A/N: Ok one last quick post before I leave for the weekend. Sorry if these last couple of chapters have been a bit rough. I've been staying up really, really late at night churning these out, and haven't had much time to beta them. Thanks again to everyone who has been reviewing my stories. Phoenix a tip of my hat to you because you bring up some great questions. As a writer I really appreciate that. This has been a tremendous challenge to write (one of the reasons I've been so into writing this story) because I have been dabbling in a number of universes: comic, cartoon, tv series. As a writer I want to strive for as much continuity as possible, and several of you have made some great comments that have helped me to keep the story flowing (I hope). I want to apologize for any timelines and such that I might be trampling on however. Ok this A/N is going on too long…..enjoy!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO (like my new line break?)

The world had frozen.

At least that's how Elisa Maza would forever remember that moment.

After the crane had collapsed, everyone froze for what seemed an eternity. Not really understanding, nor caring how she was still alive, Elisa was oblivious to the fact that she had been freed from Canmore's hold. All she could do was sink to her knees, her body suddenly numb, as she stared in shock at the twisted steel that had just buried Goliath alive.

"No," she whispered faintly, tears streaming down her face.

Demona finally stirred from where Goliath had shoved her aside, a similar look of horror filling her angular face. The silence was finally shattered by her deafening scream of grief and rage as she leapt towards the wreckage, intent on uncovering her ex-mate.

"Oh god no," Elisa whispered to herself once more, Demona's anguish cutting through her like a knife. A cold lump had settled in her stomach, and she doubled over, one hand braced against the ground as nausea swept through her. She watched as her tears and blood pooled in front of her, her brain barely registering the handle of a dropped pistol within arm's reach.

3:23:30

A cold chuckle and the click of a gun's safety, brought the gravely wounded woman out of her misery however. Glancing up, she watched as Jon brought his gun back up and began to aim it at Demona's turned back.

"And now you will be mine Demon," he whispered, a look of complete madness in his eyes.

It was just loud enough, that only Elisa heard the malicious statement. Everyone else was still focused on the crane wreckage and took no note of Jon's actions. Her breath coming in harsh sobbing pants, she felt a rage build in her that she had never allowed before. As that rage boiled through her, Elisa's body responded with a massive surge of adrenaline that shut her mind off from the pain of her injuries. Her world came into sudden focus, and as the gun seemed to materialize into her hand, she had only one thought…one emotion….pulsing through her veins with every beat of her heart.

Revenge.

3:23:35

The armor clad Xanatos had been frozen in mid-air for several seconds, grimly processing the devastation below. He had been close enough to witness the collapse of the crane, but too far away to be of any use in stopping it. Seconds after the collapse Demona launched herself at the pile, her howl clearly heard for several miles around. Spurred back into action, Xanatos continued his approach wondering how he could be of any help now.

Then he watched Canmore raise his weapon towards Demona's turned back. But it was the movement from the ground several feet in front of him that caught his attention. Elisa's bloodied face was turned upwards, and the expression that had filled her normally calm and staid face, unsettled him.

It was a look he had seen on only one other in his lifetime. As she groped for a nearby discarded gun, her intent clear, David Xanatos was suddenly sure of why he had been sent. He owed Goliath a debt of gratitude that he thought he could never repay. Now as he pushed his battle suit to its maximum intercept speed, he realized he would finally be able to repay the noble gargoyle. Demona had succumbed to the violent madness of her grief and blood-thirsty vengence centuries ago- he would not allow Elisa to slip into that same fate.

Turning his speakers on as loudly as possible, he shouted desperately at her- at anyone- to stop her next actions.

3:23:40

Jon's finger tightened on the trigger, but not before there was a shout from above as Elisa lurched to her feet once more. Two rounds emptied from his gun. Two rounds that would have been two perfect killing shots in the Demona's back. Two rounds that were now buried in that damn armor Elisa was wearing.

