Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Gargoyles characters portrayed in this story, except for Adam Maza, Tachia and Eosine. All others are owned by those geniuses over at Disney.
As always, please don't sue me. Pretty Please?
Author's Note: I continue to thank my wonderful fans for reading, and emailing me. Also, I thank Ingram, Phoenix and Andrea for their help with this one, and encouraging me to continue! You three are awesome! Sorry this episode took so long! I'm planning my sister-in-law's bridal shower, and that's sucking the very essence out of me!
Anywhoo, enjoy and feel free to email me with any comments about this ep! R&R please!
SIDE NOTE: how about that GARGOYLES comic, eh? WOW! When's the next one out! I'm dying to read it!
ok...onto the story!
8--Revenge
SEASON FINALE:
Synopsis: Goliath concocts a plan to surprise Elisa, Demona receives the book that will spell the end of our favourite detective, and Thailog kills two birds with one very explosive stone, or does he?
October began and with it came a cold autumn breeze that chilled right down to the bone. The leaves on the trees were sparser than ever, and had already turned their most vibrant colours weeks ago. Along the streets, there were piles of dead-looking brown leaves, dirty with the street grime, making the night look that much more void of life. There was one consolation to this sense of entropy, though: The sun set sooner every night, giving our favourite detective and her son even more time with her champions, her best friends, her clan.
Monday, October 25th, 1997, 7:01am
Demona looked out onto the city from her office on the 8th floor of the Nightstone Unlimited building with a smile. Demona was pleased greatly. Not only were the days shortening considerably, lessening her time in this wretchedly weak human body, but she was expecting a special delivery in a few days. She would have gone to get the package herself, but meetings and important clients came first. She had to maintain her grasp on the business world in order to be able to fund her schemes in the future. Besides, she was getting used to the lavish lifestyle of Dominique Destine, and didn't want to threaten that at all. Maza would die at Thailog's hands, that she was sure of, but it would have to wait until the book came to her.
Tuesday, October 26, 1997, 2:48pm
"Ms. Destine?"
Dominique looked up from her reports in annoyance. "Yes, what is it?"
"A courier has brought a package marked with an ankh on it. Would you like him to bring it in?"
Dominique instantly smiled an evil grin. "Send him in."
Finally, the book to help me rid myself of Maza is here. Soon, Goliath, very soon...
"Where do you want this box, Ma'am?" The portly courier said, wheeling a trolley into Dominique's office. Dominique rose from her seat, pushed the papers on her desk into a folder, placed the folder in a drawer and folded her arms in front of her chest.
"On my desk, here."
The employee stopped the trolley, lifted the rather large box from it and placed it carefully upon the desk. He then proceeded to open the box for the delicate-looking Dominique, but her hand flew to the top flap of the box.
"Do it, and die where you stand." She threatened, her eyes flickering with anger and rage suddenly. The poor courier backed away from the box, raised his hands, and said,
"Sorry, sorry." He then nearly ran out of the office, leaving the trolley behind, and forgetting to close the door behind him.
"Fool," said Demona as she ripped the box open with her seemingly delicate human female hands. "The sheer magic in this book would have literally killed him on the spot..."
Once the box was rendered to shreds, Demona laid eyes on the book that would help her realize her fondest desire in over a thousand years: Maza's painful death.
The book, nearly 2 feet long and 2 inches wide, was weathered and extremely old looking. Its tanned pages were worn by what appeared to be water damage, and Demona had to be careful in turning them. As she tediously did so, her smile grew wider and wider. She read only a few titles of spells, all written in Latin, and then burst out laughing maniacally.
October 30, 1997
After close to a month without her beloved Ford Fairlane, due to extensive damage sustained during her run-in with the remnants of the Quarrymen, Elisa picked up her car from her mechanic that afternoon. She did a walk around it before actually getting in, just to make sure all was well with her trademark car. The mechanic,
whom she frequented more often since being friends with the gargoyles, had given her a perplexed look, as if he said, 'what, you don't trust me now?' with his silent eyes. Elisa smiled and accepted the keys to her Fairlane without any further thought to the intensive work that had been done on her mode of transportation. She was quite pleased with the work done, in fact, though it was mainly aesthetic. Her good old car still ran like a dream, and now even had a fresh coat of paint on her,
too.
