As soon as Bianca was safely in the helicopter she closed the drop hatch and sighed in relief. She pulled out the amulet with a satisfied smile and held it out for Macbeth to see.

"Well? How'd I do?"

"Dreadful!" Macbeth exclaimed, keeping his eyes focused ahead as he piloted. "The most appalling attempt at larceny I've seen to date."

With an indignant snort she crawled into the passenger seat beside him, "I don't do this for a living, you know. I don't think that was bad for a beginner."

"I told you to be careful." He continued scolding her, "You could have been hurt."

Bianca carefully tucked the amulet away into her pocket, ignoring the throbbing of her head, "Yeah, but I wasn't hurt so you can spare me the lecture." She stared out the window and watched the museum grow distant. "...there was a gargoyle in the museum, Father. He tried to stop me."

He frowned, concerned, but not surprised, "Which one was it?"

"You mean there are more?" She asked eagerly, "A whole clan in New York? What do they-"

"That's none of your concern, Bianca. What did this one look like?"

"He was crimson…with pure white hair. A little taller than me. And he had blue eyes." Macbeth nodded: that was Brooklyn she was describing. It was fortunate it hadn't been Goliath…otherwise she wouldn't have gotten away. As it was, it was a wonder she wasn't injured, but then again, he knew Brooklyn to be one of the more cautious ones. "Do you know him?" He nodded silently. After a short pause Bianca asked, "What's his name?" He shot her a suspicious sideways glance. A blush rose to her face, "Don't look at me like that, what do you take me for? I'm only curious!"

"Once more, it isn't your affair. You won't be seeing him again." He paused, alarmed by her frown, "Those gargoyles aren't to be trusted….and if by some chance we should run into them, you're not to go near."

Bianca objected, "Are you serious? What, are they evil? He seemed perfectly nice to me."

"Evil and good is neither here nor there." Macbeth answered evenly, "But they do tend to meddle…and they would certainly interfere with our plans if given the opportunity. So you're not to speak to them…and definitely not to go looking for them. Do you understand me, Bianca?"

"You're being ridiculous. I'm not a child anymore you know. My one chance to talk to other gargoyles-"

"Bianca, please...I'm quite serious. You need to trust me on this, you cannot speak to those gargoyles, it could ruin everything. Promise me Bianca, swear to me you won't seek them out." He insisted urgently.

Bianca silently deliberated for a moment, examining his distressed countenance, "Yes Father, I swear it." She said gravely. With a sigh he nodded. Macbeth turned his eyes back to the front, still looking a little agitated. After a few moments of sober silence she turned to him with a sardonic smile, shyly trying to heal the breach. "I find your lack of faith disturbing." She said playfully. Expectantly she looked to Macbeth: no reaction. "Oh come on, you've gotta know that one! Star Wars? Ring a bell?" He shook his head, trying his best not to smile. "You need to get out more."

Macbeth answered, "I obviously didn't devote enough attention to overseeing your education as a child. You shouldn't have been allowed access to these ridiculous movies."

"Father…" Bianca sighed wearily, very used to having this discussion. "Give it a rest, would you? Movies are my only window to the world…and I promise you I learned my French and Italian besides. I found the Aztecs well enough, didn't I?" Grudgingly Macbeth nodded. Bianca looked over at him, "I'm a little surprised you let me go into the museum at all. I might not have if I had known you were going to have a coronary over it."

"The amulet must have remained untouched by human hands for a full year in order for the spell to work." He turned to look at her, "If I had any other option open to me, believe me, I would have taken it!"

"I did fine," she scoffed, "I'm a natural."

Macbeth smiled, "Oh yes, set off every alarm in the building, no less than five squad cars showing up to give chase, and, lest we forget, you managed to get yourself into a scuffle with another gargoyle of all things…a natural!" He chuckled, "Don't quit your day job, my dear."

"A saying ill-applied to a gargoyle, I think." She answered with a grin. As Bianca gazed out the window her smile slowly faded.

"It will take me a few days to master the spell and gather the other necessary ingredients. Until then I suppose you may wander about the city some…as long as you promise me to be cautious, and remain unseen." Pausing he looked over at Bianca, surprised to find her in low spirits. "What's the matter, Child?" Macbeth asked gently. She was thinking of the gargoyle, his torn wing…and his blue eyes...

Bianca softly replied, "Nothing." Macbeth regarded her for a moment and turned his eyes away calmly.

"Just try to put him out of your mind, my dear." He said soberly, guessing her thoughts.

She answered obediently, still staring out the window, "Consider him gone, Father."

Goliath shut his book and put it aside, "And you're quite sure it was a gargoyle?"

Brooklyn nodded, "No doubt. Female, young…pretty strong, too. Stronger than me, at any rate. She was skittish. She jumped at the sound of a gun like she'd never heard it before."

Hudson stroked his beard, musing, "A gargoyle stealing? How odd…"

"And you believe she was inexperienced?"

