It had been a few months since the clan had last seen Brooklyn and they missed him greatly. They all wondered how he was doing.

Goliath missed being able to rely on Brooklyn's opinions on backup strategies and other ideas on how they could better protect the citizens of New York.

Lexington missed hanging out with his one brother that was mate-less. Sometimes they would have spent time together going on patrols or to the movies. Lex would even show Brook his inventions and maybe even an occasional babysitting assistant with Alex. They would also play card games and Lex would listen to his music choices.

Angela knew that Brooklyn had been lonely here in the clan after she had chosen Broadway as her mate. She still loved him as a friend and like a brother. Just because he was lonely didn't mean that he had to be so reckless between her and Broadway.

The whole Trio had fallen apart once Angela had come along. They were all still friends, but not as close as they once were. Broadway still did his cooking for the clan, but it was like all taste had gone out of the meals he made for them without their missing member. He was glad he had Angela for company now, and he sometimes did hang with Lex when it came to brotherly time. They still made a great team on patrols. But Lex and Broadway didn't exactly have the leadership qualities that Brooklyn had that had made him a good Second.

Hudson knew the lad had great potential to be a great leader if Goliath wasn't around anymore. But now, they were left without a Second in Command. Goliath might have to choose one of the others if Brooklyn never made it back.

Bronx knew the clan was in distress and he missed the red one too. He would go to his room sometimes and scratch the door to be let in and there was no answer. No music either. He had tried to help sniff out Brooklyn's scent, but there was just nothing he could pick up on.

All they could do was just hope that Brooklyn would get away from his captors at some point or let him go. But with humans in this century, ones who found fascination with them, why would they want to let them go? They were such a rare and newer species that was now known to the world. They weren't fully understood, and some humans would do anything to understand them in anatomy and capabilities. They all dreaded the thought of Brooklyn being someone's lab specimen.

The clan was not going to give up finding Brooklyn. They still did their patrols as normal but also would go out and keep looking. Ever since the start of his kidnapping, even the Mutates and clones had participated in searching for him and there was no luck from them either. The last living remnant of Brooklyn in New York was Malibu. He looked so much like his red original, just differed in color appearance and thinking ability. But his voice sounded just like his. But even at some point, Derek had called off searching when nothing had turned up after so long.

But Goliath wasn't giving up on his Second.

Lexington and Owen were looking on the computer quite frequently to see if there would be any news of a gargoyle seen somewhere in the city or close by. Bronx had after all, ended up on a train that had taken him to Pennsylvania once.

That gave David an idea. Perhaps they should go to Pennsylvania and do a search there. It was time to widen the search. Nothing was turning up in New York City. And what if Brooklyn had been taken across the ocean? David was going to expand as much as he could to help them find the red gargoyle.

Fox would stay in New York as well as Owen. David was going to head to Europe to start a search there. He would also make a visit to the London Clan that he had heard about. Perhaps they could help find him. If he was anywhere in their city, they would know.

Angela even came up with an idea that they should let other clans they had met to be on the lookout for a red beaked male gargoyle that was missing from Manhattan. The clan liked that idea.

Elisa and Matt sometimes searched during the day too for Brook but had found no signs of him ever since he had disappeared. She knew Brooklyn had been lonely, but he hadn't just taken off from the clan to get away, had he? What if he didn't want to be found? Those questions had to have answers. Why would he leave his clan that he had lived with since his birth and it wasn't very big? If a clan got too big and some members left to start a new one, that was one thing, but the Manhattan Clan barely had any members. They needed him back. Every gargoyle counted.

Elisa would also encourage Goliath to keep having hope beyond hope that Brooklyn was still out there, wanting and trying to get home. He wasn't going to give up on his Second, but if worst came to worst, he would have to pick a new Second and that wasn't going to be a good day at all. He would give it a little more time before it came to that. For now, Hudson was more like his Second, but just temporarily. Hudson was not always in the best shape to be going out anymore due to his age.

The clan never wanted to admit that Brooklyn was gone forever. He would always be in their hearts, but they still weren't giving up on him yet. But there would have to come a time when they would just have to let things go and accept he was gone for good. If he made it back to them someday, then they would gladly accept him back. But they still weren't ready to give up on him.

Goliath would wait for at least a year before he would replace Brooklyn with the Second title. That was his order. He wasn't giving up. Looking for Brooklyn might slow down more, but they would look here and there if a lead would turn up.

