A/N I'm going to just add the rest of the chapters up. Let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I don't own Gargoyles, the characters or any of its components.
Chapter 9
His heart soared. "Aimee! Where are you?" He called moving down the corridor.
"I'm here!" She said standing at the bars of her cell. Brooklyn and Lexington suddenly came into view and she nearly sobbed with relief.
"Hold on I'm gonna get you out of here." Brooklyn said and punched the lock effectively shattering it. He opened the door with a creak, a millisecond later Aimee had leapt into his arms with a long shuddering sigh. "Oh my God…you did come." She choked out and he could feel the wetness of her tears on his shoulder.
He just held her for a moment. "Hey…it's okay, Of course I did, I wasn't going to let them hurt you." He soothed, rubbing his hand along her back.
She sniffed and pulled back, wiping her tears. "I was so afraid something was going to happen to you." She said and clutched his shoulders. "It's a trap, they know you're here." she cried.
"Let them come, I dare them..." Brooklyn said, there was an edge to his voice that Aimee had not seen before, it made her a little nervous. "I don't care who comes, I'm going to get you out of here."
She wondered if she should ask him if he was all right. Instead she leaned up pressing her lips to his.
He kissed her fiercely, not even caring the Lexington was there. When they pulled back he started to lead her out.
She took his hand and then realized she had not acknowledge the other Gargoyle. "Oh! Who's this?"
"Hi Aimee, I'm Lexington." The greenish Gargoyle said and extended his hand.
She shook it with a smile. "Nice to finally meet a member of Brooklyn's family."
Brooklyn was anxious, he sensed that they needed to leave now. "Guys we can exchange pleasantries later! We need to go." He said sharply and fell into leader mode.
They led Aimee back through the hidden passageway and through the hidden door. All was eerily quiet until Lex cried, "Heat signatures behind the door!"
Before they could react, the door slid open and the room was swarmed with Quarrymen all donning their hoods and armed with their electrified hammers or guns.
Brooklyn gently pushed Aimee behind him and he took on a protective stance. He released a low growl and bared his fangs, eyes flashing white. Lexington adopted a similar stance.
Aimee shivered slightly. She knew this was part of who he was but it was still a bit unnerving to see it firsthand. Nevertheless, she silently prayed he and Lexington would both come out of this unscathed.
One of the men removed his hood; it was none other than John Castaway himself. "Bravo Gargoyles, although I'm very intrigued as to how you managed to locate our hidden holding cells."
"None of your business!" Lexington spoke up.
He chuckled evilly, and replaced his hood. "As if it matters. One way or another I knew I would lure you here. I knew you would come for your Gargoyle whore." He spat.
That was the final straw. Brooklyn saw red as lunged at him with a roar, unfortunately Castaway was ready for him and blocked his attack with his electrified hammer sending him flying back.
Brooklyn, still raging recovered quickly and attacked again. He wanted to kill this man for threatening and insulting his mate. He knew it was a last resort but the protectiveness and anger he felt was blinding his ability to make logical decisions.
Lexington, who still had his wits about him, quickly contacted Talon and the others for help. He also quickly instructed Aimee to hide behind something. "Don't worry," he told her. "Brooklyn is doing this to protect you. It's a Gargoyle thing, they act this way when their mates are in danger." he rushed out.
Before she could answer he had jumped into the fray. Shots started ringing out and He found himself battling Quarrymen left and right. Help needed to arrive soon as they were horribly outnumbered.
John Castaway continued baiting Brooklyn trying to get him to let his guard down. He continued deflecting his attacks when he was suddenly tripped by Brooklyn's long, prehensile tail.
Brooklyn grabbed him and held him up with both hands, anger still running hot through his body. "You were gonna kill her weren't you?!" he roared, his chest heaving in rage.
Castaway struggled in his grasp. "She made her choice; to allow such a filthy, disgusting creature to touch her she deserves to die." Castaway said with a gasp, the position preventing him from drawing a full breath.
