Disclaimer: I created Adam O'Riley, Fast Eddie and any others that don't sound familiar to you. Everyone else is owned by Disney. These stories are written for pleasure, not for profit. Please don't sue me. Oh pretty please?

Decisions

3:45pm

Elisa walked into the precinct house for her usual shift. As she opened the doors to the precinct, she couldn't help but catch a glimpse of herself in the glass doors that she passed. Her tummy was expanding every day, and she would have to go out and get more than just one new maternity outfit very soon. Right now, she wore the new white buttoned-down maternity blouse her mother bought for her a few weeks earlier, and over it, her red bomber jacket, though it was getting near impossible for her to zip it up. She would have to invest in a real coat and retire her beloved bomber jacket for a while—at least until after the baby was born. No sense in catching a cold because of her love of a jacket…

Passing colleagues and waving them cordial 'hello's, she knew she had to talk to Captain Chavez about something she had to ask her. She had come to a decision.

"Captain, can I talk to you for a minute, please?" Elisa asked Captain Chavez, as she stood in the doorway of her office. Captain Chavez looked up from her paperwork before her, tilted her head sympathetically at Elisa, and motioned for her to sit at the chair in front of the desk.

"Certainly, Detective." The Captain hadn't been the same since Adam was killed in the line of duty only four days ago, and had reverted to being extra-formal with her detectives, though she was on a first name basis with most, especially Elisa.

"What's on your mind?" Elisa sat upon the chair.

"Well, Captain, I think it's time for me to go on desk duty. Honestly, I thought I could handle it, and then Adam…" Elisa felt tears forming in her eyes. Before her eyes threatened to release them, she shook her head, cleared her throat and began her thought again. "…and then the last few days happened, and running after bad guys just can't happen anymore. I'm getting more and more exhausted and this kid is getting heavier and heavier."

The captain understood. She smiled ever so slightly, seeing the motherly instinct permeating Elisa's being; she wasn't asking to be put on desk duty for herself but for her child.

"Consider it done. Starting tonight, right?"

Relief washed over Elisa's face.

"Yeah, I mean, please. Thanks, Captain."

"No worries, Detective. Just tell your partner I need to see him to discuss how this is going to work." Elisa rose from her seat, smiled at Captain Chavez and left the office.

Elisa walked to where her car was parked at the precinct at around 11 pm. Captain Chavez had let her go home earlier than normal after all the paper work was done for the evening, so she decided to take advantage of this free time and visit her friends at the Eyrie Building before calling it a night.

She waved at the security guard at the front desk, who now knew her by name.

"Hello, Elisa. How're you feeling tonight?" He asked, implying about her pregnancy. He pressed a button to announce that she was headed upstairs. Though he saw her almost every night, he didn't know why she continuously visited the building. Perhaps she was close friends with Mrs. Xanatos. That would explain how the Xanatoses had been there to rescue her three months ago after being kidnapped and taken overseas.

She smiled at the courtesy.

"I'm a bit tired, but the baby is doing fine. Thanks for asking, Carl. Have a good night." She said, walking past him to the elevator.

After sunset had come, the youngest gargoyles went on patrol while Hudson, Bronx and Goliath sat in the Great Hall discussing a news report they saw on television. Goliath knew that eventually Elisa would visit. The prospect of seeing Elisa made him satisfied without his usual nightly glide.

The elevator 'ding'-ed, announcing to Elisa that she had reached the Great Hall. The doors slid open, and she stepped out of the elevator into the living room area. She was almost immediately greeted by Bronx barking happily. She bent down on one knee carefully and allowed Bronx to lick her face enthusiastically. She held his face with one hand while she patted his back.

"Ok, boy, I know you're happy I'm here…to think that I was terrified of you the first time I came up here..." She added quietly with a smirk.

"He isn't the only one who is glad to see you." Goliath said as he walked towards her.

"Bronx, come now!" Hudson called playfully. "Let her alone there, ya great beast."