But then, why wasn't Owen as Puck able to track him down? Of course, it would have to involve Alex. Puck couldn't just use his powers like he used to when he was free to do so.

…

Over the next few days, Brooklyn kept on having some fun with Jason and Scott when their mom wasn't home. They were back in school now, but would have fun in the evenings outside, riding the four-wheelers and talking. The boys would make their mom believe they were just busy out in the barn if they weren't out in the woods. Rhonda was home in the evenings on weekdays and late nights and mornings on weekends.

The boys would sneak food out to Brooklyn later on after their mom had gone to bed. His own food supplies were slimmer and he was glad to get some free food.

This was supposed to be his last night here with them. "Guys, it has been fun spending time with you both, but I really have to get moving on tomorrow night." Brooklyn said to his friends.

"Really wish you could stay." Scott stated.

"Stories about your clan make life seem so fun and interesting, where it seems so boring out here at times. We don't even have a dog anymore." Jason said.

"Do you guys even have a father?" Brooklyn asked.

"Yes, but he left us and our mom. He was a loser. He still pays for alimony, being divorced from her. He pays for our education, but we hardly ever see him." Scott explained.

"That's not right that he's not here to help raise you two." Brook said. "What did he do that made them divorce?"

"Argue with Mom all the time. Was never home and never there for us. He had a gambling problem too. He didn't hit us luckily. He just wanted nothing to do with us. He's gotten a better job now and doesn't gamble anymore but he knows Mom wants nothing to do with him." Scott explained.

Brooklyn knew that gargoyle couples stayed with their mates usually all their lives. They were bound to one another by love and honor. Sure, they would share their opinions and there would be arguments, but they didn't split up usually, unlike Goliath and Demona. It brought shivers to his spine to even think about Demona. He hadn't thought of her in a while and didn't really want to.

He knew he himself didn't have a mate at home waiting for him, but when he found his mate, he wouldn't leave her for the world. He would give it his all to be the best mate for her. He hoped she was still out there somewhere. Human or gargoyle. But why was it taking him so long to find her? Right now, he knew he wasn't in the right place to find that girl of his dreams.

Tomorrow night, he had to move on. He knew the way to the town and he would go that way. Scott and Jason would ensure he had enough food and water to get him by for the next few days that he packed away in his travel pack.

The next night, it was sad that they had to say goodbye, but Brooklyn had to move on. He was never going to get home if he didn't get moving.

"I'm sorry I have to leave you, but I have to get home to my clan. Take care of yourselves." Brooklyn said.

"You too, especially since you have a long journey yet ahead of you." Scott said.

"Wish you could stay." Jason said.

"I'll always be in your hearts. Just remember the fun times we had and things we talked about. And thanks for letting me ride the four-wheelers. They brought back my fondness for motorcycles that I haven't felt in a while for them." Brooklyn declared. He shook hands with them for goodbye.

"We won't forget you." Jason said.

"I won't forget you either. We'll always be friends and if you ever make it to New York City, look up Elisa Maza. She'll know where I am." Brooklyn instructed.

"Sure, but I doubt our mom would ever leave Colorado." Scott said.

"Yeah, but you're almost grown and you can come there on your own one day, if you choose." Brook stated. "Well, my air ride is waiting." He made a joke. Then he went to the tree and launched himself into the air. They all waved goodbye before Brooklyn followed the driveway up to the main highway. The wind was a bit stronger tonight and it made gliding a bit easier.

The boys could see Brooklyn's silhouette in the sky as he was getting further away under the newly risen moon.

"Let's see him off even more." Jason suggested. "Sounds like a good idea, little brother." Scott agreed. Together, the two of them started up their four-wheelers and chased after Brooklyn going up the driveway to just see him off.

Brooklyn was just following the driveway when he heard the sound of the four-wheelers coming up the driveway after him. He looked under himself in surprise. Was something wrong that they were coming after him? Curious, he turned back.

Scott and Jason saw the gargoyle turn around and come toward them. They stopped.

Brooklyn came down just above them, hovering. He flapped his wings once to keep leverage. "Is something wrong, guys?" he asked.

"No, Brooklyn. We saw you going up the driveway and just wanted to follow you to see you off." Scott replied.

"Oh, that's fine. Just wanted to make sure." Brook said. "Well, I have to be off now and thanks again for your hospitality."