"I'm gonna kill you for that…" Brooklyn snarled, and raised one of his clawed hands into the air.
Aimee who had been watching the entire time gasped in disbelief. He really meant it, he was going to kill this man. She had to stop him, she knew he was better than this. Leaving her hiding place she stood, crying out. "Brooklyn, stop! Don't do this! Don't kill him!"
Her voice broke through his anger, soothing him like a balm. He faltered a bit, appearing to come back to himself. "Aimee? What are you doing?! You need to hide!" His grip on Castaway loosened somewhat in his distraction.
Castaway had managed to grab ahold of a discarded hammer and struck Brooklyn's hand, tearing himself away from his grasp. He took his gun and aimed it right at Aimee, laughing. "Stupid girl, you should've let him kill me." Before anyone could react he fired.
It was as if the whole world was in slow motion. Lexington screamed "NO!" Brooklyn watched in horror as the bullet penetrated itself in Aimee's torso.
She cried out in shock and agony. She instinctively brought her hands to her wound which was quickly becoming drenched in blood.
"AIMEE!" Brooklyn cried and crushed Castaway's gun before flinging him across the room. He hit the wall with a groan and collapsed to the floor.
The other men still in the room seemed at a loss at what to do. One of them whispered, "I can't believe he shot her."
Just then the door burst open and Talon and Maggie having received Lexington's distress call, arrived. The few men that were left were quickly taken care of.
Brooklyn had rushed to Aimee's side. "Oh my God, Aimee hold on, we're going to get you out of here." He scooped her into his arms and winced as she whimpered in pain.
Talon's eyes widened at the sight of her. "Quickly! We must get her to a hospital!"
The two Gargoyles followed the two Mutates back down to the sewers. They were about to go above ground when Talon stopped them.
"I know a faster way to the hospital, follow me!" He called.
Brooklyn ran. He could feel that Aimee's breathing was laboured and they rapidly running out of time. "Hold on, please hold on." He said, repeating it like a mantra.
In a few moments Talon led them to a staircase. "Follow this up to the street level. The hospital should be in view."
"Thanks, Talon." Brooklyn said quickly and dashed up the stairs. Lex followed and kept an eye on their surroundings. Thankfully there weren't many people.
Reaching the emergency Brooklyn yelled. "Help! Somebody please!"
A couple of paramedics rushed out but stopped in shock at the sight of the two Gargoyles.
"Help her…" he pleaded. "Please, she's been shot." He revealed Aimee's body and the blood that now stained them both.
The two paramedics quickly got over their initial fear of him and sprang into action. Hastily they unfolded a stretcher and wheeled it over. "Place her here, we'll take care of her."
Brooklyn carefully laid Aimee on the stretcher. She was now barely conscious. He took her hand in his and squeezed. "Please Aimee…please fight." He wavered and felt his breath catch when she gave his hand a weak squeeze. "I love you." He whispered. She was too weak to answer him but he could see in her eyes that she had heard him. He released her hand and stood, feeling helpless.
The paramedic gave him an apologetic look as he wheeled her in. The other one stopped to ask him her name and what happened. Brooklyn was too distraught to speak so Lexington relayed the information and explained that it was the Quarrymen who had shot her, specifically John Castaway.
After they left he went to climb up the building when he noticed Brooklyn hadn't moved. "Brook? Hey, she's gonna be alright but we gotta go." He said, lightly touching his arm.
Brooklyn flinched, "This is all my fault…" he said with a shaky sigh. "If she doesn't make it…" he said with a choked sob.
"She's going to make it." Lexington said firmly. "You need to believe in her. Be strong for her. That's what she needs right now."
Brooklyn seemed to come back to himself after that. He quickly swiped tears from his eyes and gave Lex a resolute nod. The two Gargoyles climbed up the side of the building and soared back to Castle Wyvern.