Bronx's ears perked up at Hudson's call, licked Elisa once more, and then scurried off to settle again before the fireplace. Goliath helped Elisa from her kneeling stance on the floor with one hand while she wiped her face with the sleeve of her blouse. After she got back on both feet, Goliath put both arms around her and embraced her, kissing the top of her head as he did this. After the hug, he held both her hands and silently led her to the sofa before the giant television. She sat and nestled herself within the folds of the sofa as Goliath took his seat beside her.

"How are you, Elisa?" He asked with gentle concern. He took a hand to her stomach and rubbed it delicately.
She sighed. "Tired. With everything that's happened over the last week, I'll be glad when I have a night off. Which reminds me, Goliath: I asked Captain Chavez to put me on desk duty from now on until I go on mat leave."

Goliath had a confused look on his face. "Mat leave?"

"I meant maternity leave. When I am 8 months along, I'll go on a paid leave from work. I'll return to work a year after the baby is born. That's the way most go about it, anyways." She explained. Elisa loved his naiveté about things. She found it charming and refreshing, so whenever the situation arose that she would have to explain things to him that were common place for her, she never got frustrated or irritated at him for asking. She would answer his question to the best of her knowledge with a smile on her face. Elisa had convinced herself long ago that this little quirk was just one of the reasons that he needed her—to explain things about the big city to him. She had a feeling that was one of the things he loved about her.

"I see." He replied, the confusion dissipating from his look. His hand still rested upon her stomach.

"I think that…" Goliath stopped speaking and smiled at Elisa. He looked down upon her stomach. He had felt the baby move.

"You felt that, too, huh?" Elisa asked, smiling.

Goliath looked as if he had never expected a baby to move about in its home within its mother.

"Incredible."

"Yeah, it's actually very incredible. It woke me up this morning. He or she is going to be a strong one." She laughed, placed both hands upon her stomach over his, and gazed at him.

"Dr. Alban told me that I shouldn't be feeling the baby kicking until at least the twenty-second week because it's my first pregnancy, but I guess I'm a special case."

Goliath bent his head down and kissed her forehead.

"Most definitely." Whenever his deep voice would utter something romantic, she felt the meaning of those words deep within her soul, and she felt the need to kiss him for hours on end. However, seeing as how Hudson was sitting inches away, his kiss on her forehead would have to suffice for now.

Just then, the voices of the other gargoyles could be heard outside the castle walls. A minute later, Lexington, Angela, Broadway and Brooklyn walked into the Great Hall. Noticing Elisa there, Angela quickened her pace and walked towards her.

"Hi, Elisa! How are you feeling?"

Elisa bit back a comment about how everyone should stop asking how she was and smiled instead. She was in a good mood for the first time since Adam was killed, and she wasn't going to spoil it with her comments.

"I'm a bit tired, but otherwise good. How was patrol?"

Lexington walked behind her, beaming.

"We stopped these thieves from escaping from a break-in. The clerk seemed really happy that we were there." He then pulled out a new electronic device and began fiddling with it, walking away from the others. Broadway strolled behind Angela.

"Yeah, it was great. It made me hungry, though."

"What's new?" Brooklyn joked as he joined the others in the Great Hall.
Broadway shook his head.

"Well, it made me hungry for this new recipe I saw on T.V. the other night. I'm gonna see if I can make it right now." He walked towards the kitchen, eying Angela as he walked. Their eyes met briefly, and she understood.

"Broadway, that sounds good. Can I help you?"

"Sure." He called from the doorway.

"Elisa, I would love to stay and chat but…"

Elisa suspected something was going on between the two of them, but said nothing about it. Instead, she smiled sweetly at Angela.

"Don't worry. I'll be here until after dinner. Then I have to get some sleep. This kid is restless." Angela nodded and walked briskly to the door leading to the kitchen.

Meanwhile, in Queens, 11:29pm…

Ray sat in the Quarrymen's meeting room, waiting for the meeting to begin. He sat in the midst of nearly 35 people in plain clothes, who were all chatting among themselves about this lead on the gargoyles and that lead on the gargoyles. He looked down at his fingernails, and bit one on his right hand roughly. That was a bad habit, but then again, habits are hard to break, especially when he waited for the hottest woman he'd seen in a long time. It was getting hard for him to walk around her without developing a noticeable erection. He usually would have to bring a notebook with him to cover up his pleasure—it was high school all over again. He looked up from his not-so-tasty fingernail to the podium, and saw her, Robin, talking quietly with Jon Castaway, the leader of the Quarrymen.