Now, she thought, time to pick Adam up from mom and dad's and go see the guys.
----
A few minutes before sunset, Elisa Maza walked into the Eyrie building holding the handle of her son's carrier. She greeted the guard politely and walked past him towards the elevator. She was just in time to greet her friends after they had awakened from their slumber. They were all congregated in the Great Hall, preparing to patrol for the night and greeted Elisa and the child as soon as the door opened.
The clan seemed to be more excited than ever. Well, who could blame them? They were always excited when All Hallows Eve came around. It was only a day away, and it was the first Halloween the clan was spending back in their ancestral home. They relished every second of planning and preparation for the upcoming event, and were extra rowdy this night.
"Hey guys, you seem boisterous tonight. Planned out what you're doing tomorrow yet"
Elisa questioned none of them in particular. Brooklyn and Tachia were the first to react to the question.
"Tachia and I were thinking of just taking a stroll down to Times' Square."
"Yes," Tachia added, "For as long as I've known Brooklyn, he's always told me wonderful things about how Halloween is celebrated with the clan, but I think we want to spend our first Manhattan All Hallows Eve together seeing the sights that we normally couldn't experience in the sky." Elisa could understand that. Her thoughts brought her instantly to her first Halloween with Goliath, and the night they strolled down the city street arm in arm, warm with underlying affection for one another. That night, they had danced under the stars. Elisa remembered feeling euphoric, as if the asphalt beneath them was replaced with air, and as they danced, their bodies rose higher and higher, into the heavens. Their waltz was entirely too short in Elisa's opinion, but no matter, she thought. We'll have plenty of time for dancing.
"I understand, you two. What about the rest of you? Any plans to join the block party this year?"
Lexington shook his head. "The same goes for Eos and me." Broadway smiled. "Angela and I were thinking of just taking a flight. It's our first Halloween since being mated." Elisa raised a hand in understanding, and to let him know an explanation wasn't needed.
"I get it, guys, and I'm really happy for you all. I just wish I knew what I was going to do tomorrow night…"
"You don't know?" Angela asked curiously.
"Nope. Goliath won't tell me. All I know is that it's something romantic. It usually is when he's this secretive." She sighed contentedly. "Either way, it's going to be memorable to say the least." Elisa paused slightly, turning to look around for her lavender lover. "Um, by the way, where is he?"
---
David Xanatos' Office, 25th floor of the Eyrie Building
"She will absolutely love it, Goliath. You made the right choice by far." David Xanatos confirmed, closing a small velvet box in his hand and placing it upon his large mahogany desk, for the approval of Goliath's attentive eyes. Goliath, standing in front of the desk, peered down at the box, his mind racing with wonderful thoughts. He displayed his rare grin and looked back up at David.
"I hope I have. Thank you for your help in this, and for agreeing to it. I wanted to make our Halloween one she won't soon forget."
David sat back down in his leather arm chair and steepled his hands before him, smiling all the while. "I'm sure she won't, and please, Goliath, think nothing of it. This is, after all, more your home than mine. I merely paid for the stones, but you and your clan have staked your claim to the castle a thousand years ago. Now, I was informed just before you came in that she is here. Not to worry, Goliath—everything will be as you requested tomorrow night." David added genuinely, motioning towards the door. His subdued smirk on his face showed just how excited he was for Goliath's plans.
Goliath thanked David once again before exiting his office and walking towards the Great Hall.
---
Elisa sat with Adam in her arms, rocking him gently as Hudson and Bronx sat in their usual spots—the former in his comfortable recliner, and the later stretched out before his feet. Goliath entered the Great Hall to see this wonderful and peaceful scene, and couldn't help but smile to himself.