The detective had staggered backwards, her breath lodged in her chest from the impact. There was another shot from somewhere off to one side, and a bullet struck Elisa in the leg. Canmore smiled as she collapsed to one knee, his weapon now aiming for her unprotected skull as she struggled to raise her own gun. With a triumphant smile, he pulled his trigger and the soft click of an empty chamber filled the air.

3:23:45

Elisa held her breath for a second longer as she watched Canmore fire once more, only to be met with yet another dry click. The gun was empty.

A cold smile thinned her lips as she locked gazes with him and finally found the strength and will to raise her own gun.

Demona had started to turn when she heard Xanatos' shout from in the air nearby. What happened next stunned the violent gargoye, and caused her to question everything she had believed for all these centuries. She watched as Elisa, the woman that she had despised so much that she had tried to kill her on more than one occasion, stood, and took two bullets in the chest that had been meant for Demona's back.

Elisa managed to remain on her feet a moment longer until a third shot bit deep into her unprotected thigh. Even on her knees, Elisa's intentions never wavered. Even when it was apparent that Jon's aim was already true when her own weapon was still pointing at the ground. Xanatos' desperate shout, and Elisa's determination were enough to spur the confused gargoyle into action.

3:23:50

She had won. The price had been high, and the costs were more than she wanted or cared to think about. But justice was finally being served, and her Clan…her City would be safe once more. It was without hesitation that she tightened her finger on the trigger, even as there were several shouts and cries of protest from those nearby. It wasn't until a blue body slammed into her, just as she fired that she realized a couple of those protesters were close enough to take her victory away from her.

3:23:55

"No," she whispered, as Demona's face swam in and out of focus while she struggled against an iron grip. "Can't……fail……must….die…" was the last thing she said before she blacked out completely.

Demona looked up from where she was crouched over the human and snarled menacingly at Canmore who was being hauled up from the ground where Xanatos had tackled him.

"I should rip your limbs off you right now," Demona screamed at Jon as she stood and advanced on him.

He sneered at her and spat on the ground, and Xanatos was hard pressed to keep the violent gargoyle from doing exactly what she threatened. "Demona!" he shouted at her before calming his voice. "I'm still detecting weak life signs in the wreckage" the billionaire said quietly, trying to redirect her attention.

She stilled in his iron grip and then looked back at the crane wreckage. Yanking her arm from his robotic hand, she stalked back over to the wreck and merely looked at it. Her anger fled in the face of overwhelming grief as she realized there was no way Goliath could survive the injuries he must have sustained.

"That's right Demon….yet another one will die because of y-."

The words were cut off by a single gun shot. Demona whirled around and stared at the scene that greeted her eyes. Jon's taunting words had been cut off by a single bullet to his head, and his own brother held the still smoking gun.

Jason's eyes were closed tightly, his breathing rapid and harsh. Robyn moved to relieve a shocked Xanatos of her brother's body, a haunted look in her eyes. By the Dragon, Demona thought. They came here to kill him, she realized as Jason's eyes opened and lifted to meet her own.

His words were quiet and his voice rough with grief, but his tone was completely sincere. "I'm sorry for all th' trouble my family has wrought on yuir kind all these centuries Demona. And I regret tha' it took us so long tae track him down, before he had killed so many….The Hunt is over now." He looked past her to the wreckage and then to Elisa's still body.

Demona watched as he moved to her side, and crouched over her, his hand hovering just over her face as if he wanted to touch her but he couldn't bring himself to do it. A look of guilt and pain flashed across his features and he closed his eyes for a moment. "I'm so sorry," he whispered as a tear escaped and ran down his face to land on her cheek.

He abruptly stood, and without another glance backwards, he followed his sister to where she waited on the flitter and mounted his own. As they took off into the night, Xanatos walked up next to Demona. He examined the wreck carefully, and then bent down to grip a large section of it in his armored hands. Demona silently joined him, and together they lifted a portion of the metal up and back.

Dracon's men were rounding up what was left of Canmore's, and Tony himself was limping over to check on Elisa. He was sporting a nasty gash above one eyebrow, and several large abrasions from where he had hit the pavement. None of that seemed to matter though as he knelt next to Elisa and gingerly took her into his arms and watched the scene several feet away as he tried to stop her bleeding.

