Chapter 1

St. Patrick's Day 2020

"And… done." Alex draped a green feathered scarf onto Goliath's neck, tying it so it wouldn't fly away in the wind.

The gargoyles didn't understand St. Patrick's Day, but they were used to waking up with accessories now and then. They knew that there were some traditions he would to adhere. And that he'd continue to decorate them anyway. Owen waited for Alex at the stairwell. He was wearing a green tie with little shamrocks on it.

"Are you ready, Alexander?" He asked.

"Yeah, I guess." He sighed.

"Just work until lunch. Enough to show your father that you can focus." Puck added.

Alex paused and smiled. He'd forgotten about the potluck lunch. Those always lasted a few hours. And his father usually did his own thing anyway. It'd be perfect. Owen led them down to the office section of the building. People said hi and Alex waved back at them. They made it to Alex's office. Owen saw he went in then left him be.

Alex went to his desk. He turned on his computer then he waited for it to boot up. When he finally got to log in, he checked his work emails. Most of them were replies and general emails sent to everybody. He closed it. Alex furrowed his brow, trying to remember if he had filled in his time sheet. He logged in and saw he had it partial done. He filled in the rest and hit send. Alex then worked on spreadsheets until it was break time.

He got up and went to the bathroom. Then he went out to the break room. He waved to more people on his way there. The break room smelled like food, but Alex knew it was for the potluck. There were a few people standing around. A redhead named Diana, an older man named James, and a father of four named Henry.

"Hey, Alex." Diana smiled.

"Hey." He went for the tray of cookies on the counter. It was labeled 'Take one.' There were only a few chocolate chip and M and M left.

"Alex, can you get this coffee going? It never wants to work for me." Henry frowned.

"Yeah, I got it." He swallowed.

The coffee maker was a good deal fancier than most people were used to. It was a gift from some company Alex forgot the name of. Alex pressed the button for hot water then hit the brew button. It gurgled before it began making coffee.

"Not your usual type of shirt." James gestured.

"It's St. Patrick's Day." Alex said. He was wearing a dark green v neck.

"It is? I forgot." Henry hummed.

"At least your wife remembered." James pointed to his green jacket.

"You come here for coffee?" Diana asked.

"Yeah." Alex nodded.

Alex grabbed his mug down from the cabinet. It was black with the Xanatos Enterprises logo. He set it on the counter next to him. James and Henry talked about last night's basketball game. Diana talked to Alex about some things that happened around the office. The coffee machine burbled one last time before the coffee was done. Alex filled his mug and then added some sugar and cream. Then he went back to his office. The rest of the morning went smoothly.

"Alexander." Owen walked in.

"All done." He scooted away from his desk with a bit more force than he intended.

"Did you finish some work?" Owen asked.

"Yes." Alex answered. The unspoken but was left alone.

They walked to the potluck. Alex smelt the food from the hall. The large conference room was decorated with steamers. The little islands were covered with tablecloths and had some green and gold confetti on them. The food was near the front. Alex drooled.

"Wait." Owen told him.

He huffed in annoyance.

"More food is coming." He said.

Someone brought in a crock-pot of meatballs, a box of cupcakes, cookies, and another brought pizza. Alex looked at Owen. He smiled then Alex went to go fill his plate.

Alex got some stewed beef, boiled potatoes, corn beef, cabbage and bacon, meatballs, pizza (pepperoni and supreme), green bean casserole, macaroni salad, deviled eggs, buffalo chicken dip, some deli meat and crackers, and several pieces of fruit. At the end of the table, there were desserts and drinks. For drinks there was soda, water, or juice. He chose Coke and filled his cup. Alex put a cupcake, a couple cookies, and a piece of apple pie on his other plate.