"Jon, now that Fast Eddie is dead, how are we going ta bring this police woman down?" Robin asked carefully in her normal Scottish brogue. She hid this accent well when around others, but when she was with her brother, she reverted to her accent to give him a sense of familiarity. She felt his sanity slipping every so often. This fanatical hatred towards the gargoyles seemed to be destroying him slowly, and that devastated her. Robin wanted to ensure he was alright, so she attended every meeting of the Quarrymen to watch over her baby brother, since Jason was incapacitated to do so.

She was hoping that Fast Eddie's hit and run would cause Jon to forget Elisa Maza and concentrate on the gargoyles instead. Robin felt indebted to Elisa for being Jason's friend and helping him when the 'accident' which left him paralyzed happened. Since she could not visit her brother without being arrested, she felt relieved that at least he had one friend helping his transition from the world of the walking to the world of the wheelchair.

Jon had a nearly serene look on his rat-like face.

"Sister, don't ya worry about that. We'll get tha proof we need to eliminate her from this equation soon enough." He replied confidently in his own Scottish accent.

"And here I was, thinkin' ya'd only hunt the gargoyles and not the detective. She is in constant contact with Jason an' because of this, she's in the perfect position ta poison his mind against us further. Why are we takin' that risk of losing our brother forever because of your vendetta?" Robin's annoyance with trying to reason with her younger brother was clear by the tone in her voice. Jon squinted his eyes at her.

"Robin, she is a traitor to humanity. Whether or not she goes ta see Jason makes no difference. He is already lost to us…for now, anyway. He'll see things differently once we exterminate these pests from our city." He looked up at a round clock that hung on the adjacent wall—11:35pm. The meeting is set to begin.

"Take your seat, sister. I must conduct this meeting now." He said, resuming his terribly fake British accent. She silently nodded and walked over to her seat, beside Ray.

"Hi Robin!" Ray exclaimed. Over the last few months, he had become accustomed to seeing the woman known to him only as Robin at every Quarrymen's meeting. It seemed as if she was obligated to be at these meetings because of her close friendship with the leader, Jon Castaway. Every time he'd finish one of his anti-gargoyle rants, she would speak to him immediately after. They must be dating, he had thought immediately, until she mentioned that she was single one night after a meeting was adjourned. That changed everything for Ray—there might be a chance for him after all. She was still talking to him and always took the seat next to him. That had to be a sign.

"Hello, Ray. Nice seeing you again. How have you been?" The blonde replied politely as she walked towards him in the abandoned dance studio/Quarrymen's meeting room. She had a sneaking suspicion that he was romantically interested in her—that is, he only wanted sex from her—but she wasn't interested in him at all. He was a nice person to talk to, but to sleep with…that was another story. That thought actually revolted him. And besides that, she had her own problems to deal with; her brother's anti-gargoyle tirades seemed to be getting worse, and his judgement along with them.

"Alright. Did you hear about Fast Eddie? He was our one shot to nail Maza for her involvement with those monsters, and he got himself run over"
Robin contemplated telling him about the conversation that she and her brother, Jon, had had just moments earlier, but shook it off and continued.

"Don't worry, Ray. Jon always has something up his sleeve. He's very resourceful, you know…"

When Angela reached the kitchen, the lights were off and it seemed empty.

"Broadway? Are you here?" She called in the darkness. She then felt gentle and familiar hands encircle her and dip her in a sweet kiss. Once the kiss ended, the lights came on in the kitchen. Angela was blushing and Broadway had a gigantic and playful smile upon his lips.

"Broadway, you scared me. But that was an amazing kiss…" She said quietly. Uh oh, he thought. I overstepped my boundaries…

"Sorry, Angela, but I just…wanted to be romantic." He said bashfully. She touched his face lightly with her hand and looked into his eyes.

"It's alright."

"Do you still think we should tell Goliath? I mean, how do you think he'll take it?" Broadway asked.

"Father will have to approve because I will tell him how much I…"

"What? You what?" Broadway asked, inches away from her face.