"Very." Brooklyn agreed. "She was a good fighter, had some good maneuvers, but she didn't actually want to fight me. The first time I tangled with her she stunned me and left me pinned down by my wing." He reached a hand up and gingerly touched the sore tear in his wing. It had been a little difficult for him to glide back on it, particularly with Elisa. It ended up taking them a bit longer than expected. "It was weird Goliath. She was just so…reluctant. I dunno how else to describe it. She really didn't want to hurt me. That's why she went to all the trouble of pinning me down by my wing…she could have just thrown the column and those display cases on top of me and broken my legs and saved herself some time, but she didn't. When she saw me rip my wing I could just tell she felt bad about it. And the way she took out the guards? She was so gentle with them all, catching them before they fell, laying them down softly…she even apologized to me at one point."

Elisa joined in, "More than that, Matt and I put ourselves right in her path when she was running down the hall. When she saw us in her way she actually moved to avoid hitting us! She ended up colliding with a statue instead. The only thing that saved her was the helicopter. I phoned in to Matt, he's running down the make and model of it now…and the description of the talisman she took."

Goliath growled, "Perhaps it was all a ploy to gain sympathy."

"Aye, such tricks were common of Xanatos…but I dare he isn't behind this." Since saving his son, the gargoyles had all been on very good terms with David Xanatos. In his gratitude Xanatos had faithfully sworn to turn over a new leaf, and so far over the course of these past few months, he had indeed stuck to his word even going so far as to offer the castle to the gargoyles to live in once more. They hadn't accepted yet, but retained the right to visit their ancestral home whenever they chose.

"But why?" Elisa asked, "If she was trying to make herself look good then why was she so desperate to get away?"

Brooklyn nodded his agreement, "It's not like she stuck around…the girl was definitely trying to run from me." Brooklyn explained, "And I don't think she was organized enough to carry on that kind of deception. She was intensely concerned with not harming anyone and equally careless about the artifact she stole. The way she ransacked the place was totally unprofessional. She was looking for one specific item, but in her hurry she would smash a case and then sift through it trying to find the thing. She was too panicked to look for it first. She spoke to me freely, even tried to convince me that what she was doing wasn't technically stealing. And finally once she got what she wanted she actually held it up for me to see as we argued about it. This girl really honestly didn't know what she was doing, Goliath."

"I still say it could be a trick." Goliath insisted.

Brooklyn shook his head, "No…no, she was sincere."

He looked at his second in command warily, "How can you tell?"

"I just know." Brooklyn answered firmly. Goliath looked troubled, prompting him to say, rather crossly, "Don't look at me like that! Did I say I wanted to hunt her down and find her! I could never see that girl again for all I care! I don't instantly develop a crush on every female I see, you know. Give me some credit."

"I did not mean to imply anything of the kind, Brooklyn." Goliath said, trying to soothe his ruffled feathers, "Nor do I think it."

He sighed, "I'm sorry Goliath. I didn't mean to jump down your throat or anything. I know I don't have the best history with girls and I just…"

"Jumped to the conclusion that you yourself are afraid of."

"Yeah, I guess so." Brooklyn said softly.

"I think perhaps you ought to try giving yourself some credit Brooklyn."

He took in a deep breath and folded up his wings carefully, "Well then…" He said, withdrawing, "I believed her." He turned away and headed for the door, "I'll…I'll be around if you need me." Goliath, Hudson and Elisa watched him go silently. They all jumped a little as Elisa's cell phone rang.

She flipped the phone open and brought it to her ear, "Yeah, Matt?" She listened carefully, nodding occasionally. Elisa looked up and shot a glance at Goliath. "Oh really? Right, okay…great work Matt, thanks. No, I'll finish up myself, thanks." She closed the phone and slipped it in her pocket, "Well, the talisman she stole is an old Aztec piece called the Moon Pendulum. It would fetch a cool million or two on the open market, but there were plenty of other much more expensive pieces that she passed up…so we'll have to assume money wasn't the motive."

Hudson nodded, "No doubt it's some sort of magic talisman."

"I'll do some research on it as soon as I can…Matt's taking off the rest of the night, personal matter or something, so I'll probably be too bogged down to dig up anything tonight." Elisa said, "And you might have Lexington look into it too."

"Yes, we shall." Goliath agreed. "Was there anything else, Elisa?"

"As a matter of fact, yes…for one thing the security tape of the robbery has gone missing. But more importantly than that, the helicopter was licensed to one Lennox MacDuff, no address, no records."

Goliath looked startled, "Macbeth!"

"That's right."

Goliath was thoughtful, "The last we saw of Macbeth he was trying to build a new life for himself. I'm a little surprised he would have a hand in this burglary."

"Or that he would have a gargoyle in his employ." Elisa added in.

"He has no enmity towards us as a race, his hatred is focused on Demona…and rightly so, I think." Goliath said, "I would even venture to say we parted on agreeable terms the last time we met…I have no reason to assume that he means us or the city any harm."