Owen had grabbed decidedly less than Alex, choosing to have stewed beef, deviled eggs, and some fruit. More people started coming in and lining up for food. Alex ate and chatted with his table mates. Everyone usually commented on how much he ate. His appetite was fairly normal for someone with his activity level, but when his magic thrummed through his body, it shot up. Puck said that was normal. His magic was supposed to ebb and flow with the seasons. When Alex was finished with his meal, he glanced over at Owen. Owen was definitely distracted. Or at the very least not looking.

Alex grabbed his plate and dumped it in the trash. Then he went to the men's room. After he left, he transformed into a fox. Alex sneaked into the office area. No one was there. Alex grinned, leaping onto a chair. He jumped over the cubical walls. Hiding chocolate coins and glitter everywhere as he did. When that was done, he ran up and down the halls, joyously barking. He darted back and forth in front of the conference room.

"Excuse me." Owen looked out.

Alex wagged his tail.

"I will take care of this." Owen told someone.

He picked Alex up and went to the elevator. They waited a moment before it came. Owen got in.

"Did you get your zoomies out?" Owen asked seriously.

Alex barked.

"Have a nice time with Serena." He told him.

Alex licked his face. Owen frowned. It elevator dinged and Owen took him out of the building. Alex went to the parking garage and transformed back. He found Serena's car. She waved at him from the front seat. She had a green sweater on. He got in.

"I didn't keep you waiting, did I?" Alex asked.

"No, you're fine." She kissed his cheek. "You ready to go on our first pub crawl?"

"Yeah." He nodded excitedly.

Alex told her what had happened while they drove, except for turning into a fox. She didn't know about his magic yet. She laughed. Serena had gotten an A on her English essay. She had finished her math homework earlier so she wouldn't have to worry about it later. Her parents were doing alright. Alex told her everyone was doing fine. The clan was getting ready to celebrate the spring equinox.

Before she could ask why, they were at the first pub. Alex jumped out, not waiting for her. Serena sighed. She went inside. It was packed with other patrons. Alex brought her a mug of beer. He had his own mug in his other hand.

"That was fast." She took it.

"Yeah, I thought it'd take 5 minutes with this crowd." He said before cracking a smile.

"I can never tell when you're joking about stuff like that." Serena sipped it.

"Last time the crowd was this big, it took 15 minutes for me to get a drink. Look, a table opened up." He pointed.

The night soon became a blur. They drank, paid, found a new pub, and drank some more. Serena got tipsy sooner than Alex. She clung to him and laughed at everything. But Alex wasn't far behind. He staggered a bit and slurred his words. They were trying to walk to the next pub. Alex decided this would be the last one before he called Owen when something swooped down from the sky.

"Go'lth, why're you 'ere?" Alex asked.

"We're going to take you home, Alexander." He told him.

"But we wuz gonna drink. Just one mo'." He complained.

"No, Alexander. You've been gone too long." Goliath frowned.

"Your mom's been trying to reach you." Brooklyn added.

"I shood call m' mom. Opps!" Serena tried to grab her phone, but it slipped.

Brooklyn caught it. "Here."

"Tanks." She dialed the number. "Hi, mom. It me, Sere-na. I'm fiiiine. The gar-goyles gonna take us to 'lex's. Yeah, my boyfriend, Al-ex. Ok, I luv you. Bye bye."

"Fine, we go home." Alex pouted.

"Brooklyn, support Serena when we climb up. I don't know how well she can hold on to you." Goliath told him.

Goliath picked up Alex and the two gargoyles climbed a nearby building. Serena was a little jumpy but Alex calmed her as best her could. They jumped off the building and headed for the Eyire Building. Alex pinched Goliath's arm.

He growled before calming himself. "Why did you pinch me?"

"You scarf is gone. No mo' green." Alex explained.

Serena yawned after he spoke. "'m sleepy."

Goliath exhaled. "Let's go home."

"Happy St. Patrick's day, Goliath." Brooklyn said sardonically.

"Happy St. Patrick's day!" Alex parroted. The gargoyles just shook their heads.