"My love," Goliath called from behind the sofa. "How are you?" Elisa instantly rose from her position, still holding onto her infant son, to greet her love.
"Good, Big Guy. You? How did you sleep?"
Goliath's attention went to Adam. He extended a talon to him, and the eager 3 month old child took it curiously, immediately trying to send it to his open mouth.
"Soundly. My love, is it possible that we can discuss our plans for tomorrow outside?"
Elisa nodded. "Sure, babe. Let me hand Adam over to his second grandfather," She said, walking over to Hudson. "Would you mind…" she began, but Hudson silenced her by accepting the small child into his nurturing arms. "'Tis nothing, lass. It will be a pleasure to care for wee Adam." Adam didn't seem to mind being in Hudson's experienced arms, because he began staring at his beard, and attempting to pull at it. The three laughed, and Elisa and Goliath left Hudson alone with Adam while they walked out towards the courtyard.
Once there, the two became immersed in one another, wrapped up in a strong and loving embrace. At length, they released one another and smiled.
"So, Goliath, what do you have planned for us tomorrow?" Elisa pried, though she had the feeling that he wasn't going to reveal too much. He shook his mighty head almost playfully.
"No, my love, you will have to wait and see. But I can tell you this: I will come to your apartment to pick you and Adam up an hour after sunset."
Befuddled, Elisa asked, "Why so long after sunset?"
"It is my night of patrol, and I feel that I should not be forgoing my responsibilities because of my personal needs." He lied. He wanted to ensure everything was up to his standards here before going to get the guest of honour,
that's all.
"Always the great leader, aren't you, my angel?" She asked rhetorically, taking his hand into her own. She wasn't asking him—she was really telling him that. He never skimped out of his responsibilities or his obligations, no matter how easy it could have been to. This was one of the most wonderful things about him, and she could always count on him to put his clan first, before all else. It wasn't a bad thing that his clan came before her in this case, because it was a small thing. After all,
it was only Halloween…
"I apologize, my Elisa, that I must go on patrol but—"
His apology was quieted by two full lips attaching themselves onto his. It was effective, because the next sound that could be heard was the sound of an airplane's engine flying high overhead. The couple below was otherwise occupied with each other.
Behind one of the battlements, red eyes glowed vivaciously. Thailog now knew exactly when to strike against his father's whore tomorrow night, and with perfect timing to make sure his father would be there as well. Killing two birds with one very large and explosive stone…
October 31, 1997
Dominique Destine had been sequestered in her office all day, with strict instructions for her secretary not to bother her for ANY reason. She spent nearly all day perfecting her Latin pronunciation of the spell that would bind the victim in place using the rope she already had in her possession. The spell was slightly tricky, and required that all the words be pronounced in the correct manner, otherwise the spell would be rendered useless, along with the ligature. At around 2pm, Dominique finally had the pronunciation down pat. She left work soon afterwards, with the Cryptatae Magnus and made her chauffeur speed her home. The ligature spell must be done while the pronunciation was still fresh on my mind's tongue, she thought.
Sure enough, when she returned home, with only about a half hour to spare before sunset, she dashed into her office, where she kept the rope and threw it upon the desk. She pulled the Cryptatae Magnus out from a large bag she had carried, and placed it gingerly upon the floor. She fell to her knees, and began flipping quickly through the book until she reached the correct spell.
"Excellent," she murmured. "Here it is." She raised a still-human hand, and began chanting in perfect Latin.
"is somes mos tantum exsisto privatus per nex , nex must adveho in volatilis pennae si solvo est, involare, magnus argentia, capernium faetea, vita exto."
The rope began to glow, float in mid air, and within another moment, it had fallen back down upon the desk. It glowed with an eerie iridescent blue aura. Dominique regarded the rope for a few more seconds until the blue aura disappeared from around it. The spell had worked flawlessly, and much to her satisfaction. Not only would the enchanted rope keep the whore from leaving the vicinity of the bomb, but it might even cause her pain before the bomb even goes off; she read a brief passage that explained that the more one struggled against the ligature, the tighter it grew.