Brooklyn then had to turn around and he flapped his wings again to get himself higher into the air again. He hated leaving them behind but what choice did he have? He heard the boys following him again. It made him smile that he had some real friends. Too bad they didn't live in New York, then he could visit them at times.

When they reached the highway, Scott and Jason stopped and let Brooklyn be on his way. He was on his way to the town of Grand Junction.

Grand Junction was a big town. It was quite beautiful and it had high mountains around it like in the western movies and such. The whole landscape was picturesque. Brooklyn marveled at it, but he couldn't let himself get distracted.

He glided over the town and really got an urge to go see a movie while here. He hadn't seen one for a while. At least not since Salt Lake City.

He went to the nearest movie theater that he could find. There were some western movies playing. He found a way through the rooftop and into the rafters. It was a little easier for him to fit through the hole than if Broadway had been here. He made sure to be as quiet as possible.

Luckily, there were some bags of popcorn up there for him to eat so he could enjoy the movie. He picked one up and opened it. He was a bit hungry and was glad to have this chance. He still wanted to take time out of gliding home to enjoy some simple pleasures. Once he got home, he knew his life would go back to staring at Broadway and Angela being mates and a lot of patrols.

About halfway through the movie, Brooklyn finished the popcorn and had a drink of water from his bag. His belly was full. But what he wouldn't give for a little bit of chocolate. Oh well, it could wait.

As the movie was nearing the end however, a bout of nausea came on. Brooklyn groaned and held his belly. Please, not now. He thought to himself. He was sick and tired of the nightly nausea bouts.

Brooklyn really hoped he wouldn't have to reveal himself to a doctor on the way home. But if this nausea got much worse, he just might have to. He also knew he needed a map of Colorado. He had ditched the one of Nevada and Utah. Going near a phone booth or a rest stop was the best way to get one.

When he thought he was going to be sick, Brooklyn quickly climbed out of the rafters before the movie was totally finished but he felt he didn't have much choice. He ran to the backside of the building and found a dumpster. He ended up throwing up the popcorn in the dumpster.

When he finished, he sat down, saying, "What is wrong with me?" He wished he knew what foods would be good for the nausea that he constantly felt. What had Ray done to him? Put some diseased tissue or something inside him? The thought sent shivers down his spine.

After he caught his breath and his nausea finally seemed to calm down some more, he got up and went to find a phone booth or a tourism place. A newspaper stand also was a good place to find those too. He eventually found one in the downtown area.

Very carefully, Brooklyn snuck down and grabbed a map of Colorado to help him be on his way soon. He knew he wanted to keep heading east. But then, when he saw the city of Denver, he knew there might be a good place to catch a train and it could take him part of the way home. He knew he needed to go to the northeast if he was going to get to Denver soon. He wouldn't make it tonight for sure, but in another night or two, especially if he didn't stop gliding. But he would need to rest his wings here and there.

Brooklyn finally got back on the theater roof and got back to the air again. He wasn't going to stop now, at least until he needed to rest his wings or daylight was coming. He wanted to ignore the need to take a nap tonight but he just wanted to get moving faster.

There were lots of buildings beneath him as he flew above the town and as he began to leave it behind, it had lots of dry ground too. There was a river out there somewhere too.

Brooklyn really hoped he wouldn't be kidnapped by someone who would take him this far away from home again. He wouldn't mind coming out west as long as it was something planned. But not being taken from his clan. It sure got to be lonely. Even with the prospect of Broadway being with Angela made him still long for home. He was homesick. Right now, he could only rely on himself.

He was still only on the edge of Colorado. It would take a little while to get to Denver. He read that it was the capital of the state.

Brooklyn left the newsstand and went to have some of the food in his bag and a bottle of water. He wanted some energy stores to get him moving soon. He had to put in the strength to get on the way to Denver. He was on a big building with a big rooftop. He was eating some bread, cookies, an apple, and the water.

When he was done, he put the bottle back in the bag. Standing up, he put a hand on his belly. "I hope that keeps you satisfied for a while. And stop making me sick!" Brooklyn scolded his stomach. It gave off a gurgle in reply, just sounding that it was digesting his food. "This is going to be a long glide from here."

Brooklyn took to the air again once he had his bag on him once again. He didn't care how he got there, he just wanted to get there. Each night would bring him closer to home. But he had to keep moving.

He flew northeast to head to Denver.