Goliath and the others including Elisa were there waiting for them.
Elisa gasped in horror upon seeing Brooklyn's blood-soaked clothing. "Brooklyn are you alright?!" she cried.
He hung his head in shame. "It's not my blood…it's Aimee's."
Lexington proceeded to explain that everything had been going fine until Castaway and his men had ambushed them. He explained the way Castaway had goaded Brooklyn until he became blind with rage, nearly killing him. He had counted on the fact that Aimee would try to stop him and shot her.
Elisa nodded. "I have to get to the hospital. I need to contact her next of kin." She turned to Brooklyn. "Don't blame yourself. It's because you cared so much for her that you couldn't kill Castaway and it's good you didn't." she said.
Brooklyn growled. "You didn't hear the horrible things he said about Aimee…he was going to kill her!" he was still angry about it.
"The reason why," Elisa calmly explained. "Is that if you killed him that would make him a martyr and people would think he was correct in saying Gargoyles kill people. It would set you all back further than you are now."
Brooklyn understood, glad that Aimee had stopped him but not at the cost of her getting hurt. It was still so incredibly unfair that Castaway got off scot-free while Aimee was in the hospital fighting for her life. "I get it Elisa, it still sucks though."
"We might be able to pin attempted murder on Castaway. I've sent officers to the Quarrymen building and they've taken some of the men into custody for questioning." Elisa finished. "I'll call as soon as I get an update about Aimee."
It was almost dawn. The Gargoyles took up their usual spots to face the oncoming sunrise. Brooklyn did not feel like adopting a terrifying or fierce pose. Instead he hugged his knees and wrapped his wings around himself. His worried face, like the rest of him soon turned to stone.
Elisa had rushed to the hospital. Using her badge she was able to discover that Aimee had been brought right into surgery. They had managed to remove the bullet and now she was in recovery. Much like the time Elisa had been shot, the Doctors were not sure when she would wake up.
Now for the worst part, she thought. She flipped open her phone and dialled the number she had copied from a piece of paper with the name Stone Industries above it.
After waiting on hold for what seemed like forever, a calm male voice finally came through on the line. "Gabriel Stone here, I was told you had news about my daughter?"
"Yes, Mr. Stone, I am Detective Elisa Maza. I regret to tell you that your daughter has been injured last night."
"Injured?!" his panicked voice broke through. "Is she alright?!"
"Please calm down Mr. Stone. Aimee is alright, she was shot but she survived surgery and is in recovery."
She heard an audible exhale of relief. "Where is she?"
"She is at Manhattan General." Elisa replied.
"I'll come immediately." He said.
"I'll need to speak with you when you get here about the details pertaining to her injury." Elisa said and relayed the floor and room information. The two of them then ended the call.
I'm sorry Brooklyn for what I'm about to do…Elisa sadly thought as she waited.
She did not have to wait long. A well-dressed businessman stepped off of the elevator only 30 minutes later.
Elisa stood and went to greet him. "Mr. Stone? I'm Detective Elsa Maza." She held her hand out politely.
He gave her hand a firm shake. "Can I see my daughter?" he asked.
"She's been moved to her room just before you got here. I'll take you there and then you can speak to the Doctor in charge." Elisa said and started down the hallway with him following.
They entered Aimee's room and her father immediately went to her side and took her hand. Her abdomen was all bandaged up and she was hooked up to several machines. Several tubes one in her nose and another stemming from her hand were connected to oxygen and an IV. Aimee lay there silent and still, her chest rising and lightly falling.
"Oh Aimee…" her father said, brokenly. "What happened to her?"
Elisa took a chair on the other side of the bed and took in a breath. "I'll explain everything Mr. Stone. First of all, are you aware of the existence of Gargoyles?" she began.
He looked up, shock and awe written on his face. "I remember the news reports and the Clock Tower explosion, are you telling me a Gargoyle did this to her?!" he cried.