Dominique beamed at this little bit of information. Knowing that Maza would no doubt struggle against her bindings, Dominique's excitement grew. Now, the real test was later that evening. She reread the spell a few times quietly and waited in her office until the sun set. She had to tell Thailog the wonderful news and show him the enchanted rope before he went out to kill Elisa Maza for her.
Dominique changed into Demona loudly at sunset, and Thailog awoke from stone sleep a few seconds afterwards. He walked over to Demona and flashed a twisted smile at her.
"I can see in your face that you are excited about something. Whatever could that be, Demona?" He asked jokingly. She grinned, and took the bewitched rope into her hands to show it to Thailog.
"The spell has worked, and this binding is ready to be used."
Thailog took the rope from Demona's hands and examined it momentarily before laying it upon the desk again.
"Good work. I sense the magic on it." He looked at the clock upon the wall. "I should be going soon. Where will you be during all of this?"
"Watching from a distance. If any of the clan members see me, all will be lost,
since they will automatically accuse me planting the bomb. They accuse me of everything that ever goes wrong in this city!"
Thailog nodded. "Wouldn't they be correct this time?" He laughed.
"Yes, but they won't be given the opportunity to even speculate that fact, since I have an alibi. I have purchased a plane ticket, scheduled for Switzerland. The plane leaves in five minutes. Dominique Destine has a board meeting tomorrow morning there,
and voila. My alibi is sound."
"But how…?"
"My personal assistant has gone in my place." Dominique laughed at her own ingenuity. "This will work flawlessly, Thailog. And we both get what we want."
Thailog agreed, took the rope in his hands, and unfurled his wings to catch the current of wind to take him to Elisa's apartment. He internally laughed at Demona's last comment, and the irony of it. She had no idea how wrong she was. True, she would get her hated detective killed, but her precious Goliath would also be destroyed in the process. Thailog would be the true winner in this situation, not Demona. He chuckled darkly and continued his approach to Elisa's apartment.
---
Elisa lay upon her queen sized bed peacefully sleeping with the comforter snuggly under her chin. The heater had been on for half an hour straight because of the chill of the late October winds, but it still wasn't enough to warm her body. She was just taking a short nap, and was planning on waking well before sunset to get ready for her evening with Goliath, but since Adam was not fussing, and sleep seemed to call to her, she slept for nearly three hours instead of the intended half an hour. She was awoken shortly after sunset by a wonderful voice calling to her. Still in and out of sleep, she called to it.
"Goliath?"
"Yes, my love. It is I." The soft and gentle baritone spoke to her from the left side of her bed. Elisa was turned away from the window, the left side of the room, so she turned her body to face her lover. With her eyes still closed, and still partially in the realm of dreamers, she felt rough hands holding her own, raising them above her head towards the headboard of the bed. Rough hands? She was roused from her sleep when a strange smell violated her nostrils. This wasn't Goliath…
Opening her eyes immediately, she saw, even in the dark, the nightmarish red eyes of Thailog staring horribly back at her. He began chuckling as he saw the fear set into Elisa's face. Her hands were already in his grasp, but he was able to hold onto them both with one hand while he pulled out a ligature of some kind and began tying her hands together to the headboard. She struggled fiercely, but the more she struggled against whatever it was that was tied on her wrists, it seemed, the more it constricted against her, causing her wrists to become bruised almost instantly.
"My dear Detective Maza," Thailog began. "So nice to see you again."
"Spare me, psycho. What the hell do you want?" Elisa spat at Thailog, still struggling against being tied down. Thailog lowered his face within an inch of hers, forcing her to look into his hate-filled eyes. "It's very simple actually. Your death. Oh, and that of my father, of course."
"How did you know where I lived?" Elisa had to ask, perhaps stalling him.
"I was told by one of my business associates. She is really quite thorough."