"I love you, Broadway. You are so very dear to me." She said, blushing deeply. Broadway's face lit up.

"You know that I love you, too, Angela. I love spending time with you, and cooking with you and reading with you. You make me happy, and I just hope I make you as happy."

"You do, Broadway. You do." She smiled. At these words, he put both arms around her, and his wings. She returned this gesture and drew her own wings over his in the ultimate demonstration of love between gargoyles. Withdrawing from the embrace, Angela looked up at Broadway and said, "Let's tell Goliath that we are in love tonight."

Broadway nodded, and added. "…right after dinner."

As suggested, after dinner was served and enjoyed by all, including Elisa, the clan went back to the Great Hall and relaxed a bit. Angela was slightly nervous, but she knew that she'd never feel truly happy with Broadway until she told her father, at least, that she loved Broadway, and he had won the unspoken contest between the trio for her affections.

Most of the clan had remained in the living area, watching television with Hudson and Bronx, while Elisa had asked Goliath to take a walk in the courtyard of the castle. Angela saw this as the perfect opportunity. Elisa would smooth things over if he didn't take it the right way…though Angela prayed that Goliath would understand. To be honest, she didn't know how the leader of their clan would react. Perhaps he'd frown down upon her choice of 'boyfriends', but she'd have to make him see that Broadway would make her happiest of all the others.

Goliath and Elisa had stopped their walk and were quietly chatting in the courtyard. Goliath held her in his arms the entire time they spoke, and never once looked away from her entrancing eyes. As Angela walked towards them, she realised that Elisa was like a mother to her, and that her opinion was almost as important as Goliath's. Surely she would approve as well.

"Father, Elisa, sorry for interrupting…" Angela apologized quietly.

"You need not apologise, daughter." Goliath replied, finally taking his eyes off of Elisa and laying them upon his only daughter.

"Yeah, what's up, Angela?" Elisa asked, turning to see Angela. She, too, felt somewhat like a mother to Angela, though she thought of her more like a best friend than anything else.

"Well, I wanted to…um…well, I wanted to tell you something, father."

"Oh, I should go, then. Family business…" Elisa made a move to leave, but Goliath kept his gentle hold of her.

"No, Elisa. I kind of wanted you to be here, too."

"Besides, you are also family, my darling." Elisa smiled up at Goliath again, and looked to Angela to see what her reaction was. She, too, was smiling. The smile was partially because he had called her his 'darling' in front of her, and partially because he called her family, which she was. She was a part of their clan.

"What is it, Angela?"

"Um…well, I…" Before she could even begin to formulate a grammatically correct sentence, Broadway glided towards them and landed beside Angela. Angela suddenly gained a renewed sense of confidence that her father and his love would understand, as they were so much in love as well.

"Father, Elisa," She turned to Broadway and held his hand. "We are in love." She braced herself for anything.

Elisa's mouth opened widely, jumped and she shouted, "I KNEW IT!"

"What? How did you…" Angela staggered.

"Well, I am a Detective, and I would be a pretty lousy one if I couldn't see what was happening between the two of you!" Elisa laughed, and then allowed herself to be released by the still silent Goliath and hugged Angela and then Broadway. Broadway laughed at her mention of her detective skills, since they didn't seem to help her see the feelings every other member of the clan saw that she had for their leader, and vice versa.

"Father…?" Angela asked. "Do you approve?"

Goliath breathed deeply, and then a regal smile crept up on his face.

"You have chosen wisely, my daughter. I am very happy for the both of you." He shook the still-nervous Broadways hand in the usual gargoyle style and hugged his daughter.

"What's all the noise out here about?" Hudson called, as he walked towards them, followed by the other members of the clan. Angela looked at Broadway, who simply nodded at her. Once the entire clan were surrounding them, Angela cleared her throat and began.

"Broadway and I…we are a couple."

Hudson smiled as he shook Broadway's hand. The others also smiled, though one gargoyle secretly wasn't as happy about this pairing as the others. Brooklyn half-heartedly shook Broadway's hand and smiled at Angela. Now it's official, Brooklyn thought. I am going to be alone forever. He walked away from the group and spread his wings to go for a glide. Maybe it would be what he needed to rid himself of this depression that clouded his judgement, or to continue his brooding over what could never be now. His absence went unnoticed by the clan.