"No, Mr. Stone. Gargoyles do not handle guns." (usually) she smirked inwardly remembering her accident with Broadway all those years ago. "They saved her actually. See…your daughter had recently befriended one of them. They became friends and had been seeing each other for a couple of weeks."
Eyes widening he remembered their conversation last week. "She told me she met someone in our last phone call…she said they were dating. Is my daughter dating one of those…things?" he asked fearfully.
"I am not at liberty to say, that is a conversation you'll have to have with Aimee once she wakes up." Elisa said. "My point is, this particular Gargoyle saved her life. The anti-Gargoyle terrorist group The Quarrymen kidnapped her to try and force the Gargoyles to turn themselves over. A rescue mission was launched and they found her. Unfortunately she was shot when their leader, John Castaway found himself backed into a corner." She thought with disgust at Castaway shooting a young girl to save his own pathetic life.
"So if I understand correctly. My daughter's friendship with the Gargoyles caused her to be shot." He finished.
"I mean no disrespect but that is an oversimplification Sir. The real villains here are the Quarrymen for kidnapping and holding your daughter hostage for nearly 24 hours." Elisa replied, not liking where this was going.
He raked a hand through his perfect sandy blond hair. "Yes but if she had never met this Gargoyle then she would've been fine. This never would've happened if she had just met another human."
"Mr. Stone. The Gargoyles are not to blame. They just want to live in peace like the rest of us. Now I can't speak for your daughter but I've personally met them and worked with them on many police cases, they are intelligent, beautiful beings. Every day they put their lives on the line protecting the people of this city. It could've just as easily been one of them who was shot last night, instead of her." Elisa said firmly.
He said nothing for a moment and then "Thank you detective. If you don't mind, I'd like to be alone now with my daughter."
"Of course, take all the time you need, the doctor will be in shortly to relay his prognosis for recovery." Elisa said and quickly exited the room.
"Well that went great…" she sighed.
Later that evening, Elisa had managed to get some sleep and met the Gargoyles at sunset. They all roared to life as the sun dipped below the horizon. Brooklyn was at her immediately asking for details about Aimee.
"She's okay Brooklyn. She made it through surgery and needed some blood to replace what she lost. You got her there just in time." Elisa said soothingly.
The relief on his face was palpable. "Can I see her?" he asked hopefully.
"I'm not sure, I did call her father to let him know and he might still be there." Elisa said.
"Her…father?" He suddenly looked very pale. "Did you tell him about me?"
"I had to Brooklyn. I had to explain how she got shot and who rescued her. He seemed to take it pretty well but…" she looked unsure of how to word the next part.
"But?" he asked and muttered, 'why is there always a but?'
She sighed. "He seemed to want to blame her friendship with you as the reason she was shot. I'm sorry Brooklyn." Elisa said with a sad look.
Brooklyn sagged, crouching even deeper; this was possibly the worst outcome. "Of course…I feel that way too. Probably would've been better if she never met me." He said eyes downcast in shame.
Elisa suddenly poked him in the chest. "Do you even hear yourself? If it wasn't for you she would've been raped in an alley remember? And you saved her from bleeding out from a gunshot wound. The Quarrymen are the real villains behind this. It. Is. Not. Your. Fault." She punctuated each word with another poke.
He looked at her, surprised as she continued. "Now I know this throws a bit of a wrench into things but who cares? She's safe and that's all that matters. You should go to her, just keep an eye on the staff and sneak in when it's clear." Elisa handed him a piece of paper. "That's her room and the floor number."
Brooklyn wordlessly accepted it and gave her a small smile. "Thanks Elisa."
Goliath spoke next. "What about the charges laid against Castaway?"
"Forensics is trying to prove that the bullet came from his gun. He's in holding for now but he's got a very good lawyer." Elisa released a frustrated sigh. "He's raving that the Gargoyles are the real villains here and that they forced him to shoot his gun. He's claiming she was caught in the crossfire. He still can't explain why he had her in the first place though. Unfortunately the Assistant DA is anti-Gargoyle and Aimee can't provide a statement until she wakes up." she finished.