"She?" Elisa asked aloud, though she knew Thailog would not answer her. He then bent down to a bag he had brought with him and pulled out what looked like an alarm clock with wires running this way and that way out of it. He shined it a bit before placing the clock-like item near by the nightstand just beside the bed. He then did a variety of things that even Elisa wasn't too sure of. He connected wires and cables, wrapped things around the clock, and then whipped out what Elisa was sure of was plastic explosives. He molded the substance slightly before covering the clock with it, and then pressing a button on the top of the clock. Elisa knew immediately that it was a makeshift bomb, crudely built and poorly designed, from what she saw.
Regardless, she wasn't about to take a chance in pretending that Thailog hadn't done his homework.
"See that, detective?" He pointed to the bomb, which began ticking loudly. He looked down at the bomb, and then to a wrist watch he had worn that night purposely so that he'd know when to get the hell out of the vicinity of Elisa's apartment. "That sound you hear is your life ticking away. According to the clock, you have precisely 10 minutes to live."
"You dumb shit. Goliath and the others will come for me, and they'll throw that bomb in the Hudson River before it goes off." She said bravely.
Thailog unexpectedly burst out laughing, a sort of deep, maniacal chuckle that dripped of confidence and arrogance. Somehow, Elisa knew this situation wouldn't get better simply by throwing the bomb out the window. Her fears were confirmed only moments later, when Thailog's fit of laughter finally subsided. He walked back over to the bomb, and pointed one evil talon at it.
"If they were to even touch this bomb, it would go off instantly. I wouldn't care either way what you and your beloved clan does, as long as you perish along with them." The tone in his voice made Elisa shiver.
---
"Goliath, you going to pick Elisa up now?" Brooklyn asked his leader as they soared closer to Elisa's apartment.
"Yes, I am. I hope she enjoys what I have planned for her, and what I am planning to ask her."
"Goliath, I am sure she will accept your offer. I can tell that she would do anything for you." Tachia replied. She glided hand in hand with her mate, Brooklyn,
on their way to Times' Square.
"This is true, Tachia. I just hope that she will do this." Just then, a loud scream was heard coming in the direction of Elisa's apartment. The three gargoyles regarded each other for a split second before silently agreeing to investigate it together.
The scream had come from Elisa's apartment.
---
Could this really be it? Is there no way out of this? Elisa had to try getting some information out of Thailog, one way or another. Who was his 'associate', and why did she want Elisa dead? She immediately thought of Demona.
"Demona is behind this, isn't she!" Elisa yelled out at Thailog, her torso raising from the bed with the force of her rage.
"Demona? Well—" Before he could reply, the terrified screams of an infant child rang through the air. Elisa's eyes widened with horror for her son's safety. Thailog's attention was promptly sent in the direction of the cries, coming from the next room. Sinisterly, he smiled and said, "I'll be back…" and stalked out of the room.
Elisa began struggling against her restraints furiously, twisting and pulling and yanking to no avail. Who knows what Thailog will do to my son, she thought desperately to herself.
"THAILOG! THAILOG! PLEASE don't hurt him!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, hoping to appeal to the side of him that was somehow related to Goliath. God only knew what her son was about to go through, and Elisa knew she was absolutely helpless to stop it. Her wrists were cut by now, and small pools of blood were forming just below them on her pillow. Until now, Elisa had been slightly calm, but when Thailog flashed her that awful smile, all her safeguards were dematerialized and her emotions came spilling forth at the real possibility of losing her son this night, let alone her own life along with his. The tears sprang forth from her eyes like torrents of rain as the moments with her son flashed before her eyes. The first time she held him, the first time she bathed him, the day she took him home from Xanatos' medical ward, the first time she and Adam were embraced by Goliath…
"Goliath…" She whispered, knowing that he was scheduled to come pick her up any second now. The tears began clouding her vision to the point where she didn't recognize the dark figure coming into the room again, carrying something in his rough hands. The cries of her son were suddenly amplified; Thailog had brought Adam into the room with him, and was holding him coarsely—upside down by the legs, like the catch of the day. Had Elisa been a gargoyle, her eyes would have been blazing fiery red at that point as she stared up at this demon that held her son on the threshold of death.