The next morning at around 10am, Elisa awoke intent on visiting a friend.

She knocked upon the door of the apartment. "One minute, please." A male voice called from within. A moment passed, and she heard the locks upon the door release. The door opened, revealing Jason Canmore in a silver wheelchair. Elisa smiled down at him.

"Uh, hi. Can I come in?"

Jason hadn't been expecting her, but was glad nonetheless that she had visited him this morning. He looked up at her and smiled.

"Of course. Please." He motioned for her to enter. She did, and he closed the door behind her, re-locking the door. He wheeled himself into the living room of his apartment behind her. She was taking her bomber jacket off and hanging it up in his hallway closet as she normally did when she visited him when he wheeled beside her.

"What brings you by, Elisa?" Jason asked, his accent as rich as ever, and his eyes as brilliantly blue as ever. Those eyes had lost Elisa within their depth and beauty on more than one occasion when Jason and Elisa had first met, but once she admitted to herself that her feelings for Goliath ran deeper than plutonic friendship, she never allowed herself to be lost within them again.

"Well, I haven't been over in a while, and to be honest, I felt badly that I've kept myself away." She said sheepishly. Jason shook his head.

"I know you've been busy. I'm sorry to hear about yuir partner, by the way." He stated sympathetically without trying to drudge up unneeded memories of Adam. She understood his aversion of the subject and closed her eyes as she said, "Thanks"
Trying to change the subject to happiness, Jason looked at her tummy, which was noticeably bigger since the last time he had seen her.

"How's the little one treatin' you?" He asked, hoping this would steer the conversation into happier thoughts. It worked, because Elisa looked to her tummy, put a hand there and giggled.

"I think he or she wants to tire me out lately. I feel the baby kick more and more frequently now."

"Do you know the sex of yuir baby?" Jason asked, genuinely curious.

"No, I don't. And I have decided not to know, either. I have names picked out for either possibility, so I'm prepared, but I don't want to know until I have him or her in my arms. Wow…" She suddenly became wistful. "I'm going to be a mom. It hits me sometimes and I feel so different from who I normally am. It's a strange feeling." She realised that what she just said probably went right over Jason's head. "Sorry, I mean—"

"No, I understand. As much as I can understand, that is."

Jason looked down at his hands in his lap. He tried as hard as possible to get the thought of Elisa out of his mind, but nothing helped. He had fallen hard for her, and when they kissed all those months ago, he had thought that she returned his feelings. But, when she pulled away and told him that there was someone else, his heart was crushed. That didn't mean, however, that he could quickly rid his heart of the feelings of admiration and growing devotion for her. When she told him that she was pregnant, his heart was crushed again, as he still harboured a secret hope that they could have had a chance to be together, and that child she was carrying could have been his.

He pushed those thoughts to the far regions of his mind and looked back up at her, motioning to her to sit on his couch.

"Let me get you some coffee—I mean some milk—and you can tell me what you mean. That is, if you want ta..." He turned his wheelchair towards the kitchen and readied himself to wheel over there.

She smiled. He seemed to be adapting well to his new lifestyle without the use of his legs. His apartment was also modified to be wheelchair accessible for him. Shelves were lowered, things were easier to reach and there were no steps like in her old apartment. She took the seat on the couch.

"I would love to. Thanks, Jason."

After twenty minutes or so of discussing the baby growing within her, Elisa couldn't resist asking Jason about his brother and sister.

"Have you heard anything from them?"

He shook his head.

"I received a call the other night, and when I answered it, the person on the other end was silent. I had a feeling it was Robin, but I canna be sure of it. As for Jon, he's always been very passionate about his beliefs. I am terribly worried about him, since he always jumped inta things head-first as a child."

Elisa sipped her warmed milk and took a bite of a piece of pecan pie Jason had offered her.

"But both of them are criminals. You weren't charged with the same charges they are facing when we find them both because I chose not to press charges against you. I owe you my life." I owe many people my life, she thought. How the hell do I intend to pay back all these debts?