There was nothing more to be said. Brooklyn then took It upon himself to visit Aimee in the hospital. He easily found her room and luckily there was a nice ledge for him to stand on and look in. His heart broke to see her all hooked up to machines but at least she was alive. There was a man sleeping in a chair beside her bed, her father no doubt.
Brooklyn waited until the man woke up and left. Then he slipped inside the room and walked over to Aimee's bedside. He carefully took her hand in his rubbing his thumb against the back of her hand. "Aimee…if you can hear me, I am so, so sorry…I'm sorry I let my guard down and that I let anger cloud my judgment. I wish it was me instead of you that got hurt. Please be strong, I'll wait for you as long as it takes. I…love you." He whispered.
His sensitive hearing caught the noise of footsteps approaching. He quickly slipped back out the open window. It was just a nurse coming in to check her vitals. He wished he could stay and watch over her for the day but it was too risky being out in the open. He would have to come back tomorrow.
The following evening, Aimee still hadn't woken up. Elisa explained that it was her body's way of healing itself. The doctors were confident she would wake up in a few days if not sooner.
Every night, Brooklyn went to visit and every night her father was there right up until visiting hours were over. Brooklyn waited for him to leave and went in to speak to her, hold her hand and tell her to be strong. Then he left without a trace.
Four days had passed with no change. Brooklyn and the others were getting increasingly worried. All they could do was hope or pray, that was Elisa's suggestion.
Like every other night Brooklyn had waited for Aimee's father to leave. After he hopped inside he'd failed to see that her father had left his wallet behind on the table.
Brooklyn took her hand in his and sighed deeply. "Aimee, please, please fight. You have people here that love you and miss you. Not just me, but your dad has been here every day. You were right, he's a good guy and I hope to meet him someday."
He was about to have his wish when the door suddenly opened and in walked Aimee's father. Brooklyn froze, dropping her hand. Her father stared at him, mouth open in shock for a few seconds.
Brooklyn was the first to speak. "Uh, hi, you must be Aimee's dad. I'm Brooklyn." He said nervously.
He recovered from his shock and said, "You're him…the one my daughter told me about."
"Um, I could be?" Brooklyn said and then shook his head. "Look Sir, I am so sorry, it's my fault she got hurt. I'm blaming myself every day for it." He said ashamed.
"Yes…it would appear so that if Aimee had never met you then she would never have been shot." Her father said, taking on a stern look.
"Y-yes Sir." Brooklyn stammered. "Uh look, I'll just leave okay?"
"I think that would be best." He said firmly.
Brooklyn's face fell. So much for her dad accepting him. He was about to leave when they both saw Aimee stir and moan softly in her sleep.
"Aimee?" Her father called, rushing to her side to take her hand.
Brooklyn stood rooted to the spot. "Aimee…" he said, "Please wake up." He whispered.
She stirred some more and her eyes fluttered open. She focused first on her father. "Daddy?" she called in a sleepy voice.
"Hi sweetie…" her father said, squeezing her hand.
I should leave, Brooklyn said to himself. I should let them have this moment and leave. He shuffled back and headed to the window but he bumped into a serving cart. "Ow," he said in a harsh whisper.
Aimee turned at the sudden noise and focused her eyes on a very familiar red figure, "Brooklyn…?"
He turned and gave her an apologetic smile, still wary of her father's gaze. "Hi Aimee…"
"He was just leaving." Her father said, bringing her attention back to him.
"But why?" Aimee still wasn't fully aware of what was going on. Her eyes began to get teary. "Why's he leaving?"
"Sweetie don't cry, I know he saved your life but he shouldn't be here right now." He gently explained.
She seemed to understand but still looked on the verge of tears, "But daddy I love him." She cried.
Her father was silent, his lips pressed firmly together.