As they lifted the several more large sections out of the way, there was a howl of agony from within the twisted steel. Everyone froze for a second, and Dracon felt his breath catch. In his arms, Elisa twitched. Xanatos and Demona broke from their shock as another low groan rolled up through the wreck, and the two began to rip into the mess fervently trying to reach the Clan Leader.

As the last piece of steel was lifted and thrown off to the side, there was a collective gasp from everyone close enough to see the gargoyle's body. Even Dracon had to look away from the grisly scene for a minute. As he looked down, he was surprised to see Elisa's uninjured eye, fluttering as she struggled to wake up.

About a minute later, she finally managed to gain consciousness, however fleetingly it would last. She focused on Tony's face, and a look of despair filled her own. "Goliath?" she asked in a bare whisper.

The mob boss swallowed, and forced himself to look back over to where Demona was crouched next to Goliath her hand clutching his. Looking back down, Dracon silently pleaded with her to let the matter rest. But she had heard his cry, and her own gaze slowly began to shift to where he had looked.

His throat tightened at her strangled cry, and he wordlessly stood, cradling her gently in his arms as he brought her over to where Goliath's body lay. How he had survived even this long was a small miracle…or perhaps a curse, considering how much pain he was obviously in. His body was crushed in numerous places, and a piece of steel had pierced through his chest, pinning him to the ground. It was probably keeping him alive for the moment, but once removed he would clearly die within moments. The damage to his body was irreparable. Demona's expression was clear testimony of that.

Tony knelt, and settled Elisa on the ground next to Goliath and across from Demona. Then he stepped back to give the three of them privacy. Tears spilling down her cheeks, Elisa reached out to take Goliath's other hand in hers and his labored breathing caught for a moment as he recognized her presence. His eyes opened slowly and he rolled his head a fraction to look at her.

"Elisa," he breathed.

"I'm here," she whispered back.

"Canmore?" he asked with great effort.

"Dead. It's over now." Her hand tightened in his, and her voice cracked as she spoke the next words. "Damnit Goliath why? Why didn't you just let him shoot?" she wept bitterly.

His answer, though labored, was strong in conviction. "World needs you…Elisa Maza….wasn't…your time….not tonight…."

His eyes closed as he gasped for air, and Demona nearly let go of his hand, disgusted with the emotions they were sharing in front of her. But Goliath's hand tightened on hers and she forced her eyes to meet his. She was shocked by what she saw there.

"You…were always…my Angel…..take care…of our daughter….and watch…over our Clan…."

Then with great effort he pulled her hand and Elisa's until they were clasped along with his. "I….have loved…you both," he whispered as his grip began to slacken. "The Clan…will need you both…." Blood began to seep from the corner of his mouth and he struggled to get out the next words. "No more hatred….peace…..love….Clan…."

And with that last exhalation, Goliath, the greatest leader of Clan Wyvern, passed into a sleep that he would never awaken from.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Castle Wyvern

Manhattan

3:32 am

A lesson of fun and mischief was suddenly cut short as the young pupil of The Puck froze in horror. Puck was forced to quickly deflect a couple of attacks that were being aimed at the boy as his defenses suddenly dropped completely.

With a quick spell, everything inside the room was frozen as the child's face went deathly pale and he collapsed to the floor with a haunted look in his distant gaze. Alex's normally merry mentor was instantly at his side, fighting to mask his own grief as he tried to comfort the child.

"I'm sorry Alexander," he whispered as Alec suddenly threw himself into his mentor's arms.

In the next instant the boy's mother was there, and Puck backed off to allow the child to be comforted by a maternal love that even he could never provide. He watched as Fox held her now sobbing son, quietly weeping herself as she tried to assure him that it would be okay. That they would get through this.

Feeling a rage build inside him that he hadn't felt in quite some time, the Puck turned to the frozen intruders he and Alex had been practicing with. With a darkly uttered phrase, every soldier in the room disappeared. He hoped they enjoyed their stay in the middle of the Sahara Desert with no food and water.