"Elisa, I will be grateful to you always for not pressing charges against me for my actions, and for not telling the police of my involvement with the bombing of the clock tower. But my brother doesn't need to be locked up: he needs help. You saw the way he left St. Damian's that night, ranting on and on about revenge and how the hunt isn't over. I believe he is mentally unstable. He always looked up to both Robin and myself to guide him. Since I am not there, I pray she is near him to stabilize him."

"For his sake, so do I." Elisa agreed.

That evening, Elisa went to work wearing a newly purchased maternity top, black stretch pants and a longer black coat. It was specifically in a size larger than what she needed for the coming winter months as well as a new scarf that matched the coat perfectly. She had finally taken her own advice and went shopping for herself, and because of it, she finally felt comfortable in her new and ever-changing body.

She worked at her new position: the typist of the precinct. She sat at her desk for nearly four hours without a break, getting up between to use the bathroom and get some water. About five hours in, Matt came bounding into the station, and walked to her desk as she finished another report.

"Hey, partner. Enjoying the reports?" He asked.

"Sure, Matt, they are great reading material. I feel like a novelist…" She answered sarcastically. She put another five sheets of paper on the top of a pile on the other side of her desk, and turned to look at Matt.

"How was tonight?"

"Boring as hell, actually. I'm going to miss you coming out with me on the beat." Matt replied, scowling.

"Not to worry. The captain said since they are thinking of putting you as the head of the Gargoyle Task Force, you might not be lonely anymore. You won't miss me as much as you think." She laughed.

"Besides," She continued. "…this little one is a lot more important than you are, Bluestone!" She laughed again, causing Matt to laugh, too. "Ya, you got me there, Elisa."

Outside the precinct house…near Elisa's car…

Jon and Robin crouched near Elisa's white and red Ford Fairlane, wearing the standard dark blue hoods and toting large hammers behind them.

"This is her car. We can follow her and create an accident for her along the way home. It's brilliant!" Jon said maniacally. Robin rolled her eyes behind her hood.

"Quiet! I hear somethin', Jon."

Footsteps. From their crouched position, they could see the detective approaching her car. Robin noticed something in the way she looked that made her suspect that she was sick or getting over a cold. Her face showed signs of weariness and…just a difference she couldn't explain.

Elisa rattled her pockets to find her keys to the car. Once she had them in hand, she walked towards the driver's seat, and was about to unlock her door when Matt came running behind her.

"Elisa! Wait up!"

She turned around. "What's up, Matt?" He was waving something of hers in the air.

"You forgot your scarf. You don't want to catch a cold while you're pregnant, you know. My mom says that's not healthy for the baby." She took the scarf from his hand, and began wrapping it around her neck.

Jon and Robin were shocked.

"Thanks, Matt. I know I have to take better care of myself for this kid, which is why I'm going home to sleep right now. Hopefully the guys will stop by for a visit." "Sounds good, Elisa. Take care!" With that, he dashed back to the precinct to finish off some work before leaving for home himself.

Elisa got into her car, started the ignition and drove home, leaving Jon and Robin in shock in the parking lot.

"That explains the way she looked to me. She didn't look the same."

"…and that bulge under her coat would also be explained as well." Jon added

"So now what? We can't go after her while she's pregnant. That would be a crime against that innocent child."

Jon looked completely outraged.

"No one is innocent during a war. We cannot allow that child to grow up knowin' that his mother is a friend to the gargoyles. That would be a travesty. It cannot live."

Robin had to say something to this. Sure, his hatred was directed at the gargoyles, but now it was directed at an innocent child which hadn't even been born yet.

"Jon, think logically here. That child hasn't been born yet. Why don't we wait until she has given birth before striking against her? Then that child will be given to a family member or somethin' and will never know of the gargoyles' relationship with its mother. You canna kill an unborn child. You are so against abortion, yet you'd kill this child?" She practically yelled. This seemed to jolt Jon back to his senses. He looked calmly at his sister.

"You're right, Robin. We'll wait until after the child is born. And then Elisa Maza won't be able to hide from the Quarrymen and her fate."

Relieved at his change of heart for now, Robin exhaled and motioned for him to follow her to the car to go home.