Brooklyn stood stock-still, a wonderful tingling feeling coursed through his body at her words. She loved him! He let out a happy sigh. "I love you too," he said, forgetting about her father for a moment. "Uh…but you two should catch up. I'll see you later okay? I promise."
She nodded, smiling from her hospital bed. "Okay…" she whispered.
Brooklyn left then, breathing a huge sigh of relief. She was okay…she was awake and she was going to be all right.
After Brooklyn had left her father said. "Look sweetie, I know you're still out of it and you don't really love that Gargoyle. Don't worry, I'll make sure he doesn't bother you again." He said, rubbing her hand.
She looked confused and gently pulled her hand away. "What…? I meant what I said. He saved my life…twice." She croaked.
He let her sip some water. "So I've heard…but if he had not been coming to see you then you never would have gotten hurt." He said with a concerned look on his face.
"Dad, I was nearly raped, the one who saved me was him. That's how we met." Aimee said. "We knew the risks but we chose to see each other anyway, that's on both of us." She said tiredly.
"I see…" still unconvinced but no longer wishing to discuss this he said. "You need rest. I will be back tomorrow."
"Okay, good night…" she said, her voice weak now.
"Night Sweetie." Her father left after that and Aimee enjoyed a peaceful, dreamless sleep.
The following day, Aimee was more alert and although still in pain she was definitely on the mend. Her father was there all day and she regaled him with stories of how Brooklyn and getting to know him, of course leaving out the sexy parts.
Her father listened patiently but she had a feeling he still wasn't warming up to the idea.
"Dad…you're okay with me and Brooklyn right?" she asked suddenly.
Her father looked uncomfortable. "Uh…sure, if that's what you want." He tried smiling but it was unconvincing.
She raised her eyebrow. "I know it's weird…but Brooklyn is the best guy I know. He would never do anything to hurt me."
"I know sweetie…it's just you hear all those news reports and the images of Gargoyles, it's hard to believe they're not…"
"…Monsters?" Aimee finished for him. "Yeah, dad, you and half of New York think the same thing." She scoffed.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm just concerned for you…you say you love him and want to be with him but what about the future? What about children? How long do these creatures live?"
She shifted uncomfortably. "Can't we just worry about now? I'm not worried about children or how long we have together. I just know that he's brave and strong and loves me for…me, not for how much money I'll be inheriting." She said softly.
"I understand; he's no Joshua." Her father said with a grin. "Definitely not…"
She laughed. "Just get to know him dad, I'm sure you will like him." She yawned the last part.
"Time to get some rest. You'll need it if Brooklyn comes by tonight." He winked.
"Thanks daddy." She said settling down in her bed.
Her father smiled. Although he was still worried for her she deserved to be happy, and if this Gargoyle could do that for her, he needed to give it a chance.
After her father left Aimee realized with a start that Becky must be worried sick about her. Her phone had been returned to her from evidence and she cringed when she turned it on. There were multiple missed texts and calls from Becky.
She quickly dialled the number and clicked 'talk'.
"Aimee!? Oh my God, is it really you?" Becky's panicked voice answered.
"I'm okay Becky, I'm in the hospital. I was shot." Aimee said.
She heard a gasp. "Jesus Christ, what happened? Was it a Gargoyle thing?" she asked.
Aimee proceeded to explain the kidnapping and how Brooklyn and his brother Lexington had rescued her.
"Now I'm laid up for a few days here but you should come see me during visiting hours." Aimee finished.
"Okay, I'll come by tomorrow…I'm really glad you're okay Aimee." She said in a choked voice.
Aimee's eyes got a little misty. "Me too Bex…he saved my life…"
"Remind me to thank him next time I see him." Becky said. "Okay I'm gonna let you rest some more. I'll see you tomorrow."
"See you Bex…" Aimee clicked her phone off and finally settled down to sleep.
A/N only two more chapters after this!
