All comments are most definitely appreciated!
AN: Ok, so this mating ceremony thing has been done about 59486 times before by different authors. I understand that, which is why I won't be focusing entirely on the ceremony itself, and more on the other plots surrounding that event. These will be important, as they are crucial to my future plots...
I apologise to those of you that were worried that I had stopped writing Fanfiction. I have just been soooooo uninspired lately...well, writer's block has passed, and now it's time to kick some fan fiction ASS! I'M BACK!!
6--Long-Awaited
December 28, 1997, 1:51am, Manhattan
The night air was brisk and frigid that night. Steam rose from the sewer grates, making the walk seem like an overused scene from the movies. Carlos Sanchez, a tall, lean Hispanic immigrant to New York walked along the somewhat deserted street towards the Eyrie Building with his worn hands in his pockets and an anxious feeling in his bones. His eyes darted back and forth to make sure he had escaped all potentially watchful eyes, and his head constantly turned back to make sure he wasn't being followed. These precautions, he had been told, were necessary. His mission was clear. The doctor made it clear that this job was not to be botched up under any circumstances. If someone followed Carlos, his cover would be blown, not to mention his work Visa—rather, his lack of one—would be discovered and he would be sent on the next plane back to Mexico. This HAD to work…
Carlos recalled the brief conversation that he had had with the doctor who simply called himself Severius. The condescending tone of voice, as well as the creepy accent had thrown Carlos off for a while. He considered not even taking the job, but in all honesty, he desperately needed the money Severius was offering and this was the type of job Carlos was accustomed to doing for a third of the price. He already knew how to break in, and knew where they stored what he sought. His main worry was getting through the guards, and making sure his nerve wasn't lost. Besides, all he had to do was break into the Eyrie Building, grab the virus and leave. Easy as pie. He just had to watch his timing…
Meanwhile, in Castle Wyvern…
Behind the closed door of her bedroom, Elisa stood in a disorganised room, the floor strewn with shirts and pairs of pants thrown there during Elisa's mad scramble to find something suitable to wear that day. She wasn't as busy cleaning up after herself as she should have been, however. Instead, she bent down to pick up an unfolded blouse from the ground, and her eyes landed upon the wedding dress which hung behind her closet door.
She had never been the typical girl with grandiose dreams of her wedding, but as that night approached, Elisa's elation grew, as did her anticipation of finally being able to call Goliath her husband—or was it mate? Nonetheless, she was ecstatic. She had tried on the dress a grand total of two times before deciding upon it, and had only purchased it two days earlier at an after-Christmas sale in a Manhattan boutique. Diane Maza had accompanied her to the boutique and approved of the dress greatly.
As Elisa looked at the dress as it hung under a thin sheath of protective plastic from the store, dropped the blouse in her hand and lifted the plastic to touch the material of the dress. It was very simple: thin spaghetti straps held up the straight line dress. Its length reached a little past Elisa's ankles, and the end of the skirt was embellished with a very small amount of white lace. The neckline was a simple sweetheart cut, and the edges were also decorated with the same lace as along the bottom of the skirt. Elisa had opted to go without a veil, but instead decided to make sure her dress had a slight train to it. The train was only about a foot in length, but Elisa was content. She had found the exact dress she wanted, not to mention the fact that she loved how she looked in it, too. She never had the chance to be overly feminine, what with her job, but she took this opportunity to look as pretty as possible.
Elisa smiled. Only two more nights, Goliath.
Her thoughts were ended abruptly when there was a gentle rapping at her door.
"My love, may I come in?" Goliath asked from the opposite side of the door. Elisa jumped up, threw a large blanket over the hanging dress and picked up the blouse from the floor again in an attempt to hide her daydreaming.
"Uh, sure hun." She replied, still adjusting the blanket. Elisa wasn't superstitious, but she wanted to keep the appearance of the dress a surprise for Goliath. He opened the door and smiled at his beloved. "Good evening, Elisa. What were you doing? You look flustered." Elisa smiled. "I was just looking at something…my dress. I didn't want to ruin the surprise, but I guess lately I've been bad with surprises…" Goliath smiled knowingly and walked toward Elisa.
