorrow night."
"Is something bothering you?"
"Yeah. Angela and Broadway were getting lovey dovey and it made me depressed. It seems I can't find a girl of my own."
"I had trouble with the ladies once."
"Yeah, right. If that were true, Goliath wouldn't even be here."
"Before Sable and I officially mated, she tried to get my attention. She scratched a message on a rock and held it up for me to see. I couldn't read at the time so I thought she was teasing me. I turned my back, not realizing it said 'I love you.'"
Brooklyn doubled over laughing. "A beautiful female gargoyle declares her love for you and you scorn her? Smooth move."
******************************************
Robyn stood on the rooftop, admiring the city below. Suddenly, she noticed something in the shadows of a neighboring building. Something with wings. She crawled closer to get a better look. Red hair, and a familiar profile. "The Demon!" she cried.
TBC