"I had nearly forgotten about this little brat!" He taunted.
"Thailog, put my son down, PLEASE! Oh, God, PLEASE don't hurt him!" Elisa cried out miserably. Thailog's reply to these pleas was to look at the boy in his large hands,
smirk, and look at Elisa questioningly.
"Why? If I kill this bastard child, Goliath will suffer just as much as you. I've seen the way you all play the role of the little family. It's quite sickening actually." Just then, he let go of one of the boy's legs, causing the frightened child's cries to double in magnitude. Elisa's heart broke with every sob that came from her only child. The only thing she could do was try to comfort her son with her voice.
"Adam, honey. Shhh, momma's here, baby…" She said in a shaky voice. She then looked up at Thailog with hatred boiling in her beautiful eyes. "Don't be stupid, Thailog. Make no mistake, Goliath hates this child," She lied. His curiosity piqued, Thailog raised an eyebrow and bid her continue with the look in his eyes. "Think about it! That baby is proof of my…infidelity, and our differences. Plus, that boy is the son of one of his greatest enemies," She continued, praying to God that Thailog would accept her story. "He tries, I know, but deep inside, I can see that he hates this child! If my son were to die, Goliath wouldn't be very broken up about it." Elisa could envision the thoughts racing through Thailog's sick head, and saw a change in his eyes—understanding, perhaps. He had bought Elisa's lie. He looked down once more at the small baby in his hand, and roughly dropped the child at the foot of Elisa's bed.
"You make an interesting point, detective. However, that won't save him or you. The bomb will be going off in close to 7 minutes, and he won't be spared," Thailog leaned over Elisa's face. His breath smelled rancid and evoked Elisa's gag reflex a few times.
"It will be quite a shame when you are dead, my dear, since you are simply divine to look at, but my associate wants you dead, and far be it for me to go against her greatest desire."
Elisa was convinced that it was Demona who was pulling his strings, which made no sense. What was in it for him? Didn't they hate each other? And since when does Thailog take orders from anyone? Before any of these questions could have answers attached to them, Goliath flew through the window with a loud crash, and tackled Thailog in the process. Thailog was thrown across the room, to the right side of Elisa's bed. Right behind him, Brooklyn and Tachia glided through the already-smashed window into Elisa's room. Before they could even ask what was going on, Elisa shouted, "We have to act fast! Tachia, get a knife or something from the kitchen to cut me free! Brook, please take Adam out of here. Get as far away as you can!"
"But—"
"Just do it, for God's sake, Brook! Please!" Elisa cried, as Tachia ran to the kitchen to find a cutting utensil.
---
"What are you doing here, Thailog?" Goliath roared, as he punched Thailog hard in the chest, causing him to stumble towards the farthest wall of Elisa's bedroom.
Thailog regained his balance, and stepped towards Goliath.
"I am going to destroy your little plaything over there." He pointed to the bed, where Elisa was still trying to struggle against the bindings unsuccessfully. "Catch me if you can, father!" Thailog suddenly darted out of Goliath's grasp and flew through the window, narrowly avoiding Brooklyn carrying Adam out of harms way. Goliath followed, spread his wings and attempted to catch up to Thailog.
Thailog's diabolical plan now was to kill as much time as possible before letting Goliath know that he had planted a bomb in the apartment. If Goliath had enough time to think about it, surely he'd realize that he'd just have to pull the bed out of the apartment to save her pathetic life. Also, if he only gave them a few seconds to say their goodbyes, Goliath would forget all about running away, and either attempt to save her by sacrificing himself, or trying to dismantle the bomb, which would cause the bomb to explode awesomely. The latter was the optimal outcome for Thailog, though the former would also suffice quite nicely.
Thailog soared through the air, now already a mile away from the apartment. He was then weighed down by Goliath hitting him in mid-air with a hard left jab to the back of the head. Thailog was slightly stunned by the punch, but regained his resolve and followed with a swift swing of his tail to Goliath's right wing, causing him to spiral downward momentarily.