"My apologies for intruding then, my love. I just wanted to see you tonight before I went on patrol with the rest of the clan." Elisa grinned. "No need to apologise, Goliath. I should be cleaning up anyways while Adam is still sleeping," She laughed, turning to face the dresser behind her. She opened the top drawer, folded the blouse haphazardly and laid it atop the other shirts in the drawer. The problem was that the drawer was slightly fuller than it should have been, so Elisa placed both hands on the shirts and pushed down with little effort. She shifted some of the shirts in the drawer, moving them over until her hand brushed up against something circular that she had tried to forget was there. She momentarily froze as she felt the ring in the drawer, then lifted it out and held it up.
Goliath recognized the ring as the wedding band that was forced upon Elisa's finger more than a year ago by a man long since dead. He walked closer to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"That's an odd thing for me to find two days before our ceremony…" She commented, notably shaken by the discovery. Goliath shook his head.
"This means nothing, my love"
"I know, but my first marriage wasn't the greatest." Goliath sighed. "That is true, but this one will be the last one you ever have"
"—And it'll be forever." Elisa finished Goliath's thought. She leaned towards Goliath's handsome face and stroked his cheek. Taking one last look at the wedding band, she shook her head. "I don't even know why I was holding onto this. I'll go to the pawn shop and sell it tomorrow." She smiled at Goliath and threw the ring back into the drawer.
"I'm glad you came in. I wanted to give you this." She pulled him down to her level and pressed her soft lips gently to his, as if practicing for their first kiss as a mated couple. Goliath happily accepted this gift and returned it with one of his own. He slipped his tongue into Elisa's waiting mouth and wrapped his arms around her waist and enfolded her in his wings. The passion in the kiss deepened until they were interrupted by the sounds of Adam waking from his slumber and crying hungrily. Elisa sighed, kissed Goliath's forehead, and waited for Goliath to let her tend to Adam. Reluctantly, he released her, but accompanied her to Adam's crib. She reached inside the crib and lifted her now four and a half month old son out. Her maternal instinct kicked in instantly, and she looked at Goliath.
"Ok, Goliath, I'll walk you out. I need to go to the kitchen anyway." She smiled sweetly and escorted Goliath out of her room, carrying the hungry infant in her arms.
-
The alleyways behind the Eyrie Building –shipping docks, 2:06am
What did Severius say? Oh yea, wait until you see the shadows above the building leave. Carlos pulled a set of high-tech binoculars that Severius had given him out of his pocket and spied through them to the top of the building. He watched the specific spot Severius told him to watch for only a few minutes before he counted seven dark forms gliding away from the building. Severius had told him to watch until at least 6 had gone. Now was the time to strike. Carlos put away the binoculars in his pocket and pulled out a single worn-looking card key. He walked over to the door closest to the shipping docks and passed the card through the sensor, triggering a happy-sounding beep, and what sounded like the internal locks in the door to dislodge.
Carefully, Carlos tried the door with success, and pushed it open just enough to let him through. He was careful to make sure the door closed quietly, slowing its closing until it was barely audible even to him. Breathing a small sigh of relief that the first major leg of his operation was over, Carlos scanned the dark warehouse room and made his way towards the elevator chute; it was exactly where Severius had told him it would be. At that moment, Carlos had to wonder just how Severius had all this knowledge and had even had the card key in his possession, but this wasn't the moment to be wondering about irrelevant issues, he scolded himself. He continued his creeping through the warehouse until he reached the elevator chute. Once there, he slid open the small door and let himself inside of the freight elevator. It dropped quickly to the lowest level of the Eyrie building with a loud bang. SHIT, Carlos thought. My cover is blown if that was just the slightest bit loud. Cringing, he opened the elevator door slowly until it was open just enough so that he could crawl out unscathed. Looking around the darkness cautiously, he rose to his feet and reached into his pocket for his tiny flashlight, yet another gadget that Severius had bestowed upon him for the purpose of not fucking up this mission.
