Chapter 3
by Zzilly14
A few weeks had passed, and Buffy and Dawn flew out to England to help restart the Council with Giles. I was going to miss them, but...
"Clem?"
I was surprised to see Dominique - she hadn't been in the bar for a while, and she didn't come by to say hello at work. She was standing in the doorway of the bar, her purple wings draped behind her back. And she was wearing a gorgeous sleeveless black dress.
"Domi... Domi... nique?" I stuttered.
She walked over and sat down on the stool next to mine. "I was wondering... would you like to go out? To dinner? I know it's kind of late for dinner, but..."
"A... a... date?"
"If you'd like to call it that... yes."
The bartender glanced up at us and cracked a smile. Dominique stared at him with glowing red eyes and he cleared his throat before going to another customer.
"Um... where?" I wondered.
"Dinner. Somewhere else. Not here. I'd like to talk to you... alone."
"Okay..." I nodded.
She took my wrinkly hand and led me out of the bar to a yellow taxi parked outside. We got in and Dominique demanded the driver to drive and we sat silently.
I stared at her light blue skin. It was so... smooth, and tight... but I found it kind of sexy.
Was I falling for this gargoyle?
...
He didn't say anything on the ride over to the Eyrie Building. Which was alright - what would I say to him? Especially with that human taxi driver listening in... it wouldn't be logical to discuss private matters.
We finally arrived at our destination. I was generous in my payment to the driver so he would leave without argument.
"Wow," Clem remarked, looking up towards the sky. "This is a big building."
"Come on, let's get inside," I replied.
We entered the doors and Owen, that annoying fool, was waiting for us.
"Good evening," he grinned. "Right this way."
"Very fancy place," the wrinkled demon nodded as we followed the assistant to the elevator.
"You get used to it," I muttered.
When we got to the elevator, Owen stepped aside. "Go to floor eleven. That is where you will be dining this evening."
"Thanks!"
"Yes," I added reluctantly, "thank you."
"The pleasure is mine as well as Mr. Xanatos'. Enjoy your meal."
The doors closed, and yet another few minutes of awkward silence. I refused to look at Clem... I would've had the urge to do something irrational and embarrassing.
When the doors opened, there was a large maroon room before us, with paintings on the walls and a small table in the middle, donned with a white tablecloth. On the table were two candles, and a meal fit for a whole gargoyle clan - steak, baked potatoes, and red wine to drink.
Clem stared at the room in awe. "This is a very nice place!"
"Let's sit down, shall we?"
Before I could take my seat Clem was pulling out the chair for me. I cautiously sat down as he pushed it back in.
"Uh... thanks," I smiled nervously.
"No problem. I just want to be a kind of gentleman, you know? People don't do it often enough anymore, let alone demons. What happened to chivalry?"
"It died out a long time ago..."
Clem sat down across from me and took a sip of the wine. "No offense - I'm just curious - but how old are you? You've implied you been around a long time, but yet... you don't look a day over forty. In gargoyle years, I mean."
"I know what you meant," I smiled softly. "I suppose I should tell you my life story, so it makes sense. I lived a long time ago, along with the current Manhattan clan. Over a millennium ago we protected Castle Wyvern in Scotland. But... I helped betray the humans, and in turn our clan was betrayed. Most were destroyed by the Vikings, shattered to stone pieces."
Clem stared into my eyes. "You weren't turned to stone for a thousand years like Goliath, were you?"
"No. I hid and was spared the curse. I lived for a long time, fighting for my people, fighting for survival. I made an ally with Macbeth, who eventually became king of Scotland. We were eventually connected by a spell, which makes us immortal. That is, unless we kill each other."
"So that's how..."
"Yes. He named me, actually. My real name, the one I'd rather distance myself from: Demona. And like my name, I was a demon. I eventually betrayed Macbeth to his nephew, and I grew to hate humans throughout the centuries... I wanted to kill them all. Make them suffer because of my people's suffering."
Clem was silent as he grabbed a large piece of steak and dropped it on his plate.
"I was a terrible being. I was thirsty for vengeance. After the clan awoke a decade ago, I tried to get Goliath to come to my side. Of course, he refused, and I hated him for it. He used to be my mate, actually... Later, I discovered we had a daughter. Angela. She gave me a chance, but I ruined it with her."
After a few quiet moments, he finally spoke up. "What changed?"
"In regard to humans, you mean? After the clan saved those humans on that train... it was different. It made me think about humans in a way I hadn't before, now that we were portrayed as protectors of humans. I still didn't like them - I still don't - but I'm slowly learning to tolerate them. I'm not bent on destroying the human race anymore." I sighed heavily before adding, "They're doing a good job of it themselves, with murder and war and..."
I couldn't help but tear up. I quickly tried to wipe the tears away with my napkin but I couldn't hide my emotions.
"September 11th. I was here when it happened. Here in New York. I looked out the window of my office in horror. If it had been years earlier, just a few, I would've been thrilled, I'm mortified to say. But seeing those towers fall... I realized that humans suffer as well as gargoyles. There are evil and destructive humans, but there are also good ones who deserve to live. I thought about my life and realized... I used to be like those terrorists. I was evil and destructive and wanted to kill my former clan. And I didn't like how I saw myself. So after sunset I glided over to the where the towers once stood and helped the firefighters out. I was there every night for the next week or so."
"I had no idea," Clem answered quietly.
I wiped the last of my tears and began to fill my dinner plate.
The food was already cooling, and I wasn't sure what to say to the sweet
demon across from me. What was he thinking in that head of his?