"I've had enough of these games! You will never succeed in your endeavours! Give up now, and join our clan, YOUR clan! Perhaps we can make a fresh start, and be family,
as it should have been in the beginning." Goliath yelled, avoiding punch after punch.
"That time has passed, father. I now seek revenge on you all, starting with your precious human love. It makes me sick to think that someone that I share DNA with actually MATES with a human! Absurd and disgusting, really!" Thailog taunted,
gliding farther away from Goliath, and making him chase him even further away from Elisa's apartment.
"What disgusts me, Thailog, is your lack of compassion for other living beings, let alone one of your clanmates. You have not been taught what it means to be a true gargoyle."
"CLAN? A human! Not a chance, traitor! And you, father, are the one who has no idea how to be a true gargoyle." Thailog looked down at his wrist watch. The bomb would explode in about three minutes. He had to tell Goliath about the bomb NOW.
"Anyway, I'd love to stay and watch the fireworks, but I must be going now. Tell Maza I did enjoy our brief interlude earlier, and that I'll always remember her." Goliath glared at Thailog silently for a split second before retorting.
"What on earth do you mean?"
"I mean, dear father, that there is a bomb in the detective's apartment that is set to explode in three minutes. If you go, you may still be able to save her…or can you?" Thailog goaded, soaring off into the night. He turned his head a bit to watch as Goliath dashed towards the direction of Elisa's apartment to see what could be done about the bomb. Thailog snickered loudly as he glided away to a safe spot to,
in fact, watch the fireworks.
---
When Goliath arrived back at Elisa's apartment, he saw Tachia trying to pry Elisa's now battered wrists out of the bindings, and Elisa crying out in pain every few seconds. Goliath nearly ran over to Elisa, his face full of concern and horror for his beloved.
"Let me try, Tachia." He stated, beginning to take the knife in Tachia's hand. The green skinned gargoyle was beginning to cry as she had begun to realize that there was no way of her helping her new friend out of the bindings. She rose from her kneeling position and walked over to the bomb.
"Perhaps Lexington can dismantle this mechanical device and—"
"NO!" Elisa cried, shocking both gargoyles into silence. "If any of you were to even try to dismantle it or move it, Thailog told me it will explode." Elisa yelled. Just saying those words caused a chill to creep down her own back. Those were the words confirming her own demise.
Goliath continued to press and pull against her bindings, but it only caused Elisa pain. He looked back at the bomb to see how much time he had to get her out, but it ticked away the 2 minute mark, and Goliath panicked. Elisa, at this point, had already come to grips with her inevitable fate, and had a calm but sad look in her eyes. Tears welled up in her eyes, only to be shed when Goliath spoke next.
"Tachia, I order you to get out of here." Goliath commanded, turning to his charge.
"But…"
"Tachia, please go. Get to safety." Elisa added. Tachia nodded, wiped away a tear from her hazel eye with a green talon and unfurled her wings. She stepped upon the window ledge, looked back once more and then departed. Goliath looked down at his love.
"Elisa, we must find a way to release you from these bindings!" Goliath commented hastily, his hands going to the binding around Elisa's wrists again. Sadly, she shook her head.
"There's no time, Goliath. Get out of here. The bomb will be going off in less than two minutes. There isn't enough time to tell you everything I want to say…" She allowed the tears to flow again even more freely than before.
Goliath dropped to his knees before her and attempted to pry the bindings off of her hands once more. Elisa yelped out in pain as the ligature grew tighter upon her already bloody wrists, and Goliath stopped what he was doing instantly. He looked down at her face, streaked with tears. This angel, sent to him by all the forces in heaven and earth, lay before him, accepting her fate. Her eyes said it all to him.
At that moment, after realizing that Elisa had given up, Goliath began to cry. There were no sobs, or sniffles. Silent tears ran down his lavender skin, and his mighty heart broke for its owner. Elisa shook her head when she understood that there were precious few seconds before the bomb would explode.