From this room, Severius had told Carlos, find a door marked 'Danger: Volatile Chemicals' and use the card key again to gain entry. Gazing around the small dark room, Carlos saw a lot of unfamiliar technological contraptions, but had no idea what they were, nor did he care; he knew it was a matter of moments before the mission was complete, so all he cared about was getting out in one piece and collecting his reward.
He beamed his light on a door with the right signage, and grinned triumphantly. Soon it would be done, he thought. He brandished the card key again and allowed himself in. Severius had only said one thing about this room: the password is Immortality. Carlos stared straight ahead and saw only one item of importance: a see-through safe, which contained a cylindrical object within it. He crept towards it and immediately began searching for a keyboard to enter the word in, but found only a numerical keypad. Thinking briefly, he inputted the numbers corresponding with I-M-M-O-R-T-A-L-I-T-Y, 4666785489. The safe buzzed before the door opened. Carlos grabbed the cylinder and ran out of the room.
Once outside, Carlos looked the cylinder over. What could be so important in this container that Severius would risk David Xanatos' wrath, he wondered. Whatever it was, it was important, and deadly. He tucked the cylinder back under his jacket and walked quickly towards the predetermined meeting place, where he would turn over this precious cylinder to Severius and be given his money.
When Severius saw the cylinder, his eyes glowed with glee. He nearly threw the briefcase filled with $10,000 US dollars at Carlos, told him to beat it and remember that they had never met. Carlos ran away with the money silently.
Back at his lab, Anton Severius opened the cylinder most carefully, revealing the deadliest virus ever created. A blend of science and sorcery brought it into being, and it was Severius' hope that only science would be needed to exterminate the world of Gargoyles and make the virus harmless to humans. Demona had created this virus, and he planned on ridding the world of her by using her own virus against her. It would take some time—probably months of research and hard work—but his success had been long-awaited and he had recently acquired a lot of patience. When it came to destroying gargoyles, Severius was full of patience.
December 31, 1997, 10:07pm
The party was scheduled to begin at 10:30, and the mating ceremony/wedding would happen right after the clock struck midnight to mark the beginning of 1998. Elisa's parents, Beth, Derek, Maggie and the rest of the Labyrinth clan arrived with only 15 minutes or so to spare. The clan had been relieved of patrol duties this night, for obvious reasons, and Xanatos had told all his employees to go home uncharacteristically early. He felt like celebrating; not only was the leader of the gargoyle clan finally marrying—or mating—his soul mate, but he had a feeling that Fox's recent illness was due to a certain bun in the oven, though he hadn't yet confronted her about it. He wanted to wait until she was absolutely certain before spreading their joy around to the rest of the household.
Elisa and Goliath did not want the Great Hall to be decorated in an overly eccentric way—only simple flowers. Also, they needed enough space in the hall to seat the clans and guests comfortably in a circle, as they had done for Angela and Broadway's ceremony. As a special human touch, Xanatos ordered a floral arch to be constructed, much like the one Angela and Broadway used, only with different types of flowers lining it. This arch was placed in the middle of the circle of chairs, awaiting guests to this most unusual wedding ceremony. One thing that Elisa had insisted upon was that the Wedding March be played. She had been like every other little girl—she had dreamed of her wedding day, and walking down the 'aisle' to the Wedding March. Instead of the traditional song being played on an organ, Lexington downloaded a version of it from a music-sharing website and cued it up for Elisa's walk from the hallway to the Great Hall.
The countdown to midnight got the entire congregation up onto their feet, shouting happily and counting from ten to one. As the group of gargoyles and humans celebrated excitedly, Elisa was in her room, putting the final touches on her ensemble, as was Goliath in another room.
Only mere minutes after the start to 1998, Hudson advised all their friends and guests, all 25 or so, to be seated. Goliath took his place beside Hudson in the middle of the circle while Lexington then played the Wedding March, and suddenly all eyes were focused upon their dear friend, Elisa Maza. She walked demurely towards the centre of the circle and smiled sweetly at her mate. Goliath's expression was one of awe and complete love for Elisa as he admired her in the beautiful and understated white dress. They clasped hands and stared into each other's eyes as if for the first time. Hudson cleared his throat and began.