Elisa frowned, "Come on Goliath…I agree, Macbeth's not a bad guy, but after all he did commit theft…and I don't know about you, but I'd sure like to know a bit more about that gargoyle…and moreover, in anyone's hands, even in those whose intentions are good, magic can be very dangerous. You can't honestly tell me you think we should just let him alone."

"No…you're right of course." Sighed Goliath. "We'll find out more about that talisman…and then move from there."

"Right. Well, duty calls…I'll bring you whatever I find. Bye you two." She pressed two fingers to her lips then quickly touched them to Goliath's before exiting. Goliath allowed himself a rare smile as she left. Suddenly embarrassed as he felt Hudson's eyes on him, Goliath coughed and stepped back out onto the balcony.

Hudson turned to Bronx with a laugh, stroking his head, "Ah, young love."

"Fellow Illuminatus, welcome. We have called this special meeting to discuss a most interesting development in the…gargoyle conundrum." A dull murmur pervaded the room. "Our knowledge of the gargoyle is limited at present, but there can be little doubt of its existence as a species. As you all know, so far our efforts to capture one of these elusive creatures have proved fruitless. The gargoyles, however many there are, seem to have adapted themselves well enough to their new environment to remain effectively shielded from us. But fortunately recent events have conspired to open up a new avenue of pursuit to us…we may thank Brother Malcolm for this latest piece of intelligence. Roll the footage." A projector screen descended slowly from the ceiling. The feed from the museum's security camera played on it in a loop, clearly showing the young gargoyle thief sifting through a broken display case. "This appears to be a brand new gargoyle…there are no previous sightings of any matching its description. More over we have identified and traced the origin of the helicopter it escaped into. Gentlemen, this is a golden opportunity we have before us today…a chance to delve into the secrets of a race long forgotten. I suggest we take advantage of our good fortune." Amidst the thunderous applause of his hooded brethren, two faces remained grave and silent.

Once outside the building Matt Bluestone loosened his tie running a hand through his hair: it was close to sunrise now. The involvement of the Illuminati in the museum burglary was about the last thing he needed right now. And considering their reception of Goliath at the hotel Cabal, he had no good opinion of any hospitality they might extend to the girl once they found her…oh, and they would find her, Matt Bluestone had no doubt. And no one, whoever they were working for, deserved the kind of treatment the Illuminati bestowed on their guests. Now the only question was whether he and the gargoyles could find her first.

This presented Matt with another awkward problem: getting the clan involved would force him to divulge his membership in the Illuminati…something he wasn't quite certain he was ready to give up yet. But it seems now he had little choice: someone had to warn the gargoyles of the danger this new girl was in, and if not Matt, then who?

"Detective Bluestone…may I offer you a lift?"

Hesitantly, Matt climbed into the limousine.
"Well Mr. Xanatos…to what do I owe the pleasure?"

David Xanatos motioned for Owen to drive on before speaking, in a rather grave voice, "Please, call me David. No formalities amongst brethren."

"You don't seem your usual effervescent self this evening, David. Nothing troubling you, I hope?" Matt asked with just a hint of mockery in his voice.

"The same thing that's troubling you, I should imagine." He began, gazing out the window. Suddenly Xanatos turned to him urgently, "Detective…Matt…you do realize that once the Illuminati sets itself to a task there is precious little if any chance of their failing."

Bluestone frowned, folding his arms, "Yes, I realize that."

"Our, uh 'friends' will want to know about this. One of us will have to warn them."

Startled, he looked up at Xanatos, "Is that an offer?"

He nodded, "I wanted to give you the opportunity of informing them first. You're an ally…I only recently became a neutral party."

Matt leaned in, "We aren't talking about an act of neutrality here, Xanatos."

"They saved my son. That's not something I'm likely to forget any time soon." Xanatos explained evenly. Matt continued to stare at him slightly incredulously so Xanatos added, "And besides, one likes to feel they have a few secrets. Maybe I just don't feel like sharing the gargoyles with anyone else quite yet." Bluestone cracked a smile. "So do you tell them or do I?"

"You can tell the clan." Matt decided. "They don't know I'm a member…it might raise some awkward questions I'm not ready to answer yet." David Xanatos raised an eyebrow at him. "Well…one likes to feel they have a few secrets." He said playfully.

Xanatos chuckled, "Very good, Detective…there may be hope for you yet."

"I'm not sure I want to know as what."

David grinned, "Then don't ask. I'll keep my eyes and ears open, and I suggest you do the same. If you come up with anything call this number and we can set up a meeting. It's my private line, very secure, but still…some things simply should not be discussed over the phone." He reached into his pocket and handed Matt a business card. "And don't go spreading that around, Bluestone. If I find it written somewhere in a restaurant bathroom stall…I'll be a bit put out."

"Shouldn't have given me the idea then." Matt grinned back, stuffing the card into his pocket.