"Goliath, tell my parents, Derek and Beth that I love them,"
"Elisa," Goliath whispered, almost in protest to receiving her final wishes.
"And please tell Adam that his mother loved him beyond belief,"
"My love," Goliath pleaded even more faintly this time, and his voice full of emotion.
"But most of all, my beloved," Elisa sobbed now, letting it all out. She looked deeply into her guardian angel's eyes and continued. "Please remember that I love you, and that you and I are kindred spirits, soul mates. You made my world complete." She concluded, her voice finally breaking.
"You are my world, Elisa." Goliath whispered, reaching for her and embracing her in a strong hug followed by a passionate kiss. Only a few moments passed before Elisa pushed him away using her feet.
"You HAVE TO get out of here now, my love. The bomb is going to go any second. GO!"
Goliath stumbled back, dumbfounded. "But,"
"I love you. Remember that. GO NOW!" Elisa cried out desperately. There were just under ten seconds left on the clock. She prepared herself to watch as Goliath turned to leave. He suddenly changed his mind, and threw himself on top of Elisa's tied down frame.
In complete shock, Elisa gasped. She was about to ask what the hell had gotten into Goliath, when his sweet lips covered hers, and his majestic wingspan covered her form entirely, protecting her from the impending blast.
Before she even had a chance to say or do anything, it felt as if her apartment had been thrown in the middle of an earthquake. Her ears were temporarily deafened from the sound of the blast and everything went dark.
----
From a neighbouring rooftop, Demona and Thailog watched as the seconds ticked away, only Thailog was completely relaxed and enjoyed every second, while Demona was panicking terribly. Goliath still hadn't left the apartment.
"What could be taking so long? Goliath! Leave that whore to her fate!" Demona said quietly, hoping that Thailog had not heard. He had, in fact heard, and smiled at her words. He looked down at the wrist watch again.
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1...boom." He said quietly, and then there was a terribly noisy explosion.
"Goliath!" Demona cried, while Thailog chuckled to himself.
---
Moments later, once her hearing had been restored, Elisa opened her eyes slowly,
feeling something incredibly heavy weighing upon her.
She wanted to lift this mass from her body, but she could not because her hands were still tied—or were they? She pulled her now-freed hands down towards the heavy mass upon her, but instantly remembered that Goliath had jumped on top of her to shield her from the bomb's deadly blast. It had worked after all! She was alive and well,
and so was Goliath.
She shook him a bit and called his name. "Goliath, my love? Come on, snap out of it, babe. We're ok, and…" She shook him a bit harder this time. "Goliath, wake up." His eyes remained closed. He never weighed this much before, she thought, even during the times we made love…
"Goliath!" She cried out louder than before, shaking the body that lay on her out of necessity and out of terror for Goliath's life. Common sense took over for a split second, and she reached to his neck and felt for a pulse, however alien it was to her own human pulse. Any sign of life would have given Elisa the sheer strength to pull Goliath off of her, but none came.
There was a coldness to his skin.
No pulse, no warmth, save for the tips of his wings that had been the closest to the blast.
"No!" Elisa screamed, still shaking the still form over her. Just then, there were talons pulling the body off of Elisa. Hudson, Broadway and Eosine had been told by Brooklyn that Elisa and Goliath were at Elisa's apartment, and that there was a bomb, but they came too late.
"Goliath! Wake up, Goliath!" Broadway said, slapping Goliath's chest with an open palm.
"Yes, lad, come to. We need ya." Hudson chimed in. A moment later, Angela, Tachia and Lexington approached the still body. Angela kneeled down to her father and put a graceful hand over his heart, and then began to cry.
This was followed by the sobs of Elisa Maza.
They weren't loud, but they were heard and felt by all who sensed that Goliath was gone.
------------
...to be continued! Unlike with most season premieres, you won't have to wait very long for this next installment..only about a week! Stay tuned!
Tima