"Everyone, thank ye all fer being with us tonight. We are here to call attention upon love between two clan members, and to have this love recognized by the clan. This is a serious undertaking, as ye both understand, and cannae be taken lightly."
Goliath and Elisa smiled and nodded slightly.
"Please say the vows you have chosen fer this occasion…" Hudson requested. Elisa was the first to start. She smiled and looked up into the eyes of her hero, her warrior, her love.
"My darling one, I have denied my feelings for far too long. I want you to be mine for all eternity. By the Dragon and the North Star, in front of our friends, our family, and our clan, I swear my love for you is real, by all that I know, and all that is, and I vow my undying love and companionship until the day I stop breathing. You are now my mate, Goliath, for always." A series of sighs could be heard from the Mazas—they mostly came from Beth, who, in her 23 years of knowing Elisa, had never heard her sister being romantic before.
Goliath smiled and began.
"Elisa, I too have denied my feelings for too long. But I realise that our differences are what make us so perfect for one another. Our love is like no other, human or gargoyle. Ours is a love that cannot be explained or denied. It just is, and continues to grow with each night that the Dragon gives us. After a millennium of being frozen in stone, you made my heart start beating again. I will spend the rest of my life thanking you for that, and making me live again. This long-awaited night has finally come. I love you, my Elisa. Now and forever."
Elisa beamed happily. Hudson took this as his cue to end the ceremony in the traditional way. "As members of this clan, do any of ye object ta this union?"
Elisa half-expected Demona to burst in through a window brandishing an Uzi and shouting her usual tripe against mankind at this point. Elisa even looked around cautiously, just in case, but saw no one out of the usual, so she resumed her happy look and allowed Hudson to continue.
It appeared as if Brooklyn had had the same brief thought about Demona; his eyes darted from the happy couple to the large windows just a few feet away from them, and back again, expecting an ambush of the Steel Clan, or some other sort of magical spell to encroach upon Goliath and Elisa's happiness, but it was a fleeting moment, and his anxiety passed quickly. Besides, Demona hadn't been their enemy for months now. After all that she did to help Derek and the Labyrinth clan, she was becoming a friend to the clan. His thoughts quickly subsided and focused once again on the clan leader and his love finally committing themselves to one another. He chalked up his momentary anxiety to his recent doubts about her during the fiasco involving himself and Elisa. They had proven false, he told himself. Demona was just there at the right moment to break up the fight between me and Goliath—nothing more. He shook his head and returned his attention to the happy couple.
Outside that large window just a few feet away from where the ceremony was being held, Demona was crouched in the shadows, watching the ceremony through the window. She knew she was helpless…for now. She couldn't burst in and kill Maza outright, or there would be no chance of her regaining Goliath's heart, and she had run out of magic spells that could help her. The only course of action she had left was to wait until after they were mated, though she cringed at the idea of a mangy human mated with a noble gargoyle, and destroy Maza later on. Once Goliath was mourning over her death, Demona could swoop in and regain that which was taken from her a millennium earlier. For now, however, she couldn't help but be furious at what she was witnessing. Her eyes blazed bright red as she watched Hudson announce their mating…
"In that case, 'tis my pleasure t'announce that Goliath and Elisa are mated in the eyes'a the clan!"
As cheers echoed from the small group witnessing the ceremony, Elisa let out a sigh of relief; nothing had happened to compromise their mating ceremony/wedding and her dream had finally come true. Goliath, too, was relieved, but his joy surpassed any and all feelings of relief he possessed at that moment. They were finally of one heart, recognised by the entire clan. Elisa's smile could not be contained. Goliath reached for her and wrapped his arms and then his wings around his new mate amidst happy cheers from their family and clan around them.
"This really just happened, didn't it, Big Guy?" Elisa asked quietly, almost incredulously, as she was enveloped in her lovers' strong and protective wings. Goliath breathed in, let out a long breath and replied simply, "Yes, my love. Finally."
Outside, Demona's rage grew as she watched Goliath embrace Elisa in the same manner he used to embrace her all those years ago. Her resolve grew. I need to find a way to kill Maza, she thought as she began to get up from her sitting position, preparing to leave. It could be so simple, but my simple plans had never actually worked. Maza just won't die by traditional means. I have to get creative.
Back inside, the party was alive with happy chatter and activity. Owen had brought in a few dishes in buffet-style, which pleased Broadway greatly, and the champagne was flowing like it was water. Even Diane Maza and Peter Maza were enjoying themselves greatly, though still in the presence of David Xanatos. Watching their daughter in a simple, yet fitting wedding dress, mingling briefly with the guests, they knew that their daughter was finally content, and their grandson had a strong and protective father figure in his life with Goliath. Even Beth was happy for her big sister. Though she hadn't spent too much time with the gargoyles, she was quickly becoming used to them and knew that they were good-hearted beings. The idea of her brother-in-law being of another species definitely was unsettling, but she knew he was the best man for Elisa. Meanwhile, Derek and Maggie just held each other's hands during the entire ceremony, silently observing the proceedings and pondering about their own wedding someday.
While the happy couple mingled, Fox Xanatos walked over to them, congratulated them and caught her husband's eye while he was talking briefly to Owen. David walked briskly but purposefully towards his wife. Once beside her, he planted an affectionate kiss upon her cheek. She giggled and grabbed his hand, leading him to a more quiet place in the Great hall that they could talk.
"What is it, my dear?" David asked. Fox smiled.
"I thought it was a good idea to start off the New Year with a bit of welcome news"
David's mouth turned up in a happy grin. "Do tell, Fox." "David, I'm pregnant." She replied, holding his hand tightly and waiting for any sort of reaction before continuing. David, however, didn't give Fox a chance to continue; he embraced her happily, lifting her off of the ground momentarily.
"But I want to keep things quiet about it for now. I was thinking of going upstate until I start showing. Well, actually, I was hoping that Alexander and I would go, and you could visit us or even stay with us." "To get away from the city for a while? A change in scenery?" David asked, understanding that Fox was already feeling ill and knew that she would rather stay upstate than have the servants in the Eyrie wait on her hand and foot. "Exactly. What do you think, David?" Fox asked, anticipating his positive response. "That sounds beneficial for you and the baby. I know you'll take good care of Alexander and yourself up there." "Oh, and David, no one must know about this pregnancy yet. Not even Owen."
An odd request, since Fox was never one to be superstitious or one to believe old wives' tales, but he nodded. "Ok, darling. Agreed. We'll arrange your trip in a few days."
Goliath and Elisa strode together through the doorway to the parapets to take their mating glide, hand in hand. Once outside, Elisa stopped dead in her tracks and turned her head quickly to the left. She had seen something out of the corner of her eye. Alarm rose in Goliath's face suddenly.
"What is it, Elisa?"
She turned back to him when her suspicions were proven wrong. "Oh, nothing. I guess I'm seeing things. I could have sworn I saw someone right there, by the window. But everyone is inside still…" She shook her head and squeezed Goliath's hand tightly. "Call me paranoid I guess…"
"It has been an eventful night, my love. You must be tired…" He smiled devilishly. "…or excited about something…" Elisa understood his comment and giggled playfully.
"Hmmm…could be…" Goliath bent down instantly, picked Elisa up and jumped off the parapets with her securely in his arms. Her giggles could be heard for a few moments after they had disappeared into the night sky.
From the shadows, Demona sighed. She had almost been spotted by the whore herself. That would have seriously put a dent in her plans. Good thing she didn't have to explain her presence at the ceremony, since there really was no explanation except that she needed to see for herself the extent of Goliath's stupidity and lack of rationality. She loved him, but he was sometimes such a fool. Not to worry, she thought, soon I'll be the only female he has eyes for. She nodded to herself and opened her wings to glide towards her estate. She needed to use all her free time to concoct a plan to rid herself of Elisa Maza once and for all.
AN: Be prepared for a big jump in timeline very soon...like in the next two episodes...u have been warned!! Stay tuned!!